{"id":20862,"date":"2015-03-05T05:33:34","date_gmt":"2015-03-05T12:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=20862"},"modified":"2025-12-12T18:07:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T00:07:48","slug":"spring-time-meadowlark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/03\/05\/spring-time-meadowlark\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Time Meadowlark"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SpringSpring time Meadowlark – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

This Western Meadowlark was busy yesterday poking its sharp bill through the emerging grasses to find prey in the warming soil. A couple of times I saw it snatch worms out of the ground and swallow them whole.<\/p>\n

I liked photographing this species on the ground instead of perched on bushes or rocks for a change. Their bright yellow plumage sure stands out!<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Meadowlark crouching in the grass – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I photographed this particular Western Meadowlark<\/span><\/a> for over 15 minutes, it was a very cooperative subject even though at times it seemed to disappear in the dried grasses from last year’s growth.<\/p>\n

Despite having at least some snow this week and colder temperatures signs of spring continue to show including the grasses turning green. I have even seen a few tiny, bright pink Redstem Filaree blooms on the island. Everything seems a little brighter these days.<\/p>\n

Yes, spring is on its way.<\/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":"

This Western Meadowlark was busy yesterday poking its sharp bill through the emerging grasses to find prey in the warming soil.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":165671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,1022,26,371],"tags":[4004,4021,5000,4109,4824,4825,165,452,4061,4308],"class_list":["post-20862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","category-western-meadowlarks","tag-adult","tag-bird-photography","tag-emerging-grasses","tag-grasses","tag-meadowlark","tag-meadowlarks","tag-spring","tag-spring-time","tag-sturnella-neglecta","tag-western-meadowlark"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/western-meadowlark-grasses-mia-mcpherson-7443.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-5qu","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56481,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/03\/08\/close-up-western-meadowlark\/","url_meta":{"origin":20862,"position":0},"title":"Close Up Western Meadowlark","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This close up of a Western Meadowlark was taken nearly two years ago on Antelope Island State Park while the bird foraged on the ground.","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":"Close up of an early spring Western Meadowlark, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/western-meadowlark-close-up-mia-mcpherson-2850.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/western-meadowlark-close-up-mia-mcpherson-2850.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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McPherson","date":"April 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The birds I heard and saw on the island with the most frequency were Western Meadowlarks, most of them were too far away or too skittish to photograph but one of them was cooperative and I was grateful for that.","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":"Western Meadowlark on rabbitbrush showing spring growth, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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WMA","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Western Meadowlarks showing courtship behaviors in January, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/western-meadowlarks-farmington-bay-wma-mia-mcpherson-3548.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/western-meadowlarks-farmington-bay-wma-mia-mcpherson-3548.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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