Mumblings...and The Meadowlark Invasion

Thanks for all the comments, dear visitors...keep 'em coming! If you've been with me for awhile, you may recall my mentioning the Huz's upcoming retirement and our tentative plan to move SE, possibly to Alabama. We nixxed that idea months ago, long before the recent tornado disasters, and have been focused on retiring to Florida. Trading tornados for hurricanes, right? Oh well, there is so much to see/do in Florida, not the least of which is birding of course  :o)) Huz grew up in Florida from the age of five, left at 19, will be coming full circle it would seem...anyway, the plan is to stay with Huz's bro on an extended vacation...until our house sells and we can get an apt. ...we'd been planning to leave in Sept. but realistically once Huz retires the 1st of July, we're going to be wondering what the hell we're still doing here....so maybe sooner...

My point? After seven years, this will be the last spring/summer that I'll be doing my photography in the Black Hills. Once we do land in Florida I'll be starting a new Blog and I really hope that my followers will follow me to the new Blog...it will be a focus on feathers and flora and I'm very excited at the prospect of all there is to find in such a tropical setting, where there are hundreds of state parks. Knowing this is my last year of photography here in S Dakota makes this season bittersweet, but honestly, I am sooo ready for a change of scenery! We're excited about down-sizing and living somewhere with so much to see and do...and eat, ha!  :o} So, big changes are coming, and I hope you'll stick with me.....ok, back to the present... 

I went for one of my drives a week ago, where else but to Custer State Park...the meadowlarks have been back for a couple-three weeks now, and I love hearing their warbly call. It isn't hard to get a photo of a territorial, love-seeking male this time of year...some are brave enough to stare me down vs. taking flight...

I seem to be finding squirrels a lot lately...it took me a long time to figure out that their 'chirping' wasn't a bird...

The bison are still holding down the fort in the park...

I saw a lot of American kestrels during my drive, including this pair many yards away...

I also saw some red crossbills...

...Another kestrel...they're sure hard to get a good photo of, due to their small size and the distance required before they'll fly away from a human invasion.

We had a slight dusting of snow overnight and the wind is blasting up to 55 mph...sigh...