Birding the prairie

   The day dawned sunny and cold. But fortunately by 3:15 it was quite warm. By 3:30 I was headed for a day of bird watching at the prairie behind a local college. The prairie is quite large, and has all kinds of grasses anywhere from 1-5 feet tall groing in it. The prairie is flanked by woods, and one end is bordered by a good-sized creek. he only way to get to the prairie (unless you take a shortcut through the college athletics field is by walking about 1/5 of a mile from the YMCA or about 1/2 a mile from the park.  I chose the 1/2 mile route. The 1/2 mile route goes through the country lined on both sides at times, and at times you are walking with a creek on one side and field full of cows on the other. However, once I got to the prairie I walked about 3/4 of a mile around half of it.

   Though the birding was slow, just as I arrived at the prairie, I stopped to look for a calling red-shouldered hawk that I heard, but I couldn't spot it. As I turned and began to scan the landscape before me, I saw a quickly approaching, low flying raptor of some sort. It passed right over me, and turned out to be another red-shouldered hawk. It would have been a perfect photo opportunity, had I remembered to bring my camera which I had just charged earlier this morning so that I could bring it on my trek. The bird was low enough, close enough and the sun was in the perfect position to have made a great photo. But a camera I hadn't, so I'll just have to wait for another opporunity that is just as perfect when I do have my camera (but I'll wager that will never happen).

   On the return trip, took an off-the-path path that ran along the college arboretum, following a creek most of the way, and through the woods the entire way. Through the woods I saw no birds except a white-breasted nuthatch, which was relatively close on an old wizened cherry tree, about 20 feet up, but coming closer. I watched until it flew away, and then I continue my journey, with no new interesting birds being sighted. I was able to record 19 species on my trip. Here is the list.