[texbirds] Re: Meadowlark ID in the RGV
- From: Brush Freeman <brushfreeman@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Honeylet Jones <antshrike1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 11:47:47 -0600
along with some habitat preferences. Flock size seems to be an indicator
to me...The larger, in anticipated habitat, the more likely they are
Westerns. I am talking the coastal plain solely here, the two species seem
almost equally common at very near, to right on the coast and even on
Matagorda Is., in Calhoun, Refugio Co.s in winter. I recall confusing
western types, perhaps the "Lillian's well in Kenedy Co. WEMEs almost
always appear grayer in flight, at least to me, but I dread calling any
meadowlark without hearing it tho.....But there is a really big caveat
here....We have the Lilian's subspecies to contend with in Texas. I
believe John Arvin spent a good bit of time on meadowlarks and also
sometime around 1996-97 there was an very good article in North American
Birds primarily directed towards "Lillian's" but involving the EAMEs and
WEMEs...It may be archived in SORA. I would imagine you guys down there
could easily have "Lillian's" in winter as well as the nominates...But I
really don't know....My ears work better than my eyes with these
confounding animals.
**********************************************************************
Brush Freeman
503-551-5150 Cell
http://texasnaturenotes.blogspot.com/
Finca Alacranes., Utley,Texas
On Fri, Jan 24, 2014 at 11:20 AM, <antshrike1@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Here in the Rio Grande Valley it is commonly thought that meadowlarks
> occurring in pairs in coastal grasslands are all Eastern while flocks
> (sometimes large) occurring in barren fields are all Western. I've heard
> this theory espoused by some fairly big-brained birders. While I find the
> former supposition to be mostly true, I think the latter is a lot more
> complicated. I seem to hear Eastern Meadowlarks singing everywhere and
> rarely hear a Western in song. I guess I need to learn the call notes.
> Here's a meadowlark from a flock of about 25 in a barren area south of
> Mission. I took the photo figuring I had my Hidalgo County Western
> Meadowlark for the year. But looking at the field guides, it seems to be
> an Eastern Do you agree?
>
>
> http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n610/antshrike/rMealowlarkMissionBikePark1-23-14IMG_7331_zps8c5e0d05.jpg
>
>
> So I guess my point is we (or at least "I") need to to be more careful
> about our meadowlark identification.
>
>
> Dan Jones, Weslaco
>
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