Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM
I got the question, did you see a lot of birds up in the Dakotas? Not a lot, remember we were there in October, but we saw some birds we don’t have here in Iowa. I posted recently a photo of the Black-billed Magpie and that was the first time I was able to make a decent picture of this bird. In Custer State Park in the Black Hills we saw several Mountain Bluebirds. Mostly during our photo excursions early in the morning. They like to sit on fence posts or barbed wires and there are quite a few along the Wildlife Loop Road. First there is the fence that surrounds the landing strip of Custer State Park. As soon the sun appears above the mountain ridge the fence on the east side along the road is a safe bet to find Mountain Bluebirds. Further down the road, at the Buffalo Corrals, we were able to watch this attractive bird as well. This is where the second photo was made. In comparison to the Eastern Bluebird, that is very common here in Eastern Iowa, the Mountain Bluebird doesn’t havethe red on its underparts.
Nikon D750, Sigma 50-500mm / f4.5-6.3 APO DG HSM