Commence nest dragging!

Today we finally broke our house-bound streak and went out into the sunshine. It was a beautiful day: warm, sunny, with just a slight breeze (which is rare on the prairies, where gusty winds are the norm).


I took Josh (the nest camera guy) and my assistants into the park for the first time since we've been here. Our field house is technically in the Mankota community pastures. The park is a few kilometers down the road. I was really excited to show them around a bit, because I love the park and I think it's absolutely beautiful.



We rope dragged one of my nest plots, but found no nests. Just walking around beforehand, though, I found a Western Meadowlark nest, and Amy found what we think was an abandonded Sharp-tailed Grouse nest with 13 eggs in it. Neither of those are species I'm studying, so the data isn't very useful. I think we'll wait another day or two before dragging again. In the meantime, we'll probably practice more bird ID out in the field.



Meanwhile, the birds have discovered our feeder with a vengeance! In just a few short days, we've gone from no birds to over a dozen at a time.



I've never seen so many White-crowned Sparrows before. They're only migrating through, but there have been dozens of them hanging around the shelter belt and the feeder.



Even more exciting, there have been several Harris's Sparrows hanging around. I had only seen one before this, and that one was in winter plumage. A Harris's in full breeding plumage is a stunning thing to see.




There has also been a Lincoln's Sparrow or two, a Spotted Towhee, a House Finch (apparently very rare in this area), a Brown Thrasher, and oodles of Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Red-winged Blackbirds. Here you can see the cowbirds on top, the blackbirds (all females) on the bottom.



I hope the snow is gone for good, and look forward to more beautiful days like this. I just hope the nesting picks up soon.

Migration continues

Most of today has been spent getting the new crew members used to the field station and going over protocol. Our full crew now includes:

Maggi - a 2nd-season grad student who acts as field manager. Studying the differences in bison and cattle grazing on songbird diversity. Originally from near Buffalo, NY.

Alexis - a 1st-season grad student studying the effects of wildfires on songbird diversity. Originally from near Ottawa, Ontario.


Tonya - a 2nd-season incoming grad student studying the effects of cattle grazing on vegetation structure and diversity. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Adrienne - a 2nd-season incoming grad student studying the effects of bison and cattle grazing on vegetation structure and diversity. Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Emily (me) - a 2nd-season grad student studying the effects of cattle grazing on songbird nesting success. Originally from near Rochester, NY.


Josh - an incoming 1st-season grad student studying nest predation through the use of cameras. Originally from the the St. Paul/Minneapolis area.

Bonnie - an assistant on the bird/plant crew. Originally from Senkiw, Manitoba.

Chris - an assistant on the nest crew. Originally from Burlington, Ontario.

Amy - an assistant on the nest crew. Originally from Eyebrow, Saskatchewan.

Barb - an assistant on the bird/plant crew. Originally from Saskatchewan.

All of us grad students are at the University of Manitoba, studying under Dr. Nicola Koper.


Today I went over some basic nest searching and monitoring information with Amy and Chris. But beforehand we went out birding at the pond again, because it was relatively nice out (and no snow!).

There was quite a group of shorebirds, including Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, and this Lesser Yellowlegs.



There were several Wilson's Phalaropes as well, which breed here in the prairie. Last year we found a nest. Unlike most birds, the female in this species is more colorful.

A couple times the birds would all flush, signalling the presence of a Northern Harrier overhead.

We also lucked out by spotting a couple migrating songbirds, an American Pipit and this Northern Waterthrush, both of which were life birds for me.


Unfortunately with all the meltwater from the week's snow, the creeks have risen quite a bit. Sometimes the only way across is straight through, leaving us soaked to the knees. There are many creeks criss-crossing the prairie.

Tomorrow we have to head to the West Block for some orientation training. Hopefully by Wednesday or Thursday the roads will be dry enough to get out and start looking for some nests!

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!

Cabin fever continued

We're entering our fourth day of being house-bound. Although the snow has been minimal, the temperatures have caused it to melt each afternoon, leaving the prairie extremely wet and difficult to traverse. Walking across the ground in this condition could cause permanent damage to the grassland, so we need to keep off as much as possible. And since our vehicles (4-wheelers, also known as quads) have yet to arrive, we have no way of getting around regardless.

Yesterday we spent some time just outside the field house, practicing with compasses and GPS units. Some of us then practiced some plant identification, while others of us practiced IDing some bird songs. It was great to hear some of the birds I haven't heard since last summer: Sprague's Pipit, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Horned Lark, and Savannah Sparrow.

Meanwhile we've been entertaining ourselves as best we might inside the house. Between the 7 of us currently here, we have (with some overlap of course) 3 violinists, 3 singers, 3 guitarists, and 1 accordionist. Since last summer, we've joked about our "Blue Grama Grassland Band." Impromptu jam sessions spring up fairly often, and we practice for open-mic nights that, last summer, occurred every 2 weeks in the next town over, Val Marie.

Meanwhile, birds have continued to visit our house. If you look closely above, you can see this female Sharp-tailed Grouse peeking her head out of the grass.

Occasionally a Common Grackle will show up amongst the dozens of Brewer's Blackbirds that hang around the house. Several Black-billed Magpies have been carousing around as well, possibly looking to use our shelter belt as a nesting spot.

Hopefully the snow hasn't affected the early-blooming plants, like this Moss Phlox (Phlox hoodii), that have begun their yearly efforts of procreation. With insects being few and far between in this environment, most prarie plants depend upon wind for pollination. And we definitely have that in spades out here! I'm also hoping the snow hasn't harmed any birds that may have begun nesting already. As I'm studying nesting success out here, I'm always rooting for my little guys.

With Adrienne home and Maggi and Tonya gone to Winnipeg to pick up an RV, the house is definitely quiet today. I think we'll enjoy the solitude, as come Sunday, this 4-bedroom house will be packed with 10 people. Although with half the crew gone, the phones still not working, the internet only working intermittenly, and no vehicles besides my van, it's definitely feeling a little isolated. I'm definitely looking forward to the field season beginning in earnest.

Prairie spring - or not?

I have recently arrived back at the East Block of Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan, Canada. This will be my second field season conducting research for my master's thesis. My research examines the effects of grazing intensity on the nesting success of prairie songbirds. It is certainly the most rewarding field work I have done so far, as my data may help to shape future management plans for this park (I hope!).



Just as last year, I have arrived to find the prairie concealed by a fine layer of snow. Originally from an area where freezing temperatures in May are virtually unheard of, I still find this new climate difficult to adjust to. At the moment there are 7 of us in the field house, with 3 more arriving on Sunday. Training was meant to begin on Tuesday, but the weather has had other plans.The near-constant blizzardy conditions have forced us to remain house-bound for the last 2 days, and it looks as if we will face the same for the remainder of the week.




It has been a slow couple of days, with large amounts of down time interspersed with bird and plant ID training. This sort of knowledge comes quickest in the field, however, so we must hope for better conditions soon.

The upside of the unpredictable weather, however, is that a rain shower on the night of my arrival (May 3) gave way to the most spectacular rainbow any of us had ever seen.

And even though we've been itching to get outside and see some birds, a few of them have saved us the hassle and visited anyway. This Western Meadowlark is one of many that we'll see this summer. Their beautiful songs can be heard from long distances, and their awkward belly-hanging-out flight never ceases to amuse me.

The shelterbelt around the house, originally planted as a windbreak, tends to attract a range of tree-loving species not seen in the surrounding prairie landscape. This Merlin stopped by for a few minutes, perhaps scoping out our birdfeeder (which so far has a visitor count of 0).

Until next time!

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to my blog. My name is Emily, and I am currently a graduate student studying natural resource management. I just graduated from a small environmental college in NY with a bachelor's in wildlife science.

I am a scientist. A biologist, an ecologist, and a naturalist. I've dedicated myself to exploring the natural world around us. The best way I have of preserving what I've found there is through photography. Though in no way a professional, I've decided to share some of the wonderful things I have seen.

The great thing about summer jobs in biology is that you find yourself in places that most people never get to visit. I consider myself very lucky to have worked in the locations my last three summer jobs have taken me. My most recent job is what first inspired me to create this blog. While searching for photos of my study area online, I found very few pertaining to the exact area I had been. I decided that, since I seem to be one of a relatively small number of people to have been there, I should do my part by sharing my experience.

I have been to such beautiful areas; it is my hope that, through this blog, I’ll be able to share some of that beauty with others. Here I will post a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the sort of field work a biologist does, through photos of the plants, animals, and landscapes of the places I’ve been. I will also post other bits of nature photography that I’ve taken here and there. I really hope you enjoy, and thanks for visiting!