Birds on the Prairie

I spent much of my time as a child on the ranch outdoors exploring.  The pastures and windbreak curving around the barn and house harbored many birds.  As an aspiring naturalist, I searched for nests in the trees and wrote down where I found them and how many eggs were in each.  Every several days I checked the nest to see if anything had hatched yet and watched the progress of the new little birds.  There were crude twig nests of turtle doves with several medium sized eggs. I loved their peaceful cooing in the evening and the quiet swoosh of their winged flight. Even their muted soft brown plumage was soothing.

   Meadowlarks created tight grass nests in in the weeds. Their  beautiful liquid melody brightened the mornings on the ranch as they sat on the fence post in the pasture tipping their beaks to the sky spilling notes through the air. The black V blazed on the Meadowlark breast against yellow and white demands your attention as well as their song.  Meadowlarks would hop from the low step up at the front door into the sprinkler going in the front yard grass enjoying cooling off in the warm summer days. Diminutive black Bob-O-Links with a white splashed wings flitted in the pastures lighting on the barbed wire fences. Like the Meadowlark, these little birds nested in the tall grasses along the fence rows.  Their small light blue eggs are smaller versions of a Robin's.  Killdeer birds skittered along the ground in the corrals or in the pastures calling "killdeer--killdeer." These mother birds would drop a wing assuming a wounded posture to draw an intruder's attention from her nest precariously placed on the ground.  It is not surprising that so many birds nested on the ground on the naturally treeless prairie.

 The barn offered protection and many prime spots to nest for sparrows. Because these birds made such a mess on the sale seats, windows and pens in the barn, Dad wanted to discourage their nesting there by pulling the nest down as they built them. However, with their expansive numbers there were always nests to find and see the baby birds which are rather unsightly with semi-transparent skin covering bulging sealed eyes and throbbing blood vessels. Their mouths would open wide expecting food from a source they could not see.  Swallows were other unwelcome guest who swabbed their muddy nests under the eaves of the barn or the garage.  Their swooping flight in the evening sunlight created artistic silhouettes at dusk. Blackbirds drove away other birds that we enjoyed having around, so we viewed them as rouge intruders as well.  Finally, the noisy magpies annoyed everyone from the barn yard cats to humans

 Majestic golden eagles hunted the prairie surrounding the ranch.  Grandpa would take us in the spring to see their large twig nests built on rocky bluffs.  Hawks built nests high on the older trees around Grandpa and Grandma's house.  There was no chance of seeing into these nests far out of our reach, plus the dive bombing hawks kept us at a safe distance.  These birds of prey hunted the numerous ground squirrels and mice scurrying through the grasses, doing us a favor in the process. 

Life on the ranch provided opportunity to see nature in action.  My curiosity led me to observe and learn about these birds and books from the local library offered pictures to help me identify different birds as well.  I certainly appreciate God's creativity.