Early Morning

Today Mim and I awoke at 4:00am to go Prairie Chicken watching. Prairie Chickens are an endangered species and there are many groups that monitor their populations every year. Prairie Chicken watching involves waking early, getting out to the blind before it is light outside, watching the males boom and display their "stuff" and look for any hens that may come in and copulate. This morning I chaperoned 3 others students, (besides Mim) from our HOPE-Science club, plus my student teacher, his girlfriend and our UWSP college guide headed out in the middle of a lightening, hail, HUGE down pour, one of the worst storms that I have ever driven in, then walked fifteen minutes in the dark while being pelted with rain to a blind (small building structure) sitting in the middle of the marsh (Prairie Chickens are prairie birds, if you couldn't guess from its name). Once we arrived and entered the blind, we waited another 30 minutes or so until the males showed up. You see they were smarter than us and waited until the rain stopped. While we waited we had a great lightening and thunderstorm show. In total 5 males (one short than the typical 6) came and displayed and strutted for an hour or so. We also saw mallards, canada geese, sandhill cranes, harrier hawks, red-winged blackbirds. It ended up being a memorable experience. One I think none of us will forget. The storm and birds will be marked down in memory in our minds forever. The three students with Mim in one of the blinds. The four adults sat in the adjoining blind. male PC on the booming ground Three males - no hen came to visit today, I guess they were smarter than all of us and stayed out of this weather. The group standing along side the blind...this was after we exited and were ready to go home UWSP student explaining the data collected during the observations Far away shot of the group and blind...I was on a potty break...couldn't be helped since I drank alot of coffee in the am. another cool shot This is what greeted Mim and I upon homecoming. Kiki stayed over to watch the girls early this morning when Mim and I left. He and the wee ones with mucho pooches (6 total, 4 ours, 2 his) started a walk. They waited and then Mim and I came for the walk as well. I also had a good look at our yard post major thunderstorm...as you can see it is flooded, very deep, since we live on a wet area where the water table is high on a dry year. more flooding. But so far a great start to the warm day. Mim is now sleeping since we have a full tummy with the homemade pancakes Kiki made for the wee ones and us. It is a good day!!