North Dakota Birding Hotline Reports
April 2009
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, April 28, 2009.
Lots of new species are arriving, and some of them are rare.
Corey Ellingson discovered an adult and a first-winter LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at the Bismarck landfill on April 24. Also present were about 1200 CALIFORNIA GULLS. Corey was joined by Clark Talkington as they headed east. They found a SNOWY EGRET, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, FORSTER'S TERN, and PIPING PLOVER at Dewald Slough. Lake Etta held lots of gulls, including 12 HERRING GULLS in one spot. Back home in Bismarck, a LINCOLN'S SPARROW showed in in Corey's yard, while Clark's yard in Mandan hosted a WHITE-CRONWED SPARROW. On April 20, Clark saw two VESPER SPARROWS and a SAVANNAH SPARROW in Oliver County. On the following day, he recorded two BURROWING OWLS and a SAY'S PHOEBE in northwestern Morton County. On April 23, Clark counted 32 WILSON'S SNIPE, a sub-arctic GREAT HORNED OWL, and a SPRAGUE'S PIPIT in Morton County, plus 12 BLUE-WINGED TEAL and 1000 BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS on April 24 in Morton County. For details, contact Corey at crackerjackbirder@bis.midco.net or Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net.
Dean Riemer recorded only the second record LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL for Cass County on April 27. Dean says the adult bird was in a mixed flock of HERRING GULLS, RING-BILLED GULLS, and FRANKLIN'S GULLS in a field north of the Fargo landfill. For more information, contact him at driemer@kwh.com.
The first reported ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER of the year showed up in Grand Forks County on April 26. Eve Freeberg also saw a SWAMP SPARROW and a handful of BROAD-WINGED HAWKS that day. On April 21, she recorded VESPER SPARROW and a late SNOWY OWL, while the following day brought SAVANNAH SPARROW and a flock of more than 1000 LAPLAND LONGSPURS. On April 24, Eve saw EARED GREBE, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, and AMERICAN PIPIT. For more information, contact her at 701-741-8105.
Peder Stenslie recorded another spring first on April 22 when a CHIPPING SPARROW showed up outside his school window in Mandan. He's at peder.stenslie@sendit.nodak.edu.
The snowy, windy weather of April 26 didn't stop Janelle Masters. She observed three WHITE-FACED IBIS and a RED-NECKED GREBE between Steele and Tuttle. Contact her at janelle.masters@bsc.nodak.edu.
Mark Otnes saw a sub-arctic GREAT HORNED OWL in Kidder County on April 17. He says the owl was on the south side of Lake Isabel. He's at 701-241-4194.
Wayne Easley recorded good numbers of HUDSONIAN GODWITS coming through Lostwood Wildlife Management Area in mid-April. He noted one flock of 18 birds, and added that some were mixed in with MARBLED GODWITS. His other sightings on April 23 included RED-NECKED GREBE, PIED-BILLED GREBE, HORNED GREBE, and WESTERN GREBE. Wayne warned that many of the Wildlife Management Area roads are closed and others are difficult to travel. Contact him at 701-324-2344.
From north of Valley City, Jean Legge was visited by a young YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER on April 25, and a more-mature bird the following day. Her yard attracted GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS on both April 25 and 26. On the 25, she also saw a Myrtle's YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and about 100 FRANKLIN'S GULLS in a flooded field with AMERICAN AVOCETS nearby. April 26 brought the first CLAY-COLORED SPARROW to her feeders, and TREE SWALLOWS and EASTERN PHOEBE both showed up on April 21. Jean also discovered four GREAT EGRETS at Marion Lake in LaMoure County on April 21. Contact her at 701-845-4762.
Charles J. Taft and two other members of the Souris Valley Birding Club toured Oak Park in Minot on April 24. They discovered two KINGFISHERS and nesting COOPER'S HAWKS. Charles reported the male is banded. He's at 701-852-1981.
Rod Fossen said bird activity was light at the old bison plant east of Minot on April 24. He and his dog saw 10 HOODED MERGANSERS, a RED-TAILED HAWK, BELTED KINGFISHER, and a male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. Contact Rod at rfossen@min.midco.net.
Sherry Leslie had a couple spring firsts on April 27. She saw a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON at Lake Darling and an EASTERN PHOEBE in Burlington. For details, it's bird_nd@yahoo.com.
April 22 brought a male EASTERN BLUEBIRD to Bernice Houser's yard near New Town, as well as SAY'S PHOEBE, two DARK-EYED JUNCOS, two PINE SISKINS, two HAIRY WOODPECKERS, and TURKEY VULTURES. On a drive northeast of New Town, she added one male and two female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and a few SHARP-TAILED GROUSE on leks. You can reach Bernice at sanishnd@rtc.coop.
Mo O'Mara spent part of April 26 in McKenzie County, where she watched an adult GOLDEN EAGLE PAIR, which she believes are the same pair she has been watching for the past five springs. While watching the eagles, a COOPER'S HAWK flew past. Mo reports AMERICAN KESTRELS, WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, and BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS have returned to the area. Mo was working in Golden Valley County on March 21, and she saw two SANDHILL CRANES, HOUSE WREN, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, AMERICAN ROBIN, AMERICAN CROW, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, CANADA GEESE, HORNED LARKS, KILLDEER, and AMERICAN KESTRELS all at the same worksite. For more details, it's mo1_omara@yahoo.com.
Connie Norheim and Carol Spurbeck birded Lake Bertha and the lakes south of Alice in Cass County, plus the Fargo dump and the Embden pines on April 25. They record HORNED LARK and SNOW BUNTING, four grebe species, 12 duck species, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, NORTHERN HARRIER, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS, and FRANKLIN'S GULL, plus a large flock of TUNDRA SWANS east of Casselton. At the Fargo dump, they added RING-BILLED GULL and HERRING GULL. Connie added that Ron and Sue Miller saw the ICELAND GULL near the dump in the late afternoon of April 25. Contact her at 701-232-4386.
From West Fargo, Keith Corliss reported a steady stream of new arrivals over the past month. The most recent was SWAMP SPARROW on April 27. His April 23 jog through north Fargo turned up at least eight different flocks of waxwings as well as PINE SISKINS in almost every neighborhood. From about 10 miles inside Minnesota, a friend of Keith's near Felton reported a WHIP-POOR-WILL on his porch railing on April 26. For details on those sightings, contact Keith at koolhand@juno.com.
Linda Gregg added two more first-of-spring birds to her list on April 24. Her yard near Horace attracted WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. She's at lgregg@far.midco.net.
And, Keith Corliss will be the guest speaker at a Friday evening meeting of the Bismarck-Mandan Bird Club. The meeting is set for 6:30 on May 1st at the Discovery Center of Dakota Zoo in Bismarck.
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 21, 2009.
Appearances by two rare gulls and thousands of longspurs.
Keith Corliss and Dean Riemer discovered a Kumlien's ICELAND GULL just north of the Fargo landfill on April 18. They say the late third-cycle gull is the first Cass County record for the species, and it was back the following day, along with a THAYER'S GULL, 20 HERRING GULLS, five CALIFORNIA GULLS, 1000 RING-BILLED GULLS, and 60 FRANKLIN'S GULLS. Other species found on the 18th included COMMON MERGANSER, HOODED MERGANSER, and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, two COMMON LOONS and all the expected ducks. Along the road, they found SAVANNAH SPARROW and VESPER SPARROW. On April 17, Dean's trip to the landfill area produced a THAYER'S GULL, 20 HERRING GULLS, three CALIFORNIA GULLS, 500 RING-BILLED GULLS, and 16 FRANKLIN'S GULLS. You can reach Dean at driemer@kwh.com or Keith at 701-371-2709.
Clark Talkington found a LITTLE GULL just east of Farmer's Livestock, which is on the east edge of Bismarck. The April 17 sighting was a first for the Bismarck-Mandan checklist. Clark says the gull was flying with three BONAPARTE'S GULLS, and that he saw many of the latter species between Bismarck and Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Also that day, he saw 2500 CANVASBACKS, 6000 LESSER SCAUP, five LESSER YELLOWLEGS, five MARBLED GODWITS, WILSON'S SNIPE, a second-year THAYER'S GULL, and a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. On April 15, Clark recorded three HORNED GREBES in Oliver County and two CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS in Morton County. Contact him at ctalkington@bis.midco.net.
Ron Martin witnessed an impressive movement of LAPLAND LONGSPURS past the Minot sewage lagoons on April 14. He estimated that 150,000 of the species passed in a three-mile-wide path in 30 minutes, moving to the northwest. They were "accompanied" by at least 16 NORTHERN HARRIERS and a MERLIN. At about the same time, Ron observed about 4000 SANDHILL CRANES overhead. For details, it's jrmartin@srt.com.
From Horace, Linda Gregg recorded a yard first on April 14 when an adult male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER visited. Contact her at lgregg@far.midco.net
The first NORTHERN FLICKERS of spring turned up at Sharon Watson's yard near Buxton on April 14. On the following day, the new arrivals were TREE SWALLOW and BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. Sharon is at alanwat@infionline.net.
Connie Norheim birded Cass County on April 14, finding LESSER SCAUP, a GREATER YELLOWLEGS, flock of TUNDRA SWANS near Mapleton, NORTHERN PINTAIL, BUFFLEHEAD, MALLARDS, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, and AMERICAN KESTREL, as well as a large number of RING-BILLED GULLS at the Fargo landfill. On April 18, the first LINCOLN'S SPARROW of spring stopped at her north Fargo feeders. You can reach Connie at 701-232-4386.
From north of Valley City, Jean Legge observed a WILSON'S SNIPE on April 14 and a FOX SPARROW on April 17. She warns that it is not a good time to be attempting to drive on most rural roads in southeastern North Dakota. She's at 701-845-4762.
Dan Buchanan watched two TURKEY VULTURES soaring over northeast Jamestown on April 19 and again the following day. He's at 701-252-6604.
From the Spiritwood Lake area near Jamestown, Pamela Pranke recorded more spring firsts including DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, BELTED KINGFISHER, SANDHILL CRANE, BROAD-WINGED HAWK, plus BUFFLEHEADS, LESSER SCAUP, and NORTHERN PINTAIL on April 14, followed on the 16th by GADWALL and SONG SPARROW. On April 17, Pamela added REDHEAD, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, PIED-BILLED GREBE, AMERICAN COOT, GREAT BLUE HERON, AMERICAN AVOCET, AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, plus 30 TUNDRA SWANS near Page, and RUDDY DUCKS near Spiritwood. Additional season-firsts were CANVASBACK, yellow-shafted NORTHERN FLICKER, and FRANKLIN'S GULL on April 18. You can reach Pamela at 701-320-2779.
Mark Otnes birded the Dawson area in Kidder County and parts of Stutsman County on April 17. He said the best find was a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at Lake Isabel. He also saw good numbers of HERRING GULLS, RING-BILLED GULLS, BONAPARTE'S GULLS and FRANKLIN'S GULLS, plus a few CALIFORNIA GULLS. Mark also saw most of the expected waterfowl species including three RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS at Alkaline Lake near Dawson. His spring firsts included two HORNED GREBES, one EARED GREBE and a LESSER YELLOWLEGS at Dewald Slough, plus a SWAINSON'S HAWK near Medina. Mark reports that WILSON'S SNIPES and GREATER YELLOWLEGS were widespread. Hobart Lake held five AMERICAN AVOCETS and Mark discovered a WHITE-FACED IBIS in western Barnes County. He's at 701-241-4194.
Wayne Easley believes the pair of BURROWING OWLS he saw in southern Wells County on April 20 may be nesting, as they were seen within a mile of a successful 2008 nesting site. Contact Wayne at 701-324-2344.
More seasonal firsts for Betsy Batsham-Cunningham in Grand Forks. On April 15, she observed MARBLED GODWITS, LAPLAND LONGSPURS, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS, SONG SPARROW, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, yellow-shafted NORTHERN FLICKER, MOURNING DOVES, and GREAT BLUE HERON. From April 17-18, her yard hosted a phoebe, FOX SPARROW, and a male RING-NECKED PHEASANT. You can reach Betsy at batsham@gra.midco.net.
Dave Lambeth spotted two TRUMPETER SWANS in a flooded field next to the Red River just north of Grand Forks on April 20. Contact him at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com.
Lillian Crook saw about 20 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS on the Little Missouri River south of Medora on April 18. On the following day, she added two pairs of WOOD DUCKS, a pair of BALD EAGLES, and a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT on the Little Missouri. Back on April 14, she had seen a SAY'S PHOEBE south of Medora. Contact her at lilliancrook@hotmail.com.
Charles J. Taft recorded the first YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER of the year for the Minot area on April 20 at Oak Park. On the 18th, a single WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL stopped briefly at Charles' feeders in west Minot. On the 19th, Charles saw about 40 SANDHILL CRANES in a field near Deering. He's at 701-852-1981.
The TREE SWALLOWS returned to Sherry Leslie's place near Burlington on April 14. That same day brought two large flocks of SNOW GEESE and continuous flocks of CANADA GEESE and SANDHILL CRANES. On the 15th, Sherry saw three DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS near Burlington, and a trip to Oak Park in Minot brought season-first sightings of SONG SPARROW and HOODED MERGANSER. You can reach Sherry at bird_nd@yahoo.com.
And, for your calendar: the 12th annual Festival of Birds is set for May 14-17 in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. For details, it's www.visitdetroitlakes.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 14, 2009.
Some rare wading birds and the first warbler top our report this week.
Justin Hoff was snow goose hunting near Ellendale on April 13 when he saw six GLOSSY IBIS. He describes the location as mile-marker 86, east of Ellendale. The National Geographic guide says the species is a "rare inland visitor." For details, you can try Jack Lefor at 701-483-3710.
Keith Corliss and Dean Riemer discovered a GREAT EGRET north of Sheldon and a flying flock of 11 WHITE-FACED IBIS just west of West Fargo on April 12. They also saw thousands of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, other waterfowl, and seven NORTHERN HARRIERS in their tour of southwestern Cass and northern Ransom counties. During the week of April 10, Keith heard three singing male NORTHERN CARDINALS in various parts of Fargo, giving him the idea of mapping cardinal territories. Send him your precise locations in the F-M area. He also had a late HOARY REDPOLL at his feeders on the 10th. In 25-minutes at West Fargo's Elmwood Park on April 12, Keith saw about a dozen GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, two RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, and two WINTER WRENS. Contact him at koolhand@juno.com.
Connie Norheim birded Lake Bertha in southwestern Cass County on April 8, finding her first WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, KILLDEER, and HORNED LARKS, but very few ducks. She reported seeing hawks everywhere, including lots of RED-TAILED HAWKS, plus ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, a flock of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS in a tree, a BLUE JAY, and a few CANADA GEESE. At the Fargo dump, she added lots of gulls including HERRING GULLS and RING-BILLED GULLS. Call Connie at 701-232-4386.
Mark Otnes tallied 64 species on April 10 in southwestern Sargent and Ransom counties. He saw many ducks, geese, and blackbirds, plus a flock of 18 SANDHILL CRANES in the early going. The north end of Lake Tewaukon, which was open, held most of the expected duck species plus a male RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, good numbers of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS. In the Sheyenne Grasslands, he added a pair of MARBLED GODWITS. Contact Mark at markotnes@cableone.net.
Dennis Wiesenborn had excellent birding in his north Fargo neighborhood. On April 12, he saw three PIED-BILLED GREBES, five BUFFLEHEADS, several RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, TURKEY VULTURE, and BELTED KINGFISHER--all spring firsts. Other sightings included three GREAT BLUE HERONS, 300 TUNDRA SWANS, three HOODED MERGANSERS, three scaup, several dozen WOOD DUCKS, and at least two GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS. On April 10, Dennis saw more than 100 RED-TAILED HAWKS and one NORTHERN HARRIER near downtown Fargo in an hour. On April 11, from the VA Hospital, Dennis added nine SANDHILL CRANES, 150-200 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 400-800 TUNDRA SWANS, a NORTHERN HARRIER, and 18 RING-NECKED DUCKS. For details, it's d.wiesenborn@ndsu.edu.
From north Fargo, Mel and Elaine Bennefeld reported a CHIPPING SPARROW in their back yard on April 10. Contact them at emben1@juno.com.
Jean Legge saw her first PURPLE FINCH at her feeders north of Valley City on April 10. She says a MOURNING DOVE arrived on April 4, and was there all week. You can reach Jean at jlegge@daktel.com.
Things are starting to move at Spiritwood Lake near Jamestown. Pamela Pranke saw AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, NORTHERN SHOVELER, WOOD DUCKS, MALLARDS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, CANADA GEESE, SNOW GEESE, and a KILLDEER at the Buchanan Bridge on April 11, while the following day brought HOODED MERGANSER, scaup, MALLARDS, NORTHERN SHOVELER, and CANADA GEESE to the open area of the lake. The April 12 arrivals included BUFFLEHEADS, COMMON GOLDENEYES, NORTHERN PINTAIL, NORTHERN HARRIER, and MOURNING DOVE. On the 13th, Pamela saw her first 17 COMMON MERGANSERS, although the lake was still quite frozen. Contact her at pamelapranke@yahoo.com or 701-320-2779.
Larry Igl passes along more new arrivals in the Jamestown area including three EARED GREBES, AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, NORTHERN SHOVELERS, GREATER SCAUP, and many RING-NECKED DUCKS at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge on April 8. He also reports single TURKEY VULTURES over Jamestown and the Northern Prairie Center on April 7, male BREWER'S BLACKBIRD in southeast Jamestown on April 2, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD over the center on April 7, a male RED CROSSBILL in northeast Jamestown on April 5, two male PURPLE FINCHES in northeast Jamestown on April 6, a SNOWY OWL in southeast Jamestown on March 31, and another SNOWY OWL on April 7 near Pipestem Dam. For details, try Larry at 701-253-5511.
Dan Buchanan's seasonal firsts included a pair of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS at Klaus Park in Jamestown on April 12, an adult male HOODED MERGANSER at McElroy Park, and a SONG SPARROW near two BROWN CREEPERS in McElroy Park on April 11. He's at 701-252-6604.
Acting on a tip from a friend, Wayne Easley found a SNOWY OWL between Fessenden and Harvey on April 10. Contact Wayne at easley57@yahoo.com.
April 13 marked the earliest arrival ever for an adult male PURPLE MARTIN scout at Sharon Watson's place near Buxton. Contact her at 701-847-2013.
Sandy Aubol saw the first YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS of the season on April 12 in Memorial Park Cemetery in Grand Forks. Dave Lambeth says there were several remaining on April 13, along with seasonal-first RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS and quite a few GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS. He also flushed a LONG-EARED OWL. Elsewhere, that day, Dave saw about 10 PIED-BILLED GREBES, and a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD appeared at his feeders. On April 10, Dave noted a big movement through Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge. He estimated thousands of SNOW GEESE, 100 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, thousands of CANADA GEESE and a F.O.S. KILLDEER. From his back yard, he recorded a good raptor migration from 11am-3pm. He saw 300 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 25 BALD EAGLES, two COOPER'S HAWKS, and five SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS plus 15 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS. He also added a new yard species: a GOLDEN EAGLE. Another highlight was the six or more dark-phased HARLAN'S HAWKS. Contact Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com.
From Grand Forks County, Eve Freeberg recorded a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER and GREEN-WINGED TEAL on April 8, followed on April 9 by AMERICAN COOT, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, and AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN. On April 10, she added RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, GREAT BLUE HERON, and RING-NECKED DUCK. April 11 brought COMMON MERGANSER and FOX SPARROW, followed on the 12th by RUDDY DUCK, SONG SPARROW, yellow-shafted NORTHERN FLICKER, and MOURNING DOVE. On April 13, Eve observed HORNED GREBE, AMERICAN WIGEON, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, TURKEY VULTURE, and SANDHILL CRANE, followed on the 14th by RED-NECKED GREBE and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. Eve also watched thousands of SNOW GEESE from April 11-14. Contact her at 701-741-8105.
Betsy Batsham-Cunningham also watched the large migration through Grand Forks County. She toured the middle of the county on April 12, and found three of four WILSON'S SNIPE, SHORT-EARED OWL, NORTHERN HARRIER, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, TUNDRA SWANS, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, SNOW GEESE, and ROSS' GEESE. She also reported a large group of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and ROSS GEESE one day earlier. Contact Betsy at batsham@gra.midco.net.
Mark Gonzalez reported "remarkable numbers of hawks" passing his home in northwest Bismarck on April 11. In a half-hour, he saw about 150 birds including RED-TAILED HAWKS, 12 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, two PRAIRIE FALCONS, six SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, two BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, and four immature BALD EAGLES. He's at 701-250-4443, extension 106.
Dan Svingen made a similar observation from his vantage point at Chief Looking Glass Village overlooking the Missouri River in Bismarck. He called it a "phenomenal movement" and said it included a COMMON RAVEN, a species he had never seen in Bismarck. On April 12, Dan recorded eight male RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS at the Albright Waterfowl Protection Area along US Highway 83 and on two units of Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge. He also reported several spring firsts, including GREATER YELLOWLEGS. Contact Dan at 701-250-4443, extension 107.
April 14 brought another seasonal first to Peder Stenslie's yard in Mandan. It was a TREE SWALLOW. Peder is at peder.stenslie@sendit.nodak.edu.
Sherry Leslie has noticed increased bird movement in the Burlington area. On April 8, she saw 200 CANADA GEESE, 10 CACKLING GEESE, 11 NORTHERN PINTAILS, 25 MALLARDS, and four RED-TAILED HAWKS. She added first-of-spring EASTERN BLUEBIRD on April 10 and SONG SPARROW on April 12. On the 13th, Sherry recorded two pair of WOOD DUCKS, a MALLARD pair, several MOURNING DOVES, and lots of AMERICAN ROBINS and DARK-EYED JUNCOS plus several flocks of SANDHILL CRANES overhead. Sherry and Gary birded Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge on April 12, finding GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON MERGANSER, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, GREAT BLUE HERON, WOOD DUCK, AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, NORTHERN SHOVELER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, scaup, and FRANKLIN'S GULLS. Contact Sherry at bird_nd@yahoo.com.
Charles J. Taft saw a MOURNING DOVE in west Minot on April 9. He's at cjtaft@mac.com.
Ron Martin spent about three hours in a hawk watch at Baker Bridge on the south end of Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge on April 10. He recorded 22 BALD EAGLES, eight NORTHERN HARRIERS, a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, three COOPER'S HAWKS, 180 RED-TAILED HAWKS, and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. Other first-of-spring sightings included AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, TURKEY VULTURE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, ROSS' GOOSE, WOOD DUCK, MOURNING DOVE, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. Ron described it as the first good movement in about three weeks. Contact him at jrmartin@srt.com.
Rod Fossen watched about 12 TURKEY VULTURES circling overhead in northwest Minot on April 11. He's at rfossen@min.midco.net.
Lillian Crook recorded a KILLDEER south of Medora on April 10, and flocks of SANDHILL CRANES over Medora on April 10 and 11. She's at lilliancrook@hotmail.com.
The cranes were over McKenzie County on April 13. Mo O'Mara reported hundreds of SANDHILL CRANES in flight. She also saw four unidentified buteos, four AMERICAN CROWS, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and a male NORTHERN HARRIER, and heard a KILLDEER. Contact Mo at mo1_omara@yahoo.com.
Now, a couple items for your calendar: the ABA is returning to Minot for a conference June 14-19 at the Holiday Inn Riverside. You can get more information from Tamie Bulow at 719-578-9703, extension 233.
And, the Fourth Annual Burke County Birding Festival will take place June 12-13 at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge. Contact Pat Tinjum at 701-848-2722.
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 7, 2009.
The earliest-ever appearance in the State for one species makes the headline this week, but there are lots of other early birds.
Eve Freeberg discovered a WHIMBREL in northwest Grand Forks on April 2. She says the previous early arrival date for the species was April 24. Her other sightings on that date included GREATER SCAUP. To close out March, Eve saw NORTHERN SHOVELER on the 27th and nine ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS on the 28th. On April 3, she added CANVASBACK, RING-BILLED GULL, 330 RED-TAILED HAWKS, and 55 BALD EAGLES. On the following day, Eve saw EASTERN BLUEBIRD and HOODED MERGANSER, while April 5 brought CALIFORNIA GULL and BROAD-WINGED HAWK, plus 80 SNOW BUNTINGS on April 6. For details on those sightings, call her at 701-741-8105.
Clark Talkington had an exciting find on April 3. While birding Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL flew over the headquarters. His other sightings that day included 16 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, five GADWALLS, AMERICAN WIGEON, three NORTHERN SHOVELERS, six REDHEADS, 50 LESSER SCAUP, 120 COMMON GOLDENEYES, four HOODED MERGANSERS, 101 COMMON MERGANSERS, PIED-BILLED GREBE, two KILLDEER, and four BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS. Refuge staff told Clark they had seen a WOOD DUCK on March 30. You can reach him at ctalkington@bis.midco.net.
Mark Gonzalez discovered hundreds of AMERICAN ROBINS in his Bismarck neighborhood on April 1. His back yard hosted DARK-EYED JUNCOS, PINE SISKINS, redpolls, finches, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and AMERICAN TREE SPARROW. Over the weekend of March 28-29, Kristen Gonzalez saw hundreds of raptors along the Missouri escarpment in Dickey County. She also recorded six SANDHILL CRANES for a seasonal first. On the 29th, Mark drove east of Bismarck, where he found 26 RED-TAILED HAWKS, BALD EAGLE, eight ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, seven NORTHERN HARRIERS, seven AMERICAN KESTRELS, FERRUGINOUS HAWK, and thousands of geese heading south, but only a score of MALLARDS. On April 2, Mark saw eight BROAD-WINGED HAWKS over Bismarck, probably a first for him. The first small kettle of one dark-phase and three light-phase was followed later by two in light phase, and still later by two more in light phase...all circling and drifting north. Contact Mark at 701-250-4443, extension 106.
Peder Stenslie had good birding during a March 30 "snow day." His Mandan yard attracted up to 20 HORNED LARKS, countless redpolls, at least 20 AMERICAN ROBINS, 26 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, 16 DARK-EYED JUNCOS, a number of HOUSE FINCHES, PINE SISKINS, and HOUSE SPARROWS plus a COMMON GRACKLE, two NORTHERN SHRIKES and AMERICAN KESTREL. For details, contact Peder at Peder.Stenslie@sendit.nodak.edu.
Ann Hoffert counted 24 BALD EAGLES roosting in tall cottonwood trees near Carrington on April 2. The area also hosted seven RED-TAILED HAWKS, four GRAY PARTRIDGE, and a large flock of WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. Contact her at pipestem@daktel.com.
From Jamestown, Larry and Amy Igl discovered an early BROWN CREEPER in their back yard on March 31. Contact Larry at 701-253-5511.
Dan Buchanan had a pair of BROWN CREEPERS in the Hillcrest complex just east of Jamestown on April 2. Two days later, a neighbor's tree held a GREAT HORNED OWL. You can reach Dan at 701-252-6604.
Seasonal firsts for Linda Gregg at Horace included a HARRIS' SPARROW on the ground with DARK-EYED JUNCOS on April 3 and a FOX SPARROW on April 5. Other sightings included a returning RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER on April 5 and daily visits from a PILEATED WOODPECKER pair. She also saw a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and several CHIPPING SPARROWS at her feeders on April 2. You can reach Linda at lgregg@far.midco.net.
That concludes this week's report from the North Dakota Birding Society.
