Friday Field Notes: September 28, 2018

I apologize for the week off. Sometimes life just gets in the way. With school, work and now time in the lab, it can be very hard to get out and bird consistently. I know that I keep using this excuse, but I promise that I have been trying to make time wherever I can to report the amazing birds around me and keep up with writing this blog.

That being said, this Friday Field Notes is more of an update on the new undergrad research project that I am taking on. I am very excited about having the opportunity to work in such a great lab so early in my career and hope that it leads to great things in the future.

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Recently, I have taken on an undergraduate research project in Dr. Alice Boyle's lab at Kansas State University. It's part of a study being conducted by Dylan Smith concerning Dickcissel (Spiza americana) nesting habits during the recent Kansas drought. My part of this project is to sort and weigh insects to try and determine whether the availability of food sources affect the nesting patterns of this species.

Yesterday being my first day, I have already had a few hiccups. During the weighing of the insects I had a problem with the scale. While weighing the edible samples, the scale had some problems accurately reading the weight. The inedible samples produced a definitive weight in a matter of seconds, but after waiting over 30 minutes the edible samples was still being determined.

Luckily there is a good amount of accessibility in the Boyle Lab, and after bringing the solution up to Sarah Winnicki, one of the grad students in this lab, an email chain was quickly sent out to all involved in the project and past students who helped develop the protocols for this specific part of the project and a few suggestions on how to fix the issue have been discussed. I plan on implementing them in the future and hopefully the issue will be resolved.

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Sorting process of insects.

Weighing the edible insects for one sample.

Wednesday Bird of the Week: September 19, 2018

Black Terns (Chlidonias niger) gracefully soaring above Tuttle Creek Lake.

The bird of the week this week is the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger). They are a migrant species that I have enjoyed observing lately. I haven't seen them in their breeding colors, but I like how they look in their non-breeding/juvenile plumage more anyway.

The Black Tern is a medium sized shorebird, slightly smaller than the Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) that I normally observe them associated with. In their non-breeding plumage, they are a mostly white bird with dark grey to black on their back and wings and a small peninsula of black behind their eye. They have black bills, legs and feet. The breeding adults sport a fully black body with only small patches of white near the vent and on the underside of the wings. The Black Tern is a common bird in steep decline.

Black Terns fighting the wind to fly in place.

Black Terns eat mostly insects and occupy freshwater marshes, where they construct floating nests. Not much information is provided on this bird species on the allaboutbirds.org webpage about their habitat or nesting habits.

According to allaboutbirds.org, the Black Tern populations in North America have been declining by about two percent per year since 1966, causing a total decline of 57% by 2014.

The Black Tern has been a great bird to observe as it flies just above the water and takes little dives every once in a while. They seem to try and use the wind to keep them in place for as long as they can fight it, by flying against the wind and just slightly altering the angle of their bodies to move around. This species is very graceful and adds nice variety to the birds that I am able to observe in my little corner of the world.

Sunday Summary: September 10-September 16, 2018

As the semester continues, I realize that I will not be able to make it out most days to bird. This will be reflected in the coming Sunday Summaries to come. Sadly, I am missing one of the greatest times of the year, fall migration. I have noticed more shorebirds lately, but I seem to be missing the warblers that others have spotted.

I was able to submit four checklists this week with a total of 27 species. No birds were added to my life list, but I was able to add three to my Pottawatomie County, Kansas list. Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea), Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan), and Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus). This brings my Pottawatomie County list to 36 species.

My most observed species this week was the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) with 70 individuals. It's always fun to see them roosting in their large groups. I usually count one large group and think that they are all accounted for only to turn a corner to find another group of even more.

Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) stepping off after the two ahead
of it, disappearing into the tall grass.

The picture of the week this week is a Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) as it scurried away from me. I stopped on the road because I saw a head poking out of the grass and wanted to be sure that it was in fact a Northern Bobwhite. Not only did I confirm the one that I originally spotted, but there were two others that followed as I shuffled around for my camera. This is a species that I have been wanting to get a shot of for a long time now, and I was able to just barely catch the third before it disappeared into the tall grass and cedar trees.

My highlight of the week is from Saturday morning. I was at Fancy Creek State Park dong a little fishing (surprisingly not a birding focused trip), and I heard a high-pitched whinnying noise coming from behind me. I knew it was an owl, but wasn't 100% sure what species. Using my Merlin app, I was able to identify it as an Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio). As I went to the car to get my binoculars to see if it was close, a Green Heron (Butorides virescens) landed on a log not far from shore where I was standing. I was able to snap a few pictures, but the lighting wasn't very good and they all came out blurry. I didn't ever find the owl.

How is fall migration going for you? I would love to hear any stories about the migrants you have been able to observe so far. 

Friday Field Notes: September 14, 2018

Form September 14, 2018

The pollinators are on their last push it seems before the Fall season begins and the flowers are gone. It's interesting to think that they use the nectar from flowers to provide enough energy to survive through the Winter and be able to go back out the next Spring to collect it all again. The more I think about it, the more amazing this seems.

Not only do the pollinators amaze me, but the fact that flowers have developed such a system to help them reproduce. Through evolution, the flowers easily could have developed ways to self pollinate, but instead this mutual relationship between the flowers and the pollinators has remained their mode of choice. The bees get their food and the flowers are able to reproduce. But bees aren't the only pollinators.

Many people don't think of the other pollinators of this world much. When asked to name one, most people go straight for the bees, but why don't butterflies get as much love? Better yet, why not hummingbirds, or bats. Yes, Fruit Bats do help to pollinate flowers. Again it's a mutual relationship with the flowers. The bats get the nectar, the flower gets pollinated and becomes a fruit, the bat eats the fruit, the seed is released allowing it to become another fruit tree that can support more bats.

The systems of nature fascinate me so much. To think of all the ways in which things in nature are interconnected, I don't believe it is possible. This just goes to support the notion that a small change can make a big difference. We as humans need to take this into consideration when we decide to develop lands to fit our needs. What could we be taking away from nature? What systems are we interrupting? How can we help to support the systems that we are destroying once we do? These are just some of the questions that I want answered. This planet isn't only ours. We are just a small part of a very large system.

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Grey Hairstreak Butterfly (Strymon melinus) collecting it's nectar from
a Dotted Gayfeather (Liatris punctata Hook).

Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) wallowing in the
inflorescence of a Tall Thistle (Cirsium altissimum (L.) Spreng). 

Wednesday Bird of the Week: September 12, 2018

American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) preening on a log
floating in Tuttle Creek Lake.

The bird of the week this week has been the most observed species in my weekly reports multiple times in the last couple of months, but has always been too far for me to get pictures of until yesterday. The American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is not the coastal pelican that most might think of. It spends time more in the middle states during migration.

The American White Pelican is a large, white bird, found near large bodies of water. When in flight, they display their black primaries, which are mostly hidden while they are floating or perched. They have large orange/yellow bills and during breeding season the adults grow a  horn shaped plate on their upper bill. This species is of low conservation concern.

American White Pelican displaying black primaries during flight.

Since the main habitat of the American White Pelican is lakes and ponds, it is no surprise that their diet consists of mainly fish. Sometimes large groups of these birds will even work together to herd small fish into the shallows. They  can dip their large, pouched bills into the water and scoop out fish, or they may even dip their whole bodies under water like a diving duck.

American White Pelicans nest on the ground, laying a clutch of one to three eggs. They prefer flat sites on gravel, sand, or soil near other pelicans.

Although the American White Pelican likes to perch on floating logs, they are fairly clumsy. They use their wings to try and keep balance, but often fall off of their log into the water. Most of the time they seem to just play it off as though they intended to take a little swim anyway.

Next time you are near a large body of water, keep a lookout for these large birds. They are quite fascinating to observe, especially in flight.

Sunday Summary: September 3-September 9, 2018

This week was very sad from a birding standpoint for me. I was only able to get out two days and submit checklists. With all of the rain that we have been getting and the change in schedule with school, there just wasn't much time.

I was still able to add three species to my Riley County and life lists. The Black Tern (Chlidonias niger), Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), and Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) were all new birds for me. I have never really gotten out to a wetland area during the fall migration before, but am hoping to be able to get out more this week to hopefully add even more diversity to my list. My new list totals are now; Riley County, 97, Life list, 186. Only three away from my goal of 100 species for Riley County before winter.

My most observed species was the American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) with 46 individuals. I also observed what seemed to be a migrating flock of this species over the Kansas State University campus this week, but was not able to report it.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) wading in the river, through a sunflower
screen.

The picture of the week this week is of a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) through some sunflowers. This bird was hanging out near the boat ramp at Fancy Creek State Park as I was leaving Tuesday. It stood still and allowed me to capture a few great images before slowly turning and walking off to where I could no longer get a clear shot.

My highlight of the week was finding the Caspian Tern and Black Terns. I spotted the Caspian Tern while observing the feeding behaviors of the Ring-billed Gulls (). The Tern just happened to fly in front of the Gull that I was observing, catching my attention with its bright orange bill and black cap. The Black Tern was flying around in the area, but I struggled for a long time to figure out what it actually was. They were not displaying their breeding colors, so most of my manuals were not the most helpful. Luckily the Sibley Guide has many different plumage variations for each species and I was able to determine from there that they were either juveniles, non-breeding adults, or some combination of both.

Friday Field Notes: September 7, 2018

Notes taken September 3, 2018

We got a pretty heavy rain last night and there's a threat of rain looming over us this morning. The water at Fancy Creek is up over the bridge where I have been taking m notes. I am calling that Frog Bridge now due to the bullfrogs that always seem to hang out there.

I am writing this now from what I am calling Low-water Bridge because the water is always much lower here than at Frog Bridge. The sound of the water running over the rocks reminds me of my time in Wisconsin at Amnicon Falls. Of course, there was much more water at Amnicon than there is here.

I could sit and watch water flow all day. I am reminded of something I was once told and I can't remember who told me, but if you stare at one point of a river, you'll never see the same water twice.

It's so relaxing to listen to and watch the water and then think of all the benefits that come from it. The plants need it to grow. The animals eat the plants. Other animals eat those animals. They drink the water. It creates new landscapes. Those are just a few of the benefits.

It's nice to finally have flowing water after such a long Summer of drought.

The creek at Low-water Bridge.

Wednesday Bird of the Week: September 5, 2018

Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) showing off
the namesake red head.

This bird of the week isn't the most common woodpecker species of this area, but it is definitely my favorite. There's no wondering why this beautiful bird is called red-headed. With such a bright red head they can be hard to miss.

One of the seven woodpecker species found in Kansas, the Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) isn't around for the whole year. During the winter they make a trip to parts of Texas and southern Louisiana, returning to breed in the Spring.

Picking at the tree a little before taking off.

Sadly, this year I haven't seen as many as I have in past years, which should be of no surprise for a species that is under conservation watch as a declining species. This is likely due to a loss in nut bearing trees all over the range of this great species and the cutting down of dead trees which they use for nesting and food storage.

The Red-headed Woodpecker, much like most other woodpecker species, are cavity nesters. They like creating holes in the tops of dead trees and telephone poles. They can have a clutch ranging from three to ten eggs and can have two broods per year. 

 These birds are fairly easy to distinguish from other woodpecker species. They have a very distinct red head and a beautiful black and white feather pattern on their backs. Being quite chatty is another characteristic of this species that I really enjoy. They definitely like to make their presence known and defend the trees that they have claimed very fiercely from other birds.

Sunday Summary: August 27-September 2, 2018

The streak has come to an end. After 68 days straight of birding and submitting checklists, I wasn't able to keep it up. On Tuesday my schedule got too packed and I wasn't able to submit a checklist. The other problem is that I can be really picky sometimes about where I submit my checklists from and so I pass up opportunities when I should just take advantage of whatever time that I have.

This being the case, I was still able to observe 38 species this week, all in Riley County again. I added the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) to my life list. This species is a fairly rare species for this area of the world, that migrates through in during both the Spring and Fall migrations. I was also able to bring my county list up to 94 species by adding a Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons), the Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), and a few Merlin (Falco columbarius). Only six species left to finally reach my goal of 100 for Riley County.

The most observed species this week was the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), with sixteen individuals this week. Larger wading birds and shorebirds were something of a premium this week compared to recent weeks past.

Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) checking out the tree
it had just left behind. 

The picture of the week this week is of a Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). This is my favorite woodpecker species found in the Midwest region. They like to go to the southern part of Texas for the Winter, but always return in the Spring and can very easily be spotted at the tops of dead trees or telephone poles.

My highlight of the week was observing the Merlins at Fancy Creek State Park. Although wether or not they were truly Merlins is still being determined, due to the large number that I observed (seven at one time). I truly believe that the characteristics that I was able to observe point directly to the Merlin, but there is a chance that it could have been a small flock of Mississippi Kites (Ictinia mississippiensis) which apparently share some of the same feather patterns. If confirmed as Merlins, I will have observed the largest group of Merlins recorded in the state of Kansas.

I continue to be very happy with how this blog is turning out and also to ask for help from my readers. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or advice please leave your comments to let me know. I will do my best to address whatever it is that is brought to my attention.