My birding companion this weekend had a much bigger camera lens than I did, and a keener eye for finding birds in the tall grasses of the field.
We were at the Conservancy Farm in Superior Township, Michigan, scanning the tops of the grasses for our target bird for the day.
Wait, was that it?
I asked as a blur of black caught the corner of my eye.
No,
he responded.
That was the Red-winged Blackbird. Look at the grasses on the right, where the ground slopes down. There it is!
And he was right.
Hidden behind the grasses, among the purple flowers of the thistle was the Bobolink.
The black bird with white on its wings and a yellow nape that I often refer to as the tuxedo bird.
Why do I call it a tuxedo bird?
Because the male Bobolink with his stunning black and white colors reminds me of a someone dressed in a formal black and white tuxedo.
The bird seemed a bit agitated, constantly calling and moving its tail. We thought we might be too close to a nest, so we backed off.
And then the bird took flight for a short distance, nabbing a bug in flight.
Look carefully in his bill, you’ll see a bug with bright blue colors and wings. Time for an early lunch!
