First Year Gyrfalcon
County Line Road, Stanley County, South Dakota
November 28, 2003
This is the second gyr I've seen this winter of 2003-2004. Terry Sohl spotted this falcon on County Line Road and called me from his cell phone. The gyr flew to the west just as I arrived but I later managed to get a few photos from a distance, as it perched in the Pheasant Farm Gyr's favorite tree. If you want to see the good photos go to Terry's site: http://sdakotabirds.com/
We looked all over the area for the Pheasant Farm Gyr with no luck. I'm sure it's still around somewhere. Other raptors in the area: Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagle, Rough-legged Hawks, Prairie Falcon. There are lots of Greater Prairie Chickens in this area and a few Snow Buntings too. Location: 10 miles south of Fort Pierre on Hwy 83 then 6 miles east on County Line Road. At an old abandoned school the pheasant farm is visible to the south.