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 in Lawrence.
July: Buffalo Mating Moon
The Osages commemorate the keystone species of the prairie, the bison, for its mating season, which used to be one of the greatest spectacles found in North America. The book The Osages has descriptions of the titanic battles between competing bulls and how they would plow up large areas of prairie sod as they pushed each other aroound. Read that and you’ll understand why the Osage called this the Bufffalo Mating Moon.
This month is a time when many songbirds molt, or lose their colorful feathers that helped attract a mate in the spring. It is a time when many gooseberries are ripe in the woods, when warm season grasses shoot up tall and wildflowers grow taller to compete for the sun. Cicadas sing during the day, with damelflies and dragonflies eating mosquitoes while dodging the watchful eye of the bullfrog. At night, katydids begin their song while lightning bugs stitch across yards, meadows and fields.
Thunderstorms seem to lose their way, appearing, moving and disappearing almost at random this time of year, causing flash flooding at one spot while leaving nearby areas dry. A wet road at night can host steamy fog and fast jumping frogs crossing the pavement, while moonlit nights can bring out many a nocturnal animal beating the heat of the day. If the moon isn’t bright, take a look at the milky way that the summer so nicely showcases, including the constellation Sagittarius in the south, which looks like a teapot outline in the sky but holds the center of our galaxy.
Kaw Valley Almanac 
Hi, My wife and I look forward to the Almanac each week. We live in rural Osage County and enjoy being outside. This year we have not seen the usual number of hawks. In fact we have seen none at all for over a week now. We are curious about what’s going on. Are we just not noticing them? Have they gone somewhere else? Is there a massive shortage of small rodents this season? Are other predators out-competing them? Have others noticed the same thing? We would appreciate hearing more about this mysterious absence. Thanks!
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You’re not the only one who has noticed this. Here’s a quote from a birder posted yesterday on the KSBirds listserv:
“I travel the state pretty frequently, and enjoy counting raptors on all of
my adventures. This 4 hour trip yielded 11 Bald Eagles (higher than typical
for me on this route), only 16 Red-tailed Hawks (much lower than typical),
2 Red-shouldered Hawks, 9 American Kestrels, and a total of 42 Northern
Harriers. They were apparently enjoying the high winds today. Seems like
this winter I’ve seen more male harriers than I have in years past.”
My guess is that hawks follow the waterfowl to a good extent, and with ice on area reservoirs, many waterfowl have flown further south. Apparently hawks don’t like to compete with the eagles, who are concentrated around what open water there is.
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Thanks. Informative.
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