* RBA
* North Dakota
* Statewide
* March 20, 2007
* NDST0703.20
- Transcript
Hotline: North Dakota Update
Date: March 20, 2007
Number: 701-250-4418
To Report: 701-250-4418
Coverage: Statewide
Compiler: Ken Torkelson, USFWS
Compiled: March 20, 2007
Transcriber: Jane Kostenko
mailto:kenneth_torkelson AT fws.gov
- Birds Mentioned
Eastern Bluebird
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Cedar Waxwing
Great Horned Owl
Northern Harrier
Western Meadowlark
Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler
Canvasback
Hooded Merganser
Greater White-fronted Goose
Northern Pintail
Snow Goose
Ross' Goose
Redhead
American Wigeon
Green-winged Teal
Common Goldeneye
Red-bellied Woodpecker
American Crow
Wood Duck
Mallard
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Northern Harrier
GRAY JAY
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle
Snow Bunting
American Kestrel
American Robin
Red-tailed Hawk
American Tree Sparrow
Gray Partridge
Horned Lark
Common Redpoll
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Flicker
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Mountain Bluebird
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
American Goldfinch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
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, March 20. 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.
Lots of waterfowl are showing up, but other birds are being seen, too.
Ron Martin reported five EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in McHenry County on March 18.
One day earlier, he saw all five regularly occurring species of geese in
McLean County in the farmed area east of Garrison Dam. The dam held
HERRING GULLS, RING-BILLED GULLS and CALIFORNIA GULLS. At Lake Sakakawea
State Park, Ron discovered a flock of 400 CEDAR WAXWINGS. During his
travels, he also counted five new GREAT HORNED OWL nests. Contact Ron at
jrmartin@srt.com
David Walsh found a good variety of birds at Lake Darling on the Upper
Souris National Wildlife Refuge on March 18. He saw two NORTHERN
HARRIERS, a GREAT HORNED OWL on a nest, WESTERN MEADOWLARK and many CANADA
GEESE in the fields and on the ice. Contact David at davidw@ndak.net
Clark Talkington saw two NORTHERN SHOVELERS at the Kist Livestock Pond in
Mandan on March 15, after finding a CANVASBACK there two days earlier.
Also on the 13th, he recorded a HOODED MERGANSER at the Tesoro Refinery in
Mandan. At McKenzie Slough, east of Bismarck, he saw three GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and 17 NORTHERN PINTAILS, and the Bismarck landfill
hosted 110 RING-BILLED GULLS and 10 CALIFORNIA GULLS. Clark stopped at
McKenzie Slough again on March 19, and visited Long Lake National Wildlife
Refuge, too. McKenzie Slough held 3,000 SNOW GEESE, two ROSS’ GEESE, two
REDHEADS, and lone AMERICAN WIGEON and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. At the Refuge,
he found 40 COMMON GOLDENEYE, 150 COMMON MERGANSERS, 10 HERRING GULLS and
five WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. Between the two sites, there was a total of
15,000 CANADA GEESE. Clark passes along word of a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
find at the playground of Mary Stark Elementary School in Mandan, where
teacher Peder Stenslie is encouraging his students to learn about birds.
Clark notes that this was the third report of the species in the Bismarck
area this winter. You can reach him at ctalkington@bis.midco.net
>From Fargo, Wanda Peterson saw a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS on the Red
River across from the El Zagel Golf Course on March 14. Contact her at
wandaandjohnp83@aol.com
Also from Fargo, Connie Norheim reports seeing AMERICAN CROWS carrying
large sticks for nests on both March 15 and 16. Call her at 232-4386.
Dan Ackerman counted six pairs of WOOD DUCKS and seven pairs of MALLARDS in
his flooded backyard at Wahpeton on March 18. That evening, he watched
thousands of SNOW GEESE near the Wahpeton exit of Interstate 29. Contact
Dan at 330-5781.
Eve Freeberg counted a whopping 115 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS in about 180 miles
of driving through the Grand Forks County grasslands on March 16. Other
sightings that day included a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, and both NORTHERN HARRIERS
and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS displaying courtship behavior. On March 19, Eve
saw
two GRAY JAYS in southwest Grand Forks, her ninth GOLDEN EAGLE of the
spring, 9th GREAT HORNED OWL nest of the season, two BALD EAGLES on a nest
north of Grand Forks and the NORTHERN HARRIERS were mostly females. Eve
recorded her first MALLARD and first pair of HOODED MERGANSERS of the
spring on March 20. She says there are still a few SNOW BUNTINGS here and
there. For details, call Eve at 741-8105.
Dan Buchanan birded the James River Valley Scenic Backway in north-central
LaMoure County on March 17. He recorded 15 BALD EAGLES including 13 just
northwest of Dickey, along with an AMERICAN KESTREL and six or seven
NORTHERN HARRIERS. In the Alfred and Jud area, he saw four or five more
NORTHERN HARRIERS and about 60 CANADA GEESE. On March 18, Dan saw his
first AMERICAN ROBIN of the season in McElroy Park in southeast Jamestown.
Dan found another BALD EAGLE in trees just south of Spiritwood Lake on
March 19. You can reach him at 252-6604.
Other recent arrivals in the Jamestown area included three flocks of SNOW
GEESE near Ypsilanti on March 11 and many more flocks at Jamestown on
March
17 and 18, four male COMMON GOLDENEYES and a drake MALLARD on the James
River southeast of Jamestown on March 17, a drake NORTHERN PINTAIL near
Jud
on March 14, EASTERN BLUEBIRDS at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
on March 18, WESTERN MEADOWLARKS near Ellendale on March 16 and southeast
of Jamestown on March 17, two RED-TAILED HAWKS southeast of Jamestown on
March 17, and NORTHERN HARRIERS near Jamestown on March 13, in LaMoure
County on March 14 and near Ellendale on March 16. Larry and Amy Igl
reported a big push of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS over the Northern Prairie center
on March 18, with at least two dozen in a one-hour period, along with
about
a dozen adult BALD EAGLES and one juvenile on the same day. For details on
those sightings, call Larry at 253-5511.
Jean Legge’s feeders near Valley City attracted the first three TREE
SPARROWS of the year on March 15. Other sightings included two GRAY
PARTRIDGE and a flock of HORNED LARKS in her driveway, outnumbered by the
COMMON REDPOLLS. On March 17, two RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS showed up at the
feeders. Contact Jean at jlegge@daktel.com
On March 18, Bernice Houser watched a NORTHERN FLICKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER
and a DOWNY WOODPECKER in her yard near New Town. On March 15, she saw
several MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS including one female near her home. Bernice
reported the number of COMMON REDPOLLS is decreasing, while the number of
TREE SPARROWS is increasing. You can reach her at sanishnd@hotmail.com
>From north of New Town, about 50 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were reported on
March 16. For details, contact Rita Satermo at rsatermo@rtc.coop
Jesse Kolar reports seeing several small flocks of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS west
of Amidon for the past couple of weeks. On March 16, Jesse saw his first
WESTERN MEADOWLARKS of the season just southeast of Amidon, and a solo
AMERICAN KESTREL just north of Scranton. Jesse believes the EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVE population in Dickinson is growing, but he has also seen
AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and DOWNY WOODPECKERS at
mid-month. For details, he’s at jekolar@hotmail.com
Also from Dickinson, Marcia Kuma reports her first AMERICAN ROBIN of the
season on March 12...the same day the temperature reached 71-degrees.
Contact Marcia at lirien9@yahoo.com
Recent arrivals at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Moffit include
MALLARDS, NORTHERN PINTAILS, COMMON GOLDENEYES, COMMON MERGANSERS, BALD
EAGLES, CANADA GEESE and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. Biologist Gregg Knutsen
says
the refuge will open two grouse observation blinds early next month.
You’ll need to make reservations by calling 387-4397. Other refuges also
offer the blinds. Follow the instructions at the end of this report for
information on how to contact them.
And, here’s the first notice of the annual spring field trip of the North
Dakota Birding Society. It’s the weekend of May 26th and 27th in
Williston, with headquarters at the El Rancho Motel. Details coming soon
at www.ndbirdingsociety.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 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
* March 20, 2007
* NDST0703.20
- Transcript
Hotline: North Dakota Update
Date: March 20, 2007
Number: 701-250-4418
To Report: 701-250-4418
Coverage: Statewide
Compiler: Ken Torkelson, USFWS
Compiled: March 20, 2007
Transcriber: Jane Kostenko
mailto:kenneth_torkelson AT fws.gov
- Birds Mentioned
Eastern Bluebird
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Cedar Waxwing
Great Horned Owl
Northern Harrier
Western Meadowlark
Canada Goose
Northern Shoveler
Canvasback
Hooded Merganser
Greater White-fronted Goose
Northern Pintail
Snow Goose
Ross' Goose
Redhead
American Wigeon
Green-winged Teal
Common Goldeneye
Red-bellied Woodpecker
American Crow
Wood Duck
Mallard
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Northern Harrier
GRAY JAY
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle
Snow Bunting
American Kestrel
American Robin
Red-tailed Hawk
American Tree Sparrow
Gray Partridge
Horned Lark
Common Redpoll
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Flicker
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Mountain Bluebird
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
American Goldfinch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
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, March 20. 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.
Lots of waterfowl are showing up, but other birds are being seen, too.
Ron Martin reported five EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in McHenry County on March 18.
One day earlier, he saw all five regularly occurring species of geese in
McLean County in the farmed area east of Garrison Dam. The dam held
HERRING GULLS, RING-BILLED GULLS and CALIFORNIA GULLS. At Lake Sakakawea
State Park, Ron discovered a flock of 400 CEDAR WAXWINGS. During his
travels, he also counted five new GREAT HORNED OWL nests. Contact Ron at
jrmartin@srt.com
David Walsh found a good variety of birds at Lake Darling on the Upper
Souris National Wildlife Refuge on March 18. He saw two NORTHERN
HARRIERS, a GREAT HORNED OWL on a nest, WESTERN MEADOWLARK and many CANADA
GEESE in the fields and on the ice. Contact David at davidw@ndak.net
Clark Talkington saw two NORTHERN SHOVELERS at the Kist Livestock Pond in
Mandan on March 15, after finding a CANVASBACK there two days earlier.
Also on the 13th, he recorded a HOODED MERGANSER at the Tesoro Refinery in
Mandan. At McKenzie Slough, east of Bismarck, he saw three GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and 17 NORTHERN PINTAILS, and the Bismarck landfill
hosted 110 RING-BILLED GULLS and 10 CALIFORNIA GULLS. Clark stopped at
McKenzie Slough again on March 19, and visited Long Lake National Wildlife
Refuge, too. McKenzie Slough held 3,000 SNOW GEESE, two ROSS’ GEESE, two
REDHEADS, and lone AMERICAN WIGEON and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. At the Refuge,
he found 40 COMMON GOLDENEYE, 150 COMMON MERGANSERS, 10 HERRING GULLS and
five WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. Between the two sites, there was a total of
15,000 CANADA GEESE. Clark passes along word of a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
find at the playground of Mary Stark Elementary School in Mandan, where
teacher Peder Stenslie is encouraging his students to learn about birds.
Clark notes that this was the third report of the species in the Bismarck
area this winter. You can reach him at ctalkington@bis.midco.net
>From Fargo, Wanda Peterson saw a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS on the Red
River across from the El Zagel Golf Course on March 14. Contact her at
wandaandjohnp83@aol.com
Also from Fargo, Connie Norheim reports seeing AMERICAN CROWS carrying
large sticks for nests on both March 15 and 16. Call her at 232-4386.
Dan Ackerman counted six pairs of WOOD DUCKS and seven pairs of MALLARDS in
his flooded backyard at Wahpeton on March 18. That evening, he watched
thousands of SNOW GEESE near the Wahpeton exit of Interstate 29. Contact
Dan at 330-5781.
Eve Freeberg counted a whopping 115 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS in about 180 miles
of driving through the Grand Forks County grasslands on March 16. Other
sightings that day included a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, and both NORTHERN HARRIERS
and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS displaying courtship behavior. On March 19, Eve
saw
two GRAY JAYS in southwest Grand Forks, her ninth GOLDEN EAGLE of the
spring, 9th GREAT HORNED OWL nest of the season, two BALD EAGLES on a nest
north of Grand Forks and the NORTHERN HARRIERS were mostly females. Eve
recorded her first MALLARD and first pair of HOODED MERGANSERS of the
spring on March 20. She says there are still a few SNOW BUNTINGS here and
there. For details, call Eve at 741-8105.
Dan Buchanan birded the James River Valley Scenic Backway in north-central
LaMoure County on March 17. He recorded 15 BALD EAGLES including 13 just
northwest of Dickey, along with an AMERICAN KESTREL and six or seven
NORTHERN HARRIERS. In the Alfred and Jud area, he saw four or five more
NORTHERN HARRIERS and about 60 CANADA GEESE. On March 18, Dan saw his
first AMERICAN ROBIN of the season in McElroy Park in southeast Jamestown.
Dan found another BALD EAGLE in trees just south of Spiritwood Lake on
March 19. You can reach him at 252-6604.
Other recent arrivals in the Jamestown area included three flocks of SNOW
GEESE near Ypsilanti on March 11 and many more flocks at Jamestown on
March
17 and 18, four male COMMON GOLDENEYES and a drake MALLARD on the James
River southeast of Jamestown on March 17, a drake NORTHERN PINTAIL near
Jud
on March 14, EASTERN BLUEBIRDS at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
on March 18, WESTERN MEADOWLARKS near Ellendale on March 16 and southeast
of Jamestown on March 17, two RED-TAILED HAWKS southeast of Jamestown on
March 17, and NORTHERN HARRIERS near Jamestown on March 13, in LaMoure
County on March 14 and near Ellendale on March 16. Larry and Amy Igl
reported a big push of ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS over the Northern Prairie center
on March 18, with at least two dozen in a one-hour period, along with
about
a dozen adult BALD EAGLES and one juvenile on the same day. For details on
those sightings, call Larry at 253-5511.
Jean Legge’s feeders near Valley City attracted the first three TREE
SPARROWS of the year on March 15. Other sightings included two GRAY
PARTRIDGE and a flock of HORNED LARKS in her driveway, outnumbered by the
COMMON REDPOLLS. On March 17, two RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS showed up at the
feeders. Contact Jean at jlegge@daktel.com
On March 18, Bernice Houser watched a NORTHERN FLICKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER
and a DOWNY WOODPECKER in her yard near New Town. On March 15, she saw
several MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS including one female near her home. Bernice
reported the number of COMMON REDPOLLS is decreasing, while the number of
TREE SPARROWS is increasing. You can reach her at sanishnd@hotmail.com
>From north of New Town, about 50 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were reported on
March 16. For details, contact Rita Satermo at rsatermo@rtc.coop
Jesse Kolar reports seeing several small flocks of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS west
of Amidon for the past couple of weeks. On March 16, Jesse saw his first
WESTERN MEADOWLARKS of the season just southeast of Amidon, and a solo
AMERICAN KESTREL just north of Scranton. Jesse believes the EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVE population in Dickinson is growing, but he has also seen
AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and DOWNY WOODPECKERS at
mid-month. For details, he’s at jekolar@hotmail.com
Also from Dickinson, Marcia Kuma reports her first AMERICAN ROBIN of the
season on March 12...the same day the temperature reached 71-degrees.
Contact Marcia at lirien9@yahoo.com
Recent arrivals at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Moffit include
MALLARDS, NORTHERN PINTAILS, COMMON GOLDENEYES, COMMON MERGANSERS, BALD
EAGLES, CANADA GEESE and WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. Biologist Gregg Knutsen
says
the refuge will open two grouse observation blinds early next month.
You’ll need to make reservations by calling 387-4397. Other refuges also
offer the blinds. Follow the instructions at the end of this report for
information on how to contact them.
And, here’s the first notice of the annual spring field trip of the North
Dakota Birding Society. It’s the weekend of May 26th and 27th in
Williston, with headquarters at the El Rancho Motel. Details coming soon
at www.ndbirdingsociety.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 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