Fresh from the strip pits....

For the first time in ages, I had time to spend at the strip pits.  It is either feast of famine out there now. A few days ago, coming home from somewhere, we just drove through the strip pits...we had to really search to see a blackbird even.  Tonight I had barely turned in till I seen one of these dudes....a ring-necked pheasant.  Not this one...the first one I saw was gone in short order.  He was close to the road and took off running the minute I slowed down.

Before I forget, all these photos are definitely better if you click to expand the view.

And here is another hiding from me...when I tried to walk closer, he stood up and ran in the opposite direction.

These first two shots were cropped.  Notice the second one, look at the bush in the background.  See that grayish thing right there at the left side?  That is a short-eared owl.  They were out there tonight, but none were cooperating.  Most were farther away, and if not, I would be shooting straight into the sun so no pics of them.

At the pond that is right at the edge of the road, this is what I saw...sandhill cranes!

There was probably 75-100 of them...maybe one of these days this will be a stopping place for a large number of them.  The past three or four years, I have seen 3 or 4 or 5 a few times, so I was really excited to see this many!