Rogue Valley, Oregon
5102
Tags: spring flowers wildflowers color
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Rogue Valley - Jackson County - Oregon - USA
Habitat : Grasslands
Food : Insects
Nesting : Ground
Behavior : Ground Forager
Conservation : Low Concern
"The buoyant, flutelike melody of the Western Meadowlark ringing out across a field can brighten anyone’s day. Meadowlarks are often more easily heard than seen, unless you spot a male singing from a fence post. This colorful member of the blackbird family flashes a vibrant yellow breast crossed by a distinctive, black, V-shaped band. Look and listen for these stout ground feeders in grasslands, meadows, pastures, and along marsh edges throughout the West and Midwest, where flocks strut and feed on seeds and insects... Like other members of the blackbird, or icterid, family, meadowlarks use a feeding behavior called “gaping,” which relies on the unusually strong muscles that open their bill. They insert their bill into the soil, bark or other substrate, then force it open to create a hole. This gives meadowlarks access to insects and other food items that most birds can’t reach."
- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Tags: Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta Rogue Valley Jackson County Oregon USA Mark Heatherington Bird Nature Wildlife Meadowlark
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Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
Emigrant Creek Road - Jackson County - Oregon - USA
Habitat : Grasslands
Food : Insects
Nesting : Ground
Behavior : Ground Forager
Conservation : Low Concern
"The buoyant, flutelike melody of the Western Meadowlark ringing out across a field can brighten anyone’s day. Meadowlarks are often more easily heard than seen, unless you spot a male singing from a fence post. This colorful member of the blackbird family flashes a vibrant yellow breast crossed by a distinctive, black, V-shaped band. Look and listen for these stout ground feeders in grasslands, meadows, pastures, and along marsh edges throughout the West and Midwest, where flocks strut and feed on seeds and insects... Like other members of the blackbird, or icterid, family, meadowlarks use a feeding behavior called “gaping,” which relies on the unusually strong muscles that open their bill. They insert their bill into the soil, bark or other substrate, then force it open to create a hole. This gives meadowlarks access to insects and other food items that most birds can’t reach."
- Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Tags: Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta Jackson County Oregon USA Mark Heatherington Meadowlark
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Jackson County – Oregon - USA
“Reminiscent of a troupe of wide-eyed clowns, Acorn Woodpeckers live in large groups in western oak woodlands. Their social lives are endlessly fascinating: they store thousands of acorns each year by jamming them into specially made holes in trees. A group member is always on alert to guard the hoard from thieves, while others race through the trees giving parrotlike waka-waka calls. Their breeding behavior is equally complicated, with multiple males and females combining efforts to raise young in a single nest….. Acorn Woodpeckers are medium-sized woodpeckers with straight, spike-like bills and stiff, wedge-shaped tails used for support as the birds cling to tree trunks….. These woodpeckers live in oak and mixed oak-conifer forests on slopes and mountains in the Southwest and West Coast. They’re tolerant of humans, and you can find them in towns where there are acorns and suitable places to store them.”
Status : Least Concern
Source : Cornell University Lab of Ornithology
Tags: Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus Male Jackson County Oregon USA Mark Heatherington
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thanks for all the help with the ID.
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