South Dakota Birds

American Redstart
Bald Eagle
Belted Kingfisher
Black-headed Grosbeak
Bluejay
Blullock's Oriole
Canadian Geese
Canadian Jay
Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Chickadee
Common Yellowthroat
Dove
Golden Eagle
Goldfinch
Grackle
Gray Jay
Great Blue Heron
Great Horned Owl
Great White Egret
Grouse
House Finch
House Wren
Junco
Killdeer
Lazuli Bunting
Magpie
Mallard Duck
Mountain Bluebird
Northern Goshawk
Nuthatch (red-breasted)
Nuthatch (white-breasted)
Osprey
Ovenbird
Peacock
Pelican
Plumbeous Vireo
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-Winged Blackbird
Red Crossbill
Robin
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Seagull
Sparrow (House)
Sparrow (White-crowned)
Sparrow (Song)
Starling
Towhee
Townsend's Solitaire
Tree Swallow
Turkey Vulture
Warbling Vireo
Western Meadowlark
Western Tanager
Wild Turkey
Violet-Green Swallow
Woodpecker (Downy)
Woodpecker (Hairy)
Woodpecker (Red Headed)
Woodpecker (Northern Flicker)
Woodpecker (Red-Naped Sapsucker)
Woodpecker (Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker)
Yellow Headed Blackbird

Part 1: Rapid City Birds (skip to Part 2 - Black Hills birds)
These are all birds that have visited our backyard in west Rapid City.
Many of the birds live in the neighborhood, and many are regular visitors during different parts of the year.

Western Tanager
Western Tanager   Western Tanager

Western Tanager   Western Tanager


Tanager and Robin songs are similar, maybe why they were hanging together?...
Western Tanager and Robin

Robin
Robin   Robin

Blue Jay
Blue Jay   Blue Jay

Red Breasted Nuthatch
Red Breasted Nuthatch   Red Breasted Nuthatch

Red Breasted Nuthatch

White Breasted Nuthatch
White Breasted Nuthatch   White Breasted Nuthatch

Chickadee
Chickadee   Chickadee

Chickadee

Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing   Cedar Waxwing

Catbird
Catbird   Catbird

Lazuli Bunting
Lazuli Bunting   Lazuli Bunting

Dark-eyed Junco
Junco   Junco

Junco   Junco

Bullock's Oriole
Bullock's Oriole   Bullock's Oriole

Dove
Dove   Dove

Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker   Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker   Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker
Northern Flicker   Northern Flicker

House Finch
House Finch   House Finch

Goldfinch
Gold Finch   Gold Finch

Black-headed Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeak   Black-headed Grosbeak

Grackle
Grackle   Grackler

Sparrow
Sparrow   Sparrow

White-Crowned Sparrow
White-Crowned Sparrow   White-Crowned Sparrow

Starling
Starling   Starling

Towhee
Towhee   Towhee

Red-Wing Blackbird
Red-Winged Blackbird   Red-Winged Blackbird
(Female) Red-Wing Blackbird
Red-Winged Blackbird

Red Crossbill
Red Crossbill   Red Crossbill

Red Crossbill

bird killer! (Northern Goshawk)
Northern Goshawk

Part 2: Black Hills South Dakota Birds


(The next group of photos were taken in The Black Hills except
the Pelican and Great White Egret were taken in central SD.)

Canadian Geese
Canadian Geese

Mountain Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird   Mountain Bluebird

Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle   Bald Eagle

Great Blue Heron
Blue Heron   Blue Heron

Osprey
  Osprey

Fledgling Herons being harrassed by an Osprey
Osprey   Osprey

Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroat   Common Yellowthroat

Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle   Golden Eagle

House Wren
House Wren   House Wren

Gray Jay or Canadian Jay
Gray Jay   Canadian Jay

Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl   Great Horned Owl

Great White Egret (central South Dakota)
Egret   White Egret

Grouse
Grouse   Grouse
Grouse

Red-tailed Hawk
Hawk   Hawk

Killdeer
Killdeer   Killdeer

Belted Kingfisher
Kingfisher   Kingfisher

Magpie
Magpie   Magpie

Mallard Ducks
Mallard   Mallard

Tree Swallow
Swallow   Swallow

Violet-Green Swallow
Violet-Green Swallow   Violet-Green Swallow

Western Meadowlark
Meadowlark   Western Meadowlark

Pelican (central South Dakota)
Pelican   Pelican

Red Headed Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker   Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpecker   Red-headed Woodpecker


Red-Naped Sapsucker
Red-naped Sapsucker   Red-naped Sapsucker


Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker


Seagull (passing through?)
Seagull

Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture   Turkey Vulture

Wild Turkey (common and some rare brown wild turkeys)
Wild Turkey   Wild Turkey

Yellow Headed Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird   Yellow-headed Blackbird


We've just recently (2024) ID'd these next birds in the Black Hills using the phone app, "Merlin" from Cornell University.
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Chipping and Song Sparrows, Pine Sisken, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Warbling and Plumbious Vireos,
Townsend's Solitaire, Ovenbird and the American Redstart - all birds we were previously unfamiliar with - other than their songs,
which we can now put faces with. Many of the birds are often heard but rarely seen because they are so small.
The app listens and tells you what birds it hears. Then, from its data base, you can play that bird's songs back
which calls them over to you in many cases!
All these ID'd birds responded to calling back to them, some getting close enough for a photo.


Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is as small as a hummingbird with a loud song from such a tiny bird.
It occasionally displays a red crown that is barely visible in the photo.
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

American Redstart
American Redstart   American Redstart

American Redstart   American Redstart

Warbling Vireo
Warbling Vireo   Warbling Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Plumbeous Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo

Ovenbird
Ovenbird   ovenbird

Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow


Townsend's Solitaire
The somewhat nondescript Townsend's Solitaire makes up for its lack of color with songs that would win contests.
Some of its songs are very long and complex with an impressive vocabulary of chirps, warbles and tweets.
Townsends Solitaire   Townsends Solitaire




And finally,
"Miles" was the neighborhood Peacock in Cleghorn Canyon
Peacock   Peacock



Conspicuously absent is our South Dakota state bird, the Ring-Necked Pheasant.
We're still waiting to be in the right place at the right time for a good photo!


More to come!



Here's a link to some of my wildlife photos taken over the years:

South Dakota photo gallery link banner





Comments, corrections and inquiries welcome

EMAIL:






All these birds were brought to you by the creator of Classic Radio Gallery.
Visit the radio museum for a trip into the past...

Classic Radio Gallery logo dial


Copyright © MMabbs