Our recent birding trip to South Dakota focused on the northwestern corner of the state, an area of short-grass prairie. The birding there is wonderful, and the scenery matches that. I love the rolling hills and the huge expanse of sky out there. We had a couple of cloudless sunny days that week, but the land looked best when clouds accented the horizon and towered overhead. The light that comes with a dramatic sky is a photographer's wish well answered. Birding almost always puts you in a lovely place.

Storm clouds to the south of us, down toward Belle Fourche.

Gravel road stretched across prairie. This is the land of the Lark Bunting and the Grasshopper Sparrow.

After the rain, the rainbow, matching the scale of the land.