After a visit to Pierre, I’m now in the Slim Buttes in Harding County, about 25 miles east of Buffalo. Although this is one of my favorite places I haven’t been here for several years now. Not much has changed. There is a Forest Service campground at Reva Gap and it is usually nearly empty, although more people show up on weekends. As of right now, is is empty. No charge for camping, which I like!
My usual spot for Prairie Falcons did not disappoint. They are nesting on the same ledge as the last time I was here. I got some butterfly photos while in Pierre. This is a Common Wood-Nymph, posing in nice light. Gray Coppers were common too, more than I’ve ever seen in one place before. Last night I tried some Milky Way photography. I did this a few years ago at the same location and found the stars in the top center of the photo were elongated, which I attributed to having bumped the camera or poor tracking. Well, I got the same results last night, so it must be the software that is doing it. This is 24 images, taken with a 35mm lens, stitched together in Lightroom. The sky was murky, maybe smoke, so the results are not what I hoped for. The final image was nearly a gigabyte in size. Right click and open in a new window to see a larger image.
2 replies on “Slim Buttes, Harding County”
It’s always good to see prairie falcons. We need to check out the butterfly garden, we haven’t stopped there this year yet. That Milky Way picture is so cool. I really like it. Has the weather been stormy there?
The weather has been pretty nice. A little rain now and then. It has been very dry though, if it weren’t for the recent rains it would be bleak. The Forest Service has ban on all campfires, smoking, cooking outside, ect.
2 replies on “Slim Buttes, Harding County”
It’s always good to see prairie falcons. We need to check out the butterfly garden, we haven’t stopped there this year yet. That Milky Way picture is so cool. I really like it. Has the weather been stormy there?
The weather has been pretty nice. A little rain now and then. It has been very dry though, if it weren’t for the recent rains it would be bleak. The Forest Service has ban on all campfires, smoking, cooking outside, ect.