Block Island has always been a wonderful spot to go birding, not only because the island is an important stopover during migration, but due to the many species that live here.
At the Block Island School, we are following the tradition started by Elizabeth Dickens, who began the bird program at the School in the early 1900s. We are grateful to Kim Gaffett for continuing it.
Each year, Mrs. Szabo includes a bird unit in her fourth grade class, and asks her students to choose a bird they think will best make the “Block Island Bird of the Year.” Through nature walks, bird banding with Miss Gaffett, and research, each student chose a bird they believe best represents Block Island.
This is the fifth in a series.
Did you know that red-winged blackbird flocks can contain several million birds during the winter? Each morning the roosts spread out and travel as far as 50 miles to feed and then return to the very large flock at night. This is just one of the amazing facts I learned when researching the red-winged blackbird, but there are so many more!
The red-winged blackbird is a stocky broad shouldered bird
