Windbreak House

What's Here?


Riparian Habitat Improvement
How the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory helped Linda improve a creekside area for birds and wildlife.

Riparian Habitat Timeline and Updates
Yearly updates on the habitat improvement.

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Lists
Includes a ranch-wide informal survey plus the official annual bird surveys of the riparian habitat.

Linda's List of Birds Seen on the Ranch
Linda has been keeping a list of birds for many years.

Linda's List of Animals Seen on the Ranch
Linda's animal list. How many of these have you seen?

Critter Stories
Some stories about the wildlife mentioned in Linda's lists, often with photos.


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Prairie Partners Private Lands Habitat Enhancement

Linda’s project was one of six in a grant proposal submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “Private Stewardship Grants Program” by the RMBO through their Prairie Partners Program.

Partners on the project (this is where the money and labor comes from) include the landowner; South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; USFWS Partners for Wildlife Program; and The Quivira Coalition. The grant was approved in 2004.

The overall goal of this project was to restore and improve habitat for birds and other grassland species-at-risk, and to improve the status of these species on private grazing lands in the Great Plains. For Linda’s specific project, the goal was to restore native vegetation and manage livestock use of the riparian area in Linda’s pasture along Battle Creek.

The project ran for 5 years (2004 through 2009).

During the first year of the grant, baseline information on bird and plant species was collected; a fence was installed along 1/3 of a mile (34 acres) of Battle Creek restricting access to riparian vegetation; and a cattle crossing was developed on the creek allowing cattle to access two pastures, separated by the creek, during the dormant season.

Evaluation and monitoring continued throughout the 5-year project. RMBO staff conducted annual “point count” surveys to monitor birds during the breeding season, and took photos to monitor the vegetation in the managed areas. They also monitored for non-native invasive plants such as saltcedar (tamarisk) to stop them before they spread.

Some bird species which will benefit from the project include: Red-headed Woodpecker, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Common Yellowthroat, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-breasted Chat, Say’s Phoebe, House Wren, Bullock’s Oriole, Yellow Warbler, and Bobolink. The plains minnow is also associated with and will benefit from riparian improvements within this watershed.

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Riparian Habitat Updates


Each year in the spring, the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory sends out a couple staff biologists to survey the habitat, make a bird count, and take photos to document the habitat improvement. Here's a timeline and what they've been finding.


2002
A small group of people from the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory spent two days (May 31 and June 1) doing an informal survey of birds on the ranch. Linda took them to the far pastures Over East as well as to the hay ground and riparian area along Battle Creek. For a list of birds seen, click here or scroll down to the bird list lower on the page.


2003
The RMBO discussed with Linda various ways they could help her improve bird habitat. It was decided to apply for a grant to protect the riparian area along a short stretch of Battle Creek.


2004
The grant was approved, but the paperwork moved as slowly as always. In November, 2004, a meeting was held at the Creek Place to lay out where the fence would be constructed and discuss erosion control at the creek crossing.


2005
The baseline bird survey was conducted in May. Click here to see it or scroll down the page to the Bird Lists entry. In October the 4-strand barb wire fence was installed on both sides of the creek, except for a necessary crossing where cattle will drink in the winter. We hope that the bird numbers and variety of species will increase as the fenced area is allowed to grow up into brush and trees.


2006
A survey was conducted in May. We will post it below as soon as we can-- paperwork is slow at times, sorry. But we know one of the biologists nearly stepped on a hen turkey sitting on her eggs, startling him when she leaped up. In August there was a torrential downpour upstream-- 4 inches of rain fell in one hour, causing flooding in the Battle Creek drainage. Linda and Tam inspected the Creek Place finding the fence wire at the crossing had been washed out as suspected. They scared up a group of ten or so turkeys during their hike-- perhaps the clutch seen in the spring? The fence at the crossing was repaired later in the fall before cattle arrived.


2007
An annual bird survey was conducted in May. In August the Hermosa area experienced its second "100-year" flood in 35 years, with up to twelve inches of rain falling in the span of about 2 hours in parts of the Battle Creek drainage above Hermosa.

The other 100-year flood was the infamous 1972 Rapid City flood, which also caused death and destruction here in the southern Black Hills. Happily no one died this time, but many houses in an upstream development east of Hermosa were damaged or destroyed, and downstream landowners were littered with debris, including an entire house which floated onto Linda's hay field not far north of Battle Creek.

Much of the riparian fence was damaged and had to be repaired or replaced. On the positive side, the flood deeply saturated the ground after eight years of drought and it redistributed the organic wealth from upstream-- silt, brush and leaves, enormous cottonwood trees. We even found pine cones; the closest pine trees are about five miles away in the Black Hills.


2008
This year the usual route across Linda's hay field was impassable due to last year's flood and this spring's excess rain. The RMBO field biologist had to walk in to the riparian area from the neighbor's land (with permission, of course) in order to conduct the annual survey. By the time he made it to all the designated survey points, he'd thoroughly soaked himself crossing Battle Creek.


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Birds Linda Has Seen at the Ranch

Eagles:
Golden
Bald

Hawks:
Northern Harrier
Swainson’s
Red-tailed
Ferruginous

Kestrel (also called sparrow hawk)

Owls:
Burrowing Owl
Great Horned Owl
Barn Owl

Mourning Dove

Magpie

Brown Thrasher

Grouse:
Sharptailed Grouse
Sage Grouse

Lesser Prairie Chicken

Northern Bobwhite

Common Nighthawk

Kingbirds:
Cassin’s
Western

Scissortailed Flycatcher

Long-Billed Curlew

Blackbird:
Redwing
Brewer’s

Bronzed Cowbird

Robin

Chickadee

Shrikes:
Northern
Loggerhead

Dickcissel

Sparrows: various, including
American Tree
Clay-colored
Field
Vesper
Lark

Larks:
Horned Lark
Meadowlark

Longspurs:
McCown’s Lapland
Smith’s
Chestnut-colored

Turkey vulture

Swallows: including
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow


Birds usually seen near water:

Water Pipit

Winnowing Snipe

Killdeer

Upland Sandpiper

Blue Heron

Least Tern

Piping Plover

Ducks, various


Buntings:
Lark
Snow

Bluebirds:
Eastern
Mountain

Bobolink

Goldfinch (often called Wild Canary by locals)


Birds usually seen only passing through:

Canada Geese

Sandhill Crane

Whooping Crane
maybe? -- click here to read the story below

Merlin

Peregrine falcon

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Bullsnake

On a warm June day in 2011, the dogs’ barking alerted me to birds screaming and circling a juniper tree near the house. A variety of birds-- eastern kingbirds, robins, and redwing blackbirds-- were flying from a nearby barbed wire fence to the tree, circling, screeching. Cautiously, I parted the branches and saw what was probably a robin’s nest, with this bullsnake.

Looking closely on the left side of the photo, you can see under the snake’s body the wing of the parent bird who died defending her nest.

Bullsnakes are one of our most useful plains companions, so I left it to its business.

For details of another snake encounter, see “Coiled in the Pressure Cooker” in my book Between Grass and Sky. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2002; pp. 72-83.

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Chukar Partridge

September 27, 2011 -- We have been seeing a flock of 17 grouse; we've gotten good looks and counts several times.

But today, while I was eating lunch, 13 chukar partridges dined with me -- this is the best I could do for photos through the screen. They have a very prominent black V at their throats that continues up and across both eyes as a mask stripe and broad dark stripes on their sides. Beautiful. Their plumage is much smoother than the little grouse, and they ran and flew more smoothly. Their call was a little "chuckle chuckle chuckle," or as the book has it "chuckar."

So possibly these chukars have also been disporting themselves in the flower bed. (see my notes about the sharp-tailed grouse, below)

November 3, 2011 -- Update: The chukar partridges are still here. Authorities indicate they prefer rocky terrain but have been observed in varied open woodlands and grasslands. The population is considered stable and not endangered but they would make a lively and entertaining addition to the wildlife. Rumor has it that someone in the neighborhood is raising and releasing them; I’d love to know more if any local reader knows about this.

Meanwhile, they are having a great time hanging around Homestead House, dusting themselves daily in loose dirt around the increasingly sad remains of the gaillardia and penstemon I planted beside the house. I could put wire over the plants to protect them but I would hate to drive the little birds away; they love the dust baths that help keep them free of parasites. Next spring I’ll transplant some larger gaillardia that might be able to better withstand the birds’ ablutions.

Biologists in the area say that the little birds certainly may stay here, if they can covey up to stay warm this winter-- and the junipers we’ve planted will help them do that. They like to eat millet and other grain crops but there are no plowed/planted grain fields for miles in all directions. Still, they were gobbling wild sunflower seed near the house and the native grasses are rich with seeds this fall; they also may eat some insects.

One website I consulted notes that chukar prefer to roost on rocky slopes or under shrubs, choosing protected niches or caves in winter. A group may roost in a tight circle with their heads pointed outwards to conserve heat and keep a look out for predators. Jerry sees them often near the garden, which has low-growing bushes nearby where they might find shelter.

When Jerry startled the flock today, one accidentally flew away from the others. Hearing it call, Jerry responded with a “chuck chuck chuck,” and the bird called back and then flew to a tree near him. The birds call frequently during the day especially in the mornings and evenings. The call is loud and includes loud repeated "Chuck" notes and sometimes duetting "Chuker" notes.

We also regularly see one of the dangers to the chukars: the great-horned owl who often keeps watch from the favorite spot in the easternmost juniper north of Homestead House, where resident writers have enjoyed watching and listening to a pair of the owls courting.


November 16, 2011 -- Update on the chuckar partridge: We’ve been seeing them so often that we now can tell by the sound whether the grouse or the chukars are flying out of the trees around Homestead House. The grouse make gobbling, chuckling sounds but the chukars are silent.

This morning we found chukar feathers just outside the windbreak beside a large pile of coyote scat. No body, but enough feathers to be sure the chukar did not survive. So did the coyote carry the bird away to eat it? Or did an owl take the chukar from above, scattering feathers and leave the coyote to express his annoyance at missing a meal?

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Great Blue Heron

September, 2011 -- Nearly every morning all summer we’ve looked for a great blue heron on the pond at first light. And nearly always we see at least one, sometimes two. The heron moves on long legs through the shallows along the pond edges, occasionally stabbing down with a beak. The duck families seemed to ignore the heron, though they are feeding in the same area.

One September morning, we were watching the heron as usual. This time when it raised its head, it held in its beak something very large. We looked through binoculars. A turtle? No, too limp. A plant? Too large, and anyway unlikely. Finally we concluded that the heron was "handling" a dead duck.

The heron would raise its beak as high as possible, lifting the duck free of the water, then shake it hard a few times and drop it. Perhaps the duck had been dead long enough so the heron was ripping off rotting pieces and eating them; we couldn’t really tell through the binoculars.

Looking online, we did find one source that reported a heron killing and eating ducklings-- and of course the birds are carnivores, eating fish and frogs-- so I suppose it’s possible the heron killed a mature duck.

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Killdeer

As I step into the garden, the slender brown bird with the natty black collar runs a few steps and collapses, dragging one wing and uttering pitiful cries. I glance toward the nest I located yesterday, tucked close to a splitter that allows me to water a row of cabbage and a row of peas at the same time. Still four blotchy eggs. Apparently the bullsnake who lives under the garden shed hasn’t found the nest.

The killdeer’s nest is secure but she is working hard to lure the big predator away with a pretense of injury. A few days of rain has kept me away from the garden, and in that time she selected this spot for her nest; in 24 days, the eggs will hatch. Meanwhile, I’ll have to pull the hose connectors far enough away so watering won’t harm the nest.

Grasslands, a nature guide produced by the National Audubon Society, remarks rather testily that the bird’s call is a shrill kill-DEE, "repeated endlessly." The bird’s proper name, fittingly, is Charadrius vociferus. Indeed, at this time of year, there is rarely a moment when we aren’t hearing killdeer calls. Despite their mosquito-like annoying qualities, we easily forgive them, for between screeches they are gobbling ants, ticks, fly larvae, and other insects that might be nibbling on us or eating our garden plants. The killdeers’ presence here is confirmation that we haven’t used pesticides that kill their food supplies; they are the farmer and gardener’s friends.

These paragraphs are excerpted from an essay by Linda M. Hasselstrom that will appear this spring, 2012 in the gardening and local foods magazine Zone 4 ("gardening and living in the High Country West").

For more information:
website for Zone 4 Magazine.

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