Kansas Prairie-Chicken 
Tour Trip Report
April 7 - 16, 2006
With Tyler Hicks and Lex Glover

April 7, 2006 - A quick check of Smithville Reservoir north of Kansas City produced the tour's only Ross's Geese as well as Horned Grebe, Common Loon (several in breeding plumage), and a variety of waterfowl. In the woodlands around the lake Brown Thrashers proclaimed their return for the summer months and flocks of Chipping Sparrows fed on the manicured lawns.

April 8, 2006 - We were all eager to get going in the morning and we started off early leaving Kansas City behind on our way to Melvern Reservoir. At the ponds below Melvern Reservoir Joanne spotted a female Oldsquaw (Long-tailed Duck to the politically correct) our first surprise of the tour. A large flock of Tree Swallows warmed themselves in the morning chill while smaller numbers of Northern Rough-winged Swallows cruised the air in search of insects. On a small trail nearby we found our first mixed sparrow flock containing Song, Lincoln's, Swamp, White-throated, and Harris's Sparrows as well as Dark-eyed Juncos and Eastern Towhees. Stopping to check the main reservoir on our way out we found one basic plumage Common Loon patrolling the reservoir. The resident Neotropic Cormorants below John Redmond Reservoir, to the south of Melvern, failed to show however a few small water depleted ponds below the dam produced good numbers of Wilson's Snipe, Pectoral and Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Northern Shovelers (aka Hollywood Mallards to Lex). In the woodlands below the dam we enjoyed a delicious lunch despite our lack of chutney and pickled beets. Before lunch we were entertained by duetting Barred Owls and scolding Black-capped Chickadees. After lunch we made our way west to Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge encountering our first Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Loggerhead Shrikes of the trip. At the refuge we found a small flock of Greater Yellowlegs and our only Hooded Mergansers of the trip. We then made our way into the grasslands near Emporia on our way to Lyons County State Fishing Lake. Controlled and wild grassfires filled the sky with smoke all around us. Cruising the fire-lines near the lake we found two Swainson's Hawks. As we approached the lake my worst fears had come true as the field that had held Smith's Longspurs only days before now lay burned and barren before us. We decided to try and check a few remaining patches that had been passed over by the fire but this produced little. While walking the burned prairie a flock of 30 American Golden-Plovers passed over while Brewer's Blackbirds scoured the burnt field for food around us. We called it a day and headed for our hotel in Emporia.

April 9, 2006 - This morning began in the tall-grass prairie northwest of Emporia. Large flocks of sparrows moved along the fence lines with Harris's, Vesper, and Savannahs constituting the majority. At the Greater Prairie-Chicken lek several males were busily booming away and another lek could be heard to our east. Just then a flock of Smith's Longspurs flew over and landed on the opposing hillside that had been burned only days before. After some searching we got great views of a male in breeding plumage. At nearby Kahola Lake we found a couple of American White Pelicans and the only Greater Scaup of the trip. As we made our way through the Flint Hills we observed and heard numerous Upland Sandpipers. We then started the long drive west to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. A quick check of the wildlife loop produced numerous waterfowl and shorebirds. Highlights included: American Golden-Plover, 100's of Snowy Plover, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Baird's Sandpipers, Stilt Sandpipers, a spectacular female Wilson's Phalarope, as well as numerous Ruddy Ducks and our first Canvasbacks. The night was spent at Great Bend.

April 10, 2006 - The state of Kansas took its name from the Kanza Indians meaning "people of the wind". Today Kansas lived up to its name with south winds howling in excess of 40 mph. We started the morning at Quivira NWR. Overnight large numbers of White-faced Ibis had moved in and the first flocks of Franklin's Gulls cruised the skies. On the main body of the marsh Lex spotted a large grebe that turned out to be a Clark's Grebe. In a flock of Blue-winged Teal a fantastic drake Cinnamon Teal was found. Later on the southern half of the refuge we attempted to get views of a very uncooperative Virginia Rail that ultimately lost interest in us. We had lunch with a Field and a Lark Sparrow before heading west into Pawnee County to look for lingering longspurs. We were rewarded with a solid look at a female McCown's Longspur on the road and numerous views of Horned Larks. In the afternoon we took a break for ice cream and had an early dinner so we could spend the evening at Quivira NWR. We were hoping to catch at least one of the 77 Whooping Cranes, that had left Aransas NWR only days before, coming to roost on the flats. While scanning through a flock of peeps Lex not-so-excitedly points out that there are a couple of "big white cranes" to the north. I nearly jumped out of my seat. To our north five Whooping Cranes were foraging, one family group of 3 and a group of 2. Suddenly a flock of Marbled Godwits blasted by and when we returned our attention to the cranes they had suddenly multiplied into 8 Whooping Cranes. Moments later two Long-billed Curlews flew in and when we looked back at the cranes there were now11 WHOOPING CRANES! I couldn't believe it. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the cranes and the birds of Quivira.

April 11, 2006 - The wind continued to roar out of the south as we headed west. The morning was spent searching for a Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek south of Nekoma, Kansas. In the processing of the guide trying to remember just where it was, we stumbled across a Great Horned Owl that afforded nice views. Finally the Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek was found and chickens could be seen shooting out of the bluestem like popcorn on a hot skillet. While observing the chickens the melodious notes of our first Western Meadowlarks rang out all around us. We made one last check of the longspur road but heard only a few distant Chestnut-collared Longspurs but were awarded with excellent views of a badger. We then made the long drive west to Garden City where we found White-winged Dove and our only Red-breasted Nuthatch, excavating a cavity. After an eventful lunch fighting the wind we made our way to Elkhart. A stop at the sewage ponds produced American Pipit, Cackling Goose, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and a few Black-billed Magpies. A quick bird run after dinner found us enjoying Scaled Quail at their usual haunt and a small flock of newly-arrived Lark Buntings. The wind finally began to subside. The rest of the evening was spent listening to the drifting songs of Cassin's Sparrows and percolating Lesser Prairie Chickens.

April 12, 2006 - This wonderful morning was spent with booming Lesser Prairie Chickens putting on quite a comic show. One wonders what could lead to such a strange thing evolving into existence? Afterwards we stopped at the sewage ponds and found a newly arrived group of Franklin's Gulls as well as a Black-necked Stilt. At the Cimarron Work Station we turned up a couple of Barn Owls but not much else. We took a drive to the recreation area that produced little more than a few Chipping Sparrows however we did observe our first Say's Phoebes of the trip. Next we stopped at Point of Rocks where Coronado had once stood and gazed out upon the unexplored lands of the high plains. We mostly gazed at the old wagon ruts of the Sante Fe Trail and a cooperative Rock Wren. At Middle Springs a noisy flock of molting American Goldfinches kept us busy when suddenly, a flash of fiery red was spotted by the guide and this turned out to be a male VERMILLION FLYCATCHER! Soon afterwards Dave spotted the female nearby. Days later these birds were observed, by other observers, nest building and copulating confirming the first state breeding record for this species. A walk around the springs produced fine views of Barn Owls and our first Chihuahuan Ravens. The temperatures were climbing now and a fruitless two hours were spent in search of Mountain Plovers but yielded nothing more than dirt, heat waves, and prairie dogs. Most tour members decided to break for an afternoon siesta while a few diehards spent some time in the dense jungle of the Elkhart alleyways and cemetery. In a few hours birding they found an early Bullock's Oriole and a few Wilson's Warblers. The evening was spent birding the Cimarron River where we had fine views of Ladder-backed Woodpecker and glimpses of a Sage Thrasher. That night we listened to the calls of Common Poorwill and low hoots of Great Horned Owls passing through the cottonwoods.

April 13, 2006 - We departed early for Colorado this morning. It was clear from the start it was going to be a very warm day as the thermometer climbed from the start. On the long dusty drive out to Cottonwood Canyon we were afforded excellent views of Mountain Plover, Burrowing Owl, and Ferruginous Hawk. At Carrizo Canyon we saw our first Common Raven and got a quick glimpse of our only Rufous-crowned Sparrow of the trip. The real highlight was enjoying the 10,000-year-old petroglyphs that line the wall of the canyon. At Cottonwood Canyon the temperature had climbed above 90 degrees F by 11 AM and the wind was picking up. A Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen utilizing the rising air climbing above the canyon. We were quickly afforded fine views of Bewick's and Canyon Wren and not so fine views of a Spotted Towhee. Some pishing around the oak woodlands that line the bottom of the canyon produced Ash-throated Flycatcher and superb views of Bushtit. A Western Screech-Owl responded to his imitation but could not be found. After a much-appreciated lunch in the shade we made our way out of the canyon stopping to enjoy a small flock of Pinyon Jays. We then began the long drive back east when after many miles of dirt road driving disaster struck. Dave's van disappeared from behind us and upon turning around to we found him in his incapacitated van on the side of the road. Out of all the worst places in the world to break down on, the back roads of Baca County, Colorado would easily make my top ten list. Fortunately his van had chosen to give out near the only highway crossing in the whole county and with our array of cell phone providers we were able to get him towed back to Elkhart after a few hours. I was extremely relieved that something so unfortunate turned out not to be all that much of hassle. Unfortunately, Dave would not be able to continue on with the rest of the tour and we spent our last meal with him talking about all the great birds that he had seen. That night Lex, Kathryn, and the guide spent some time driving around the national grassland looking for Common Poorwill. We saw several birds and I managed to entertain them in my foot pursuit of an Ord's Kangaroo Rat.

April 14, 2006 - The morning was spent at the Elkhart shelterbelt and cemetery where we had excellent views of Broad-winged Hawk, Wilson's Warblers, Hermit Thrush, and both subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler. Back at the hotel we said our final goodbyes to Dave in what had to be the most depressing part of the tour. I kept hoping all day as we drove east to Ark City that I would look in the rearview mirror and see his green van roaring up behind us but it did not. At Liberal we spent a few fun filled (or dreaded) moments at Dorothy's House before going to Meade State Park for lunch. At the park we found our only Ring-necked Duck, had fantastic looks at a Virginia Rail, and found our first Solitary Sandpiper. At the feeders on the way out we enjoyed watching a flock of Northern Bobwhite and a Yellow-headed Blackbird feeding on cracked corn.

We continued east passing through the Red Hills of Kansas stopping to enjoy a cooperative Greater Roadrunner on a fence post. The miles rolled by as did endless numbers of Swainson's Hawks and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. The night was spent at Arkansas City.

April 15, 2006 - This morning was spent watching 11 male Greater Prairie Chickens booming in the southern terminus of the Flint Hills just across the Kansas border in Oklahoma. We were afforded excellent views of the lek that was formed in a young vibrant green wheat field that provided a fantastic backdrop. It gave us good time to compare the differences between the Greater and Lesser's lekking styles. Moving down into the woodlands of the Kaw Wildlife Area we found many warblers had returned from their wintering grounds. We had excellent views of Kentucky, Black&White Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush as well as Red-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers. In addition we found our only Carolina Chickadees of the trip here. We then headed north towards Kansas City stopping for some delicious authentic Italian food at Luciano's in the small town of Mulvane. Driving back through the Flint Hills we stopped at John Redmond Reservoir for one more shot at Neotropic Cormorant. As we were just about to leave, a heavy rain shower passed through and a single cormorant dropped into the spillway waters and quickly dove. When it returned to the surface it had captured a large fish and was preoccupied with its meal allowing us to confirm its identity as a Neotropic Cormorant. What a fine way to end the tour! We returned to Kansas City for dinner where ominous green storm clouds loomed on the horizon. Green clouds are indicative of hail and tornadic thunderstorms. Soon after returning from dinner I called everyone to the ground floor of the hotel as a radar indicated tornado was due to hit us dead on in a matter of minutes. Shortly afterwards the roaring scream of tornado sirens filled the air and grape sized hail fell from the sky in 70+ mph winds. Within several minutes the storm has passed and everyone returned to his or her rooms. Okay, maybe that was a little more exciting than a Neotropic Cormorant but what would a Kansas tour be without a few tornados?

April 16, 2006 - We all said our goodbyes this morning and departed for our homes. I left the hotel parking lot to its House Sparrow, N. Mockingbirds, E. Starling, and Eastern Meadowlarks that patrolled the adjacent lot.