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?
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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