| Common Name | Eastern Meadowlark |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Sturnella Magna |
| Type of Report | Out-of-Season |
| Date of Observation | 01/09/2021 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Stephen Antell |
| Mailing Address | 211 Woodbine Rd. Shelburne, VT 05482 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 01/17/2021 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Several people have submitted reports and photos on eBird in the past week, including Jim Osborn and Brendan Collins |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 0 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 0 |
| Place Name | east of Hawkins Bay Lane |
| Township | Ferrisburgh |
| County | Addison |
| Time of Day | 09:15 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 5 Minutes and returned again 20 minutes later |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 150 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 40 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Nothing noteworthy. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Leica Noctivid 8x42 binoculars |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I have sen many meadowlarks over the years in Vermont, Maine , North Dakota and probably other locations |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Roadside. Fields on both sides covered by several inches of snow. Bird feeding along plowed portion of the road shoulder |
| Behaviors Observed | First seen flying after being startled by car. Flew ahead of car, landed on shoulder and started feeding again/ |
| Description of Vocalizations | None heard |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | I was driving slowly looking for birds when I saw the bird take flight and fly parallel to the car and then land further ahead. I noticed the white outer tail feathers and yellow breast and realized immediately that it was a meadowlark. I tried to p[osition the car so that I could take photos with my point and shoot Sony camera, hoping I could pick up enough detail to determine if it was an eastern or western meadowlark. |
| Relative Size & Shape | About the size of a blue jay with a flattish head and relatively long and pointy bill. |
| Head | Brown top of head with some yellow on the cheeks |
| Feet & Bill | Bill very pointed and long. Did not notice feet |
| Upper Back | Brown and mottled |
| Lower Back & Rump | Same |
| Wings | Brown wings with no distinctive markings |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Yellow throat and belly with black V shaped mark on upper chest |
| Tail | Distinctive white outer tail feathers in a triangular shape, very obvious in flight |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Only other possibility was a western meadowlark. Ruled that out since photos reveal a whitish maler stripe |
| Other Notes & Comments | I submitted three photos in my eBird report. I'm not sure they uploaded properly here. Please let me know if I need to resubmit S78933327--eBird checklist number |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
Vermont Atlas of Life Partners
