Birds galore!

The bad news: still house-bound. The good news: migration is in full swing here in Grasslands! Yesterday was a (comparatively) beautiful day... the first without snow all week. Consequently, we spent a bit of time outside birding. On the road next to the shelter belt was a group of sparrows, including this Song Sparrow.





I also got some great looks at a couple Lark Sparrows, which are very handsome birds.





There's a small pond near our field house, with one of the few full-size trees around. It's always a good spot for ducks, and this time of year, it's also great for shorebirds. These Short-billed Dowitchers are a rare migrant through the northern prairies.

Also stopping by are some warblers like this Yellow-rumped Warbler, several of which have been seen near the pond and the shelter belt. Today I also saw a single Black-and-white Warbler, another rare migrant.

Some birds are residents of the pond, like this Great Horned Owl. There's a pair that successfully raised two chicks last year, and will likely nest again this year.

Another resident is this Killdeer, made popular by their broken-wing display when their nest is approached.

And even better news: yesterday I found my first nest of the year! I ran into it randomly while walking to the pond. It was a Western Meadowlark nest. It's not one of my study species, and the nest wasn't anywhere near my study sites, so it isn't data I can use. But it's still exciting, because it means the birds have definitely started nesting, even despite the bad weather. This nest had 5 eggs in it and the female was flushed from it, so obviously she didn't abandon due to the snow. It makes me even more eager to get out and start working!

The sunset was beautiful, as it typically is out here.

Blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) is one of the distinguishing vegetation of the northern mixed-grass prairie. These dried seed heads from last year show the plant's distinctive "eyelash" shape.

As if to say "psyche!", I woke up to a blizzard this morning, which quickly turned into a wet, slushy drizzle. Not very fun. Driving to Mankota to direct our remaining crew members back to the house, I stopped to take photos of these Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

The foul weather seems to have brought in the falcons, because on the way to Mankota and back we saw 2 American Kestrels, a Merlin, and a Peregrine Falcon.


Well, the full crew is finally here. Hopefully in another couple days we'll actually be able to get out and start working!