Dennis Cheeseman used a borrowed camera to get this shot of the male Red-winged Blackbird in attack mode yesterday on the Marsh Discovery Trail at DeKorte Park. (Thanks, Dennis!)

We have placed a temporary sign at the beginning of the boardwalk warning folks that the bird is aggressively guarding his turf (and nests), and to keep walking when they see a male Red-winged perched nearby — no need to stress out the bird any more than he is already.

This is the second summer in a row that we have seen this behavior at this point on trail.

Julie McCall suggests calling the bird "the Defender." How about "Dennis the Menace" instead?