Eastern Meadow Lark Flock in Our Backyard

January 23, 2025

On Tuesday (January 21), it was bitter cold. We stayed inside and watched the birds in the yard.

Bruce happened to notice an eastern meadow lark in the backyard. As we watched, we realized there were more. We counted seven in the flock.

I wasn’t able to get good pictures of them since I only have my camera phone. I did try, so here are the results.

With the bright yellow chest, you’d think they would be easier to spot. The streaked brown above blends into the grass. With the binoculars, we were able to see them clearly as they poked the ground. I am not sure what they were finding to eat in the cold. Apparently they mostly eat arthropods, but will eat seeds and berries.

The blue birds were flying around the pine trees and some of the brush piles (dead hedges) we have. Seeing that flash of blue while the eastern meadow larks moved around the yard was a pleasant sight. I wasn’t able to get a picture of the blue birds.

The house finches were hanging out by the barn. I wasn’t able to get a picture of them either.

In the front, we had flickers. I was too busy watching them with the binoculars to take pictures. I love seeing the flickers. They are the state bird of Alabama and are known by their colloquial name “yellowhammer”. In the South, flickers have yellow shafts on the primaries and yellow under the tail and underwings.

Flickers primary diet is insects and ants alone can make up to 45% of their diet. Eat those fire ants, my friendly flickers!

“As well as eating ants, northern flickers exhibit a behavior known as anting, in which they use the formic acid from the ants to assist in preening, as it is useful in keeping them free of parasites.”

They also eat seeds in the winter time. It seems seeds from poison ivy and oak are some of their favorite seeds. I do hope they aren’t spreading the seeds around!

The eastern meadow larks returned to the backyard yesterday (Wednesday).

I enjoy watching the birds from the windows.