I left Pierre last week and headed for my quiet spot, near Jewel Cave. It is much cooler here and I have shade now, a big plus! It has been a very hot summer so far. I’ve just been up to my usual activities, birding, hiking, photography.
While still in Pierre, I spent a morning watching Caspian Terns fishing on the river. I’ve tried to get a good shot of one in a dive but so far, I’ve had no luck with that. It is easy enough to catch them after the dive though!Also while still at Pierre, I got into a few Buff-breasted Sandpipers. I never got very close to them, this is about as good as the photography gets. It is nice to have a Killdeer in the frame for a size comparison. Species number 333 for the year, it is getting harder to find new ones!While photographing birds at Baldwin Spring, I saw this Common Gartersnake at the water. Some still call this the Red-sided Gartersnake. It appeared to be waiting for some prey to show up but I never saw any action like that. A Red-shafted (Northern) Flicker at Baldwin Spring. This is my favorite spring to sit at for bird photography!A female Spotted Towhee in for a drink, right where the gartersnake was. It was a big gartersnake but I don’t know if it could have taken a bird of this size. A Black-capped Chickadee tossing down some kind of insect. It’s that time of year, when the Common Wood-Nymphs come out and fly around. And the Robber Flies too. This is a species known as the Hanging Thieves, known for hanging from a perch instead of landing on it.
One reply on “Back at Camp”
Good to see you out and about! Great photos. I would love to see that Sandpiper!
One reply on “Back at Camp”
Good to see you out and about! Great photos. I would love to see that Sandpiper!