Made it out to the lake over the weekend and was privileged to see our first of the season scissor-tailed flycatcher. It was a chilly morning (31), so there were quite a few birds hanging out on the warm(er) pavement. At this time of year, I always worry about the early arrivals who primarily eat insects. We also saw this beautiful young red-tailed hawk.
It seemed every box at Clinton State Park had a pair of tree swallows sitting on top ready to defend. It’s good to see them!
The KDWPT recently authorized the use of artificial light and thermal imagining equipment to hunt coyotes at night. Yes, that’s right; they are going to do everything they can to wipe them out. There is no scientific evidence behind this, but there is plenty of ignorance and bloodlust. Looking at the minutes from the meeting, it is shameful how they spun this without offering any scholarly evidence to support it. I guess in the age of Trump, I should not be surprised by this kind of dishonesty. Not only did they admit they have no clue what the Kansas coyote population is, it takes a special kind of asshole to say, “…this did generate a certain amount of animal rights responses, most of those were why kill the coyote, driving into extinction and the general anti-consumption these groups provide. If commissioners get an email and it sounds like it is not from a Kansas resident, google it and it will show where they posted before where these people are into animal rights. Legitimate stakeholders who have contacted me, I only had one negative response…” (Lauber, 2020). I am a legitimate stakeholder and a Kansan who is not in favor of this, and I am not alone.
A wonderful morning. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
I was watching a great blue heron come flying into the marina at Clinton Lake the other day, and to my surprise, she landed right in the water, picked up a fish, then flew off. It almost seemed like she was swimming like a pelican would. I have never seen one do that before. When she took off, she kind of did that running on water thing coots do when they take off super fast. It all happened so fast, but was amazing to watch. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
Now that the ice is melting, we’re seeing many more great blue herons along the shore line. This poor fish is nearly as big as the heron. I thought she might not be able to take off, but she managed just fine. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
It makes me sad that every morning for the past couple of weeks I have been reading about more sightings of snowy owls in the lower 48. I am afraid we are going to have another irruption year. The frequency of this is all about climate change, though I have not seen many writing about this, particularly in birding discussions (of course!). I so loved getting to see them when they were in Lawrence in 2012. However, I also learned a great deal about them and what I learned was heartbreaking. They are here because they are starving. They have little experience with humans and are vulnerable to attack, cars, planes, buildings, etc. Because they have so little experience with humans, people are often able to get pretty close to them before they fly away. This adds another layer of stress to a hungry bird who is trying to conserve energy. Please, if you see them, act responsibly. Observe these beautiful birds from a distance. Show some respect. If you see a snowy owl in distress, contact a rehabber who can help and while you are at it, make a donation.
Birding in the National Parks: Snowy Owl Invasion, Round Two
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
