Recent USA and North American Trips 7/9/21 to 7/10/21

6/30/21 – 7/12/21 We headed out west to see family and also did some birding! We hit CO, NV, ID, MT, ND before heading home once again. We loved seeing the Gunnison Sage-Grouse, Calliope Hummingbird, and Mountain Plover, while the Eared Grebes feeding and carrying their tiny chicks on their backs in ND was a definite highlight!

7/10/21 Nihill Rd., MT: A dusty grassland road filled with birds! We were searching and found a Mountain Plover . We were careful not to disturb the bird as it fed and preened, then finally flew off. We also saw a number of McCown’s Longspur , Brewer’s Blackbird , and Chestnut-collared Longspur .

7/10/21 Nihill rd., MT: Also: Wilson’s Phalarope , Western Meadowlark , Vesper Sparrow , Kildeer, Savannah Sparrow , Horned Lark (m,f with bugs) and with lots of youngsters , and Common Raven .

7/9/21 York Islands, MT: We stopped along the river to take a break from driving and found the trees quite active. A Tree Swallow pair had a nest hole, Yellow Warbler pairs were flitting about , and a Downy Woodpecker stopped by to check us out. Also: Common Nighthawk , Common Goldeneye (f), and American Robin .