Meadowlark at Colusa NWR

I’ll have to admit that with the gray skies I considered skipping Colusa NWR after sighting the Vermillion Flycatcher because I couldn’t imagine seeing anything more exciting the rest of the day. I guess habit kept me on my way. We didn’t see anything nearly as exciting as the Vermillion Flycatcher at Colusa; in fact, it was downright dull most of the way.

I’ve deleted most of the shots I took at Colusa because they don’t match shots I’ve taken there before, but sitting in front of my computer looking at several shots of this Western Meadowlark it occurred to me that if it had been the first time I’d ever seen one it might have struck me as remarkable as the Vermillion Flycatcher.

The black necklace complements the Meadowlark’s bright yellow breast and eyebrows.

Apparently I must have seemed as common to the bird as it seemed to me as it took a second to glance over at me

and proceeded to search for food.

Unfortunately we weren’t treated to its beautiful song (probably because it’s the wrong time of year), but its striking looks and delightful song would have to compare favorably with any bird.