North Dakota - Sparrow Hunt

I spent 3 days at Theo Roosevelt National Park. What a great place. As you travel toward it you are in rolling, green prairie when you drop over into the badlands. It is an eroded valley created by the Little Missouri River over time. It is very beautiful with multi colored cliffs, green trees and a sea of grass. This year has a lot of rain so I am lucky to see it green. The campground is next to the river. Read lots of bugs! But where there are bugs there are birds. Wow! There was a Oven bird in my camp ground, and a Red-headed woodpecker in the trees. The Oven Bied knows me. It says "teacher, Teacher, TEACHER!" Over and over. :)I walked about 2 miles out on the prairie to a prairie dog town and saw a heard of Bison with babies. I got longhorn cattle pictures also. I did not know they were on the verge of extinction. I got field sparrow, grasshopper, clay-colored, and bobolink as well as many other birds. Great pictures and recordings. The weather was windy and mild with a rain storm each night. I took highway 23 east from the park then 83 north to where I am in Minot, North Dakota. I am here for a week to bird with the class members. I met Sylvia and Jim this afternoon. We will have dinner together tonight. I bought a weather radio today. People suggest I get one. It is tuned to the National Weather Service only and I can turn it to the area I am in. This is tornado country so I guess it is a good idea. The campground I am in tells us to go to their basement in the event the town sirens go off. That is more fun than I want. Thank you! So here is hoping I do not need it. I am backed up to a pond with lots of cattails and birds so will go out and look. Take care. Donelda

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