Egad ! ! ! !

My morning started out normally enough with chores beginning around 6:15 and ending about 45 minutes later. However I got a phone call at 9:30 telling me there was a large hawk or eagle sighted crossing the road near the town of Burlington and it had an obvious broken wing. I got things together and was on the road before 10:00. Unfortunately I forgot to ask one very important question of the lady who called..."which side of the road was it seen on?" As she was on the way to church she didn't stop and gather the bird up. By the time I got there and realized what I hadn't asked she had her phone turned off. I drove along the road and scanned both sides at the place she said the bird was seen. I also got out and walked the fenceline. To no avail. At noon I headed home as I have two dogs that needed to go outside.

Right after I got in the door this nice lady called after she turned her phone on and got all my messages. She gave me detailed information but unfortunately I couldn't act on it right away as I was a couple hours late going to Red Lodge, MT to pick up an immature Spotted Sandpiper (see photo above). I headed up to the Nature Center, got that bird and came back to Cody. I let the dogs out again and headed back to Burlington. Unfortunately the field the bird headed into is a grain field and it was flooded as it's still a bit green and not ready to be harvested. I walked all along the fence both inside and outside. Then drove along another permiter fence to the back of the field. I walked that whole thing without seeing any type of raptor. I assume that the bird was either still in the middle of the field or had already passed through it and was someplace I couldn't get to or spot it. I left my number with the people living there and hope that I'll hear from them in time to save the bird.

When I finally got home I had added 293 miles to my little dark blue Ford Ranger and it was 6:30pm. Thank goodness for air conditioning as it's been a really hot day.