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More evidence today — as if any more is needed — that it is breeding season for the local fauna in southern Arizona. Here’s an image of a female Horned Lark caught in the act of gathering material for her nest.
Horned Larks are graceful little birds of open country. I see them often as I travel through southern Arizona’s farmlands. They are particularly fond of plowed fields and barren, open areas. Seeing and photographing these birds are different stories: they are quite timid and usually fly before I can train my lens on them.
The species gets its name because males have twin tiny feather tufts (“horns”) at the rear of their heads. Females lack the “horns.”
I was pleased to capture this image. I’m happy any time I’m able to obtain a decent image of a Horned Lark. It’s icing on the cake when I catch one in the act of nest-building.
Image made with a Canon R5, Canon EF 400mm f4 DO II lens+Canon EF 1.4x telextender, M setting (auto ISO), ISO 800, f5.6 @ 1/3200.
Sonoran Images 