Blue Goose ~ Day 147

October 23, 2014 ~ Beto Junction, KS to Emporia, KS

I had another good meal in the restaurant before leaving Beto Junction, reading a NYTimes magazine while lingering over coffee. The rain was diminishing as I headed west on I35 for Flint Hills NWR where I spent most of the morning. 

WWW.KGS.KU.EDU

The Flint Hills were formed by the erosion of Permian-age limestones andshales. During the early part of the Permian Period (which lasted from about 286 to 245 million years ago) shallow seas covered much of the state, as they did during Pennsylvanian times. Unlike the Pennsylvanian limestones to the east, however, many of the limestones in the Flint Hills contain numerous bands of chert, or flint. Because chert is much less soluble than the limestone around it, the weathering of the limestone has left behind a clayey soil full of cherty gravel. Most of the hilltops in this region are capped with this cherty gravel.
Because of the cherty soil, the land is better suited to ranching than farming. Because of this, the Flint Hills is still largely native prairie grassland, one of the last great preserves of tallgrass prairie in the country.
The tall grasses in this region are mostly big and little bluestem, switch grass, and Indian grass. Except along stream and river bottoms, trees are rare. The streams in the Flint Hills have cut deep precipitous channels. Streams cut in chert-bearing strata are narrow, boxlike channels, whereas those cut in weaker shales are wider, more gently sloping valleys.

Do not write off the prairie states as flat and boring. I never drive across them without thinking how amazing the skies must be at night or of the glorious sunrises and sunsets, of the changes in seasons and dramatic weather, of the grasses and flowers and fields to the horizon, and of the soaring hawks or grassland birds that live here; of the small towns that manage to survive with their two to three blocks of businesses, always with a bank and bar. Some are pleasant and restful; many are dusty and dated. I think of raising kids on these plains and how far the families drive to the nearest shopping areas and schools, of winter winds and roads, of cattle and horses and rodeos. The machines working the fields are often gigantic; daily crop and livestock financial reports on the radio along with more classical music than I hear in other parts of the country.

The skies have been spectacular most morning, seeing them a benefit of waking early in a cold car. Right now, the sun is rising at 8 a.m. and setting about 7 p.m.

My first stop at Flint Hills was a short boardwalk and trail along an extensive marsh and it was sparrow season!…with nearly constant birds flying in and out of the low brush. I especially noted the numerous Harris’s and Lincolns, but there were at least five other sparrow species…and a Spotted Towhee, Cardinals, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Red-winged Blackbirds, many Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers.

Harris's Sparrow at Flint Hills, NWR - KS

Also, right smack in the middle of the trail was a greenish-yellow grapefruit-sized fruit that I first thought was a kid’s ball. In the following days, I saw several of these, both on and off trees, and learned they are the fruit of the Osage Orange.

With the mild temperature, no wind, only the very occasional misting drizzle and all the bird activity, it was a perfect way to begin a day.  

The young man at the VC marked out an auto route through the refuge which went through marshes, most in the process of being pumped with water for the expected geese / duck migration. I passed two groups of White Pelicans but otherwise saw very few waterfowl.

White Pelicans at Flint Hills NWR - KS

The migrating geese won’t show up until a cold weather front brings them south, but I hope to see them further west…Snow and White-fronted Geese and (if I’m lucky) a Whooping Crane or two on their way to Aransas NWR or another venue along the Gulf but only if I’m blessed by the birding gods. 

Emporia, Kansas, was not far down the road and is very near the National Prairie Tallgrass Preserve. It was too late to go today, so I stopped in Emporia with all my familiar places nearby, including an unexpected Starbucks. I will stop there early tomorrow morning. 

Osage Orange fruits on Flint Hills NWR - KS