What a difference a day makes, for weather and birding alike! As expected, the Arctic front dipped across the Great Plains overnight and, this morning, a low, gray overcast stretched above the sandhills of western Nebraska and South Dakota as I set out for Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge; scattered flurries moved across the region and a brisk northeast wind, combined with an ambient temperature of 23 degrees F, produced a wind chill of eleven. Yet, as I approached the refuge, trumpeter swans appeared on several of the sandhill lakes and, as I entered the Lake Creek basin, massive flocks of sandhill cranes moved above the preserve, their distinctive calls echoing through the valley. The weather may have taken a turn for the worse but my birding luck had improved considerably.
Established in 1935 to protect wetland habitat for nesting and migrating waterfowl, Lacreek NWR lies in southwestern South Dakota, southeast of Martin; access roads enter the preserve from Route 73 on its western edge and from Route 18 to its north. The refuge has played a vital role in the reintroduction of trumpeter swans to the Great Plains region and now hosts 20-40 breeding pair during the spring and summer months; 200 or more winter on or near the refuge. A wide variety of migrant waterfowl visit Lacreek during the spring and fall migrations and its open grasslands are home to sharp-tailed grouse, ring-necked pheasants and a host of prairie songbirds; burrowing owls reside here during the warmer months, using abandoned prairie dog dens, and the refuge hosts one of the largest breeding colonies of American white pelicans in South Dakota.
In addition to the trumpeter swans and sandhill cranes, my visit today turned up sizable flocks of Canada geese and mallards, a mix of other ducks (including hooded mergansers and buffleheads), rough-legged and red-tailed hawks and several mule deer. A return visit in spring or late summer should be even more productive.
