Bird #167 — Western Meadowlark

sturnella (starling) neglecta (neglected)

Tuesday, May 27, 1980 — 3:40 pm

Tawas Point State Park, Michigan — Lake Huron

I was walking along the beach toward the tip of the point, past the lighthouse.  I cut across some dunes that were covered with tall grass and flushed this bird.  It flew a short distance and landed in a small tree about 30 feet away.  I assumed it was an Eastern Meadowlark, and after writing it down on my list, I resumed my walk.  Shortly after I turned my back on it, the bird started singing. I did the classic double-take.  The seven or eight fluid notes it sang were definitely different than the two-noted whistle of the Eastern I’d been hearing all week in Tuscola.  I watched it as it sang for a few minutes, then continued toward the point.

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