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!

Cory Continued

     This is the fourth winter for Cory our "pet" Greater Roadrunner.  Her mate, Gerry, is also overwintering at our place for his third year.  For each of the past two summers, we saw a young-of-the-year roadrunner from this pair.  However, its just the adult pair which favors us through the winter.  And, as is usual, they both have adapted well to begging for their deerburger (ground deer scraps from deer processing.)  And, as is expected, they become more friendly as time goes by and the hungrier they get through the cold season.  They are more of a warm weather bird but are also carnivores.  That means they can scrape up enough mice and handouts through the winter to survive.  Our pair love to sun and spend a few hours in the morning just soaking up some rays by standing with their back toward the sun if its shining and lifting their back feathers so that the warm rays can reach their skin.  They get up late and go to roost early--kinda like my preferred schedule.

Cory getting more used to "hand feeding."

Calling All Gobblers

Quite a wake-up call in the deer blind this morning!  Seems we set up beneath a huge flock of gobblers.  

Deer(Turkey) Woods

Whose woods these are I think I know,

a quiet place Robert Frost would go,

but here we sit in quiet peace,

disturbed by noisy turkey show;

My wife must think it very queer,

I chose to set our deer blind here,

when all we’ve heard and seen this morn,

are many gobblers all quite near;

I give my frozen hands a shake,

to try to warm for shooting sake,

but the only permits yet  to fill,

are for some deer not here this date;

These woods are certainly dark and deep,

we seek venison not feathered meat,

but escapes us now as we retreat,

escapes us now as we retreat.

And of course, later on, they all come right to us.  Number of deer tags to fill--4.  Number of turkey tags to fill--ZERO!

More Gifts of Fall

Ode to Sandhill Cranes

Harken to the skies above

To calling cries of birds I love

Carols of  ancient songs they sing

Lift my spirit both fall and spring;

They glide along invisible seas

In  wistful undulating V’s

Homeward bound to southern shores

To spend winter there once more;

To hear the warbler tweet its tune

Or listen to the woeful loon

Or so many other feathered refrains

Cannot match that of cranes;

Oh dream I do of lofty flights

With gangly groups of such delight

To float on graceful wings of hope

Such inner peace which they evoke.

Crash Cardinal

Meet "Crash."  

     He came to our place a couple of weeks ago and has spent several hours a day crashing into our windows--particularly one on the backside of the house. He never injures himself, only hitting the glass hard enough to make a little sound and scare his mirror image.  In my past job as a nongame biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, I often talked to folks who had similar issues with over-aggressive birds at their homes.  Birds are territorial, even in winter.  They come to your house, especially if you have feed for them, they see other competitors and want to chase them off.  The competitor in the mirror just won't leave though.  Every day he's still there, vying for the same space at the same place.  

     Crash is driven to keep trying to drive his false competitor away.  Is it a problem?  It can get old hearing and watching him continually crashing into a window.  It does provide some entertainment and certainly some opportunity for close photography.  But, feeling sorry for him, we closed a rag in the window and that seemed to put a stop to his silly, mis-directed behavior.  Crash seemed to have gone on to other Don Quixote windows to fight.

A Fall Collage

     Summer's brutal heat is over and yields to fall beauty.  Life prepares for procreation and hibernation.  Flowers expend their final energies attracting insects which attract other insects which attract birds.  Wildlife is enduring drought just as it has for eons--the fittest gaining advantage over the weakest and carrying on at least some offspring.  Beauty is mostly irrelevant to wildlife.  The most beautiful aspect of a nonchalant fauna is only in the attractive attributes of a mate which prompts the reproduction necessary for sustaining species.  Humans retain the unique quality of appreciating beauty for beauty's sake.  We find intrinsic qualities in plants and animals for the features, colors, and behavior they display to our eyes and other senses.  Aren't you glad for that?! 

       






Monarch butterfly on dotted gayfeather.

Egg-laden praying mantis on prairie sunflower.

Red-breasted nuthatch visits on the way south.

White-tails appreciate a late summer drink at a small watering hole.