Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Smiling Pond TV (with Bobolink)

I'm experimenting with delivery systems. Here's a 1:00 YouTube video featuring things from my walks today:

A very soggy Charles River Peninsula. I planned on getting some video footage of the chickadees and their love of crab apple blossoms. They hover in mid-air to stick their beaks in the blossoms. I was watching a pair and the male would hover and then feed the female. Sweet. I couldn't get the right shots so I ended up capturing other things: warbling vireo, tree swallow, yellow warbler, wood ducks and geese with goslings.

Cool moment: I got dive-bombed by a tree swallow. The first time I thought it had just made a mistake (a bug by my hat?). The next two times, it was coming right at me. The last time I ducked just in time and it gave the top of my hat a little kick. I moved on...



Later in the afternoon, I traveled up to Heard Farm in Wayland, because I heard reports of bobolinks there. (Heard Farm is the kind of place Charles River Peninsula aspires to be). I should note here that much of the energy I've put into birding and birdsong recording over the last year has been in vain pursuit of the bobolink.


Finally real live bobolinks. I was not disappointed. Singing on the wing (while flapping their wings really quickly) posing and singing, hiding in the dandelions. Here's a taste of their amazingly messed-up song. (There's an oriole with a great tune in the background). More typically, one would start singing and the others would start flying around and singing as well. (Here's a couple of bobolinks at once).

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