* RBA
* North Dakota
* Statewide
* April 17, 2007
* NDST0704.17
- Transcript
Hotline: North Dakota Update
Date: April 17, 2007
Number: 701-250-4418
To Report: 701-250-4418
Coverage: Statewide
Compiler: Ken Torkelson, USFWS
Compiled: April 17, 2007
Transcriber: Jane Kostenko
mailto:kenneth_torkelson AT fws.gov
- Birds Mentioned
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
Western Grebe
Wilson's Snipe
American Avocet
Common Loon
Red-necked Grebe
Red-breasted Merganser
Horned Grebe
Blue-winged Teal
Rusty Blackbird
Peregrine Falcon
Fox Sparrow
LONG-TAILED DUCK
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Redpoll
Dark-eyed Junco
Franklin's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Song Sparrow
Eastern Phoebe
Hooded Merganser
Northern Flicker
Brown Creeper
Red-tailed Hawk
Song Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Cooper's Hawk
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Belted Kingfisher
Lesser Scaup
Wood Duck
Short-eared Owl
Snow Goose
Canvasback
Redhead
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Common Goldeneye
Vesper Sparrow
“Myrtle’s” Yellow-rumped Warbler
Great Blue Heron
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Brown-headed Cowbird
Tundra Swan
Sandhill Crane
BARN OWL
American Woodcock
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
Prairie Falcon
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Fox Sparrow
American Coot
Turkey Vulture
Marbled Godwit
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Double-crested Cormorant
Dunlin
Herring Gull
White-fronted Goose
Ross's Goose
Red-winged Blackbird
Lapland Longspur
Pine Siskin
COMMON RAVEN
Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Harrier
Rough-legged Hawk
Arctic-race Great Horned Owl
Merlin
GRAY JAY
Northern Cardinal
Ruddy Duck
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Northern Goshawk
Snowy Owl
Snow Bunting
Hermit Thrush
Brewer's Blackbird
American White Pelican
Osprey
Mountain Bluebird
Tree Swallow
Brown Creeper
Mourning Dove
Western Meadowlark
American Goldfinch
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, April 17. 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.
Another one or the same one?
Stacy Adolf-Whipp discovered a BARROW’S GOLDENEYE right along ND 20 just
south of McHenry on the evening of April 11. That isn’t an awful long
ways
from the April 1 bird seen by Steve Stucker in the extreme southeastern
part of Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge. For more information on the
more recent of those sightings, contact Stacy at sadolf@hotmail.com
Many more new arrivals in the Jamestown area. The list from April 16
included two pairs of WESTERN GREBES at the Jamestown sewage lagoons, a
WILSON’S SNIPE and an AMERICAN AVOCET, both near Wimbledon. From April
14:
a COMMON LOON, two RED-NECKED GREBES and two male RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS
at North Barnes Lake, two HORNED GREBES and BLUE-WINGED TEAL at or near
Pipestem Reservoir, RUSTY BLACKBIRDS near Wimbledon, a PEREGRINE FALCON at
the Jamestown sewage lagoon, and a FOX SPARROW southeast of Jamestown.
Steve Stucker had another good duck sighting on April 7. He found a
LONG-TAILED DUCK 13 miles north of Cleveland. Steve Lane reported the
first BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS near Wimbledon on April 3. Larry Igl noticed
many COMMON REDPOLLS visiting his feeders in Jamestown, and he saw about
30
more at the Jamestown reservoir on April 8. Larry observed a huge push of
DARK-EYED JUNCOS on April 8-9, with some people reporting up to several
hundred at their feeders. He noted a large movement of FRANKLIN’S GULLS,
BONAPARTE’S GULLS, RING-BILLED GULLS and CALIFORNIA GULLS on April 10-11.
For details on those sightings, call Larry at 253-5511.
Several seasonal firsts for Dan Buchanan. On April 15 in McElroy park in
Jamestown, he found SONG SPARROWS and EASTERN PHOEBES, as well as a pair
of
HOODED MERGANSERS and one or more NORTHERN FLICKERS. On April 13, a BROWN
CREEPER was seen scaling a tree in Dan’s yard in northeastern Jamestown.
Near the town of Buchanan on April 14, Dan saw a RED-TAILED HAWK and
thousands of SNOW GEESE, plus SONG SPARROWS and at least one AMERICAN TREE
SPARROW. An adult COOPER’S HAWK landed in a tree in Dan’s yard on April
11. Dan says the species has nested in the area for the past several
years. On April 10, he saw a SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in the neighborhood.
Dan’s first BELTED KINGFISHERS of the season showed up below the Jamestown
dam on April 8, and the same site also held a good number of LESSER SCAUP
and WOOD DUCKS, along with several pairs of HOODED MERGANSERS. For more
information, call Dan at 252-6604.
Rick and Bonna Whitten-Stovall birded northwestern Stutsman County from
Woodworth to Medina on April 14-15. They found a SHORT-EARED OWL and an
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW just northeast of Woodworth, added a HORNED GREBE
southeast of Woodworth, a huge flock of SNOW GEESE off I-94 near exit
#272,
and a great variety of waterfowl including CANVASBACKS, REDHEADS, NORTHERN
SHOVELERS, NORTHERN PINTAILS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, HOODED MERGANSERS,
RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, a COMMON MERGANSER at Pearl Lake, and occasional
COMMON GOLDENEYE. Moving on to Minot on April 16, Rick saw two pairs of
WOOD DUCKS in the Mouse River in downtown Minot. For details on those
sightings, contact Rick or Bonna at whitstov@yahoo.com
Jean Legge heard three calling VESPER SPARROWS north of Valley City on
April 17. She took her science class on a bird walk near Marion in
LaMoure
County on April 16. Highlights included a “Myrtle’s” YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLER, GREAT BLUE HERON and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. On her own, Jean saw
flocks of BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS plus individuals on posts in eastern
Barnes
County on April 14. Other sightings included flocks of TUNDRA SWANS, three
groups of SANDHILL CRANES and a large flock of CANVASBACKS at Sanborn
slough. You can reach Jean at 845-4762.
Corey Ellingson was surprised when a BARN OWL flushed from the top of a
cedar at McKenzie Slough, east and south of Bismarck, on April 15. It
marked Corey’s third sighting of the species in five years, and the first
spring sighting on record for the area. Corey says the AMERICAN WOODCOCK
first seen near the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck on April 4,
made another appearance on April 11. Corey notes that two EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVES have been visiting his Bismarck yard daily, and he expects
nesting. Contact him at tcellingson@juno.com
Four members of the Bismarck-Mandan Birding Club found quite a few early
migrants in an April 14 field trip to McKenzie Slough and Long Lake
National Wildlife Refuge. Their list included 15 GREAT BLUE HERONS;
single
PRAIRIE FALCON, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS and FOX SPARROW;
three AMERICAN COOTS, TURKEY VULTURES and MARBLED GODWITS; six HORNED
GREBES; two GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and eight CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS.
On April 9, Clark recorded three DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS at the Tesoro
Refinery in Mandan, and Peder and Kristian Stenslie photographed a
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER in flight nearby. You can reach Clark at
ctalkington@bis.midco.net
Dave Lambeth added more seasonal firsts during an April 16 tour of the
eastern half of Grand Forks County. The newcomers were BONAPARTE’S GULL,
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and DUNLIN. He also observed many RING-BILLED GULLS
and a few HERRING GULLS drawn by fish kills at Kellys Slough National
Wildlife Refuge; a field with more than 1,000 TUNDRA SWANS, about 2,000
SNOW GEESE, 280 WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and a couple of ROSS’ GEESE; 22 GREAT
BLUE HERONS on old nests at Kellys Slough refuge; several very large
flocks
of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS; a number of RUSTY BLACKBIRDS along the Turtle
River and flocks of LAPLAND LONGSPURS feeding in sunflower fields. At
home, Dave reported a PINE SISKIN in full song. Dave noted an increase in
the migration on April 11. He followed two COMMON RAVENS from the Grand
Forks Air Force Base lagoons to the prairie chicken management area north
of Mekinock. Also that day, Dave saw thousands of CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS
and NORTHERN PINTAILS, plus CANVASBACKS, LESSER SCAUP, REDHEADS and
RING-NECKED DUCKS crowded into a small pool of open water at Kellys Slough
National Wildlife Refuge. He watched flocks of TUNDRA SWANS passing
through, and also saw five SHORT-EARED OWLS, at least 10 NORTHERN
HARRIERS, five ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and RED-TAILED HAWKS. Back in Grand
Forks, Dave saw an Arctic-race GREAT HORNED OWL and a female MERLIN. On
April 17, he recorded what could be a seasonal “last”– a GRAY JAY along
the English Coulee, north of the UND campus in Grand Forks. The same area
also held a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS. By the way, Dave would like to
hear about your gray jay sightings in North Dakota, especially those
outside the immediate Grand Forks area. Contact him at
davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com
Betsy Batstone-Cunningham started seeing SHORT-EARED OWLS west of Grand
Forks on the evening of April 12. She counted another 10 while driving
northwest toward Kellys Slough refuge, most of them were north of the main
ponds. Betsy is at batsham@gra.midco.net
Eve Freeberg found COMMON MERGANSER, RUDDY DUCK and YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRD in Grand Forks County on April 10. The following day, she added
TURKEY VULTURE, and she counted five GREAT BLUE HERONS at Kellys Slough
refuge on the 12th. On April 13, it was NORTHERN GOSHAWK, SNOWY OWL and
SNOW BUNTINGS. At mid-month, Eve recorded seven MARBLED GODWITS in the
prairie area and refuge, along with two EASTERN PHOEBES and about 1,200
TUNDRA SWANS. On April 16, she saw HERMIT THRUSH, FOX SPARROW and
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS in Grand Forks, and VESPER SPARROW, AMERICAN
AVOCET, BREWER’S BLACKBIRD, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN,
RED-BREASTED
MERGANSER, OSPREY and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD in Grand Forks County. Eve’s Grand
Forks County discoveries on April 17 included FRANKLIN’S GULL, TREE SWALLOW
and WILSON’S SNIPE. For details, call her at 741-8105.
At least 25 species of waterfowl in Cass County for Dean Riemer on April
15. Some of the highlights for the day included HOODED MERGANSER, COMMON
MERGANSER and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER...all in the southwest cell of the
Fargo lagoons. He also saw his first of the year GREAT EGRET. Dean also
recorded a BROWN CREEPER in his West Fargo yard on April 13, and three
RED-NECKED GREBES at the Harwood slough on April 14. Contact Dean at
282-6462.
Mark Otnes found all the expected duck and goose species in a trip around
Barnes, Stutsman and southeastern Kidder counties on April 13. Among the
highlights of his trek were a pair of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and a single
RED-NECKED GREBE on Pearl Lake in Stutsman County, and a single MARBLED
GODWIT plus lots of COMMON MERGANSERS on South Lake in Kidder County.
Call
Mark at 242-4194.
Gary Nielsen reported a single RED-NECKED GREBE, but not much else, at the
West Fargo lagoons on April 10. Contact him at larrybearnielsen@yahoo.com
Ron Martin recorded several seasonal firsts for McHenry County on both
April 14 and 15. On the 15th, he discovered HORNED GREBE, TURKEY VULTURE,
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, VESPER SPARROW and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. One
day earlier, he observed three RED-NECKED GREBES, three BLUE-WINGED TEAL,
three CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS, and single COMMON LOON and MARBLED
GODWIT. For details, contact Ron at jrmartin@srt.com
April 11 brought the first MOURNING DOVE of the season to Bernice Houser’s
yard near New Town. She also saw many WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and a lone
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD between her home and New Town. For more information,
it’s sanishnd@hotmail.com
Todd Hanson saw more than 50 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS in a slough along ND
1806, just north of the Cannonball River in Morton County on April 16.
Contact him at nordak89@hotmail.com
Susan Owen had three AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES at her feeder in southeast Mandan
for the past week or so. She’s at sowen@fs.fed.us
And, the schedule is now complete for the 8th annual Sully’s Hill Birding
and Nature Festival at Sully’s Hill National Game Preserve near Devils
Lake. For full details on the event that runs June 14-17, go to
www.sullyshillbirdfest.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
* April 17, 2007
* NDST0704.17
- Transcript
Hotline: North Dakota Update
Date: April 17, 2007
Number: 701-250-4418
To Report: 701-250-4418
Coverage: Statewide
Compiler: Ken Torkelson, USFWS
Compiled: April 17, 2007
Transcriber: Jane Kostenko
mailto:kenneth_torkelson AT fws.gov
- Birds Mentioned
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE
Western Grebe
Wilson's Snipe
American Avocet
Common Loon
Red-necked Grebe
Red-breasted Merganser
Horned Grebe
Blue-winged Teal
Rusty Blackbird
Peregrine Falcon
Fox Sparrow
LONG-TAILED DUCK
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Redpoll
Dark-eyed Junco
Franklin's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Song Sparrow
Eastern Phoebe
Hooded Merganser
Northern Flicker
Brown Creeper
Red-tailed Hawk
Song Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Cooper's Hawk
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Belted Kingfisher
Lesser Scaup
Wood Duck
Short-eared Owl
Snow Goose
Canvasback
Redhead
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Ring-necked Duck
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Common Goldeneye
Vesper Sparrow
“Myrtle’s” Yellow-rumped Warbler
Great Blue Heron
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Brown-headed Cowbird
Tundra Swan
Sandhill Crane
BARN OWL
American Woodcock
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
Prairie Falcon
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Fox Sparrow
American Coot
Turkey Vulture
Marbled Godwit
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Double-crested Cormorant
Dunlin
Herring Gull
White-fronted Goose
Ross's Goose
Red-winged Blackbird
Lapland Longspur
Pine Siskin
COMMON RAVEN
Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Harrier
Rough-legged Hawk
Arctic-race Great Horned Owl
Merlin
GRAY JAY
Northern Cardinal
Ruddy Duck
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Northern Goshawk
Snowy Owl
Snow Bunting
Hermit Thrush
Brewer's Blackbird
American White Pelican
Osprey
Mountain Bluebird
Tree Swallow
Brown Creeper
Mourning Dove
Western Meadowlark
American Goldfinch
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, April 17. 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.
Another one or the same one?
Stacy Adolf-Whipp discovered a BARROW’S GOLDENEYE right along ND 20 just
south of McHenry on the evening of April 11. That isn’t an awful long
ways
from the April 1 bird seen by Steve Stucker in the extreme southeastern
part of Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge. For more information on the
more recent of those sightings, contact Stacy at sadolf@hotmail.com
Many more new arrivals in the Jamestown area. The list from April 16
included two pairs of WESTERN GREBES at the Jamestown sewage lagoons, a
WILSON’S SNIPE and an AMERICAN AVOCET, both near Wimbledon. From April
14:
a COMMON LOON, two RED-NECKED GREBES and two male RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS
at North Barnes Lake, two HORNED GREBES and BLUE-WINGED TEAL at or near
Pipestem Reservoir, RUSTY BLACKBIRDS near Wimbledon, a PEREGRINE FALCON at
the Jamestown sewage lagoon, and a FOX SPARROW southeast of Jamestown.
Steve Stucker had another good duck sighting on April 7. He found a
LONG-TAILED DUCK 13 miles north of Cleveland. Steve Lane reported the
first BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS near Wimbledon on April 3. Larry Igl noticed
many COMMON REDPOLLS visiting his feeders in Jamestown, and he saw about
30
more at the Jamestown reservoir on April 8. Larry observed a huge push of
DARK-EYED JUNCOS on April 8-9, with some people reporting up to several
hundred at their feeders. He noted a large movement of FRANKLIN’S GULLS,
BONAPARTE’S GULLS, RING-BILLED GULLS and CALIFORNIA GULLS on April 10-11.
For details on those sightings, call Larry at 253-5511.
Several seasonal firsts for Dan Buchanan. On April 15 in McElroy park in
Jamestown, he found SONG SPARROWS and EASTERN PHOEBES, as well as a pair
of
HOODED MERGANSERS and one or more NORTHERN FLICKERS. On April 13, a BROWN
CREEPER was seen scaling a tree in Dan’s yard in northeastern Jamestown.
Near the town of Buchanan on April 14, Dan saw a RED-TAILED HAWK and
thousands of SNOW GEESE, plus SONG SPARROWS and at least one AMERICAN TREE
SPARROW. An adult COOPER’S HAWK landed in a tree in Dan’s yard on April
11. Dan says the species has nested in the area for the past several
years. On April 10, he saw a SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in the neighborhood.
Dan’s first BELTED KINGFISHERS of the season showed up below the Jamestown
dam on April 8, and the same site also held a good number of LESSER SCAUP
and WOOD DUCKS, along with several pairs of HOODED MERGANSERS. For more
information, call Dan at 252-6604.
Rick and Bonna Whitten-Stovall birded northwestern Stutsman County from
Woodworth to Medina on April 14-15. They found a SHORT-EARED OWL and an
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW just northeast of Woodworth, added a HORNED GREBE
southeast of Woodworth, a huge flock of SNOW GEESE off I-94 near exit
#272,
and a great variety of waterfowl including CANVASBACKS, REDHEADS, NORTHERN
SHOVELERS, NORTHERN PINTAILS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, HOODED MERGANSERS,
RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, a COMMON MERGANSER at Pearl Lake, and occasional
COMMON GOLDENEYE. Moving on to Minot on April 16, Rick saw two pairs of
WOOD DUCKS in the Mouse River in downtown Minot. For details on those
sightings, contact Rick or Bonna at whitstov@yahoo.com
Jean Legge heard three calling VESPER SPARROWS north of Valley City on
April 17. She took her science class on a bird walk near Marion in
LaMoure
County on April 16. Highlights included a “Myrtle’s” YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLER, GREAT BLUE HERON and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. On her own, Jean saw
flocks of BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS plus individuals on posts in eastern
Barnes
County on April 14. Other sightings included flocks of TUNDRA SWANS, three
groups of SANDHILL CRANES and a large flock of CANVASBACKS at Sanborn
slough. You can reach Jean at 845-4762.
Corey Ellingson was surprised when a BARN OWL flushed from the top of a
cedar at McKenzie Slough, east and south of Bismarck, on April 15. It
marked Corey’s third sighting of the species in five years, and the first
spring sighting on record for the area. Corey says the AMERICAN WOODCOCK
first seen near the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck on April 4,
made another appearance on April 11. Corey notes that two EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVES have been visiting his Bismarck yard daily, and he expects
nesting. Contact him at tcellingson@juno.com
Four members of the Bismarck-Mandan Birding Club found quite a few early
migrants in an April 14 field trip to McKenzie Slough and Long Lake
National Wildlife Refuge. Their list included 15 GREAT BLUE HERONS;
single
PRAIRIE FALCON, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS and FOX SPARROW;
three AMERICAN COOTS, TURKEY VULTURES and MARBLED GODWITS; six HORNED
GREBES; two GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS and eight CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS.
On April 9, Clark recorded three DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS at the Tesoro
Refinery in Mandan, and Peder and Kristian Stenslie photographed a
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER in flight nearby. You can reach Clark at
ctalkington@bis.midco.net
Dave Lambeth added more seasonal firsts during an April 16 tour of the
eastern half of Grand Forks County. The newcomers were BONAPARTE’S GULL,
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET and DUNLIN. He also observed many RING-BILLED GULLS
and a few HERRING GULLS drawn by fish kills at Kellys Slough National
Wildlife Refuge; a field with more than 1,000 TUNDRA SWANS, about 2,000
SNOW GEESE, 280 WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and a couple of ROSS’ GEESE; 22 GREAT
BLUE HERONS on old nests at Kellys Slough refuge; several very large
flocks
of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS; a number of RUSTY BLACKBIRDS along the Turtle
River and flocks of LAPLAND LONGSPURS feeding in sunflower fields. At
home, Dave reported a PINE SISKIN in full song. Dave noted an increase in
the migration on April 11. He followed two COMMON RAVENS from the Grand
Forks Air Force Base lagoons to the prairie chicken management area north
of Mekinock. Also that day, Dave saw thousands of CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS
and NORTHERN PINTAILS, plus CANVASBACKS, LESSER SCAUP, REDHEADS and
RING-NECKED DUCKS crowded into a small pool of open water at Kellys Slough
National Wildlife Refuge. He watched flocks of TUNDRA SWANS passing
through, and also saw five SHORT-EARED OWLS, at least 10 NORTHERN
HARRIERS, five ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and RED-TAILED HAWKS. Back in Grand
Forks, Dave saw an Arctic-race GREAT HORNED OWL and a female MERLIN. On
April 17, he recorded what could be a seasonal “last”– a GRAY JAY along
the English Coulee, north of the UND campus in Grand Forks. The same area
also held a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS. By the way, Dave would like to
hear about your gray jay sightings in North Dakota, especially those
outside the immediate Grand Forks area. Contact him at
davidlambeth58201@yahoo.com
Betsy Batstone-Cunningham started seeing SHORT-EARED OWLS west of Grand
Forks on the evening of April 12. She counted another 10 while driving
northwest toward Kellys Slough refuge, most of them were north of the main
ponds. Betsy is at batsham@gra.midco.net
Eve Freeberg found COMMON MERGANSER, RUDDY DUCK and YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRD in Grand Forks County on April 10. The following day, she added
TURKEY VULTURE, and she counted five GREAT BLUE HERONS at Kellys Slough
refuge on the 12th. On April 13, it was NORTHERN GOSHAWK, SNOWY OWL and
SNOW BUNTINGS. At mid-month, Eve recorded seven MARBLED GODWITS in the
prairie area and refuge, along with two EASTERN PHOEBES and about 1,200
TUNDRA SWANS. On April 16, she saw HERMIT THRUSH, FOX SPARROW and
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS in Grand Forks, and VESPER SPARROW, AMERICAN
AVOCET, BREWER’S BLACKBIRD, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN,
RED-BREASTED
MERGANSER, OSPREY and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD in Grand Forks County. Eve’s Grand
Forks County discoveries on April 17 included FRANKLIN’S GULL, TREE SWALLOW
and WILSON’S SNIPE. For details, call her at 741-8105.
At least 25 species of waterfowl in Cass County for Dean Riemer on April
15. Some of the highlights for the day included HOODED MERGANSER, COMMON
MERGANSER and RED-BREASTED MERGANSER...all in the southwest cell of the
Fargo lagoons. He also saw his first of the year GREAT EGRET. Dean also
recorded a BROWN CREEPER in his West Fargo yard on April 13, and three
RED-NECKED GREBES at the Harwood slough on April 14. Contact Dean at
282-6462.
Mark Otnes found all the expected duck and goose species in a trip around
Barnes, Stutsman and southeastern Kidder counties on April 13. Among the
highlights of his trek were a pair of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and a single
RED-NECKED GREBE on Pearl Lake in Stutsman County, and a single MARBLED
GODWIT plus lots of COMMON MERGANSERS on South Lake in Kidder County.
Call
Mark at 242-4194.
Gary Nielsen reported a single RED-NECKED GREBE, but not much else, at the
West Fargo lagoons on April 10. Contact him at larrybearnielsen@yahoo.com
Ron Martin recorded several seasonal firsts for McHenry County on both
April 14 and 15. On the 15th, he discovered HORNED GREBE, TURKEY VULTURE,
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, VESPER SPARROW and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. One
day earlier, he observed three RED-NECKED GREBES, three BLUE-WINGED TEAL,
three CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS, and single COMMON LOON and MARBLED
GODWIT. For details, contact Ron at jrmartin@srt.com
April 11 brought the first MOURNING DOVE of the season to Bernice Houser’s
yard near New Town. She also saw many WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and a lone
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD between her home and New Town. For more information,
it’s sanishnd@hotmail.com
Todd Hanson saw more than 50 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS in a slough along ND
1806, just north of the Cannonball River in Morton County on April 16.
Contact him at nordak89@hotmail.com
Susan Owen had three AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES at her feeder in southeast Mandan
for the past week or so. She’s at sowen@fs.fed.us
And, the schedule is now complete for the 8th annual Sully’s Hill Birding
and Nature Festival at Sully’s Hill National Game Preserve near Devils
Lake. For full details on the event that runs June 14-17, go to
www.sullyshillbirdfest.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