Birding Bonanza
South Dakota Species and Species Photos
The past 3 days have been incredible birding days for us. Every morning brings several new species. We spotted a pair of Great Horned Owl fledglings perched on a low tree fall just on the far side of the road ditch. They looked like a couple of house cats sitting on their perch. There have been Common Yellow Throats and Yellow Rumped Warblers, sparrows (the wonderful song sparrow call) and finches (singing for all they are worth) of every variety, Red Wing and Yellow Head Blackbirds, Cow birds and a Belted Kingfisher, egrets (Cattle and Great) and Great Blue Herons (with the breeding feather trailing from the head), willets, sandpipers & yellow legs among the shore birds, teal, mallard, golden eye, wood ducks and cormorants, all sorts of Canada geese both giant and regular, pheasant and grouse, mourning and Asian collared doves. Frogs and muskrats in the ephemeral streams and gophers along the roads add to the scene. After winds exceeding 55 mph on the weekend the past 3 days have been virtually calm. Bicycling birders couldn't ask for better conditions and all less than 5 miles from our back door. We have the red color out to attract the humming birds that should be passing through soon.
The bees and the Monarch Butterflies have been spending time in the apple tree that is in full bloom and an occasional dragon fly stops by the fountain in the back yard.
The past 3 days have been incredible birding days for us. Every morning brings several new species. We spotted a pair of Great Horned Owl fledglings perched on a low tree fall just on the far side of the road ditch. They looked like a couple of house cats sitting on their perch. There have been Common Yellow Throats and Yellow Rumped Warblers, sparrows (the wonderful song sparrow call) and finches (singing for all they are worth) of every variety, Red Wing and Yellow Head Blackbirds, Cow birds and a Belted Kingfisher, egrets (Cattle and Great) and Great Blue Herons (with the breeding feather trailing from the head), willets, sandpipers & yellow legs among the shore birds, teal, mallard, golden eye, wood ducks and cormorants, all sorts of Canada geese both giant and regular, pheasant and grouse, mourning and Asian collared doves. Frogs and muskrats in the ephemeral streams and gophers along the roads add to the scene. After winds exceeding 55 mph on the weekend the past 3 days have been virtually calm. Bicycling birders couldn't ask for better conditions and all less than 5 miles from our back door. We have the red color out to attract the humming birds that should be passing through soon.
The bees and the Monarch Butterflies have been spending time in the apple tree that is in full bloom and an occasional dragon fly stops by the fountain in the back yard.
posted by HL at 9:19 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home