Eyelashes

Eyelashes, originally uploaded by Hannibals Animals.

Eastern Meadowlark
Goose Lake Prairie
4.22.10

Never noticed these guys had such long eyelashes before...

Potpourri

To my surprise, these Caspian Terns made a stopover in the corn stubble near a cooling lake. I didn't expect their arrival so early.



I've photographed this Barred Owl many times, but who can resist when he chooses another roosting branch over his favorites.



This Eastern Meadowlark was singing just outside my drivers side window. His song stopped suddenly as I pulled beside him, but he did not flush.



The Northern Flickers are everywhere I go, digging for tasty morsels, but this one didn't mind his picture being taken.

Meadowlarks

The melodious whistles of the Eastern Meadowlark is a familiar and welcome sound across farms and grasslands in eastern North America.


They will sing to stake out a breeding territory. A male Eastern Meadowlark typically has two mates at a time, and on rare occasion, three. I found this one singing in Goose Lake Prairie State Park.





I found this one singing at McKinley Woods/Moose Island.

Interesting Notes:
Meadowlarks have a complex bill musculature that allows them to force the bill open with considerable strength. This allows them to insert the bill into the dirt substance, & pry apart the ground. While this happens the eyes rotate forward slightly and they can see directly between their jaws into the hole they have created. This technique is referred to as "gaping".
Gaping allows meadowlarks to seek insects that other bird species can't get. Starlings also have this ability.