look what was out my window this morning!

[cody82414]

A western meadowlark!!!!

I heard it calling the other day, which reminded me of life in Wyoming state, (ahhhhhhhh)
but in central IL!?!?

[hcwhcw]

Nice pic! Pretty!

I've never seen one of those before, and I'm not a birder.

Do western meadowlarks make any kind of distinctive call?

Here's a little poem by anonymous that I dug up from my memory (and google):

Spring is sprung.
Da grass is riz.
I wonder where dem birdies iz?

Da little birds is on da wing.
Ain't dat absurd?
Da little wings is on da bird!

:smile77:

Edited to say there's an even more Bronx-ified or Brooklyn-fied version that has "dem boidies" and "ain't that absoid," instead of "dem birdies" and "aint' that absurd." But I changed the above to the slightly less Bronx-ified/Brooklyn-ified version, a more standard version, because it occured to me that people not familiar with the poem or the old stereotypical accent might not understand "dem boidies." And in print, "dem boidies" looks a bit like "them bodies"! Which, I hope, is not one of our signs of spring! ...LOL. Also, "da" is "der" in some versions.

Tweet tweet!

[Ajack]

How lucky you are! All I got this morning was a baby snail in my kitchen sink Another one this afternoon! My kitchen is clean and I just don't know how they got in?

[skaytez]

I remember as a kid hearing and seeing the meadowlarks at my Grandma's house..which is over a hour east and south of me now. However, we never get them in my area here..been here 15 yrs and never seen/heard one yet. Before this house we lived about 25 min north of here and heard (and occasionally seen) Whipoorwills...never seen/hear them here..same with black capped chickadees..not a one. Weird how even a few miles can make a difference with birds. Can you tell I am a avid birdwatcher? *smile*

I do get other really neat birds here though...indigo buntings, rose breasted grosbeaks, hummers, bluebirds, cardinals, junkos (in winter) and others and we are in the migratory path for the sand hill and whooping cranes as well so those are neat to see/hear flying over and in fields.

Living in a very rural area here we also have tons of other wild life, like deer (who always are in the yard and bed in our pasture or garden..which ever they decide..lol! and also red fox, possums, racoons, lots of quail, wild turkey and sometimes pheasant although I suspect the past few years with the big increase in the stupid coyotes they have really depleted the pheasant and rabbit populations around here. :(

[cody82414]

as a pheasant farmer, I know all to well about coyotes (and hawks!!)

[skaytez]

Wow...you are a brave soul being a pheasant farmer! We raised pheasant and quail for awhile, but that was not a real pleasant experience for us. Boy...they are pretty tough to deal with when really little chicks...got to have the heat just 'perfect' especially those little quails. Never knew there were 'crazy' pheasants but we had one...a female..couldn't put another pheasant near her or she would kill them. Would also smack her head over and over again etc. Reminded me of a person with a severe personality/medical disorder. Needed a straight jacket for that pheasant she was so bad. Who knew.. lol!

[cody82414]

yes, it's a lot of work.....