Monthly Archives: September 2007

Weekend in the Ozarks

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Dan, Tatyanna, and I went out on the Gasconade for a couple of hours on Saturday in Dan’s canoe. About a quarter of a mile upstream from the Kinchloe access in Wright County we saw a Black Vulture. I’ve visited several times each year since my family moved to Missouri 13 years ago but had never seen a Black Vulture in the area. Dan and I were excited about the sighting; Tatyanna was less enthusiastic.

There were several butterfly species along Kinchloe Rd. on Sunday, including Red-banded Hairstreak (which was a life butterfly for me), Orange Sulphur, and Red-spotted Purple.

It wasn’t an especially birdy weekend; most of what I saw I saw on the river. Species seen or heard include the following:

  • Great Blue Heron
  • Wood Duck
  • Turkey Vulture
  • Black Vulture
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Broad-winged Hawk
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Eastern Phoebe
  • Eastern Wood Pewee
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • Carolina Wren
  • American Crow
  • Cedar Waxwing
  • Eastern Bluebird
  • American Goldfinch
  • Eastern Meadowlark

The waxwings were at the Jerktail access. They are always a treat, and these were putting on a show, sallying out over the river. My mother was thrilled to see her favorite bird.

Tower Grove Park today

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This morning I went to Tower Grove Park to see whether it would be as birdy as it was reported to be yesterday. I wasn’t disappointed.

The day started out humid and hazy. After insufficient sleep last night, I was feeling hazy, and my binocular action was a bit slow. The atmospheric, if not the mental, haze burned off fairly quickly, though, and viewing conditions were excellent.

There were twelve species of warbler in and around the bird garden, including several Golden-winged Warblers (I saw only two; others saw as least three). I feel lucky when I see one of those in a year; seeing multiple individuals of the species throughout the morning was a treat.

I saw a vireo that I tentatively identified as a Philadelphia, but I had to wait to verify the ID (none of us had a field guide at hand!). Another birder later took a photo of a vireo that turned out to be a Philadelphia. After I got home, a check in Sibley of underside yellow distribution confirmed that the one I saw was indeed a Philadelphia. I missed the Blue-headed Vireo others saw. None of us saw a Plumbeous.

The list

This is my list. Others saw additional species.

  1. Mourning Dove
  2. Chimney Swift
  3. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  4. Great Crested Flycatcher
  5. Downy Woodpecker
  6. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  7. Red-headed Woodpecker
  8. Eastern Wood Pewee
  9. Empid
  10. Red-eyed Vireo
  11. Philadelphia Vireo
  12. Chickadee sp.
  13. European Starling
  14. Veery
  15. Wood Thrush
  16. American Robin
  17. Gray Catbird
  18. Northern Parula
  19. Blue-winged Warbler
  20. Golden-winged Warbler
  21. Chestnut-sided Warbler
  22. Black-throated Green Warbler
  23. Magnolia Warbler
  24. American Redstart
  25. Black-and-white Warbler
  26. Bay-breasted Warbler
  27. Canada Warbler
  28. Ovenbird
  29. Common Yellowthroat
  30. Northern Cardinal
  31. Common Grackle
  32. Baltimore Oriole
  33. American Goldfinch

It was good to be out and good to see people. I needed to put birding aside for much of this year, especially this summer, to do other things that needed doing. So hard sometimes to keep everything in balance.

I can hardly wait for the sparrows.

God and lawns

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Someone (I don’t remember who) posted the following to mobirds long ago. It’s been in my drafts directory all these months.

Just about any pastime or enthusiasm can be made to look foolish (I would love to see how Christopher Guest would portray birders); people who love their lawns come in for some ribbing here. For the record, I’ve managed to kill the small bit of lawn I had—that which was planted in the parkway by the city after they rebuilt the curbs on my block. I probably should have raked up the clippings after mowning.

When God says that grass is boring, he surely doesn’t have in mind some of our showier native grasses.

God’s thoughts on lawns

God:
Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle, and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought, and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees, and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.
St. Francis:
It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers “weeds” and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
God:
Grass? But, it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, birds, and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It’s sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
St. Francis:
Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
God:
The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
St. Francis:
Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it—sometimes twice a week.
God:
They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay?
St. Francis:
Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
God:
They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
St. Francis:
No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
God:
Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
St. Francis:
Yes , Sir.
God:
These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
St. Francis:
You aren’t going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
God:
What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It’s a natural cycle of life.
St. Francis:
You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
God:
No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?
St. Francis:
After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.
God:
And where do they get this mulch?
St. Francis:
They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.
God:
Enough! I don’t want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?
St. Catherine:
Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It’s a story about…
God:
Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St Francis.