Observation #8

Site: 21750 Buffalo Valley Road

Date: 5/29/2008

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Temperature: 45 degrees farenheit

Weather: Several clouds, slightly humid, no rain.

Soil: Moist

Except for the frogs, most of the fauna have all but finished their courting. Only the occasional grouse and snipe perform their displays. Presumably the others have finally found mates. However, the hummingbirds, who are more recent arrivals, have barely started their noisy aerial displays.
The sagebrush appears completely unaffected by the ground squirrel's digging. The brook and marshes, which swelled so quickly in previous weeks, have begun to recede a little as the nearby vegetation absorb their water. The flora on the brook's bank, even of the same species found elsewhere in the observation area, grow taller and thicker due to their proximity with it. The willows grow only in the marsh, because their water requirements are significantly higher than many of the other plants. Scouring rush has appeared in scattered clumps throughout the site. While only the prairie smoke, violets, and dandelions are actually in bloom, all of the other flowering plants have buds.
The small bird turns out to be a female Audobon's Yellow-rumped warbler. It is the only one of its kind visible in the area. There are two other large nests in aspen trees on the site, but they appear unused. Perhaps they will be taken advantage of by magpies, like the pair who took the abandoned nest where they now have chicks.
The geese, sandhill crane, ducks, and crows are preoccupied feeding themselves. The hummingbirds are by far the most active of all the species here. The chase each other constantly. One of the more meek Calliope hummingbirds has chosen brains over brawn: while he is smaller than the broadtails and the other Calliopes, he takes advantage of their competition. Using his green feathers as camoflauge, he hides in a potentella bush until the other territorial hummingbirds begin fighting and chase each other far away, then he feeds and peruses the area at his leisure, keeping a wary eye for the return of the more aggressive individuals.
Over the entire observation period, well over thirty seperate species were present. Most were plants and birds; only four were mammals.