*RBA
*North Dakota
*Statewide
*December 5, 2006
*NDST0612.05
Hotline: North Dakota
Update Date: December 5, 2006
Number: 701-250-4418
To Report: 701-250-4418
Coverage: Statewide
Compiler: Ken Torkelson, USFWS
Compiled: December 5, 2006
Transcriber: Jane Kostenko
mailto:kenneth_torkelson at fws.gov
- Birds Mentioned
GREAT GRAY OWL
Prairie Falcon
Golden Eagle
Short-eared Owl
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
VARIED THRUSH
TRUMPETER SWAN
NORTHERN HAWK-OWL
Mourning Dove
GREAT BLUE HERON
Northern Harrier
ICELAND GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
LONG-TAILED DUCK
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Snowy Owl
FOX SPARROW
Greater Prairie Chicken
GRAY JAY
Pine Siskin
Black-Billed Magpie
SANDHILL CRANE
Canada Geese
House Finch
Purple Finch
Harris’s Sparrow
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Black-Capped Chickadee
White-Breasted Nuthatch
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
-Transcript
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, Dec. 5. Unless
otherwise noted, any phone numbers mentioned are area code 701.
Transcriber's Note: Birds listed in ALL CAPS in the Birds Mentioned
section signify that the Revised Checklist of North Dakota Birds
lists them as Occasional, Accidental, Extirpated, or never having
occurred before for the season being reported.
Owls and gulls are the “best birds” this week.
Dean Riemer passes along a report of a GREAT GRAY OWL on Dec. 2
In southeastern North Dakota. The owl was seen near the
northeastern corner of Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge. For
more information, contact Dean at driemer@kwh.com
Corey Ellingson and two others were unsuccessful in their efforts
to find the owl, but did record other interesting birds on Dec. 3.
They saw PRAIRIE FALCON, GOLDEN EAGLE, SHORT-EARED OWL, BALD EAGLES
and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. On the way home, Corey found a SHORT-EARED
OWL between Gwinner and Lisbon. Corey also forwards a report of a
VARIED THRUSH regularly visiting a feeder near Tappen and an
injured TRUMPETER SWAN from the Carson area brought to Dakota Zoo
in Bismarck. For details, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com
Eve Freeberg discovered a NORTHERN HAWK-OWL on the west edge of
Oakville Prairie in Grand Forks County on Dec. 4. On the same day,
she added a “country” MOURNING DOVE. Eve closed out November with
a late GREAT BLUE HERON on the 28th, along with a lot of NORTHERN
HARRIERS and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS in Grand Forks County. She started
December with 38 SHORT-EARED OWLS on the 1st. You can reach Eve
at 741-8105.
Ron Martin says the two first-winter ICELAND GULLS were still
present at Garrison Dam on Dec. 1. The same area also held a
GLAUCOUS GULL. He also discovered a male LONG-TAILED DUCK in
the tailrace, along with the COMMON GOLDENEYES and COMMON
MERGANSERS. Just south of Coleharbor, Ron added a SNOWY OWL
on a pole. Back home in Sawyer, Ron’s feeder had attracted a
FOX SPARROW. You can reach Ron at jrmartin@srt.com
Jean Legge recorded a SHORT-EARED OWL on Nov. 30 south of the
Eckelson Exit off I-94. She says the owl was in an area where she
has regularly seen them during the spring and summer. For details,
call Jean at 845-4762.
Dave Lambeth found plenty of raptors and some other birds on Nov.
30. In the Grand Forks County grasslands, he counted 30 ROUGH-LEGGED
HAWKS, 10 NORTHERN HARRIERS, two BALD EAGLES and 19 SHORT-EARED OWLS
in about 75 miles of driving. He notes that GREATER PRAIRIE CHICKENS
were perched in Russian olive trees even at mid-day, and GRAY JAYS
continue to be seen in two locations where they had been previously
reported. For more information, contact Dave at
davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com
Sherry Leslie recorded about 200 PINE SISKINS, 20 redpolls and
One BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE in her yard near Burlington on Dec. 3.
You can reach her at sherry_leslie@excite.com
Perhaps the “surprise of the week” was the lone SANDHILL CRANE
that Larry Igl saw flying over Northern Prairie Wildlife Research
Center near Jamestown on Nov. 30. Yes, it was heading South.
Larry also saw a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK perched on the Burger King
billboard east of Jamestown, and some large flocks of field-feeding
CANADA GEESE just south of the Jamestown sewage lagoons. In
addition, Amy and Alex Igl saw two adult BALD EAGLES flying over
northeastern Jamestown on Nov. 29. For information on those
sightings, call Larry at 253-5511.
>From the New Town area, Rita Satermo’s feeders have been
attracting HOUSE FINCHES, a few PURPLE FINCHES, a young HARRIS’S
SPARROW, lots of AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, a HOUSE SPARROW, about
10 BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES and four WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES.
Rita notes that one of her neighbors had three EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVES in her yard over Thanksgiving. For details, contact
Rita at rsatermo@rtc.coop
Thane Popelka’s feeders at Fort Yates drew a variety of species
over the first weekend of December. Visitors included a female
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, three DOWNY WOODPECKERS, a lone HAIRY
WOODPECKER, a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, an AMERICAN GOLDFINCH
and about 50 HOUSE SPARROWS. You can reach Thane at
lightningfog@yahoo.com
The first of the Christmas Bird Counts take place next week.
They include the Arrowwood and Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge
counts, both on Thursday, Dec. 14; the Garrison Dam count on
Friday, Dec. 15; the Fargo-Moorhead count on Saturday, Dec. 16;
and the Bismarck-Mandan and Grand Forks-East Grand Forks counts
on Sunday, Dec. 17. For details, go to www.ndbirdingsociety.com
And, this late addition to the list: Des Lacs National Wildlife
Refuge at Kenmare has scheduled its count for Monday, Dec. 18.
Meet at Refuge headquarters between 7:30 and 8:00 that morning.
For more information, call Adam Ryba at 848-2722, ext. 23.
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 1,100 Waterfowl Production Areas
in North Dakota...offering some of the best birding opportunities
in the state. Contact refuge managers for more information about
visiting. For phone numbers of individual refuges, as well as
additional information, go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
web site at www.fws.gov Click on Offices, and click on North
Dakota on the map.
- end transcript
*North Dakota
*Statewide
*December 5, 2006
*NDST0612.05
Hotline: North Dakota
Update Date: December 5, 2006
Number: 701-250-4418
To Report: 701-250-4418
Coverage: Statewide
Compiler: Ken Torkelson, USFWS
Compiled: December 5, 2006
Transcriber: Jane Kostenko
mailto:kenneth_torkelson at fws.gov
- Birds Mentioned
GREAT GRAY OWL
Prairie Falcon
Golden Eagle
Short-eared Owl
Bald Eagle
Rough-legged Hawk
VARIED THRUSH
TRUMPETER SWAN
NORTHERN HAWK-OWL
Mourning Dove
GREAT BLUE HERON
Northern Harrier
ICELAND GULL
GLAUCOUS GULL
LONG-TAILED DUCK
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Snowy Owl
FOX SPARROW
Greater Prairie Chicken
GRAY JAY
Pine Siskin
Black-Billed Magpie
SANDHILL CRANE
Canada Geese
House Finch
Purple Finch
Harris’s Sparrow
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Black-Capped Chickadee
White-Breasted Nuthatch
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
-Transcript
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, Dec. 5. Unless
otherwise noted, any phone numbers mentioned are area code 701.
Transcriber's Note: Birds listed in ALL CAPS in the Birds Mentioned
section signify that the Revised Checklist of North Dakota Birds
lists them as Occasional, Accidental, Extirpated, or never having
occurred before for the season being reported.
Owls and gulls are the “best birds” this week.
Dean Riemer passes along a report of a GREAT GRAY OWL on Dec. 2
In southeastern North Dakota. The owl was seen near the
northeastern corner of Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge. For
more information, contact Dean at driemer@kwh.com
Corey Ellingson and two others were unsuccessful in their efforts
to find the owl, but did record other interesting birds on Dec. 3.
They saw PRAIRIE FALCON, GOLDEN EAGLE, SHORT-EARED OWL, BALD EAGLES
and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. On the way home, Corey found a SHORT-EARED
OWL between Gwinner and Lisbon. Corey also forwards a report of a
VARIED THRUSH regularly visiting a feeder near Tappen and an
injured TRUMPETER SWAN from the Carson area brought to Dakota Zoo
in Bismarck. For details, contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com
Eve Freeberg discovered a NORTHERN HAWK-OWL on the west edge of
Oakville Prairie in Grand Forks County on Dec. 4. On the same day,
she added a “country” MOURNING DOVE. Eve closed out November with
a late GREAT BLUE HERON on the 28th, along with a lot of NORTHERN
HARRIERS and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS in Grand Forks County. She started
December with 38 SHORT-EARED OWLS on the 1st. You can reach Eve
at 741-8105.
Ron Martin says the two first-winter ICELAND GULLS were still
present at Garrison Dam on Dec. 1. The same area also held a
GLAUCOUS GULL. He also discovered a male LONG-TAILED DUCK in
the tailrace, along with the COMMON GOLDENEYES and COMMON
MERGANSERS. Just south of Coleharbor, Ron added a SNOWY OWL
on a pole. Back home in Sawyer, Ron’s feeder had attracted a
FOX SPARROW. You can reach Ron at jrmartin@srt.com
Jean Legge recorded a SHORT-EARED OWL on Nov. 30 south of the
Eckelson Exit off I-94. She says the owl was in an area where she
has regularly seen them during the spring and summer. For details,
call Jean at 845-4762.
Dave Lambeth found plenty of raptors and some other birds on Nov.
30. In the Grand Forks County grasslands, he counted 30 ROUGH-LEGGED
HAWKS, 10 NORTHERN HARRIERS, two BALD EAGLES and 19 SHORT-EARED OWLS
in about 75 miles of driving. He notes that GREATER PRAIRIE CHICKENS
were perched in Russian olive trees even at mid-day, and GRAY JAYS
continue to be seen in two locations where they had been previously
reported. For more information, contact Dave at
davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com
Sherry Leslie recorded about 200 PINE SISKINS, 20 redpolls and
One BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE in her yard near Burlington on Dec. 3.
You can reach her at sherry_leslie@excite.com
Perhaps the “surprise of the week” was the lone SANDHILL CRANE
that Larry Igl saw flying over Northern Prairie Wildlife Research
Center near Jamestown on Nov. 30. Yes, it was heading South.
Larry also saw a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK perched on the Burger King
billboard east of Jamestown, and some large flocks of field-feeding
CANADA GEESE just south of the Jamestown sewage lagoons. In
addition, Amy and Alex Igl saw two adult BALD EAGLES flying over
northeastern Jamestown on Nov. 29. For information on those
sightings, call Larry at 253-5511.
>From the New Town area, Rita Satermo’s feeders have been
attracting HOUSE FINCHES, a few PURPLE FINCHES, a young HARRIS’S
SPARROW, lots of AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, a HOUSE SPARROW, about
10 BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES and four WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES.
Rita notes that one of her neighbors had three EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVES in her yard over Thanksgiving. For details, contact
Rita at rsatermo@rtc.coop
Thane Popelka’s feeders at Fort Yates drew a variety of species
over the first weekend of December. Visitors included a female
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, three DOWNY WOODPECKERS, a lone HAIRY
WOODPECKER, a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, an AMERICAN GOLDFINCH
and about 50 HOUSE SPARROWS. You can reach Thane at
lightningfog@yahoo.com
The first of the Christmas Bird Counts take place next week.
They include the Arrowwood and Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge
counts, both on Thursday, Dec. 14; the Garrison Dam count on
Friday, Dec. 15; the Fargo-Moorhead count on Saturday, Dec. 16;
and the Bismarck-Mandan and Grand Forks-East Grand Forks counts
on Sunday, Dec. 17. For details, go to www.ndbirdingsociety.com
And, this late addition to the list: Des Lacs National Wildlife
Refuge at Kenmare has scheduled its count for Monday, Dec. 18.
Meet at Refuge headquarters between 7:30 and 8:00 that morning.
For more information, call Adam Ryba at 848-2722, ext. 23.
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 1,100 Waterfowl Production Areas
in North Dakota...offering some of the best birding opportunities
in the state. Contact refuge managers for more information about
visiting. For phone numbers of individual refuges, as well as
additional information, go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
web site at www.fws.gov Click on Offices, and click on North
Dakota on the map.
- end transcript