As summer-like heat builds across the Great Plains, bovine bathing is off to an early start. Grazing comfortably on verdant pastures just a few weeks ago, cattle are now gathering at ponds and lakes, seeking relief from the heat and the biting insects.
Partly submerged, they are still tortured by flies around their head and neck. Fortunately, local flocks of swallows take advantage of the insect swarms, filling their bellies and providing some relief for the cattle. Yet, the swallows are not immune from attack either; as I witnessed today, prairie falcons may zero in on their flocks, hoping to pick off a swallow for lunch.
Beyond the drama at the cattle pools, I encountered a number of Mississippi kites over Hays, Kansas, my routine rest stop on the Plains. Tomorrow I complete my journey to Colorado, where a cold front will produce near-freezing overnight temperatures early in the week; that same front is expected to ignite severe thunderstorms across the Great Plains and Midwest.
