Palindrome Sunday Outing in Cherry County

A drive through the country on 02/02/2020 followed a route to and from Valentine by traversing Highway 97, the Brownlee Road, through Goose Creek valley and then northward along the South Wood Lake Road to Highway 20 and back to the Heart City.

At Merritt Reservoir, there were a couple of adult Bald Eagles on the southern edge, and they were near to more than 100 Common Mergansers foraging amidst the open water. Just to the south, there was a skitty bunch of Townsend's Solitaire and a few Mountain Bluebird which had been perched but then flew away a distance beyond our view. Further along, along the northern portion of the Brownlee Road, there were a surprising 21 Trumpeter Swan gathered at Packingham Lake, and this was a surprising number.

A next stop was to appreciate the hilltop view of southerly Wamaduze Valley with red angus and a few horses westerly beyond the top of the dunes. There was a view skyscape as well. This spot along the Brownlee Road is always has a nice landscape perspective.

Snowscape of Wamaduze Valley with a view of the horizon on a fine day. It was partly cloudy, the temperature reached 50o and winds were moderate, thus not bothersome!

Snow in a blowout atop a hill on the eastern side of the valley.

The best bird sighting of the day was a Northern Goshawk atop a tree on the Brownlee Flats, near the village of Brownlee. The bird was seen to fly into a cedar planting, so we drove north up another road to see if a better view might occur. The notably large bird then flew and landed on a branch perch. It was given special attention because of its size. Gordon Warrick was able to get a good picture and features of the immature goshawk were especially notable and made it possible to get a positive identification. This species is rare in the area and it has been about two decades since the last record and that was a bird present along the Niobrara River in Cherry county.

Dead Swan in a Meadow

A dead swan was seen in the meadow just north of the South Wood Lake Road, about four miles southeast of the intersection with the Skull Lake Road, and very obvious from the adjacent road. The dead swan was nearly directly beneath the powerlines present. The carcass seemed very fresh with no predation evident and the feathers mostly "normal." The only aberration was the complete removal of all feathers on a portion of one leg. It appears that it was a clean cut, as if it was done using a knife. Perhaps someone had removed a band?

Dealing With Water Along the Brownlee Road

At one spot along this hard-surface county road there was an apparent road repair. There was digging done in the road-side ditch, with the excavated dirt thrown on the adjacent slope leaving a rough surface. No attempt had been made to smooth dirt surface or to ensure suitable growing conditions for native vegetation that could inhibit erosion. A culvert had been placed under the road. These efforts were made to improve drainage of what would be identified as excess surface water.

There had been no effort to smooth the dirt either on the slope of the hillside or along the sides of the ditch. Also the repair of the road surface was very "sloppy." County workers would likely convey the excuse for the condition being the cold weather which would thwart any dirt work due to frozen ground. What ever, further work is needed to ensure the work was done in a more suitable manner.

Along the South Wood Lake Road, there were several places where road conditions were very muddy and the road surface was very rutted with deeper spots having standing water. Where some rock had been spread, the roadtop was still in a deteriorated condition. The situation would certainly make repeated travels along the route a traverse frustrating as it would be wrought with unsafe conditions and causing a great mess on any vehicle, as well as repeated wear on people and equipment. When frozen, it must be a rough ride.