When I lived up north, I used to listen to the Western Meadowlark. They never seemed to sing while flying. They were always perched on a telephone line or pole or a fence post. I wonder where they sang before those things were used. Did they sing from the tops of Indian tent poles? Trees are scarce where they range. I wonder if they used to sing on the wing and have lost the need now that the tall fake trees are so plentiful. The robins are another feathered visitor that has flown on by the time spring comes. Most of the cedar berries are gone and the nesting instinct calls them on north. Occasionally we can see the large geese and flights of ducks heading north. They will stop off on the lakes for a rest and then move on toward their nesting areas in Canada. With all the warm weather, the crew are spending more time outside and more time checking for ticks before bed time. Bugs that bite are a sure sign of spring around here, but that's another story.
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Another
winter visitor that has moved on is the meadowlark. They have a back
the color of dried grass and a yellow chest with a bib of black and
white. When they fly they flash a white and buff wedge shaped tail.
Their song is a beautiful warble that you don't often hear when the
birds are in residence here. They start arriving shortly after the first
cold snap in the northern plains and stay until the warmth of spring
penetrates to the grasslands of the Dakotas and Montana.  Return
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