Late Friday afternoon was certainly the time for animal viewing at Maxwell State Park, southeast of Lindsborg. When we drove in from the east there was a small group of elk grazing on the south ridge. They were amenable to being photographed, so I set up and got started.
A few minutes later, as we continued west into the park, a procession of elk crossed in front of our car, heading north. They all assembled a short distance from the road and it was family photo time again!
After a while we drove down by the shore of the lake so Sparkle could get out and mark his territory. That’s when we spotted two different blue herons on the east shore of the lake. After I had finished taking their portraits, two more flew right overhead!
As the sun continued its descent we drove along the western boundary of the park, headed towards the exit. That’s when Sheryl spotted the barred owl, perched in a tree watching for food in the boundary between the grass and the road. In the past I’ve always found owls to be very skittish, but this one waited patiently for me to take a few good shots.
I’ve picked my favorites which are shown below (starting with my absolute favorite, the owl!) and of course there are more to be seen at my flickr Maxwell Critters set.
