On a walk just now I heard the springtime call of a male red-winged blackbird as I crossed the 1904 World’s Fair bridge. I looked for his flaring red epaulets in the brush but could not find him, and that single call is all he gave. Perhaps he is moving through, or maybe he is an early arrival, come to start building nests and await the female migration. Maybe he’s an ambitious fellow, come early to build the most beautiful nest ever- Whatever the reason for his solitary call, I eagerly await the return of his fellows (cloud, cluster, or merle).