The biosphere is divided into kingdoms. And “kingdom” is a good word for it. When you look at the plant kingdom, you enter into a unique world whose subjects are, fortunately, stationary. This provides an opportunity to see a living organism go through a full cycle. You see it in Spring when the leaves may not yet be forming, but the flowers are in bloom. You see the leaves emerge. You see the fruit form and, in some cases, you can harvest it. You can be bathed in the color of Fall. You can experience the plant kingdom with sight, touch, taste and smell. You can even hear it as the wind blows.
The fungi kingdom is rather unique and to best understand requires considerable study and to some degree even requires mentorship — for mushrooms tend to look alike and to distinguish a good mushroom from a bad one is not always easy. Mushrooms come and go, so seeing them is rather opportunistic. As you gain experience, you begin to realize that you not only can observe them with you eyes, but you can learn something through touch and even smell. But the coup de grace is when you fry them in butter and garlic.
Animals, however, are a kingdom unto themselves and to explore their world you need to journey further into the “provinces”. The cottontail rabbit that walked by my chair one evening is from the province of Mammalia. My encounters with mammals are more predictable, but still random. To observe them is as much as gift as intention. And they are typically rather quiet. Except for the buck that snorts at me from the nearby brush, I hardly ever hear a mammal make a sound. I have encountered deer hiding close enough in the blackberries to actually smell them, as well as a particularly smelly raccoon that waddled in front of my tent one night. There is the skunk, of course, that can make up for the lack of smell of all the other animals, but in reality they only emit their sulfurous bloom when either attacked or squashed.
Which leads to the birds. Birds are truly amazing creatures. For most of us, we can distinguish them by their shape or color. Many of us know their songs. But there a few of us who have dived off the deep end by actually engaging in their language. I began bird watching in the early 2000’s because I was working as a trail guide in Alaska. I loved it. Each year was a new discovery not because I could see a bird, but because I could hear it. As the years passed, I gained the ability to sense an entire world all about me by simply walking outside and listening.
Missouri is rich in bird life. I will, in one evening, identify as many birds in Missouri as I would over an entire summer in Alaska. Yes — Alaska may be wild, but it is also a young ecosystem. Missouri has a much more diverse flora. While Alaska’s mosquitoes and no-see-ums are infamous, Missouri has bugs without end. Missouri also has about nine months of mild to hot weather, as compared to three for Alaska. And Missouri benefits from enormous migratory traffic. It is rather interesting to note that many of the birds I observe in Missouri are migrating to and from the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska.
We live in interesting times because technology has reshaped the relationship we have with nature. Bird watching seemed to take forever to master when I was young because about the only way you could learn anything was by bringing a nice set of binoculars and an expert. But we have tools such as Merlin and E-bird, bird watching applications designed by Cornell Labs. I owe a great deal to them. Now, for my morning walks, I turn on Merlin and it identifies dozens of birds by sound. In most cases, I can confirm what I hear through visual sighting.
Which brings me back to Rachel’s Prairie. I began to seriously bird watch this place starting around 2010. Even though I grew up here, I only had a cursory awareness of the birds around me. I was familiar with the visitors of the bird feeder in winter months, and of the more common birds I could identify through sight and sound. But that made up a roster of about a dozen species. After 2010, I began to have the advantage of familiarity. I was at the same place. I observed birds mostly in Spring and Fall when they were most abundant and vocal. Over the years, I could even predict when and exactly where I could expect a particular species to appear.
Eastern Bluebird
Missouri’s state bird has been a frequent resident of this place for most of my life. There are usually at least one pair around, but some years have sported several more pairs. Lovely birds that make a soft, sweet shortle, they act in much the same way as Phoebes, often joining them in the fruit trees and in the garden.
One thing I noticed is that the population of blue birds have increased from one pair to two or three pairs with the introduction of the two prairie projects, one of which is Rachel’s Prairie.
MacCaulay Library, Cornell University
Eastern Phoebe
I simply adore the Phoebe. They are rather comfortable being around humans. They found my father’s carport an attractive residence, building nests in three locations. Needless to say, the car had to be washed frequently as mom and dad were joined by three or four chicks at least once a year. Their call is very unique and pleasant. And their love for insects is unmatched. Today, the carport has been converted into the front entrance of the house, but they have readily found the lean-to at the end of my new garage a great place for a nest. They are typically found sitting atop my fruit trees or on the cattle panels in the garden. Their agility in flight is amazing to observe as they chase down flying insects.
And .. I have to be careful where I park the tractor under the lean-to. 🙂
Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers
It is difficult to discuss woodpeckers without first comparing the red-headed woodpecker with the red-bellied woodpecker. The two are often confused. I must admit that growing up the frequent visitor to our suet block was dubbed the “red-headed woodpecker.” In actuality, it was the red-bellied woodpecker. But it is easy how this can happen given that the red-bellied woodpecker has a bright, red head. But the two are quite different. In our neighborhood, red-headed woodpeckers are quite rare so locals can easily slip into mislabeling the red-bellied woodpecker.
In my experience, red-headed woodpeckers are most frequently seen along rivers and creeks, particularly in thick forests. But they do appear in other locations. Red-bellied woodpeckers are everywhere in mid-Missouri and there are several pairs around Rachel’s Prairie each year. Red-headed woodpeckers are seen on occasion, as in the photo above.
White-Throated Sparrow
For years I always thought the sweet, melodic song I heard was the black-capped chickadee. It was only a few years ago, while doing research for one of my books, that I encountered flocks of white-throated sparrows, noting their unusual appearance and the sound they make. I thought at first I was observing white crowned sparrows, but I noted that the markings were quite different. They are found all over the property, but are most particularly fond of the cover provided by Japanese honeysuckle (an invasive). For that reason, I have been reluctant to go on a crusade to eliminate Japanese honeysuckle in many areas around the edge of the yard. They also love the pond.
Resources
Special thanks goes to the team at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for developing the Merlin and E-bird applications.
© Copyright 2025 to Eric Niewoehner