Mist and blooms

The bad weather continues here in southern Saskatchewan. It has been raining on and off for the last several days, keeping us from getting any substantial amount of work done. I awoke yesterday to a fog so thick I could feel the miniscule droplets of water on my skin. I didn't want to check nests in such weather, fearing the cold humidity would immediately drench any chick left unprotected, but all our nests needed to be checked. We waited a bit for the fog to lift somewhat, then headed out, with the threat of rain hanging over our heads the whole while.

Certain organisms out here are definitely thriving in the moist conditions. As I walked across the community pastures, I spotted more mushrooms than I have ever seen out here. They appear to lie dormant in the ground until enough water arrives, then they sprout up like so many miniature umbrellas, shielding the ground beneath.

As the season progresses, new flowers have come into bloom. Golden bean plants line the roads and spread across the uplands, bringing vibrant color to the drab landscape. Occasionally interspersed with these are smooth goat's beard, lending their own beautiful blue highlights to the scene.

I have begun to see more and more primrose, which will soon blanket the bare areas with their showy petals. They like to grow in disturbed areas, so these too can be seen along the roads out here.

While some are reaching the peak of their short seasonal lives, others are reaching the end. The prairie crocuses, some of the earliest bloomers, have already shed their petals and become "prairie smoke."

Everyone I look out here, I can see signs of both life and death. Often I will come across remains like this skull and mandible of a Richardson's ground squirrel.

Yet life always continues. Our searches for nests have been going very well, and a couple (both Horned Larks) have fledged chicks already. Today we found 4 nests in a single nest plot, which is about the most we can hope to find. One of them was this Sprague's Pipit nest.

Sprague's Pipits make good mothers. They sit tight on their nest until almost stepped upon. Once the intruder has left, they immediately return. Pipits build their nests in fairly dense vegetation, making a sort of "tunnel" that leads to a cup overhung with a roof. They lay 5 eggs that are whitish-brown covered with brown speckles. These birds are classified as "threatened" in Canada, mostly due to the loss of their prairie breeding habitat. Luckily they are common here, and with any walk you will be presented with the sound of the male's descending song as he displays high up in the air.