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The Daily Bucket -- A Lark in the Snow [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2024-02-27  

I’d subtitle this diary as “One of the reasons I love Midwest winters.” I’ve been doing a fair amount of birding lately, but always seem to go on the days we return to typical SE Michigan winter instead of the early spring days. But sometimes those cold days bring unexpected benefits. Light snow on the ground last weekend in Ohio brought Horned Larks to the roadside. I see them often, but at a distance. And they blend in well in the agricultural fields where I usually see them in winter.

THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, WATERS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS.

WE INVITE YOU TO NOTE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU IN YOUR OWN PART OF THE WORLD, AND TO SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF THE DAILY BUCKET FEATURE, CHECK OUT THIS DIARY: DAILY BUCKET PHENOLOGY: 11 YEARS OF RECORDING EARTH'S VITAL SIGNS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

This is a typical sighting. Zoom to actually see the Lark.

All About Birds explains that Horned Larks favor habitat like this — short grasses and plowed fields. They eat insects and seeds:

They feed their nestlings mostly insects, which provide the protein the young birds need to grow. Insect prey are mainly grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. Chicks may also be fed invertebrates such as sowbugs and earthworms. Horned Larks glean most of their food from the ground, but they sometimes perch on plants to harvest seeds from seed heads. In agricultural fields they may pluck and eat sprouting lettuce, wheat, and other crop seedlings.

When snow covers the ground, they come to roadsides and paths to forage. One very cooperative Lark stayed close to the road instead of disappearing into the stubble.

I like this photo because it shows the squashed oval shape of the Lark as it’s running away. Closer

Tossing snow aside in search of seeds. See the snow.

Pausing to check out the onlookers, evidently finding no threat.

Back to the matter at hand. Closer

Ah! Found something. Can you see the seed?

Now it’s your turn. What’s up in nature in your area?

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2024/2/27/2225713/-The-Daily-Bucket-A-Lark-in-the-Snow

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