We left Minot early Saturday (6-24) for an uneventful – other than a portion in driving rain – trip to Dickinson in southwestern North Dakota. After setting up camp came a short ride to the southeast and the small town of Mott. This side trip wasn’t about birding or nature photography but rather to pay a visit to the town where my father had been born. It is still just a little old farm town nestled in among the alfalfa and wheat fields. It probably hasn’t changed that much in the ensuing years; even the old school built in the early 1900’s is still in use.

From Mott it was back north and west to make a first visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This area is North Dakota’s “Badlands” where much of the landscape has been sculpted over time by wind, glacial ice, as well as the waters of the Little Missouri River and its tributaries. I spent most of this visit on the 36 mile loop tour visiting prairie dog towns, looking for Bison, and, for the most part, marveling at the scenery.

Among the main attractions are the prairie dog towns and I could have spent more time with Black-tailed Prairie Dogs and their antics if it were not for the impatience of the white-tailed Black Lab that is my driving companion. There are at least 4 towns along the tour route in the park's South Unit and more along the hiking trails. This particular pose reminded me of someone and it took a while before I decided it was reminiscent of The Fonz (from the TV series Happy Days). They are cute, as I find more in my travels there is one thing they do I didn't capture this time that I am going to have to wait out next time I find a dog town.

On each of my three afternoon trips into the park I saw Wild Horses at various locations around the drive. One heard had about 8 or 9 in it, this colt was grazing just off the tour route with two adults. They are a bit rough looking for the most part, some look dirty and all have shaggy manes. It says in the park brochure that there were wild horses on this land when Roosevelt lived here - you have to wonder if they are descended from old Indian ponies, cavalry horses, or, maybe, both.

Then there are, of course, Bison (the Lakota Sioux name is Tatanka). These animals were nearly wiped out in the late 1800's and were reintroduced to this area (along with elk)in 1956. The National Park Service keeps the total number at around 300 head - which is about all the area can support (the park adjoins range lands and is, from what I could see, completely fenced. These are truly big animals and apparently don't care what you are driving, if they want to cross the road or just stand in it, they will. The first one I encountered was a huge lone bull and I didn't like the way he was looking at me. Then he started in with the grunting and I was thinking "Please, please don't poke holes in the side of my truck".

At least two large herds roam the South Unit, I believe I saw in excess of 125 head and there were a number of younger Bison in each herd. They are, as you can see, already grazing but will seek out mom for a little milk, too. That is when mom will let them - sometimes the mother would push them away when they tried, other times they would let them suckle. Among their favorite grazing areas are the prairie dog towns - a fact that the prairie dogs don't seem to like as they bark constantly. It's rather comical, really.

We have now moved on and are in Harding, Montana which is about 15 miles from the Little Big Horn Battlefield. The plan for the next view days is to concentrate on grassland birds and, with luck, I hope to stumble upon a herd of Pronghorn (antelope. (I have not had a chance to investigate fully but it appears I may have landed in my third - or is it fourth? - campground with nesting Western Kingbirds.)

Update: A pair of Western Kingbirds are bringing insects regularly to the Cottonwood tree about 8 feet from my trailer. I can see the nest but cannot see any little heads begging for food. This is not the same tree I saw activity around earlier so there may be more than one . . .