Spring Collage in the Red Hills

Spring collage in the Kansas Outback.  

An Ornate Box Turtle male, with the red eyes and red marks on the front legs, welcomes a Red Hills morning in company of Stemless Hymenoxis.

A Virginia Rail emerges from hiding in the bulrushes to pose for a patient photographer.  This little secretive bird makes one of the strangest calls of all birds.  Here's a youtube site to hear and see this unusual bird: 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcv7HUxSeYY.  

Buckley's Penstamon and the Western Rat Snake are companions in the Red Hills.  They may be oblivious to each other but are fascinating elements of the incredible diversity of the Kansas Outback.

High Drama on the High Plains

     Severe thunderstorms are the biggest drama on the prairie.  They cause incredible damage, loss of property and life.  They also provide fascination and awe.  Thunderstorms don't always produce tornadoes, damaging winds, and suffering or grief.  It depends on which side of the storm you may be experiencing.  There's little can compare with the light and thunder show these climatic monsters can offer.  Here's a taste of the majestic cloud visiting us this evening.

     We do take these storms seriously.  But when it seems apparent we will not be sucked up into any swirling mass of cumulonimbus bluster, we simply enjoy some of nature's finest theater.  We sit on our porch eating homemade bread with butter and honey and drink wine.  Hooray for mother nature and her tempestuous tantrums --with due caution given for unfortunate loss and destruction of course.

Bully Bullsnake ---- NOT

     Driving down the road you see it sprawled on the road.  Snake! your passenger yells.  As you skid to a halt,  this serpent appears to be a full six feet long.  As you approach, it coils and starts to hiss and strike at you as if its going to kill you right there.  This Bullsnake is even rattling its tail to try to trick you into thinking its a rattlesnake.  Pretty ingenious!  But you are a herpetologist and have seen these antics many times.  Its a bluff, a ruse.  In Kansas, excepting real rattlesnakes and copperheads, no other snakes are any threat to humans. But these guys really put on a good show.  For herpers, this is classic entertainment at its best.  By far, most Bullsnakes which supply such dramatic performances almost immediately calm down and let you pick them up once they realize their huffy, belligerent attitude isn't scaring you away.  Oh what fun!

   Now this video has some audio problems for sure but I just wanted to share some of the behavior you'll see from this fascinating reptile.  Hissing, striking, rattling their tail, and huffing are all part of the act.  Oh yeah, they might actually get you with their tiny sharp teeth once in a while but just wash and you'll be absolutely fine.  These animals are quite entertaining and are one of the most common reptiles of the Kansas Outback.  (Going to invest in a good microphone honest.)

Spring Beauty in the Hills

     The Red Hills are rejoicing spring once again.  While the wildflowers are behind their normal blooming progression because of such a cool early spring, they are starting to express their beauty.  Still considered in drought, much of Kansas rangelands have received some much-needed rains this spring which certainly encouraged wildflowers to get to their business.  The natural floral displays of the Red Hills are of the most spectacular in Kansas particularly because of the red soil backgrounds which set the natural bouquets against a brilliant earthly canvas.  

     Stemless Hymenoxis and Missouri Locoweed are currently greeting visitors to the Red Hills of South-central Kansas.   Now is the time to get to this enchanting part of Kansas to enjoy this natural phenomenon.

Gerry - Bird Stud

     As I reported a short while back, I'm sure we lost Cory, our "wild" roadrunner of over four years.  Our last visit was early January.  But Gerry, her mate and who has been visiting for his third winter is still around--and with his own new mate.  There's not a lot of discernible differences between sexes in Greater Roadrunners.  But, the males are slightly larger in size and with some other very minor outward characteristics.  However, their behavior is definitely different.  Gerry demonstrated this recently while coming up to my lap to get a portion of deer burger, ground venison trimmings from last season's hunting success.  I captured a new behavior I had not yet witnessed.  Cory, the female, of course did  not do courtship display.  But Gerry would hold and bring food to her.  However, this was the first time I had noticed "tail wagging."    Gerry took a relatively healthy portion of deer burger and hopped off my deck into the front yard and started wagging his very showy tail. (Well if ya got it ya flaunt it I guess.) I retrieved my camera and happened to be able to capture some of the behavior before he disappeared  into the lilacs where I suspected his new mate stayed hidden.  She's still very shy and has yet to learn the value of free handouts.  But she will given time and next winter's hunger pangs.

Gerry, captured on my new 100-400 Canon zoom.

Tail wagging demo

March Morning on the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River

     A quiet morning sunrise awakens the Earth in a beautiful place-- sharing some of the scenery in and near the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River in Barber County from 3-28-13.  A couple of recent blizzards brought some much needed moisture and helped to revive the river and  ponds, giving welcome respite from the extended drought.

Taking some photoshop privileges using filtering options for a beautiful sunrise.

An American Wigeon exclaims its approval of a revived pond.

Scraggly hackberry trees greet the sunrise. (Special effects via photoshop.)

Bison crossing the Salt Fork of the Arkansas.

Murder at the Birdfeeder

     

     Wasn't me.  I didn't do it!  One of our "pet" Greater Roadrunners, Gerry, seems mighty suspicious as he looms over a dead Western Meadowlark.  Roadrunners will eat small birds and I'm sure in times of harsh weather and stress, even our slightly domesticated roadrunner will look over the offerings at our bird feeders.  This Western Meadowlark had been hanging around for several days, pecking for food in the same, specific location.  Then, one day,  I found it dead.  I did not witness the roadrunner kill it.  This picture was taken the same day I discovered the dead bird but a little while later.  Gerry had come up for a regular feeding of deerburger (look at older blogs for background) and then lingered around the meadowlark carcass.  I waited to see if he was going to eat it or carry off his booty.  He didn't touch it.  So after he left, I inspected the dead bird.  It was emaciated and had hardly no breast muscle.  Also, it did not show any puncture wounds so it was clear that Gerry did not commit this murder.  I surmised this bird simply died of natural causes and most likely starvation was a factor even though overwintering meadowlarks are common here.  So, Gerry is off the hook for this one!