Since it's been awhile since I've written about Nipper, I'll explain the name. While the strong, cold northwesterly winds here are a bit nippy, Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary actually gets its name from the farming family who donated their land and had it turned into a wildlife sanctuary. Opened to the public only a few years ago, Nipper is one of the best hidden gems of Sangamon County. In the winter, Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers can be found hunting above the grasslands here.
It is my ambition of late to find a Short-eared Owl here at Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary. As a result, I have been out there twice in recent days. The first time was a mild wet evening back in November, when essentially nothing birdwise was visible (except for about thirty random Killdeer). Having seen nothing, the friend I was with, Dan, stopped to grab a clod of dirt, to make a joke about having at least found some dirt. That's when this little Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata), popped out from underneath the dirt:
Dan and I apologized to the frog and replaced the dirt, surprised at our encounter. A little while later, the Dan spotted a partially buried American Toad (Anaxyrus (formerly Bufo) americanus) after I nearly stepped on it and it moved:
I suspect these will be the last two amphibians of 2016. Even though that's all we saw, it was still an example of why Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary is amazing.
On December 12, I decided to venture back out to Nipper, but I stopped at a new place along the way. For those of you who are unaware. the pond just east of Showplace 12 in Springfield is occasionally quite full of Ring-necked Ducks, and it got me my lifer Canvasbacks. Above are Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris) and a lone Redhead (Aythya americana). I probably don't need to tell you which duck is the Redhead, do I? (It's the one on the far right.)
Here is a female Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) above, and the male is below. These are quite large ducks, and while not rare, they are less common than most other pochards (Aythya species).
One Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) was also traveling with the Ring-necked Ducks:
I spotted a small bird hovering in the field across the pond. Setting the zoom lens as far as it would go, I found out that I was watching an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) hunt:
The Kestrel hovered above the field for a full minute or so, long enough for a few photos. This is my favorite bird of prey, hands down. They're so small and colorful, and yet so fierce. Several more were seen perched along the roadside as I drove on down to Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary.
As I stated previously, the winds at Nipper are none too friendly. In fact, they're rather chilling, especially in the winter. I stood up atop the viewing mound and looked about for owls or hawks, but none came into view. After a couple of minutes, I began wondering if I was too early, or if I had just picked a bad day. I then turned to leave, and walked back to my car.
Nipper has two sections, the larger section south of the road and the smaller one to the north, along Lick Creek. Looking north as I got to the car, I spotted some sort of hawk flying overhead, with black-tipped wings and a white rump. Camera out, I took several pictures as it swooped above the fields, fairly low for a hawk. Success! The male Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) flew off to the southwest, and I crossed the road and wandered in the trails to the north.
Along Lick Creek, a savanna-type ecosystem with several dead trees provides ideal habitat for Red-headed Woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). I watched a few peck away at trees with their silver bills, till the cold got to me and I moved down along the trail.
Eventually, I wandered off-trail, following an ATV path after some sparrows. The thorns in the area almost made me turn back, but I pressed on and kept moving because of the cold.
I suddenly saw a large bird take off from a tree. Hoping for a Short-eared Owl, I zoomed in, to find a ubiquitous, if still interesting, Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) perched in the tree.
The sparrows I was after mostly flew off, but I managed to capture the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) below on my camera. Then, I heard a crashing noise in the brush, and a large, white animal, along with a large, brown animal, ran by. I have seen pictures, but I sure hadn't believed I would see what I saw! I followed slowly, coming to a bank above the creek's floodplain.
There have been reports, even photos, of an albino White-tailed Deer at Nipper, seen every few months. I had just seen it, but it vanished before I could take a photo. While I was looking for it, a Barred Owl hooted behind me, not far off. A second one called, further away. The albino deer, the owls, the sparrows, and the hawk all had appeared in the space of a wild two minutes!
I did not actually see the owls, but I managed to get them to call back. Then, I spotted what I thought was a screech owl, up in the trees above me. Actually, it's the fairly common species known as a bark bird. There's an extremely large variety of them, but they all have one thing in common- they're not real birds. The Screech Owl, a bird I still haven't seen or heard, will have to wait another day.
At this point, the sun had begun to set. Two more Northern Harriers flew by as I walked back to the road, up from the creek. I crossed the road and walked up the viewing mound, and scanned the prairie. Still nothing flew over the prairie. A truck passed on the other side, and I looked back. A fourth Northern Harrier flew by. I kept waiting, as usually they are more common on the south side of the preserve, not the north. The bitter cold, thankfully with a lessened breeze, lowered my patience. Finally, a long-expected bird popped out of the grasslands, far to the south:
It might not have been a Short-eared Owl, but I still like Northern Harriers. They are the bird that got me into birdwatching, after all. Back in January, my dad and I followed one of these in a car on a nearby road, as you can read here. I stuck around for a bit more, but with no owls in sight, I eventually gave up. A volunteer I saw on the way out told me that another rare species of bird I haven't mentioned has also begun breeding on this preserve recently. I won't disclose the name or the location of the bird and its nest, but it's one I plan to come back and look for. Some of my readers will know what this bird is.
As the moon rose over the cornfields, I drove back home, spotting either a dog or a coyote on the way back. While I still haven't seen my Short-Eared Owls, they give me an excuse to return to see the wonders of Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary.
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