{"id":57146,"date":"2019-04-08T05:08:24","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T11:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=57146"},"modified":"2025-12-13T13:09:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T19:09:49","slug":"western-meadowlark-photos-with-signs-of-spring-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/04\/08\/western-meadowlark-photos-with-signs-of-spring-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Meadowlark Photos With Signs Of Spring Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WesternWestern Meadowlark on sage showing spring growth – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 800, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The weather radar\/satellite was completely wrong yesterday morning because it showed zero clouds over or near Antelope Island State Park but there were, lots and lots of heavy, dark clouds but I was there so I tried to make the best of it. 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.<\/p>\n

When I first saw it the meadowlark was perched on a sagebrush with the sand and water of the Great Salt Lake behind it. I loved being able to see new growth on the sage in this photo, winter had seemed dreadfully long, gray and wet this year and seeing this new spring growth made me feel joyful.<\/p>\n

\"WesternWestern Meadowlark on rabbitbrush showing spring growth – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Western Meadowlark<\/span><\/a> moved to a rabbitbrush and started to sing I photographed it there too but it wasn’t until I was at home and viewing the files on my large monitor that I noticed the spring growth on the rabbitbrush too.<\/p>\n

Those tiny, green leaves are are just one of the signs of spring that I have been seeing.<\/p>\n

Grasses have been greening up, Gray’s Biscuitroot is blooming on the island and the island looks greener overall.<\/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":"

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. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":165791,"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":[511,27,1022,26,371],"tags":[4072,4824,4825,4289,2817,4057,165,7056,4061,4308],"class_list":["post-57146","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-calling","tag-meadowlark","tag-meadowlarks","tag-rabbitbrush","tag-sage","tag-sagebrush","tag-spring","tag-spring-growth","tag-sturnella-neglecta","tag-western-meadowlark"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/western-meadowlark-spring-rabbirbrush-mia-mcpherson-7257.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-eRI","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101020,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/25\/western-meadowlark-singing\/","url_meta":{"origin":57146,"position":0},"title":"Western 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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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