Not Quite A Canyon Drive

Well, I headed out today for Spearfish Canyon...got as far as Sturgis and turned around and came back home, disgusted...was driving right into a front from the North and the lighting went down the drain...on the way back I took one of the dirt roads E of the Hills...

As you can see, it's finally greening up here in the mid-west...looking W towards the Hills...

I think the farmers teach their cows at an early age how to give strangers a distainful look...

Well hey, the red-winged blackbirds are back! Saw a male with really bright red patches but of course it was one of those drive-by, "Oh crud, there goooooes a good shot" moments...

I was actually excited to get my first 'take-off' shot of the year. How sad is that?!  ;o)

Old, New, Ouch! and Blue

I had every intention of going further south for a drive, but I ended up driving around Custer State Park again yesterday...what can I say...it's still too early to find all of the migrating spring birds...

First up, a male and female ring-necked duck on a small pond E of Custer State Park...I'm pretty sure this is a lifer for me! There were actually two pair of the ducks on the pond...

A male Mt. bluebird perched on a fence post...the bluebirds are definitely back in town...

A female Mt. bluebird was nearby, looking a bit coy...

I believe this is the first time I've found plains orophaca! The bees were loving it...

I was excited to see (moss) phlox in bloom...not so excited when I got stung by a bee while photographing some! Luckily I had a small ice pack in my lunchbox to put on it right away. Wanda, does this count as one of nature's heart shapes?!

I decided very last minute to take CSP Road #5 partway south for a look-see. I wasn't far down the dirt road before I found a small group of female bison...and, two calves! Aww, they're here! Many more to come...look close, you can see this young un's dried up umbilical cord...

Mamma, what the HECK is THAT?!

Mr. Wobbles was still a bit unsure on his legs...

The prairie dogs were out and about as usual, looking indignant at my intrusion...

A lone male pronghorn antelope enjoying the sunshine...elsewhere there were small herds, a single male with his harem...antelope calves are born later than the bison calves...

Hmm...if this bison bull has calves on the way, he's playing it cool...quietly, calmly chewing on a strand of dry grass...far from the herds of females elsewhere in the park.

...Outside of the park, heading back home, I came across this foal just as it was lying down for a midday nap near its mamma.

...Or Not!!

Today I had good intentions of taking another drive to look for photo ops...but with a big thunder storm chasing me down the road, I decided to just check out this one road E of I-90 not real far from where I live...it runs between two roads I am familiar with...and as you can see, it turned out to be a good place to be to get a distant shot of the storm over the Black Hills. I ended up driving into the hail and hard rain, but thankfully it didn't last long and I was back in sunnier weather.

Oh How I've Missed THAT Look!

Another drive was taken on a sunny Thursday, E of the Hills in the farming country...I figured I could get photos of the meadowlark out there, where they like to nest in the grass...

Success! I did get some shots of some meadowlarks this time (my last drive, they were all down in the grass hidden)...really exciting to hear their distinct, warbly song! They're baaaaack! I have to smile every time I see a photo face-forward, they look so comical... 

The killdeer have also arrived in S Dakota, still as camera shy as ever...this fellow was at quite a distance, blending very well into the landscape...they too have a distinct call, very eerie...this one is near Bear Butte Lake, my next stop...

Shouldn't a bird have to PAY for such a view from its home?! Bird houses are set up around Bear Butte Lake, rent-free...Sheesh...

Northern pintails could be seen amid a distant flock of ducks; another windy one at the lake. I'm anxious to see the bobolinks BEFORE they molt, this year, at BB Lake. They gather outside of the Hills.

Happy Easter to All!

Yesterday I went for another one of my drives, again to Custer State Park...I know I sound like a broken record but until it's truly spring here, I can't afford to be driving further distances to maybe find 1-2 birds. Where I really want to go is at the far south end of the Hills; I'm waiting anxiously until May...

There were scads of Northern flickers in the park; most flew off as I approached, but I did manage to get a couple shots off...! Last year, not a 'flicker' of a photo was had...capturing this bird was at the top of my wish list, so it was quite a surprise to tick it off so soon! Above is the male (red-shafted) N. flicker...

This is a female N. flicker, w/ a muddy beak...

I also saw a few Mt. bluebirds in the park, and have seen a few closer to home as well. So, my fine feathered friends are returning! Yay!!

A very Happy Easter to all! We're celebrating Easter a week late, next Sunday, with our Greek friend and his wife, who go all out with an Orthodox meal! Better late than never.  :o)~

The Other April Showers

This is what it looked like outside of my house this morning...as predicted, we got a few inches of snow last night, after a day of mostly rain...

Yep, this is what early spring looks like in South Dakota/the mid-west. UGH! Not that I didn't know it was coming, it has snowed every March and April for the past six years...sometimes into the first week of May, like last year when we had two blizzards a week apart...I'm sure going to miss this...like a hole in the head.