Saturday On the Tallgrass Prairie - February 19, 2022

Saturday was a beautiful day in southwest Missouri! The sun fairly gleamed as it's light spilled out over the frozen prairie landscape.

The creek sang merrily as it made its way across the low-water bridge, moving along to bigger things downstream.

There was evidence of beavers hard at work along it's edges. The following two photographs were actually taken the Monday before...

I had bison on the way in to work Saturday morning and bison on the way home that night. I even had bison in the middle between opening and closing!

There were bison on the west side of the park on my way in to work that morning...

"Betcha can't see me now!"

...bison came past the nature center around 10:30 a.m...

Looking Through the Diorama and Out the East 

Window of the Nature Center

...and, then, I saw bison on the south end of the park on my way home...

It was great!!! It's been twenty-six years since first discovering the bison at Prairie State Park, going on eight years of working with them, and I never ever get tired of seeing them!

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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American Bald Eagles

Coyote

It's Been A Long Time

American Bald Eagles

On the way to visit my son and his family on Saturday, I was delighted to see two American bald eagles in 'the eagle tree' that sits along the way.

The eagle's nest in the tree sits high above the ground; the eagles were sitting much higher.

I was able to get several photographs both coming and going. There was only one eagle in the tree on my way home.

To learn more about the American bald eagle in Missouri, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation website. You can get there by clicking HERE.

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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Coyote

It's Been A Long Time

In Search of the Ferruginous Hawk

 

Coyote

I saw this gorgeous guy on the way to work Saturday morning...

I had driven through the park and was going to turn around to head back to the nature center. When I pulled into the service road that leads to the corral, there he was! It was a dream come true, too. I have waited years to get a picture of a coyote, but, normally, they don't hang around long enough for me to even get a chance. This fellow just stood there looking at me for a full two to three minutes. I took several pictures, but this one was the best of what I got. 

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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It's Been A Long Time

In Search of the Ferruginous Hawk

The Red-Shouldered Hawk

It's Been A Long Time

It's been a long time since I've shared a post here...too long, in fact...but, the truth is, the past year or more has been rough. I will avoid the details and simply relate that my husband and I were both sick with COVID in January of 2021; a short time later my husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He passed away in July; I've been trying to find my way without him ever since.

John and I hiking Path of the Earth People

@ Prairie State Park - July 8, 2018

All this time I've been trying to keep up with my HEARTH AND HOME blog, but, the truth is, with my children grown and married with families of their own, and without my husband here, there's no one to make a home for now but me. I find my solace in spending as much time enjoying the intricacies of God's creation, taking pictures, and sharing them with others. It only makes sense that I should concentrate my efforts here, rather than there, because that's what I post about most of the time there anyway. 

John Taking Photographs On One Of

  Our Treks Along Gayfeather Trail

I returned to work at the park in the fall and, even though it was really hard, at first (my husband and I spent a great deal of time there hiking and exploring together), it's proving to remain a great source of blessing. My plan is to share many of those blessings here in the days ahead.

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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In Search of the Ferruginous Hawk

The Red-Shouldered Hawk

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In Search of the Ferruginous Hawk

Have you heard the news? A ferruginous hawk has been sited at Prairie State Park (this is the park where I work)! 

Mature Ferruginous Hawk

Photo Credit

Normally these hawks are found in the western half of our nation...from western Kansas to California...not here on the tallgrass prairies of southwest Missouri. 

The hawk was first identified by a visitor to the park on November 23rd and was reported daily through the 29th; I found out about the hawk on December 5th and have looked for it ever since.

Over the month of December I've spotted hawks of practically every native kind...

...red-tailed...

...red-shouldered...

...rough-legged, broad-winged, northern harriers, and the smallest and one of the prettiest hawks in our state...the American Kestrel (a.k.a. a sparrow hawk)...

A couple of times I thought for sure that I had found the bird that I was seeking, but, much to my chagrin, after contacting a birding friend within the Missouri Department of Conservation, the hawks that I thought might be the ferruginous turned out to be nothing more than red-tails.

"Look at that beak!" my friend told me. "Look at the beak!"

Photo of Ferruginous Hawk Taken by Visitor

at Prairie State Park - November 23, 2020

Photo Credit

I looked at the beak. The beak looked more like an eagle's beak than any hawk beak I knew!

Finally, on my way home from work on Monday, I spotted a really big hawk on top of a utility pole. I stopped and started taking pictures. None of the pictures turned out very good, but I could tell that the beak on this bird was different than the others.

On Tuesday my husband and I went back out and we discovered that the big hawk was hanging out in the same general area that I had seen it the day before. This time I got better pictures!

Immature Ferruginous Hawk

12/17/20

Prairie State Park

I again sent them to my friend in the Missouri Department of Conservation...and this time, he said, "Look at that beak!!! YES! You've got it!" 

After days of looking I had finally found (and photographed) the ferruginous hawk! 

Immature Ferruginous Hawk

12/17/20

Prairie State Park

It has now been added to my life-long bird list and I cannot tell you how excited I am about seeing it!

What about you? What kind of hawks do you have where you live?

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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The Red-Shouldered Hawk

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The Red-Shouldered Hawk

We have a pair of red-shouldered hawks that frequent our neighborhood. In fact, this spring the birds nested less than a block away from our home; last year they nested in a tree that grows in the fencerow behind us and casts its shade into our backyard.

Saturday afternoon, while it's mate perched precariously atop a catalpa tree across the street, this red-shouldered beauty perched on the electric pole that sits next to the alley at the corner of our property.

The bird put on quite a show for us by flying from one pole to another. It was so awesome to see the pair of them and this one from such a short distance away...only a few yards!

I was surprised to discover that, although red-shouldered hawks are found statewide, they are generally associated with forests and near water. They are also considered uncommon in southern Missouri and rare in the western quarter...which, I would say, includes here, where we live, on the tallgrass prairie in the southwest corner of the state. Interesting!

To learn more about red-shouldered hawks in Missouri click HERE.

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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At The Edge of the Woods

 It was quite foggy this morning. 

I started my day just a bit early in hopes of discovering a few frost flowers on my way to work, but, alas, there were none. 

I think it might have been a tad too warm and way too wet...although...a friend that lives 40-some-miles south of us was posting pics of frost flowers found on her property this morning. Maybe she didn't get as much rain as we did over the weekend? I don't know. 

There were plenty of deer though. I saw at least ten on my way in to work. Most of them were hanging around the campground and picnic area.

I also observed a northern harrier hawk hunting just east of the nature center where I work. I watched it through the big, plate-glass window as it performed it's mesmerizing, acrobatic ritual of gliding down...almost touching its wingtip to the earth...then rising back up in search of prey. 

Photo Credit

This is one of my favorite sights during cold weather months on the tallgrass prairie. I will share more on northern harrier hawks at a later date.

What are some of your favorite sights during cold weather months where you live?

Until next time...

~Rebecca

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Prairie At Night

Buffalo? Bison? What's The Difference?

Oh, Deer!