Mead Gardens, 5/03/2012

Northern Cardinal

This morning I dropped by Mead Gardens. We've had a mild spring, but today things got down right hot. I was only there about an hour, and it was slow, but it was also enjoyable (in the shade). I found a Northern Cardinal with nesting material, but it was the Great Crested Flycatchers that stole the show. They were very active, sadly in the shady areas (but then again it was cooler there), but they were still fun to watch. I photographed one with a Lubber Grasshopper in its mouth. This surprised me, since my understanding is that these grasshoppers are toxic to birds. Loggerhead Shrikes impale them and wait a while before eating them. Sorry for the horrible picture of the flycatcher eating the grasshopper, but I thought the behavior was worth showing it.