Date: 4/18/25 3:20 pm From: Michael M. Melius via groups.io <pingothenbingo...> Subject: [sd-birds] Some recent birds
Golden Eagles on nests are the highlight for me recently. Both are near public roads so I won't be too exact with their locations. One is between Fairburn and Buffalo Gap. I am curious to know if this nest has been used by eagles before this, so would like to hear from anyone who has nest records they could share from this area.
The other nest is fairly close to Rapid City, in Pennington Co. I think Red-tail's have used it in past years. Late this winter I stopped to look at it because there was some white plastic like a grocery bag up by the nest. This is at the top of a lone tree surrounded by prairie--what are the chances that plastic blew right to that place? But what bird would carry it there? Then in early April I found a big dark bird on the nest, with the plastic still there. I didn't stay long that time, and this week got a better look, definitely a GOEA.
Those old hawk nests are getting hard to find. In recent years April birding has involved a lot of checking old nests and finding them empty. Now I'm not even finding many old nests anywhere. I guess if there are no hawks to rebuild them year after year they gradually fall apart.
As other observers have noted, many species are getting hard to find. It's a short list of species I still find in some abundance--grouse and turkeys, vultures, and Icterids.
Still one has fascinating encounters with birds. I recently came close to two Blue Jays on a wooded slope in the Black Hills. They were unusually quiet, foraging I thought, but no they were gathering twigs for a nest, which I could tell they were just starting. Jay nests are not easy to find, in my experience.
I also saw a robin wing-clapping--under its body--one fine spring day as it descended into a cottonwood tree. I don't recall ever seeing that before.
In Hot Springs I've seen a Black-capped Chickadee with buff feathers on the wings and tip of the tail. It's buff, not white, and a notable amount, i.e. about an inch at the end of the tail is buff. I've searched online images and haven't found any quite like it.
