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Please note that the locations below are all in CACHE (or SPARKS for the Katy Trail).  Any species sighted while looking for the falcons would be well-needed additions to the database.  If you have sightings, but cannot or do not wish to enter the data yourself, email me your list (must have a date and start-end times), and I will enter data for you.


1.  PRAIRIE FALCON
September 28, Mike Beck found a Prairie Falcon on the Bruns Tract in western Pettis County.  Yesterday, I refound the bird south of there, along the Katy Trail where the south portion of Bryson's Hope CA is on the east side of the trail,  about .3 of a mile past mile marker 244, where a small creek crosses (the only place where trees grow near the trail).  The closest parking to this marker is alongside the road, where Bryson Rd. crosses the trail (a farmstead is nearby).

The Bruns Tract and Bryson's Hope are recent acquisitions.  They do not appear in MDC's printed atlas, but DO appear in the MDC online atlas, and maps may be downloaded.

Below are descriptions of the two areas (and W.R. Kearn CA, which is between Bruns and Bryson's Hope.). 

Rt. B is an east/west road, Hope Dale runs south of it.
 

Bruns Tract
Driving Directions
Located 3 miles west of Green Ridge at the intersection of Highway B and Hope Dale Road.
Highlights
Owned by the Missouri Prairie Foundation and managed by the Conservation Department. The primary management objective is to provide optimum brood-rearing and nesting cover for prairie chickens.
About This Area
This 160-acre area is owned by the Missouri Prairie Foundation and is jointly managed by the Conservation Department. The once-existing cropland has been converted to native prairie plantings and most of the timber has been removed. The current management efforts are to provide both nesting and brood-rearing cover for prairie chickens and Bobwhite quail. 
W. R. Kearn Memorial Conservation Area
Driving Directions
3 miles west of Green Ridge on Route B, then go 2 miles south on Hope Dale Road.
Highlights
This area is being intensely managed for prairie chickens. Cropfields have been converted to native warm-season and cool-season grasses to provide both nesting and brood-rearing cover for prairie chickens. Many species of grassland wildlife, incliuding Northern Harriers, Upland Sandpipers, and Shortear Owls are commonly seen on this area.
About This Area
This 120-acre area was donated in 1987 by William R. "Ted" Kearn. Intensive management has occured to provide grassland habitat for a variety of wildlife species.

Bryson's Hope Conservation Area
Driving Directions
At the intersection of Bryson and Hope Dale roads in southwest Pettis County.
Highlights
195-acre area is being intensively managed for the recovery of the Greater Prairie Chicken, which is an endangered species in Missouri.
About This Area
The initial 188-acre tract was purchased by the Department in 2006. An additional 90 acres was added in 2008. This area falls within the Green Ridge Focus Area as identified in the Greater Prairie Chicken Recovery Plan. When acquired, the habitat was intensively row-cropped with very little habitat for grassland wildlife. Since acqusition, the area has been converted to a variety of cool-season and warm-season grass mixtures. The purpose of this area is to provide optimum nesting and brood-rearing habitat not only for prairie chickens, but also other grassland species.


2.  MERLIN:
Yesterday (October 3), a female Merlin responded to Marsh Wren and Sedge Wren calls from my Ipod.  This was in the northeast portion of the Perry (Ralph and Martha) Memorial Conservation Area.  This portion of the area is in extreme western Pettis Co., on the south side of the Blackwater River.

Easiest access to this portion of the area is to go south from I-70 on MO 127 (Sweet Springs exit), then west on Rt. NN about 2 miles to where Rt. NN turns south.  At this point, take Blackwater Rd. to the north about a half mile to Perry CA wetlands.

Edge Wade
Columbia, MO
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