On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Good morning!
We’re back in Kansas today – just for the day – so we can catch some early spring visitors before we return to Africa with Albatrossity next week. Then it’s back to the Alps with BigJimSlade!
It seems like it’s either feast or famine with On the Road. Toward the end of last year, after I let you know we were running low on posts, you guys sent in 45 posts in December alone, and 15 more in January. That’s at least 3 months worth of OTR posts, and just recently we made it through all the December submissions. We are now we’re into the January submissions, which is great!
We have posts in the queue for this week and next, so this would be a great time to submit your photos.
Albatrossity
As winter comes to a close and spring teasingly peeks around the corner, I thought it would be good to take a break from the Africa posts and showcase some our local critters. We’ll get back to Ngorongoro Crater next week, but for this week, we’re back in Kansas, Toto.
I live near a large US Army base, Fort Riley, that periodically rattles our windows with artillery training and helicopter flyovers. But it is also home to a herd of about 200 Elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis), a large subspecies of the critter that is known as the Red Deer in Europe (where the critters we call “moose” are called “elk”). This herd is not fenced, and so the animals can roam freely off the base. I found this group of 19-20 near our local airport, about ½ mile off base. Nowadays we tend to think of Elk as creatures of the Mountain West, but historically they were on the prairies in large numbers. The mountains are a refugia for this species; they’d be happy to be prairie residents again! Click here for larger image.
I’ve posted pictures of Harris’s Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) before, because this large special sparrow can’t usually be found outside of Flyover Country. But I really liked this shot, because almost all of the earth tones of the bird are mirrored in its perch, a busted and moldy corn stalk. Excellent choice of a perch, in my opinion! Click here for larger image.
Another local specialty bird is the Greater Prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), although historically this bird was found along the East Coast as well. Nowadays you have to come here to see them, and they are not easy to see, especially in winter. But I stumbled across a flock of 20-25 birds and managed to get a shot of some of them as they flew off. They actually fly pretty fast, so I was happy that I was able to capture that. Click here for larger image.
It’s been a good winter for seeing Merlins (Falco columbarius) here, but it probably was not good for this Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). Click here for larger image.
Another winter denizen that can be hard to photograph is the Brown Creeper (Certhia americana); they tend to say on the shady side of the tree trunks and away from photographers. But this one was frozen in place by the passage of our local Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), and seemed to understand that the photographer was probably less predatory than the hawk. Given their excellent camouflage, I don’t imagine that they are often on the menu for an accipiter. Click here for larger image.
Flocks of geese are getting more numerous here as the days lengthen, and this particular flock had at least four different species. Those would be Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons), Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens), and Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii). All four are in this picture, although some are out of focus, so you can practice your goose ID skills over your morning coffee. Click here for larger image.
American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorynchos) are also starting to move through, on their way to the glacial pothole lakes of the Northern Prairies. “There are pelicans in Kansas???” is still a very common question that I get every spring and fall! Click here for larger image.
Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) continue to increase in numbers around here, and my prospects for getting a decent flight shot of this species were enhanced by that. They have a lot going for them, aesthetics-wise. Click here for larger image.
Northern Harriers (Circus hudsonius) are a challenge to photograph since they are always moving, and if they see you, they make it a point to move AWAY from you. The pale gray adult males seem to be especially camera-shy. But they are a striking creature, with a piercing yellow eye, and are definitely worth pursuing with a camera, even if your prospects for success are never good! Click here for larger image.
Finally, here’s a shot of the species that I spend most of my time with in winter here, the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). And this is an especially stunning representative, an adult Krider’s Hawk (B. j. kriderii) Every once in a while you come across a hawk who is curious enough to come back for a second look, and I’m really glad that this one decided to do that! Click here for larger image.
eclare
That Krider’s Hawk looks straight at you! What a photo.
Lapassionara
Love these. We lived in Kansas at one time, so I love seeing your Kansas photos.
AlaskaReader
The Pacific coast elk are Roosevelts. I believe the Kansas elk to be reintroduced, but I’m not clear from which of the four kinds of elk? Anyone know?
https://landpotential.org/habitat-hub/elk/
raven
If you’re going to be one be a Big Red One!
Don
You, sir, are a true treasure. Spectacular photographs.
pieceofpeace
The Krider, the elk gathering and others are magnificent, thank you!
JeanneT
I just played “Wingspan” for the first time this weekend – after seeing so many of your photos and comments, many of the birds in the deck felt like old friends. I start to understand how people get obsessed with birding!
Mike S. (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)
All wonderful, but if I’m forced to pick a fav, then the Brown Creeper!
Do you have lesser or greater Snow Geese? That is a nice, tiny Cackling Goose in front of that one SnGo.
Albatrossity
@AlaskaReader: It appears, at least from the statements in this article, that the Ft. Riley herd has elk from various sources.
@Mike S. (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!): The whitefronts here are Greater White-fronted Geese. And yes, that Cackling Goose at the edge of the picture seems particularly dinky!
Yutsano
The Canadian invaders have brought reinforcements! I really love the drama in the Krider’s hawk picture but the gaggle of geese is charming me today.
MelissaM
The neck markings on the elk make them look like they have dorky fangs.
And I’ll jump on the “whoa!” bandwagon for the Krider’s hawk. Stunning!
mvr
I can’t really pick a favorite today (too many favorites for a real favorite). But the prairie chicken photo is impressive if only because I don’t think I’ve ever seen one despite often walking where they hang out.
Thanks!
eldorado
great shots. you are correct about the colors in the sparrow pic which was my favorite
stinger
Encyclopedic knowledge, superb camera skills, and an artist’s eye — thanks, Albatrossity!
Every week, I see at least a couple of your photos and think, “Oooh, I hope THAT’S on next year’s calendar!”
Albatrossity
@stinger: Thanks! Well, it is almost certain that the Krider’s Hawk will appear on a calendar; I feel very lucky to have gotten that shot. And the Harris’s Sparrow might as well. Not a lot of folks appreciate sparrows (but they should!), so that one is more of a personal choice.
munira
That red-tailed hawk – wow.
StringOnAStick
Oh, that Creeper thrilled me, to finally see the details of such a hard bird to get a close view of!
StringOnAStick
We did a drive through very remote high desert in eastern Oregon last week, the raptors in the few trees did not disappoint!
Our old home in the far edge of the Denver area had elk constantly moving through the open space behind it, especially in the winter; they were very much habituated to humans. I have a photo of one group less than 6′ from our glass sliding door and our two cats and one female sharing a long look at each other. Here in central Oregon I’ve only seen a few elk a couple of times in the distance and they twigged to my eyes very quickly and started moving away; definitely not chill about humans like the ones near Denver. Lots more hunting here I suspect.
Mike E
Lovely shots!
Madeleine
So many beautiful birds today back in Flyover Country! The elk look llama-ish to me.
Princess Leia
Oh, the raptors are just magnificent, as always. Takes my breath away!!
JaneE
The recent snow (now mostly melted off in the valley) and rains that wreaked havoc on the state have caused some of the fallow fields down on the valley floor to green up nicely with new growth. We were by one yesterday during the day that had maybe two dozen elk happily nibbling on the green growth. It didn’t look high enough to get much of a bite, but half the herd was working at it while the rest just laid down and watched. Based on size the ones eating early may have been fairly young.
They used to show up in the valley on the fallow fields every year, but when the drought hit they stayed away. It was good to see them back, and in decent numbers.
AlaskaReader
@Albatrossity: Thanks for the info, I’d not heard before of the mixing of the subspecies within the same reintroduced herds.
Albatrossity
@AlaskaReader: I think that they are all of the subspecies known today as “Rocky Mountain Elk”, but from different herds at different locations at different times. That might be the elk subspecies that was here when Lewis and Clark came through, but they ate ’em and didn’t collect a specimen. And since the species ranged across the entire continent once, it’s also possible (likely?) that the elk on our tallgrass prairies in the 1600’s were a subspecies that has disappeared entirely. So in that sense, nobody knows what subspecies should be reintroduced here, or anywhere east of the 100th meridian.
BigJimSlade
Great shots as always!
AlaskaReader
@Albatrossity: Seeing the reference to elk from Oregon being introduced into the herd made me curious, but then again, Oregon is home to both Rocky Mountain elk and Roosevelts. I looked but found no further reference to the Oregon transfer of elk to Kansas…
Elk from Oregon and Washington were introduced to various places in Alaska, some successfully and some unsuccessfully.
As relates to the mention here in Alaska of the possibility of mixed herds, I’m still curious regarding the hazards of losing genetic diversity in some reintroduced groups.