A recent cool front and drizzle of rain was welcome, welcome, welcome. Instead of dreading to go outside to do chores, I got the weeding, veggie picking, and watering done, and looked forward to a country drive and a chance to spot Kansas wildlife. If I were really lucky, we’d spy some of this summer’s gangly, wild youngsters following their moms.
Nothing ever works out the way we expect, and this foray into the countryside wasn’t any different. We checked out favorite spots along the Saline, stopping to gaze up and down tree shaded banks where a thin trickle keeps the river bottom fairly green and offers drinks to thirsty critters. We pulled aside in spots where we have turkey or deer-watched in the past. Nothing, not even a mosquito when we rolled the windows down to listen.
Along the way, we saw several vulture flocks circling high above pastures, so I’m guessing more than one something didn’t make it til it’s next birthday. On the road, these large birds’ target was clear. A young raccoon lost its contest with a vehicle and left its carcass behind to sustainbuzzards who flew off only long enough for our car to pass. Even with our binoculars and zoom lens camera, we couldn’t identify the clean-up team’s targets farther from the road, so their dinner plans remained a mystery.
Over one stretch of dusty trail, we spied two different juvenile red-headed woodpeckers identifiable because of their black and white zippy flight pattern. We saw them flying about a mile apart but couldn’t tell if they came from the same nest despite their similar size and appearance. Their top notches hadn’t turned scarlet so we knew they were this year’s babies. Doves, meadowlarks, and king birds flitted nearby, but we didn’t detect a single turkey, deer, or pheasant.
After enduring extreme heat for so long, it was nice to crack our windows to capture 70-degreetemperatures during our cross-country quest. While all we saw were prairie birds, blue skies, sunflowers, snow on the mountain, lead plant, waving ditch grasses, and buffalo gourd plants,those made the drive worth time and gas.
Just when we were about to give up and head, we discovered our adventure was not over. We detoured south to Old 40 and drove into the west side of Ellis, our former hometown. We were about a block, maybe a block and a half off Big Creek when a momma turkey followed by three poults caught my eye. The gray toned young had feathered out but were nowhere near adulthood.Watching them go through grass to scare up insects they’d quickly snarf down, we could tell mom taught them well how to find food.
My husband drove around the block while I rolled down the windows to prepare to listen to their chatter as they hunted bugs. The group peeped, pipped, and skracled as they crisscrossed the empty lot, snagging occasional treats. I guess that’s turkey talk for “Eureka, I found one!”
Because they were in town, and the young were in that gawky stage that makes identification difficult, these could have been someone’s backyard pets out for a stroll. But they seemed to be wild turkeys wandering from nearby Big Creek to check out what was going on in town! No matter what, like lots of Ellis visitors, they found something good to eat before they headed home. They definitely added interest to our cool weather getaway.
Karen is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.