2023-04 April In Kansas | shadeTreeImaging

Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor — *I spent a week visiting friends in Linwood Kansas, and spent parts of several days chasing yardbirds. Those I met were rather shy, and resisted posing for my camera, but I captured what I could.*

Horned Grebe - Podiceps auritus — Southwest of Lawrence Kansas is a large reservoir called Clinton Lake. Here, a 1.6 mile long earthen dam holds back the Wakarusa River, forming a fifty foot deep, 11 square mile lake. I hiked to the shore at the dam’s base and spent time with the gulls, swallows, and grebes, who were kind enough to approach my perch.

While my Canadian destinations are getting hammered with one storm after another, I’m biding my time in Kansas. I needed to stay until my suspension air bag was replaced anyway, and that work is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday).

The birds around my friend’s place near the Kansas River have frustrated most of my efforts to photograph them. I’ve found some nice birds there, but they’ve been playing their ‘shy’ card very well. I’ve only captured images for a small percentage of them. Bluejays, Downy Woodpeckers, White-Breasted Nuthatches, Eastern Phoebes, and Tufted Titmice have provided me with varying degrees of success. I regularly hear Red-Headed and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, and Pileated Woodpeckers have given me a glimpse from straight overhead in the highest canopy of the Cottonwoods, but they don’t linger long enough for image captures. I thought about setting up my blind, but the wind here seems a bit much for this tactic.

Thursday after breakfast, my friend gave me a tour of promising birding destinations around Lawrence, including wetlands south of town and at Clinton Lake, on the town’s southwestern boundary. The lake is quite large, and should be well-worth exploring, but at the nearby wetlands, ducks were aplenty, but the passerines seemed limited to a few shy Red-Winged Blackbirds.

Saturday, I set out with my camera gear with intentions to enjoy the birds at the locations I was shown on Thursday. I began my safari at the Haskell Wetlands, on the southwestern edge of Lawrence. During our earlier exploration, we walked out along a berm separating two shallow ponds, and kicked up every nearby teal. Today, I contented myself by using my RV as a photo-blind, which was ideal for the Blue-Winged Teal that gathered nearby. It appeared most of the teal were paired up, and exchanging chromosomes, thus starting the ticking clock for reaching their breeding grounds. Some of these ducks may even remain on these ponds to raise their next generation.

When I finished my visit to the Haskell Wetlands, I drove to Clinton Lake. Here, a 1.6 mile long earthen dam holds back the Wakarusa River, forming a fifty foot deep, 11 square mile lake. I hiked to the shore at the dam’s base and spent time with the gulls, swallows, and grebes, who were kind enough to approach my perch. While the Horned Grebes floated nicely before me as I was seated on a low rock, Bonaparte’s Gulls and four swallow species zipped by, no doubt gathering sustenance to continue their northerly migration. I wanted to practice capturing flying birds with my new camera. For my money, there is no tougher test than chasing flying swallows. After reviewing my images, there were many that almost worked, and a few that I considered usable. It was a learning experience, and I’ll make adjustments for the next time I have a similar opportunity. I’ve no complaints about the camera’s performance (Nikon Z9). I just need to keep learning how to get the most out of it.