I went out to Skinner Lane in Goshen today after work. Last fall Skinner Lane was a really good spot for shorebirds, so I figured I would swing by and see what I could find. There were many Killdeer present, I counted at least 100, but they were the only shorebirds to be found. I wasn’t there long when many of the Killdeer suddenly flew. That is when I noticed a Northern Harrier cruising above the fields. I checked my eBird checklists – this was the first Northern Harrier I had seen since the end of March! I watched in my binoculars for a short while until it dropped into one of the fields and disappeared in the crops. I waited but I never did see the hawk again.
The highlight of the day was seeing a group of approximately 15 Horned Larks. This is a life bird for me, so it was very exciting. They landed not very far away from me, but there was a car coming so I had to snap a few pictures as quickly as I could before they flew. I did the best I could, but I was not very happy with the results:
On my way out I spotted an American Kestrel with a fresh kill. He was dining on the top of a power line pole.
Killdeer are my favorite ! Although my head is stuck out west right now, I will get back to them. I was doing family watercolor sketches of them before I left. Always enjoy you photos Matt, thanks again for sharing.
Thanks Linda Lou! I was sort of following your trip out west via Facebook- looks like you had a great trip. matt
Matt,
I don’t think your photos of the Horned Lark are bad at all. In fact I think they provide more information than you think. You may notice that the bird pictured doesn’t appear “clean”. By that I mean you can see feathers in different stages of growth. I think there is definate scalloping on the edges of the greater and median coverts. The bird also shows dark sides and breast. This could be the result of molt, but I don’t think it is. Also the fact that the bird is just a little more confiding (didn’t take off at an instant) suggest to me this is a hatch year juvenile. Horned Larks breed regularly on Indianna Road and that is just a stones throw from Skinner Lane. We have seen young there in each of the last couple of years. Since Horned Larks breed early in the year, my guess is that is what you are seeing here. Of course this is just my opinion and I could be wrong. Always nice to read your blog. John
Wow, thanks for the great information John. I just took another look at those photos and I think I can see what you are saying. I think that I am starting to be able to recognize these types of details (in photos, not in the field!). It is amazing to me, there is so much to learn in birding and I think that is what makes it so exciting to me.