It has been WAY too hot to hike anywhere and Halpata Tastanaki Preserve doesn't have much shade at the beginning of the Pruitt trailhead so my visits have been few and far between this summer.
It's such a great place to go because you can always see some amazing sights!
The Sandhill Cranes were right where I parked.
I took the photos before I even got out of the Jeep.
And these horses were at the trailhead too, finishing up a ride.
I think this is a blackbird, maybe a Red Winged Blackbird.
But it was hard to tell with the patchy color on it's wings.
Let me know what you think about the ID. Thanks!
The preserve had some beautiful Pickerelweed down in the wet areas.
A wide sandy trail.
And I've seen a lot of birds chase Hawks but I don't remember seeing a Pileated woodpecker chase one. Maybe there's a nest of young woodpeckers nearby.
Thanks again for the wonderful comments on my Woodpeckers last week. I felt so encouraged reading such sweet comments. Being encouraged by blog friends is one of the joys of blogging, isn't it?
5 comments:
What beautiful photos these are!
The cranes are truly magnificent.
It's warm here again; we had a week of rain and a lot of wind, but now it's summer again, which makes walking more difficult for me.
I wish you a nice weekend.
Best regards Irma
I wonder if the bird might be a grackle? Their iridescent feathers are sometimes glorious in the sunlight.
I have never heard of pickeralweed! New wildflowers for me.
And sandhill cranes...I have never seen one of those either. What a giant bird. Some people say our famous Mothman was actually a sandhill crane that was somehow far from its usual habitat.
...Diane, thanks for showing me around. I was happy to see all of this from the comfort of our air conditioned house. Stay happy and cool.
Hello Diane :)
Wonderful captures of the Sandhill Cranes and pretty blue wild flowers.
Good shot of the woodpecker chasing the hawk away. What a brave thing to do, but something i have learned is that parent birds will do anything to protect their young. Nice shot of the mounted horses, and the trail. I think the black bird is probably a Red Winged Blackbird, only because I can't think of what else it can be.
Enjoy a happy weekend
Hugs
Sonjia.
Siempre haces unos reportajes preciosos, las grullas se ven muy lindas. Gracias y besos.
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