Prairie Wildlife Photos

These days, I'm busy working on the final draft of my historical romance, Emma's Outlaw, so I thought I'd give you some photos to check out. They are all of prairie wildlife in my area.

Do you remember the afternoon JJ and I sat in the van on the empty dirt road with the suspicious looking dynamite box and waited for the Mountie? Well, these cowbirds kept us company.

I had this photo in mind and just needed to wait for the cowbird to take flight.

I waited.

And, I waited.

Then, I almost missed it because my arm was getting tired holding the camera in position and the bird decided to take off at the same moment I lowered the camera.

About a quarter mile away on the same road but on a different day, I glanced at this familiar old bridge and saw a mule deer hiding underneath. As soon as my mind understood what I'd seen, I backed up to get a photo. The buck was still there--so still--that I thought it was a wooden silhouette like the ones I saw on hilltops along the highways in Wyoming last Sept. He was real, though, because we saw him move his head a few times.

This photo was taken on Hwy 48 around 8pm at the end of June. I was aiming for the reflection of the steel collar and was fortunate to find a yellow-headed cowbird in the close vicinity. You have to look close, but he's on a cattail on the right side.

The barn swallows are dive-bombing me on the way to my office in our renovated garage and when I look up at the nest, I can see open beaks patiently waiting. I'll try and get a pic of that for you for next time.

Do you have these prairie birds and mule deer where you live?