Sunday, June 8, 2008

Singing in the Rain

The male yellow-headed blackbird's song may sound like the stroke of midnight on the bird clock from hell, but that bright lemon head is like a flicker of sunshine on an otherwise rainy day.

The last few days we've been in central North Dakota completely immersed in prairie things, including the ever-changeable prairie weather. Home again soon, trading those yellow-headeds for red-winged blackbirds and chestnut-collared longspurs for common yellowthroats. Also trading cold and rainy 47 degrees for hot and muggy 85.

Am tired from the travel and the 4:00 am wake-ups but it was another great trip to the Great Plains. Sitting in the middle of a never-tilled patch of prairie, watching the sun rise today, I felt my own breath returning in long, slow inhalations. My morning ears were filled with the buzzy songs of Baird's sparrows and Sprague's pipits. Images and a few words to follow...
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9 comments:

  1. entotoJune 9, 2008 at 12:37 AM

    I so wish we could have been there....

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  2. JayneJune 9, 2008 at 8:33 AM

    Hope everyone had a wonderful time. :c)

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  3. KyleJune 9, 2008 at 11:05 AM

    What a beauty he is. And I would trade just about anything to be able to return home to find red-winged blackbirds. We saw them regularly as kids while on summer trips heading up to the Texas piney woods. I don't know that I've seen one around these parts in 30 years or more, tho.

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  4. RuthieJJune 9, 2008 at 1:53 PM

    Back to work Monday (big sigh). North Dakota is now just a treasured memory to save for when I need a mental escape from my office cubicle.
    Thanks again Bill for sharing your birding knowledge with all of us who were fortunate enough to have you (and Julie) as trip leaders.

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  5. Bill of the BirdsJune 9, 2008 at 6:20 PM

    Sorry to miss you Trixie. You, too, Jayne. Ruthie: Great to meet you. Phoebe loves the shawl.

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  6. MaryJune 9, 2008 at 10:09 PM

    I would have loved to have been there, seeing my breath rise and overlooking beautiful country. Looking forward to more. Welcome back home. Pour some iced tea.

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  7. RuralityJune 10, 2008 at 9:36 AM

    Nice bird! I've never seen one but it's very high on my "you just missed it" list.

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  8. dguzmanJune 10, 2008 at 11:46 AM

    Wish I were there--especially given the temps and humidity in the 90s here in Central PA. I thought I'd left Texas, but the weather seems to have followed me....

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