The story of the bird
A Red-winged Blackbird in full display, scarlet epaulets raised, on a single Audubon-style plate. A natural gift for anyone who grew up near a marsh or lake, or a warm accent for a den, cabin or hallway.
The Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is the most abundant bird in North America by some estimates. The male’s call - a liquid upward-bent conk-la-ree - carries across open water with a brightness that does not sound like a blackbird at all. It is the sound of a cattail marsh in February, before the ice is fully gone, when the first males return to claim a territory.
In display the male raises his wings to show the epaulettes: a patch of brilliant scarlet bordered by pale yellow. Then he closes the wings and the colour disappears and he is an undistinguished glossy-black bird again. The female is heavily streaked brown, easily passed off as a large sparrow in winter flocks. The two forms do not obviously belong to the same species unless you see them together at the same reed stem.
The Audubon plate shows the male in display posture, one wing raised to full extension, the scarlet epaulet at full depth of colour. This is the identification moment - the field mark visible for the two seconds the wing is held up, then gone.
Paper and finish
Unframed prints come on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308gsm, a heavyweight cotton rag with a soft matte surface and true archival life. The surface holds fine lines and subtle colour gradients without glare, which matters for Audubon-tradition work where the cream ground needs to read as paper, not as a white field. The framed option is set in a classic moulding, glazed and ready to hang, in black, white or natural.
Sizes
Three sizes: 8x10, 16x20 and 24x30 inches, or an instant digital download at $9. Prints from $39. Framed from $99.
