I’ve been wanting to do this since I got here, but my knee hasn’t. My left knee has been pretty sore since I left South Dakota but is slowly getting better. Today, I tested it out on Alamo Canyon, and it did fine. The park biologist, Danny Martin, told me he had seen some good butterflies there this summer, including Tropical Leafwings and Zilpa Longtails. The Zilpa Longtail would have been a lifer, but I couldn’t find any today. Probably getting too late in the season, but there were still some Tropical Leafwings, and I was very happy to get the best photos I have ever taken of that species. I saw some Tropical Leafwings years ago at Miller Canyon but had poor luck photographing them.
A Tropical Leafwing, finally posing the way I needed it to. They have a strong tendency to land, fold their wings, and face directly toward or away from me. After many failed attempts I finally got this one in a decent position, with the sun behind me. This species is very similar to the Goatweed Butterfly, but has a small tooth below that larger tooth and above the lower corner of the wing. Then, miracle of miracles, it opened the wings up and I got just a few shots before it flew off again. The wing pattern is that of a male. I found this Sonoran Collared Lizard basking on a rock; I don’t remember ever seeing one this late in the season. A couple of days ago I was hiking off Pipeline Road when I found what I believe is a metate, a grinding rock used by Native Americans. It was the only large rock in the area and the flat, slightly concave surface makes it a likely metate. The latest big excitement at Lake Ajo, a Surf Scoter. Jupiter is now rising up over 50 degrees above the horizon, the highest altitude I’ve been image it since I started doing this. The higher altitude helps get it out of the murk and turbulence of the atmosphere. I tried it a few nights ago despite only average “seeing” conditions. I took 6 three-minute videos and stacked the best frames. Expect more Jupiter images in the near future!
It has been hot for the last week or so but now a big cool down is here. Very windy yesterday and it finally blew in some new birds. Today, I had Red-necked Phalaropes, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, California Gull and some Ring-billed Gulls at the sewage ponds. There are Soras and Virginia Rails at Highway Tank. Today I watched a Great Egret in a palm tree, I wondered what it was doing up there. About an hour later I came back and it was swallowing House Finch. I had a couple of good nights for astro too, but nothing ready to show yet.
There is still one Lewis’s Woodpecker at the golf course, and I got a good photo this afternoon. I’ve seen two Sora at Highway Tank; this one is a juvenile and the other is an adult. No frogs, no fish, no problem. Carmine Skimmer at Highway Tank. I originally thought this was a Flame Skimmer but have changed my ID. Virginia Rail at Highway TankMore Great Egrets
I arrived in Ajo almost a week ago. I’ve been waiting to accumulate some new photos before posting an update. The area has had a good monsoon season, everything is green, and all the tanks and ponds are full of water. The bird migration is building up slowly here, so far nothing very exciting. I had a Kit Fox near the camper last night while I was out doing astro. It is good to be back in the Sonoran Desert.
A California Patch, first one I’ve seen in a long time. This species is not common here. This one was nectaring on Desert Broom. This is only the second Pyrruloxia I’ve seen in the Ajo area. More common to the east. I found this one this morning near Darby Well. A female Phainopepla, these birds should be happy this winter, there is a huge crop of mistletoe berries for them to eat. Another dark nebula, this is known as the Wolf’s Cave Nebula, or LDN 1217. It is located in the constellation Cepheus.
I left Pierre last Sunday morning and headed south. First night was at McCook, NE and the second at the roadside park at Timpas, CO. Now I’m at the Bosque Birders RV Park near Socorro, NM. I paid for two nights here since I was really tired of driving and needed a break. Birding at Bosque del Apache NWR is pretty slow but I’m seeing lots of birds I haven’t seen for many months now. Tomorrow, I plan to drive to Ajo but may make a stop at the Sonoran Desert Museum outside of Tucson. There has been a White-eared Hummingbird there for several days. It would be a life bird for me if it stays. I will need to get an early start for that, it is over 500 miles to Ajo and I won’t be able to make it if I spend too much time looking for this hummingbird.
While in Pierre, I saw this mantis laying eggs on the corner of my parents’ house. I’ve never seen this before. This is the European Mantis, not native. They are introduced into gardens as a means of pest control, but this is a misguided action. Mantids eat any insect, beneficial or harmful. They are not particular. This fall migration produced more Nashville Warblers than I’ve ever seen before, here is one of them on a red-osier dogwood. Here’s a somewhat rare bird for the Pierre area, a Yellow-throated Vireo. I keep a few county life lists, and this was a new species for my Stanley County life list (now at 292 species).Orange-crowned Warbler, also on red-osier dogwood. Notice all the dark spots on the leaves, those are aphids that the warblers feed on, heavily, in the fall. Yellow-rumped Warblers are known to feed on fruits, usually in the winter, but this one is already eating cedar berries in September. The ability to eat and digest fruits allows this species to winter further north than most warbler species.The only photo I’ve taken since I left Pierre, a Roadrunner at Bosque del Apache NWR.
I was very optimistic about photographing the aurora borealis last night. Earlier in the day, Spaceweather.com and NOAA Spaceweather Prediction Center were forecasting a possible G3 class solar storm. Later in the day, that prediction was downgraded to G2 or G1. I went out and watched anyway, it was a clear night and the moon is rising later so the sky was dark. As soon as it got dark, I could see a glow in the north and then areas of brighter glow. To my eyes, it was not very impressive, but the camera caught good auroral activity.
Aurora borealis low on the horizon. Not much of a show but I was glad to see it anyway. Maybe tonight will be better. The sun is very active now. In this image, the Double Cluster can be seen in the upper right. The bright star rising just above the trees is Capella. Just a bit to the left of Capella is the tip of the state radio communications tower poking above the trees. As always, right click on the image and open in a new tab for larger view. Taken with a Canon 6D, Sigma 35mm f1.4 lens, mounted on an iOptron Sky Tracker, 30 second exposure at ISO 1600. A few days ago, a passing thunderstorm sparked a grass fire to my west. It didn’t last long, the rain put it out shortly after. A juvenile Townsend’s Solitaire on the roof of the outhouse in the Reva Gap Campground. Gray Hairstreak nectaring.
The last few nights have been clear and dark. This area has the darkest skies to be found anywhere in North America and it is pretty amazing at night with no moon. I can see the Andromeda Galaxy with no difficulty, even without binoculars. I set up the Losmandy G11 and used the 500 f4 for a dark nebula and a comet.
I will have to leave pretty soon. I have an appointment in Pierre Monday morning. It is going to be hot there!
This is comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS). It is an Oort Cloud comet with a very long orbital period, it probably took millions of years to arrive at our sun from its origin in the Oort Cloud. It is a very large comet, at about 11 miles diameter. It cannot be seen without at least a 6-inch telescope. In my image, a faint red nebula is visible to the left of the comet. Its current location is in the constellation Ophiuchus. I wanted to get more exposure, but I had to deal with some tall trees that obscured it shortly after it got dark enough for photography. LDN 1082, a dark nebula in Cepheus. It is also known as Barnard 150. Also known as the Seahorse Nebula. This is actually upside down, I flipped it so the “seahorse” shape is more obvious. The interstellar cloud is so dense that the light of the stars behind it and all other background emissions are completely absorbed. An active star formation takes place almost invisibly inside the nebula.Flip it again, and it looks like a person walking, maybe with a long cape. So, the Batman Nebula?While out for a walk a few days ago, this American Kestrel started hazing me. It flew over many times, not happy with my presence. I assume there were young nearby. More elk, a cow and young calf inspecting something. I had 8 elk pass by in just a few minutes. A pair of Trumpeter Swans that nested at the JB Dam. Two cygnets can be seen hunkered down on the nest. There are some Painted Turtles sharing the nest with the swans. A Spotted Towhee that posed nicely for me.
Yes, I’m still here. I drove into Buffalo today for some ice, groceries, water, and gas. My total expenses since June 17 have been about $250.00, so I’m living cheap for now. I will have to go to Pierre sometime next week. Last night the forecast on Spaceweather.com was for a geomagnetic storm and all I got was clouds in the north. I saw today that many people did see Aurora Borealis last night, as far south as Virginia. I’m sure would have too if it hadn’t been for those clouds. Tonight, will be clear, maybe I’ll get lucky.
The number of elk here is pretty amazing, considering that just a few years ago, there were none. I’ve seen more elk than deer this summer. Apparently, Game, Fish and Parks is having a season on them this this fall, I’ve talked to a couple of people who have licenses and are planning a hunt.
One of the many elk I’ve seen or captured on my trail cams. I had five of them go by at this setup, not a very good angle. It is hard to find a good spot to set a camera, if the grass is too tall or if there are too many tree branches in the view, every time the wind blows the camera takes a 10 second video. Sometimes I will have several hundred videos to sort through. I have to pick a spot with short grass and no nearby tree branches, and also where no one is likely to see the camera and take it. Since I’ve been here in the Slim Buttes, I have captured coyotes, a porcupine, deer, the five elk, and a few Wild Turkeys. Once a House Wren landed in front of the camera and was checking it out. I’ve seen some mountain lion sign and am hoping to catch one of them on camera. A Red-eyed Vireo, the bright spot behind its head looks like a halo. There was a family group, two adults and three young. I think I was the first human being the young ones had ever seen. I set up the black light again, a few nights back. This is Argyrostrotis anilis, Short-lined Chocolate. First South Dakota record for BugGuide and Moth Photographer’s Group. Hesperumia sulphuraria, the Sulphur Moth. Mostly a western species with scattered records across eastern North America. Another first for South Dakota. Mulsantina picta, the Painted Lady Beetle. First one I have ever seen and a first for BugGuide in South Dakota. I see a few records in iNaturalist, all in western South Dakota.
I haven’t moved. The weather has been stormy and wet, one storm dropped a lot of hail, but it was small hail. It rains almost every day, but I am not seeing any mosquitoes. No ticks either, I’m not sure why, this area is usually very bad for ticks. Not that I miss them, I can go hiking anywhere off the trails and roads and not get loaded with ticks. One result of that is that I finally confirmed nesting of Townsend’s Solitaire in the pine forests of Harding County. We have known that this thrush species is present and probably nesting, but it has never been confirmed. During the last South Dakota Breeding Bird Atlas (concluded in 2012) Townsend’s Solitaire was still unconfirmed as a breeding bird in Harding County.
I was walking through an area of thick pine near Red Cross Spring when I saw one, then two Townsend’s Solitaires. They acted like they didn’t want me there. I sat down and watched for about 30 minutes, finally I saw one of them fly to the ground and not back up. I walked over to where I saw the bird fly down and still did not see it. Finally, I noticed a dead pine branch with brown needles hanging over a log, I approached that, and the bird flew out. There was the nest! This is the first time I’ve found a ground nest, in the Black Hills I always find this species nests on cutbanks and rock ledges. Another view of the Slim Buttes about a mile south of my campsite. I have heard about Elk becoming established here in the Slim Buttes. I have seen tracks too, but this is the first Elk I’ve seen. There were five of them, all very wary and quickly disappearing. Weidemeyer’s Admiral on a pine branch. The left wing was really beat up, so I chose this shot.
I’ve been here since Monday now and haven’t seen anyone except my brother Ted, who stopped by yesterday. He maintains State Radio communications towers in western South Dakota and there is a tower about a mile north of where I’m camped. We had a short visit before he had to get back to work. I’ve been spending my mornings on the cliff behind camp, photographing the Prairie Falcons and White-throated Swifts that are here every summer. The great photo of a White-throated Swifts still eludes me, but I keep trying.
My campsite, on a dead-end spur road off the North Divide Road, Slim Buttes. I get pretty good shade most of the day and can still keep the solar panel in the sun. If anyone wonders why the hood of the truck is slightly up, I put some mouse traps in the engine every night, I don’t want rodents chewing on the wires. A hundred and twenty feet west of my camp, this is the view looking west. Prairie Falcon giving me the evil eye. Well, this isn’t too bad, but I’m still waiting for that one really great shot. The swifts are very fast and always changing course. My best hope is to get one in the frame while still quite far out, focus and track until it comes closer. Sounds easier than it is! A Prairie Falcon is almost no challenge compared to these little speedsters.
I decided to leave the Black Hills. The National Guard left the meadow at my favorite camp site, so I moved there on Friday. While coming down the hill from my alternate site, the hitch jack caught on a rock and was bent. It still works but at an angle. Not an ideal situation. I can buy a new one and it should not be hard to replace (I already had to replace it once when it got bent in a gas station exit in Glasgow, MT years ago), but the bracket it mounts on may be bent too. I won’t know until I take it off. For now, it is functional. Anyway, I got set up at my site, hadn’t been there more than an hour when a Hahn mechanical tree processor came rumbling up the road, obliterating trees next to the road. I talked to the guy running it, he said there would be a bulldozer coming through next and then they would be hauling logs out on that road. Well, I knew this might be coming but I hoped it wouldn’t. I can’t put up with that kind of noise and I wasn’t about the take Scamp back up the hill that had just damaged it. So, this morning I packed up again and headed north, to the Slim Buttes. I’m here now, on the North Divide Road, camped on a dead-end spur road. Very quiet. The area has had a lot of rain and I worried that the mosquitoes might be bad but so far, I haven’t seen any.
One morning I was hiking in Hell Canyon when I came across a herd of Bighorn Sheep. This one was close, in the shade with a sunlit background. I watched for a while then it proceeded across the trail and up the canyon side. Here’s the rest of them, waiting to see what the other one was going to do. They all followed. One morning at Baldwin Spring, this Ovenbird hopped up onto a branch just a few feet away. I’ve had them do this before but as soon as I moved the camera toward them, they always took off. This one let me get one shot. This is nearly full frame. First time I’ve imaged an Indra Swallowtail on a flower. This one is nectaring on Wall Flower. The angle works out well in this situation as the butterfly was really beat up on the hind wings. A Two-tailed Swallowtail in the mud at Baldwin Spring.
