On a drizzly Saturday, I visited Clymer Meadow, a Nature Conservancy property in Hunt County, Texas. Tours of the meadow are by appointment only, and I was one of about 30 people visiting that day. Several families with small children were present, and the children reminded us all that it can be fun to play in the rain!

Clymer Meadow on a rainy day

On this trip, we were there to see the native prairie, a rare patch of preserved Blackland Prairie. The tour leader was very knowledgeable and conveyed his love of the prairie and its native plants. He also pointed out how the wildflowers–normally blooming right now–are a little behind schedule due to significant rainfall. (I will save the photos of the plants and flowers for a second post about my visit to Clymer Meadow.)

As for birds, the Dickcissels owned the place! This was the second time I had seen Dickcissels (Spiza americana), but the first time I had my camera with me. I did not carry my big camera out in the rain, so the few pictures I got were from a covered porch. The rain did not stop the Dickcissels from singing their hearts out – the meadow was alive with their calls:

Dickcissel Singing in the Rain

As we sloshed through the meadow, these energetic little birds were zipping all around us. They make their nests right on the prairie, woven into the grasses and other flora. I can only hope that we did not unknowingly step on any nests. By sheer luck, we trod right past a nest, which was exposed when we flattened the plants right next to it:

What an expertly woven nest – birds are so amazing. These tiny, fragile, beautiful eggs survived a mob of soggy, tromping, humans, and will hopefully produce two brand-new Dickcissels for the prairie.

In case you were wondering if I would share the drawing from my 100-yr old bird guide…here it is:

Land Birds East of the Rockies, ©1909 Chas K Reed