61 Horned Lark

• A group of Horned Lark go by many names; Ascension / Chattering /  Happiness / Springul.
• I like Happiness because of their cheerful song.
• On the prairie they are known as farm birds.  They eat weed seeds, grass seeds and grains, insets and mollusks at the waters edge.  In other parts of the world they are shore birds.  Here they like the open ground of the prairie.
• These birds return yearly to their birth ground, this is known as Philopatric.  This keeping to a small territory for breeding has resulted in 15 subspecies. 
• They nest on the ground in a tightly woven nest of fine grasses.
• They usually nest as early as February.  Not this year, there is still 2 feet of snow on the ground as of April 14th.  Yikes.
• These are the birds most likely to be killed by wind turbines.  Poor fellas.