Originally Posted by
DogBoy
red-winged black birds are very territorial. If you have any kind of color on your helmet it will view you as an invader and will continue to 'attack' you until you leave its territory. For the most part, they may just scratch the top of your helmet and you can keep on riding. If it _really_ bothers you, try to get rid of that red on the back of your helmet (not the blinkie) and don't wear a colorful shirt. You have a black helmet with red on it. You are clearly an invading bird!
I remember from a nature documentary years ago, that red-winged blackbirds flash their red spots at each other to vie for territory. The did an experiment on the birds by blacking out their red spots, and the birds could no longer compete. I wonder if it's reacting to the red of the blinky. It'd be an interesting experiment to cover it up, and see how the bird reacts.