On The Road – Albatrossity – Spring and summer birds in Flyover Country – The Brown Birds

First up is a species that has had a couple of good years around here, the Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). I have heard and seen more of these in the past couple years, after a couple of decades of scarcity. Good news for a change, and here the Reverend Robert White is preaching it from the fencepost! Click for larger image.

Another handsome denizen of the local prairies is also having a good year. This male Henslow’s Sparrow (Centronyx henslowii) was in full-throated :song”, along with many others on Konza Prairie this summer. The song is perhaps best described by C.M. Jones in 1881, and it is worth quoting in full: “The musical performance of this bird has very little to commend it. When the muse inspires his breast, he mounts to the top of a weed or some other object that raises him just above the grass. There he sits demurely until the spirit moves, when he suddenly throws up his head and with an appearance of much effort, jerks out his monosyllabic ‘tsip,’ apparently with great satisfaction. Then, having relieved himself he drops his head and waits patiently for his little cup to fill again. Somehow I cannot watch him while thus engaged, without a feeling of pity for a creature so constituted that he can be satisfied with such a performance” . Seems a tad harsh, at least to me. Click for larger image.

This Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) was also giving voice to song on Konza Prairie, and that song is somewhat more melodic and definitely less abrupt compared to that of the Henslow’s Sparrow. Last summer Grasshopper Sparrows were sparse around here; this summer there are a few more, but their numbers still seem lower than their historic numbers here in the heartland. Click for larger image.

Another regular sight on our local prairies are the Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor). Declining numbers are the rule in much of its range, but so far, they seem to be holding their own here. Click for larger image.

Yellow-billed Cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus) are also abundant this year, in the riparian strips along prairie streams and in the tree-enriched cities and towns. Known colloquially as the Rain Crow, they are furtive, slow-moving, and suspicious of all humans. But they are also physiologically amazing, since they only initiate breeding when food is locally abundant, and it only takes 17 days after the eggs are laid before the young cuckoos fledge and leave the nest! One might think that this behavior would be adaptive in these parlous times, but sadly, their populations are in decline range-wide. Click for larger image.

Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) are familiar insectivorous birds across much of North America. This one had a spicy dietary item, a stinkbug, but it seemed to relish that tidbit too. Click for larger image.

Last week’s post featured the Summer Tanagers (Piranga rubra), and this week I can report that our neighborhood tanager pair successfully fledged at least one youngster, who was having a splashy bath on the back deck as I returned from my photo walkabout to Arizona. I hope it can successfully migrate to the tropics and back, to grace our neighborhood or some other neighborhood next summer! Click for larger image.

I will include at least one colorful bird, this male Northern Parula (Setophage americana) was still singing as if it was his first spring day back on territory. Hopefully that means that a first clutch of youngsters had successfully fledged, and he was hoping to get a second clutch raised prior to the fall migration. Click for larger image.

I also made a day trip to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, which had a serious water shortage starting in the fall 0f 2022. That shortage has persisted over the summer, thanks to some Trump-era chicanery resulting in an agreement between the USFWS and local irrigators that leaves the refuge short of water. Most of the refuge pools were either dry or held substantially less water than usual for this time of year. But at least one pair of Black-necked Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus) had built a nest and were hopeful that they were raising the next generation of stilts. Click for larger image.

Another perky shorebird that is regularly seen at Quivira each summer, the Snowy Plover (Charadius nivosus) is frankly adorable (although they probably think that they are bad-asses). Habitat loss at Quivira would not be a good outcome for these guys, since their coastal populations have been under stress for a few decades now. Click for larger image.