Remember that (slightly) annoying children's book where the fledgling runs around asking all kinds of creatures if they are it's mother?
Another chapter of that saga played out in the pasture the other day. While the boys were out grazing, I noticed they had a tiny, brown shadow that kept pace with them wherever they went. It hopped along, grazing bugs and seeds, never more than a few feet away...periodically cocking it's head as if to ask, "Are you my mother?"
None of the sheep seemed to have the answer...but it wasn't daunted.
In fact, it hung with the sheep for at least a half an hour and I was beginning to think it couldn't fly. Of course as soon as the camera showed up, it took off but we got in one good shot...
Anybody know what kind of bird this is? I don't remember ever seeing it around here before....
5 comments:
My students used to love that book! That bird does look an awful lot like the main character. Hopefully he/she found who they were looking for.
Can't tell from the bottom picture if the belly is yellow or just background color. Birds I have here that look similar have yellow belly and are meadowlarks.
Hmm...no yellow belly, just a very light beige. But I Googled images of meadowlarks and the head and body shape are similar....then I Googled images of NYS lark and got some more beige ones....so we might be in the right family.....
Could it be an immature cowbird? They love to hang around livestock picking at insects. I loved that Dr. Suess book when I was young!
SEF-you may be on to something here....I Googled images of Cowbird, and they do have many that resemble our pasture guest....and I found a map showing that upstate NY is in their territory....
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