Sunday, November 29

Sunset Sunday


Normally I'm not posting on Sundays, but I'm going to throw this photo in today. I went with the huz out hunting in Vanocker Canyon on Fri...my first hunting trip ever. No luck, but we had a nice day in my opinion, out walking in the woods, watching squirrels chase each other, gray jays checking us out, two hairy woodpeckers...a chaser and a chasee...eating lunch from the back of my SUV...and as we decended from the ridge of a hill to return to the truck, we witnessed a lovely sunset below the rising moon.

Saturday, November 28

Gulls, Chickadee, Baldie

Besides the deer and elk sighted a week ago at various places during an outing, friend Jayne and I saw some birds of course...

We saw several ring-billed seagulls flying over Angostura Reservoir...


And scattered on the barrier made of rubber tires, along with mallards...


A black-capped chickadee at Wind Cave, showing off its perfect little cap...


And we saw this bald eagle, and one other that was too far to photograph.


As you can see, it was an overcast, grey day, with equally grey photos.

Wednesday, November 25

Ten Things I'm Thankful For

Pouring rain last night turned to snow, a top coat of powder...as you can see, Bambi visited our yard some time in the night...hoof prints in the snow, something to be thankful for...

Normally I set aside Wed. and Sun. as blog-free zones, but since tomorrow is a holiday, I'm going to do my Thanksgiving post today...even though I'm not doing any cooking for the holiday, which actually kind of saddens me...the huz and I will be spending the holiday with good friends and their family nearby...my top ten list isn't necessarily in order of importance...

1. Re-discovering a love of birding, with the added bonus of photographing all the winged wonders. Well, almost all!

2. My two best friends, Jayne and Judy. I love you gals!

3. My continuing passion for nature photography, and having a National forest to explore and learn in.

4. My parents' relatively good health, and every day that they're still here, even if 'here' is 1,500 miles away. Of course the same goes for my siblings as well.

5. Three full weeks of a snow-free, sunny-ful November, record highs! (I won't mention the record-low October!)

6. Discovering blogging and all of the wonderful, supportive followers I have!

7. Thanks to a friend's braver example, finding the courage to join Weight Watchers to lose some extra pounds that are causing me emotional grief. Four pounds lost week #1!

8. My highly deserving husband being just two years from retirement.

9. A nice, cozy roof over my head and food in my cupboards.

10. A reliable car that takes me where I want to go...with or without pavement.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all...may it be full of happy hearts and warm laughter!

Tuesday, November 24

True Textures Tuesday

In early November, the huz and I took a ride on the Harley-Polaris (as he calls it) up into the Hills on a trail just W a couple miles from our house. It was a gorgeous day for a trail ride and 'treasure hunt' ...

I was amazed to find this lone red clover still hanging on despite all the snow we had in Oct...


The long tail, short wing span, and small size tell me this could be a Cooper's or sharp-shinned hawk...but what I can barely see of its head, it looks like an American kestrel...
 

Common juniper, a cypress, is one of three junipers found in the BHs, and the most common...the berries can be found scattered all over the ground now; they're a food for grouse, small mammals, and deer. They're also used for gin! There's also a creeping juniper, much less common, and the Rocky Mt. juniper tree, which seems most common in the Wind Cave Park area.


The kinnikinnik, or bearberry, can bear fruit from July, all the way into the following spring...


So far, I haven't ID'd this hawk, but I sure tried...the raptors were out in force that day...
Update: Thanks Caroline, it totally does match the Ferruginous hawk, dark morph! Warren, no buzzards here, just turkey vultures (same thing?) and they have ugly red heads!


A few deep red wild strawberry leaves were found under the Ponderosas...


The forest ground is dotted all over with Aspen bark, nature's sheets of paper...


A rusty brown leaf with a single hole...these always make me think of nature's pendants.

Monday, November 23

Oh Deer (and Elk) Me!


Saturday started out with a surprise just outside the sliding door...not that we don't have deer in our backyard, but they sneak in at night and are gone at sun-up normally. This is why I bring the bird feeders in at night...the young buck was the start of a themed day, it turned out...


Buddy Jayne and I hit the road around 8:30 AM as planned, despite the blustery, grey weather, and drove down Hwy 79 to the very SE tip of the Hills to Angostura Reservoir. Some serious recreationing goes on there in the summer...there's nice cabin rentals above the lake's edge (with the view shown below) besides camping lots, a boat launch area, and a brown sandy beach...this day, however, it was windy and chilly, and deserted except for one man down at the boat docks.


Ok, y'all didn't know we have palm trees in South Dakota, did you...here's proof...


The beaches I grew up around in the Pacific NW are dark grey and I don't think I ever saw deer tracks on any of them...well ok there's one beach that the elk can be seen near but not really ON the beach...


Leaving the reservoir, I drove through Hot Springs and up into Wind Cave Nat'l Park, where we found this nice view of a valley near the Centennial Trailhead, which runs a total of 111 miles, most of the length of the Black Hills, from Bear Butte St. Park to Wind Cave Nat'l Park. The trail was officially opened in 1989 to commemorate the 100th year of S Dakota's statehood. I've passed the turn-out for this trailhead many times but had never stopped to check it out before. We'll want to go back to see it all greened up.


We headed down the same dirt road where I'd recently spotted the two bald eagles perched in the dead tree on the two park borders (Custer and Wind Cave). We'd seen a baldie gliding overhead just south of the turn-off, same area I'd seen my first baldie of the year (before I came across the two perched eagles). No tree eagles this time, but we found a small herd of white-tails including these two young bucks...


Along CSP Rd. #5, we stopped to take photos of the awesome view from the top of the hill we'd crested...looking down to the bottom of the hill, I realized we were being watched...about 200 yds away were these three elk bulls.


Driving down the hill past them and the trees they were near, we discovered there were six elk...if not more still out of sight.


Once on the wildlife loop in Custer Park, we came upon a buck and his small harem at the info center. The center is surrounded on three sides by fencing, so the deer were essentially trapped when we stopped for photos. At first the buck seemed unconcerned, but eventually he became alarmed, so we left.


The buck, a doe, and two juvies.

Saturday, November 21

Spearfish Canyon in Early Winter

I took another drive yesterday, first heading through Deadwood to Hwy. 85 S, for the scenic drive SW of Spearfish Canyon...the area is like a wetlands, with Spearfish Creek running through it...unfortunately there's never a pull-out where you want to stop to take photos...and the people driving that road mean business...

I did stop in one spot and as I was standing there, two gray jays came along...I'll spare you the photo of one of them pecking at a discarded deer carcass...


I went back to the S entrance into Spearfish Canyon and had a look around at Roughlock Falls, where I found some still-bright red rosehips w/ a touch of frost...


More of those funny zig-zag icicle formations along the creek...


...All while I meandered down the path along the creek that spills over the falls...this area is busy with tourists and locals when it's warmer; this day, I had it to myself.


Further up the Canyon, I discovered more neat-o ice formations along Spearfish Creek...the ice on these stumps reminds me of the mushrooms you'd see in Frodo's Shire...


...Is this awesome or what?! The ice was all along Spearfish Creek.  Very mystical looking...

Friday, November 20

Birds and Bridges

The second part of my drive this past Monday, I stopped at a favorite look-out spot that has a fabulous panoramic view of the Hills. I enjoyed watching a white-breasted nuthatch going about his business among the trees in the parking area...

The nuthatches look like little sky torpedos when they do this pose...just before flying to another tree.


Doesn't look like a morning per...uh, bird, does he? Where's Starbucks when you need it?


Creeping upside down helps get the blood circulating to the brain...


Next, I drove into Horse Thief Lake, having only seen it from the road. Just W of Mt. Rushmore, it's a pretty, small lake with a campground, a wooden walk-way around one side, and a couple of path bridges. There was a thin layer of snow in the area, too.


And hey, yet another wasp/hornet nest...


On to Sheridan Lake, where I found this lovely mallard couple spending quality time together...


...And on up past Sheridan Lake to Spring Creek, where I followed this very busy, mouse-like wren skittering along the opposite side of the creek's shoreline...I couldn't get a good shot cause it didn't hold still for more than one second...I've looked and looked and it only seems to match the winter wren. If it is, then it was making a short visit before heading south. It definitely isn't the house or canyon wren, which makes it a 'lifer' for me.

Thursday, November 19

Kestrel and Hawk

Monday I took a drive, starting with a look-see down the E part of Spring Creek Rd., S. of Rapid City, outside of the Hills. One of many roads I had yet to drive along...for me, where country roads are concerned, if it's there, I want to check it out. This road is a typical high prairie road...quiet and dotted with ranches or farms. When I was about to turn around, I came upon a bird hovering near the road. It hovered in one spot for several moments, observing potential prey or...? I could see it was an American kestrel, a falcon I'd only photographed once before, this past March.



It wasn't long before the kestrel flew nearby to the power line.


This was the view heading back W. toward the Hills...


I saw several raptors that day, including this hawk.

Tuesday, November 17

True Textures Tuesday

Besides the brown creeper and hairy woodpecker, I saw many other interesting things on my recent drive to Dalton Lake, both along the road going into the lake, and around the lake...

Yet another papery hive, this one up high on the face of a large rock...


An air bubble trapped in frozen water, with a ring shadow...


Feathers...from a junco?


A chipmunk looking for a drink...


A frozen drop of water on a strand of grass...


Icicles on strands of grass above the creek that runs out of Dalton Lake...


More icicles, these with zaggy ends...why?


The remains of a fireweed flower...


And another hive...


A branch bracelet made of peeled bark...


White water crowfoot in bloom on the lake! Field guide says it blooms through Sept...


And several small spotted fish in the lake. A juvie northern pike?