Tag Archives: annual

Photo of the Week – April 10, 2014

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I’m a terrible birder.  I used to be pretty good, but I’ve kind of lost my motivation – there are too many other things to look at when I’m out in the field.

Last Friday, I was at the annual Prairie Chicken Festival, near Burwell, Nebraska, hosted by Calamus Outfitters.  It was a great event, with lots of fun people and a fantastic setting.  In the early afternoon, I hopped on a bus full of people to go look at birds around the edges of Calamus reservoir.  I think the group saw several kinds of ducks and maybe some, uh, other things…

I, on the other hand, spent most of the time wandering through the sandhills looking down at the ground for signs of life in the prairie.  (It’s hard to see many birds while looking down…)  My biggest contribution to the birding portion of the trip was that I pointed out a couple owl pellets (on the ground, of course) to the group.  Apart from that, I was pretty useless.

Well, useless from a birding standpoint.  From a botanical standpoint, I actually found three different wildflower species blooming!  That was a surprise, given how cold it’s been this spring, and how little green there is across the landscape.  All three wildflowers were very short little annuals, and were near parking lots at the reservoir where they were exposed to full sun but sheltered from cool winds by nearby trees.

I have no idea what any of them are, so if any of you can identify them, I’d appreciate input…

A tiny wildflower at Calamus reservoir, near Burwell, Nebraska. April 4, 2014

A tiny wildflower at Calamus reservoir, near Burwell, Nebraska. April 4, 2014

 

Another tiny flower.

Another tiny flower.

 

The third wildflower of the day.

The third wildflower of the day.

 

 

…Ok, I wasn’t completely unaware of the birds around me…  I actually did stop to take this photo of some pelicans late Friday morning, before heading over to the ranch to meet up with everyone else.

White pelicans at Calamus Reservoir.

White pelicans at Calamus Reservoir.

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Winter Wildlife Food

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As we continue to transition into winter, many wildlife species are watching food supplies dwindle around them.  Flowers have been done blooming for a long time, and now even their seeds are starting to disappear.  A few hardy insects are still around, but most have either died off or have found a comfortable place to spend the winter.

The seeds on this stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus) seed head are nearly gone. Birds likely got most of them, though wind may have knocked some off as well.

The seeds on this stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus) seed head are nearly gone. Birds likely got most of them, though wind may have knocked some off as well.

Sunflower seeds are a very attractive late fall/winter food source for many wildlife species, including many birds.  During our fall seed harvest each year, we definitely notice the impact of bird foraging – especially if we wait a little too long to gather seeds.  Large flocks of migrant birds can quickly deplete a stand of sunflowers of their seeds.  That can be frustrating for tardy prairie ecologists, but has bigger implications for resident prairie animals that depend upon those seeds for winter survival.

These annual sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) have lost all of their seeds already, though opportunistic scavengers might still find some on the ground beneath the plant.

These annual sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) have already lost all of their seeds, though opportunistic scavengers might still find some on the ground beneath the plant.

Fortunately for resident wildlife, migrant birds don’t get all the sunflower seeds, so at least some are left for winter foragers.  When snow covers the ground, sunflowers and other plants that still hold seeds become particularly important for wildlife.  Some animals have already built up caches of stored seeds to eat when snow covers the ground, but other species – especially birds – have to make do with what’s sticking out above the snow.  It’s easy to see which plants have the best food supply by looking at the tracks in the snow around them!

Both small mammals and birds are foraging around these annual sunflowers in the snow. (2009 photo)

Both small mammals and birds were foraging around these annual sunflowers in the snow.  Birds (and maybe some small mammals?) can get the seeds directly from the top of the plant, but others pick fallen seeds right off the snow. (2009 photo)