Canada Goose

Posted on March 7, 2014 by hdomke

Branta canadensisCanada Goose

There was such a loud ruckus this morning that I had to go check it out. A pair of geese are establishing their territory at Potter’s Lake. Such loud honking!

Share
Posted in Animals, Birds, Ponds & Streams | Leave a comment

Robins flock to burned Prairie

Posted on March 5, 2014 by hdomke

American RobinAmerican Robin

The birds have responded to the controlled burn at the PGT last week. At sunset last night I photographed a flock of robins grazing the newly blackened earth.

Share
Posted in Birds, Burns, Land management | Leave a comment

Eastern Bluebird

Posted on March 1, 2014 by hdomke

Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird

The bluebirds immediately took advantage of the newly cleared ground yesterday after we burned 40-acres of prairie. It must be easier for them to spot instects. Here a male bluebird is perched on a scorched compass-plant stalk.

I’ve noticed the Bluebirds are starting to check out the nesting boxes. Eastern Bluebirds are the state bird of Missouri.

Click on the image to see more detail.

Share
Posted in Birds, Burns | Leave a comment

American Kestrel

Posted on February 28, 2014 by hdomke

 

Falco sparveriusAmerican Kestrel

We did a controlled burn today on 40-acres of restored prairie at the PGT. Several raptors immediately appeared to check out the newly exposed rodents.

This American Kestrel drove me nuts. It would only let me get within 500-feet and it would fly off. The bird was always in view but never let me get close.

Click on the image to get a closer look.

Share
Posted in Animals, Birds, Burns | Leave a comment

Prairie Burn

Posted on February 28, 2014 by hdomke

The conditions were just right for a burn today. Our crew had already created excellent fire lines. They double-checked to make sure the humidity and wind just right. Then they set 40-acres of restored prairie grass on fire.

A lot of effort goes into making sure it is a controlled burn and not a wildfire.
I’ve attached an 8-second video clip that I took with my iPhone.

Share
Posted in Burns, Land management | Leave a comment

What do you do with an Armadillo?

Posted on February 27, 2014 by hdomke

Dasypus novemcinctusNine-Banded Armadillo

I saw an Armadillo at the Prairie Garden Trust today for the first time. That is first record of one on the property since we moved here in 1970.

What should I do with it? Is it to be treated as an invasive exotic or is it a naturally occurring mammal? Is it a pest or a new and unusual animal?

According to “The Wild Mammals of Missouri” there had been only 9 records Nine-Banded Armadillo in Missouri since 1947. The trouble is that book was published in 1959.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservations website today they occur primarily in the southern half of the state and “The population density in Missouri is low and further expansion is unlikely, as armadillos are limited by extreme cold. They do not hibernate, and they are not adapted for finding food when snow and ice prevent access to the insects and other invertebrates they eat.”

Click on the image to see more detail of my iPhone snapshot.

Share
Posted in Exotic invasives, Mammals | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cold Enough for Real Ice

Posted on February 19, 2014 by hdomke

Matt Barnes on and Ice Chunks from Hillers Creek_4824Matt Barnes

This seems like the coldest winter for a couple of decades. It’s so cold that we are getting real ice on the creeks, ponds and lakes. Often they might not freeze over; this year the ice is a foot thick!

Here is a shot from today along Hillers Creek. Matt Barnes, the PGT Groundskeeper was sitting down from taking a break from clearing some woody debris. The ice he is sitting on is at least 12-inches thick.

Share
Posted in Events & People, Weather | Leave a comment

Orchard Oriole

Posted on February 15, 2014 by hdomke

Icterus spuriusOrchard Oriole

Baltimore Orioles are so flashy that Orchard Orioles are are often overlooked. I think they are equally beautiful; just not so “over-the-top”.

I photographed this one a couple years ago near Cow Pond; about a 5-minute walk from the PGT Visitor Center.

Share
Posted in Birds | Tagged | Leave a comment

Northern Harrier

Posted on February 12, 2014 by hdomke

Circus cyaneusNorthern Harrier

This Northern Harrier is driving me crazy. For the last couple of weeks I’ve been seeing it fly low over the prairie grasses around sunrise and sunset every day. When I try to get close to photograph him he slowly drifts away from me. Yesterday after I had given up and was walking home I saw a hawk soaring like a Red-tail above me. I wasn’t sure it was but I took a few shots. Only when I opened the files later did I realize it was the Northern Harrier.

Click a couple times on the image to see a larger picture.

Share
Posted in Birds | Leave a comment

Harris’s Sparrow

Posted on February 9, 2014 by hdomke

Zonotrichia querulaHarris’s Sparrow

It’s not often that I come across a new bird at the Prairie Garden Trust. I’ve lived here for 33-years and have seen most of the birds that occur on the property. Late this afternoon I noticed a dark-faced sparrow in our front yard that I couldn’t recognize. I stepped outside into the snow flurries for a closer look and found this Harris’s Sparrow. Very exciting!

Typically they occur further west from here and only during the Winter.

Click on the image a couple times to see more detail.

Share
Posted in Birds | Leave a comment