Every winter, we get Horned Larks visiting an opening grass parking lot in Hammonasset State Park. I love finding these guys and seeing them fly around. They have a great color scheme and super cool horns. Finding them in the open grass can be quite mercurial as they flutter, land, and often flutter again. You have to look and understand the landscape and how it ebbs and flows before you can look for the birds.
Once you get a good feel for the land, you can find the birds. Their motions will be easier to pick up once you know what's alive and fluttering instead of what's alive and being moved by the wind. Grass after all is alive too. Once you solve that, you can find yourself some Horned Larks and then some of the other residents of grasslands. In the winter, that means Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs or other Longspurs. In the Spring, Summer, and Fall, you can find migrating sparrows, Bobolinks, and Pipits. Until the next time, get up and go outside!
Once you get a good feel for the land, you can find the birds. Their motions will be easier to pick up once you know what's alive and fluttering instead of what's alive and being moved by the wind. Grass after all is alive too. Once you solve that, you can find yourself some Horned Larks and then some of the other residents of grasslands. In the winter, that means Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs or other Longspurs. In the Spring, Summer, and Fall, you can find migrating sparrows, Bobolinks, and Pipits. Until the next time, get up and go outside!
Horned Larks in the open Grass
Can you find them???
A nice close-up
Easier to find them in the Snow!
A shot of a Horned Lark flying
Horned Lark - Click Here
