The Prairie, Eastern Kingbirds, and Red-tailed Hawks

A lot has happened at the farm since the last time I blogged, so I'll bring you up to speed. On May 17 we planted two acres of an agriculture field into Tallgrass Prairie in an attempt to bring
the land back to its original state and increase the diversity of plant species in the area. The ground had been extremely wet this spring and that weekend gave us the first opportunity to plant. We used oats as a cover crop, and today we noticed they have sprouted and are growing well. The prairie plants will spend much of their energy this year developing their deep roots. We probably won't see any sign of them until next year. We also transplanted Bur Oak saplings last weekend from the savanna into the new prairie planting.

First acre of the prairie planting (left side of orange markers) and our neighbor's cat Sky. The planting extends up to and around the two Bur Oak trees in the distance.


Second acre of prairie planting. and my dad broadcasting forb seeds by hand.

Kim also planted the garden. Here's Kim and my mom putting the final seeds in place.



The Eastern Bluebird pair had 4 eggs in their nest box, which were incubated over the last week or so, and today we found two hungry chicks inside the nest box. The parents were busy searching for insects to bring them, and we saw them countless times today buzzing across the yard. The other two chicks are probably there, but it's difficult to see inside the box and we don't want to disturb them too much.

We found a pair of Eastern Kingbirds and one of their babies today.


Eastern Kingbird


Eastern Kingbird

There are also two Red-tailed Hawk chicks curiously observing the surrounding Oak Savanna from the safety of their nest at the top of a Walnut tree. They are losing their white chick fuzz to their first year feathers. They look ready and willing to leave the nest for their first flight. Here's a video taken today of the two chicks.




Red-tailed Hawk Chick

Bird Species Observed:
American Robin
American Goldfinch
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
Gray Catbird
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Baltimore Oriole
Red-tailed Hawk
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Wood Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Great-crested Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Ring-necked Pheasant
House Wren
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Brown-headed Cowbird
European Starling
Barn Swallow
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Indigo Bunting