Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: 22 June 2016

Not the greatest shot, but it is so rare to see these beautiful birds, that I want to post several photos taken in the last few weeks. I still haven't been able to get a photo that I'm happy with, so will have to try again. This photo was taken yesterday, 22 June 2016, when I was photographing a pair of Mountain Bluebirds. I heard the beautiful song of a Bobolink and, when I turned around, saw this guy perched way down the road. They are not easy birds to find or photograph. "Perched on a grass stem or displaying in flight over a field, breeding male Bobolinks are striking. No other North American bird has a white back and black underparts (some have described this look as wearing a tuxedo backwards). Added to this are the male’s rich, straw-colored patch on the head and his bubbling, virtuosic song. As summer ends he molts into a buff and brown female-like plumage. Though they’re still fairly common in grasslands, Bobolink numbers are declining." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bobolink/id "The Bobolink inhabits Canada's grassland and agricultural areas from the interior of British Columbia to the east coast. Relative to 1970 levels, this species has shown a large decrease across most of its range, with the exception of the Prairie Potholes Bird Conservation Region where populations have changed little. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada assessed the Bobolink as Threatened in 2010 (COSEWIC 2010d). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada." www.ec.gc.ca/soc-sbc/oiseau-bird-eng.aspx?sY=2014&sL=...