Caring for the Prairie
Prairie Seed Collection: A Beginner’s Harvest Guide
A calm beginner’s guide to prairie seed collection: permission, plant identification, seed maturity, harvesting, field notes, cleaning, storage and care for birds.
Where to Place a Bluebird Nest Box
Practical bluebird nest box placement for Eastern and Western Bluebirds: open habitat, mounting height, entrance orientation, predator protection and nest box spacing.
Prairie Habitat Fragmentation and Grassland Birds: What to Notice in the Field
How prairie habitat fragmentation affects grassland birds through patch size, edge effects and connectivity, and what to notice, record and respect on your next prairie outing.
Energy Development in Native Prairie: Habitat and Bird Considerations
A calm field guide to how wind, solar, oil and gas, and transmission lines in native prairie affect grassland birds, what to notice, and how to observe respectfully.
Bird-Friendly Fencing: Choosing Safer Barriers
How fences harm birds through collisions, barbed wire entanglement and open pipe posts, whether electric fences hurt birds, and practical steps for safer fencing.
Bird–Vehicle Collisions: Road Risks and Prevention on the Prairie
Why bird vehicle collisions happen on prairie roads, which birds and seasons carry the most risk, and what drivers, birdwatchers and road managers can do to prevent them.
Preventing Aquatic Invasive Species Spread on Prairie Birding Outings
How prairie birdwatchers can avoid spreading aquatic invasive species between wetlands: what to notice, how to clean, drain and dry boots, waders and gear, and how risk changes with the seasons.
Vegetated Buffers for Prairie Wetland Water Quality
How wetland buffer vegetation filters runoff, holds sediment and nutrients around prairie wetlands, and what birdwatchers can notice, record and protect through the seasons.
Understanding Water Quality in Prairie Wetlands
A calm, practical guide to prairie wetland water quality for birdwatchers. Learn what water clarity, turbidity, salinity, dissolved oxygen and seasonal water levels reveal, and how to note them in the field.
Wildlife-Safe Litter Picking on the Prairie
How to pick up prairie litter without disturbing nesting birds: what to look for, how to handle line and twine safely, when to work, and how to dispose of it.