Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Quail Count

A bleary eyed group of Master Naturalists headed out of Springfield at 5 AM on four different days to complete quail covey counts for MDC.  They surveyed Sloan, Stoney Point, Niawathe and Shelton prairies, counting quail calls before sunrise.  Each of the ten count points heard one or more coveys.

They were rewarded by seeing three prairie chickens fly out of one prairie.  On another prairie they watched as more than 30 Northern Harriers flushed out of their communal roosting site. (Click for more on Northern Harriers)   More potentially shocking, they had to lay low on a wet prairie once as a lightening storm passed over. 

The intrepid band was led by Charley Burwick and included Kristen Riggs, Bob Ranney, Joe Kleiber, Dave Sturdevant, Charles Stewart, Richard Stiefvater, Carl Haworth and Dan Liles from Audubon.  They ended up at Cookies in Golden City where Charley bought their breakfast!

This just in from Dan Crane.  What can get hit by a car going 75 miles an hour and be found alive and well in the grill 600 miles later?   Click here.