North Dakota Birding Hotline Reports

December 2007

Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Wednesday, December 26, 2007.

Christmas may be over, but the Christmas Bird Count results are really coming in. And there's more.

The Grand Forks-East Grand Forks count reached a milestone. Organizer Dave Lambeth says that count reached its 100th species in 47 years. Although the total of 50 species on count day didn't set a record, it was close. Highlights included one new species--a BUFFLEHEAD during count week, only the second time on the count for a GREAT BLUE HERON, a Harlan's race RED-TAILED HAWK, and a "pink-sided" junco. Dave says a SONG SPARROW missed the count by one day. Making only its third appearance on the count was a COMMON GOLDENEYE, and the 19 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES marked only the fourth time on the count for that species, as well as an all-time high. For more information on the count, contact Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com.

The Fargo-Moorhead count on December 15 racked up 46 species plus four more during the week. Bob O'Connor reports waterfowl were the big players. Counters saw two LESSER SCAUP, four NORTHERN PINTAILS, a WOOD DUCK, four COMMON GOLDENEYES and a BUFFLEHEAD. Other highlights included a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE on the Moorhead side, a BOHEMIAN WAXWING and 62 CEDAR WAXWINGS, a HARRIS' SPARROW and two RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS. For details, contact robert.oconnor@ndsu.edu.

The Jamestown count on December 14 ended up with 45 species. Larry Igl says the highlights included a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, three red-shafted NORTHERN FLICKERS, two WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and 24 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES. Also recorded were an adult BALD EAGLE, MERLIN, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, NORTHERN CARDINAL and RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. For more information, call Larry at 701-253-5511.

From Perkins County, South Dakota, the Shadehill Reservoir Christmas Bird Count on December 18 totaled 43 species. Dan Svingen says counters found 1,000 CACKLING GEESE, 19 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 12 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES, five HARRIS' SPARROWS and three RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, which were new to the count. For more information on that count, call Dan at 701-250-4443, extension 107.

Ryan Shively was one of the birders recording great sightings on their own. On December 19, he re-found the LONG-TAILED DUCK seen earlier this winter at the Garrison Dam tailrace, as well as a suspected male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE. He relayed his report to Dan Svingen, so try contacting Dan at 701-250-4443, extension 107 for additional information.

Wayne Easley continues to watch the 10 or 12 SHORT-EARED OWLS just west of Fessenden in Wells County. On December 19, he observed them feeding, and says late afternoon seems to be the best time. On his way back to Harvey he also saw a GREAT-HORNED OWL, but couldn't find the SNOWY OWL reported by the rural mail carrier that day. You can reach Wayne at 701-324-2344.

Pat Beauzay saw a MERLIN near the Best Buy store in Fargo on December 17. Contact him at patrick.beauzay@ndsu.edu.

Linda Gregg reports a healthy-looking AMERICAN ROBIN at the waterer in her yard at Horace on December 22. She says colder temperatures created lots of activity at her feeders. She's at lgregg@wah.midco.net.

Clark Talkington paid a visit to the open water at Nelson Lake near Center on December 22. He found a WESTERN GREBE and a NORTHERN PINTAIL. At the Tesoro refinery lagoons in Mandan, he added a REDHEAD, and heard a report of a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD in Mike Barnhardt's yard in north Mandan. For details, contact Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net.

Mark Wintermuth saw a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and a male PINE GROSBEAK on December 20 in pine trees near the Parkhurst Campground at Pipestem Reservoir at Jamestown. He gave his report to Larry Igl at 701-253-5511.

Hope this isn't too late: the Edinburg Christmas Bird Count is set for December 28. Meet at 7:30 Friday morning at the general store. The circle includes the towns of Park River, Union, Gardar and...yes...Edinburg. For details, contact Mike Jacobs at mjacobs@gfherald.com.

And we're still waiting for highlights from a couple of Christmas Bird Counts. If you organized, compiled or just participated, please post some results so the rest of us can share in your success...or lack of it.

This reminder: due to the New Years holiday, we could be late again next week.

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, December 18, 2007.

Results of Christmas Bird Counts are starting to trickle in, but some count organizers haven't posted yet.

The Garrison Dam Christmas Bird Count on December 14 set a record with 65 species. That beats the old record of 62, says Ron Martin. Highlights included Greater White-Fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Tundra Swan, Ring-Necked Duck, Red-Breasted Merganser, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, and Brewer's Blackbird. For more information, contact Ron at jrmartin@srt.com.

The Bismarck-Mandan count on December 16 also set a record. Corey Ellingson reports the 54 species on count day and three more during count week was a new high. Among the most interesting sightings: only the second time for a REDHEAD, the first NORTHERN HARRIER since 1985, the first GRAY CATBIRD since 1991, and the first WESTERN MEADOWLARKS since 1991, SHORT-EARED OWL, six NORTHERN SHRIKES, 15 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES including 12 at the Mandan experiment station, 900 AMERICAN ROBINS and RED CROSSBILL. Count week included a NORTHERN CARDINAL and a PRAIRIE FALCON. For details, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com.

No records, but several highlights from the Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge Christmas Bird Count on December 14. At 30 species, the total was short of the record of 38, but counters found RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, a very late MOURNING DOVE, five late NORTHERN HARRIERS, and three PRAIRIE FALCONS. Unusual for their numbers were 31 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, 365 PINE SISKINS, and 33 BLUE JAYS. Count leader Mike Rabenberg says the 30 COMMON REDPOLLS was an unexpectedly low number. On the day after the count, staff observed SHORT-EARED OWL, AMERICAN ROBIN, COMMON GRACKLE, and CEDAR WAXWING. For more information, contact Rabenberg at 701-387-4397 or michael_rabenberg@fws.gov.

If you're leading or participating in a count, please be sure some highlights get posted as soon as possible.

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, December 11, 2007.

Mostly raptors and winter birds this week, but there are some surprises.

Ron Martin’s December 8 visit to Garrison Dam and McLean County resulted in some good finds. He saw two late HORNED GREBES on Lake Sakakawea near the dam, two first-year GLAUCOUS GULLS at the tailrace, and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at Audubon National Wildlife Refuge headquarters. Ron toured McHenry County the following day. At Denbigh, he recorded a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, a GREAT HORNED OWL which was later mobbed by 12 COMMON RAVENS, three TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRES, 40 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, 240 CEDAR WAXWINGS, and 55 PURPLE FINCHES. Other December 9 sightings included another NORTHERN GOSHAWK in the Souris River Valley and six MOURNING DOVES with the flock of EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES in Velva. Also, Ron is the contact for three Christmas Bird Counts: December 14 at Garrison Dam, December 21 at Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge, and December 23 in Minot. For more information, contact him at jrmartin@srt.com.

Corey Ellingson and his mother birded Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Burleigh County on December 9. They counted seven NORTHERN HARRIERS and three ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. They added an adult BALD EAGLE west of McKenzie Slough and a NORTHERN SHRIKE at McKenzie Slough. They also observed a total of 55 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE at four sites. On December 8, Corey had seen two NORTHERN SHRIKES in the Bismarck-Mandan area, and notes that he has been seeing them every outing. Other sightings during five hours on the 8th: a male GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET and at least five TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRES at the Mandan experiment station, 225 AMERICAN ROBINS in four locations and an AMERICAN KESTREL, plus MALLARDS, CANADA GEESE, and a flyby COMMON GOLDENEYE in the little bit of open water on the Missouri River. Corey also reports a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER has been visiting feeders at Audubon National Wildlife Refuge for a month, and a GYRFALCON was seen at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge early last week. Corey also heard that a NORTHERN CARDINAL has been seen at a feeder in Bismarck. He says, don’t forget the Bismarck-Mandan Christmas Bird Count on December 16. Contact him if you’re interested. It’s tcellingson@juno.com.

On December 7, Mark Otnes revisited some of the same locations he hit one week earlier. At Pipestem Dam, he found good numbers of PINE SISKINS and a single PURPLE FINCH, and heard a RED CROSSBILL. Mark said things were quiet south of Valley City along the Sheyenne River, with the only sightings being two BALD EAGLES and a flock of five HORNED LARKS. At Clausen Springs, he added a female NORTHERN GOSHAWK. Birding was better in the Fort Ransom area of Ransom County. Mark discovered two PURPLE FINCHES in the town of Fort Ransom, and a cedar grove southeast of town offered a huge flock of waxwings that included at least one BOHEMIAN WAXWING. The grove also held two PILEATED WOODPECKERS, a large falcon and numerous AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and DARK-EYED JUNCOS. For more information, contact Mark at 701-241-4194.

Acting on a tip from a friend, Wayne Easley headed for a field five miles west of Fessenden in Wells County on December 8. He counted 11 SHORT-EARED OWLS hunting in the field. Returning on the following day, Wayne saw about the same number, most of them sitting on hay bales, fence posts or on the ground when they weren’t hunting, so he has some good images. For details, call him at 701-324-2344 or e-mail easley57@yahoo.com.

Eve Freeberg discovered 80 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS at Memorial Park Cemetery in Grand Forks on December 10. Other sightings throughout Grand Forks County that day included 64 SNOW BUNTINGS, five LAPLAND LONGSPURS, eight WILD TURKEYS, two HORNED LARKS, 30 COMMON REDPOLLS, 18 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, three ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS including one dark-morph, an AMERICAN KESTREL, and a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE. For details on those sightings, contact Eve at 701-741-8105.

Bernice Houser passes along a report of a very late HERMIT THRUSH northwest of New Town on December 4 and 5. On December 6, she saw a BALD EAGLE over Lake Sakakawea near the Four Bears Bridge. You can reach Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com.

Ron Martin and Sherry Leslie made a loop through McHenry County on December 2. They counted 12 BALD EAGLES, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, two SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, two GOLDEN EAGLES, 22 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES in Velva, two NORTHERN SHRIKES, 27 COMMON RAVENS, three TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRES at the Denbigh Experimental Forest, 20 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS at J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge, 31 RED CROSSBILLS in Denbigh and 640 PINE SISKINS, including 600 in one flock in an unharvested sunflower field along the Willow City road. They also note that Charles Kircher of rural Minot has had a female NORTHERN CARDIAL visiting his feeder for a week or so. For details on those sightings, contact Sherry at sherry_leslie@excite.com.

Sharon Watson reports seeing a BALD EAGLE about two miles north of Mayville on December 6. You can reach her at alanwat@infionline.net.

And we’ll repeat our previous request for Christmas Bird Count organizers and compilers: please post some highlights as soon as possible after your count wraps up so we can all hear your results.

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, December 4, 2007.

Some late-November and early-December sightings, plus five more Christmas Bird Counts.

Starting off early on November 30 at Pipestem Dam, Mark Otnes found two TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRES, three BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, more than 30 CEDAR WAXWINGS, and two PURPLE FINCHES. Moving on to the area above Jamestown Dam, he encountered open water with more than 100 CANADA GEESE, six SNOW GEESE, at least one CACKLING GOOSE, a COMMON GOLDENEYE, and six NORTHERN SHOVELERS. Near the town of Leal in Barnes County, Mark saw a PRAIRIE FALCON chasing ROCK PIGEONS, and a single ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. He added a COMMON GRACKLE at Rogers. Mark didn’t find much at Bald Hill Dam-- just a few AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and a single PINE SISKIN. The birding was a little better at Wesley’s Acres, a bible camp about 10 miles north of Bald Hill Dam. Mark observed a single TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, NORTHERN FLICKER, AMERICAN ROBIN, and two EUROPEAN STARLINGS, all hanging around a small open spring. Near Sibley Crossing, he saw two NORTHERN SHRIKES, counted five BALD EAGLES between Jamestown and Valley City, and added a single RED-TAILED HAWK just north of Valley City. For details on those sightings, contact Mark at 701-241-4194 or markotnes@cableone.net.

Corey Ellingson found a good variety of birds in the Garrison Dam and Audubon National Wildlife Refuge area on December 1. At the Garrison Dam marsh, he saw six GADWALLS, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, RING-NECKED DUCK, two LESSER SCAUP, and a male NORTHERN HARRIER. He added a LONG-TAILED DUCK at the tailrace, juvenile NORTHERN GOSHAWK at the Wolf Creek boat ramp, single GOLDEN EAGLES in McLean and Mercer counties, as well as a MERLIN, an adult THAYER’S GULL, three NORTHERN SHRIKES, and two SNOWY OWLS about a mile apart on the northeast edge of Audubon National Wildlife Refuge. For more information, try Corey at tcellingson@juno.com.

Mike Rabenberg recorded his first SNOWY OWL of the season on November 30. The bird was just south of refuge headquarters at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Burleigh County. For details, call Mike at 701-387-4397.

Sherry Leslie and Gary birded southern Ward and McLean counties on December 3. Highlights included a PRAIRIE FALCON north of Ryder, a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at the east end of Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, and a dark morph near the junction of McLean County 21 and 4. They added female and large juvenile SNOWY OWLS on the southeast edge of the refuge. Sherry reports abundant GRAY PARTRIDGE, RING-NECKED PHEASANT, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, SNOW BUNTINGS, LAPLAND LONGSPURS, and HORNED LARKS. When they got back to Burlington, they heard GREAT HORNED OWLS calling. Contact Sherry at 701-725-4389.

Keith Corliss saw two SHORT-EARED OWLS on November 29 and a single on November 30 at dusk both days in the northern parts of Hector Airport in Fargo. For details, try koolhand@juno.com.

Before November 29, Connie Norheim couldn’t remember the last time she looked out her north Fargo window and saw her feeder covered with PINE SISKINS. But there they were--12 of them. One day earlier, Connie saw a BALD EAGLE while on her way home from shopping. She was also able to find a single SHORT-EARED OWL at Hector Airport in Fargo on December 2. You can reach her at cnorheim@msn.com.

A flock of six EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES is still hanging around Linda Gregg’s feeders at Horace. Linda says they have been daily visitors. For more information, it’s lgregg@wah.midco.net.

Eve Freeberg counted at least 14 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES at two locations in Grand Forks on December 2. She says that’s the most ever. That same day, she observed 140 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. On December 3, Eve saw seven MALLARDS, BALD EAGLE, NORTHERN HARRIER, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, and six AMERICAN ROBINS. For details, call Eve at 701-741-8105.

A SONG SPARROW has been coming to Dave Lambeth’s feeders in Grand Forks since late last month. A feeder on the University of North Dakota (UND) campus has been attracting a HARRIS’ SPARROW and several WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS. Dave says recent snowfalls have brought in about 100 HOUSE FINCHES, at least 50 PINE SISKINS, and a few AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. He has heard reports of at least two RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS and a flock of 75 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS. Dave notes that the grasslands of Grand Forks County still have good numbers of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and an occasional SHORT-EARED OWL. Contact him at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com.

Larry Igl reports a record number of at least 15 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES at his feeders in Jamestown since early this month. He says the group includes several juveniles. You can reach Larry at 701-253-5511.

Betsy Batstone-Cunningham watched a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK above the Red River in Grand Forks on Deember.2. She says it was flying northeastward. Contact her at batsham@gra.midco.net.

Bernice Houser reports some good late November and early December action at her feeders near New Town. She says several COMMON REDPOLLS have joined the AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, PINE SISKINS, HOUSE FINCHES, and PURPLE FINCHES. Bernice still has one red-shafted and one yellow-shafted NORTHERN FLICKER, and also sees HAIRY WOODPECKERS and DOWNY WOODPECKERS. She also gets occasional visits from a small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS. Bernice tried to check out a report of an AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN near the grain elevator in New Town, but was unable to find the bird on December 1. For more information, it’s sanishnd@hotmail.com.

A covey of eight GRAY PARTRIDGE moved closer to Jean Legge’s house near Valley City when the snow started falling on December 2. Jean also reports that Jennifer Heim saw a likely adult male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in Oakes early this month. You can reach Jean at jlegge@daktel.com.

Here’s some more Christmas Bird Counts to add to your list:
Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge…December 18. Contact Paulette Scherr at 701-285-3341.
Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge…December 14. Contact Mike Rabenberg at 701-387-4397.
Fargo-Moorhead…December 15. Contact Bob O’Connor at 701-231-7175 or 701-236-9911.
Jamestown…December 14. Contact Larry Igl at 701-253-5511 before December 12.
Shadehill (Perkins County, South Dakota) December 18. Contact Dan Svingen at 701-250-4443, extension 107.

And this request for count organizers and compilers: please post some highlights as soon as possible after your count wraps up.

That concludes this week’s report from the North Dakota Birding Society.

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