Trip Report - June/July 2021
/I felt the need to get out of the condo and break my daily routine. The fires, drought conditions, and extreme temperatures made finding a “nearby” destination difficult. I decided to go to North Dakota. The optimal time for the spring migration was past, but I wanted to become more familiar with some of the locations I visited 3 years ago as preparation for subsequent visits to this birding region. E-bird reports indicated that, while not as plentiful as a few weeks earlier, birds were still in the places I planned to visit.
Day 1 - Highlands Ranch CO to Williston ND. I had dinner at Los Compadres Mexican Steak & Seafood Grill. To my surprise, Campechana was on the appetizer menu. I discovered Campechana at the Goode Company Seafood restaurant when we lived in Houston. It is one of my favorite dishes.
This is a photo of the Goode Company version.
This recipe for Campechana de Mariscos by Goode Company Seafood makes 8 to 10 appetizer-sized servings.
CAMPECHANA DE MARISCOS SAUCE:
1/4 cup green olives, chopped
1/3cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chile sauce
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped serrano pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup Clamato juice
VEGETABLES:
1/2 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 cup white onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
SEAFOOD MIX:
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1/2 cup new Mexican chiles, roasted, peeled and diced
1/2 pound shrimp, boiled and peeled
1/2 pound Texas Blue lump crabmeat
Mix sauce ingredients well and set aside.
Mix vegetables and combine with sauce mixture. Delicately fold in the seafood mix.
Serve in an ice cream sundae glass with warm homemade corn tortilla chips. Garnish each with a fresh bay leaf and finely chopped fresh jalapenos on the side.
This is a photo of the Los Compadres version. I had one half for lunch the next day.
Day 2. I visited the Medicine Lake NWR in Montana in the morning and the Lostwood NWR in ND in the afternoon.
Eared Grebe - Medicine Lake NWR in Montana - June 30, 2021
Olympus E-M1X camera with 150-400mm F4.5 TC @ 500mm
1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 250
Eared Grebe - Medicine Lake NWR in Montana - June 30, 2021
Olympus E-M1X camera with 150-400mm F4.5 TC @ 500mm
1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 250
Black Tern - Lostwood NWR in ND - June 30, 2021
Olympus E-M1X camera with 150-400mm F4.5 TC @ 459mm
1/1250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
Day 3. Williston to Jamestown with stops at Chase Lake NWR, home to one of North America’s largest nesting colonies of white pelicans. Numerous stops at some of the wetlands or “potholes,” between Chase Lake and Jamestown.
An enlarged version of the segment of my drive through the wetlands west of Jamestown.
A section of the Google Earth view of the pothole region shown in the previous map. Note the small roads that provide close views of the occupants of the potholes.
Western Grebes - ND pothole - July 2021
Olympus E-M1X camera with 150-400mm F4.5 TC @ 500mm
1/1250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400
Pied-billed Grebe on a nest - ND pothole - July 2021
Olympus E-M1X camera with 150-400mm F4.5 TC + MC-14 teleconverter @ 263mm
1/2500 sec at f/8, ISO 1600
Eastern Kingbird - ND pothole - July 2021
Olympus E-M1X camera with 150-400mm F4.5 TC + MC-14 teleconverter @ 642mm
1/4000 sec at f/8, ISO 1600
Day 4. Arrowwood NWR in the morning and back to the potholes in the afternoon.
