Something I’ve wanted to do since I got here is set up the black light for nocturnal insects. It has been too windy most nights. I have to use a white sheet (for a collecting surface and photography) illuminated by the black light. Wind just makes it very difficult. I had one good night and even then, it was quite cool so not as much activity as I hope for. I still did pretty good.
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!
I haven’t been seeing anything too exciting. The weather has been windy and not good for trail cams. When the wind blows hard, movement of vegetation and shadows triggers the camera and I get hundreds of videos/photos with nothing in them. Now it looks like a couple of days of rain. I went back to Baldwin Spring one morning and got more nice bird photos. A walk in Hell Canyon was good for butterflies.
I’ve had the two trail cameras out for quite awhile. Today I brought them in to download. I am getting a lot of elk photos. The image quality isn’t all that great though. On the camera I left set to take video I got two bobcats. One has a radio collar on it. This morning I checked out my Indra Swallowtail site and found one that is in better condition, but still kind of worn. The weather has been great, not too hot here.
I got a couple of good nights for astrophotography but the days are so long, the nights so short! It is nearly 11 PM before it gets completely dark. I think I will give up on astro until the nights get longer. My trail cams have been picking up elk, red squirrels, cottontails, and one coyote, but no more mountain lions. It has been pretty hot, into the low 90’s yesterday. I went to Newcastle for groceries yesterday, it was 99 F. there.
Anyone who has been following my travels knows that I just missed catching a Mountain Lion on my trail camera last year. Yesterday, I finally got one. I had two trail cams out, one at Jumpoff Spring and the other at Lost Spring. All I got at Lost Spring was Elk and some cottontails. But at Jumpoff Spring, a Mountain Lion! The cameras have been out for five days, I just picked them up this morning. Also got a lifer butterfly a couple of days ago in Hell Canyon.
Baldwin Spring is my favorite bird photography spot in the Black Hills. I just wish some “new” birds would show up. I get photos of the same species every year. It is still fun to sit in my nest and take nice close-up photos. There is a perfect hiding spot (my nest) in between a juniper and some chokecherry bushes just a few feet away from the spring. I know the birds still know I’m there, but they get used to me. In the morning, the sun is behind me and usually the light is pretty nice. Today I carried the 500 f4 on a tripod to the spring. Yesterday I walked from camp, that is about 2 miles each way. I can drive to within a mile or so, depending on which route I take. One route is shorter and then one has to go down (and then up) a steep but short hill, maybe a few hundred yards. The other route is longer and downhill too but not as steep. I usually prefer the shorter route.
Yesterday I put my trail cams out at two trails leading to two other springs. There are no cattle this year so I’m hoping for something exciting to show up.
More of the same. I get out early in the morning before the wind comes up but it does need to warm up before the butterflies come out. The wind is my biggest obstacle when photographing flowers. Even a slight breeze makes it very difficult. I’ve been putting out the trail cam every night hoping for a mountain lion but so far all I’ve got is a coyote and some cottontails.
The weather has been perfect. Blue skies, warm but not hot, not much wind. I even got one night of astrophotography. I haven’t started the truck since I got here on Tuesday. I’ve just been hiking, taking some photos and reading D-Day by Stephen Ambrose.
I left Pierre yesterday and drove out to my “quiet spot” a few miles southwest of Jewel Cave National Monument. It is certainly quiet compared to Pierre! There is a large expanse of native prairie to the south and west and after the recent rains the prairie flowers are blooming in abundance. The most abundant right now is Death Camas but there are many other species, too many to list and photograph them all. I will show a few in this post and more later.
