WHEN THE GRASSHOPPERS DANCE

 When one is away from towns at sunrise, waiting quietly, it can enchant the senses. The smell of clean air, with the fragrance of blooming plants, and a hint of moisture before the dew evaporates. Instead of the clamoring of humans disturbing the natural quiet. The first sounds that one is likely to hear are the morning songs of birds and insects as they greet the day...

The soybean plants, pictured above, thrive in a large field and offer not only comfort to human visitors, but shelter and food for many types of wildlife. One of the most prevalent life forms is the grasshopper...

Grasshoppers are an important food source for several species of wildlife. The first thing that I saw taking advantage of this bounty was a wild turkey emerging briefly from the cover of the plants...

Next to appear was a hungry kingbird...

Wild turkeys and kingbirds are interesting and beautiful birds, but what beckoned me to this spot was the report that at least one scissor-tailed flycatcher had been spotted...

 

Scissor-tailed flycatchers are most commonly seen in Texas, and to a lesser degree in Colorado, Nebraska, western Louisiana and Arkansas. They are considered a rarity in Maryland. In the next photo a kingbird is letting a flycatcher know that it is not welcome in these parts...

All of these photos were taken in the same location over the course of four days. The lighting varies according to the time of day and weather conditions. These are adult birds, as can be ascertained by the length of their tail feathers...

It was exciting to spot a juvenile bird, hopefully indicative of a successful local hatch...

On a dreary, overcast day I was able to capture some images of a flycatcher eating grasshoppers...

A common question while waiting for birds to appear is "when will they show up?"  The answer is impossible to predict. My reply is often "when the grasshoppers dance"...

Thanks for visiting, be well, and come back soon.