Backyard Safaris

Our property in Columbia, Missouri, is of modest size but has enough variety of foliage and landscape to attract an interesting diversity of creatures.  Raccoons, opossums, cottontails, squirrels, field mice, shrews, moles and occasional white-tailed deer are among the mammalian residents and visitors.  Amphibians and reptiles include American toads, garter snakes and blue-tailed skinks and, of course, we host the usual mix of resident and migrant birds.  Then there are the various insects, spiders and crustaceans that, in the end, are of most interest to young children.

Indeed, having grandchildren sets the stage for regular backyard safaris.  While the excursions are not always successful when it comes to finding reptiles and mammals, these mini-adventures are sure to turn up a variety of interesting creatures.  Our oldest grandson has become an amateur birder (spurred on by the gift of a field guide) while his younger brother is most fascinated with ladybugs, daddy-long-legs and rollie-pollies; but the chance of finding a snake or lizard is usually the initial motivation.

Such explorations, rarely lasting more than 30 minutes, are enjoyable for the leader and the kids alike.  In truth, I often discover something new myself (especially in the plant kingdom) and know that these safaris will have lasting effects on the boys.  Like most things in life, an interest in nature is best instilled during childhood.

Mid-Day Nature Walk

In general, mid-day nature walks are not very productive during the warmer months, especially if you hope to encounter a good variety of wildlife.  But when you're locked out of the house and your spouse is not due home for two hours, what's a guy to do?

So I headed down to Forum Nature Area, in Columbia, and sauntered along the two-mile loop; fortunately, my decision was rewarded.  Chipping sparrows, the first I have encountered this season, were abundant along the tree line while eastern bluebirds and eastern phoebes hunted on the central meadow; northern cardinals, red-bellied woodpeckers and white-throated sparrows were especially noisy in the floodplain woodlands.  Cricket frogs and leopard frogs called from the shallows of the seasonal lake and American toads trilled from an adjacent pond.  Blue-winged teal, mallards, song sparrows and turkey vultures were also encountered but the highlight of my visit was a yellow-throated warbler feeding in a grove of sycamores; close enough for easy identification, he didn't seem to mind my presence and I watched him for at least ten minutes.

Completing the loop, I headed home, having burned most of my penalty period.  As I discovered today, many animals, fueled by reproductive hormones, are less selective about their activity schedule in spring and, when opportunity strikes, a mid-day nature walk is not a bad choice.

Spectacles of Early Spring

Arriving at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area this morning, a friend and I encountered six flocks of American white pelicans, totaling at least 250 individuals; they had stopped to rest and feed at this floodplain refuge on their way to breeding grounds across the Northern Plains and Intermountain West.  Indeed, by the time we left the area, two hours later, most of the pelicans had already departed up the Missouri River Valley.

Other sightings at Eagle Bluffs included a half dozen bald eagles (one of which was on the massive nest), a large number of northern shovelers and green-winged teal and an exceptionally large congregation of northern pintails; we also observed American coot, mallards, gadwalls, great blue herons and a lone mink.

Later in the day, my wife and I visited Forum Nature Area, in Columbia.  Though bird sightings were limited at that refuge, were were treated to the din of chorus frogs, awakened from their winter slumber by the recent thaw.  These tiny tree frogs, difficult to observe even at close range, are among the earliest harbingers of spring, often delivering their mating calls while chunks of ice still rim the shallows.