North Dakota Birding Hotline Reports
April 2008
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 29, 2008.
A gull tops our report this week, but it wasn't found in Bismarck.
Mark Otnes had a quick look at an adult LITTLE GULL in breeding plumage on April 26. It was on the south side of Round Lake, just north of I-94 between the Sanborn and Rogers exits. On April 23, Mark saw a THAYER'S GULL north of the Fargo landfill. His journey to Barnes County on April 26 revealed YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS in many sheltered areas, plus LAPLAND LONGSPURS in open country and large numbers of common ducks. He adds that HORNED GREBES were abundant. Mark's other sightings included OSPREY and BROAD-WINGED HAWK at Valley City, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, SWAMP SPARROW, BROWN CREEPER, and five PURPLE FINCHES at Bald Hill Dam, GREEN HERON, HERMIT THRUSH, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, and BARN SWALLOW at Faust Park, CLARK'S GREBE and WILLET on the north side of Hobart Lake, and both WILLET and MARBLED GODWIT at Eckelson Lake. For more information, call Mark at 701-241-4194.
Dean Riemer discovered the first-cycle THAYER'S GULL north of the Fargo landfillon April 22. His other sightings that day included two CALIFORNIA GULLS, five HERRING GULLS, 500 RING-BILLED GULLS, and 57 FRANKLIN'S GULLS. Contact Dean at driemer@kwh.com.
Dennis Wiesenborn found many small songbirds on the ground near the northwest corner of Trefoil Park in north Fargo on April 24. He counted numerous YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS plus WINTER WREN, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, and RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, and heard a LARK SPARROW before seeing it near Oak Grove High School. On the Moorhead side, he encountered a flock of sparrows that included numerous WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, CHIPPING SPARROWS, and SONG SPARROWS, plus several SAVANNAH SPARROWS, VESPER SPARROWS, and LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, plus one SWAMP SPARROW. On April 22, Dennis saw one or two CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS on the Moorhead side, and reported that TURKEY VULTURES were appearing regularly. The HORNED GREBE that Dennis saw near the north Fargo toll bridge on April 26 was only his third in 19 years. He also found an OSPREY there. Other sightings that day included two BROWN THRASHERS, a SOLITARY SANDPIPER, BROAD-WINGED HAWK, two LARK SPARROWS, and a FOX SPARROW. Contact Dennis at d.wiesenborn@ndsu.edu.
Keith Corliss found a WINTER WREN in an unusual location on April 22. The bird was in a parking garage at Fargo's Hector Airport. For details, try Keith at koolhand@juno.com.
Connie Norheim spent some time in and near Trefoil Park in Fargo on April 29. She was amazed at the number of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in the snow, heard a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER calling repeatedly, saw BROWN CREEPER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, GREAT HORNED OWL on the nest, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and lots of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, singing WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, and CHIPPING SPARROWS. Connie is at 701-232-4386.
Rick Holbrook's feeders were popular with Fargo-area birds on April 24 and 26. He recorded HARRIS' SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, and OVENBIRD on the 24th, followed by a pair of LINCOLN'S SPARROWS and a SONG SPARROW on the 26th. Rick is at fholbrook@cableone.net.
Wanda Peterson saw two CHUKARS near the North Broadway bridge in Fargo on April 27, with a BROWN THRASHER in the same yard. She's at 701-293-6059.
Todd Larson's birding began even before he left his yard near Larimore on April 27. He and Tracey Reistad saw a WOOD THRUSH and a HERMIT THRUSH, plus eight sparrow species and a couple YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS before they headed into Nelson County. They saw two COMMON LOONS and a pair of COMMON MERGANSERS at Hillesland Lake north of Aneta, a few ducks and a RED-NECKED GREBE at Aneta Dam, BELTED KINGFISHER and two TREE SWALLOWS at McVille Dam. At a large marsh northwest of McVille, they added all five grebe species including 15 RED-NECKED GREBES, plus BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, HOODED MERGANSER, seven pairs of COMMON MERGANSERS, and at least 50 AMERICAN AVOCETS. For the day, they totaled more than 1,000 LAPLAND LONGSPURS. Near Lamb's Lake National Wildlife Refuge, they watched a flock of about 40 COMMON MERGANSERS. Todd notes that a ROSS' GOOSE has been in a slough hear his house for over a week. On April 28, he drove to Turtle River State Park, and found BROWN CREEPER, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BELTED KINGFISHER, PURPLE FINCH and a flyover AMERICAN BITTERN. For details, try Todd at 701-343-6483.
Magnus Elfwing saw the WOOD THRUSH near Larimore on April 29, as well as LARK SPARROW, three BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, and a COMMON LOON. He's at magnus.elfwing@gmail.com.
Dave Lambeth says more PEREGRINE FALCONS have been seen checking out water towers and other structures in Grand Forks. Dave's feeders were busy on April 26 thanks to the wet snow and strong winds. He counted one YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD--only the second in 13 years--two RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, 25 or more BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS, plus two SWAMP SPARROWS, five LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, two CHIPPING SPARROWS, 10 DARK-EYED JUNCOS, 25 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, and 10 SONG SPARROWS. On April 28, Dave saw an early Nelson's SHARP-TAILED SPARROW in some native prairie, while the English Coulee Retention Dam ponds held 50 TUNDRA SWANS, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, three SNOW GEESE, 10 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, 10 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, three HOODED MERGANSERS, 20 RED-NECKED GREBES, and COMMON LOON. Try Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com.
Eve Freeberg discovered a BREWER'S BLACKBIRD and EASTERN BLUEBIRD in Grand Forks County on April 23, followed by COMMON LOON, OSPREY and dowitchers on April 24, SWAINSON'S HAWK on April 25, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW on April 28. Call Eve at 701-741-8105.
Carl Stangeland birded the area below Jamestown Dam on April 28. He came up with WINTER WREN, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, SWAMP SPARROW, three BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, EASTERN PHOEBE, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, OSPREY, and BROWN CREEPER. For more information, try Carl at carlcs@daktel.com.
After hearing two or three reports, Wayne Easley was finally able to actually see a BURROWING OWL in Wells County, at the edge of a friend's driveway. For details, call 701-324-2344.
Ron Martin and Corey Ellingson saw the Wells County BURROWING OWL on April 25, and a lot more bird life in their travels through Wells and Eddy counties. They recorded three COMMON LOONS, 190 HORNED GREBES, CLARK'S GREBE, six RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, and a BLACK- BELLIED PLOVER at Goose Lake in Wells County, three OSPREY and what could be Eddy County's first AMERICAN WOODCOCK south of Warwick, 630 BONAPARTE'S GULLS in Eddy County, 12 YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS and a NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW in Eddy County, two BARN SWALLOWS and 10 BROWN CREEPERS; a SWAINSON'S THRUSH in New Rockford, PALM WARBLER in Eddy County and a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH in Wells County. Ron discovered a pair of CINNAMON TEAL at the Minot lagoons on April 24, and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at the same site on April 26--only the second record for Ward County. You can find Ron at jrmartin@srt.com.
Sherry Leslie saw the pair of CINNAMON TEAL at the Minot lagoons on April 28, and she added a WESTERN TANAGER while making a delivery to Minot. During an April 26 drive through Pierce, Rolette, Towner, and Ramsey counties, Sherry recorded 198 TUNDRA SWANS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, MARBLED GODWIT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, five FOX SPARROWS, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, two HERMIT THRUSH, 24 NORTHERN FLICKERS, PURPLE FINCHES, WHITE-FACED IBIS, three YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS, COMMON SNIPE, four SOLITARY SANDPIPERS, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, SONG SPARROW, and LINCOLN'S SPARROW. Contact Sherry at sherry_leslie@excite.com.
Ryan Shively reports a possible HUDSONIAN GODWIT just south of Douglas on April 25. He says the bird had orange markers and an aluminum band on its legs. Contact Ryan at ryan_shively@fws.gov.
Dan Ackerman saw two large flocks of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS soaring overhead when he was fishing Channel A of Devils Lake on April 19 and 20. He also reported numerous AMERICAN AVOCETS and MARBLED GODWITS feeding nearby. Try Dan at 701-330-5781.
Bob Peterson says the BELTED KINGFISHER is still at the Harvey Dam. Try Bob at kq9af@gondtc.com.
On April 26, Floramay Miller reported a HERMIT THRUSH in her Bismarck yard. The bird was back the following day, and she described it as an adult in full breeding plumage, and said it was a new yard bird.
Also from Bismarck, Rich Cunningham birded Sertoma Park on April 27, finding several RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, plus a SWAINSON'S HAWK perched near the zoo entrance. He's at richcunningham@bis.midco.net.
Diane Bingeman had a brief visit from a male and a female PURPLE FINCH at her feeders near Beach on April 24. She says the spacies isn't seen there very often. She's at 701-872-3256.
From the Badlands, Jesse Kolar's dad saw two pairs of LONG-BILLED CURLEWS about 10 to 15 miles northeast of Camel's Hump while turkey-hunting the weekend of April 19-20. Try Jesse at jekolar@hotmail.com.
April 25 turned into a five-warbler day for Corey Ellingson. After picking up four with Ron Martin, Corey continued on to Rugby, where he recorded a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER for number five. He also saw a SHORT-EARED OWL west of Wolford. On the following day, Corey saw four COMMON LOONS, 11 MARBLED GODWITS, seven YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS, three HERMIT THRUSH, BROWN THRASHER, and four FOX SPARROWS at Bisbee and at the nearby Big Coulee Dam. Corey covered the Munich, Langdon, and Mount Carmel Dam areas of Cavalier County later that day with Sherry Leslie. They recorded five RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, six COMMON LOONS, a flock of 20 WILSON'S SNIPES, at least 55 NORTHERN FLICKERS, 11 more YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS, four PURPLE MARTINS, three GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, nine HERMIT THRUSH, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, 26 FOX SPARROWS plus three more in Starkweather, 12 SWAMP SPARROWS, 11 PURPLE FINCH, and a SNOW BUNTING. On April 27, Corey joined up with Ron Martin again to bird Lakota and Red Willow Lake in Nelson County, Binford in Griggs County, plus Lake Juanita and Carrington Experiment Station in Foster County. They found GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, CACKLING GOOSE, COMMON LOON, CLARK'S GREBE, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, OSPREY, COOPER'S HAWK, BROAD-WINGED HAWK, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, EASTERN PHOEBE, BROWN CREEPER, WINTER WREN, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, and FOX SPARROW. For more information on those sightings, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com.
That concludes this week’s report from the North Dakota Birding Society.
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 22, 2008.
The first whooper report of spring, many other seasonal firsts, and lots more.
Wayne Easley passes along what he calls a "credible report" of three WHOOPING CRANES sighted four miles north of Bowdon on April 17. Sorry, no details. Wayne says fruit trees in Harvey have attracted a large flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS and a few BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. You can reach him at easley57@yahoo.com.
Ryan Shively had two great finds on April 21. He saw a WHITE-FACED IBIS on Johnson Lake Wetland Management District, which is located about seven miles south of Martin. At Goose Lake near Harvey, he recorded a pair of CINNAMON TEAL. You can reach Ryan at 701-442-5474 or ryan_shively@fws.gov.
New arrivals in Stutsman and Barnes counties include GREATER YELLOWLEGS at Ypsilanti, BROWN CREEPER and FOX SPARROW at Wimbledon on April 13, and a HOUSE FINCH building a nest in Jamestown on April 15. Larry Igl has more information at 701-253-5511.
People are still seeing the YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON in Valley City. It remained at the "little dam" on April 16, but Bob O'Connor found it at the Viking Drive bridge on April 19. He's at robert.oconnor@ndsu.edu.
Sherry Leslie saw the night heron in Valley City on April 17. She also found her season-first MARBLED GODWITS, along with GREATER YELLOWLEGS and LESSER YELLOWLEGS in Wells County. The following day brought Sherry to Sleepy Hollow Park in Bismarck, where she recorded an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, two COOPER'S HAWKS, AMERICAN KESTREL, and four RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. Back home near Burlington on April 19, she saw her first TREE SWALLOWS of spring. Contact her at sherry_leslie@excite.com.
Ellin Lindee recorded several YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in her northwest Minot backyard on April 20. But the strangest activity came on April 21, when two TURKEY VULTURES attempted to mate in and above their yard. For details, it's daveandellin@srt.com.
Charles J. Taft found an early SPOTTED TOWHEE in west Minot on April 21. A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW took a drink in the Taft yard on April 22. Contact Charles at cjtaft@mac.com.
Ron Martin reports a big movement of birds into the Minot area on April 14-15. He saw many FRANKLIN'S GULLS and AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS on April 15, and saw the number of EARED GREBES grow from four to 150, FRANKLIN'S GULLS jumped from three to 550 in that time, and the number of NORTHERN SHOVELERS went from 200 to 1,300. New arrivals on April 15 included PIED-BILLED GREBE, WESTERN GREBE, TUNDRA SWAN, BUFFLEHEAD, AMERICAN AVOCET, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, EASTERN PHOEBE, and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. On April 20, Ron observed ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and SPRAGUE'SPIPIT in McLean County, CHIPPING SPARROW, FORSTER'S TERN in the Turtle Lake area, WILSON'S PHALAROPE and CASPIAN TERN at Lake Brekken-Holmes, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and CLARK'S GREBE at Nelson Lake. On April 19, Ron saw a BONAPARTE'S GULL at Goose Lake near Harvey. Contact him at jrmartin@srt.com.
Bob Peterson saw a BELTED KINGFISHER at the Harvey dam on April 16. He reports a "normal supply" on ducks in the Heimdal area. Try Bob at kq6af@gondtc.com.
Mo O'Mara saw a TURKEY VULTURE as she crossed the Missouri River bridge near Buford on April 17. Try Mo at mo1_omara@yahoo.com.
From Beach, Diane Bingeman is seeing RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, COMMON GRACKLES, and MOURNING DOVES. She notes there are still 10-12 PINE SISKINS and a few AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES around the area. Contact Diane at bingeman@midstate.net.
Larry Nielsen believes MERLINS are nesting on the North Dakota State University campus in Fargo. He saw two separate birds in nearby spruce trees on April 14. Contact Larry at 701-232-3855.
Connie Norheim discovered a NORTHERN CARDINAL at the south end of Riverside Cemetery in Fargo on April 16. On April 19, she and Becky Oberlander saw COOPER'S HAWK, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, and CHIPPING SPARROW at Trefoil Park, EASTERN PHOEBE, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER ,and COOPER'S HAWK at Oak Grove Park, NORTHERN FLICKER, HORNED GREBE, EARED GREBE, TUNDRA SWANS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and FRANKLIN'S GULLS at the Fargo lagoons, and GREATER SCAUP at the Harwood lagoon. In a field north of the Fargo dump, they added HERRING GULLS and FRANKLIN'S GULLS. Call Connie at 701-232-4386 for details.
Rick Shaw visited the Fargo, West Fargo and Harwood lagoons on April 16. He reported a good variety and good numbers of waterfowl plus AMERICAN KESTREL, RED-TAILED HAWK, WESTERN MEADOWLARK, and VESPER SPARROW. Try Rick at ricknsu@cableone.net.
Keith Corliss saw a pair of WILSON'S SNIPE over the Fargo landfill on April 16. During a two-hour run with Mary Alice Bergen through Fargo and West Fargo parks and lagoons on April 18, they saw TREE SWALLOW, CHIPPING SPARROW, SAVANNAH SPARROW, VESPER SPARROW, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, HORNED GREBE, AMERICAN WIGEON, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, and ROSS' GOOSE. Two nights earlier, Dean Riemer joined Keith at the West Fargo lagoons, where they found LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. On April 18, Dean saw a pair of TRUMPETER SWANS at the Fargo lagoons, and he discovered a COMMON LOON at the Harwood slough on April 19. His April 18 visit to the Fargo lagoons was highlighted by a WHITE-FACED IBIS, plus eight BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS. On April 19, a field north of the Fargo landfill produced a first-cycle THAYER'S GULL, six HERRING GULLS, at least 100 RING-BILLED GULLS, a dozen FRANKLIN'S GULLS, and two BONAPARTE'S GULLS. On a return visit the following day, Dean counted three HERRING GULLS, at least 100 RING-BILLED GULLS, and four FRANKLIN'S GULLS. The THAYER'S GULL was still present on April 21, as were six HERRING GULLS, 250 RING-BILLED GULLS, and four FRANKLIN'S GULLS. Dean is at driemer@kwh.com. You can find Keith at kcorliss@forumcomm.com.
Pat Beauzay and Jan Knodel visited some of those same spots on April 20. They saw a THAYER'S GULL fly into the Fargo landfill, and recorded a few GREATER SCAUP and many LESSER SCAUP at the West Fargo lagoons. They saw HORNED GREBES at Lake Bertha and other locations, AMERICAN AVOCET near Lake Bertha, MARBLED GODWITS near McLeod, several VESPER SPARROWS, as well as a Harlan's RED-TAILED HAWK northwest of McLeod. Call Pat at 701-231-7064.
Dennis Wiesenborn says he has moved from north Fargo to north Moorhead, but still sees good birds on both sides of the river. He recorded his earliest-ever ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER on the Minnesota side on April 15, a HERMIT THRUSH in Trefoil Park on April 11, a TURKEY VULTURE over the Red River on April 13, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT and 200 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE on the river on April 14. In north Fargo on April 15, Dennis recorded OSPREY, SWAMP SPARROW, LINCOLN'S SPARROW,YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, BELTED KINGFISHER, PIED-BILLED GREBES, and HERMIT THRUSH. Contact him at d.wiesenborn@ndsu.edu.
Rick Holbrook spotted his spring-first WHITE-THROATED SPARROW on April 21 in Fargo. He's at fholbrook@cableone.net.
Mark Otnes birded Kidder, Stutsman, and Barnes counties on April 18. He counted five SHORT-EARED OWLS, good numbers of NORTHERN HARRIERS, SWAINSON'S HAWKS and RED-TAILED HAWKS, a few VESPER SPARROWS, some possible SAVANNAH SPARROWS, a single CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR, and LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. He notes that SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were common and active. Mark says Chase Lake was mostly open, and held PIED-BILLED GREBE, EARED GREBE, HORNED GREBE, and WESTERN GREBE as well as a COMMON LOON. He also counted two GREAT EGRETS and a single HUDSONIAN GODWIT. Try him at markotnes@cableone.net.
From Horace, Linda Gregg recorded her first-of-the-year WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS on April 21, and says she is seeing more male PURPLE FINCHES these days. You can reach Linda at lgregg@wah.midco.net.
Sharon Watson's backyard near Buxton attracted some seasonal-firsts on April 17. She saw three TREE SWALLOWS, a male EASTERN BLUEBIRD, and NORTHERN FLICKER. On April 21, she added a PURPLE MARTIN scout. Contact Sharon at alanwat@infionline.net.
The returning male PEREGRINE FALCON at Grand Forks may have attracted a mate. Wick Corwin says the female is Terminator, a 2006 hatch from Brandon, Manitoba, whose mother was raised in Fargo in 2003.
Lots of spring firsts for Dave Lambeth in and around Grand Forks. On April 16, he recorded BROAD-WINGED HAWK, RED-NECKED GREBE, three RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, DUNLIN, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. On April 20, Magnus Elfwing joined Dave to bird Kelly's Slough refuge and the surrounding area. Among the 52 species they found were 225 SANDHILL CRANES, two HUDSONIAN GODWITS, SAVANNAH SPARROW, and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. They were surprised to see three male and one female GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS on a small island, and the males were displaying. Earlier that day, Magnus recorded YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, CHIPPING SPARROW, and VESPER SPARROW. For details, it's davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com.
Betsy Batstone-Cunningham estimated more than 1,000 LAPLAND LONGSPURS in a field in Grand Forks County on April 16. At Kelly's Slough refuge, she recorded AMERICAN AVOCET, four MARBLED GODWITS, a GREAT BLUE HERON, and a number of AMERICAN KESTRELS, as well as a flock of yellow-shafted NORTHERN FLICKERS just north of the refuge. Betsy learned that Russ and Pat Wilber had a MERLIN and a COOPER'S HAWK in their yard in Grand Forks, and they saw a BELTED KINGFISHER along the Greenway. Contact Betsy at batsham@gra.midco.net.
Eve Freeberg birded Grand Forks County several times in the past week or so. On April 16, she recorded BROAD-WINGED HAWK, a late immature SNOWY OWL, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, MARBLED GODWIT, DUNLIN, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, EARED GREBE, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, and 74 RED-NECKED GREBES. On the following day, she added VESPER SPARROW, SAVANNAH SPARROW, BONAPARTE'S GULL, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, and WILSON'S SNIPE. April 20 added SWAMP SPARROW and HUDSONIAN GODWIT to her list, and on April 21, she found WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, WILLET, and a hybrid cinnamon teal. Contact Eve at 701-741-8105.
Todd Larson has twice seen a possible TRUMPETER SWAN at the site in Grand Forks County where a pair successfully nested last year. He birded Nelson County on April 19-20, finding PIED-BILLED GREBES, HORNED GREBES, EARED GREBES, and three RED-NECKED GREBES, several AMERICAN AVOCETS, MARBLED GODWITS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and a likely LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER in the Aneta and Kloten areas, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, CHIPPING SPARROW, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, and immature BALD EAGLE near Petersburg, about 10 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS near Dahlen, some 200 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS and 100 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS at Lake Laretta near Michigan, plus SAVANNAH SPARROW, SWAMP SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, and VESPER SPARROWS. Todd added two FOX SPARROWS near Larimore on April 20, and an April 21 trip to Kelly's Slough refuge yielded MARBLED GODWIT, HUDSONIAN GODWIT and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, while Turtle River State Park held 10 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. Contact Todd at i81.ou812@yahoo.com.
Corey Ellingson's recent trips to Sleepy Hollow Park in Bismarck resulted only in EASTERN PHOEBE and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET until April 15 when he saw two LONG-EARED OWLS. A FOX SPARROW visited Corey's yard from April 10-12, and he saw a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER on April 15. He's at tcellingson@juno.com.
Bob Neugebauer found one or more SHORT-EARED OWLS north of Hurdsfield on April 19, and a few GREAT HORNED OWLS on nests in Wells County. At the Steele elevator, he saw EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES that had been there since last summer. On April 20, a trip to McDowell Dam near Bismarck turned up a COMMON LOON. Try Bob at bobneugebauer@yahoo.com.
Clark Talkington hit some of the hot spots in Emmons, Burleigh and Kidder counties on April 18. He discovered 17 WHITE-FACED IBIS between Napoleon and Dawson, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, WILLET and seven LEAST SANDPIPERS at McKenzie Slough, five HUDSONIAN GODWITS at Long Lake refuge and 110 MARBLED GODWITS, along with THAYER'S GULL and BELTED KINGFISHER at Lake Etta, FORSTER'S TERN at Lake Isabella, an EASTERN PHOEBE singing on territory at Linton, a SAVANNAH SPARROW near Linton, LARK SPARROW between Linton and Beaver Bay, and a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD at Horsehead Lake. On April 19, Clark saw a COOPER'S HAWK in Bismarck and a TREE SWALLOW at Tesoro Refinery in Mandan. Two days earlier, he found a VESPER SPARROW in the Linton area. That was preceded on April 16 by five WESTERN GREBES and LESSER YELLOWLEGS at Long Lake refuge. Oliver County revealed a CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR on April 15, while April 13 brought sightings of CANVASBACK, COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON MERGANSER and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER at Long Lake refuge, and two BURROWING OWLS in southeastern Morton County. Between Long Lake refuge and McKenzie Slough on April 11, Clark counted HORNED GREBE, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, MARBLED GODWIT and seven BONAPARTE'S GULLS. You can reach Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net.
That concludes this week’s report from the North Dakota Birding Society.
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 15, 2008.
A very rare visitor in Valley City, some early warblers and more gulls.
A student of Bob Anderson's told him he had seen a YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON on April 11, so Bob checked it out the following day. Sure enough, the student was correct. You can reach Bob at 605-695-1344. Jean Legge saw the heron on April 13, and described the location as near the Valley City State University "bubble" and football field. That same day, Jean heard several calling ALDER FLYCATCHERS north of Valley City, near Faust Park. She's at jelgge@daktel.com. Connie Norheim, Dean Riemer and Becky Oberlander got help from an angler, who had seen the Valley City heron, so they got to see it, too. Connie and Becky birded Lake Bertha in Cass County on April 12. In addition to a very large flock of SNOW GEESE, they also saw two FRANKLIN'S GULLS, lots of REDHEADS, LESSER SCAUP and RING-NECKED DUCKS, plus quite a few CANVASBACKS and COMMON GOLDENEYE. They later added a WESTERN MEADOWLARK at the West Fargo lagoons. For details, call Connie at 701-232-4386.
Dennis Wiesenborn found a very early YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER along the Red River near the Mickelson pines in Fargo on April 10. He also recorded at least three FOX SPARROWS on the Minnesota side and a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER in Trefoil Park. You can reach him at D.Wiesenborn@ndsu.edu.
Rick Shaw discovered an early YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER in his backyard in Oakport, which is north of Moorhead. He says the April 12 arrival is several weeks earlier than normal. He's at ricknsu@cableone.net.
Pat Beauzay isn't positive, but believes he saw a first-cycle LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL just north of the Fargo landfill on April 13. If you can help with the identification, he's at patrick.beauzay@ndsu.edu.
Corey Ellingson picked out seven species of gulls at the Bismarck landfill on April 10. They included an adult THAYER'S GULL, two adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, and a GLAUCOUS GULL. The others were RING-BILLED GULL, FRANKLIN'S GULL, CALIFORNIA GULL, and HERRING GULL. Previous visits to the landfill produced two adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and a second-cycle GLAUCOUS GULL on April 9, and a possible first-winter ICELAND GULL or a THAYER'S GULL on April 8. Corey is at tcellingson@juno.com.
More new arrivals in Stutsman and surrounding counties. Larry Igl passes along reports of a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT near Courtenay on April 3, two male and one female GREATER SCAUP and at least nine AMERICAN AVOCETS at the Jamestown lagoons on April 10, LESSER YELLOWLEGS at the lagoons on April 7, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET in Jamestown on April 10, and SONG SPARROW at both Pipestem Dam and Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center on April 11. Contact Larry at 701-253-5511.
Dan Buchanan birded McElroy Park in southeast Jamestown and Klaus Park in the southwestern part of town on the weekend of April 12-13. He saw at least 12 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, at least eight pairs of WOOD DUCKS, abundant SONG SPARROWS, three pairs of HOODED MERGANSERS, BELTED KINGFISHER, and EASTERN PHOEBE. On April 13, a COOPER'S HAWK visited Dan's backyard in the northeastern part of town, an area where that species has nested recently. For more information, contact Dan at bulaw@daktel.com.
Carl Stangeland saw three TUNDRA SWANS north and west of Kensal of April 14. You can reach him at carlcs@daktel.com.
Crystal Gilson was surprised to find an AMERICAN WOODCOCK feeding in her backyard near the Prairiewood Post Office in Fargo on April 5. Try her at crysg@ftml.net.
From Horace, Linda Gregg reports FOX SPARROW in her yard on April 13. The regular visitors include RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, DOWNY WOODPECKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER, and PILEATED WOODPECKER, plus a COOPER'S HAWK. She's at lgregg@wah.midco.net.
Todd Larson birded eastern Nelson County on April 5 and 6. He saw many ducks and geese including 200-300 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. The ducks included LESSER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, MALLARD, GADWALL, REDHEAD, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, NORTHERN PINTAIL, COMMON GOLDENEYE, and HOODED MERGANSER. His other sightings included a flock of about 100 LAPLAND LONGSPURS, NORTHERN SHRIKE, MERLIN, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and FERRUGINOUS HAWK. Todd reports that RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS are settling into their territories, and both RED-TAILED HAWKS and NORTHERN HARRIERS were plentiful. He also saw three GREAT HORNED OWL nests and two RED-TAILED HAWK nests. Todd is at i81.ou812@yahoo.com.
Dave Lambeth passes along some sad news. He says a trumpeter swan was found shot north of McKenna, where a pair successfully nested last year--the first recorded nesting in North Dakota in at least 100 years.
Also from Grand Forks County, Eve Freeberg saw COMMON MERGANSERS and 24 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS on April 9, followed by BUFFLEHEAD on April 10, RUDDY DUCK plus 150 south-bound TUNDRA SWANS on April 13. On April 15, Eve added HORNED GREBE, RED-NECKED GREBE, and FRANKLIN'S GULL, plus a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge. Contact Eve at 701-741-8105.
Ron Martin discovered a late SNOWY OWL at the Minot lagoons and a RED-BREASTED MERGANSER at Nelson Lake near Center on April 11. For details, it's jrmartin@srt.com.
Charles Taft reports a pair of MOURNING DOVES arrived in his west Minot yard on April 6, and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK visited again on April 8. He's at cjtaft@mac.com.
Sherry Leslie says the WOOD DUCK pairs have returned to the creek behind her Burlington-area home, but it's dry for the first time in years. Other sightings on April 10 included six PURPLE FINCHES. Sherry reported an invasion by 59 DARK-EYED JUNCOS on April 9, the same day she reported her spring-first GREAT BLUE HERON. She's at sherry_leslie@excite.com.
Angie Erickson reports an odd-looking AMERICAN GOLDFINCH at Wolford this week. She says it looks like a male, but has more black on its back. Contact Angie at baileybobby6@hotmail.com.
From New Town, Bernice Houser reported a similar invasion on April 9, and more of the species including a couple of the Oregon race the following day, plus a few AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS. Contact her at sanishnd@hotmail.com.
Not sure whether it's a Montana bird or a North Dakota bird--or both, but Ted Nordhagen saw his first-of-the-year LONG-BILLED CURLEW heading north along the state line near Westby, Montana, on April 15. You can reach Ted at soraart@nemont.com.
For your calendar, mark down June 20-21 for the Third Annual Burke County Birding Festival at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, south of Bowbells. Pat Tinjum promises guided birding tours, prairie wildflower walks, family events, and great food. For information, it's www.burkecountynd.com or 701-377-5627.
That concludes this week’s report from the North Dakota Birding Society.
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 8, 2008.
Lots of new arrivals this week, including some noteworthy ones.
Corey Ellingson discovered two adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and possible a third--a juvenile--at the Bismarck landfill on April 4. If you want an update, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com.
Clark Talkington covered some Missouri River sandbars, the Tesoro refinery in Mandan, McKenzie Slough, and Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge on April 16. He came up with 10 duck species including one GREATER SCAUP, 95 COMMON GOLDENEYE, 47 HOODED MERGANSERS, and 45 COMMON MERGANSERS. Other finds included an EARED GREBE, 100 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, 11 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, five BALD EAGLES, eight AMERICAN COOTS, a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, about 5,000 RING-BILLED GULLS, about 1,000 CALIFORNIA GULLS, 100 HERRING GULLS, a first-year THAYER'S GULL, first-year GLAUCOUS GULL, and a SONG SPARROW. For details, contact Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net.
Larry Igl has compiled a long list of new arrivals in Stutsman and Barnes counties. The list includes PIED-BILLED GREBE and GREAT BLUE HERON southeast of Jamestown, CANVASBACK and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD near Wimbledon on March 31; TUNDRA SWAN near Wimbledon, NORTHERN SHOVELER near Jamestown, and both COMMON GOLDENEYE and HOODED MERGANSER at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center on March 30; GREEN-WINGED TEAL near Wimbledon and WOOD DUCK at Northern Prairie on March 28; GADWALL near Spiritwood and Wimbledon, SANDHILL CRANE near Wimbledon, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET southeast of Jamestown, and COMMON GRACKLE near Wimbledon and Jamestown on March 29; AMERICAN WIGEON and LESSER SCAUP near Millarton on March 27; 15 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS over Jamestown, RING-NECKED DUCK near Millarton and TURKEY VULTURE near the Jamestown Reservoir on April 4; BUFFLEHEAD south of Jamestown and at Northern Prairie, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD near Wimbledon on April 2; PEREGRINE FALCON near Wimbledon on April 1; RING-BILLED GULL southeast of Jamestown on March 21; KILLDEER near LaMoure on March 22; AMERICAN TREE SPARROW southeast of Jamestown on March 25; and many reports of REDHEADS in late March. For more information, call Larry at 701-253-5511.
Ron Martin birded Mountrail, Williams, and McKenzie counties with Corey Ellingson and Sherry Leslie on April 6. In Mountrail County, they counted four FERRUGINOUS HAWK nests and a GOLDEN EAGLE nest. They estimated 25,000 NORTHERN PINTAILS in Lewis and Clark State Park. For details, try Ron at jrmartin@srt.com.
Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge has been a busy place. Biologist Mike Rabenberg says recent arrivals have included AMERICAN COOT on April 4, followed by AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS on April 5, COMMON GRACKLE on April 6, and AMERICAN AVOCET on April 7. Before that, the Refuge saw 25 SANDHILLCRANES going north, a late NORTHERN SHRIKE, several large flocks of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, and large numbers of migrating LAPLAND LONGSPURS near Driscoll. The Refuge also recorded the first RING-NECKED DUCK of the season, along with RUDDY DUCK, REDHEAD, a single male RED-BREASTED MERGANSER and a flyover by four DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS. On the Refuge's "C" Dike, Mike recorded GREAT BLUE HERON, and an early RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. Mike reports the nearby YMCA Waterfowl Production Area has been getting good use by diving ducks and other waterfowl as well as gulls. Contact Mike at 701-387-4397.
Sherry Leslie recorded her spring-first MOURNING DOVE and earliest-ever CHIPPING SPARROW in her yard in rural Burlington on April 1. She also reports good numbers of HOUSE FINHES and a long redpoll still present, and watched a flock of SANDHILL CRANES fly over on March 30. Contact Sherry at sherry_leslie@excite.com.
Dave Lambeth had two sessions of counting raptors in the Grand Forks County grasslands on April 2. He counted 23 BALD EAGLES at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge, where nesting is underway, 132 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS including about 20 percent dark-morphs, 42 NORTHERN HARRIERS, nine RED-TAILED HAWKS, an AMERICAN KESTREL, 21 SHORT-EARED OWLS, and two SNOWY OWLS. Other birds included two COMMON RAVENS and three sub-adult BALD EAGLES on a road-killed rabbit, two NORTHERN SHRIKES, about 50,000 SNOW GEESE heading south, good numbers of WESTERNMEADOWLARKS, a pair of swans he couldn't get close enough to identify, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, and a few GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS. On April 3, Dave was surprised to see an AMERICAN WOODCOCK in his yard--his first in 13 years there, and he notes that Bear, the male PEREGRINE FALCON, has returned to the Grand Forks water tower. Contact Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com.
Also from Grand Forks County, Eve Freeberg recorded RING-NECKED DUCK, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, CANVASBACK, scaup and REDHEAD on April 2; about 50,000 SNOW GEESE, four WOOD DUCKS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, AMERICAN COOT, GREATER SCAUP and AMERICAN WIGEON on April 4; PIED-BILLED GREBE on April 6 and GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 22 SNOW BUNTINGS and SONG SPARROW on April 7. She's at 701-741-8105.
Betsy Batstone-Cunningham birded Grand Forks County on April 1-2. She found two adult and five juvenile BALD EAGLES at Kellys Slough Refuge and two small groups of TUNDRA SWANS on the first day. On April 2, she saw a good variety of waterfowl at a flooded field just southwest of Larimore, and her first GREAT BLUE HERON of spring as well as a rookery with three more on their nest near Kempton. Contact Betsy at 218-791-5079.
Dennis Wiesenborn's north Fargo neighborhood has attracted some notable newcomers recently. He heard an EASTERN PHOEBE singing on April 5, and saw a TURKEY VULTURE headed north, tens-of-thousands of SNOW GEESE and CANADA GEESE, as well as several hundred GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, CACKLING GEESE and TUNDRA SWANS. You can reach Dennis at d.wiesenborn@ndsu.edu.
Connie Norheim and Carol Spurbeck toured Richland and Sargent counties on April 4. They recorded two GREAT EGRETS, many large flocks of SNOW GEESE and at least one ROSS' GOOSE, GREAT BLUE HERON, SONG SPARROW, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, a perched SWAINSON'S HAWK near Hankinson, two PIED-BILLED GREBES, RING-BILLED GULLS and they heard SANDHILL CRANES. Other finds included 17 species of waterfowl. Contact Connie at 701-232-4386.
Dean Riemer discovered six TUNDRA SWANS, eight CANADA GEESE, 12 MALLARDS, and five KILLDEER in a small pond south of Fargo on April 3. He also recorded first-of-spring five EATER YELLOWLEGS and one LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Dean is at driemer@kwh.com.
Mark Otnes located a single TREE SWALLOW just west of Ludden in Dickey County on April 4, but reports western Sargent and Ransom counties were mostly quiet that day. He's at markotnes@ableone.net.
Meridee Erickson-Stowman counted 16 SANDHILL CRANES southeast of the Tower City exit off I-94 on April 3. She's at 701-749-2607.
From Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Lillian Crook saw a flock of 80 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS on April 5, along with a pair of GOLDEN EAGLES including one on a nest, SWAINSON'S HAWK and KILLDEER. Contact her at lilliancrook@hotmail.com.
Bernice Houser was visited by her first-of-spring MOURNING DOVE on April 5. Other sightings near New Town included BLUE JAY and more HOUSE FINCHES than previously. She's at sanishnd@hotmail.com.
Also from the New Town area, Rita Satermo recorded her first WESTERN MEADOWLARK of the season on April 4. It's rsatermo@rtc.coop.
Finally...this note for your calendar: Dr. Bridget Stutchbury, professor of biology at York University in Toronto, will present "Migratory Songbirds--Canaries in the Mine?" on April 23 at 7 pm in the Fargo Theater. It's free.
That concludes this week’s report from the North Dakota Birding Society.
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 1, 2008.
Lots of raptors, waterfowl and gulls, some wading birds, a couple shorebirds and a new yard bird. And that's no foolin'.
Perhaps the best bird of the week was the RED-SHOULDERED HAWK that showed up in Dave Lambeth's yard at Grand Forks on March 31. It was a new yard bird and only the third record for Grand Forks County. Just two days earlier, Dave met up with Ron Martin for their own "hawk watch" along the Pembina Escarpment, which leads northward to the Pembina Gorge. In 2-1/2 hours at Numedahl, near the Canadian border, they only saw five RED-TAILED HAWKS. They had better luck near Hank's Corner, near the junction of ND5 and ND32. In 3-1/2 hours, they recorded 386 RED-TAILED HAWKS including 11 dark morphs, 26 BALD EAGLES including nine immatures, two AMERICAN KESTRELS, a COOPER'S HAWK, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, and six NORTHERN HARRIERS. Elsewhere, they added 22 more RED-TAILED HAWKS, five BALD EAGLES, five NORTHERN HARRIERS, eight ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, and four AMERICAN KESTRELS. Their total raptors for the day were 474. Other birds they found in western Pembina and eastern Cavalier counties included two KILLDEER, several AMERICAN ROBINS, and several WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. On March 27, Dave observed more than 50,000 SNOW GEESE heading northeast near the north end of Lake Ashtabula, about 1,000 CANADA GEESE on a small slough near Aneta, small numbers of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, RED-TAILED HAWKS and NORTHERN HARRIERS, single digits of BALD EAGLES and AMERICAN KESTRELS, a few solitary RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS that appeared to be on territory, and his first WESTERN MEADOWLARK of spring. On March 26, a male PURPLE FINCH came to Dave's feeders. For more information, contact Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com.
Eve Freeberg had her own "hawk watch" along the Red River just south of Grand Forks on March 29. She counted 120 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 60 BALD EAGLES, three NORTHERN HARRIERS, and two SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS. On March 25, Eve recorded a juvenile FERRUGINOUS HAWK in Grand Forks County. Waterfowl showing up on March 29 included NORTHERN SHOVELER, HOODED MERGANSER, LESSER SCAUP, and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. Contact Eve at 701-741-8105.
Betsy Batstone-Cunningham found dancing GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS near Mekinock on March 28. She also discovered singing WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, a number of NORTHERN HARRIERS and assorted hawks, a likely non-wintering AMERICAN ROBIN, as well as an adult BALD EAGLE at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge. On March 27, a NORTHERN SHRIKE made three appearances across the street from her home on Elmwood Drive and The Greenway in Grand Forks. She's at 218-791-5079.
Some noteworthy sightings by Ron Martin in a March 30 drive from Grand Forks to Sawyer. He saw three TUNDRA SWANS in Nelson County, an active BALD EAGLE nest southwest of McVille, a SANDHILL CRANE just west of Grand Forks, and a PILEATED WOODPECKER south of McVille. For details, you can reach Ron at jrmartin@srt.com.
Corey Ellingson and Clark Talkington discovered a first-winter GLAUCOUS GULL about 1.5 miles northeast of the Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge headquarters on March 30. They also saw 5,000 SNOW GEESE, 425 COMMON MERGANSERS, 75 COMMON GOLDENEYE, almost 100 HERRING GULLS, a SHORT-EARED OWL near the headquarters, 30 RED-TAILED HAWKS, nine AMERICAN KESTRELS, and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. On March 29, six members of the Bismarck-Mandan Bird Club hit some Burleigh County hot spots. They saw a GREAT BLUE HERON over the North Dakota Penitentiary, 30 SNOW GEESE with CACKLING GEESE and two ROSS' GEESE, a BLUE-WINGED TEAL at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and six CANVASBACKS with REDHEADS, a male BUFFLEHEAD and a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS at McKenzie Slough. Elsewhere, they added two adult BALD EAGLES, 10 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 10 NORTHERN HARRIERS, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, and two KILLDEER near Long Lake refuge headquarters, a FRANKLIN'S GULL at the Bismarck landfill and another at Long Lake, four GREAT HORNED OWLS on nests, a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE just south of McKenzie Slough, and good numbers of AMERICA ROBINS and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. Corey reports gulls started arriving in force in the Bismarck area on March 26. He counted 1,500 at the landfill, including a first-winter THAYER'S GULL, 27 HERRING GULLS, 600 CALIFORNIA GULLS, and 850 RING-BILLED GULLS. A sandbar on the south side of Expressway Bridge held about 425 gulls--the only non-adult was a third-winter HERRING GULL among 11 of its species, along with 170 CALIFORNIA GULLS and 240 RING-BILLED GULLS. A sandbar on the north side of that bridge had 600 gulls--seven HERRING GULLS, 240 CALIFORNIA GULLS and 350 RING-BILLED GULLS. For details on those sightings, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com.
Mark Gonzalez birded some of those same spots on March 30, finding numerous gulls, waterfowl and hawks. He also saw an adult GOLDEN EAGLE at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, a PRAIRIE FALCON just north of there, and a TURKEY VULTURE at the west end of McKenzie Slough. His highlight came when his three-year old daughter correctly identified a BALD EAGLE. You can reach Mark at 701-250-4443, extension 106.
Long Lake refuge's biologist Mike Rabenberg says numerous BALD EAGLES have been seen at the refuge and nearby WPAs for the past couple of weeks. Employee Wendy Wollmuth had a single WESTERN KINGBIRD in her yard on March 26. And Weston Weisenberger observed a SNOWY OWL near Tuttle on the weekend of March 29-30. Rabenberg says the refuge's sharp-tailed grouse observation blind is now available for early morning and late afternoon viewings. First-come, first-served. The refuge number is 701-387-4397.
Wayne Easley reports the owl "hot spot" just west of Fessenden has become hotter. On the evening of March 30, he saw at least 10 SHORT-EARED OWLS and a good number of hawks. He recorded several ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS including a couple dark morphs, RED-TAILED HAWKS, AMERICAN KESTREL, NORTHERN HARRIER and PRAIRIE FALCON. Wayne adds that WESTERN MEADOWLARKS are around, along with some ducks and gulls. Contact him at easley57@yahoo.com.
While doing bird surveys in Steele and Griggs counties on March 29 and 30, Bob Anderson saw three GREAT BLUE HERONS near Luverne, 21 COMMON REDPOLLS and a KILLDEER near Luverne. He also reports multiple flocks of LAPLAND LONGSPURS throughout the two counties. Contact Bob at bob.anderson@vcsu.edu.
Mark Otnes birded the open water at Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge on March 28. He saw all the expected goose species, plus WOOD DUCK, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, MALLARD, NORTHERN PINTAIL, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, GREATER SCAUP, LESSER SCAUP, COMMON GOLDENEYE, HOODED MERGANSER, RUDDY DUCK, and AMERICAN COOT. Moving up the James River Valley to Jamestown, Mark added numerous RED-TAILED HAWKS, BALD EAGLES, NORTHERN HARRIERS and AMERICAN KESTRELS. In LaMoure County, he recorded a KILLDEER, male and female EASTERN BLUEBIRD and a few COMMON MERGANSERS on the James River. He saw numerous PINE SISKINS and AMERICAN ROBINS above Jamestown Dam, two FRANKLIN'S GULLS about 10 miles east of the Jamestown airport and just a single singing PURPLE FINCH at Baldhill Dam. During the entire day, Mark only saw one flock of LAPLAND LONGSPURS, but notes that WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were back in force and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were locally common. Call him at 701-241-4194.
Dennis Wiesenborn had a good variety of birds in his north Fargo neighborhood on March 30. He counted 27 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, plus two GREAT BLUE HERONS, two immature BALD EAGLES, four WOOD DUCKS, a COOPER'S HAWK and a KILLDEER. Elsewhere, Dennis saw a nesting GREAT HORNED OWL at Trefoil Park, a MERLIN at Broadway and 13th Avenue and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at Oak Grove. Contact him at d.wiesenborn@ndsu.edu.
Cass County's Lake Bertha was Connie Norheim's destination on March 26. She reported a cloud of SNOW GEESE landing on the open water, while the iced-over portion held GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and CANADA GEESE. She also saw a few RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, AMERICAN KESTREL, two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, BLUE JAY, many RED-TAILED HAWKS and an AMERICAN ROBIN in Embden. On March 29, she returned to Lake Bertha, bringing Becky Oberlander. They recorded their first WESTERN MEADOWLARK of spring, a pair of NORTHERN HARRIERS, more RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, many RED-TAILED HAWKS and three possible COMMON SNIPE, plus 17 AMERICAN ROBINS in one tree. In a pond north of Fargo on March 31, Connie saw GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, many NORTHERN PINTAILS, MALLARDS, a REDHEAD, many CANADA GEESE and many skeins of SNOW GEESE heading north. On March 29, Connie heard a KILLDEER in south Fargo, her first of the year. Contact her at 701-232-4386.
Dakota Ace, the male PEREGRINE FALCON that has made downtown Fargo his home for the past few years, may have a different female this year. Wick Corwin says the female identified as Miracle was seen in the area on March 26. F or details, call 701-293-9911.
On March 28, Rick Holbrook recorded his first COMMON GRACKLE of the year in Fargo, as well as a female NORTHERN CARDINAL. He's at fholbrook@cableone.net.
Dan Buchanan's first AMERICAN ROBIN of the spring showed up near his Jamestown yard on March 26. He saw an early WESTERN MEADOWLARK in Medina on March 27. Call Dan at 701-252-6604.
Sharon Watson saw an early MOURNING DOVE on a power line in Buxton on March 28. She reports she has had RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD and COMMON GRACKLE at her feeders since December, and notes that this was the first winter she had BLUE JAYS at her feeder all winter. Contact Sharon at alanwat@infionline.net.
Kim Breuer reports her first AMERICAN ROBIN of the season in southwest Minot on March 28. She's at breuer@srt.com.
From rural Burlington , Sherry Leslie says the 47 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS that visited her on March 31 were new yard birds. The same day brought four RED-TAILED HAWKS, 14 AMERICAN ROBINS, 15 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and four EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. She is still seeing DARK-EYED JUNCOS and large flocks of PINE SISKINS. On March 26, Sherry noted that her nesting RED-TAILED HAWKS had returned, along with AMERICAN ROBINS and two pairs of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS. You can call her at 701-725-4389.
Lillian Crook saw an AMERICAN KESTREL just west of Medora on March 26. Contact her at lilliancrook@hotmail.com.
On March 23, Bernice Houser counted seven BALD EAGLES including two sub-adults circling south of Washburn. She also reported large numbers of CANADA GEESE along the river between New Town and Bismarck, and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK near Max. On March 25, her yard near New Town hosted AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS and her first DARK-EYED JUNCO of the year. Bernice has had at least one MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD daily in her yard. She's at sanishnd@hotmail.com.
From extreme northeastern Montana and extreme northwestern North Dakota, Ted Nordhagen reports a roadkill LAPLAND LONGSPUR on his bus route on March 31. He noticed an increase in WESTERN MEADOWLARKS over the weekend despite cold temps and heavy snow. Ted saw good numbers of CANADA GEESE and a few MALLARDS in the area. On March 30, he watched several BALD EAGLES fly over, and saw an adult perched just south of Westby, Montana. on March 31. You can reach Ted at soraart@nemont.net.
Mark these dates on your calendar. May 23, 24 and 25. Those are the dates of the North Dakota Birding Society's spring meeting in Grand Forks. For more information, call Betsy Batstone-Cunningham at 218-791-5079.
That concludes this week’s report from the North Dakota Birding Society.
