16 
THEY AUD U BiOwN BLUR Eee 
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A WHITE-WINGED JUNCO? 
by Emma B. Pitcher 
Have yyou ever seen a White-winged Junco? Not unless you ve 
been to the Black Hills of South Dakota, since tt’s the one bird 
species endemic to that area. These 6,000- 7,000- foot high 
mountains, which comprise a National Forest of some 4,5V0 
square miles, may not provide as exciting new birding oppor- 
tunities as Texas or the west coast, but they are only two days 
easy drive from Chicago. We went in late June last year when 
the prairies were very green and every pothole on the way shel- 
tered tempting flocks of gulis and ducks. Our list totaled about 
60 birds, 17 of which wete new to us. 
We chose to stay in the northern part of the mountain 
area, between Lead and Deadwood, and took trips out in all 
directions from our base at “Calamity Jane.’’ The plethora of 
people and commercial tourist attractions can be avoided if you 
drive mostly on side rcads where cars can't go over 30. If you 
really want to be alone, just take to your hiking boots! The 
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Special Publication #1 
Birds of the Black Hills, by Pettingill and Whitney, was our 
constant companion. An inexpensive paper-bound book, it has 
maps, topographical and ecological information, well-annotated 
species information, and tdeas of where to look for what birds. 
Canyon Lake Park on the outskirts of Rapid City was a 
good introduction to joys to come. The gigantic old cotton- 
woods sheltered such close friends as Flickers, Downy, Hairy and 
Red-headed Woodpeckers in quantity. But suddenly, even thril- 
lingly, there came a stunning, colorful WesternI anager, our 
first. A Mallard with three young floated easily on the lagoon. 
and a female Mallard was perhaps brooding in a neat and 
dainty feather-lined nest tucked inconspicuously amidst huge 
surfaced tree roots. Western Wood Pewees and Eastern King- 
birds darted out in the intermittent drizzle and a Red-eyed Vireo 
changed monotonously from the tall tree tops. 
From here on, I will list what we saw in the order roughly 
approximating the A.O.U. Check List: In the mountain area 
proper, a sleek immature Great Blue Heron fished all one sunny 
afternoon in an isolated beaver pond in a beautiful high meadow 
near Cement Ridge Lookout. Seventeen Common Egrets were 
feeding in one large swampy area north of La Crosse, Wis., on 
our return journey. A Turkey Vulture, a male Marsh Hawk and 
one of the smaller falcons sailed over the steep cliffs of Spearfish 
Canyon. We were at an unexpected disadvantage because much 
of Spearfish Creek had been drained and heavy road machinery 
had been operating in the Canyon all spring. Since the road was 
