Churchill Trip : June 23 - July 11, 2019

Part 1 - San Diego to Winnipeg

June 23: San Diego CA to Torrington WY

Day 1 was was about making progress. A fuel stop in Fillmore UT, and then on to Torrington WY. I was greeted there by a burrowing owl.

All packed!	Ready for departure	The Ivanpah Solar Power facility	Valley near Mt. Pleasant UT
Canyon of Lodore, Dinosaur National Monument	Approaching a storm cell near Medicine Bow	At Torrington Airport	cIMG_5458.JPG
Burrowing Owl	pIMG_5468.JPG	pIMG_5478.JPG	Mourning Dove
Swainson's Hawk

June 24: Torrington WY to Brookings SD

Hopscotching across the Great Plains

Approaching Alliance NE

Edge of the Badlands near the White River

Near Miller SD

June 25: Brookings SD to Winnipeg MB

The day started out nice in Brookings, but got progressively gloomier approaching the Piney Pinecreek Border Airport.

Nice day near Watertown SD	Not so nice near Thief River Falls MN	Piney Pinecreek Border Airport	Canadian customs ramp
Standing on the border	Approaching Winnipeg

June 25: Oak Hammock Marsh WMA

Oak Hammock WMA is about half an hour outside of Winnipeg, and is a prime birding area. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw what I thought was a pair of Northern Harriers... and one of them turned out to be a Short-eared Owl!

Goose crossing	Birders are a special category of slow.	American White Pelican	Purple Martin
pIMG_5508.JPG	Red-winged Blackbird (female)	Black Tern	pIMG_5520.JPG
pIMG_5526.JPG	pIMG_5532.JPG	pIMG_5537.JPG	Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird	pIMG_5573.JPG	Yellow-headed Blackbird (female)	Duck tunnel
Canada Goose	pIMG_5587.JPG	pIMG_5590.JPG	pIMG_5594.JPG
American Avocet chick	pIMG_5601.JPG	pIMG_5606.JPG	pIMG_5620.JPG
pIMG_5628.JPG	American Goldfinch	pIMG_5641.JPG	pIMG_5646.JPG
pIMG_5652.JPG	pIMG_5659.JPG	pIMG_5666.JPG	pIMG_5683.JPG
pIMG_5684.JPG	pIMG_5687.JPG	pIMG_5692.JPG	Killdeer
Killdeer chick	Juvenile Tree Swallow (?)	(?) Sparrow	Northern Shoveler
pIMG_5724.JPG	Feigning injury...	pIMG_5732.JPG	pIMG_5734.JPG
pIMG_5735.JPG	pIMG_5737.JPG	pIMG_5740.JPG	pIMG_5741.JPG
Greater Scaup (?)	pIMG_5745.JPG	pIMG_5755.JPG	Green-winged Teal
Crescentspot butterfly	Tree Swallow	Blue-winged Teal	American Avocet
pIMG_5808.JPG	pIMG_5812.JPG	Bald Eagle	Common Raven
Short-eared Owl and Northern Harrier	pIMG_5820.JPG	cIMG_5826.JPG

June 26: Hecla Provincial Park

The highlight of a visit to Hecla Island was finding a red fox family.

Harrison Ford was here	Gimli Glider Museum	Lake Winnipeg	cIMG_01316.JPG
Satyr butterfly	Milbert's Tortoiseshell	Mayfly	Damselfly
pIMG_5854.JPG	Whirligig beetle	Dragonfly	Silvery Blue
Ringlet	Hummingbird moth	pIMG_5885.JPG	pIMG_5889.JPG
pIMG_5897.JPG	Eastern Tiger Swallowtail	pIMG_5915.JPG	Common Goldeneye with chicks
Anglewing butterfly	pIMG_5949.JPG	American White Pelican	Bald Eagle
pIMG_5965.JPG	pIMG_5972.JPG	pIMG_5978.JPG	Red Fox kit
cIMG_5997.JPG	pIMG_6006.JPG	pIMG_6015.JPG	pIMG_6018.JPG
pIMG_6027.JPG	pIMG_6037.JPG	It's got a chew toy...	pIMG_6066.JPG
pIMG_6075.JPG	pIMG_6076.JPG	pIMG_6085.JPG	pIMG_6090.JPG
cIMG_6093.JPG	pIMG_6094.JPG	pIMG_6099.JPG	Stretch!
cIMG_6105.JPG	pIMG_6108.JPG	It's got a snack	Bufflehead (female)(?)
cIMG_6119.JPG	pIMG_6123.JPG	pIMG_6134.JPG	pIMG_6144.JPG
pIMG_6148.JPG	pIMG_6152.JPG	pIMG_6159.JPG	pIMG_6162.JPG
cIMG_6175.JPG	pIMG_6183.JPG	pIMG_6190.JPG	pIMG_6197.JPG
pIMG_6211.JPG	pIMG_6217.JPG	pIMG_6225.JPG	pIMG_6229.JPG
Common Loon (?)	Rough-legged Hawk (?)	pIMG_6236.JPG

June 27: Winnipeg

cIMG_6241.JPG	Royal Canadian Mint building	pIMG_6249.JPG	cIMG_6268.JPG
cIMG_6269.JPG	Handing by a thread	pIMG_6287.JPG	Manitoba Legislative building
Pool of the Black Star	Dome	Legislative Chamber	Grand Staircase

June 27: Oak Hammock WMA

After visiting a few places in downtown Winnipeg during the day, I spent the evening checking out Oak Hammock again. I managed to find the Short-eared Owl again, but not until after sunset.

Purple Martin	pIMG_6325.JPG	pIMG_6334.JPG	pIMG_6351.JPG
pIMG_6355.JPG	pIMG_6359.JPG	pIMG_6364.JPG	Killdeer chick
Blue-winged Teal	Willet	pIMG_6389.JPG	cIMG_6390.JPG
Green-winged Teal	American Avocet	Barn Swallow	Killdeer
pIMG_6432.JPG	pIMG_6436.JPG	Common Grackle	cIMG_6473.JPG
Monarch and Painted Lady	pIMG_6483.JPG	cIMG_6514.JPG	Short-eared Owl
pIMG_6547.JPG	pIMG_6559.JPG	pIMG_6564.JPG