We drove westward the rest of the day and reached Manhattan, Kansas, which had a Greater Prairie-Chicken lek nearby. We checked into the town's Motel 6 for some much-needed sleep.
Sunday, April 25, 1999
Prairie-Chicken Trip ~ April 19-20, 1999
Jason Horn, Babe Webster, and I decided to drive out to Kansas to try to get to see both Prairie-Chickens while on their leks. We left after dinner on the 19th, headed west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-70 through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, driving through the night and arriving at Horseshoe Lake, northeast of East St. Louis, Illinois, on the morning of the 20th. Babe had never seen Eurasian Tree Sparrow, which we found fairly quickly in the campground area of Horseshoe Park.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow in the campground of Horseshoe Park at Horseshoe Lake near Fairmont City, Illinois.
We drove westward the rest of the day and reached Manhattan, Kansas, which had a Greater Prairie-Chicken lek nearby. We checked into the town's Motel 6 for some much-needed sleep.
We drove westward the rest of the day and reached Manhattan, Kansas, which had a Greater Prairie-Chicken lek nearby. We checked into the town's Motel 6 for some much-needed sleep.
Prairie-Chicken Trip ~ April 21, 1999
We awoke very early on the 21st so we could get to the lek blind on the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area well before daylight. When it finally got light enough to see, we found the Greater Prairie-Chickens displaying, some of them within 20 feet of us!
A male Greater Prairie-Chicken displaying on the Konza Prairie, south of Manhattan, Kansas.
A Northern Harrier sent the birds scurrying, but soon after it left, the birds returned and resumed displaying.
We left the northeastern part of the state and headed for the extreme southwestern corner. Midway between, we stopped at the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area near Great Bend. American Avocets and Western Grebes were just two of the many species seen there.
American Avocet at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area near Great Bend, Kansas.
Western Grebe at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area near Great Bend, Kansas.
The long list of additional species noted there included Eared and Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Little Blue Heron, Great and Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, American White Pelican, White-faced Ibis, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Swainson's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Baird's Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Hudsonian Godwit, Wilson's Phalarope, Black-necked Stilt, California and Franklin's Gull, Forster's Tern, Marsh Wren, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Brewer's Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, and Vesper and Savannah Sparrow.
We tore ourselves away from this birdy spot and continued southwest to the Cimarron National Grasslands.
We had enough time left to make a test-drive up to the lek. Although no free-roaming birds were present, a female was inside one of the cages used to trap and band the birds. We headed back to the town of Elkhart where we spent the night at the El Rancho Motel.
A Northern Harrier sent the birds scurrying, but soon after it left, the birds returned and resumed displaying.
We left the northeastern part of the state and headed for the extreme southwestern corner. Midway between, we stopped at the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area near Great Bend. American Avocets and Western Grebes were just two of the many species seen there.
The long list of additional species noted there included Eared and Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Little Blue Heron, Great and Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, American White Pelican, White-faced Ibis, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Swainson's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Baird's Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Hudsonian Godwit, Wilson's Phalarope, Black-necked Stilt, California and Franklin's Gull, Forster's Tern, Marsh Wren, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Brewer's Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, and Vesper and Savannah Sparrow.
We tore ourselves away from this birdy spot and continued southwest to the Cimarron National Grasslands.
We had enough time left to make a test-drive up to the lek. Although no free-roaming birds were present, a female was inside one of the cages used to trap and band the birds. We headed back to the town of Elkhart where we spent the night at the El Rancho Motel.
Prairie-Chicken Trip ~ April 22-23, 1999
April 22, 1999
Once again, we headed out very early this morning so we could get to the lek blind on the Cimarron National Grasslands. It had rained overnight and the dirt road to the lek was very muddy and slippery like that when driving in slushy snow. As first light, we could hear the birds, but we couldn't see anything through the thick fog. Eventually, the fog mostly burned off and we were able to get nice looks at 13 Lesser Prairie-Chickens.
Male Lesser Prairie-Chickens displaying on the Cimarron National Grasslands near Elkhart, Kansas.
A female Lesser Prairie-Chicken on the Cimarron National Grasslands near Elkhart, Kansas.
Eventually, the last few birds flew off and we left the blind. We drove the short distance south into the Oklahoma panhandle since none of us had ever been in that state before. Roadside birding there netted Horned Lark, Loggerhead Shrike, Vesper Sparrow, and Western Meadowlark.
Back inside the Cimarron National Grasslands, stops at and around the Cimarron River produced Swainson's and Ferruginous Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant, Scaled Quail, Say's Phoebe, Rock Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah, and Grasshopper Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, and Brewer's Blackbird.
We reluctantly headed northeastward toward home. The night was spent at the Motel 6 in Blue Springs, Missouri.
April 23, 1999
The entire day was spent driving back home. The driving was long and tedious, but we were rewarded with good looks at most of the birds, especially the two 'lifers'.
Once again, we headed out very early this morning so we could get to the lek blind on the Cimarron National Grasslands. It had rained overnight and the dirt road to the lek was very muddy and slippery like that when driving in slushy snow. As first light, we could hear the birds, but we couldn't see anything through the thick fog. Eventually, the fog mostly burned off and we were able to get nice looks at 13 Lesser Prairie-Chickens.
Eventually, the last few birds flew off and we left the blind. We drove the short distance south into the Oklahoma panhandle since none of us had ever been in that state before. Roadside birding there netted Horned Lark, Loggerhead Shrike, Vesper Sparrow, and Western Meadowlark.
Back inside the Cimarron National Grasslands, stops at and around the Cimarron River produced Swainson's and Ferruginous Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant, Scaled Quail, Say's Phoebe, Rock Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Brewer's, Vesper, Savannah, and Grasshopper Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, and Brewer's Blackbird.
We reluctantly headed northeastward toward home. The night was spent at the Motel 6 in Blue Springs, Missouri.
April 23, 1999
The entire day was spent driving back home. The driving was long and tedious, but we were rewarded with good looks at most of the birds, especially the two 'lifers'.
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