Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge

Stopped by Ilo NWR Saturday.

This Willet chattered at me as I photographed him.


This Upland sandpiper was posing nicely and I was firing away with the camera when I heard a big pickup approaching. I was mumbling under my breath to myself about it as he passed by. After he was gone and I was looking at the photos I had just taken, I mumbled, thanks pickup guy, you just got me a nice one.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Spent the day, well, I guess I should say yesterday, since it's after midnight, at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It is an absolutely awesome place. Most of my photos were of scenery and various mammals. Will be here a couple more days and then am heading to spots where the main focus will be birds.

A couple of posts down, I posted what I called a halfway decent photo of a Lark sparrow. Got a far better one yesterday.

Buffalo Gap National Grassland

Have been in Wall, South Dakota since Monday. Have spent a portion of every day since in Badlands National Park. I have been to the Badlands twice before. Once when I was a teenager, and then the first or second year after I moved to Nebraska. I do not remember being as awestruck by the beauty then. My photos of the Badlands are here.

I have also spent some of my time in Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. The grasslands are south of the national park. The grasslands are where these photos were taken.

An immature Horned lark is proud of the grasshopper he caught


These Lark buntings are really pretty in flight because of the white on their wings

More Fort Niobrara NWR

Two more photos from Fort Niobrara NWR

I finally got a halfway decent shot of Ring-necked pheasant


And the treat of the day was capturing this White-tailed jackrabbit

Ft. Niobrara NWR

I spent part of my day today at Ft. Niobrara NWR. Early in the day it was extremely windy and the blowing sand was getting on everything...me and the camera gear. Birds were singing in areas, but they weren't showing themselves at all. Frustrated, I went back to the motel. Went back in the early evening and things were much pleasant.

The only halfway decent photo from the morning was of this Lark Sparrow


Afternoon photos included this Upland sandpiper


And this Common nighthawk


After tolerating me and the clicking camera, he voiced his displeasure

On The Road Again

I'm on the road again...

So as to keep this blog mostly about birds, I decided to set up a blog with mostly just scenery pictures.

It can be found here

Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher

Lady luck was with me this morning. Made a real quick trip up to Branched Oak Lake to see if I could find the Scissor-tailed flycatcher. It appears that she may be building a nest, as she was gathering nesting material. My photo isn't particularly good, but it does show her with nesting material. (Photo is cropped)

Here's a better picture of a scissor-tail taken in Oklahoma last year.

More Branched Oak Lake Birds

Have been busy with the other stuff that fills one's life and haven't been getting out and about much of late. Did head out to Branched Oak Lake yesterday. There had been a couple of reports that a Scissor-tailed flycather had been seen there, so thought I might get lucky and find it too. Well, luck wasn't on my side yesterday. Maybe another day.

Did find this nesting Killdeer


And this Dickcissel

Viceroy

A Viceroy butterfly taken today at Branched Oak Lake.

The Viceroy looks very much like a Monarch. There are several differences, but the two most immediately obvious are size and a a black postmedian band across the hindwing. The wingspan of a Viceroy is 2 5/8 to 3 inches, and a Monarch is 3 1/2 to 4 inches. To translate what a black postmedian band is, it's a black stripe on the lower wing. This black stripe can be faint or lacking.