{"id":120258,"date":"2024-01-30T04:19:34","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T11:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=120258"},"modified":"2024-01-30T04:25:56","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T11:25:56","slug":"western-meadowlarks-at-farmington-bay-wma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/01\/30\/western-meadowlarks-at-farmington-bay-wma\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Meadowlarks At Farmington Bay WMA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Much like the Great Blue Herons I shared yesterday<\/span><\/a>, the Western Meadowlarks I found at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago were also behaving as if it were spring.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Meadowlarks showing courtship behaviors in January \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/640, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of the loose winter flocks of meadowlarks I typically see this time of year, the meadowlarks were acting territorial. The meadowlarks were also singing from high perches and there were aerial chases.<\/p>\n

The calls and songs<\/span><\/a> of Western Meadowlarks are very appealing to me. Hearing them two days ago on a very spring-like day soothed my jangled nerves.<\/p>\n

Most of the Western Meadowlarks I saw at Farmington Bay were not close, but I liked the interactions and behaviors that I was able to show in the images that I took.<\/p>\n

When the meadowlark on the left flew in, I noticed the meadowlark on the right squatting down.<\/p>\n

I have lots of frame-filling images of this species, but only a few that capture more than one meadowlark in focus, like this photo does.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Meadowlark fluttering its wings \u2013 Nikon D500, f8, 1\/1000, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Western Meadowlarks are year round residents in northern Utah but it it still too early for them to nest. We have weeks to go before spring really<\/em> arrives, no matter how spring-like it has felt the past couple of days.<\/p>\n

I enjoyed having the Western Meadowlarks I found at Farmington Bay in my viewfinder two days ago. Watching the meadowlarks was relaxing, but most of all, I simply enjoyed hearing them sing.<\/p>\n

It has been such a strange winter, yet the songs of these meadowlarks reminded me that it will soon end, and the cycle of seasons will continue. Nature is amazing.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Western Meadowlark photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Much like the Great Blue Herons I shared yesterday, the Western Meadowlarks I found at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago were also behaving as if it were spring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1022,697,26,371],"tags":[3535,6412,2659,4094,4347,14668,4824,4825,4104,4061,4308,4095,5498,373],"class_list":["post-120258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-utah","category-western-meadowlarks","tag-courtship-behavior","tag-courtship-behaviors","tag-fluttering","tag-marsh","tag-mating-behavior","tag-mating-behaviors","tag-meadowlark","tag-meadowlarks","tag-perched","tag-sturnella-neglecta","tag-western-meadowlark","tag-wetlands","tag-wings","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/western-meadowlarks-farmington-bay-wma-mia-mcpherson-3548.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-vhE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":79643,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/02\/21\/february-western-meadowlark-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":120258,"position":0},"title":"February 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McPherson","date":"December 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago this Western Meadowlark kept me from being skunked at Farmington Bay WMA because there weren't many other birds to photograph up close.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Stretching Western Meadowlark, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/western-meadowlark-stretch-mia-mcpherson-7751.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/western-meadowlark-stretch-mia-mcpherson-7751.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/western-meadowlark-stretch-mia-mcpherson-7751.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It was lovely to see the sunshine yesterday and to have the Western Meadowlark and Belted Kingfisher in my viewfinder.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Belted Kingfisher at Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/belted-kingfisher-male-mia-mcpherson-4581.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/belted-kingfisher-male-mia-mcpherson-4581.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/belted-kingfisher-male-mia-mcpherson-4581.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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