I walked down Dodge Rd at 5:30pm in a slight drizzle under cold overcast
skies.
A female Kestrel was keeping vigil in the lone tree standing in the
middle of the uppermost (South) field. Her colors looked beautiful in
this light.
Four E.Kingbirds flew in from the east across the lower fields and sat
for a conference in a young maple before dispersing one by one. They may
have just arrived.
As I stood pishing beside the spruce grove, a troop of 20 Yellow-rumped
Warblers tumbled out and did an entertaining aerial trapeze act, popping
out in the open one by one to look at me. It was hard to scan through
them, but I caught one (Eastern, yellow) Palm Warbler.
On the way back, I heard the wit-wit-wit call of a Wood-thrush from the
scrubby woods.
Finally, back at the south field, a male Bobolink flew up into the tree
where the Kestrel had been. When he flew back down, he led me to another
male Bobolink. The two sat on adjacent bullrushes, displaying their
puffed-up yellow napes, hoping for mates.
I was glad to see bobolinks again here -- they used to be regular
breeders in these fields until the early mowing started up years ago.
Bobolinks & Meadowlarks are rare here now.
Nari Mistry
Ellis Hollow Rd
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Nari B. Mistry, Ithaca, NY
To see my paintings, visit
http://www.ArtbyNari.com
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