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North Dakota Birding Hotline Reports October 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, October 30. It’s more rare ducks and gulls this week, but there are some differences. Four Fargo birders discovered a possible immature male BARROW’S GOLDENEYE in the north Fargo sewage lagoons on October 27. Dean Riemer, Keith Corliss, Pat Beauzay, and Robert O’Connor saw it with COMMON GOLDENEYES in the lagoon’s west-central cell. Bob O’Connor stayed at the site long enough for some bonus birds. At the southwest cell, he spotted two female WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, and he had a fly-over by a LITTLE GULL, but couldn’t relocate it. For details on those sightings, contact Bob at robert.oconnor@ndsu.edu. Pat Beauzay birded the Fargo lagoons over the noon hour on October 26. He counted six WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS in the southwest cell and a drake AMERICAN BLACK DUCK with about 1,000 MALLARDS in the northwest cell. Other sightings included two adult BALD EAGLES, two RED-TAILED HAWKS, and two NORTHERN HARRIERS. You can reach Pat at patrick.beauzay@ndsu.edu.
Eve Freeberg recorded a HARLEQUIN DUCK northwest of Grand Forks on October 30. Eve says the bird was in winter plumage. For details, she’s at 701-741-8105. Corey Ellingson looked unsuccessfully for scoters at New Johns Lake in northwestern Burleigh County on October 27. He did find five TUNDRA SWANS, his first-of-season ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK nearby, and a PRAIRIE FALCON north of Wilton. At the Bismarck landfill, he saw HERRING GULLS and RING-BILLED GULLS in the 1,500 gulls present. The “gulling” was better on the sandbars south of the Expressway bridge. Those 1,500 gulls included two LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS and a possible adult THAYER’S GULL. Later that day, Corey observed about 100 DARK-EYED JUNCOS, many CEDAR WAXWINGS, and three TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRES at the Mandan experiment station. Corey is at tcellingson@juno.com. Dave Lambeth took a visiting birder out in Grand Forks County on October 28. They saw four AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS in a plowed field near Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge, the family of five TRUMPETER SWANS west of Orr, and five ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, including one in dark-phase. On October 25, Dave found large concentrations of waterfowl in the Devils Lake area. He also saw 1,300 BONAPARTE’S GULLS including 600 in a small WPA near the junction of highways 281 and 19. A large flock of REDHEADS included one with a totally white head. Dave noted that another wave of at least 50 PINE SISKINS hit his feeders on October 27. You can reach him at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. Mark Otnes didn’t have much luck at Icelandic State Park near Cavalier on October 26. All he found were PINE SISKINS, a possible crossbill, and a flock of PURPLE FINCH. At Jay V. Wessels Wildlife Management Area, he added a couple COMMON RAVENS. His best birds of the day were along the Sheyenne River Valley in Barnes County. He saw two COMMON REDPOLLS and a lone soaring COMMON RAVEN near Bald Hill Dam, north of Valley City. At Faust Park in Valley City, Mark discovered a dead red-bellied woodpecker. Mark is at 701-241-4194. Rick Gjervold got several good looks at a NORTHERN SHRIKE in Trollwood Park in Fargo on October 24. It was a species he saw only once last season, and that was in Minnesota. Contact Rick at g4jervold@aol.com. Larry Igl says it has been a phenomenal fall for nuthatches in Jamestown. He saw about 12 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and four WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES in his yard on October 27. Other sightings in the Jamestown area included a male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at Marsha Sovada’s feeders for the past three weeks, and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at Mike Schwartz’s feeders on October 19. You can reach Larry at 701-253-5511. Ann Knudson reports seeing RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES at her feeders in Bismarck lately, and she normally only sees their white-breasted cousins. Contact her at ilisidi3@hotmail.com. Linda Gregg has had many more RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES at her feeders at Horace this year. Other recent visitors have been several RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS, plus a lot of WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and HARRIS’ SPARROWS. A large flock of PINE SISKINS stopped in her yard for a few days, enjoying her thistle feeders. Contact Linda at lgregg@wah.midco.net. From southwestern North Dakota, Jan Sailer says Dave and Carolyn Griffiths found a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE among hundreds of CANADA GEESE at Mirror Lake in Hettinger on October 24. Jan has an immature GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET in her yard that day and a BROWN CREEPER the following day. She has been hearing reports of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK sightings for a week or so. Contact Jan at jngsailer@yahoo.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 the map at the bottom of the page, and click on North Dakota on the next 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, October 23. It’s almost like last week: scoters, gulls, and whoopers again highlight our report.
Ron Martin discovered an adult male SURF SCOTER on Lake Richard, south of Drake, on October 21. He also saw a GOLDEN EAGLE, his first of the fall. Earlier McHenry County sightings included a couple of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, seasonal firsts. Contact Ron at jrmartin@srt.com. The most recent confirmed WHOOPING CRANE sighting comes from near the town of McKenzie in Burleigh County on October 22. The pair of whoopers were on the ground with a flock of SANDHILL CRANES. Additional sightings have been reported in central Burke County and western Divide County. For more information on the McKenzie sighting, contact Paul VanNingen of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 701-387-4397. For details on the northwestern North Dakota sightings, call Tim Kessler of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Crosby at 701-965-6488. Sherry Leslie had an owl “hat trick” at her place near Burlington on October 20. Coming home after church, she had a GREAT HORNED OWL sitting in a tree, and later a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL and an EASTERN SCREECH-OWL calling. For more information, call Sherry at 701-725-4389. Eve Freeberg recorded her first ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK sighting of the season in Grand Forks County on October 16. You can reach her at 701-741-8105. From north Fargo, Rick Gjervold’s feeders have been getting busier. He says a late MOURNING DOVE stops in every day, along with RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and a female PILEATED WOODPECKER. A female PURPLE FINCH has been visiting for a few days. On October 16, several HARRIS’ SPARROWS joined numerous WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS. Rick was excited to see a male RING-NECKED PHEASANT on October 11 and 13. Venturing out of his yard, he saw a male NORTHERN HARRIER just north of Hector Airport on October 13. Rick says the North Dakota State University campus crab apple trees were full of CEDAR WAXWINGS on October 17. Contact him at 701-232-7844. Although the downtown Fargo PEREGRINE FALCONS have departed, Wick Corwin has issued a year-end report. He says all four fledglings apparently survived, making the sixth successful nesting, for a total of 21, with a maximum of 17 survivors. If you have questions, contact Wick at 701-293-9911. 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 the map at the bottom of the page, and click on North Dakota on the next 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, October 16. Gulls, scoters and whoopers top our report this week. Corey Ellingson found two LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS at the Bismarck landfill on October 9. He says one bird had an entirely black mantle, while the other had some white feathering mixed in. The landfill also hosted two adult CALIFORNIA GULLS, and Corey said the numbers of HERRING GULLS were increasing. A check of Sleepy Hollow Park turned up the TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE and a FOX SPARROW. The solitaire had been reported the previous day by John Hoganson and Cathy Clayton. An October 15 evening walk through the park flushed two NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS. Corey says the owls remained perched for the 90-minutes he was at the park. They were the first Burleigh County sightings in 12 years. Other sightings included the latest-ever TENNESSEE WARBLER for the Bismarck-Mandan area, a late ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, and two PURPLE FINCHES. For details, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com.
Dean Riemer and Pat Beauzay followed up on Bob O’Connor’s sighting that evening. They observed a total of five WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS plus a BLACK SCOTER and a LONG-TAILED DUCK– all in the southwest cell of the lagoons. Dean birded Grand Forks County on October 13. He teamed up with Eve Freeberg and recorded five TRUMPETER SWANS near McCanna, a SABINE’S GULL, 20 SNOW BUNTINGS, and many RED-TAILED HAWKS. Dean is at driemer@kwh.com. Keith Corliss discovered a lone SURF SCOTER in the east-central cell of the Fargo lagoons just before sunset on October 9. Contact him at kcorliss@forumcomm.com. The first confirmed sighting of WHOOPING CRANES in North Dakota this fall came near Noonan on October 10. Tim Kessler of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service saw three birds in two adjacent fields after receiving a report from a hunter who had reported whoopers the previous weekend. Kessler says the whoopers were traveling with SANDHILL CRANES. You can reach him at 701-965-6488. It won’t be considered a confirmed sighting, but Bob Scarlett says a friend of his who lives south of Menoken reported that he and several others saw a group of 10 WHOOPING CRANES circling overhead with SANDHILL CRANES on October 14. They had binoculars and watched the whoopers for about half-an-hour. Scarlett notes that the friend has seen whoopers several times in the past, so he considers the sighting reliable. Bob had some interesting sightings of his own in recent days. He saw three PEREGRINE FALCONS about 25 miles southwest of Mandan on October 13 and 14, where he had seen the species for several weeks, and he plans to search for a nest next spring. One week earlier, Bob watched a PEREGRINE FALCON attack a NORTHERN HARRIER, making feathers fly and forcing the harrier into a “crash landing.” Bob and two friends also watched a MERLIN snatch a flying DARK-EYED JUNCO out of a flock. For details on any of those sightings, contact him at bobkat@btinet.net. Eve Freeberg’s yard in Grand Forks hosted a very late GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER from October 13-15. She believes it’s one of the latest sightings on record for North Dakota. Eve’s other highlights included a single HERMIT THRUSH at the Grand Forks cemetery on October 9 and eight more on her deck on October 14, a SABINE’S GULL and the first SNOW BUNTINGS northwest of Grand Forks on October 10, two TUNDRA SWANS at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge on October 11, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE near McCanna on October 12. For more information, call Eve at 701-741-8105. Mark Otnes birded the country between Jamestown and Valley City on October 12. His highlight was a quite tame LONG-EARED OWL on the south side of Pipestem Reservoir. Mark also reported abundant RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, along with PINE SISKIN, PURPLE FINCH and HERMIT THRUSH, and he may have heard a RED CROSSBILL at Jamestown Reservoir. At Eckelson Slough in Barnes County, Mark got a single FORSTER’S TERN, saw plenty of RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, PURPLE FINCHES, and a single GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET north of Valley City. He says HARRIS’ SPARROWS and DARK-EYED JUNCOS were abundant throughout the area. On October 7, Mark took a run along the Sheyenne River north of Valley City, and recorded GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, three PURPLE FINCHES, two BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, a GREEN HERON, HERMIT THRUSH, and four SANDHILL CRANES. You can call Mark at 701-241-4194. Jean Legge is still scratching her head about a bird that showed up at her sunflower feeder north of Valley City on October 12. She describes it as “a very bright reddish finch with a triangular topknot on the crown of his head.” Send your identifications to Jean at jlegge@daktel.com. Ron Martin recorded an EVENING GROSBEAK at the headquarters of J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge near Upham on October 14. Nearby, he added a WINTER WREN. On October 13, Ron teamed up with Corey Ellingson for a tour of McHenry County. They turned up five COMMON LOONS, 56 HORNED GREBES, a CLARK’S GREBE at Buffalo Lodge Lake, two SURF SCOTERS at Round Lake, a PRAIRIE FALCON, seven SMITH’S LONGSPURS in two locations, and a seasonal-first SNOW BUNTING. On October 12, Ron conducted a two-hour hawk watch on the south edge of the Souris Valley near the Minot landfill. He recorded two NORTHERN HARRIERS, 13 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, COOPER’S HAWK, NORTHERN GOSHAWK, 77 RED-TAILED HAWKS, and four AMERICAN KESTRELS. Other species included Ron’s first NORTHERN SHRIKE of the fall, 18 PURPLE FINCHES in Minot’s Oak Park and a couple more near Sawyer, and lots of PINE SISKINS. Ron says a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was calling near Sawyer and he saw a single RED-BREASTED MERGANSER at Buffalo Lodge Lake on October 11. The Minot sewage lagoons held two SURF SCOTERS on October 8. You can reach Ron at jrmartin@srt.com. Dan and Emily Svingen saw lots of raptors at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge on October 14. They recorded five LONG-EARED OWLS, 60 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 12 NORTHERN HARRIERS, two SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, a COOPER’S HAWK, MERLIN, and two AMERICAN KESTRELS. The other highlight of the day was a SEDGE WREN. Contact Dan at 701-250-4443, extension 107. Wayne Easley and his wife discovered a female PILEATED WOODPECKER in Harvey on October 13. They say the bird was checking every crevice in the telephone poles along Jackson Street in the southeastern part of town. You can reach the Easleys at 701-324-2344. Sherry Leslie searched unsuccessfully for whoopers on October 14, but found other interesting birds. Her list included 13 TUNDRA SWANS near Ryder, 114 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS near Douglas, eight GREATER YELLOWLEGS two miles south of the Lonetree Wildlife Management Area, and numerous flocks of SANDHILL CRANES. Contact Sherry at sherry_leslie@excite.com. Bob Peterson has seen a GREAT HORNED OWL around his Heimdal farm for several years, but the most recent appearance– on October 14– provided some entertainment. Bob watched out his kitchen window as the owl caught grasshoppers just a few feet away. You can reach Bob at kq6af@gondtc.com. A SONG SPARROW joined the flock of birds at Rick Holbrook’s yard in Fargo on October 11. Contact him at fholbrook@cableone.net. Mel and Elaine Bennefeld’s sunflower feeder in north Fargo entertained a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH on October 14, while several WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS picked up the seeds that fell to the ground. Contact the Bennefelds at emben1@juno.com. The October 14 “Big Sit” at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge attracted 16 participants. Highlights included RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and a MERLIN. For more information, call Paulette Scherr at 701-285-3341. Dan Buchanan found “at least in the hundreds” TUNDRA SWANS at and near Horsehead Lake in Kidder County on October 15. He saw smaller numbers of the species at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge the previous day. Dan also recorded RED-TAILED HAWKS, SWAINSON’S HAWKS, and NORTHERN HARRIERS during the two days. Contact him at 701-252-6604. And from just inside South Dakota near Hettinger, Jan Sailer reported seeing four or five LONG-EARED OWLS on October 14 in an evergreen shelterbelt at her ranch. She adds that almost every one of the species she has ever seen has been at that location. You can reach Jan at jngsailer@yahoo.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 the map at the bottom of the page, and click on North Dakota on the next 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, October 9. The great fall sightings continue this week.
Clark Talkington and Corey Ellingson say the GYRFALCON was still present that afternoon, and a PRAIRIE FALCON was seen just east of Lincoln. Clark was able to pick out a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and a HERRING GULL from the one-thousand RING-BILLED GULLS at the Bismarck landfill on October 8. From Sleepy Hollow Park in Bismarck, he flushed a LONG-EARED OWL and saw a FOX SPARROW and some RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS. One day earlier, the park held the owl and the kinglets, as well as GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, HERMIT THRUSH, BROWN CREEPER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and FOX SPARROW. Later that day, Clark and Corey recorded a TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, 66 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, and three young BALD EAGLES along Hiway 1806 north of Mandan. You can reach Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net. Corey Ellingson was part of a group of Bismarck-Mandan Birdclub members who birded northern and eastern Burleigh County on October 6. Their total of 85 species included COMMON GOLDENEYE, COMMON LOON at New John’s Lake and Heckers Lake, two GREAT EGRETS, two PRAIRIE FALCONS north of Sterling, five FORSTER’S TERNS at New John’s Lake, the earliest-ever NORTHERN SHRIKE for the county, a SMITH’S LONGSPUR on a fenceline, and seasonal firsts GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD. For details on those sightings, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com. Jack Lefor discovered a SURF SCOTER on cell #4 at the Dickinson lagoons on October 2. For details, contact him at jpl@ndsupernet.com. Jan Sailer recorded a lone CATTLE EGRET at Mirror Lake in Hettinger on October 4. Other sightings included a TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, GREAT BLUE HERON, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, several dowitchers, an immature RED-TAILED HAWK, and at least one BELTED KINGFISHER. For more information, contact Jan at jngsailer@yahoo.com. Sherry Leslie and Rexanne Bruno enjoyed a good day of birding on October 3. At Buffalo Lodge Lake
near Granville in McHenry County, they saw 35 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, 579 CANADA GEESE, 25 CACKLING GEESE, nine GREATER YELLOWLEGS, five GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 75 TUNDRA SWANS, five BONAPARTE’S GULLS, RUDDY DUCKS, BUFFLEHEADS, AMERICAN WIGEON, AMERICAN COOTS, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, REDHEADS, CANVASBACKS, MALLARDS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, RED-NECKED GREBE, PIED-BILLED GREBE, WESTERN GREBE, and RING-BILLED GULLS. Moving on to the Minot sewage lagoons, they found 10 KILLDEER, 202 AMERICAN AVOCETS, eight PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, three FRANKLIN’S GULLS, two HERRING GULLS, two BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, a WESTERN GREBE, a PEREGRINE FALCON chasing a RED-TAILED HAWK, SAVANNAH SPARROWS, VESPER SPARROWS, WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, HARRIS’ SPARROWS, and a W Keith Corliss has been driving a combine during the soybean harvest, and recording some good sightings. He saw a SHORT-EARED OWL just north of Fargo’s Hector Airport on October 3, and a SORA on October 4. Keith is at kcorliss@forumcomm.com. Also from Fargo, Becky Oberlander had her first fall HARRIS’ SPARROWS arrive at her feeders on October 9. Contact her at raoberlander@hotmail.com. Rick Holbrook had a nice collection of sparrows in his Fargo yard on October 9. The mix included a FOX SPARROW, HOUSE SPARROWS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, and HARRIS’ SPARROWS. You can reach Rick at fholbrook@cableone.net. From rural New Town, Bernice Houser saw a lot of WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS and HARRIS’ SPARROWS on October 5, along with several male PURPLE FINCHES, a few COMMON GRACKLES, HAIRY WOODPECKERS, DOWNY WOODPECKERS, NORTHERN FLICKER, PINE SISKINS, HOUSE FINCHES, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and one WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. On Oct. 3, a LINCOLN’S SPARROW joined the WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, HARRIS’ SPARROWS, CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, and DARK-EYED JUNCOS in her yard, about a dozen PINE SISKINS were feeding with a few AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, and the highlight of the day was a late WESTERN MEADOWLARK. For more information, contact Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com. Dan Buchanan saw a flock of a dozen or more CEDAR WAXWINGS in trees behind the Wells Fargo Bank in Jamestown on October 6. On the following day, he observed RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, two or three BELTED KINGFISHERS, four or five AMERICAN CROWS, four or five DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, more than 20 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, RING-BILLED GULL, NORTHERN FLICKER, AMERICAN ROBIN, and a probable juvenile SHARP-SHINNED HAWK or COOPER’S HAWK at the base of Jamestown Dam. Back in his yard, Dan saw two RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, plus BLUE JAYS, AMERICAN ROBIN, and a few YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. You can reach Dan at 701-252-6604. Also from Jamestown, Carl Stangeland saw two FOX SPARROWS, two GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, a NASHVILLE WARBLER and numerous RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS on the White Cloud nature trails. Contact Carl at carlcs@daktel.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 the map at the bottom of the page, and click on North Dakota on the next 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, October 2. Gulls top our report this week. Clark Talkington discovered a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge on September 28. Other sightings included three FORSTER’S TERNS and an EASTERN TOWHEE. On the 27th, Clark stopped at a prairie dog town in southeastern Morton County, where he saw a BURROWING OWL, as well as two badgers and a mountain lion. For details, contact Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net. Dean Riemer had two successful lagoon outings in one day. On September 30, he was joined by Ron Martin, Corey Ellingson, and Jack Lefor at the Fargo lagoons, where they found a juvenile SABINE’S GULL in the southwest cell. Later that day, he teamed up with Paulette Scherr and Stacy Whipp at the West Fargo lagoons, where they found another (or was it the same?) juvenile SABINE’S GULL. For more information, try Dean at driemer@kwh.com. Eve Freeberg had some good “gulling” northwest of Grand Forks in late September and early October. She saw two SABINE’S GULLS on September 28 and added four more on October 1. Other sightings included two RED KNOTS on September 25 and 14 SURF SCOTERS including nine juveniles on October 1. Eve adds that a drawdown of the Turtle River pool near County 11 at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge has attracted about 500 birds of various species. For more information, call her at 701-741-8105.
Linda Gregg has a lot of YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS in her back yard in Horace. The first fall WHITE-THROATED SPARROW arrived on September 30, and she reported lingering RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS at her feeders, as well as at least one pair of PURPLE FINCHES. One week earlier, she reported a brief visit from a GRAY CATBIRD, after having at least two pair and young over the summer. She’s at lgregg@wah.midco.net. Dave Lambeth got photos of a female or immature SCARLET TANAGER that bathed in his Grand Forks yard for several minutes on September 29. He believes it could be the latest or one of the latest sightings in the state. Dave also had a late INDIGO BUNTING–probably a juvenile–on September 26 and 27. He says the bird came with migrant sparrows to seed scattered on the ground. You can reach Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. Several hundred adult and juvenile RED-TAILED HAWKS converged at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center near Jamestown on the evening of September 28. Larry Igl saw many fights and chases as the hawks were settling onto their perches. He adds that there have been a few BROAD-WINGED HAWKS in the area during the past week or so. You can reach Larry at 701-253-5511.
Ron Martin recorded a longspur “hat trick” in a pasture in southern McHenry County on October 1. He saw six CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS, four SMITH’S LONGSPURS, and 50 LAPLAND LONGSPURS. For details, contact Ron at jrmartin@srt.com. Sherry Leslie found a body of water just north of Barton that held a good variety of birds. On October 1, she counted 200 TRUMPETER SWANS, 12 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, a lone GREATER YELLOWLEGS, two AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, REDHEADS, CANVASBACKS, RUDDY DUCKS, and numerous other waterfowl. You can reach Sherry at sherry_leslie@excite.com. The first TREE SPARROW of fall arrived at Bernice Houser’s yard near New Town on September 29. One day earlier, two PURPLE FINCHES showed up, and joined CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, CHIPPING SPARROWS, HARRIS’ SPARROWS, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and a SPOTTED TOWHEE. She also saw a flock of 15 TURKEY VULTURES. The first WHITE-THROATED SPARROW of the season came to Bernice’s feeders on September 25, and her yard also attracted YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, CEDAR WAXWINGS, and PINE SISKINS. On September 27, she reported a good increase in DARK-EYED JUNCOS and HARRIS’ SPARROWS, while a pair of male EASTERN BLUEBIRDS came to the birdbath. You can find Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com. Finally, a belated report of a SOLITARY SANDPIPER and an AMERICAN BITTERN three miles west of Bowman on September 8. The phone message came from a Chris Hyatt or Hiatt, and left no contact information. 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 the map at the bottom of the page, and click on North Dakota on the next map. North Dakota Field Office Home Page |
Ron Martin found an adult MEW GULL on the Missouri River below Garrison Dam on October 28. At Round Lake in McHenry County, he added two SURF SCOTERS and an adult male WHITE-WINGED SCOTER. He notes that SNOW GEESE are well distributed across the north-central part of the state. On October 25, Ron saw a late RED-NECKED PHALAROPE at the Minot lagoons. Contact him at 
Dean Riemer had the scoter “hat trick” at the Fargo lagoons on October 19. He saw two BLACK SCOTERS, seven WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, and 10 SURF SCOTERS plus a LONG-TAILED DUCK. Dean also had a successful visit to the same site on October 16. In the southwest cell, he found a SURF SCOTER and three WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. For more information, contact Dean at 
Dan and Ila Svingen visited the Bismarck landfill on October 20. From the 2,000 or so gulls present, they picked out 10 HERRING GULLS, a few CALIFORNIA GULLS, three adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, and a first-winter THAYER’S GULL. On October 21, Dan birded the Garrison Dam area. He reported only about 200 gulls, but the mix included an adult MEW GULL, two adult THAYER’S GULLS, a few CALIFORNIA GULLS, and about 20 HERRING GULLS. Again, the rest were RING-BILLED GULLS. At Lake Audubon, Dan added a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, hundreds of CACKLING GEESE, two COMMON LOONS, and 40 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. For details, call Dan at 701-250-4443, extension 107.
Bob O’Connor saw two male WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS still in breeding plumage in the southwest cell of the Fargo sewage lagoons on October 12. He believes there may have been at least one female with them. Contact Bob at 
Dan Svingen found a brown, juvenile GYRFALCON just east of Moffit in southern Burleigh County on October 7. He says it was along the so-called Moffit Road, about 5.5 miles east of Highway1804. For more information, call Dan at 701-250-4443, extension 107.
HITE-CROWNED SPARROW. At Oak Park in Minot, the highlight was a WINTER WREN. Sherry reported a DARK-EYED JUNCO invasion and the return of the AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES on September 29-30. Then, on October 4, at least 10 HARRIS’ SPARROWS, a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, eight WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, and a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET at rural Burlington. Sherry says her October 1 posting should have read 200 TUNDRA SWANS and two TRUMPETER SWANS just north of Barton. On October 8, her yardbirds included HARRIS’ SPARROW, TREE SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, PURPLE FINCH, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, BLUE JAY, NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, DOWNY WOODPECKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER, AMERICAN ROBIN, PINE SISKIN, SONG SPARROW, and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE. For details on those sightings, contact Sherry at 
With the September 28 arrival of a HARRIS’ SPARROW in Fargo, Rick Holbrook says all the migrant sparrows have shown up. He also saw several ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and TENNESSEE WARBLERS that day. On September 25, Rick reported an OVENBIRD hopping around under his feeders and hedge. Contact him at 
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