A Day on Merganser Lake
Yesterday, I showed a male and female American redstart as an example of sexual dimorphism (male and female look different.) Today, here’s the bobolink, a beloved bird of our fields. Another good example of dimorphism. Click here for yesterday’s post.
Here’s the male …
I got this shot a few weeks ago of one of my favorite New England summer birds, the bobolink. They are black, white and yellow (like the Steelers) and have a crazy song that sounds like R2D2. What’s not to like?
One thing not to like is that bobolinks are in decline throughout their range because of habitat destruction. Bobolinks nest in fields of tall grass and that habitat is disappearing fast as developers eye it for condos or shopping centers, or towns see the potential for more soccer fields instead of critical wildlife habitat. Bobolinks aren’t alone as many field species are in similar peril. All one has to do is walk through a field or meadow in the summer to appreciate how valuable that habitat is to wildlife.
I checked out Happy Landings, an open space of fields and shrubby areas in Brookfield, Connecticut, after dropping off my son Will at middle school the other day. With its huge fields, the protected space is a rare haven for bobolinks in New England. There should be more such field habitat. Anyway, I wanted to see if the bobolinks were back and sure enough, they were — along with plenty of other birds. Take a look …
Happy birding and let me know what you see out there this migration period.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A male bobolink perches in a small tree and overlooks the fields at Happy Landings in Brookfield, CT.
It’s been a while since I’ve taken some decent Bobolink photos. That is partly because Bobolinks, like many birds and especially birds that need large fields or meadows to nest, are in decline. It’s also because I hadn’t visited any of those habitats recently.
But Happy Landings in Brookfield, thankfully. offers acres of field habitat and Bobolinks and other birds love it. So does this birdwatcher.
More on Bobolinks coming up.
Birds of New England.com 