North Dakota Birding Hotline Reports

March 2008

Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, March 25, 2008.

Some new and some not-so-new bald eagle nests this week, and a good variety of species.

On March 18 in Grand Forks County, Eve Freeberg saw eight BALD EAGLES including some on nests at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge and south of Grand Forks. She also recorded her first SHARP-SHINNED HAWK of the season and eight NORTHERN PINTAILS. On the following day, Eve found two COMMON GOLDENEYE. Before the storm on March 20, she witnessed her first RED-TAILED HAWK of the season, 27 NORTHERN HARRIERS, and 74 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. Eve added two WESTERN MEADOWLARKS on March 24. She says the Red River was a busy place on March 25. Eve counted 26 BALD EAGLES and five SANDHILL CRANES. For details, call her at 701-741-8105.

Ron Martin found a bald eagle nest about three miles north and east of Riverdale on March 22, and two more the following day, including a new one south of Towner. Ron noted that more new species had arrived in the Garrison Dam area by March 22. He recorded GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, SNOW GOOSE, ROSS' GOOSE, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, CANVASBACK, GREATER SCAUP, HERRING GULL, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. Birding in Ward and McHenry counties the following day, Ron watched three NORTHERN SHOVELERS at Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge, a FERRUGINOUS HAWK standing on a nest northwest of Granville, four great horned owl nests in McHenry County, his first WESTERN MEADOWLARK of the spring, and PINE SISKINS on territory and singing in every town he visited. For more information, contact Ron at jrmartin@srt.com.

Clark Talkington found a GREEN-WINGED TEAL and a FERRUGINOUS HAWK in Burleigh County on March 17. Two days later, he stopped at the Bismarck landfill and recorded 200 RING-BILLED GULLS, 20 CALIFORNIA GULLS, two HERRING GULLS, and a juvenile THAYER'S GULL. South of Mandan on County 135, he recorded a gray-phase GYRFALCON. Clark is at ctalkington@bis.midco.net.

Bernice Houser had a MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD in her yard near New Town on March 17. On the following day, two COMMON REDPOLLS and three HOUSE FINCHES joined the PINE SISKINS at her feeders. Bernice found SHARP-TAILED GROUSE at two of the three leks she visited on March 18, and there were active dancers at one. She also noted several hundred CANADA GEESE in a nearby field. For details, Bernice is at sanishnd@hotmail.com.

Wayne Easley reported good birding west of Fessenden on March 22-23. He says at least one pair of SHORT-EARED OWLS remains in the area. He also reported several ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and a couple RED-TAILED HAWKS. On March 22, Wayne saw a PRAIRIE FALCON and several NORTHERN HARRIERS, the first WESTERN MEADOWLARKS of the season, and an immature SNOWY OWL very close to the road, just north of Chaseley. If you have questions, Wayne is at easley57@yahoo.com or 701-324-2344.

Dan Buchanan birded the Rogers and Spiritwood areas in Barnes and Stutsman counties on March 23. He counted at least 20 EUROPEAN STARLINGS in breeding plumage in Rogers, NORTHERN HARRIER and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK east of Rogers, and 100 or more CANADA GEESE on the Sheyenne River nearby. Moving on to the Spiritwood area, Dan estimated more than 1,000 SNOW GEESE in both white and blue plumage, as well as a lone RED-TAILED HAWK. Contact Dan at 701-252-6604 or bulaw@daktel.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, March 18, 2008.

Merlins and falcons top our report this week, but bluebird and waterfowl sightings continue to roll in.

Dennis Wiesenborn says one or two MERLINS are being seen near a 2007 nest site at Broadway and 13th Avenue North in Fargo. He also saw a HARRIS' SPARROW near Trefoil Park on March16 and heard a NORTHERN CARDINAL singing nearby. Dennis says the only overwintering AMERICAN ROBIN he is aware of in Fargo was singing on March 12, and PINE SISKINS are singing in many locations. He notes that a GREAT HORNED OWL has returned to its nest at Trefoil Park after apparently abandoning it during the cold temperatures in late February. For details, contact Dennis at 218-287-4420.

Keith Corliss reports a single male MERLIN has been seen for about a week at Broadway and 7th Avenue North in Fargo, and was calling on March 16. He is at kcorliss@forumcomm.com.

Connie Norheim watched a PEREGRINE FALCON swoop into a yard on 12th Avenue at 17th Street in Fargo on March 17. Call her at 701-232-4386.

Gary Nielsen reported a PEREGRINE FALCON on the North Dakota State University campus in Fargo on March 14. He's at larrybearnielsen@yahoo.com.

Linda Gregg says a male NORTHERN CARDINAL landed on her deck railing and rapped on her windows near Harwood on March 15. She adds that a cardinal pair has been daily visitors. Contact Linda at lgregg@wah.midco.net.

Mark Otnes found a decent variety of waterfowl on a small piece of open water at Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern North Dakota on March 14. He observed 500 CANADA GEESE, two CACKLING GEESE, two GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 200 MALLARDS, 40 NORTHERN PINTAILS, eight GADWALLS, two AMERICAN WIGEON, a RING-NECKED DUCK, 25 LESSER SCAUP, 15 COMMON GOLDENEYE, and seven COMMON MERGANSERS. Also in the area was a NORTHERN HARRIER. You can reach Mark at markotnes@cableone.net or 701-241-4194.

Pat Beauzay and Jan Knodel visited the same area on March 16, and found many of the same birds that Mark saw two days earlier. They estimated 2,000 CANADA GEESE and 50 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. Ten miles north of Cayuga, they added seven ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and a NORTHERN SHRIKE. Just inside South Dakota, they saw a WESTERN MEADOWLARK. Contact Pat at 701-231-7064.

Daniel Ackerman watched an AMERICAN KESTREL hovering over numerous CANADA GEESE near Heitkamp Pond in Wahpeton on March 15. You can get details at 701-330-5781.

Todd Larson went home to lunch on March 17 and found two CANADA GEESE checking out his slough near Larimore. Overhead were two NORTHERN HARRIERS and four ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. In his yard, he added an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW and an AMERICAN ROBIN. You can find Todd at i81.ou812@yahoo.com.

Betsy Batstone-Cunningham birded Grand Forks County on March 12. South of US Highway 2, she found GRAY PARTRIDGE, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, three CANADA GEESE, COMMON REDPOLLS, and BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES. North of US Highway 2, Betsy added a GREAT HORNED OWL on a nest, SNOW BUNTINGS mixed in with HORNED LARKS, and an AMERICAN KESTREL at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge. She's at batsham@gra.midco.net or 218-791-5079.

From Benson County, Bob Peterson reports a pair of CANADA GEESE circling his small lake near Heimdal on March 13, followed later by a single. He also saw a SNOWY OWL near the side of the road just north and east of Heimdal, and a single MOURNING DOVE flying north. Contact Bob at kq6af@gondtc.com.

Dan Buchanan spotted an adult BALD EAGLE south of Ypsilanti, which is southeast of Jamestown, on March 16. He says that's usually a good area to see eagles. Contact Dan at 701-252-6604.

Sherry Leslie toured Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge on March 16. Although birding was slow, she reported 190 CANADA GEESE and four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. At headquarters, she added PINE SISKINS, five redpolls, BLUE JAYS, RING-NECKED PHEASANTS, CHICKADEES, and 15 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES. Sherry heard two NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS calling near her home in rural Burlington on the evening of March 17. She's at 701-725-4389.

Charles J. Taft recorded his first AMERICAN ROBIN of the year in west Minot on March 17. Call him at 701-852-1981.

Ron Martin reports some new arrivals in the Garrison Dam area on March 16. They included AMERICAN WIGEON, RING-BILLED GULL, and a BELTED KINGFISHER that may have overwintered. Ron also counted 22 BALD EAGLES, most of them moving northward, along the west edge of the valley. He also reports great horned owl nests in Ward and McLean counties. You can reach Ron at jrmartin@srt.com.

On March 11, Bernice Houser saw an adult BALD EAGLE north of Fairview in McKenzie County and four more near Fort Union in Williams County. At New Town, she reports good numbers of PINE SISKINS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, and an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, which was joined by five more on March 16. Other guests included two female and one male DOWNY WOODPECKERS, a pair of HAIRY WOODPECKERS, and an occasional yellow-shafted NORTHERN FLICKER. North of New Town, she saw a MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD near a new oil well site. Contact Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com.

Rita Satermo also saw a MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD north and east of New Town on March 16. She's at rsatermo@rtc.coop.

From extreme northeastern Montana, Ted Nordhagen recorded an adult NORTHERN SHRIKE southeast of Westby on March 11, and says it was only his third of the winter. He also saw a NORTHERN HARRIER and a small flock of about 20 redpolls. Contact Ted at soraart@nemont.net.

Lillian Crook saw a male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD in Teddy Roosevelt National Park near Medora on March 13. On March 16, she added three NORTHERN HARRIERS and three RED-TAILED HAWKS in the Twin Buttes area west of Medora. She's at lilliancrook@hotmail.com.

Bob Scarlett recorded his first WESTERN MEADOWLARK of the season southwest of Mandan on March 11, and added one more southeast of Bismarck on March 16. He reported a flock of robins just inside the South Dakota line on March 16. He's at bobkat@btinet.net.

Corey and Linda Ellingson birded the Bismarck-Mandan area on March 15, and reported a slow trickle of birds. At Nelson Lake near Center, they recorded four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, three GADWALLS, three AMERICAN WIGEON, 20 NORTHERN PINTAILS, eight REDHEADS, two RING-NECKED DUCKS, and seven COMMON GOLDENEYES. At the Mandan experiment station, they flushed a LONG-EARED OWL twice and counted five TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES. At Kist Livestock, they added five REDHEADS. Contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com.

Clark Talkington found quite a bit of birding activity in the Bismarck-Mandan area on St. Patrick's Day. At McKenzie Slough, Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, the Missouri River, Bismarck landfill and Mandan lagoons, he totaled six GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 500 CACKLING GEESE, 150 NORTHERN PINTAILS, 30 COMMON GOLDENEYES, two HOODED MERGANSERS, KILLDEER, 125 RING-BILLED GULLS, 10 CALIFORNIA GULLS, and a single HERRING GULL. Three days earlier, Clark saw two SNOW GEESE at McKenzie Slough, 500 MALLARDS on the Missouri River, 10 REDHEADS at Nelson Lake and Kist Livestock, and a LESSER SCAUP at Nelson Lake. For details, try 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, March 11, 2008.

Waterfowl, bluebirds, and owls top the report this week.

Ron Martin found a variety of waterfowl and other birds in a March 9 visit to Garrison Dam and the surrounding area. He recorded 22,000 CANADA GEESE, 1,000 CACKLING GEESE, a GADWALL, three NORTHERN PINTAILS, three REDHEADS, a RING-NECKED DUCK, a LESSER SCAUP, and one CALIFORNIA GULL. At nearby Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, Ron noted the RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at headquarters had survived the winter and was vocalizing. He also counted four NORTHERN SHRIKES, two of which were calling. Back in his yard near Sawyer that night, Ron said a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL answered his whistles. For more information, contact him at jrmartin@srt.com.

Corey Ellingson's visits to Nelson Lake near Center on March 8 and 9 didn't turn up much for waterfowl. On the 9th, he saw a few thousand CANADA GEESE and a few hundred MALLARDS. One day earlier, he had seen those species plus a male COMMON GOLDENEYE and six CACKLING GEESE. Corey's March 8 outing also included a stop at the Wilbur Boldt Wetland Management Area near Center. He saw three LONG-EARED OWLS, which he believes wintered there, although they were not seen during a January 13 visit to the site by Dan and Emily Svingen. The only other birds Corey found at the Wetland Management Area were four PINE SISKINS. At sundown, he observed a SHORT-EARED OWL one mile south of the Oliver County line and a pair of GRAY PARTRIDGE. Corey's March 9 travels included a stop at Beulah Mines Pond Wetland Management Area near Beulah. He recorded a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and a flock of 20 birds which included PURPLE FINCH, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and COMMON REDPOLL. Heading south toward Hebron, Corey reported a general lack of birds, but did see two PRAIRIE FALCONS between Zap and Hebron along Mercer County #5, and a MERLIN on a fence post just east of Beulah. For details, it's tcellingson@juno.com.

Pat Beauzay and Jan Knodel saw an EASTERN BLUEBIRD along US Highway 2 just east of York on March 7. They also observed an adult BALD EAGLE near Rugby and hundreds of HORNED LARKS all along US Highway 2. You can reach Pat at 701-231-7064.

Jan Sailer reports her husband saw a male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD just south of the North/South Dakota line in Perkins County, South Dakota, on March 5. For details, it's jngsailer@yahoo.com.

Eve Freeberg counted seven SNOWY OWLS in a drive through the Grand Forks County grasslands on March 9. She says most of the owls were males. Eve also found two BALD EAGLES just west of Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge, where a nest blew down and was abandoned last year. Eve's return trip to the site on March 11 revealed a single bird. She also saw her first ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK of the season that day. Eve's March 9 results also included an adult GOLDEN EAGLE. For more information, call her at 701-741-8105.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE has been coming to Cathy Clayton's heated water source in Bismarck every day for the past couple of weeks. She says the bird comes for a quick drink every morning. For more information, she's at parula349@yahoo.com.

If you're interested in joining the nightjar survey network that the Center for Conservation Biology is expanding this year, go to www.ccb-wm.org or e-mail Mike Wilson at mdwils@wm.edu.

If you're in the Minot area on March 18, the Souris Valley Birding Club is meeting at 7 pm in the small meeting room of the Minot Public Library. Wayne Easley will be showing some photos from Ecuador. More information is available from Charles J. Taft at 701-852-1981.

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, March 4, 2008.

Several birders report signs of spring this week.

Larry Igl witnessed two male AMERICAN WOODCOCKS calling and doing aerial displays along the James River at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center on February 25. He returned to the site the following two evenings, and saw one bird on February 26, but none on the 27th. Larry also reports an increase in the number of AMERICAN ROBINS in the Jamestown and Wimbledon areas in the past couple weeks. For details, contatct him at 701-253-5511.

Jean Legge has been watching a covey of GRAY PARTRIDGE near her home north of Valley City. On February 28, she saw a fight between two of the birds. The covey had seven members all winter, but she counted eight the day of the fight. For more information, call Jean at 701-845-4762.

It was a very early EASTERN BLUEBIRD that Sherry Leslie's husband saw in their yard near Burlington on February 28. Sherry says it's at least a week earlier than their previous yard record of March 5, 2000. You can reach her at 701-725-4389.

Two AMERICAN ROBINS appeared in Linda Gregg's yard at Horace on March 1. You can contact her at lgregg@wah.midco.net.

Ted Nordhagen drives a bus route from Westby, Montana, that includes parts of extreme northeastern Montana and extreme northwestern North Dakota. On March 3, he saw an early FERRUGINOUS HAWK go back and forth between the two states, and an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW about 10 miles southeast of Westby, in Divide County, North Dakota. For more information, contact Ted at soraart@nemont.net.

You can add Courtenay to the list of North Dakota communities where EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES have been reported. Stacy Adolf-Whipp saw a pair of the birds in Courtenay, which is northeast of Jamestown, on February 26. She had seen one before Christmas. For details, it's sadolf@hotmail.com.

Bob Anderson discovered a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at a feeder just north of Trinity Lutheran Church in Valley City on March 3. You can reach him at 605-695-1344 or bob.anderson@vcsu.edu.

After a three-week absence, Bernice Houser returned to the New Town area to find fewer PINE SISKINS and no common redpolls. She says the TREE SPARROW was still present on February 27, along with one yellow-shafted NORTHERN FLICKER, DOWNY WOODPECKERS, HAIRY WOODPECKERS, and one WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH. Contact Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com.

Kay Buri was in the southeastern part of North Dakota when she saw a GOLDEN EAGLE on February 27. She says the eagle was on a utility pole north of Nome, which is southeast of Valley City. For more information, contact Kay at kayaktheprairie@srt.com.

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

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