Racin' Roadrunner!

 Our encounter with two Roadrunners was fun today. While visiting our property the two walked and then ran across the road in front of us. I had never seen this bird actually fly, today was the day for this experience.  I found it interesting that when he started to take off I remembered the Roadrunner in cartoons I had watched on television as a kid. I love the red and blue color in his eye area. These birds love Texas and we are blessed to enjoy them.  I have seen them carrying their prey around in their beak showing it off proudly. They eat small snakes, frogs and such.  I hope you enjoy the photos!

Audubon's Warbler

 While traveling through Custer State Park my husband caught sight of this bird.  He immediately stopped and we started scouring the trees for the bird he had glimpsed.  He saw the color and we knew it was a Warbler but which one?  We kept following as the bird flitted from pine to pine. We lost him and them would see him again. I was finally blessed to capture a few photos of him. We discovered the bird was an Audubon's Warbler.  Wow! A new life bird for both of us. Exciting to say the least!

Mountain Bluebirds and Wild Turkey in the Badlands

The Badlands gave us beautiful photos of the male and female Mountain Bluebirds.  We watched as the pair flew back and forth gleaning insects and returning to their favorite perch.  We felt their nest was very close as they seem to be feeding their young.  We were mesmerized by their beautiful color and elegant beauty.  Our Eastern Bluebirds nest in our yard and we think they are wonderful. I do admit the Mountain Bluebirds color was more vivid . The Wild Turkeys walked out into the road about dusk. They did not seem to pay much attention to us and the group walked up a hill. We stopped and shot off a few photos as they passed.

Townsend's Solitare and Gray Jay

 Townsend's Solitare was a life bird for me. I first thought he was a Mockingbird.  Once I took in the prominent eye ring I knew this was not the case. Later I found the Solitare in my bird book for the identification. I photographed him on a tree branch close to a nesting place on the side of the mountain. He would fly from nesting area to the branch.  We went back another day and the nesting material was gone and so was the bird. We were sad! This was a busy area of the park and many tourists stopped at this tunnel. The Gray Jay was a funny experience. We were so happy to photograph him out on a branch. We had no idea that in a few seconds he would be so close we could have reached out and touched him. Our camera lenses as well as us were surprised.

South Dakota

We have enjoyed the beautiful wildlife of South Dakota for the last couple of weeks.  The yellow-bellied Marmot,Pronghorn, Lesser Yellowlegs, Coyote, and Western Meadowlark are just a few I will share with you in the next few posts.  The Grasshopper Sparrow sat on this sign waiting for us to pass by and take his picture! Each day has been an exciting experience never knowing what our eyes might be blessed to see.

Western Kingbird

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Western Kingbird

This beautiful flycatcher entertained us for half an hour or so.  We were walking near our campground enjoying the birds and surrounding area.  We kept seeing this little guy and followed him as he flew into a nearby yard.  The owner was enjoying his porch and was kind enough to allow us to enjoy the Western Kingbird as he flew back and forth to a tomato cage in the yard. We sat and were totally entertained as he gracefully flew into the air or to the ground, always returning with an insect in his beak.