Bell's Vireo Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: I love these little guys, but don't get to see them all that often. South Dakota is the northern edge of their range, and they're not common in my part of the state. I often do find them when I head west, into the south-central or central part of the state. Note I say "find' instead of "see", as many times "finding" means I hear them singing from a dense thicket, but the only look I get is a glimpse as one flashes through a gap in the foliage. They're active little things, and tough to photograph even if they do come into the open! I am thankful to have gotten the photos below, including my favorite here, from July 5th, 2020 at a place just above Oahe Dam. Note many of my Bell's Vireo photos were taken in that same exact location, as they consistently return every summer.

Bell's Vireo - Vireo bellii


Bell's Vireo 1	Bell's Vireo 2	Bell's Vireo 3	Bell's Vireo 4
July 29th, 2007	July 29th, 2007	July 29th, 2007	July 5th, 2010
Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota	Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota	Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota	LaCreek National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota
Scruffy looking bird singing from an open perch on a sunny day	Scruffy looking bird singing from an open perch on a sunny day	Single bird perched on an open perch	Inquisitive vireo responding to a "pishing", perched on a bush

Bell's Vireo 5	Bell's Vireo 6	Bell's Vireo 7	Bell's Vireo 8
July 5th, 2010	July 5th, 2010	June 27th, 2015	June 27th, 2015
LaCreek National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota	LaCreek National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota	Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota	Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota
Profile of a lone vireo on the edge of a thicket	Singing Bell's Vireo on a bare twig	Partially shaded vireo in its dense bushy habitat	Singing Bell's Vireo on the top of it's bushy thicket home, on a sunny day

Bell's Vireo 9	Bell's Vireo 10	Bell's Vireo 11	Bell's Vireo 12
June 27th, 2015	June 27th, 2015	July 5th, 2020	July 5th, 2020
Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota	Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota	Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota	Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota
Singing Bell's Vireo on the top of it's bushy thicket home, on a sunny day	Bell's Vireo on the top of it's bushy thicket home, on a sunny day	Partially concealed bird foraging through a dense bush	Partially shaded bird foraging in its typical bushy habitat

Bell's Vireo 13
July 5th, 2020
Near Oahe Dam, South Dakota
Vireo perched on the edge of a brushy thicket