Bobolink--grassland insectivore creature of my heart. The painted breeding male, beauty of early summer's greening hay fields--with its black face and sides and its prominent yellowish back of head-- is at once unmistakable and unforgettable both.
A couple of weeks back our eldest daughter Maria came home from an outing excited to share a bird sighting she needed help identifying. It was, she said, like a red-winged blackbird in some ways (a relative in fact) and was sitting atop a tall grassland plant in much the way a red-winged blackbird sits atop a cattail watching o'er its territory while the female tends the nest. Alike as well in its dramatic black colouring although this songbird is more robin sized than rw blackbird. Her description, assured her brother Lucas, including its location in a hay field, could not have spoken more clearly of a beloved species at risk here on the Island--that of the Bobolink.
When I was young and listening to my naturalist parents Paul and Arlene McGuigan and uncle Gerald MacDonald talk birds, as they always did, I thought the Bobolink was the funniest name of all the ones they spoke. Bob-o-link-- I loved how it rolled off the tongue all bouncy sounding. But too soon the time came when they didn't say Bobolink as often or if they did it was with considerable excitement at having heard or seen one of the once plentiful creatures as sightings on the Island had become increasingly rare. As supported by the Island Nature Trust Species at Risk document on insect eating birds:
"The bobolink was classed as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in 2010 and protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) in 2017. The bobolink population in Canada has decreased by 88% over the last 40 years." Island Nature Trust
It was with a similar excitement recently that our birder son Lucas confirmed the sighting at the same locale our very observant daughter Maria first noted the unusual and dramatic songbird which she hadn't seen before. That was several weeks ago and in the weeks hence we have had the good fortune of witnessing various calls and flight displays as both the male and (the less dramatically coloured but still incredibly beautiful) female played out their courtship and nesting. So too have we noticed this similar scene in two other fields (on the Waterside Rd. and on the Cherrycliff Park Rd.) many miles apart along the same coastline. Male displaying or calling out to let us know we have been noticed and female (or male) busy bringing grub to the nest.
Their call, described as "bubbling and metallic" in Island Nature Trust's literature is hypnotic to listen to. I wonder about the vibrational frequency it emits as it causes me to be both alert and relaxed at once. Perhaps the alertness it renders is partially due to the digital quality of the call and likely the relaxation is that when listening I am pausing in early summer by a hay field infused with wildflowers gazing at such handsome beings. I welcome you to take a listen to this recording and wish you the goodness of one day hearing it firsthand yourself.
This summer I want to remind all Islanders that this stunning songbird needs us to raise our voices in protection of its habitat. They travel a long ways to nest in the hay fields here and nest only for a few short weeks in late spring and early summer. Familiarizing yourself with the identifying features of this avian delight are quite simple. Click here. Speaking out for what Island Nature Trust defines as a species at risk can help ensure that indicator species such as the Bobolink thrive while on Island soils. Here's how.
Islanders are doing a wonderful job looking out for other Islanders during the difficult season of COVID-19. Just as we all have a role to play in ensuring the well being of our human neighbours is protected so too do we play an integral role in ensuring that those factors which threaten species at risk such as the beautiful bobolink are mitigated as best they can be. Helping farmers learn the import of haying later so as not to disturb nesting sites, reducing pesticide usage, reducing CO2 emissions to mitigate climate change, re-acquainting ourselves with nature, supporting those who support better land and water usage here are all valuable contributions to bettering the world for future generations of humans and songbirds both. And myriad other species as well. It's their world too after all.
Signing off in love with this place and all its beings of quite grace and beauty.
Yours in fern, feather, wildflower bloom, hope and joy,
Jill
To report a Bobolink sighting/possible nesting site, call Island Nature Trust at (902) 892-7513
(as recommended to me by the wonderful Island naturalist Rosemary Curley--thanks again Rosemary!)
Nice Jill- we also shared your family's excitement at getting our first glimpse of the bobolink in many years. The late Evelyn Meader used to call it the "computer bird" as to her it sounded like early computers. She loved birds and was an excellent writer.