Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge

The quickest way to the grandchildren in Colorado from Bluff Country is south on I-35 to Omaha and the west of on I-80 across Nebraska and eastern Colorado. After the umpteenth time on this route only two things can be said - BORING & HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC. Thus, we alternatively have tried other routes such as I-90 to the Black Hills and then kitty-cornering south west across Wyoming or other two-lane east-west highways across Nebraska.


The later brought us to the famous and scenic sands hills of Nebraska and the small town of Valentine. There we spent a night and also visited the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife refuge. Are you a birdwatcher? If so there are more than 240 species of birds for you to see at this refuge. There are also elk, bison and deer.

Just observing the wildlife that roam the area, is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy seeing nature at it’s most beautiful. The river is one of countries top wild and scenic canoeing destinations. We had just a couple of hours before dark so we did the self guided auto tour.... all to ourselves.



















The auto route took us over and thru the dry sands hills. Here we saw scattered small herds of bison.

Then came a real surprise. Coming over a small hill, I noticed some rather unusual birds perched atop the fenceposts that contained the bison.

From a distance, it was hard to tell what they were, but one thing was clear ..... they had long legs. Shorebirds? In the middle of a dry prairie? Not too likely, I thought. Still, shorebirds are not something I see very often. They all scattered into the short grass as we approached in the car. I pursued on foot. Well, to make a short story even shorter, the were upland sandpipers. A "lifer" for me!



16 comments:

  1. I especially like the bison pics TB. It sounds like a lovely route to take.

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  2. Oh, to see buffalo in their natural setting.... I really like the shot of the one on the hill.

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  3. Sounds like my kind of place! Wish I had the time to cross-country drive again, like I used to when I was in college and grad school. So many cool things to see and do! Thanks for the trip report.

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  4. The piper is a new one to me, never seen or heard of them. They do look like a bird you would see on a beach somewhere. The bison photos are great. Imagine what it must have been like when herds stretched as far as the eye could see.
    Marnie

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  5. Thanks for the brief tour. I'm guessing you will post about other things along the road. Hope so. No long road trip for us this year so I have to get my fix on blogs. That piper certainly is a curious find. Maybe it blew in with the last hurricane and decided to stay.

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  6. Great alternate route. I loved the photographs, and you got a lifer as well.

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  7. great pic of the sandpiper! I have my new lens and starting to work on using it. I posted my first bird pics today.
    Jeanie Oliver

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  8. What a cool place! I'm glad you got a chance to visit there and share the photos with us.

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  9. Nice trip - great shot of the sandpiper - I've never seen that kind before!

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  10. What an unexpected treat to see the sandpiper!

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  11. Wonderful photos of the bison and the sandpiper! That sandpiper was especially a beauty!!

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  12. A sandpiper..go figure.. how cool was that!!! Great photo too!! What an eye you have to have noticed him among all those tall grasses! I, too, like the bison pictures..and would love to see them in their nature surroundings. Such impressive animals!! It's so nice you try and find new routes and new sights to see on your trip to see the grandchildren!!

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  13. Nice post. I made a note of the name of the NWR...maybe some day.

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  14. WOW, TB, what a beautiful bird. We too despise driving on the interstates--and only do it when necessary. We love the back roads even if that makes the trip longer. It truly is amazing what one can see when traveling the back roads. You found a treasure in Nebraska... WOW!!!!

    Hope you are having a great week.
    Betsy

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  15. We have those (supposedly) but have yet to see a "shorebird" perching in the prairies. Congrats on the find!

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  16. Lucky you....the Niobrara has been on my "to be paddled" list for some time :)

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