Birds in Paradise

After a blustery day yesterday (to put it mildly), I jumped at the chance for a drive in the Hills today. The sun was out and it was somewhat warm. I even took a new dirt road, County Rd. #168, or Renkle Rd., which turns onto Bethlehem Rd., where I found this meadowlark sitting and singing on a telephone wire. It actually blasted me as I drove by w/ the window partly down, scaring me stupid! I turned around and went back for a photo. This great blue heron was too far away to get a decent shot, but did that stop me from trying? Of course not! The heron is one of my favorite birds...ok, I have several favorites but really, this long, lanky fella is really cool. This one is wading in Box Elder Creek in the NE Black Hills. This red-winged blackbird was in the same area as the heron, along Nemo Rd. just west of my home. It too was a bit far away to get a decent shot, but I just keep trying. My first stop along Nemo Rd. and Box Elder Creek was just to have a look-see around. I realized I was being watched, and found this bashful Canadian goose eye-balling me from the tall grasses along the creek shore.