It's only day 3 in Swift and I already have far too many things to write about in a single post. My field partner and I have visited 10 different patches of native prairie and scoped out a few wetlands for amphibian surveys, and encountered all kinds of wildlife along the way! Antelope, mule deer, coyotes, hundreds of ground squirrels, and... the first northern leopard frog I've ever seen! It was pretty cute, but not nearly as cute as these little fledgings we stumbled upon in a cow pasture:
So sweet and fuzzy. I have never before seen such tiny little baby birds! I really hope the mama bird came back soon, as it was beginning to rain at this point. Here is another little nest we saw on our way to a plot:
The best nest discovery happened today, however. I had dropped my deerskin gloves a few metres back and stopped to get them as my field partner continued towards our plot. I heard a scream and looked up to see a female mallard flying away from where my partner was standing, looking shocked. She had nearly stepped on the duck, which had a skillfully hidden nest at the edge of a cultivated field. There were 11 eggs in the nest!
Near the end of the day, we hiked through a field occupied by some very curious cows. They followed us around and even jogged a bit to keep up with us. I assume that they were just gentle giants, and they were really funny, but I must admit they made me a bit nervous. Having lived in the city for most of my life, I wasn't sure what to expect. I realize now that I don't know how to interact with cows, or horses for that matter, but I would certainly like to learn more about them!
No comments:
Post a Comment