Finally!
I'm actually a little embarrassed by the fact that, until today, I had never seen a Horned Lark. In spite of the fact that they are year-round birds in much of the continental United States, including New Jersey. In our area, they are most often seen in winter - probably because they are ground feeders and the best time to see them is when the ground is covered in snow. In fact, that's the only reason I spotted this flock of 75+ birds.
I was driving along a country road, coming back from a quick duck-finding expedition when I noticed a very large flock of little birds in a mown farm field. With a jolt of adrenaline, I realized that I was most likely (finally) seeing Horned Larks! I veered off onto what I could only hope was a frozen shoulder on the road, hit my emergency blinkers, lowered the passenger side window, grabbed bins and confirmed my ID. Then, it was a mad fumble for the camera and a fair amount of contorting around in the front seat so that I could aim my lens out the passenger side. I knew if I got out of the car, they'd fly. So, although this isn't my finest shot, it's decent enough and definitely works to record my first-ever sighting of this little songbird.
Things at the NJ AOG Stadium are hopping with all the birds protein-loading in anticipation of 1) snow tomorrow, and 2) the start of the AOG in just a few short days. (Probably more the former than the latter.) I even spotted a single delegate from Team American Tree Sparrow at the Bistro this morning! They featured in 2014 AOG, winning gold in the Downhill Swooping Event - do they have what it takes to make a comback this year? Only time will tell...
And by this time tomorrow, with a bit of luck, Hubs and I will be on the east coast of Florida. Where there won't be any snow on the ground - yay!!
Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out the reports from the various AOG training camps around the world to see how the athletes are training. Click HERE (#2018AOG)
TTFN,
Debbi
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