Crossing shot
New member
Kansas is burning. How is the dry weather affecting the birds? They have to be thirsty.
Thanks.
Thanks.
How are the birds?
- Thread starter Crossing shot
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Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
Cool-season grasses are greening up and we're seeing/hearing some birds when we're out. There is still time for the spring to get back to a more normal moisture level. We're dry, but you do have to take things somewhat in context. Where we are having the massive fires is where the human footprint is up against large expanses of hard to access grasslands. The foolishness of the human population is exacerbated by the territory that the fire gets loose in. Between valleys and gullies that would be hard to drive across if they weren't packed with cedars, you then have the cedars that have been unmanaged for decades of Smokey Bear mentality that you'd have trouble walking through, much less drive a fire truck through. Add to that the lack of roads in the area, and you get a huge fire that normal tactics won't work on.
On a similar note, many folks are and are wanting to burn. However, many of them have only a superficial understanding of burning and what it takes to BE a burn day. Many of them will burn if the wind is legal with no consideration for any other environmental or fuel condition. They know nothing about the effects of humidity and don't know what it is when the start the burn, much less what it will be in the afternoon or in the coming days. Any time you burn with 100 and 1000 hour fuels involved, the down-range conditions become more and more relevant. Anyone can set a fire. It takes some serious understanding to do so with a modicum of control.
I do think we have a nice carry-over population of birds. With any luck on the weather side we could easily take last year's population and improve on it. There is still time, but we do need to have a bit of help for the Almighty!
On a similar note, many folks are and are wanting to burn. However, many of them have only a superficial understanding of burning and what it takes to BE a burn day. Many of them will burn if the wind is legal with no consideration for any other environmental or fuel condition. They know nothing about the effects of humidity and don't know what it is when the start the burn, much less what it will be in the afternoon or in the coming days. Any time you burn with 100 and 1000 hour fuels involved, the down-range conditions become more and more relevant. Anyone can set a fire. It takes some serious understanding to do so with a modicum of control.
I do think we have a nice carry-over population of birds. With any luck on the weather side we could easily take last year's population and improve on it. There is still time, but we do need to have a bit of help for the Almighty!
Crossing shot
New member
Thanks for the info. In January 2015 we talked to a dog breeder in central Kansas who was concerned about thirsty birds. Hence, my concern. Still waiting to burn my little grass patch which a covey likes. Sprinkles today.
Hoping to chase roosters in western Kansas this fall.
Hoping to chase roosters in western Kansas this fall.