photo by Jon

Can you see the meadowlark in the middle of the fence?  You can usually spot a meadowlark on some kind of perch in the grasslands.  The photo was taken in Arizona, where I got to complete my collection of meadowlarks by seeing Eastern Meadowlarks.  I’ve seen Western Meadowlarks in Utah and California.

They are incredible birds with beautiful songs.  I know I’m always urging you to listen to the bird calls, but this is the best one.  I always hear these guys before I see them because they blend in so well.

Here is a closer shot of the Eastern Meadowlark.

Cornell says that they have thicker wing bars and are darker than the Western Meadowlarks but they look the same to me.  This is the Eastern Meadowlark again.

And here is the Western Meadowlark.  This picture was taken on Antelope Island.

Maybe he’s a little lighter but I don’t see a difference with the wing bars.  Their calls are different enough that I could probably distinguish that way.

UPDATE: I’d also like to point out that last night I was watching the TV miniseries for Stephen King’s “The Stand” and they know about meadowlarks!  There is a scene where several guys are standing next to a huge field and you can hear meadowlarks.  Yay for accuracy!  The other day I was completely distracted by a movie because it was supposed to take place on the East Coast but you could clearly hear Scrub Jays in the background and I had trouble concentrating.

They frequently have their backs turned, which makes them harder to identify.  From the front, it’s very clear that this is no sparrow, warbler or pipit.

Isn’t he amazing?  You would think that they would be very visible with that yellow front, but here is a picture of his surroundings.

With all those yellow flowers, he’s actually hard to spot.

The last three pictures were taken in Palo Alto, California.  I’ve seen meadowlarks since moving to Utah in Farmington Bay.  For some reason, he was hanging out in a tree full of European Starlings.

one of these things is not like the other

But then later he was alone.  I wish these pictures was clearer, but that day we were experiencing an inversion.  I’m so glad that we haven’t had an inversion for several weeks now.  You can actually feel the pollution when you inhale.  It is a natural consequence of living in the valley, but increased pollution has caused a greater incidence of inversions over the years.

I’m going to treat myself to a new camera base this week, so hopefully next weeks’ pictures will be even better!