Prairie Appreciation Day’s Bird Walk 2022: A Magical Delight
By Rachel Hudson
As the rain pounded on my windshield, I wondered if any birds would actually show for the guests at Prairie Appreciation Day. The bird walk would start in less than half an hour, and the weather looked so bleak as I drove to Glacial Heritage Preserve, a beautiful native prairie only open to the public once per year on this special day. Upon arrival, however, the magic of Prairie Appreciation Day started to unfold, and the rain rapidly ceased. This was very promising… I really wanted for there to be tons of great birds out in the open on the prairie for all to marvel at during the event.
After the main gate was unlocked, cars began to carefully file in, and I nervously got out of my own vehicle and donned my rain gear alongside several other intrepid birders. I didn’t trust this break in the rain, and many years of birding in the Pacific Northwest had taught me to come prepared. Even as I was gathering my gear, I was birding… there were already distant calls echoing over the mounds of the prairie. Evening Grosbeaks trilled and “tyeeuw”-ed from the tall evergreens, Western Meadowlarks warbled their lilting songs from faraway prairie perches, and a Common Raven “grawk”-ed overhead. To my delight, the very first birds I saw after getting out of my car were two Chipping Sparrows! Glacial Heritage is often the only place I get to see Chipping Sparrows near where I live, and to have two of them land in a bush right next to me was thrilling.
The Bird Walk soon officially began, and about 20 people set off into the prairie just after 7:30 AM. We were treated right away with a beautiful male Western Bluebird, a classic and highly sought-after prairie-loving bird, perched right on the side of the BHAS booth near the start of the trail. A Northern Harrier cruised by over the trail ahead of us, and Purple Martins whirled around their nest boxes. Our group gradually strolled farther into the prairie, and the abundant flowers found therein captivated me and many others, as they do each year. Brilliant amethyst Camas coated the tiny hills, red-orange and golden flames of Paintbrush sparked from the soil, and tiny yellow Western Buttercups glittered with dewdrops. Bewitched by the flowers, I had lost focus on the birds, but my attention was restored when I heard another Western Bluebird calling as it flew past, with Tree Swallows gliding around a nest box a bit farther away. More Western Meadowlarks sang close by, and several of them became visible, singing gloriously from atop various trees and high spots on the ground. White-crowned Sparrows sang nonstop throughout the prairie, and Savannah Sparrows darted to and fro as they chased one another.
The trail we followed gradually wound down into a deciduous forest alongside a quiet piece of the Black River. This spot has always been where I see and hear several of my first-of-year species, and today did not disappoint. Yellow Warblers’ songs filled the air, Wilson’s Warblers trilled here and there, and a Black-headed Grosbeak called somewhere out near the water. After following the trail back up and away from the water, we walked to the edge of a mixed forest, where I heard plenty of Pacific-slope Flycatchers calling, an American Kestrel quietly observed the land from its treetop, a partially leucistic Red-tailed Hawk sailed past, and a small flock(!) of brilliant Western Tanagers foraged on tree branches overhanging the trail. It was here I realized that, so far, not a drop of rain had fallen upon us… in fact, when I looked up, there were a few patches of brilliant blue sky!
We trekked farther along the trail and away from the prairie, into an evergreen forest. Here, Pacific Wrens sang powerfully, an Orange-crowned Warbler silently alighted on a nearby twig, and more Pacific-slope Flycatchers called nonstop. Several other birders and I had fallen to the “back of the pack”… which is typically where I end up, thanks to the near-infinite exciting distractions Glacial Heritage holds. One of us called out that there were several Yellow-rumped Warblers in a tree nearby, and since I hadn’t seen one yet on the walk, I hurried over to get a look. Sure enough, there weren’t just several of them… it was a flock of over 40 Yellow-rumps! Our little group all stared up in awe as warbler after warbler flitted by over our heads, many of which uttering their standard, thick “chip” calls. Shortly afterward, a flock of much larger birds quietly settled into the treetops over the trail… this time, it was a flock of Band-tailed Pigeons, one of my favorite local species. They quietly spoke to one another, their deep, double-syllabled “coo”-s resonating in the air. A House Wren, another bird I typically only see in the prairies here, started to sing in the distance as we followed the trail away from the forest and back toward the parking area where we began nearly 4 hours ago.
Prairie Appreciation Day never fails to lift my spirits, and I make it a priority to attend the bird walk every year. In total, our group got about 50 species of birds (some of us were able to see or hear a few birds that others missed, depending on where we were standing and what we could hear). I saw 49 species, myself; my eBird checklist for the day can be found here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S110090228 The magic of Prairie Day is powerful, and I am always amazed each year to begin the day with no one on the prairie other than the incredible birders around me, and end the day in a huge crowd of excited people ready to enjoy the prairie and tour the fun and educational booths set up along the trail. And there was no rain at all on our walk, despite how intense the weather was on the drive there! Yet another delightful, magical, memorable Prairie Day Bird Walk was in the books… I can hardly wait for the next one.
Photo credit: Glacial Heritage Preserve, by Rachel Hudson
