We birded today mainly lakes from Whitewood to Bear Butte Lake, Newell Lagoons and golf course, Newell Lake, and return via Nisland slough and lagoons, and other lakes along Whitewood Valley Road. There were lots of waterfowl and we ended up with 15 duck species including FOS Blue-winged Teal. Raptors included Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel and one Golden Eagle. We had good weather today with temperatures reaching 75 F but also pretty gusty winds. The wind farm wind chargers NE of Newell were turning nicely. The repair work at Newell Lake is finished and you can again drive to the east side but the lake water level is quite low. We had several FOS sightings including lots of Tree Swallows at Bear Butte Lake, Cormorants and Loggerhead Shrike at Newell Lake, various sightings of Common Grackles, and several sightings of Greater Yellowlegs. My picture today is a Jackrabbit which was with 3 others Jackrabbits. Jackrabbits have been scarce for several years and this small group indicates they might be increasing in numbers. I believe Snowy Owl sightings are somewhat tied to the number of Jackrabbits available.
We had our FOS Morning Dove at Whitewood when we returned. In addition, the Lewis's Woodpecker was back.
