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North Dakota Birding Hotline Reports September 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, September 25. A rare pair in Washburn, and much more.
Dan Svingen and his family and some friends heard EASTERN SCREECH-OWLS calling near the cabins at Cross Ranch State Park in Oliver County on September 21. Emily Svingen saw a BROAD-WINGED OWL at the park the following day. Dan and Emily estimated a total of 600 RING-BILLED GULLS, CALIFORNIA GULLS, FRANKLIN’S GULLS, and HERRING GULLS at and near the Garrison Dam tailrace, plus an OSPREY, EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, a couple BALD EAGLES, and a COMMON TERN on September 23. On September 24, Mark Gonzalez and Dan found a few birds at Sleepy Hollow Park in Bismarck. On a Sepember 18 visit to the same park, they recorded OVENBIRD, SWAMP SPARROW, LINCOLN’S SPARROW, MARSH WREN, SWAINSON’S THRUSH, and several ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS. Dan is at 701-250-4443, extension 107. Ron Martin found signs that fall is moving along in McHenry County. On September 21, he recorded a NORTHERN GOSHAWK at Velva, two COMMON LOONS and 55 TUNDRA SWANS at Buffalo Lodge Lake, HERMIT THRUSH in Velva and Denbigh, 15 SPOTTED TOWHEES at his feeder near Sawyer in Ward County, a FOX SPARROW and five RED CROSSBILLS at Denbigh -- a total of 26 DARK-EYED JUNCOS, four PURPLE FINCHES and eight PINE SISKINS. Contact Ron at jrmartin@srt.com. David Walsh reports the birds have returned to his yard in Minot. On September 24, he saw RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, DOWNY WOODPECKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER, PINE SISKIN, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, HOUSE FINCH, NORTHERN FLICKER, and many warblers. Contact him at davidw@ndak.net. From Grand Forks, Dave Lambeth heard a EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE calling near the Ramada Inn on September 22. He also saw an OSPREY and a COMMON LOON at Fordville Dam. Dave reported that three young-of-the-year TRUMPETER SWANS have survived from the nesting near McCanna. He also saw a flock of 75 LESSER GOLDEN PLOVERS in a harvested bean field. Dave saw a good number of birds in misty weather in Grand Forks on September 20. They included the first WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW of fall at his feeders and an EASTERN TOWHEE in Memorial Park Cemetery. On September 19, Dave’s first HARRIS’ SPARROW of the fall arrived in his yard. At Memorial Park Cemetery, a draw-down of the pond attracted TENNESSEE WARBLERS, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, PALM WARBLERS, COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, and a NASHVILLE WARBLER, while Ron Martin heard a WINTER WREN. Back in Dave’s yard, a GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH and a NASHVILLE WARBLER were among the birds coming to water. Contact Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. Larry Igl reports late nesting records for two species near Jamestown. On September 16, at least four BARN SWALLOW young fledged from a nest at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. The young then returned to the nest to roost the following evening. Larry says that is one of the latest nesting records in North Dakota. Also on September 16, Larry and son Alex flushed a MOURNING DOVE off a nest with young in a spruce tree at Hillcrest Golf Course. For details, call Larry at 701-253-5511. A small flock of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS showed up in Wanda Peterson’s backyard in north Fargo on September 23. For more information, try wandaandjohnp83@aol.com. The first HARRIS’ SPARROW of the fall reached Bernice Houser’s yard near New Town on September 23. A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW also showed up, and the windy weather tossed around a TURKEY VULTURE. On September 22, Bernice saw DARK-EYED JUNCOS, SPOTTED TOWHEES, CHIPPING SPARROWS, some NORTHERN FLICKERS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and a HOUSE FINCH. New arrivals on September 18 were a DARK-EYED JUNCO and a SPOTTED TOWHEE, while two YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were also present, along with lots of CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS and CHIPPING SPARROWS. For details, contact Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com. The peregrine falcons that have been visiting the State Capitol building in Bismarck will now have better accommodations. Boy Scout Ryan Crawford erected a nest box on September 19. During the setup, a PEREGRINE FALCON flew within about 75 yards of the building. For more information, contact Corey Ellingson at tcellingson@juno.com. And, if you’re looking for an excuse to bird a small part of Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, they’ve scheduled a Big Sit for Sunday, October 14 in the Warbler Woodland Wildlife Viewing Area, formerly known as the picnic area on the refuge. Biologist Paulette Scherr says there will be a couple spotting scopes as well as extra binoculars and some field guides and checklists available. If you’re interested, call her at 701-285-3341. 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, September18. A rare warbler visits Bismarck, and the selasphorus hummingbird may still be around Buxton. Corey Ellingson discovered a first fall male TOWNSEND’S WARBLER at Sleepy Hollow Park in Bismarck on September 12. Two other birders also saw the warbler before dark that evening. Corey says it’s a first for the Bismarck-Mandan checklist. Also present were two ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, including one which was missing an upper bill, along with a MARSH WREN and a MOURNING WARBLER. For more information, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com. The selasphorus hummer, most likely a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, was seen again on September 13 at Sharon Watson’s place near Buxton. The immature female was first seen on September 8. Sharon says she also saw RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS on September 13. Other visitors included a family of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, a couple YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, CEDAR WAXWINGS, MOURNING DOVES and NORTHERN FLICKERS. For details, Sharon is at alanwat@infionline.net.
Charles Taft’s sunflower feeder in west Minot attracted a female HARRIS’ SPARROW on September 12. Call Charles at 701-852-1981. Carl Stangeland birded areas close to the river in Jamestown on September 14, finding ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, WILSON’S WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, his first SWAMP SPARROW of the season, and a juvenile YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. Contact Carl at carlcs@daktel.com. From Grand Forks, Dave Lambeth watched what appeared to be a female SHARP-SHINNED HAWK unsuccessfully stalking a gray squirrel on his patio on September 17. Dave joined Tim Driscoll at the “smiley face” water tower late that afternoon after Tim noticed a second PEREGRINE FALCON at the site. The newcomer is apparently a young-of-the-year female from the tundra. Dave recorded his first fall FOX SPARROW on September 16, along with WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and DARK-EYED JUNCO at his feeders. He adds that two RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are still visiting, and a BROAD-WINGED HAWK soared over his yard. Dave’s running water attracted an immature MAGNOLIA WARBLER on September 15, followed by two YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and two ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS the following day. You can reach Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. Dan Svingen found lots of adult LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, AMERICAN AVOCETS, and NORTHERN SHOVELERS at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge and McKenzie Slough in Burleigh County on September 15. Other sightings included two AMERICAN BITTERNS, two young PIPING PLOVERS, and about 200 SANDHILL CRANES at the refuge. On September 16, Dan saw very few birds at Sweet Briar Lake in Morton County, but recorded about 100 GREATER YELLOWLEGS and a smattering of other shorebird species at Rice Lake in Burleigh County. Between Rice Lake and I-94, Dan saw lots of scattered RED-TAILED HAWKS and SWAINSON’S HAWKS plus a few FERRUGINOUS HAWKS. You can call him at 701-250-4443, ext. 107. A fall-first DARK-EYED JUNCO stopped at Clark Talkington’s yard in Mandan on September 12. Contact him at ctalkington@bis.midco.net. A belated report of a female NORTHERN CARDINAL for Sheila Rabe of Cando. The September 2 sighting was a lifer for her. She’s at 701-968-3759. Bernice Houser saw an adult and three juvenile BALD EAGLES on a sandbar in the Missouri River south of Washburn on September 9. On September 10, she saw a flock of young CEDAR WAXWINGS and one TENNESSEE WARBLER in a little park by the courthouse in Stanley. Contact Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com. And, if you’re interested in a trip to Mitchell, South Dakota, Doug Chapman has been watching a SWALLOW-TAILED KITE since early this month. For directions, contact him at rhameprairie@sio.midco.net. 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, September 11. A rare jaeger, another rare hummer, and a rare gull top our report this week.
Connie Norheim, Mark Otnes, and Becky Oberlander found several shorebirds before they got to see the Grand Forks jaeger on September 8. They saw BAIRD’S SANDPIPER, two RUDDY TURNSTONES, SANDERLINGS, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and four BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS. For more information, call Connie at 701-232-4386. Dave Lambeth got a phone tip from Sharon Watson, who had a likely RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD coming to a window feeder at her home near Buxton. Dave saw the bird on September 8 and 9, and some experts who have seen the pictures say the bird could be an Allen’s hummingbird.. If it is a rufous, it’s at least the third sighting of the species in North Dakota this summer, with the others near Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge on August 23 and near Beach on July 25. Dave also reports that a 2-year-old PEREGRINE FALCON that was raised in Fargo is still hanging out on a water tower in Grand Forks, and the TRUMPETER SWANS nesting near the town of McCanna were seen with four young in mid-August. Dave says it is likely the first nesting in North Dakota in over 100 years. For more information on those sightings, contact Dave at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. Dan Svingen reports a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge on the evening of September 8. Also in the same area was a juvenile RUDDY TURNSTONE. Call Dan at 701-250-4443, extension 107. Ron Martin recorded a TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE in Velva on September 7. He’s at jrmartin@srt.com. Keith Corliss took advantage of approaching rain, and birded his own yard in West Fargo on September 6. He noticed PURPLE FINCH, RED-EYED VIREO, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, TENNESSEE WARBLER, GRAY CATBIRD, SWAINSON’S THRUSH, and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH. Later in the afternoon, he added PALM WARBLER, WILSON’S WARBLER, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH, and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. For details, try koolhand@juno.com. Pat Beauzay saw a juvenile SABINE’S GULL in one of the cells at the Grand Forks lagoons on September 7. On September 5, he visited the Fargo lagoons and saw a pair of juvenile PEREGRINE FALCONS near the north gate. Call Pat at 701-231-9491. Also from Fargo, Rick Holbrook had his first WHITE-THROATED SPARROW of the season, as well as RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, NASHVILLE WARBLER, and likely ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER on September 9. He’s at fholbrook@cableone.net. Nancy Drew saw her first RED-HEADED WOODPECKER in several years on September 9. She says her feeders near Clifford have never hosted the species. On September 3, Nancy visited a friend near Galesburg, and they watched 14 GREAT EGRETS and a GREAT BLUE HERON on the Elm River. For details, call Nancy at 701-488-2554. Carl Stangeland birded the White Cloud trails in Jamestown on September 9, finding ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, YELLOW WARBLERS, BLACKPOLL WARBLERS, and a solitary vireo. Carl adds that a COOPER’S HAWK flew right over his head. On September 3, Carl walked the south side of Jamestown Dam, but birds were scarce. He saw a RED-EYED VIREO, GREEN HERON, LEAST FLYCATCHER, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, and DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT. Contact Carl at carlcs@daktel.com. Dan Buchanan’s back yard in northeastern Jamestown attracted at least six NORTHERN FLICKERS on September 8. Dan says two of them were red-shafted. He adds that a small flock of AMERICAN ROBINS were also present. Contact Dan at 701-252-6604. Ann Hoffert got a good look at an AMERICAN KESTREL west of Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge on September 8. She says the bird was sitting on a wire eating something, and stayed for a long time. You can reach Ann at 701-652-2623. Misty Thorenson wants help identifying what she calls a “large hummingbird.” She saw the bird at Fessenden on September 9, and says it was not a ruby-throat. Misty adds that it was predominantly “rusty or brownish” in color, closer to warbler size, and could fly backwards. Other recent sightings in her area included a few GREAT EGRETS and a few LITTLE BLUE HERONS. Contact Misty at babybirds@gondtc.com. Corey Ellingson birded five towns located north and east of Bismarck on September 8, hoping to find fallout warblers. He saw a GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER in Tuttle, NORTHERN PARULAS in Turtle Lake and Tuttle, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER in McClusky, and BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER in Steele. Other highlights included the SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS in Tuttle and Steele. Corey says each of the towns had a wave of birds of 10 to 30 individuals. Overall, he counted 18 species of warblers. Contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com. Clark Talkington discovered a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD and a CANADA WARBLER at Sleepy Hollow Park in Bismarck on September 8. You’ll find Clark at ctalkington@bis.midco.net. Bernice Houser observed a PALM WARBLER, a couple young-of-the-year YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and a SAY’S PHOEBE in her yard near New Town on September 7. Other sightings included WESTERN KINGBIRDS, CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, CHIPPING SPARROWS, FIELD SPARROWS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, MOURNING DOVES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, a pair of DOWNY WOODPECKERS, and a couple of young CEDAR WAXWINGS. You can reach Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com. Stan Eliason noticed a couple strange situations at his farm in southwestern Nelson County this summer. He did not see a single female bobolink all summer, and is also wondering about the relatively low number of red-winged blackbirds...at least so far. If you have answers, Stan is at staneliason_2000@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, September 4. Several contributors said the birding wasn’t very good for them last week, but there were some notable exceptions.
Mark Otnes birded Barnes County and Jamestown on August 28. He reported WARBLING VIREO, RED-EYED VIREO, NASHVILLE WARBLER, and WILSON’S WARBLER were common in Barnes County, and he also saw BLUE-HEADED VIREO, YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, TENNESSEE WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, BLACKPOLL WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, AND CANADA WARBLER. Moving on to McElroy Park in Jamestown, Mark added RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, RED-EYED VIREO, WARBLING VIREO, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER including one calling, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, WILSON’S WARBLER, CANADA WARBLER, and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. Below Jamestown Dam, he found RED-EYED VIREO, WARBLING VIREO, NASHVILLE WARBLER, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTAR,T and WILSON’S WARBLER. For more information on those sightings, contact Mark at 701-241-4194. Keith Corliss reports the NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS were still present at Rendezvous Park in West Fargo on August 25. His yard attracted a season-first LINCOLN’S SPARROW on August 28. On September 1, Armour Park in West Fargo hosted a season-first RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and two first-of-season WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS. Armour Park got a lot busier on September 2 following a weather front. Keith estimated more than 100 warblers, with OVENBIRDS the most common. Other species included BLUE-HEADED VIREOS, PHILADELPHIA VIREOS, WARBLING VIREOS and RED-EYED VIREOS, plus a handful of SWAINSON’S THRUSHES. At the Fargo lagoons on September 3, Keith recorded a season-first AMERICAN PIPIT. For details, contact him at koolhand@juno.com. Corey Ellingson found very few birds in a 3-hour walk on the Dawson Wildlife Management Area in Kidder County on September 3. Highlights were two MOURNING WARBLERS, two OVENBIRDS, and four WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS. Moving on to Dewald Slough, he added 108 CATTLE EGRETS, nine SNOWY EGRETS, 13 GREAT EGRETS, and seven CASPIAN TERNS. Corey had a nice wave of warblers in Bismarck’s Sleepy Hollow Park on August 28. The “best bird” was a calling WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, which was only the second fall record for Bismarck-Mandan. Others were SWAINSON’S THRUSH, TENNESSEE WARBLER, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, BLACKPOLL WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, AMERICAN REDSTART, and WILSON’S WARBLER. For details, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com. Dan Svingen and Mark Gonzalez estimated at least 6,000 FRANKLIN’S GULLS at the Bismarck landfill on August 31. Also present were a handful of RING-BILLED GULLS and a few CALIFORNIA GULLS. They also visited Sleepy Hollow Park, where they found an AMERICAN REDSTART and a couple of BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS, but not much else. Contact Dan at 701-250-4443, extension 107. Dave Lambeth didn’t have to go far to find his first fall LINCOLN’S SPARROW of the season. The bird showed up in his Grand Forks yard on September 2. Dave is at davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com. The swallows finally showed up at Nancy Drew’s yard near Clifford in Traill County. Nancy reported on August 30 that her barn and nearby wires held up to 1,500 TREE SWALLOWS, BARN SWALLOWS, and BANK SWALLOWS. A couple weeks ago, Nancy said she only had about 200 swallows. Contact her at ncdrew@polarcomm.com or 701-488-2554. 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.
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Corey and Linda Ellingson found a RINGED-TURTLE DOVE with a EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE in Washburn on September 22. They also recorded a PURPLE FINCH there. At Nelson Lake in Oliver County, they added two SABINE’S GULLS and an OSPREY. Moving on to 
Ron Martin observed a juvenile SABINE’S GULL on Carver’s Lake, just south of Granville on September 15. Ron notes that it’s the first record for McHenry County. One day earlier, he saw a male BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER in Velva, while Round Lake held six TUNDRA SWANS and a few CACKLING GEESE. Ron also saw his first SANDHILL CRANES of the fall, and he also recorded 800 AMERICAN AVOCETS and 950 STILT SANDPIPERS at Connie Slough near Balfour. He saw another juvenile SABINE’S GULL on cell 2 at the Minot sewage lagoons on September 13, and his first RUSTY BLACKBIRD of the fall at Velva on September 16. You can reach Ron at 
It’s probably the first North Dakota sighting since 1978, and many birders visited Grand Forks to see the LONG-TAILED JAEGER first found by Eve Freeberg on September 4. The bird stuck around the area near the city’s sewage lagoons through September 8. Eve credits Dave Lambeth and Ron Martin with help on the identification. She had some other good sightings including nine BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS northwest of Grand Forks on September 5, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and SWAINSON’S THRUSH at Memorial Park Cemetery in Grand Forks on September 6, SABINE’S GULL and five SNOW GEESE on September 7, eight GOLDEN PLOVERS on September 8, a “Pacific” PEREGRINE FALCON on September 9 and a DARK-EYED JUNCO at the cemetery on September 10. For details, you can reach Eve at 701-741-8105.
Ron Martin discovered a juvenile LITTLE GULL on cell four at the Minot sewage lagoons on August 27, although shorebird numbers were way down from the previous week. There were still two juvenile RUDDY TURNSTONES at the lagoons on the following day. Ron counted 20 species of shorebirds at the site on August 29, including a juvenile RED PHALAROPE, and he said that bird was still there the next day. In Minot’s Oak Park that day, Ron watched a young COOPER’S HAWK take a BELTED KINGFISHER. Corey Ellingson and Sherry Leslie joined Ron for some McHenry County birding on September 2. Although they had to work hard f