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North Dakota Birding Hotline Reports April 2007 |
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Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 24. Lots of new birds in the state this week, including one that wasn’t able to finish it’s spring migration and one that’s “not from around here”.
The male CHAFFINCH seen near Sawyer on April 23 was probably a release from somewhere in the United States. Ron Martin got a tip about the bird and was able to track it down. The species is very common in England and Europe. Ron has details at jrmartin@srt.com.
Carl Stangeland saw lots of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS on April 20 along the James River in Jamestown, and he also notes that TREE SWALLOWS have returned to his yard. Contact him at carlcs@daktel.com. Dan Buchanan observed a pair of BUFFLEHEADS near the village of Alfred on April 21, and added his first GREAT BLUE HERON of the season at Audubon’s Alkali Lake Sanctuary. Call Dan at 701-252-6604.
Dean Riemer recorded three seasonal firsts on April 20. He saw a HERMIT THRUSH and two GREAT BLUE HERONS in south Fargo, and 13 HORNED GREBES at the Harwood Slough and Fargo lagoons. On April 21, Dean added ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and BELTED KINGFISHER at Trefoil Park in Fargo; YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, and EASTERN PHOEBE at Armour Park in West Fargo; seven PURPLE MARTINS in West Fargo and a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS at Orchard Glen. For details, call Dean at 701-282-6462. Dennis Wiesenborn heard and then saw a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH along the Red River in north Fargo on April 22. He also heard a second waterthrush calling from across the river. Dennis heard and saw YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS at a number of locations along the river that day, and he heard a PILEATED WOODPECKER around Trefoil Park. Other highlights from April 21 included several WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, SWAMP SPARROW, SAVANNAH SPARROW, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, BELTED KINGFISHER, and PIED-BILLED GREBE. On April 22, Dennis added ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, BONAPARTE’S GULL, and BARN SWALLOW. For details, contact him at d.wiesenborn@ndsu.edu. Mel and Elaine Bennefeld recorded their first SWAINSON’S THRUSH of the season in their yard in north Fargo on April 19, and a pair of SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS on the previous day. For more information, it’s emben1@juno.com. A yard-first and a seasonal first on consecutive days for Rich Holbrook of Fargo. He had a NORTHERN FLICKER on April 20 and a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW on April 21. He’s at fholbrook@cableone.net. Bob O’Connor says a pair of MERLINS have staked out an area in south Fargo near Lindenwood Park. Contact him at robert.oconnor@ndsu.edu. From Barnes County, Jean Legge saw FRANKLIN’S GULLS, LINCOLN’S SPARROW, AMERICAN KESTRELS, OSPREY, BELTED KINGFISHER, WESTERN GREBE, RUDDY DUCK, many COMMON MERGANSERS, three WILLETS, three SAVANNAH SPARROWS, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, three pairs of GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and a WOOD DUCK in a tree on April 22. Two days earlier, Jean saw her first CHIPPING SPARROW at her feeder near Valley City. She found a SPOTTED SANDPIPER on a rock at the Jamestown lagoon and a HORNED GREBE at Hobart Lake in Barnes County on April 23. You can reach Jean at 701-845-4762. Ann Hoffert saw several YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS at Pipestem Creek south of Carrington on April 17. Call her at 701-652-2623.
From McHenry County and neighboring Ward County, Ron Martin had good birding. On April 21, he saw WILSON’S PHALAROPE, EASTERN PHOEBE nest-building, and eight SPRAGUE’S PIPITS at J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge; GREAT EGRET and two SAY’S PHOEBES at Buffalo Lodge Lake, six SAVANNAH SPARROWS, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, and LINCOLN’S SPARROW. On the following day, Ron added SANDERLING and three SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS at Lake Lemer near the McHenry and Pierce County line, a BROAD-WINGED HAWK in Velva, 100 MARBLED GODWITS, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH excavating a nest hole at the Denbigh Experimental Forest, two ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, five CHIPPING SPARROWS, and 19 SMITH’S LONGSPURS. Ron says the first push of passerines, along with additional raptors, reached the Minot area on April 20. He recorded several seasonal firsts including BELTED KINGFISHER, 15 TREE SWALLOWS, WINTER WREN in Velva, four GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, 12 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, and a SPRAGUE’S PIPIT. Other sightings included eight SWAINSON’S HAWKS and 45 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. For information, contact Ron at jrmartin@srt.com. New arrivals over the third weekend of April at Burlington were TREE SWALLOWS and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS. Sherry Leslie says her husband believes he saw a RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, but it would be about three weeks early. Birds at the Greene crossing included first-of-season YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD and BREWER’S BLACKBIRD, along with EARED GREBE and several GREAT BLUE HERONS. Contact Sherry at sherry_leslie@excite.com.
Clark Talkington birded some of the same places as the Ellingsons. On April 20, he saw five EARED GREBES, 12 WESTERN GREBES, a CLARK’S GREBE, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, two WILLETS, two LEAST SANDPIPERS, FORSTER’S TERN, and two AMERICAN PIPITS at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge; 10 SWAINSON’S HAWKS, 17 AMERICAN AVOCETS, and 250 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS at McKenzie Slough; two BURROWING OWLS about 35 miles southwest of Mandan; a TREE SWALLOW south of Mandan; a VESPER SPARROW and 15 BREWER’S BLACKBIRDS southwest of Mandan and three BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS south of Mandan. For more information, contact Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net. Bob Scarlett saw his first BROWN THRASHER of the year southeast of Bismarck on April 20. He’s at bobkat@btinet.net. In Grand Forks County, Eve Freeberg found DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS and her first YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER of the season on April 18; followed by a SAVANNAH SPARROW on April 19; plus BROAD-WINGED HAWK, HORNED GREBES, and EARED GREBES on April 20; GREAT EGRET at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge, UPLAND SANDPIPER, BELTED KINGFISHER, BARN SWALLOW, and 25 SHORT-EARED OWLS on April 21; SEDGE WREN and WILSON’S PHALAROPE on April 22; and COMMON LOON and two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS on April 23. For details on those sightings, call Eve at 701-741-8105. Dave Lambeth’s visit to some native prairie in Oakville Township of Grand Forks County on April 24 turned up several species. He saw numerous flocks of TUNDRA SWANS including one flock that included a bird making TRUMPETER SWAN calls. Other sightings included a pair of LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES, lots of WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, many SAVANNAH SPARROWS, and several pairs of MARBLED GODWITS. Dave also notes that a pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS has been checking out the nest box on the Smiley Face water tower in Grand Forks. Contact him at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. From rural New Town, Bernice Houser saw SHARP-TAILED GROUSE on two leks on April 22, a DOWNY WOODPECKER on April 20, and several TURKEY VULTURES on April 19. You can reach her at sanishnd@hotmail.com. Diane Bingeman reports the return of seven TREE SWALLOWS and one EASTERN BLUEBIRD to the Beach area on April 22. You can contact her at 701-872-3256. From the Grand River National Grasslands in South Dakota, Mark Gonzalez saw many SPRAGUE’S PIPITS, along with a GOLDEN EAGLE on the nest, two FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, 41 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE on one lek, and a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE watching CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS. You can call Mark at 701-250-4443, ext. 106. That concludes this report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. The Fish and Wildlife Service operates 62 National Wildlife Refuges and more than 1,100 Waterfowl Production Areas in North Dakota...offering some of the best birding opportunities in the state. Contact Refuge offices for more information about visiting. For phone numbers of individual Refuges, as well as additional information, go to the Fish and Wildlife Service web site at www.fws.gov. Click on Offices, and click on North Dakota on the map.
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 17. Another one or the same one? Stacy Adolf-Whipp discovered a BARROW’S GOLDENEYE right along ND 20 just south of McHenry on the evening of April 11. That isn’t an awful long ways from the April 1 bird seen by Steve Stucker in the extreme southeastern part of Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge. For more information on the more recent of those sightings, contact Stacy at sadolf@hotmail.com.
Several seasonal firsts for Dan Buchanan. On April 15 in McElroy Park in Jamestown, he found SONG SPARROWS and EASTERN PHOEBES, as well as a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS and one or more NORTHERN FLICKERS. On April 13, a BROWN CREEPER was seen scaling a tree in Dan’s yard in northeastern Jamestown. Near the town of Buchanan on April 14, Dan saw a RED-TAILED HAWK and thousands of SNOW GEESE, plus SONG SPARROWS and at least one AMERICAN TREE SPARROW. An adult COOPER’S HAWK landed in a tree in Dan’s yard on April 11. Dan says the species has nested in the area for the past several years. On April 10, he saw a SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in the neighborhood. Dan’s first BELTED KINGFISHERS of the season showed up below the Jamestown dam on April 8, and the same site also held a good number of LESSER SCAUP and WOOD DUCKS, along with several pairs of HOODED MERGANSERS. For more information, call Dan at 701-252-6604. Rick and Bonna Whitten-Stovall birded northwestern Stutsman County from Woodworth to Medina on April 14-15. They found a SHORT-EARED OWL and an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW just northeast of Woodworth, added a HORNED GREBE southeast of Woodworth, a huge flock of SNOW GEESE off I-94 near exit 272, and a great variety of waterfowl including CANVASBACKS, REDHEADS, NORTHERN SHOVELERS, NORTHERN PINTAILS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, HOODED MERGANSERS, RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, a COMMON MERGANSER at Pearl Lake, and occasional COMMON GOLDENEYE. Moving on to Minot on April 16, Rick saw two pairs of WOOD DUCKS in the Mouse River in downtown Minot. For details on those sightings, contact Rick or Bonna at whitstov@yahoo.com. Jean Legge heard three calling VESPER SPARROWS north of Valley City on April 17. She took her science class on a bird walk near Marion in LaMoure County on April 16. Highlights included a “Myrtle’s” YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, GREAT BLUE HERON and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. On her own, Jean saw flocks of BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS plus individuals on posts in eastern Barnes County on April 14. Other sightings included flocks of TUNDRA SWANS, three groups of SANDHILL CRANES, and a large flock of CANVASBACKS at Sanborn slough. You can reach Jean at 701-845-4762.
Four members of the Bismarck-Mandan Birding Club found quite a few early migrants in an April 14 field trip to McKenzie Slough and Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Their list included 15 GREAT BLUE HERONS; single PRAIRIE FALCON, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and FOX SPARROW; three AMERICAN COOTS, TURKEY VULTURES, and MARBLED GODWITS; six HORNED GREBES; two GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and eight CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS. On April 9, Clark recorded three DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS at the Tesoro Refinery in Mandan, and Peder and Kristian Stenslie photographed a RED-BREASTED MERGANSER in flight nearby. You can reach Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net. Dave Lambeth added more seasonal firsts during an April 16 tour of the eastern half of Grand Forks County. The newcomers were BONAPARTE’S GULL, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, and DUNLIN. He also observed many RING-BILLED GULLS and a few HERRING GULLS drawn by fish kills at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge; a field with more than 1,000 TUNDRA SWANS, about 2,000 SNOW GEESE, 280 WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, and a couple of ROSS’ GEESE; 22 GREAT BLUE HERONS on old nests at Kellys Slough refuge; several very large flocks of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS; a number of RUSTY BLACKBIRDS along the Turtle River and flocks of LAPLAND LONGSPURS feeding in sunflower fields. At home, Dave reported a PINE SISKIN in full song. Dave noted an increase in the migration on April 11. He followed two COMMON RAVENS from the Grand Forks Air Force Base lagoons to the prairie chicken management area north of Mekinock. Also that day, Dave saw thousands of CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS, and NORTHERN PINTAILS, plus CANVASBACKS, LESSER SCAUP, REDHEADS, and RING-NECKED DUCKS crowded into a small pool of open water at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge. He watched flocks of TUNDRA SWANS passing through, and also saw five SHORT-EARED OWLS, at least 10 NORTHERN HARRIERS, five ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and RED-TAILED HAWKS. Back in Grand Forks, Dave saw an Arctic-race GREAT HORNED OWL and a female MERLIN. On April 17, he recorded what could be a seasonal “last”– a GRAY JAY along the English Coulee, north of the UND campus in Grand Forks. The same area also held a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS. By the way, Dave would like to hear about your gray jay sightings in North Dakota, especially those outside the immediate Grand Forks area. Contact him at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. Betsy Batstone-Cunningham started seeing SHORT-EARED OWLS west of Grand Forks on the evening of April 12. She counted another 10 while driving northwest toward Kellys Slough refuge, most of them were north of the main ponds. Betsy is at batsham@gra.midco.net. Eve Freeberg found COMMON MERGANSER, RUDDY DUCK, and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in Grand Forks County on April 10. The following day, she added TURKEY VULTURE, and she counted five GREAT BLUE HERONS at Kellys Slough refuge on the 12th. On April 13, it was NORTHERN GOSHAWK, SNOWY OWL, and SNOW BUNTINGS. At mid-month, Eve recorded seven MARBLED GODWITS in the prairie area and refuge, along with two EASTERN PHOEBES and about 1,200 TUNDRA SWANS. On April 16, she saw HERMIT THRUSH, FOX SPARROW, and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS in Grand Forks, and VESPER SPARROW, AMERICAN AVOCET, BREWER’S BLACKBIRD, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, OSPREY, and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD in Grand Forks County. Eve’s Grand Forks County discoveries on April 17 included FRANKLIN’S GULL, TREE SWALLOW, and WILSON’S SNIPE. For details, call her at 701-741-8105. At least 25 species of waterfowl in Cass County for Dean Riemer on April 15. Some of the highlights for the day included HOODED MERGANSER, COMMON MERGANSER, and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER...all in the southwest cell of the Fargo lagoons. He also saw his first of the year GREAT EGRET. Dean also recorded a BROWN CREEPER in his West Fargo yard on April 13, and three RED-NECKED GREBES at the Harwood slough on April 14. Contact Dean at 701-282-6462. Mark Otnes found all the expected duck and goose species in a trip around Barnes, Stutsman, and southeastern Kidder counties on April 13. Among the highlights of his trek were a pair of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and a single RED-NECKED GREBE on Pearl Lake in Stutsman County, and a single MARBLED GODWIT plus lots of COMMON MERGANSERS on South Lake in Kidder County. Call Mark at 701-242-4194. Gary Nielsen reported a single RED-NECKED GREBE, but not much else, at the West Fargo lagoons on April 10. Contact him at larrybearnielsen@yahoo.com. Ron Martin recorded several seasonal firsts for McHenry County on both April 14 and 15. On the 15th, he discovered HORNED GREBE, TURKEY VULTURE, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, VESPER SPARROW, and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. One day earlier, he observed three RED-NECKED GREBES, three BLUE-WINGED TEAL, three CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS, and single COMMON LOON and MARBLED GODWIT. For details, contact Ron at jrmartin@srt.com. April 11 brought the first MOURNING DOVE of the season to Bernice Houser’s yard near New Town. She also saw many WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and a lone MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD between her home and New Town. For more information, it’s sanishnd@hotmail.com. Todd Hanson saw more than 50 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS in a slough along ND 1806, just north of the Cannonball River in Morton County on April 16. Contact him at nordak89@hotmail.com. Susan Owen had three AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES at her feeder in southeast Mandan for the past week or so. She’s at sowen@fs.fed.us. And, the schedule is now complete for the 8th annual Sully’s Hill Birding and Nature Festival at Sully’s Hill National Game Preserve near Devils Lake. For full details on the event that runs June 14-17, go to www.sullyshillbirdfest.com. That concludes this report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. The Fish and Wildlife Service operates 62 National Wildlife Refuges and more than 1,100 Waterfowl Production Areas in North Dakota...offering some of the best birding opportunities in the state. Contact Refuge offices for more information about visiting. For phone numbers of individual Refuges, as well as additional information, go to the Fish and Wildlife Service web site at www.fws.gov. Click on Offices, and click on North Dakota on the map.
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 10. We know they’re coming, and they’re easy to spot. But the first sighting of these two species is always a big deal. And, there’s also some almost “big deal” sightings this week.
The other “big deal” sighting was by Clark Talkington. He discovered a lone YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER in a road ditch near McKenzie Slough, east of Bismarck on April 4. Clark’s other highlights at that location included many ducks, RED-TAILED HAWKS, a NORTHERN HARRIER, and several AMERICAN CROWS mobbing a GREAT HORNED OWL. For details, contact Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net. Dan Buchanan recorded two firsts for his northeast Jamestown yard during the first week of April. He was surprised by a HERMIT THRUSH and one or two RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS. His yard also hosted up to 50 AMERICAN ROBINS at a time, as well as flocks of CEDAR WAXWINGS and smaller numbers or DARK-EYED JUNCOS and COMMON GRACKLES, along with a few AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. Dan began April with a pair of WOOD DUCKS in the James River at Nickeus Park in northwest Jamestown. You can reach him at 701-252-6604. Dave Lambeth found an AMERICAN WOODCOCK in an unusual location on April 5. The bird had dropped into an enclosed courtyard at Kelly Elementary School in Grand Forks, and was poking around in the turf. One day earlier, at least 750 CEDAR WAXWINGS invaded some crab apple trees along Stanford Road in Grand Forks. Dave says the mix also included some BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. In his yard, a TREE SPARROW was present for a couple of days, and up to two SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS have also been visiting. Contact Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. Personnel at the North Dakota Heritage Center on the Capitol Grounds in Bismarck have their own AMERICAN WOODCOCK. It was first seen on April 4, and Corey Ellingson identified it on April 7. Jean Hushagen noticed a COOPER’S HAWK fly-by in the same area. The woodcock was still present (and still alive) on April 8, when it was seen by Bob Neugebauer. For more information, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com or Bob at bobneugebauer@yahoo.com.
Dave and Carolyn Griffiths observed four TRUMPETER SWANS near Hettinger on April 9. The swans have been in the area at least a couple days. Jan Sailer reports a good array of waterfowl species on Mirror Lake at Hettinger during the first week of April. On April 9, the lake held a pair of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS. You can reach Jan at jngsailer@yahoo.com. A male NORTHERN CARDINAL stopped at Linda Gregg’s feeders at Horace on April 5. She hadn’t seen the species since December 22. Contact her at lgregg@wah.midco.net. Connie Norheim and Becky Oberlander found lots of swans and geese in southwestern Cass County on April 9. They report hundreds of TUNDRA SWANS in many locations, as well as 400 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE south of Alice and a few SNOW GEESE. Other sightings included a couple AMERICAN KESTRELS and RED-TAILED HAWKS, plus COMMON GOLDENEYE, HOODED MERGANSER, LESSER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, NORTHERN PINTAIL, CANVASBACK, and MALLARD. For more information, call Connie at 701-232-4386. A single WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH has reappeared at Bernice Houser’s feeders near New Town. She also reports two COMMON REDPOLLS on April 4 and occasional visits by two AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. Contact Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com. Keith Corliss says four large soaring white birds seen by friends last month near Kindred have now been identified as WOOD STORKS. You can reach Keith at kcorliss@forumcomm.com. Now, a couple items for your calendar. The Second Annual Burke County Birding Festival is set for June 22 and 23 at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge near Stanley and Bowbells. The event includes bird tours at both Lostwood and Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuges. For details, go to www.burkecountynd.com or call 701-377-5627. And, the Eighth Annual Lunds Landing Lodge Birds, Berries and History Festival takes place June 2nd near Williston. For more information, call 701-568-3474, e-mail lundslanding@nccray.com. Or log onto www.lundslanding.com. That concludes this report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. The Fish and Wildlife Service operates 62 National Wildlife Refuges and more than 1,100 Waterfowl Production Areas in North Dakota...offering some of the best birding opportunities in the state. Contact Refuge offices for more information about visiting. For phone numbers of individual Refuges, as well as additional information, go to the Fish and Wildlife Service web site at www.fws.gov. Click on Offices, and click on North Dakota on the map.
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 3. Lots of new arrivals again this week, including at least one very rare one. Larry Igl passes along word of a BARROW’S GOLDENEYE sighting at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge on April 1, and he says it’s no April Fool’s Day prank. Steve Stucker found the bird with COMMON GOLDENEYES on a small lake in the extreme southeast corner of the refuge. He tried unsuccessfully to relocate the bird later that day as well as the following day. Other first arrivals in the Jamestown area: DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT near Woodworth on March 24; WOOD DUCK on March 25; GREEN-WINGED TEAL east of Jamestown on March 25; NORTHERN SHOVELER east of Jamestown on March 26; GADWALL, SANDHILL CRANE, and AMERICAN WIGEON near Millarton on March 24; CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, and RING-NECKED DUCK near Wimbledon on March 23; LESSER SCAUP in Kidder County on March 23; GREATER SCAUP near Woodworth on March 24; BUFFLEHEAD east of Jamestown on March 28; SWAINSON’S HAWK southeast of Jamestown on March 27; AMERICAN COOT east of Jamestown on March 28; GREATER YELLOWLEGS southeast of Jamestown on March 26; CALIFORNIA GULL and LONG-EARED OWL near Woodworth on March 24; BELTED KINGFISHER east of Jamestown on March 27; SONG SPARROW southeast of Jamestown on March 24; and COMMON GRACKLE in Jamestown on March 23. The Jamestown sewage lagoon hosted LESSER YELLOWLEGS, BAIRD’S SANDPIPER, BONAPARTE’S GULL, and FRANKLIN’S GULL on March 28, and a PIED-BILLED GREBE was seen at Nickeus Park in Jamestown that same day. For more information on those sightings, call Larry Igl at 701-253-5511.
Jean Legge recorded her first-of-season SONG SPARROWS, along with a lone TREE SPARROW and several DARK-EYED JUNCOS near Valley City on March 29. Jean is at 701-845-4762.
Keith Corliss recorded his first GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS of the year on March 29 along the bike path in West Fargo’s Elmwood Park. He’s at kcorliss@forumcomm.com. Dean Riemer had lots of action at the West Fargo lagoons on March 31, including NORTHERN SHOVELER, CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, COMMON GOLDENEYE, HOODED MERGANSER, and RUDDY DUCK for waterfowl species. Other sightings included eight BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS, FRANKLIN’S GULL, RING-BILLED GULL, and HERRING GULL. On March 29, Dean found two male RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and NORTHERN PINTAIL. For more information, try 701-282-6462. Patrick Beauzay found a good variety of waterfowl at Lake Bertha in southwestern Cass County on April 1. His discoveries included 1,000 TUNDRA SWANS, almost that many SNOW GEESE, plus GREEN-WINGED TEAL, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, LESSER SCAUP, two male GREATER SCAUP, RING-NECKED DUCK, COMMON MERGANSER, and COMMON GOLDENEYE. Others on his tally for the day included six GREATER YELLOWLEGS, about 300 RING-BILLED GULLS, five RED-TAILED HAWKS, four AMERICAN KESTRELS, HORNED LARK, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and EUROPEAN STARLING. In Fargo, Pat saw a flock of 25 TUNDRA SWANS fly over the NDSU campus on March 29. Call him at 701-231-9491. Connie Norheim and Carol Spurbeck checked out Lake Bertha on March 30. Despite a drizzle, they saw a couple of small flocks of TUNDRA SWANS fly over, the first LESSER YELLOWLEGS of the season, and a possible GREATER YELLOWLEGS. They also saw many COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON MERGANSERS, and HOODED MERGANSERS. Contact Connie at 701-232-4386. Gary Nielsen birded Lindenwood Park in Fargo on March 31. He heard EASTERN PHOEBES calling in two locations and saw one near the restrooms. Gary counted about 165 AMERICAN ROBINS and about 125 CEDAR WAXWINGS. Call him at 701-232-3855. Linda Gregg recorded her first RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER of the season at Horace on April 1. A pair of WOOD DUCKS checked out her nest box that day. She still has a large number of slate-colored and a few Oregon DARK-EYED JUNCOS, but the COMMON REDPOLL population has dropped. Linda notes the first MOURNING DOVES showed up a week ago. Contact her at lgregg@wah.midco.net. Terry Adams reported two SONG SPARROWS in his back yard on South 9th Street in Fargo on March 31. He’s at atsdr@msn.com. About 100 CEDAR WAXWINGS and a large number of AMERICAN ROBINS stopped in Wanda Peterson’s yard near Fargo during the April 1 snowfall. She says a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK made an appearance and an EASTERN BLUEBIRD dropped in twice – a newcomer to her yard list. You can call her at 701-293-6059. The first SONG SPARROW of the year visited Dave Lambeth’s feeders in Grand Forks on March 30. Others included three PURPLE FINCHES, a PINE SISKIN, COMMON REDPOLL, and dozens of DARK-EYED JUNCOS. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK has been a regular visitor. Earlier that week, Dave saw one FOX SPARROW on March 27 and two more the following day. His yard had up to 50 COMMON REDPOLLS on March 27, but very few before that. A March 30 visit to Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge turned up the first pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL, although RING-NECKED DUCKS were the most numerous waterfowl, with CANVASBACKS and scaup on the increase. He also counted up to four SHORT-EARED OWLS in one field. Contact Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. Eve Freeberg recorded 62 NORTHERN HARRIERS and her first SONG SPARROW of the season in Grand Forks County on March 27. The weather brought in huge numbers of AMERICAN ROBINS on March 31. Eve counted 1,300 AMERICAN ROBINS in and around Grand Forks on that date. Eve says both the harrier and robin numbers could be one-day records for her. You can reach her at 701-741-8105. Dan Ackerman watched a PEREGRINE FALCON attack a ROCK PIGEON in mid-air in Grand Forks on March 27. Contact him at 701-330-5781. The only bird at Sleepy Hollow Park in Bismarck on March 30 was a LONG-EARED OWL. Corey Ellingson’s neighborhood finds included a pair of MOURNING DOVES, flock of at least 25 COMMON GRACKLES, lots of singing AMERICAN ROBINS, and a flock of 75 CEDAR WAXWINGS. He’s at tcellingson@juno.com. Mark Gonzalez saw a MERLIN near the YMCA in Bismarck on March 27. He also saw three CHUKARS in his neighborhood in northwest Bismarck on the same day. Call Mark at 701-250-4443, ext. 106. A SONG SPARROW visited Clark Talkington’s yard in Mandan on March 30. Also that day, he found a BLUE-WINGED TEAL at McKenzie Slough, east of Bismarck. Clark also passes along reports of a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER just north of Bismarck and a female NORTHERN CARDINAL in Bismarck. Contact him at ctalkington@bis.midco.net. And Kathy Jacobson says the bird she reported last month as a long-eared owl in Deering turned out to be a GREAT HORNED OWL. She’s at wesjacob@minot.com. That concludes this report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. The Fish and Wildlife Service operates 62 National Wildlife Refuges and more than 1,100 Waterfowl Production Areas in North Dakota...offering some of the best birding opportunities in the state. Contact Refuge offices for more information about visiting. For phone numbers of individual Refuges, as well as additional information, go to the Fish and Wildlife Service web site at www.fws.gov. Click on Offices and click on North Dakota on the map. North Dakota Field Office Home Page |
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Many new sightings in the Jamestown area. Probably the best was the BLACK-NECKED STILT found by Steve Stucker on April 21 just east of the Jamestown Airport. The bird was still there the following day. Other sightings on that date included OSPREY southeast of the 
Mark Otnes saw LESSER YELLOWLEGS and WILSON’S PHALAROPES near Jamestown on April 22. At the north end of Hobart Lake in Barnes County, Mark got a pair of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, three WILLETS, and a BELTED KINGFISHER. Back in Fargo, he saw WINTER WREN, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and BELTED KINGFISHER. Mark’s first WHITE-THROATED SPARROW showed up at his feeder on April 20, followed by many more the next day. Call him at 701-241-4194. 
Recent arrivals in the Buxton area included BARN SWALLOW on April 20, NORTHERN FLICKERS and TREE SWALLOW on April 18, and PURPLE MARTIN on April 19. For details, call Sharon Watson at 701-847-2013.
Corey Ellingson and Linda Ellingson discovered a male CINNAMON TEAL at the south end of McKenzie Slough, east of Bismarck, on April 21. They also found a PIPING PLOVER northeast of the 
Many more new arrivals in the Jamestown area. The list from April 16 included two pairs of WESTERN GREBES at the Jamestown sewage lagoons, a WILSON’S SNIPE and an AMERICAN AVOCET, both near Wimbledon. From April 14: a COMMON LOON, two RED-NECKED GREBES and two male RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS at North Barnes Lake, two HORNED GREBES and BLUE-WINGED TEAL at or near Pipestem Reservoir, RUSTY BLACKBIRDS near Wimbledon, a PEREGRINE FALCON at the Jamestown sewage lagoon, and a FOX SPARROW southeast of Jamestown. Steve Stucker had another good duck sighting on April 7. He found a LONG-TAILED DUCK 13 miles north of Cleveland. Steve Lane reported the first BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS near Wimbledon on April 3. Larry Igl noticed many COMMON REDPOLLS visiting his feeders in Jamestown, and he saw about 30 more at the Jamestown reservoir on April 8. Larry observed a huge push of DARK-EYED JUNCOS on April 8-9, with some people reporting up to several hundred at their feeders. He noted a large movement of FRANKLIN’S GULLS, BONAPARTE’S GULLS, RING-BILLED GULLS, and CALIFORNIA GULLS on April 10-11. For details on those sightings, call Larry at 701-253-5511.
Corey Ellingson was surprised when a BARN OWL flushed from the top of a cedar at McKenzie Slough, east and south of Bismarck, on April 15. It marked Corey’s third sighting of the species in five years, and the first spring sighting on record for the area. Corey says the AMERICAN WOODCOCK first seen near the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck on April 4, made another appearance on April 11. Corey notes that two EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES have been visiting his Bismarck yard daily, and he expects nesting. Contact him at 
Louis Legge saw seven WHOOPING CRANES circling and going down in a field just southwest of Mantador in southeastern North Dakota on April 5. Despite some searching by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists, the whoopers could not be relocated. For more information, you can call Louis at 701-845-4762. Meanwhile, Jean Legge watched a COOPER’S HAWK carry a DARK-EYED JUNCO through her yard near Valley City on April 6.
Ron Martin recorded bald eagle nest number five in McHenry County on April 8. He says the most recent find is north of Towner. His trip also turned up three more ferruginous hawk nests, as well as a common raven nest at 
Ron Martin rounded up 80 species in a March 31 “big day” in McHenry County. The highlight was three AMERICAN PIPITS at Lake Lemer, north of Drake. Others included a couple of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS and a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL at the Denbigh Experimental Forest. On March 29, Ron recorded his earliest ever spring PECTORAL SANDPIPER at the Minot sewage lagoons and three BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS. For details, contact him at 
Mark Otnes had a HERMIT THRUSH in his Fargo yard on March 29. He says the arrival is at least a couple weeks early. Mark visited Englevale Slough in Ransom County on March 30, discovering two male RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, NORTHERN FLICKER, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, SONG SPARROW, and GREATER YELLOWLEGS. Later that day, his feeder attracted a FOX SPARROW and the HERMIT THRUSH returned. Call Mark at 701-241-4194.