Western Meadowlark Posing In The Snow

Western Meadowlarks can be quite approachable when they’re singing on territory in the spring and summer but they’re generally shy at other times.  So I was quite surprised yesterday morning when this one allowed a close approach as it preened on a snowy perch.

 

western meadowlark 8046b ron dudley

  1/3200, f/7.1, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

At first it just watched me to see if I posed a threat.

 

 

western meadowlark 8072 ron dudley

  1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

Then it struck one of the stranger poses I’ve seen from a bird.  This may appear to be a fairly typical scratching pose frozen by shutter speed but its behavior was atypical.  The right foot barely moved for quite some time as it held its beak wide open.  I would have expected the foot to be moving fast as it scratched but it wasn’t.  I took 29 shots that looked almost exactly like this one with the foot in almost the same position (it wasn’t rapidly going up and down) and its beak was wide open the entire time.  I remember being quite surprised and amused by what I was observing.

 

 

western meadowlark 8095 ron dudley

  1/4000, f/7.1, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

Here I caught the wing slightly up as it returned to a more typical standing position.

 

 

western meadowlark 8100 ron dudley

  1/2500, f/8, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

Then a vigorous rouse…

 

 

western meadowlark 8119 ron dudley

 1/2500, f/8, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

and some preening.  Here the bird looked up for a moment after having had its bill buried in its feathers.

 

 

western meadowlark 8143 ron dudley

 1/4000, f/8, ISO 1000, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in

Then it stretched its right wing followed fairly quickly…

 

 

western meadowlark 8166 ron dudley

by a stretch of the other wing.  Western Meadowlark preening sessions can last for up to 10 minutes (BNA Online) but this one was over in about three, possibly because of traffic on the nearby road.

One of the joys of winter bird photography is catching them in snowy settings like this one.  I’ll be tired of the snow before spring but right now I welcome it.

Ron

 

28 Comments

  1. Humming Bird Lover

    Hi! great photo’s so many good angles! Keep up the great work!

  2. Love this series! These birds are so beautiful and their song is a nice icing on the cake! Thank you for keeping your snow up there. It’s beautiful and I’ve tried to like it, but my Florida blood is just too thin I reckon.

  3. Yogi Meadowlark?

  4. Great series! I love the way you’ve captured the interesting personality and behavior of the bird.

    While we were driving home today we saw a hunting vehicle that would be great for bird photography. It was a large pickup truck with a superstructure on the back that had a framework (which I assume would be covered to make a blind), comfortable swivel chairs, and even two seats on the front bumper. All you’d need is a driver… When I saw it, I immediately thought of you.

    • Wow, sounds like quite the rig, Susan. But as you say, a driver is critical. Don’t think (no question, actually) Mia would agree to drive and stash her camera while I photographed birds though. She’s a generous person but that’s pushing it…

      • I never even considered having Mia drive, given that photography is clearly very important to her. If she did have to drive, there’s no telling if all those bars one could hang onto would keep you up there. 🙂

  5. Simply wonderful behavioral shots Ron! Thanks for sharing!
    Charlotte

  6. Wow, Ron! An amazing series of the most spectacular photos of a Meadowlark I have ever seen! Thank you and Happy New Year!

  7. What a fascinating series. And haven’t we all had days when we are in ‘go slow’ mode. Thanks Ron – big smiles early in my day (it is not long after five) are a treat.

  8. Wonderful series. Great catch. Beautiful bird.
    You kept your word. Thank you.
    Let’s hope hackers gave up…

  9. One of my conures would do the thing with the foot. The only thing I could liken it to was someone trying to stop an itch by poking it rather than scratching it. Very strange.

  10. Very nice Ron. Stunning pictures of course. But I always love you pointing our behavior. Thanks.

  11. Great series! Second photograph = the Thinker. 🙂

    Love your blog!

  12. Great series of images, Ron! I love watching birds preen, rouse and stretch!

  13. I follow daily… this series just made me SMILE! Thank you for sharing your photos & settings.
    Happy New Year!

  14. Truly wonderful shots as always, and I especially enjoy the way you notice & capture what these wonderful creatures are up to.

    Looks like each wing stretch is accompanied by a stretching of the leg on the same side, something I’ve seen other birds do. Quite a balancing act.

  15. What a series Ron! The detail you captured is breathtaking! I think every feather can be counted! I just love feather colors and patterns on birds!

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