BOBOLINKS BREEDING!

A bird that I was just not familiar with before last year has become an object of great interest to me since I first saw one in southern Pitt County, NC. According to all the references I can find, this bird breeds across the northern tier of the states and appears in migration in the south, including North Carolina. North Carolina references indicate that there has been a small breeding population in western NC in the mountain meadows, but I could find no reference to breeding birds in the eastern part of the state. There are recorded sightings in the east, and apparently more are seen closer to the coast. The primary breeding areas the bird prefers are open broad grasslands, that are uncut, or cut only after breeding season in August. They seem to be strictly "field birds", and nest on the ground. When I have seen them, they are either on the ground, or perched on a tall weed. I have seen males, but as yet, do not have a photograph of one They are extremely wary and disappear quickly into the grass, perhaps because they have several families to care for since they are polygamous! In breeding season the male is black, with a white rump and scapulars, and a straw colored nape. The breeding female  is light tannish- brown with plain nape, pale lores, and pointed wings. They have a tinge of yellow. In the fall, in non-breeding season, both sexes look very similar as they both turn quite yellowish with pale lores and rather bold stripes. 


Because I am seeing these birds throughout the breeding season and into the fall on a regular basis, I am convinced that they are breeding here in Pitt County. The field where I see them meets very well the description of their favored nesting areas. See pics below from the past two years.

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