Swans
Sandhills
Badlands National Park not only boast beautiful scenery, but also plentiful opportunities to view wildlife. We met the Western Meadowlark, mule and white-tailed deer, bighorn sheep, and many prairie dogs. The Prairie Dogs are quite entertaining to watch…our favorite wildlife in the park. We didn’t spy any bobcat, coyote, pronghorn or bison. We heard a lot of coyotes. Here are a few shots of the wildlife we experienced.
Valentines Day 2014 was my last extended visit with the snowy of 180th and Hogan. My last few encounters I found her less on her perch atop the power poll and more just down the way (on 180th) around some irrigation parts strewn about the field.
She is a bit challenging to see unless you know where and what to look for. She blends in pretty well with her surrounding as nature intended. As you can see there is plenty of corn stock debris around for her to hunt.
Look really close; you can see her in the lower right.
I would venture to guess that 180th just outside of Vermillion, MN has not seen as much traffic in earlier years. I have driven 180th a few dozen times over the course of mid January to mid February. The above scene is not typical; usually you would see cars alongside the road at some point. The high snowbanks that line either side of the road were a bugger to get over to get into the field. It wasn’t long and the farmer began to plow paths into the fields where the snowy would hang out – that was pretty nice and I know, I, along with all other observers really appreciated that.
I’ve driven through the area a few times since, but have not spotted her. There has been significant snowfall since I last seen her. I’ve not had an opportunity to drive through during morning or midday; only late afternoon when she is typically off somewhere digesting/relaxing. She was in the area for over a month. Perhaps she has moved on. It was a wonderful experience to have seen this beautiful creature. A very welcome bit of excitement during this seemingly endless and cold winter.
Here are the my last shots of the little lady.
I have become quite enamored with these snowy owls. I spent 4 hours today in the freezing cold observing and photographing them. I am not the only one, as you can imagine. There were over a dozen at one point – people came and went throughout the day. I think the scene peaked at 16 people or there about. Most with cameras, some with field glasses and still other observed with their naked eyes. The bitter cold will not hold a Minnesota completely at bay. A brief warming period in the car is always helpful to hanging in for the duration.
The encounter began like all others in my recent cue. The little lady perched atop a power pole as she scanned the fields far and wide. She paid little attention to myself and the other car at first. It was pleasant enough to observe her from the warm comforts of my car. It wasn’t long before more spectators arrived.
Those feathers must be 2000 grams thinsulate. She didn’t seem a bit affected by the weather. The modest 6-10 mph wind with just below zero temps kept a hat on your head and gloves on your hands. The weather wasn’t too bad as long as you dressed appropriately. I wore my most toasty cold weather clothes I own today and was as comfortable as could be. The right gear may be the difference between having a good time or a bad one.
I am very fond of the in-flight shots from today. She is magnificent in the air.
I think my favorite of the day was a quick peek-a-boo she gave me.
Here are the rest of my shots. Mostly of her feeding.
The little lady was out and about today. A raptor center employee informed me that the owl I have watched these last few days was female and weighed about 3 lbs. She has been in the area for about 3 weeks. There is no telling how long she will stay. It was bitter cold in the wind this afternoon. Little lady wasn’t loving it either as she hunkered down out of the wind behind some irrigation equipment parts. It appeared as though she was hunting among the corn stock debris in the field.
I was shocked to learn that 70% of these birds that were pushed out of their normal range will likely not survive the trip back North. It may be tinkering with nature, but I don’t think it is all bad to supplement her normal diet some with a few juicy white mice. The raptor expert agreed and ventured to guess that is will help her odds of surviving some. This little white-feathered-mouse-killing machine is growing on me some.
Here are a few more shots from this afternoon’s encounter. All taken with my trusty Nikon D60 and Tamron 70-300mm f/4-f/5.6. Nothing fancy folks. There were other boys and girls there with their big bazooka lenses. They were nice and shiny, but heavy and held alongside the road. There is something to be said for light and mobile and the ability to move quickly.
I was out owlin’ a bit more this afternoon. It got all Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom out there; the only thing missing was Marlin Perkins. Remember him? I loved that show as a kid.
Live mice on the scene this afternoon. The snowy owl was all over the first one released; I barely had a chance to raise up my camera and focus. They are fast fast fast.
Num num num num num. Gulp.
Ah…happy tummy.
They are graceful and swift flyers. What beautiful creatures they are. I feel very fortunate to have not only been in their presence, but also capture them.
Snowy Owl. I finally ran into one on my way home from work. They are much easier to spot with six cars parked around them 🙂
Turkey Jam.
Two Trumpets. I was traveling for work the other day. On the way home I happened to catch these two swans flying out of the corner of my eye. I followed them for a good bit until I found a road that turned to cross their path. The rest was simple – hurry up and wait. It wasn’t long.
