"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
The company recently sent me to Puerto Rico. When not on the job, I found some time to explore the hotel grounds as well as visit a few reserves in the south-western portion of the island. I will go into some details about the forests and reserves (and the birds they contained) I had the fortune to visit in later posts. To begin, I thought I would share a few images I made in the short-scrub habitat that surrounded the hotel. Surprisingly, by the end of my visit I found that many of the birds I was to see in the more wild parts of this area could be found at the Holiday Inn at Ponce.
Adelaide’s Warbler
The Adelaide’s Warbler was one of the first birds who I came to know during this trip. I walked through their territories around the hotel and everywhere else I found myself in the south-western part of the island. A fantastic little warbler with a pleasant song.
White-winged Dove
Found throughout the Caribbean and Central America, the White-winged Dove is quite comfortable in areas of human disturbed habitats.
Greater Antillean Grackle
The Greater Antillean Grackle ruled the hotel grounds, constantly displaying and chasing females. Typical Grackle.
Northern Mockingbird
The same Northern Mockingbird as we have in Missouri, but with a different vocal repertoire.
Venezuelan Troupial
Quite the large Icterus, the Venezuelan Troupial is believed to have been introduced from the mainland. These guys were a pleasure to watch and listen to.
The Phalaropes are quite the interesting group. First of all, two of the three species are considered pelagic – meaning they spend a great part of their time out at sea, away from visible land. The Wilson’s Phalarope, pictured throughout this post was the most abundant of the shorebirds during our visit to Quivira NWR, and do nest within the refuge. The Phalaropes exhibit reverse sexual dimorphism – both in visual and behavioral characteristics. This means that females are the more brightly colored of the sexes. Similarly, the females display and fight for males. The males will immediately take over the responsibilities of incubating the eggs and raising the chicks, while the polyandrous female will attempt to find and mate with other males. See the photo below of a relatively drab male with his mate.
Wilson’s Phalarope Pair
After reading of this role reversal in a field guide recently, of course I had to find out why. This is not an easy one to answer. Do a quick search and terms like Operational Sex Ratio (ratio of sexually active males and females in a given time and place) and Potential Reproductive Rate (potential offspring production rate if mate availability is unlimited) and Bateman’s Principle (in most species, reproductive success is more variable in males than in females – primarily due to anisogamy) come up often.
Wilson’s Phalarope
So what forces add up to cause this reversal in sexual selection (females competing for males – males choosing females)? Ultimately, this is quite a complex question to answer, and I cannot begin to cover all possible variables that affected this change. The primary changes that had to occur in these species is that OSR of males and females had to be skewed to a situation where females outnumber males in mating opportunities. This produces a scenario where females are forced to compete for males. There are anecdotal accounts of males actually competing for females in this species when the OSR switches to favor males (although males still kept their brood-rearing responsibilities). Another aspect to this model is that PRR must shift so that females can reproduce at rates close to that or greater than males. For instance, nesting sites should not be limited based on other resources. And, similar to traditional sex role systems, the male must be pretty certain that the eggs and brood he will be caring for are his. Observational reports confirm very few extra pair copulations/fertilizations occur in species where this role reversal has developed.
Wilson’s Phalarope
I must admit I only have a hint at the factors that go into creating sexual role reversal in these birds. Obviously there are important endocrinological and physiological changes that must go with the social and environmental changes. Here are a few of the sources that I have used to get these thoughts together. I look forward to learning more about this interesting phenomenon.
Marcel Eens, Rianne Pinxten. Sex-role reversal in vertebrates: behavioural and endocrinological accounts. Behavioural Processes 51 (2000) 135–147.
Ingrid Ahnesjö , Charlotta Kvarnemo, and Sami Merilaita. Using potential reproductive rates to predict mating competition among individuals qualified to mate. Behavioral Ecology (2001) 12 (4):397-401.
Hanna Kokko and Pat Monaghan. Predicting the Direction of Sexual Selection. Ecology Letters (2001) 4: 159-165.
Mark A. Colwell. Shorebird Ecology, Conservation, and Management. University of California Press, Oct 17, 2010.
In that half-forgotten era, With the avarice of old, Seeking cities he was told Had been paved with yellow gold,
In the kingdom of Quivira-
Came the restless Coronado To the open Kansas plain, With his knights from sunny Spain; In an effort that, though vain,
Thrilled with boldness and bravado.
In the year 1540 a band of Spaniards led by ultra-badass Francisco Vasquez de Coronado set out to find the fabled “Seven Cities of Cibola” within the kingdom known as “Quivira”. You can probably guess why. The region was supposedly overflowing with rich mines of gold and silver, and New Spain was bound and determined to get some of that. Coronado’s righteous expedition, into what is now central Kansas, yielded no riches to return to the crown and was thus considered a failure.
Fast forward 475 years when a two-man expedition, this time based in the french port of Saint Louis, set out for the Kingdom of Quivera. This expedition would in fact find riches that Coronado wouldn’t have noticed unless they were hanging from his fire spit. Way back in early May (where in the world is time going?), Steve and I packed up the N.E.V. and headed west to Quivira NWR to observe one of the natural wonders of the great plains.
Long-billed Curlew
League by league, in aimless marching, Knowing scarcely where or why, Crossed they uplands drear and dry, That an unprotected sky
Had for centuries been parching.
But their expectations, eager, Found, instead of fruitful lands, Shallow streams and shifting sands, Where the buffalo in bands Roamed o’er deserts dry and meager.
This section of south-central Kansas (near the town of Great Bend) is a crossroads of different habitat type and is a critical staging area for migrating birds throughout the central flyway. Parts tallgrass prairie, shortgrass prairie, sand prairie, salt marsh, salt flats and fresh water wetlands – this region is used by birds of the east and the west. More than 340 species of bird have been documented within the NWR and it has been estimated that up to 90% of all shorebirds that use the Central Flyway (and up to 45% of all NA shorebirds) on their way to arctic nesting grounds will stop here and in nearby Cheyenne Bottoms Reserve to have a fill-up.
Blue Grosbeak
Back to the scenes more trite, yet tragic, Marched the knights with armor’d steeds; Not for them the quiet deeds; Not for them to sow the seeds
From which empires grow like magic.
For centuries the Europeans looked upon the prairie – particularly the short-grass regions of the great plans – as worthless desert. Although the livestock – cows and green-colored deere the Europeans introduced nearly extinguished these grassland habitats, these few low and wet patches were mostly spared and are now offered some, if imperfect protection.
American Avocet and Wilson’s Phalarope
Thus Quivira was forsaken; And the world forgot the place Through the lapse of time and space. Then the blue-eyed Saxon race
Came and bade the desert waken.
— Eugene Ware —
It has been a crazy spring, with this trip, a short sail along the Jacks Fork and a puddle jump to the enchanted isle of Puerto Rico (another former Spanish colony). I will be sharing much more about the birds and ecosystems of the Kingdom of Quivira as well as the rest of these locals over the coming weeks and months.
Thanks so much for paying a visit and keeping in touch.
OZB
You can email me at: handsomeozarkbillyboy@gmail.com
Before we get to a few birds from this spring… Why do people like Adobe Lightroom so much? I know it definitely helps in cataloging my images and I am better off than what I was before, but the hassle and bugs I have to deal with… Just yesterday, we lost power during the storms and then next time I was able to load up LR, all my settings went back to default! I guess I should be thankful that all of my images appear to be in the right spot. Computers…
Hermit Thrush
Such a silent bird. Whenever I am lucky enough to cross its path, it is almost always found by eyesight. This guy patiently hung out with me for a bit.
Hermit Thrush
Mallard Drake
Pretty much a staple in the pond at my working location. Sometimes I don’t seem to bother them, while others I cause them to flush.
Mallard Drake in Repose
Brown Creeper
I have seen these guys all over the place this spring. Always one of my favorites, it has been a real treat to seem them so regularly the past two weeks.
“Knowing the place and the hour, you seat yourself under a bush to the east of the dance floor and wait, watching against the sunset for the woodcock’s arrival. He flies in low from some neighboring thicket, alights on the bare moss, and at once begins the overture: a series of queer throaty peents spaced about two seconds apart, and sounding much like the summer call of the Nighthawk.”
-Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac–
Peent!
Whether for a hunt, photograph or just to watch, knowing an animal’s favored habitat, the likelihood of finding them at a particular time (circadian and calendar), and specific behaviors are crucial for finding a species of focus. The American Woodcock, also known as a Timberdoodle or Bogsucker, arrives early in the spring to its preferred display grounds.
Young forest is required for nesting Woodcock, and to observe their courtship displays one must find their preferred singing grounds. Woodcock prefer young, dense, successional forest that is somewhat on the wet side, with marsh or forest streams nearby. The singing grounds are typically located in an opening with mixed grassland habitat. An optimal location would be a treeless opening large enough for several males to establish their ground and that allows room for flight. Around 10-15 minutes after sunset from late February to late April, the males slowly begin to peent (see video below) usually from a more covered location. As darkness takes over, the males will venture out onto their preferred open grounds to allow the girls the best possible views. A nice spot for this in Missouri is often a mowed path through native grassland habitat.
After a series of peents, the male jumps into a spiraling flight while emitting a twitter due to stiff feathers that he takes advantage of in his performance. Upon reaching 300 feet or so, he heads back to ground, this time in a zig-zag fashion and making a peculiar liquid-like warble, which sounds to me like an alien’s egg-timer counting down to a perfect soft-boil. While on the singing grounds, you may on occasion be “buzzed”; however, there is no need for alarm, as their eyesight at night is supposedly very good. This “sky-dance” as Leopold so perfectly described it, ends approximately 35 minutes or so after sunset. It is possible to hear them vocalizing and dancing throughout the night, but it is nothing compared to the concert that is just on the darker side of crepusculum.
Happy first day of spring! To celebrate the outgoing winter, here are a couple shots of a Savannah Sparrow making a living in the snow. These were taken at Clarence Cannon NWR.
This past Saturday I headed up north on Highway 79. Knowing that the frigid temps and predicted winds of 30 mph + would not afford many great opportunities, the chance of snow in these areas made me think that something interesting could happen. Here are a few I thought worthy to share.
Harrier Still HuntingSnow Falling on PintailsFebruary
Hello again. Although I promised myself I would get this post out on time this year, here we are on Valentine’s Day. Of course, I still have not processed everything I intend to from 2014, but I think I’ve finished the major images by now. Like last year, this is not necessarily my “best” images of the year, but a list comprised of images that captured something special to me, while being at least a competent photograph. Once again, I was nearly frozen by the list of images to choose from. I had one fewer landscape and one more wildlife image this year compared to last, for whatever that is worth. Follow the links to the posts that each image was featured in.
Although it lacked a happy ending (see original post), Steve and I were absolutely thrilled in getting an opportunity to view and photograph a sought after nesting species. The nest location was poorly lit, being well concealed in the foliage at Hawn S.P. However, with a tripod and shutter release cable, it is something to see how slow you can take the shutter speed in these situations.
This one was from our last stay in the cabins at Big Spring S.P. for a number of years (due to closing during renovation work). It turned out to be a pretty interesting sunset, with just a couple minutes of fire.
From our vernal Big Spring trip. I was quite happy with this image, although I was hoping the white dogwood blossoms behind the bird would be a little more distinct. Oh well, always room for improvement.
Male Pine Warbler, Big Spring State Park, April 2014
From our literally unforgettable day in the canoe in the waters of Mingo. This image was taken later in the day and showcases what a sun-star pattern from a nine-bladed aperture diaphragm can look like. Kudos to Canon for putting this feature in all of their new f4 zoom “L” lenses in the past several years.
I had to place at least one image from my time in Brazil from this year. I was able to make images of quite a few species, but this patient Jacamar might be the most memorable. We came across this guy in Serra do Mar State Park in Brazil’s Atlantic Rain-forest while on a birding/nature hike. It sat while we got great views and some photographs.
Although I questioned why I would want to bring up the memory of not having an appropriate lens to shoot snakes on “Snake Road”, I still love this image and the memories it contains of shooting this Timer Rattlesnake with a 500mm “bird lens”. Shoot, I bet most of you are thinking I did have the most appropriate lens for the job. 😉
Taken on Sarah and My trip out west this past September. This image was taken inside the National Elk Refuge. In the waning light, Sarah and I came across these two cottonwood with nicely shadowed foothills lying before the Tetons.
It’s a usable photograph of one of the rarest nesting birds in Missouri. What else is there to say? What a memory. My only regret is always forgetting that my dSLR cameras are capable of taking great video. Video of this guys singing would have been the icing on the cake.
Steve and I had two great experiences with River Otters in 2014. This one was taken on the Eleven Point this autumn and shows mom and all four of the kids in one tight shot.
I could have picked a dozen from the weeks spent at the nest to put into my top ten. I’m not sure why I chose this one, other than it is among my favorites of hundreds of keepers from the nest. Although mom never stayed to feed the young while we were watching, she did often bring prey to the nest as is seen in this image.
Bald Eagle Nest Week Three – Mom Brings a Fish
Well, that summarizes a good bit of what I was fortunate enough to capture in 2014. Thanks so much to Sarah and Steve and everyone who was part of these experiences. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2015!
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 