Each spring, the prairies of Faville Grove Sanctuary come alive with one of nature’s most unique bird calls—the bubbling, metallic song of the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus).
I’m slow-birding, watching for activity in my favorite bush—a large, spreading red-osier dogwood—when a bright yellow bird lands right in the middle. He moves along the branches, searching for food, and stops every few seconds to sing, “sweet sweet I’m so sweet.”
As I reach the pond, I approach slowly, attempting to remain concealed behind some trees. And then I see it—the year’s first Solitary Sandpiper, feeding in the shallows.