Sunday, June 8, 2008

Singing in the Rain

Sunday, June 8, 2008
9 comments
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...

9 comments:

On June 9, 2008 at 12:37 AM entoto said...

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

On June 9, 2008 at 8:33 AM Jayne said...

Hope everyone had a wonderful time. :c)

On June 9, 2008 at 11:05 AM Kyle said...

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.

On June 9, 2008 at 1:53 PM RuthieJ said...

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.

On June 9, 2008 at 6:20 PM Bill of the Birds said...

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

On June 9, 2008 at 10:09 PM Mary said...

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.

On June 10, 2008 at 9:36 AM Rurality said...

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

On June 10, 2008 at 11:46 AM dguzman said...

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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