Tussocky grass margins can provide nest sites for ground-nesting birdsĪ tussocky grass strip which is only cut or grazed once every three years provides nesting habitat for birds.
Wider fenced-off strips, which are cut or grazed once every three years, can, however, provide seed food for birds for longer periods. The decline of arable fodder crops and the large-scale switch from hay to silage has reduced seed availability.Īround mown fields, uncut strips of at least two metres in width can provide a temporary seed source, although much of this will be lost during aftermath grazing. Grass margins that are not grazed or cut provide food for seed-eating birdsįor birds, the availability of seed food is often the most limiting factor on modern livestock farms.
These insects will be an important food source for birds, especially when collecting food for chicks. Another great site with an abundance of sagebrush and Greater Sage-Grouse and Mountain Plover.Grass margins maintained through the winter will harbour over-wintering insectsĪ grass strip which is only cut or grazed once every three years will harbour large, long-lived insects whose life cycle would be disrupted by the mowing or grazing which takes place on the rest of the field. A similar ecosystem to the grassland and has free-roaming bison.Ībout 4 hours north of Pawnee in eastern Wyoming. For more infoĬolorado Field Ornithologists Sites nearbyĪbout two hours west of Pawnee and about 45 minutes northwest of Wellington. Check with the office for more information: (970) 834-9270. Open to the public for hunting and recreational target shooting, so be alert. Stay on Forest Service property and only drive on roads that have a USFS marker. More information available at Forest Service office at 115 North 2nd Ave. AmenitiesĮducational kiosks, viewing platforms, and restrooms located at Pawnee Buttes trailhead only. May and June for migrants, especially mornings or evenings. Winter: Raptors abundant, including Golden Eagle, Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrel. Summer: Mountain Plover and Burrowing Owl among the prairie-dog towns, Lark Bunting, Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Western Meadowlark, Lark Sparrow, Long-billed Curlew, Loggerhead Shrike, Horned Lark, Swainson’s, Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks, Prairie Falcon, Northern Harrier, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, Wilson’s Phalarope, American Avocet, and Long-billed Dowitcher. Trails are located at the Pawnee Buttes located on the east side of the grassland. Mainly flat and level, perfect for walking or driving. Grassland with some playas (ephemeral wetlands) minimal shrubs. It is, after all, at the center of our national identity.”Ĭlick on the coordinates below to view location: But it is worth the effort at comprehension. Wayne Fields, in a 1988 essay in American Heritage magazine, wrote this about the ecosystem: “The prairie, in all its expressions, is a massive, subtle place, with a long history of contradiction and misunderstanding. I love living and working in the prairie. Stop at the trailhead and hike among the badland-like formations you’ll probably see Say’s Phoebe, Cliff Swallow, or Rock Wren. You may even catch a glimpse of a Golden Eagle snatching a jackrabbit for breakfast.ĭon’t miss the Pawnee Buttes, the most notable geologic feature of the grasslands. Colorado’s state bird, the Lark Bunting, arrives in May in dense flocks - quite the spectacle.
During the breeding season, Pawnee is home to the regionally endemic Mountain Plover and Thick-billed Longspur. Since then, biodiversity here has expanded and now has many birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, amphibians, and fish. The goal was to initiate a grassland recovery effort after intense farming led to soil erosion that devastated the land and farming families. Pawnee is one of 20 grasslands throughout the western Great Plains that were established after the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.
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