Friday, May 11, 2012

Land o' Larks

Lark Bunting, Lark Sparrow, Meadowlark...it seems like the name 'Lark' is often put with birds that aren't even in the family, strictly speaking. The Horned Lark is a true lark--a ground-dwelling bird with long hind-claws and a preference for singing while in flight. They're also really cool looking birds, ones I see fairly often at the Glendale Recharge Ponds in Phoenix but seldom approach.

Even from afar, their distinct plumage and hoppity hop hopping around makes them easily recognizable. I made it a goal last week to get some better pictures of these unique North American Larks, and this required that I venture out into the dry basins they call home.


In my personal experiences, Horned Larks do not tolerate a close proximity to people. But I've also heard of people driving by them on the side of the road, particularly in the midwest, where they'll be feeding in a very casual fashion.

At any rate, my objective was going to require some crawling, slithering (which I don't do very well), scooting and slinking. With this spongy red weed covering lots of the drying mud, it was a neat experience, as if I was exploring an alien planet. The male Lark shown above was always heading away from me, but his female companion decided she liked her spot, and let me get pretty close.


Alas, she lacks the manly mustache of the male Horned Lark, but is still a very pretty bird. She seemed to be feeding on the shoots of grass that managed to poke their way up though the dry soil. She'd bend them down with her Lark feet and then nibble away.


It was really nice to get in close and get some better photos of these cool and delicate birds. It was also really nice to slither away without disturbing them too much. Why is it that people are always disturbed when I slither away from them? I'm just trying to be considerate...
Here's a male I saw while driving around the Santa Cruz Flats in December.


10 comments:

  1. Excellent close ups of the Horned Lark! She is a beauty. A video of your slithering technique would probably make an entertaining post as well!

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    1. Wow thanks for the double compliment Tammy. Alas, I fear that if someone tried to film my technique, it would just look like a video of the landscape...I just blend in so so well : )

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  2. If only the birds would come crawling and slithering to see us, for once! Is a little reciprocity too much to ask?

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    1. For truth Nicholas! I guess it is too much to ask, or at least, all the birds I've asked are snooty. Even when they approach, it's never slithering.

      When feeders aren't involved, the birder/bird relationship is such a one-way affair.

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  3. Good work on getting "Down & Dirty" Laurence, that female Horned Lark is a real beauty.

    There are photos of me slithering but I sure hope there aren't any videos!

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    1. That's how we know you're for real Mia! Perhaps someone can put the photos together in a slideshow video...

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  4. Glad you did Laurence. Cool bird. Sometimes you have to put yourself in some awkward positions to get your shots. But it's always worth it....well most of the time. I just don't like the part where I talk to myself while doing my shots.....I don't even know I'm doing it! Last night I went after that Yellow Warbler again.....found him....but how many hours of tracking and WAITING! And the shots are still not the greatest...oh well:) My post today is human based but I have a video from Panama that features birds from our trip...so that might be interesting for you. Panama is awesome for birding....and very humid right now now until November....but the best birding places I have found on this planet....so far:)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Chris. I was out of town this weekend and now have a huge backlog both of work and photos to go through. I'm looking forward to catching up on my bird blogs, and yours is always at the top of my list.

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  5. Another great post! The term 'Lark' can really be confusing. This reminded me of the time I went looking for the Smith's Longspur last fall and when I got there, the fields were full of Horned Larks, Lark Buntings, Meadowlarks, and even found a couple of Lark Sparrows. Guess it was a 'Lark' day back then.

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    1. Thanks Gordon. Luckily, all of the Lark imitations in North America are beautiful too. It'd be neat to get a pictures with all of those groups in one frame.

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