Birds of the Meadow

Bobolink

Birders across the state can belong to the Kentucky Birders Facebook group. We can share the birds we've seen at different locations, post photos if we have good ones or ask for help in ID'ing a bird. Lately several people have posted about the Bobolinks they have seen at Camp Nelson near Nicholasville in central Kentucky. I've only seen Bobolinks in two other places (in West Virginia and Maine) and was thrilled with the chance to find them closer to home, so this morning we hit the road for Jessamine County.

Camp Nelson grasslands and buildings (from rear)

I'd never heard of Camp Nelson before and had to look it up. It is a National Monument about the Civil War. Established as a Union supply depot and hospital during the Civil War, Camp Nelson became a recruitment and training center for African American soldiers, and a refugee camp for their wives and children. Thousands of slaves risked their lives escaping to this site with the hope of securing their freedom and, ultimately, controlling their futures by aiding in the destruction of slavery. (I did not know that Kentucky did not ratify the 13th Amendment until 1976. And this surprises me?) At the height of its use in 1865, Camp Nelson encompassed roughly 4,000 acres. The camp, which was organized around an 800-acre core, included more than 300 buildings and tents that housed a quartermaster commissary depot, ordnance depot, recruitment center, prison, and a hospital. Eight earthen forts or batteries, primarily constructed by enslaved labor, helped to protect the camp. The camp was also home to stables and corrals, a bakery, and a steam-driven waterworks that could pump water up 470 feet from the Kentucky River to a 50,000 gallon reservoir. The buildings are all closed of course, but we came to see the birds, so headed across the meadows. My question is, how do they maintain these meadows to prevent invasive plants from taking over?

Buff/yellow on neck

I always thought that the yellow was on their heads, but was surprised to notice that it is actually on the back of their necks. They are related to blackbirds, as you can notice from the shape of their beaks. Males will have several females in their territory, but the females will mate with several males. Guess that's the best way to spread the gene pool around. The name is from "Bob o' Lincoln" (which is appropriate at this location) but they are also known as the "Rice Bird."

White on back

In flight

 When in flight, you can see the white on his back and large white bars on his wings. But mostly, you hear his bubbling song as he soars across the meadow, quickly dropping down into the grass.

 Lang Elliot goes around collecting first class video and audio of bird songs, and here is a little of what we heard today.

Eastern Meadowlark singing

Eastern Meadowlark brown back

Who else lives in the meadow? The Eastern Meadowlark of course. It was amazing how all these birds would land in the fairly short grass of the field and immediately disappear. If we had dared the chigger bites and walked into the grass, the highest stalks would not have come up to our knees quite. The grass stalks weren't strong enough to hold a bird's weight, but sometimes they would find a sturdier weed stalk to perch on.

Lang also has some beautiful Meadowlark songs for you to enjoy.

Red-winged Blackbird

Are we done yet? No, the Red-winged Blackbird gives the other two a good run for their money, singing and dropping into the grass to disappear.

Eastern Bluebird couple

Eastern Bluebird male

 The Bluebirds hang around the meadow, but don't nest in the grass, being cavity nesters. This beautiful couple is getting ready to furnish the nest box right below them. In fact, Bluebirds can have up to 3 or 4 broods every summer if the conditions are right and there is plenty of food.

Summer Tanager

At the back of the meadow, a trail led into the woods for an entirely different set of birds. The Summer Tanager circled our heads a few times before settling into a branch above us to take a good look. 

Wood Thrush

If we hear one or two Wood Thrushes on a hike, we count ourselves lucky. But today we must have hear 6 or 8 of them, each staking out a bit of the woods for his own. We called one, and he circled quickly around our heads. And when he landed, I pulled up the camera to focus on him, but he took off just as I clicked the shutter. Dick said to pull out a picture of another bird to use as a stand-in. There used to be a website I used for short, free sound files of bird calls, but I can't find any now. My feet hurt so much, I can hardly stand. Maybe we need to be a little less ambitious about birding for a while. Sigh.