Mammoth in the Bad Lands Day 6

 Saturday 6/25

I'd planned to spend a second day at Chimney Rock because there was so much to see in the area. And there was--first we went in search of a wildlife preserve, which we found but there wasn't much to look at. Then we took a quick jaunt to the Wildcat Hills State Recreation area Area; then to Scott's Bluff; then back to the Wildcat Hills place because they had such an awesome bird blind. 

 

 

Turkey babies

 

 

 

 I saw several Red Crossbill--a LIFER!

Female (yellow)

 

 

Male

 

Pine Siskin, Turkey and chicks, House Finch----

 

Bluejay, Goldfinch, Spotted Towhee, Chickadee, Nuthatches--could it have been Pygmy Nuthatch? They definitely had white breasts and they weren't making the usual White-Breasted Nuthatch's call.  
LATER: YES! I looked at the photos I took, and they HAD to be Pygmy Nuthatch. And I double-checked the sighting on ebird. Another lifer for me!

Nature trail where the nuthatches were:

I was disappointed at Scott's Bluff. It wasn't the view that was lacking--that was superbly magnificent--but the pioneer inscriptions. Little did I realize that those old-timey people had scrawled their initials into crumbling sandstone that was weathering faster that the wagons could crawl. There was nothing left to see, except the rock. Cool rock though...what's left of it.

According to the placard, this steel post was even with the rock in 1933

After having spent so much time in the Canyon museum, I double-checked the museum that I'd marked on my "places to go" list. People spoke mostly of farm implements and early settler's artifacts, and we've seen so much of that kind of thing so many times before, it didn't seem worth the time or the admission price. So we skipped the museum, took the dogs back for their afternoon nap, and returned to see the *free* visitor center's film and their little exhibits. Not bad, and certainly worth the price of admission.

View from Scott's Bluff

No memory of the rest of the day, except that a cold front was pushing its way through making for a glorious sunset. I took Molly for a jog down to the Pioneer Crossing official museum (which was closed because it was after 5pm). We went on for a little under two miles, but then I got too chilly to stay outside and enjoy the celestial scenery for long.  It was an early night.