It’s unusual to spot a meadowlark Birds are in serious decline throughout most of North America

Last weekend I went out to the barn to spend time with my horse. He is normally friendly and sociable, but it so happened he was not in the mood to spend time with me, but that was OK; he’s entitled to an off day. The disappointment was further mitigated when I realized there were eastern meadowlarks singing and displaying in the field adjacent to the horses’ pasture.

I first became aware of them when I heard the sweet, clear whistle that has so endeared them to people. It is a slurred song that rises in pitch toward the middle and gently descends at its end, described phonetically as, “spring-of-THE-eee-year.”

The bird singing it was perched at the very top of the tallest tree bordering the pastures; as he finished his song, he was answered by another territorial male toward the rear of the property.

The two birds challenged each other in song for several seconds from their respective perches. Then the first flew to another tree, fluttering his wings in an exaggerated motion and fanning his tail feathers. He sang in flight, repeated his song at his new perch, then flew to the tree of his rival. At this point the birds were too far away to see clearly, so I don’t know if they engaged in any displays; they just seemed to sit near one another without moving. After several more seconds, the first male flew back in the direction from which he had come, then out across the neighboring field.

I was so thrilled to hear this beautiful song, see the displays, and observe the bird itself. Its bright yellow throat, chest, and belly, and the thick black v- shaped band across its breast are a striking combination.

The name meadowlark is a misnomer, as the bird is not actually a lark but a member of the blackbird family. Whereas larks are medium-sized songbirds with long slender wings and tails, and a short slim bill, the eastern “meadowlark” has a stout stature with short wings and a stubby tail, and a longer, thicker, sharply pointed bill. It resembles the European starling in body shape and is slightly larger in size.

Meadowlarks are birds of grassy expanses. They build a well-concealed nest in dense vegetation in just about any open field they can find. For added protection and concealment, they weave a grassy dome over the top of the nest. This work of art hides its precious contents from potential predators, but not always successfully. Besides falling prey to its natural predators-such as foxes, skunks, coyotes, meadowlarks (as well as other ground-nesting birds) are also under pressure from domestic, free-roaming cats and dogs.

Meadowlarks face other pressures as well, and in fact are in serious decline throughout most of their North American range (as are many other grassland birds). Ornithologists have found this is due to loss of habitat and human encroachment. If a female meadowlark is disturbed while incubating, she will abandon her nest; in addition, the practice of haying early in the year often destroys nests, eggs, and young. If you are interested in protecting grassland species, it is advisable to wait until August for mowing if at all possible, and to desist from using pesticides.

Although there are breeding populations of meadowlarks in this state, I realized I had never seen a meadowlark in Maine; they just aren’t that common. Thinking back, I realized the only time I had seen a meadowlark was during a trip to Florida.

I hope this won’t be one of the last times I see one again in Maine.

BDN bird columnist Chris Corio can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net