A Golden Eagle taking flight.
I had a wonderful day yesterday birding the Fort Pierre National Grasslands in the center of South Dakota. Winter on the Grasslands can be downright spectacular for raptors, and yesterday was no exception. I saw at least 50 Rough-legged Hawks, at least that many Northern Harriers, 12-15 Ferruginous Hawks, a couple dozen Red-tailed Hawks, a Merlin, 5 or 6 Golden Eagles, a pair of Bald Eagles, and the highlight for me, 9 Prairie Falcons.
A brilliant sunny day…wide open spaces on the Grasslands…and raptors filling the skies, fenceposts, and telephone poles. I can think of few better ways to spend a day!! I still haven’t processed a lot of photos, but am working on putting photos from the trip on my website.
