Ken Lassman has been keeping this almanac for over a decade, He invites you to share your observations and photos in the comments section. You can find his book Wild Douglas County at The Raven Bookstore and The Community Mercantile in Lawrence.
Deer Mating Moon – October
The Osage called this time Deer Mating Moon to commemoratee the very noticeable ree-appearance of the bucks, who are beginning to “rut,” which they literally do with their hooves. They find a prominent place and scrape the groundcover clear of vegetation as part of their mating ritual.
Hackberry, ash, box elder and elm trees are the first to turn yellow this month, providing nice contrast to the reds of sumac, poison ivy and Virginia creeper as their green chlorophyll plays out leaving either the yellow or red chlorophylls to collect the shorter day’s sunlight. Mid-late month spells the end of the growing cycle for annuals with the first killing frosts coming then most years. Mid-month is a great time to find native prairie patches, looking for the coppery colored grasses that distinguish them from the greens of cool season grasses such as brome, fescue and, of course, wheat.
Bird migration is building all month, with seagulls that breed in Canada passing through the area, along with pelicans, geese, and various ducks. A trip to Clinton or any other area reservoir, or the Wakarusa Wetlands is almost always a rewarding outing, whether it be for the migrating fowl around sunrise or sunset, or the changing colors of fall. This is the favorite time of year for many folks who like to be outdoors–what are you waiting for?
With a friend, we finally got to Squaw Creek. The sight of a lifetime. The ranger reported there was near a half-million snow geese on Friday. A small line of Trumpeter Swans flew across as we walked, trumpeting. Well worth the drive up from Lawrence.
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Thanks for sharing your experience; it really is a wondrous place. They update the bird counts weekly and post them on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/squawcreeknwr and they can also be found on their website: http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Squaw_Creek_Waterfowl_Count_02182016.pdf They do not count many bird species like pelicans or cormorants, but it gives you a pretty good idea what’s going on and it’s not very far away for a day trip.
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