July 17
We had a great day here and the weather was perfect. We drove the 5.5 mile long auto-drive route that winds through both prairie
grassland and wetland habitats of the James River Valley on the lower portion.
the tall prairie was full of wrens which didn't cooperate by showing themselves
we did see a couple of deer run up the hill
Sedge Wren
Sedge Wren
unknown
Blue-winged Teal
Swainson's Hawk
Common Yellowthroat
Redhead Ducks - once again the ducks were too far away to get great photos
Redhead Duck
unknown
Yellow Warbler
unknown
An elevated observation deck along the route provided a view of the James
River and several managed wetlands.
American Coot
White Pelicans
Blue-winged Teal
We then passed into another area with cattle and soybean fields.
Vesper Sparrow in a soybean field
we didn't get a photo of the Grouse that flew out of the field
Eastern Kingbirdd
Bob-O-link male
Bob-O-link female
Clay-colored Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Pied-billed Grebe - immature
Swainson's Hawk
Redhead Duck
Redhead Ducks taking flight
Western Grebe
Redheads
we took a break to eat at the only restaurant we found in Pingree
sloppy joe & mac & cheese - it was all home-made
Horned Lark
Horned Lark
unknown
young Eastern Kingbird waiting for mom to feed it
Eastern Kingbird just fed her baby - the insect was gone very quickly
Ruddy Ducks
Northern Shoveler
unknown - maybe Blue-winged Teal
American Avocet
American Avocet in flight
American Avocet
American Avocet - juvenile
Stilt Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpipers
Wilson's Phalarope juvenile
Lesser Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
unknown
Killdeer
unknown
We did hear and see a lot of birds today. We had hoped to
see the Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, but none were seen. (we even circled back a
second time to their area) We should see Prairie Dog Towns at our next stop. We also have a few that we haven't figured out yet.
We saw several of the birds we hadn’t found yet in other
areas where we could have seen them. The Horned Lark, Bob-O-Link and a
Sharp-tailed Grouse.
Tomorrow, we are off to find more birds in a different area.
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