field notes from 02/08/23

Konza Prairie at the end of summer

· Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas · Warm, 78°F at dawn, forecast for thunderstorms by afternoon · Fujifilm X-T5, 150-600mm

Drove down from Manhattan before first light. Konza in late August is belly-high big bluestem and the birds are what’s left after nesting. Grasshopper Sparrows still singing, Upland Sandpiper on a fence post, a small flock of Dickcissels moving through. Bison within reasonable distance from the trail on the back side of the loop.

I drove the backside of the afternoon storm in. The sky did half the work.

Upland sandpiper on fence post
On a post. Head slightly cocked. Upland Sandpiper 200mm, 1/800s, f/6.3, ISO 640
Grasshopper sparrow in grass
Insect-like song. Short phrases. Grasshopper Sparrow 250mm, 1/800s, f/6.3, ISO 640
Dickcissel on sunflower
On a sunflower, late in the year. Dickcissel 250mm, 1/1250s, f/6.3, ISO 400
Bison in tall bluestem
Bull at about 80 meters. Stayed put. American Bison 400mm, 1/1600s, f/6.3, ISO 800
Meadowlark on fence wire
Eastern vs. western on the call. Eastern Meadowlark 250mm, 1/800s, f/5.6, ISO 640
Henslow's sparrow on a stem
Quick peek. Very specific to Konza. Henslow's Sparrow, brief 300mm, 1/1000s, f/6.3, ISO 640
Red-tailed hawk on post
Standard prairie hawk. Red-tailed Hawk 350mm, 1/1250s, f/8, ISO 1250
Wide view of tallgrass prairie with storm
Storm coming in from the west. Prairie, pre-storm 23mm, 1/1000s, f/8, ISO 100
Monarch on coneflower
Monarch on pale purple coneflower. Monarch 150mm, 1/800s, f/5.6, ISO 800
Bobolink female in grass
Female/juvenile, late for the species. Bobolink, late 200mm, 1/1000s, f/5.6, ISO 200
Deer doe at edge of woods
At the edge of the prairie at dawn. White-tailed Deer 600mm, 1/2000s, f/7.1, ISO 1250