I’m back in Pierre. Actually, I’ve been here over a week now. The first few days were cold and wet but pretty good for birding, as lots of migrants were forced to land. As it was in Arizona, rain is needed here too. On the way up here, I stopped in a BLM campground near Datil, New Mexico. It is the Datil Well Campground and I plan to spend more time there on the way back to Arizona. Very nice area for astrophotography and the birding is pretty good too. I had read about this campground before but the reviews all said there was no phone service/internet. However, I found that some campsites do have service, good enough for email, news and weather, anyway.
A Black-chinned Hummingbird at Datil Well Campground, New Mexico. A Glossy Ibis at the Hyde WPA, near Pierre, SD. A Semipalmated Plover and a Piping Plover, side by side, Hyde WPA. My best bird of late, a Whimbrel at Hyde WPA. I got a text from Kenny Miller this afternoon letting me know he had found this bird. I headed up there and it was still present! A South Dakota life bird and a new Hughes County life bird as well. I have chased after Whimbrels in South Dakota a few times and they were always gone when I got there. I now have 370 species on my South Dakota life list. This is a lousy photo due to the distance, but I have lots of good photos of Whimbrels at the LINK.
