Oko Napchinyunka

Monday, Apr 20, to Sunday, Apr 26, 2026: high 90, low 30, gust 43 mph, moisture 0.77"

Closeup image of a red-winged blackbird’s 6:37 landing Tuesday morning, captured by one of the trail cameras. Their name in Lakotan is wablosha. In Buechel’s dictionary, he writes that the wabloshas’ song is, “Toke, mat’a ni. Nakun mine. Mish eya. Chap’cheghli.” Unfortunately, i'm not sure how to translate it, especially the last part. From Cornell Lab’s “All About Birds” website: “The male Red-winged Blackbird’s conk-la-ree! is a classic sound of wetlands across the continent. The 1-second song starts with an abrupt note that turns into a musical trill.” As for females, they “give a very different song in response to a singing male, a series of three to five short chit or check notes.” In addition to these songs, Wabloshas have calls. The typical call “is a distinctive, mater-of-fact check that’s fairly easy to recognize. Males and females make these calls all year round… They also give a more intense alarm call, a fast, scolding chak chak chak.” Wonder if this Wablosha was singing or calling when it was on final for its landing?