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3 Jul green heron [patnme ] 2 Jul Bald Eagle, Bowman [Chris Hiatt ] 2 Jul Gorham BBS [Mark A Gonzalez ] 2 Jul Solen BBS [Mark A Gonzalez ] 2 Jul Golva BBS [Mark A Gonzalez ] 30 Jun unusual population of great egrets [Jlegge ] 30 Jun RBA: North Dakota, June 30, 2009 [Jane Kostenko ] 30 Jun Long Lake NWR [Janelle Masters ] 29 Jun red-headed woodpecker ND-SD border [Chris Hiatt ] 27 Jun black-billed cuckoo [Larry Jones ] 27 Jun Seeking Barb Keys [Jane Kostenko ] 26 Jun fountains [carol ] 25 Jun Kidder & Emmons Counties [Clark Talkington ] 25 Jun Turtle Mt. BBS [Ron Martin ] 25 Jun piping plover Mountrail County [Chris Hiatt ] 25 Jun RBA: North Dakota, June 23, 2009 [Jane Kostenko ] 24 Jun Denbigh BBS [Ron Martin ] 24 Jun lark sparrows [Jlegge ] 24 Jun Re: Southwest North Dakota [Dan Svingen ] 23 Jun Re: ND-BIRDS Digest - 22 Jun 2009 to 23 Jun 2009 (#2009-150) ["Guy J. Wapple" ] 23 Jun Southwest North Dakota [Wayne Easley ] 23 Jun cass county [Keith Corliss ] 22 Jun Golden Valley Co. birds [Maureen OMara ] 22 Jun bobolink [Lillian Crook ] 22 Jun Another Cass Say's [Keith Corliss ] 21 Jun Turtle Mountains, June 11-18 [David Lambeth ] 21 Jun Cass Co. p.s. [Keith Corliss ] 21 Jun of interest in Cass [Keith Corliss ] 20 Jun Solen BBS -- Blue Grosbeak [M Gonzalez ] 20 Jun Townsend's Solitaire [Wayne Easley ] 20 Jun June 19, Minot to GF [David Lambeth ] 20 Jun No Subject [Glenna Meiers ] 20 Jun Thanks to ND! [Jane Kostenko ] 19 Jun Rufous Hummingbird [Carl Stangeland ] 19 Jun Cinnamon Teal in Wells Co., ND [Wayne Easley ] 18 Jun Indigo Bunting [Sherry ] 18 Jun Cinnamon Teal near Max, 6/18/09 [James Tyler Bell ] 18 Jun Cinnamon Teal/Cuckoo [Sherry ] 17 Jun RFI Baird's Sparrow [Henry Armknecht ] 17 Jun Re: RN Grebe [Jlegge ] 17 Jun lazy summer bonus [Keith Corliss ] 16 Jun unsubscribe [TERRY ADAMS ] 16 Jun ND RBA for 6/16/09 ["tork02 AT juno.com" ] 15 Jun Burrowing owl, Leith ND [Wanda Peterson ] 13 Jun New Golden Valley Co. species [Maureen OMara ] 13 Jun Tricolored Heron at Clark Salyer [Phil Jeffrey ] 12 Jun Mountrail County [Bob Anderson ] 12 Jun Cinnamon Teal - Long Lake NWR [Bert Filemyr ] 11 Jun FW: SABINE'S GULL [Corey Ellingson ] 11 Jun RFI - Krider's red-tailed hawk [Dan Svingen ] 10 Jun Inconclusive BUT... [Keith Corliss ] 10 Jun RBA: North Dakota, June 9, 2009 [Jane Kostenko ] 10 Jun Wyoming-Birds [Stevan Hawkins ] 8 Jun Oak Park Monday and Potholes and Prairie Festival [Ron Martin ] 8 Jun Re: nesting Horned Grebes [Keith Corliss ] 8 Jun nesting Horned Grebes [David Lambeth ] 8 Jun new yard bird [Betsy Batstone-Cunningham ] 7 Jun merganser clarify [Jlegge ] 7 Jun Week's birds [Jlegge ] 7 Jun RFI: Montana and Wyoming discussion groups [Stevan Hawkins ] 7 Jun New Member test [Jim Swarr ] 7 Jun Gray Partridge-FL Birder seeking help [Jim Swarr ] 6 Jun McKenzie and Golden Valley Co. [Maureen OMara ] 6 Jun White-throated Sparrow [Mark Otnes ] 5 Jun Waxwing Invasion [Ben Kessel ] 5 Jun Indigo Bunting [Linda Gregg ] 4 Jun Say's Phoebe [Todd Larson ] 4 Jun Red-headed Woodpecker in Wells Co. [Wayne Easley ] 4 Jun The slough route [Janelle Masters ] 3 Jun RBA: North Dakota, June 2, 2009 [Jane Kostenko ] 2 Jun chimney swifts [M Gonzalez ] 2 Jun Little Blue Heron [Wayne Easley ] 2 Jun Minot migration [Ron Martin ] 2 Jun Bismarck/Mandan area [Clark Talkington ] 2 Jun Beaver Bay [Janelle Masters ] 1 Jun Dickcissel, Redheaded Woodpeckers and lots of Orioles [Daniel Rogers ] Subject: green heron From: patnme <patnme AT ICTC.COM> Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:22:40 -0500 I have seen a Green Heron for the past three days, July 1-3, on the edge of a slough that is at the end of my driveway. I don't know if this is unusual or not so thought I would post it just in case. The only other time I have seen Green Herons were while canoeing the Sheyenne River in Valley City in August of 2004. My farm is located four miles south and 1/2 mile east of the Tower City exit. It is in Cass County but the Barnes County line is just 1/2 mile to the west. Peace, Meridee Erickson-Stowman Tower City, NDSubject: Bald Eagle, Bowman From: Chris Hiatt <hiattch AT SBCGLOBAL.NET> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 14:27:03 -0700 Saw my first county record for a bald eagle 5 miles NW of Bowman Tuesday. It was on private land near one of my beeyards, but I saw it from the road. Totally surprised me. I stopped and thought it was a Ferrug.or Golden eagle. But when it landed in the pasture near some cattle, a couple of mallards flew off from a small pond which caught my eye. Does anyone know how many records of a Bald eagle for Bowman Co? If anyone is interested in seeing it, (Ron and Corey maybe) call me at 559-232-2494. Also at this locale being a prairie dog town, saw a dozen chestnut collared longspur, a am. bittern sulking around in the open grass, 1 burrowing owl. Also had my first Lark Bunting for Hettinger County today by Havelock (east of New England). Also had a western sandpiper and Krider's light morph red-tailed hawk on the marsh south of Gascoyne Lake and US highway 12 near Gascoyne which is east of Scranton, ND. I've seen tons of ducks everywhere. Like Mark reported in his surverys, marshes existing where they haven't been seen in 7 to 10 years. Also have seen 1 Ferrug. hawk in Adams and Bowman Co. and by far Swainson's hawk the most numerous. Chris Hiatt BowmanSubject: Gorham BBS From: Mark A Gonzalez <markgonzalez AT FS.FED.US> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 16:13:10 -0500 Greetings ND-Birders: I conducted the 40th count on the Gorham BBS on June 23, 2009. I observed 61 species, which is the fourth highest count for this route. Some highlights: Gadwall 8 (new high) Canvasback 7 (new high) Ruddy Duck 3 (only the fourth time observed) Loggerhead Shrike 4 Sprague' Pipit 4 Baird's Sparrow 9 Like my other routes in western North Dakota, relatively low numbers for some of my favorite grasslands birds: Lark Bunting 20 (average 107) Chestnut-collared Longspur 12 (average 47) Good birding, Mark Mark A. Gonzalez, Ph.D. Program Manager, Soils/Watersheds BAER Team Leader USDA-Forest Service Dakota Prairie Grasslands 240 W. Century Ave. Bismarck, ND 58503 Phone: 701-250-4443, ext. 106 Cell: 701-202-8636 Fax: 701-250-4454Subject: Solen BBS From: Mark A Gonzalez <markgonzalez AT FS.FED.US> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 15:57:28 -0500 Greetings ND-Birders: I have finally entered results from the 33rd running of the Solen BBS, conducted June 20, 2009. I observed 62 species, which ties the record high set in 2003 and 2007. Some highlights: Canada Goose 13 (hard to believe, but new species for the route!) Ring-necked Pheasant 232 (new high; compares to average of 34 and previous high of 148 in 2008) Wild Turkey 14 (new high; only third time counted) Ferruginous Hawk 2 (new high, only fourth time counted) Sora 1 (fifth time counted) Upland Sandpiper 105 (compares to average of 33) Least Flycatcher 6 (new high) Red-eyed Vireo 2 (new high) Eastern Bluebird 4 (new high) Lazuli Bunting 3 (new high) BLUE GROSBEAK 1 (2nd time counted, first in 2005) Some lows: Lark Bunting 17 (compares to average of 118) Chestnut-collared Longspur 14 (average of 42) Like the Golva BBS route, the area around Solen has a lot of standing water following a heavy winter snowpack and abundant spring moisture. I found three new wetland that I have not observed in the past 8 years of conducting this route. Canvasback, pintail, mallard, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, wigeon, sora, godwits, gadwalls numbers were all high, though not records. Good birding, Mark Mark A. Gonzalez, Ph.D. Program Manager, Soils/Watersheds BAER Team Leader USDA-Forest Service Dakota Prairie Grasslands 240 W. Century Ave. Bismarck, ND 58503 Phone: 701-250-4443, ext. 106 Cell: 701-202-8636 Fax: 701-250-4454Subject: Golva BBS From: Mark A Gonzalez <markgonzalez AT FS.FED.US> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 15:21:30 -0500 Greetings ND-Birders: I completed the 23rd survey of the Golva Breeding Bird Survey on July 1 under ideal conditions. Wind speeds never exceeded 4 mph during the entire survey--this just seems exceedingly rare in the Dakotas. I observed 56 species, which is the 5th highest for this route. Some noteworthy numbers: Ring-necked pheasants 343 Compared to 348 in 2007 and 353 in 2008 and well above the average of 96. Belted Kingfisher 1 (new species for route) Baird's Sparrow 1 Marbled Godwit 1 (only the second time on route) I also watched a long-billed curlew defend its territory. Most western Dakota birders are likely familiar with the aggressive behavior of defensive curlews. This attack was on a male Northern Harrier. I've never seen a harrier so determined to leave the zip code. New high counts for route included: Upland Sandpiper 15 Least Flycatcher 4 Red-eyed Vireo 2 House Wren 8 Dickcissel 5 Bobolink 36 Some low counts Chestnut-collared Longspur 2 The relative increase in woodland birds and drop off in some grassland species makes me wonder if maturation of some shelter belts is creating a shift in bird numbers. Also, conversion of native grass to alfalfa may have an impact on Dickcissel and Bobolink numbers. Pretty wet year in this part of Golden Valley County. Spring wheat crop looks phenomenal. Lots of hay being cut and harvested compared to 2008. Good birding, Mark Mark A. Gonzalez, Ph.D. Program Manager, Soils/Watersheds BAER Team Leader USDA-Forest Service Dakota Prairie Grasslands 240 W. Century Ave. Bismarck, ND 58503 Phone: 701-250-4443, ext. 106 Cell: 701-202-8636 Fax: 701-250-4454Subject: unusual population of great egrets From: Jlegge <jlegge AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:05:11 -0500 Barnes County, west of Valley City. This spring there has been a large population of great egrets north and south of I94 at Hobart Lake and in the area. Monday, June 29, I counted 18 great egrets in the flooded field margins just north of the Oakes Exit (Hwy 1 South). Following this exit north about 1 miles the flooded field is noticeable and around the margins in the mornings are the greatest number of egrets walking in the area. -- Jean Legge 3212 115 Ave. SE Valley City, Barnes County, ND 58072 701-845-4762Subject: RBA: North Dakota, June 30, 2009 From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:04:30 -0400 * RBA * North Dakota * Statewide * June 30, 2009 * NDST0906.30 - Transcript Hotline: North Dakota Update Date: June 30, 2009 Number: 701-527-0730 To Report: 701-527-0730 Coverage: Statewide Compiler: Ken Torkelson Compiled: June 30, 2009 Transcriber: Jane Kostenko mailto: tork02 AT juno.com - Birds Mentioned Turkey Vulture Ferruginous Hawk Sandhill Crane Virginia Rail Black-billed Cuckoo Red-headed Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Common Raven Sprague's Pipit Swamp Sparrow Baird's Sparrow Dickcissel Common Loon Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Pileated Woodpecker Black-billed Magpie Orange-crowned Warbler Orchard Oriole Wood Duck Blue Jay Black-headed Grosbeak Eastern Bluebird LeConte's Sparrow Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow Bell's Vireo BLUE GROSBEAK Lazuli Bunting Piping Plover Wilson's Phalarope Franklin's Gull Bobolink American Goldfinch Cedar Waxwing Canvasback Northern Pintail Willet Black Tern Marbled Godwit Lark Bunting Chestnut-collared Longspur (SD) Chipping Sparrow (SD) Prairie Falcon (SD) Wild Turkey (SD) Mountain Bluebird (SD) Lark Sparrow Western Grebe Eared Grebe Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, June 30. 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. This week: more Breeding Bird Survey results, plus some other good sightings. Ron Martin and Charles Taft counted 94 species in the Denbigh BBS on June 24. Highlights included TURKEY VULTURE, FERRUGINOUS HAWK, SANDHILL CRANE, VIRGINIA RAIL, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, ALDER FLYCATCHER, COMMON RAVEN, 17 SPRAGUE'S PIPITS, SWAMP SPARROW, BAIRD'S SPARROW and DICKCISSEL. Ron teamed up with Joe Super for 90 species in the Turtle Mountain BBS on June 25. They saw six COMMON LOONS, a brood of 14 BUFFLEHEADS, five COMMON GOLDENEYES, seven PILEATED WOODPECKERS, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE fledglings in both Bottineau and Rolette counties, four ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and an ORCHARD ORIOLE, which was Ron's first on the survey in 24 years. For details on those sightings, contact Ron at jrmartin AT srt.com Clark Talkington completed two surveys, but saw his best birds afterwards. First, on June 22, Clark did the Braddock BBS in Emmons County, where he saw two WOOD DUCKS, four BUFFLEHEADS, BLUE JAY, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK and DICKCISSEL. On June 23, he moved on to Kidder County for the Lake George BBS. There, he saw two EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, two LECONTE'S SPARROWS, two NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS and nine DICKCISSELS. Also on June 23, Clark stopped at the Beaver Bay area of Emmons County. He recorded two BELL'S VIREOS in the recreation area and another nearby. At the west end of the recreation area, Clark found two male BLUE GROSBEAKS with three more in separate locations nearby. His other discovery at the recreation area was a LAZULI BUNTING. For more information, contact Clark at ctalkington AT bis.midco.net Chris Hiatt is back in North Dakota, but had good birding success in both Dakotas. On June 24, he saw his first-ever PIPING PLOVER at White Lake, which is north of Stanley. It was with more than 200 WILSON'S PHALAROPES, and also present were a few FRANKLIN'S GULLS, BOBOLINKS AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, four CEDAR WAXWINGS CANVASBACKS and NORTHERN PINTAILS. North of Ross, Chris added a WILLET and three BLACK TERNS. South of New Salem, he saw a female MARBLED GODWIT with young, and south of Bowman, he saw his first LARK BUNTINGS of the season. On June 26, just south of Reeder, Chris recorded a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER just inside South Dakota, along with a CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR. On June 27, he birded near Ludlow, SD, and saw CHIPPING SPARROW, PRAIRIE FALCON, WILD TURKEYS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH and MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD. You can reach him at hiattch AT sbc.global.net From Valley City, Jean Legge reports that the LARK SPARROWS in her yard have a fledgling, and that the male has resumed singing. Contact Jean at 845-4762. Larry Jones saw a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO in trees at his farmstead near Bowdon on June 27. He's at jljones AT daktel.com Janelle Masters and a friend birded Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge and McKenzie Slough on June 30. They report seeing WESTERN GREBES, many with young on their backs at the refuge, and a couple pairs of EARED GREBES with young at McKenzie Slough. You can reach Janelle at 224-5525. That concludes this report from the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. - end transcriptSubject: Long Lake NWR From: Janelle Masters <Janelle.Masters AT BSC.NODAK.EDU> Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:34:21 -0500 Hi, A friend and I visited Long Lake east of Bismarck to see how the western grebes were coming along. It seemed like every other one had babies riding on their backs. Unbelievably cute!!! Also saw a couple pairs of eared grebes with babies at McKenzie Slough and a pair going through what looked like courtship maneuvers.rushing and so forth. But no coot babies. Why? They were on nests at least a month ago..some seemed to be re-building nests. Janelle Janelle Masters Dean of Academic Affairs 224-5525 Office Annex 101 Janelle.Masters AT bsc.nodak.eduSubject: red-headed woodpecker ND-SD border From: Chris Hiatt <hiattch AT SBCGLOBAL.NET> Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:21:22 -0700 Had my lifer red-headed woodpecker Frid. two miles south into South Dakota on highway 79 south of Reeder. What a gorgeous bird. Pretty rare for our area? I pulled over to look at a land owner sign and he flew in to the telephone pole and then across the highway to some trees at an abandonded homestead. Too bad it wasn't on the ND side. Also farther south had my lifer chesnut collared longspur (20). The lark buntings the farther south you get from Bowman and Reeder getting thicker for sure. Saturday in the Cave Hills of Custer State Park west of Ludlow, SD had a chipping sparrow, prairie falcon, turkeys, am. goldfinch, a cool mountain bluebird also all up in the pines on top of the buttes there. I know I should probably post this on some S.Dakota site, now that I'm running more bees in that state this year. My Harding County list is probably at 100 by now. Happy birding, Chris HiattSubject: black-billed cuckoo From: Larry Jones <jljones AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:21:46 -0500 Spotted a black-billed cuckoo in our trees on the backside of our farmstead. Southern wells county 2 miles west of bowdon. Many thanks to Wayne & Wanda Easley for their birding helps. What a great hobby. Larry Jones jljones AT daktel.comSubject: Seeking Barb Keys From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:40:24 -0400 Barb Keys (sp) is a North Dakota birder who isn't on our ND-birds list. Does anyone know her or have email contact info on her? Many thanks! Jane Jane Kostenko California, MD jkostenko AT somd.lib.md.usSubject: fountains From: carol <carzt AT FAR.MIDCO.NET> Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:22:04 -0500 I have a fountain and the birds drink and bathe in the water. I have been having a problem with algue. Does anyone know if there is a product that will kill algue without hurting the birds. Carol HarwoodSubject: Kidder & Emmons Counties From: Clark Talkington <ctalkington AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:19:21 -0500 On Monday I completed the Braddock BBS in Emmons County.
Some of the unsusal species for this route were:
Wood Duck - 2
Bufflehead - 4
Blue Jay - 1
Black-headed Grosbeak - 1
Dickcissel - 1
On Tuesday I compeleted the Lake George BBS in Kidder County.
Some unusual species were:
Eastern Bluebird - 2
LeConte's Sparrow - 2
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow - 2
Dickcissel - 9
And after doing the Lake George survey I visited the Beaver
Bay area in Emmons County. Some of the sightings were:
Bell's Vireo - 2 at Beaver Bay Recreational Area
1 along the boat ramp road north of the
Beaver Bay Recreational Area, west of the
road and the old barn.
Blue Grosbeak - 2 males on west end of Beaver Bay Recreational
area. (2 locations)
3 males along Highway 1804 to the south of
Beaver Bay Recreational Area in the draws
adjacent to the highway for 7 miles. (3 locations)
Lazuli Bunting - 1 at Beaver Bay Recreational Area.
Clark Talkington
Mandan
ctalkington AT bis.midco.net
Subject: Turtle Mt. BBSFrom: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:14:28 -0500 ND-Birders: I ran the Turtle Mountain BBS today with Joe Super recording. Highlights of the 90 species: Com. Loon - 6 Bufflehead - brood of 14 in Bott. Co. Com. Goldeneye - 5 Pileated Woodpecker - 7 Black-b. Magpie - fledglings in Bottineau and Rolette Orange-cr. Warbler - 4 Orchard Oriole - my first record for the survey in 24 years. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: piping plover Mountrail County From: Chris Hiatt <hiattch AT SBCGLOBAL.NET> Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:16:02 -0700 Hey folks, back in the state again. I was up north of Stanley moving bees yesterday and by White Lake walked out on the salt beach there and saw my lifer piping plover along with 200+ Wilson phalaropes. Also a few Franklin gulls, bobolinks, am. goldfinches, 4 cedar waxwings, and canvasbacks, northern pintail, and lots of other ducks. Also a lake north of Ross had a willet and three black terns. South of New Salem had a mamma marbled godwit with youngie on a rock near the road. Finally south of Bowman had my first lark buntings for the season. Sounds like I need to head to Marmarth for those orioles and longspurs since I struck out last fall. Sure nice to see how green it is this year, should be a good honey year! Chris Hiatt BowmanSubject: RBA: North Dakota, June 23, 2009 From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:33:35 -0400 * RBA * North Dakota * Statewide * June 23, 2009 * NDST0906.23 - Transcript Hotline: North Dakota Update Date: June 23, 2009 Number: 701-527-0730 To Report: 701-527-0730 Coverage: Statewide Compiler: Ken June 23, 2009 Transcriber: Jane Kostenko mailto: tork02 AT juno.com - Birds Mentioned Pileated Woodpecker Ruffed Grouse Mourning Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Black-and-White Warbler Chipping Sparrow Clay-colored Sparrow Song Sparrow Lark Sparrow Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Inidgo Bunting Sprague's Pipit WHITE-FACED IBIS Horned Grebe Common Goldeneye Franklin's Gull Eared Grebe Forster's Tern LeConte's Sparrow Great Egret SNOWY EGRET Black-crowned Night Heron Snow Goose Greater White-fronted Goose Common Tern Western Grebe Ring-billed Gull California Gull RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD BLUE GROSBEAK Ferruginous Hawk Wild Turkey Bobolink Lazuli Bunting Brown Thrasher Piping Plover Field Sparrow Ovenbird Spotted Towhee Rock Wren American Kestrel Say's Phoebe McCown's Longspur Chestnut-collared Longspur Bufflehead Cinnamon Teal Townsend's Solitaire Black-billed Cuckoo Cinnamon Teal X Blue-winted Teal Common Yellowthroat Sedge Wren Red-necked Grebe SABINE'S GULL Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Sanderling Yellow-billed Cuckoo American Black Duck Broad-winged Hawk Alder Flycatcher Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, June 23. 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. A lot of birding and a lot of birds in one week. Dave Lambeth scouted and guided for the ABA conference in North Dakota from June 11-18, much of it in the Turtle Mountains. At Lake Metigoshe State Park, he found a PILEATED WOODPECKER nest with three large young. Dave believes it is only the second nest on record for the Turtle Mountains. Another good find in the park was a RUFFED GROUSE on a drumming log. Of the 10 warbler species he saw during the week, nine of them he saw regularly. The list included MOURNING WARBLER, CHESTNUT- SIDED WARBLER and BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. Dave also found CHIPPING SPARROWS, CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, SONG SPARROWS, LARK SPARROWS and NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. The week also brought sightings of two NORTHERN CARDINALS singing in the park, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK and two INDIGO BUNTINGS. Dave's drive home to Grand Forks from Minot on June 18 was also productive. He recorded singing SPRAGUE'S PIPIT west of the Denbigh Experimental Forest and also near Highway 2. North of Berwick, Dave saw a WHITE-FACED IBIS, single HORNED GREBES in two locations, three male COMMON GOLDENEYES with one female, about 2500 FRANKLIN'S GULLS, 25 EARED GREBES, 20 FORSTER'S TERNS, LECONTE'S SPARROW and Nelson's SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. Along old 281 from Churchs Ferry to Highway 19, Dave added 27 GREAT EGRETS in the first two miles, SNOWY EGRET, five BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS, SNOW GOOSE, WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, two COMMON TERNS, and seven pair and 20 lone WESTERN GREBES. In the Davis Flats area across from the Devils Lake lagoon, he saw a large mixed colony of RING-BILLED GULLS and CALIFORNIA GULLS with many young and about 50 pairs of EARED GREBES with young. For details on any of those sightings, contact him at davidlambeth58201 AT yahoo.com One of the top finds of the week was the female RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD that came to Carl Stangeland's feeder in Jamestown on June 18 and 19. He's at carlcs AT daktel.com Mark Gonzalez discovered a BLUE GROSBEAK during the Solen Breeding Bird Survey on June 20. He believes it was a first- summer male, and adds that it was the second time in three years for the species on that BBS. Other sightings along the route that runs through northern Sioux and southern Morton counties included two FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, lots of waterfowl and a high number of WILD TURKEYS. You can reach Mark at 255-0310. Lillian Crook saw a lone BOBOLINK while canoeing the Little Missouri River near Fairfield on June 20-21. She's at lilliancrook AT hotmail.com Mo O'Mara's worksite in McKenzie County produced a male BOBOLINK, male LAZULI BUNTING and BROWN THRASHER on June 22. Contact her at mo1_omara AT yahoo.com Wayne Easley's party of four drove from Harvey to southwestern North Dakota for some June 21-22 birding. On the way, they saw a pair of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS with three young in a nest south of Steele, and a lone PIPING PLOVER at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge. In the South Unit of Teddy Roosevelt National Park, they saw FIELD SPARROW, and a pair of singing OVENBIRDS on the auto tour route. The Burning Coal Vein Campground, which is now closed, produced SPOTTED TOWHEE, LAZULI BUNTINGS, ROCK WRENS and AMERICAN KESTREL. At Marmarth, they added a pair of SAY'S PHOEBES and orioles. Nearby, several pairs of MCCOWN'S LONGSPURS appeared to be feeding young and there were also numerous CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS. On June 19, Wayne reported a lone female BUFFLEHEAD with one young northwest of Harvey. Larry Jones saw a male CINNAMON TEAL north of Bowdon on June 18, plus a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE in a small cemetery north of Bowdon on June 20. For details, call Wayne at 324-2344. Sherry Leslie found a CINNAMON TEAL near Max on June 18. Back near Burlington, her yard attracted LAZULI BUNTING on June 12 and two BLACK-BILLED CUCKOOS on June 17. She also saw an INDIGO BUNTING near Minot on June 18. Contact her at 725-4389. Tyler Bell and Jane Kostenko saw the CINNAMON TEAL near Max on June 18. Earlier, Ron Martin and others had seen a hybrid CINNAMON TEAL x BLUE-WINGED TEAL, but Tyler says it was not the same bird. Jane also reported seeing WHITE-FACED IBIS at J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge, RUFFED GROUSE in the Turtle Mountains and INDIGO BUNTING near Minot. Contact Tyler at jtylerbell AT yahoo.com During the week of June 10, Jean Legge heard five calling NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS, saw several LECONTE'S SPARROWS, abundant COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, two EARED GREBES, and some SEDGE WRENS at a WPA north of the Rogers exit off I-94. On June 11, Jean saw LECONTE'S SPARROWS near her house at Valley City and saw a RED-NECKED GREBE at Hobart Lake. You can reach her at 845-4762. Mid-June sightings for Eve Freeberg included the SABINE'S GULL we noted last week, plus RUDDY TURNSTONE on June 11 and a late SNOW GOOSE on June 12. She noted that SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and SANDERLINGS seemed to be thinning out in Grand Forks County. Call Eve at 741-8105 for details. Keith Corliss birded south of Fargo in the Forest River area on June 23 and found two adult NORTHERN CARDINALS feeding dependent young. At Orchard Glen, he heard a singing YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, which was a new county bird for him. On June 16, a visit to the Fargo lagoons turned up the expected species plus a lone male AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, his first of the season. Keith returned to the lagoons with Dean Riemer on June 21, and they saw the duck again. They added a pair of adult BROAD-WINGED HAWKS northwest of West Fargo for what could be the first Cass County nest, persistently-calling (and possibly nesting) ALDER FLYCATCHERS for another county nesting first, and a SAY'S PHOEBE pair nesting near Absaraka, You can reach Keith at koolhand AT juno.com That concludes this report from the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. - end transcriptSubject: Denbigh BBS From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:39:42 -0500 ND-Birders: Today I ran the Denbigh BBS, with Mr. Charles Taft recording. With the high water levels a record 94 species were tallied. A few highlights follow: Turkey Vulture - the first I have had on the survey. Ferruginous Hawk Sandhill Crane Yellow Rail - still calling at 8:30 am. Black-billed Cuckoo - after the survey Red-h. Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Com. Raven Sprague's Pipit - 17 Swamp Sparrow Baird's Sparrow Dickcissel - 4 Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: lark sparrows From: Jlegge <jlegge AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:06:59 -0500 Tues, June 22, Barnes County The lark sparrows have a fledgling they introduced to my garden on Tuesday and the male has begun singing again. -- Jean Legge 3212 115 Ave. SE Valley City, Barnes County, ND 58072 701-845-4762Subject: Re: Southwest North Dakota From: Dan Svingen <dsvingen AT FS.FED.US> Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:04:07 -0600 Wayne - it sounds like you had a great trip to southwestern North Dakota. You had asked about Burning Coal Vein Campground. That is a National Forest System facility. It is managed by the USDA Forest Service's Dakota Prairie Grasslands, out of the Medora Ranger District, headquartered in Dickinson. I asked our Grasslands Engineer to respond to your concern. Here is his input: The Burning Coal Vein campground is being renovated to be made fully accessible to all citizens. A potable water well is being added as well. The work is funded with regular Capitol Investment dollars allocated by the U.S. Congress. This project will not use stimulus funds. The Capitol Investment dollars had actually been budgeted in federal fiscal year 2008, but had been diverted under emergency authority to assist with the suppression of wildfires threatening lives and property in California in summer 2008. Those funds have now been restored for their original purpose. That is why the work is occurring in summer 2009 (rather than summer 2008). Note that the nearby private land in section 11 and 14 just west of the campground is up for sale. The U.S. Forest Service has an existing Right-Of-Way through that land to guarantee permanent access to Burning Coal Vein Campground. Hope that answers your questions. dan. Dan Svingen Grasslands Biologist Dakota Prairie Grasslands Bismarck, ND (701) 250-4443 ext. 107Subject: Re: ND-BIRDS Digest - 22 Jun 2009 to 23 Jun 2009 (#2009-150) From: "Guy J. Wapple" <gswap AT SASKTEL.NET> Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:36:36 -0600 ----- Original Message ----- From: "ND-BIRDS automatic digest system"Subject: Southwest North Dakota From: Wayne Easley <easley57 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:13:58 -0700 Hi: The past couple of days, June 21-22, my wife and I and Larry and Jan Jones
made a quick trip to check on things in the southwestern part of the state. On
the way, we went through Long lake Refuge near Moffit. South of Steel on 48th
St.,a pair of Ferruginous Hawks have 3 little ones in the nest. These are
gorgeous birds! Near the outdoor restroom,just south of the refuge
headquarters, we observed a lone Piping Plover feeding along a sandbar. The
plovers that were nesting in the road just off #83 did not survive the 11
inches of rain that fell on Long Lake on June 16. My wife and I had seen the
plover pair carefully guarding 4 eggs on the evening of June 15. Either the
rain did the job or some other malevolent action took its toll. The eggs and
the birds are gone! At the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt NP, we were able
to photograph a somewhat distant Field Sparrow. A bit north along the auto
loop a pair of Ovenbirds were singing
up a storm; actually one had just passed over leaving the park clean and
majestic! On the rd. between Medora and the Burning Coal Vein Campground, we
saw Spotted Towhee, Lazuli Buntings, Rock Wrens and an American Kestrel. If
you are planning a trip to the area, do not plan to camp or even visit the
Burning Coal Vein Campground. It is closed and every campsite has been
demolished. I talked with two locals about this and one said the campground
was being sold; the other said some of the stimulus money is being used to redo
the whole thing. I do not know what is going on there but I do hope that it
will reopen soon! Those of us who visit the southwest have come to love the
area. By the way if anyone out there has good information on the campground;
please let us know? In Marmarth, we picked up Black-headed Orioles and a nice
pair of Say's Phoebes. Since oil prices have been down over the past few
months, there is not as much oil activity
in and around Bowman as before; the manager of the Super 8 Motel in Bowman
told me that over 200 oil workers have been laid off. A bit of good news;
however, the river crossing 18 miles south on the Camp Crook Rd. (this is one
way of going to the site for McCown's Longspurs) now has a newly build spillway
dam over the Little Missouri River. We hiked in to check on the longspurs and
found several pair of McCowns (there are numerous Chestnut-collared there as
well) on the slopes of the hill. Male and female McCowns apparently are
feeding young as we observed a lot of insects being transported by both
parents. Fairly good pictures were obtained. Some of the birds we did not see
on this trip were Long-billed Curlew, Brewer's Sparrows and Violet-green
Swallows. I was disappointed too to see that they have cut the tree down where
a Northern Flicker (red-shafted form) has nested for the past few years. That
tree was in the parking lot of the
Super 8 Motel in Bowman. Wayne Easley at 701-324-2344. I should add that we
saw a lone female Bufflehead with one single baby on Fri. June 19 north west of
Harvey in the Antilope Hills.
Subject: cass countyFrom: Keith Corliss <koolhand AT JUNO.COM> Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:43:32 GMT I spent a little over an hour this morning slogging through a wet Forest River area south of Fargo. Just the usual nester. Bonus was seeing two adult N. cardinals feeding dependent young. A quick drive (with the windows down of course) through Orchard Glen produced a singing yellow-billed cuckoo in the woods along the Red River. New county bird. Keith Corliss, West FargoSubject: Golden Valley Co. birds From: Maureen OMara <mo1_omara AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:56:14 -0700 Greetings,
Went out to the field site today and picked up a male Bobolink, male Lazuli
Bunting and a Brown Thrasher for this area. Unfortunately, I also picked up
several ticks - all different species. Sego lilies are in bloom along with lots
of other plants including grasses.
Mo O'Mara
Sidney, MT
Subject: bobolinkFrom: Lillian Crook <lilliancrook AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:18:04 -0500 Canoed the Little Missouri River for solstice weekend, around the Elkhorn Ranch. Lots of the usual badlands birds, including about 20 pelicans, and Canada goslings. While shuttling cars (about 3 mi. west of Fairfield), saw a lone bobolink. No lark buntings anywhere. Lillian Crook _________________________________________________________________ Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_QuickAdd_062009Subject: Another Cass Say's From: Keith Corliss <koolhand AT JUNO.COM> Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:08:18 GMT Forgot to mention Dean Riemer and I found a Say's phoebe pair nesting near Absaraka (Cass County). This is only the second nest site I know of. For anyone needing this bird for their Cass County list check out the following map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&ll=46.922131,-97.428131&spn=0.414572,0.878906&z=10&msid=117540143536978979207.00046ce56efb409044a51 K. CorlissSubject: Turtle Mountains, June 11-18 From: David Lambeth <davidlambeth58201 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:23:42 -0700 Birders: As generally known to ND birders, the Turtle Mountains hosts several species not easily found during the nesting season in other parts of the state. Having spent 2 and half days scouting, and 3 days leading ABA Conference bus tours into the Turtle Mountains, I will summarize the highlights of what we saw. My thanks to Ron Martin who scouted with me on Friday June 12, and Tim Hochstetler from Ohio who scouted with me June 13 and 14. The bus tours were on June 15, 17 and 18 and these involved over 100 persons. They were most impressed with the birdlife there! This is not a complete list of species seen.  Ring-necked Duck: Several pairs as well as individual males Bufflehead: Seen on many wetlands, especially lakes. No broods seen. Common Goldeneye: 3 males and 1 female on School Section Lake of Lake Metigoshe S.P. Eight females seen once on another lake. No broods. Hooded Merganser: occasional sighting of pair or single  Ruffed Grouse: Only heard at about four locations. But one was readily observed on a drumming log in Lake Metigoshe S.P. where its drumming spot was just a few feet past the shrub margin. We were able to show it drumming to all participants on 2 of the 3 bus trips at a distance less than 100 feet.  Common Loon: About 10 sightings. Seen in flight several times and they obviously move from lake to lake as was the two that flew overhead, calling loudly, as they passed from School Section Lake to Lake Metigoshe.  Red-necked Grebe: Nesting pairs on the majority of wetlands of any size. On one lake, we counted 6 nests in open water from one vantage point. Eared Grebe: A few at Willow Lake Western Grebe: At least 20 pairs and several nests at Willow Lake, several on Carpenter Lake, and one on Dion Lake.  American White Pelican: Seen on many of the larger lakes with several hundred at Willow Lake where they sometimes nest. Double-crested Cormorant: Many nesting on island at Willow Lake  Black-crowned Night-Heron: Five or more on outlet of School Section Lake, Lake Metigoshe S.P. Also seen at Willow Lake.  Turkey Vulture: Frequently sighted (No Osprey or Bald Eagle seen) Cooper’s Hawk: several sightings Broad-winged Hawk: several sightings. Lake Metigoshe S.P. is especially good. Red-tailed Hawk: A dark-phased (black body but with reddish tail) seen soaring June 13 by T.H. and D.L. American Kestrel: Only one seen, but at a consistent spot  Sandhill Crane: T.H. and D.L. saw one flying north, high up, near Ackworth School on June 13  Franklin’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Forster’s Tern (Lake Upsilon especially good) and Black Tern all seen fairly frequently. A very few Common Terns at Willow Lake.  Ruby-throated Hummingbird: Only seen in a couple of places, neither at feeders.  Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: Frequently seen most days, especially in Lake Metigoshe S.P. Nest found near Dion Lake Pileated Woodpecker: Nest with 3 large young on edge of School Section Lake of Lake Metigoshe State Park. This may be only the second confirmed nesting for the Turtle Mountains.  Olive-sided Flycatcher: One seen at Mystical Horizons on June 17 Eastern Wood-Pewee: heard/seen in a few places Alder Flycatcher: About five locations including one across the road from Willow Lake Least Flycatcher and Great Crested Flycatcher rather common. Eastern Phoebe: nest atop light fixture at restroom in modern campground of Lake Metigoshe S.P. Eastern Kingbird seen a number of times in the Turtle Mountains, but I don’t recall seeing a Western there.  Yellow-throated Vireo: Heard/seen in several places including Lake Metigoshe S.P. and near main entrance of Wakopa G.M.A. (Blue-headed Vireo): T.H. and D.L. heard one singing on the Manitoba loop of the International Peace Gardens on June 13 Warbling and Philadelphia Vireos: Heard/seen often (Philadelphia Vireo: failed to find)  Black-billed Magpie: Seen several places. Best is farm near Willow Lake Common Raven: Seen or heard occasionally  Purple Martin: numerous at martin houses at private residences around Lake Metigoshe  Veery: Rather common in a number of places  Gray Catbird: Frequently seen or heard, but no Brown Thrashers were found  WARBLERS: Ten species were found with nine regularly seen or heard on bus trips. Orange-crowned Warbler: Potentially found anywhere within the scrubby oak zone. Mystical Horizons and Twisted Oaks picnic area are particularly good spots Yellow Warbler: Abundant in appropriate habitat Chestnut-sided Warbler: Difficult to pick out song where Redstarts and Yellow Warblers are common. Mystical Horizons was consistently reliable along the entrance road Yellow-rumped Warbler: Observed at Camp Metigoshe (species likely present at other spots where conifers, but may be quiet in mid-June) Black-and-white warbler: Several spots American Redstart: Abundant in suitable habitat. Especially easy in modern campground at Lake Metigoshe S.P. Ovenbird: several locations Northern Waterthrush: several locations Mourning Warbler: One of the more difficult warblers to find. Eventually found in five locations with Dion Lake of Wakopa G.M.A. hosting 2, possibly 3. Common Yellowthroat: Easy to hear and find  (Scarlet Tanager: None heard, apparently the Turtle Mountains is not a good location for this species)  Eastern Towhee/Spotted Towhee: Found only in the scrubby oak zone of Mystical Horizons and Twisted Oaks, but there is a lot of this habitat that was not checked. The birds seen looked most like Easterns with a hint of Spotted characteristics. At least one or two of these birds were heard singing both Eastern and Spotted songs. They were likely hybrids. I have good photos of three of these birds for anyone who would like to study the plumages.  Chipping, Clay-colored, Song, and Lark Sparrows were all recorded. One Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow was in the wetlands across the road from Willow Lake. Twice tour participants reported hearing White-throateds at the north end of Lake Metigoshe State Park, but I could not confirm.  Northern Cardinal: At least two singing birds in Lake Metigoshe S.P. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: Only heard in three places, one sighting in Lake Metigoshe S.P. Likely much more common than this suggests. Indigo Bunting: One or more at Mystical Horizons, and one at north end of Lake Metigoshe S.P.  Purple Finch: Seen or heard in Lake Metigoshe S.P, and conifer planting at Ackworth School. Likely late in season for consistent song activity. Pine Siskin: Lake Metigoshe S.P.  Dave Lambeth Grand Forks, North DakotaSubject: Cass Co. p.s. From: Keith Corliss <koolhand AT JUNO.COM> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:25:42 GMT I know of no broad-winged hawk nesting records for the county either. If anyone has data relating to this or the alder flycatcher I'd like to hear from you. Gary Nielsen? K. CorlissSubject: of interest in Cass From: Keith Corliss <koolhand AT JUNO.COM> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:48:11 GMT Dean Riemer and I spent the first half of father's day birding in close proximity to Fargo and West Fargo. Notables: American black duck relocated in the southeast cell of Fargo lagoons A pair of adult broad-winged hawks spotted flying over an area northwest of West Fargo near some thick old-growth oak forests. Nesting is suspected. Both adults were molting primaries. A persistently calling alder flycatcher near the same general area. I know of no nesting records for Cass County. Keith Corliss, West FargoSubject: Solen BBS -- Blue Grosbeak From: M Gonzalez <magpie AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:33:31 -0500 Greetings ND-Birders:
For the second time in three years, I have found a Blue Grosbeak on the
Solen BBS, which runs from northern Sioux County into southern Morton
County. In 2007 I also had an Indigo Bunting at the same stop as the
Blue Grosbeak from this year. This individual appears to be a first
summer male.
I have not yet counted species and number of individuals, but
impressions and other highlights:
2 Ferruginous Hawks -- I believe only three have been recorded in the
previous 31 counts, most recently in 1989.
Lots of waterfowl--number of species and individuals probably highest in
past eight years.
Wild Turkey eclipsed previous high
Directions to Blue Grosbeak locality:
* Follow Hwy 6 south of Mandan to the "big" curve (where it becomes
Hwy 21).
* Take Morton County 134 2.75 miles to abandoned homestead. Gate to
property has old wagon wheels.
* Beware: this site has other blue species--eastern bluebirds and
Lazuli buntings.
Good birding,
Mark
--
Mark Gonzalez
Bismarck, ND
701-255-0310 (H)
701-250-4443 (W)
701-202-8636 (cell)
Subject: Townsend's SolitaireFrom: Wayne Easley <easley57 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:07:40 -0700 Hi: Larry Jones of Bowdon, ND (in Southern Wells Co.) saw and photographed a
Townsend's Solitaire on Sat. morning June 20. The bird was observed hopping
among the grave stones at a small cemetery located on 39th Ave. NE about 4
miles north of Bowdon, ND. Good birding! Wayne Easley
Subject: June 19, Minot to GFFrom: David Lambeth <davidlambeth58201 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:46:20 -0700 Here are some highlights on my return to Grand Forks yesterday: Singing Sprague's Pipits in pasture west of Denbigh Experimental Forest and also 1 mile north of highway 2. Rush Lake and surrounding wetlands just north of Berwick in Pierce County: one White-faced Ibis, single Horned Grebes in two separate wetlands, 3 male Goldeneye courting one female, estimated 2500 Franklin's Gulls swarming over Rush Lake (likely nesting), 25 Eared Grebes, 20 Forster's Terns, Le Conte's and Nelson's Sparrows. Old 281 from Church's Ferry to Hwy 19: 27 Great Egrets in first two miles, 1 Snowy Egret, 5 Black-crowned Night-Herons, 1 Snow Goose, 1 White-fronted Goose (obviously damaged wing), 2 very cooperative (photo opps!) Common Terns, 7 pair and about 20 lone Western Grebes (2 Westerns with young on back), and overall very birdy with gulls, terns and waterfowl. Most of the southern part of old 281 will be under water if the lake rises just a few more inches. The segment of Old 281 from Hwy 19 to Minnewaukan is now completely blocked off and there is much debris, including rocks, on the road where it is heavily pounded by wave action. Davis Flats (across from the Devils Lake lagoons): Again a large mixed nesting colony of Ring-billed and California Gulls with many young seen. About 50 pair of Eared Grebes with most of them feeding young. I spent about 6 days in the Turtle Mountains because of ABA field trips there. I will summarize some of the more notable highlights in a separate posting. Good birding everyone! Dave Lambeth Grand Forks, North DakotaSubject: No Subject From: Glenna Meiers <gmeiers AT RUGGEDWEST.COM> Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:18:43 -0500 I have a question. In the evening and into the night, at Little Knife Bay, we hear a bird call that can be described as a monotone screech that lasts about 1 to 2 seconds and is repeated often. Any ideas on what it is? I thought at one time I read that pelican nestlings made a similar sound but I am not sure if that is right. Thanks for any input. Glenna MeiersSubject: Thanks to ND! From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:55:24 -0400 Tyler Bell and I just returned to Maryland after a busy week in North Dakota, visiting my family and working with the American Birding Association conference held in Minot. Over 100 birders from 25 states and one province were together for 4 intense days of back-to-back field trips. The weather, the countryside, the birds, the local leaders, and everything else came together in a perfect storm of wonderful sights, adventures, and friendships. North Dakota won over a lot of folks who just weren't familiar with its attributes before. Tyler and I, between family obligations and conference responsibilities, had limited time to actually bird, but we added to our ND list: White-faced Ibis in Salyer; Ruffed Grouse (drumming) in the Turtle Mountains; Indigo Bunting (Pointe of View winery outside of Minot); and Cinnamon Teal near Max. So many great birds that we didn't get to see--the reported Northern Mockingbird in Tusker Coulee in Des Lacs (I hope I have that right--my brain isn't quite up to speed yet) eluded us, but was seen and heard by others. Thanks to ND for putting on a fabulous show! I've always been proud of being from ND and this trip really reminded me why! Jane Jane Kostenko California, MD jkostenko AT somd.lib.md.usSubject: Rufous Hummingbird From: Carl Stangeland <carlcs AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:39:25 -0500 I had a female Rufous Hummingbird at the feeder last evening and this morning, a nice surprise. Carl Stangeland Jamestown carlcs AT daktel.comSubject: Cinnamon Teal in Wells Co., ND From: Wayne Easley <easley57 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:51:11 -0700 Hi: On June 18 in the afternoon, Larry Jones reports a male Cinnamon Teal
observed appx. 5 miles north of Bowdon, ND in Southern Wells Co.. A very nice
photograph was obtained. Larry says he was checking out some 18 grebe nests in
the marsh (4 Horned and 14 Eared) when the bird came swimming along. Good
birding! Wayne Easley
Subject: Indigo BuntingFrom: Sherry <bird_nd AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:31:54 -0700 An Indigo Bunting located at Pointe of View Winery was very cooperative and
offered great views.
Owners welcome visitors and have made trails thru their trees in which you can
hike. Beautiful place plus good wine!!
Enjoy!!
Sherry Leslie
bird_nd AT yahoo.com
725-4389
Subject: Cinnamon Teal near Max, 6/18/09From: James Tyler Bell <jtylerbell AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:24:16 -0700 Jane Kostenko and I drove down from Minot this morning arriving at the slough around 0630 and the male Cinnamon Teal was out in the open. He promptly paddled into the weeds and didn't come back out for about 10 minutes. Ron Martin and some birding friends had gone down Wednesday after ABA field trips had returned and located a hybrid Blue-winged x Cinnamon Teal. Ron said that that bird had the head of a Blue-wing and the body of a Cinnamon. The bird that Jane and I saw this morning was solidly Cinnamon from head to tail! Tyler Bell jtylerbell AT yahoo.com California, MarylandSubject: Cinnamon Teal/Cuckoo From: Sherry <bird_nd AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:29:44 -0700 Beautiful Cinnamon Teal south of Max. Go .45 miles south of mile marker 165 and
turn west on Cty Rd 6. At the 6 and 17 junction the bird was found along with
many other waterfoul. (Lots of water in the country)
Yardbids this week:
6-12 Lazuli Bunting
6-17 Black-billed Cuckoo (2)
Enjoy!!
Sherry leslie
bird_nd AT yahoo.com
725-4389
Subject: RFI Baird's SparrowFrom: Henry Armknecht <whatabirder AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:39:08 -0600 I am a KS birder who may be able to pass through ND next week on my way to Billings MT. I'd love to see a Baird's Sparrow. I have tried to look at past postings on ND-BIRDS and ND birding websites. My research all points to Lostwood NWR. Are there relatively reliable locations farther south, or is that just the place to go? Thanks to anyone who can give me some insight. Henry A Osborne KS _________________________________________________________________ Microsoft brings you a new way to search the web. Try Bing™ now http://www.bing.com?form=MFEHPG&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MFEHPG_Core_tagline_try bing_1x1Subject: Re: RN Grebe From: Jlegge <jlegge AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:25:09 -0500 Last week (June 10) Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrows: five calling LeConte's sparrows: several but difficult to see common yellowthroats-abundant this year 2 earred grebes sedge wrens (in short supply this year) Found at a WPA north of the Rogers I94 (Hwy 1 North) exit 3 miles (2 miles north of blinking traffic light), turn east at unmarked intersection until reaching the WPA. June 11 LeConte's sparrows north of my house in our CRP field Today, June 17 1 red-necked grebe on Hobart Lake, west side viewed from the north on old Hwy 10 road. -- Jean Legge 3212 115 Ave. SE Valley City, Barnes County, ND 58072 701-845-4762Subject: lazy summer bonus From: Keith Corliss <koolhand AT JUNO.COM> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:19:08 GMT Almost indifferently I checked out the Fargo lagoon system this morning (Tues) while up at the airport. Not much doing--still construction going on, laying pipe, etc. The ducks were there in fair numbers, many trailing young broods. Gulls were fairly represented with the usual three species present--ring-billed, herring, Franklin's. Zip for shorebirds--unless you count killdeer. But in one cell there was a fairly large raft of (mostly) drake mallards, perhaps 300. This looked promising and it didn't disappoint. One beautiful male American black duck was "hiding in the crowd." (That's for Mark G's benefit). Personal FOY. K. Corliss West FargoSubject: unsubscribe From: TERRY ADAMS <atsdr AT MSN.COM> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:10:34 -0500 Subject: ND RBA for 6/16/09 From: "tork02 AT juno.com" <tork02@JUNO.COM> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:16:41 GMT *RBA *North Dakota *June 16, 2009 *NDST0906.16 Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, June 16, 2009. All phone numbers are area code 701 unless otherwise noted. You never know what you might find in a shorebird survey. Keith Corliss believes he may have stumbled onto a MISSISSIPPI KITE while conducting a shorebird survey on June 10. Keith called it a "possible" sighting, and did not include the location. He may have other information at koolhand AT juno.com Eve Freeberg discovered an adult SABINE'S GULL northwest of Grand Forks on June 11. Contact her at 741-8105. Bert Filemyr and four other Pennsylvania birders found a drake CINNAMON TEAL at the south end of Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge on June 11.Contact Bert at afilemyr AT comcast.net Bob Anderson birded Mountrail and Ward counties on June 10 and 11. Highlights included an active LONG-EARED OWL nest in Stave Township of Mountrail County, plus nesting HORNED GREBES--12 birds on five wetlands in Mountrail County. You can reach Bob at 605-695-1344. Phil Jeffrey recorded a TRICOLORED HERON at J.Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge on June 12. He believes the bird was an adult. Contact Phil at phil.jeffrey AT gmail.com Mo O'Mara recorded a personal first for Golden Valley County. She watched a display by three LONG-BILLED CURLEWS on June 12. Also in the area were two NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS. In McKenzie County, she added a likely LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE. You can reach her at mo1_omara AT yahoo.com Wanda Peterson observed a lone BURROWING OWL near Leith in Grant County on June 14. She reported the owl disappeared into a hole in a grain field. She also saw a GREAT HORNED OWL in a field near Leith that day. Contact Wanda at 293-6059. That concludes this week's report from the North Dakota Birding Society.Subject: Burrowing owl, Leith ND From: Wanda Peterson <wandaandjohnp83 AT AOL.COM> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:35:54 -0400 Hello Birders, Yesterday my Mom and I spotted a lone burrowing owl in a ditch? (on a large mounded hole-?badger hole) south of Leith, ND (Grant County). It flew into a grain field to another hole where it disappeared. The grain is only?2-3 inches tall at this point.? This sure made my day!! I am concerned about? the owls use of the hole in the field, as I would guess the farmer may spray his field at some point. Should I contact the farmer to let him know about the owl, should the farmer avoid doing work /spraying around that hole?? I don't know anything about when young would hatch if there are any, so if anyone can shed some light on that I would appreciate it. We also saw a great horned owl in a field on the "three mile road" into Leith!! Wanda Peterson Fargo, ND 293-6059Subject: New Golden Valley Co. species From: Maureen OMara <mo1_omara AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:58:23 -0700 Hello,
While at my work site on Friday I had the good fortune to see three Long-billed
Curlews give a display and to be serenaded by them for several hours!
Also saw two Rough-winged Swallows by the creek.
Did have the opportunity to see the shrike from last week. Using Sibley, I
believe it to be a Loggerhead by the wider eye mask and lack of white outline
of the mask. This is a McKenzie Co. sighting.
Regards,
Mo O'Mara
Sidney, MT
Subject: Tricolored Heron at Clark SalyerFrom: Phil Jeffrey <phil.jeffrey AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:08:37 -0400 About 7pm today (Friday 12th) I was at J. Clark Salyer NWR for the first time ever, crossing the dam at the earlier part of the birding drive and a moderate-sized heron flew by showing classical Tricolored field marks in particular the dark blue-purple coloration on wings and chest and the white belly and underwings. I'm quite familiar with Tricolored and confident on the ID. I did not get quite a good enough view to age it definitively (though I would guess adult from overall coloration) and if it showed full breeding plumage. I'm an out of state birder passing through, but as far as I can tell this might qualify as an unusual sighting so I thought it was worth sharing it. Thanks Phil Jeffrey NJSubject: Mountrail County From: Bob Anderson <bob.anderson AT VCSU.EDU> Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:35:44 -0500 I birded Mountrail and Ward Counties on Wednesday and Thursday. Highlights included: 1. Finding an active long-eared owl nest in Stave township in Mountrail County 2. Finding nesting horned grebes on 5 wetlands in Mountrail county – total of 12 birds Good Birding, Bob Anderson West Fargo 605-695-1344Subject: Cinnamon Teal - Long Lake NWR From: Bert Filemyr <afilemyr AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:53:01 -0400 A drake Cinnamon Teal was seen well and photographed at the south end of Long Lake NWR Thursday afternoon by a group of birders visiting from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since we are visiting from out of state, we are not sure of the status and distribution of this species in North Dakota but looking at range maps in field guides, this appears to be a significant sighting. Bert Filemyr - Meadowbrook PA Ann Scott - Telford PA Connie Goldman - Southampton PA Jane Henderson - Flourtown PA Bob Cohen - Flourtown PASubject: FW: SABINE'S GULL From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:31:11 -0500 Greetings ND-Birders: On behalf of Eve Freeberg. Good Birding! Corey Ellingson Bismarck, ND -----Original Message----- From: Eve Freeberg [mailto:birdwmn AT gra.midco.net] Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 3:29 PM To: Corey Ellingson Subject: Re: [ND-BIRDS] Ibis species Hi! I found an adult Sabine's Gull NW of GF today. Eve Freeberg Grand Forks, NDSubject: RFI - Krider's red-tailed hawk From: Dan Svingen <dsvingen AT FS.FED.US> Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:58:02 -0600 Birders & Biologists - Brian Sulllivan is coming to ND sometime in early-mid July, hopefully to photograph fledgling "Krider's" red-tailed hawks. If you know of any Krider's red-tailed, please email their locations to Ron Martin (jrmartin AT srt.com). He will consolidate a list (I will be out-of-the-county otherwise I wouldn't foist this on Ron!). As you probably already know, Krider's are the "washed - out" red-taileds, that have tan or white heads, a lot of mottled white on the back that forms almost a white rectangle on the outstreached wing. They also have white tails, usually with pinkish subterminal bands. I most often see such birds on the Missouri Coteau, such as in Kidder and Stutsman counties. Thanks for whatever help you can provide. dan. Dan Svingen Grasslands Biologist Dakota Prairie Grasslands Bismarck, ND (701) 250-4443 ext. 107Subject: Inconclusive BUT... From: Keith Corliss <koolhand AT JUNO.COM> Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:21:42 GMT During a shorebird survey this morning I experienced a very interesting 30 seconds or so. A graceful bird appeared in the distance and flew in a steady course tangential to my location. There was never a good close view. This bird appeared long-tailed and fairly sharp-winged. It was of medium size (more later) and never soared, just steady, airy, graceful wingbeats the whole time. In fact my first thought was cuckoo (longish tail). But once it started being harassed by other birds I realized this was a raptor. During the time a godwit actually came up to it to chase it away. It was virtually the same size. Conclusion? I don't know. But everything I saw about this bird said Mississippi kite. I've had numerous encounters with this bird having lived in the south for over a year. I'm not saying that is what it was but it could have been. If anyone (D. Svingen, M. Gonzales, B. Stotts, etc.) is interested in the location I can pass it along. It was not a falcon, it was not a harrier, it was not an accipiter. If anyone can find a good video of a M. kite NOT in soaring flight I'd love to see it. K. Corliss, West FargoSubject: RBA: North Dakota, June 9, 2009 From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:06:09 -0400 Sorry--I just don't have time to put this in the correct format, so here's the info Ken pulled together. See some of you in ND later this week! Jane Kostenko *RBA *North Dakota *June 9, 2009 *NDST0906.09 Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, June 9, 2009. All phone numbers are area code 701 unless otherwise noted. A wading bird grabs the spotlight this week. Wayne Easley and three others discovered a LITTLE BLUE HERON along Highway 2 just west of Towner on June 2. It was the highlight of the 101 species they counted during their trek from Harvey to J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge. On June 4, Wayne was surprised to find a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER in his backyard at Harvey. He says it was only the second in several years. Wayne also noted five active HORNED GREBE nests nearby. You can contact him at 324-2344. Dave Lambeth and others associated with last week's Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival at Jamestown found 10 or more pairs of HORNED GREBES--some on active nests--while scouting for the festival or conducting tours. Dave believes the 15 or more active nests represents a high number for the past 30 years in North Dakota. You can reach him at davidlambeth58201 AT yahoo.com Ron Martin reports still seeing significant migration in the Minot area. Rain brought good numbers of migrants to Oak Park in Minot on June 8. He saw his first BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO of spring plus YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, 40 ALDER FLYCATCHERS, 20 RED-EYED VIREOS, 150 CEDAR WAXWINGS, eight TENNESSEE WARBLERS, OVENBIRD and MOURNING WARBLER. On June 2, he saw 12 ALDER FLYCATCHERS, 31 WARBLING VIREOS, 45 RED-EYED VIREOS, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, six TENNESSEE WARBLERS, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, four BLACKPOLL WARBLERS, five LAZULI BUNTINGS, and a WOOD DUCK brood in Oak Park. A couple highlights from the Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival: Ron, with Corey Ellingson and Clark Talkington, spotted an EASTERN MEADOWLARK northwest of Medina on June 4. On the following day, Ron found a CINNAMON TEAL/BLUE-WINGED TEAL cross at the Jamestown lagoons. On June 7, Ron counted 11 LECONTE'S SPARROWS in the first 10 stops of the Sheyenne Lake Breeding Bird Survey. Later that day, he and Corey Ellingson birded Sheridan and Wells counties. They recorded a singing CONNECTICUT WARBLER in Martin, an alternate-plumaged COMMON LOON on Goose Lake near Harvey, and lots of shorebirds northeast of Harvey. Those birds included two DUNLINS, 20 STILT SANDPIPERS, 50 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, 500 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and 225 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS. Contact Ron at jrmartin AT srt.com Todd Larson says his yard near Larimore still had eight warbler species on June 1. That number included a CAPE MAY WARBLER. For the spring, Todd recorded 21 of the 22 warbler species on the checklist...missing only the black-throated green warbler. On June 4, Todd found a SAY'S PHOEBE west of the town of Kempton , which is south of Larimore. For details, it's 330-2598. A new yard bird for Betsy Batstone-Cunningham. She saw a male INDIGO BUNTING in her yard on June 7, as well as a LARK SPARROW nearby. Contact Betsy at 218-791-6079. Jean Legge spent a lot of time in Barnes County and some in Kidder and Ransom counties during the first week of June. On June 3, she saw two GRAY PARTRIDGE in Barnes County, while Kidder County produced four BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, two SPRAGUE'S PIPITS, FERRUGINOUS HAWK, seven BLACK TERNS, five CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS, and nine GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS. Her biggest days were June 6 and 7, when she recorded VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, NORTHERN CARDINAL, 10 EASTERN WOOD PEWEES, EASTERN PHOEBE, two LEAST FLYCATCHERS, five GREAT EGRETS, WILSON'S SNIPE with young, two WILLETS, two COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, AMERICAN REDSTART, BELTED KINGFISHER, seven YELLOW WARBLERS, two PINE SISKINS, three GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHERS, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, 20 RED-EYED VIREOS, AMERICAN BITTERN, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, three SONG SPARROWS, five MARSH WRENS, 15 RUDDY DUCKS, CANVASBACK, PIED-BILLED GREBE, 12 WESTERN GREBES, SAVANNAH SPARROW, 12 BOBOLINKS, four TURKEY VULTURES, SWAINSON'S HAWK, RED-TAILED HAWK, three NORTHERN HARRIERS, 15 CLIFF SWALLOWS, 25 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS, three SPOTTED SANDPIPERS, 30 FRANKLIN'S GULLS, five RING-BILLED GULLS and seven CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS in Barnes County pluys an INDIGO BUNTING south of Fort Ransom in Ransom County. For more information, call Jean at 845-4762. Ben Kessel reports a CEDAR WAXWING invasion at his yard in north Fargo, with 50-100 of the birds at a time in his birdbath and fountain on June 5. Ben is at quietwolf AT cableone.net Mark Otnes heard a likely EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE calling near his home in Fargo on the evening of June 5. Contact him at 241-4194. An INDIGO BUNTING has been visiting Linda Gregg's feeders at Horace for several days. She's at lgregg AT far.midco.net Janelle Masters birded the area from McKenzie Slough to Horsehead Lake and Lake Harriet on June 3. Among her finds were AMERICAN BITTERN, PIPING PLOVERS at both McKenzie Slough and Lake Harriet, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS at McKenzie Slough, many calling MARSH WRENS and SORAS, and WILSON'S SNIPES overhead. You can reach Janelle at 224-5525. Mark Gonzalez found VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS in two locations on the Little Missouri National Grassland in McKenzie County on June 2. He also reported CHIMNEY SWIFTS over northwest Bismarck. Contact Mark at 255-0310. Mo O'Mara closed out May with a visit to the grasslands of McKenzie County, where she recorded three male LAZULI BUNTINGS, REDHEADS and LARK BUNTINGS. In Williston the following day, she reported a flyover by six CHIMNEY SWIFTS. Back in McKenzie County in early June, she saw WILD TURKEYS, NORTHERN HARRIER, RED-TAILED HAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL, EASTERN KINGBIRD, MOURNING DOVE, a shrike and HORNED LARK. In Golden Valley County on June 2 and 4, she added NORTHERN HARRIER, RED-TAILED HAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL, GOLDEN EAGLES, SWAINSON'S HAWK, PRAIRIE FALCON pair, UPLAND SANDPIPER, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, HORNED LARK, KILLDEER, LARK SPARROW, ROCK WREN, SPOTTED TOWHEE, WESTERN KINGBIRD, EASTERN KINGBIRD, SAY'S PHOEBE, MOURNING DOVE, YELLOW WARBLER, BARN SWALLOW, AMERICAN ROBIN and AMERICAN CROW. You can reach Mo at mo1_omara AT yahoo.com That concludes this week's report from the North Dakota Birding Society.Subject: Wyoming-Birds From: Stevan Hawkins <shawkins4 AT SATX.RR.COM> Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:16:45 -0500 ND-Birders: A little searching this morning found WYOBirds http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?A0=WYOBIRDS . Being a Listserv site, this site looks pretty probable even if I didn't sign up just now. This seems to be the group to subscribe to before birding Yellowstone NP, etc. http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WYOB.html shows WYOBirds is being quite active. http://www.audubonwyoming.org/ has an interesting dissertation Sage-Grouse and Energy Development: Integrating Science with Conservation Planning to Reduce Impacts that I want to go back to read in detail. Later! Steve Stevan Hawkins San Antonio TXSubject: Oak Park Monday and Potholes and Prairie Festival From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 21:52:55 -0500 ND-Birders: The rain brought a good number of late migrants to Oak Park in Minot today. Black-billed Cuckoo - 1, the first I have seen this year. Yellow-b. Flycatcher - 1 Alder Flycatcher - 40 Red-eyed Vireo - 20 Cedar Waxwing - 150 Tennessee Warbler - 8 Ovenbird - 1 Mourning Warbler - 1 A few notes from the Potholes and Prairie Festival in Jamestown this weekend. On Thursday Corey Ellingson, Clark Talkington, and I found an E. Meadowlark on a school section NW of Medina. On Friday I saw a Cinnamon Teal/Blue-winged Teal hybrid at the Jamestown Lagoons. I ran the Sheyenne Lake BBS in Sheridan Co. on Sunday morning and had 11 Le Conte's Sparrows on the first 10 stops. This bird has been difficult to find in numbers this year, so it was nice to see a small concentration. After the survey Corey E. and I did some birding in Sheridan and Wells Counties. In Martin there was a singing Connecticut Warbler. There was an alternate plumaged Com. Loon on Goose Lake north of Harvey, and good numbers of shorebirds NE of Harvey, including: Dunlin - 2 Stilt Sandpiper - 20 Red-n. Phalarope - 50 Semipalmated Sandpiper - 500 White-rumped Sandpiper - 225 Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Re: nesting Horned Grebes From: Keith Corliss <koolhand AT JUNO.COM> Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 20:53:55 GMT David, I cannot speak to yellow rail (still looking for ANY habitat in Cass County which may support them) but in my meager travels around Cass recently, sedge wrens are here and singing in big numbers. LeConte's are here but perhaps down in number. I agree with your weather assessment. I think once things warm up the calling/singing will increase in lockstep. Keith C., West Fargo ---------- Original Message ---------- From: David LambethSubject: nesting Horned Grebes From: David Lambeth <davidlambeth58201 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 08:43:10 -0700 Hi all: Several of us came across Horned Grebe pairs, some building nests, when we conducted tours and scouted for the Prairie/Potholes Birding Festival run last week out of Jamestown. I would guess that it all added up to 10 or more pairs. This adds to Wayne Easley's previous post about finding something like six such pairs in the Harvey area This far exceeds any year in ND in the the past 30. If you would like to find a nesting pair for a county list, this is the year to be looking! Other impressions: Le Conte's Sparrows are rather scarce as are Yellow Rails although there are a few in Grand Forks County. It could be that the cold conditions are suppressing these and other birds such as Sedge Wren in their preferred habitats. Dave Lambeth Grand Forks, North DakotaSubject: new yard bird From: Betsy Batstone-Cunningham <batsham AT GRA.MIDCO.NET> Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 07:39:41 -0500 Hi, It is so great to be so close to the Greenway, because you never know what will come into my yard. Last night a male Indigo bunting was at the feeders. It was almost dark and even in the really bad light you could see how blue he was. Also an oriole was feeding at the same time. I am not sure if it was a female or first year bird. Does not stay long and then I saw the bunting! I also saw a Lark sparrow along the bike path last night just south of my house. I was walking with friends and it was on the bike path. For those of you in GF, it was just before the first bench south of the Greenway entrance from my house. Betsy Batstone-Cunningham E Elmwood Dr & the Greenway Grand Forks ND 218.791.5079Subject: merganser clarify From: Jlegge <jlegge AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 22:12:30 -0500 The merganser female I saw at City park in VC on Sunday June 7 was brown overall, and appeared smaller rather than larger so might have been a female hooded merganser instead of a common merganser. I did get a good look in the scope and didn't see any white lines on its sides but it was dim out with all the clouds. -- Jean Legge 3212 115 Ave. SE Valley City, Barnes County, ND 58072 701-845-4762Subject: Week's birds From: Jlegge <jlegge AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 21:22:17 -0500 Busy birding week - and what weather! (too cold for mosquitoes and woodticks) June 3, Barnes County 2 Gray partridge June 3, Kidder County: 4 Baird's sparrows 2 Sprague's pipits 1 Ferruginous hawk 7 black terns 5 chestnut-collared longspurs 9 grasshopper sparrows June 6, 7 Barnes County 1 Virginia rail 1 sora 2 Northern Cardinal-VCSU campus in VC 1 common merganser female from tree in City Park, VC 2 wood ducks 10 eastern wood-peewee 1 eastern phoebe 2 least flycatcher 5 great egret 1 common snipe with young on edge of highway 2 willet 2 common yellowthroat 1 American redstart-by Faust Dam 1 belted kingfisher 7 yellow warbler 2 pine siskins 3 great crested flycatcher 1 yellow-bellied sapsucker 20 red-eyed vireos 2 bluebirds 1 American bittern 1 black-crowned night heron 3 song sparrows 5 marsh wrens 15 ruddy ducks 1 canvasback 1 pied-billed grebe 12 western grebe 1 savannah sparrow 12 bobolink 4 turkey vultures 1 Swainson's hawk 1 red-tailed hawk 3 northern harriers 15 cliff swallows 25 rough-winged swallows 3 spotted sandpipers 30 Franklin's gulls 5 ring-billed gulls 7 clay-colored sparrows (1 with nest in my yard with 4 eggs) Ransom County, June 6 1 indigo bunting at trail head of Sheyenne River State Forest south of Fort Ransom. -- Jean Legge/dakotabirding.com 3212 115 Ave. SE Valley City, Barnes County, ND 58072 701-845-4762Subject: RFI: Montana and Wyoming discussion groups From: Stevan Hawkins <shawkins4 AT SATX.RR.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 20:54:06 -0500 ND-Birders: Does anyone have contact information for Internet birding discussion groups, whether Listservs, Yahoo-groups or other, for Montana and Wyoming? I am contemplating another road trip. Thanks! Steve Stevan Hawkins San Antonio TXSubject: New Member test From: Jim Swarr <jhschwarr AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 18:43:08 -0400 *This is a test-Jim Swarr, Melrose, FL jhschwarr AT gmail.com*Subject: Gray Partridge-FL Birder seeking help From: Jim Swarr <jhschwarr AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2009 18:38:34 -0400 *Seeking help of local birders in finding Gray Partridge. My sister & I will be arriving in Fargo,ND late June 17th, and we will be spending up to 5 days in ND seeking Gray Partridge. Recent citings would be appreciated. Jim Swarr, Melrose, FL jhschwarr AT gmail.com *Subject: McKenzie and Golden Valley Co. From: Maureen OMara <mo1_omara AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 13:50:11 -0700 Hello,
Sorry for the late post. Not having internet at home is going to be a challenge
now that work field season has begun!!
Sunday, May 31, at my usual grassland location I added:
Lazuli Bunting (3 males at the stock tank)
Redhead ducks on the ephemeral pond
Lark Buntings
Monday, June 1, while in downtown Williston, I had 6 Chimney Swifts flying
overhead.
In McKenzie Co. along Co. roads 38 and 16 (during this week):
Wild Turkeys (1 male exhibiting for 6 females)
N. Harrier
Red-Tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Eastern Kingbird
Mourning Dove
Shrike (stopped but could not get a good enough view to tell species; maybe
when I go back there)
Horned Lark
Golden Valley County (6/2 and 6/4) in no particular order:
N. Harrier
Red-Tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Golden Eagles
Swainson's Hawk
Prairie Falcon (a pair doing a food exchange!)
Upland Sandpiper
Mountain Bluebird
Horned Lark
Killeer
Lark Sparrow
Rock Wren
Spotted Towhee
Western and Eastern Kingbird
Says Phoebe (! - it was great to see another post on the eastern side just a
day before my post - wonder if they are just moving into the area or that there
are just too few birders out there!)
Mourning Dove
Yellow Warbler
Barn Swallow
A. Robin
A. Crow
Mo O'Mara
Sidney, MT
Subject: White-throated SparrowFrom: Mark Otnes <markotnes AT CABLEONE.NET> Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2009 10:11:03 -0500 I had a white-throated sparrow singing at my place in Fargo this morning. I also had an odd sounding dove calling at my place around sundown last night. I'm guessing it was a Eurasian-collared dove, but I'm not too familiar with their calls. Mark Otnes Fargo ND 701-241-4194 markotnes AT cableone.netSubject: Waxwing Invasion From: Ben Kessel <quietwolf AT CABLEONE.NET> Date: Fri, 5 Jun 2009 22:01:29 -0500 Hello We Been Invasion By Cedar Waxwings In North Fargo About 50 To 100 At Time Drinking From Our Birdbath And Fountain And They Have Been In Some Berrys What Has Fruit This Time Of The Year They Would Been Eating On It Been Very Cool Site I Can Get With In Feet Of Them As They Drink Ben Kessel North FargoSubject: Indigo Bunting From: Linda Gregg <lgregg AT FAR.MIDCO.NET> Date: Fri, 5 Jun 2009 16:26:26 -0500 We have had an Indigo Bunting at the feeders in the backyard for the last several days. Nice looking bird. -- Linda Gregg Horace, ND lgregg AT far.midco.netSubject: Say's Phoebe From: Todd Larson <i81.ou812 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2009 16:54:45 -0500 I just saw a say's phoebe at a farmstead near what used to be logan center, west of kempton. If anyone is interested, I can check with the people who live there for updates and see if they mind people looking. Apparently warblers are through. Although Monday turned out to be pretty good after nothing the four days before. I got 8 species in my yard, including Cape May. I got 21 of the 22 warbler species on the checklist in my yard. Didn't get Black-throated Green. I can't remember anyone posting one this year, but I don't always pay close enough attention. Have people been seeing them or are they rare this year? Todd Larson Larimore 701-330-2598Subject: Red-headed Woodpecker in Wells Co. From: Wayne Easley <easley57 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2009 06:52:37 -0700 Hello: My wife and I were surprized this morning (June 4) to have a Red-headed
Woodpecker come through our backyard. In past years, we have recorded only one
immature so they are certainly uncommon for this area. We have our fingers
crossed that he would stick around. It has been fun to see so many Horned
Grebes stay with us; I know of 5 active nests at this moment. Several nests
have been rebuild because the original eggs were floating in the
water. Mortality rate for grebes must be extremely high! Enjoy the nesting
season. Wayne Easley at 701-324-2344
Subject: The slough routeFrom: Janelle Masters <Janelle.Masters AT BSC.NODAK.EDU> Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2009 08:18:31 -0500 Hello: Yesterday a friend and I birded various sloughs from McKenzie to Horsehead to Lake Harriet. Favorite sightings: an american bittern pretending to be several different weeds, piping plovers at McKenzie and Lake Harriet, black-bellied plovers at McKenzie, marsh wrens and soras calling from every roadside slough we stopped at with snipes winnowing overhead. Sprague's Pipits continue to elude us however. Janelle Janelle Masters Dean of Academic Affairs 224-5525 Office Annex 101 Janelle.Masters AT bsc.nodak.eduSubject: RBA: North Dakota, June 2, 2009 From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Wed, 3 Jun 2009 16:46:04 -0400 * RBA * North Dakota * Statewide * June 2, 2009 * NDST0906.02 - Transcript Hotline: North Dakota Update Date: June 2, 2009 Number: 701-527-0730 To Report: 701-527-0730 Coverage: Statewide Compiler: Ken Torkelson Compiled: June 2, 2009 Transcriber: Jane Kostenko mailto: tork02 AT juno.com - Birds Mentioned Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Yellow Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler Magnolia Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Palm Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Connecticut Warbler Mourning Warbler Common Yellowthroat Canada Warbler YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER Indigo Bunting Scarlet Tanager Swainson's Thrush American Bittern Cattle Egret Black-crowned Night Heron WHITE-FACED IBIS Yellow Rail Virginia Rail Sora Black Tern Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Common Raven Mountain Bluebird Sprague's Pipit Norhtern Waterthrush LeConte's Sparrow Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Clark's Grebe Black-bellied Plover Dunlin Buff-breasted Sandpiper Sanderling Baird's Sparrow Ruddy Turnstone Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper American Avocet Baird's Sandpiper Alder Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Western Kingbird Eastern Kingbird Olive-sided Flycatcher SUMMER TANAGER Black-billed Cuckoo Pileated Woodpecker Yellow-throated Vireo Horned Grebe Ruby-throated Hummingbird Veery Gray Catbird Lazuli Bunting Philadelphia Vireo Dickcissel Red-headed Woodpecker Lark Bunting Bobolink Eastern Bluebird Least Tern Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover House Wren Brown Thrasher Field Sparrow Song Sparrow Black-headed Grosbeak Semipalmated Sandpiper Grasshopper Sparrow Chestnut-sided Longspur Hooded Merganser Eastern Phoebe Yellow-breasted Chat Great Egret Snowy Egret Common Night Hawk Bell's Vireo Sedge Wren EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE Black-capped Chickadee Upland Sandpiper Red-tailed Hawk Northern Rough-winged Swallow Spotted Towhee Clay-colored Sparrow Lark Sparrow Common Tern Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Wood Pewee Northern Parula Cape May Warbler Chipping Sparrow Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, June 2. 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. A whole lotta warblers in Grand Forks. Dave and Cec Lambeth found numbers and variety in warblers at three locations in Grand Forks on May 26. They started out at Memorial Park Cemetery and moved on to two streets in the older part of town. They saw 250 TENNESSEE WARBLERS, two ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, three NASHVILLE WARBLERS, 50 YELLOW WARBLERS, 32 CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLERS, 17 MAGNOLIA WARBLERS, two YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 23 BLACKBURNIAN WARBLERS, two PALM WARBLERS, 34 BAY-BREASTED WARBLERS, 52 BLACKPOLL WARBLERS, four BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS, 10 AMERICAN REDSTARTS, three OVENBIRDS, a CONNECTICUT WARBLER, two MOURNING WARBLERS, six COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, two CANADA WARBLERS and the YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER mentioned in previous reports. Other sightings for the day included five male INDIGO BUNTINGS, a male SCARLET TANAGER and about 50 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES. For details, it's davidlambeth58201 AT yahoo.com Ron Martin encountered abundant water birds and more at J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge and elsewhere in McHenry County on May 31. His total for the day was 120 species, and he says he didn't look for the 15 or 20 more common birds in the area. Among his finds: seven AMERICAN BITTERNS, three CATTLE EGRETS, 34 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS, nine WHITE-FACED IBIS, YELLOW RAIL, four VIRGINIA RAILS, 50 SORAS, 400 BLACK TERNS, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, 60 LEAST FLYCATCHERS, three COMMON RAVENS, five MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS, three SPRAGUE'S PIPITS, 27 AMERICAN REDSTARTS, 15 NORTHERN WATERTHRUSHES, 55 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, three LECONTE'S SPARROWS, nine Nelson's SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS and three SWAMP SPARROWS. For more information, contact Ron at jrmartin AT srt.com Bob Anderson birded Stutsman and Kidder counties on May 27. He recorded a pair of CLARK'S GREBES near Dawson as well as three BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and 30 DUNLINS. Bob found Nelson's SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS and LECONTE'S SPARROWS in many locations including the Chicago Lake area. At one site near Cleveland, he saw 37 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS, more than 100 SANDERLINGS, hundreds of BAIRD'S SPARROWS, two RUDDY TURNSTONES, many LEAST SANDPIPERS and a few WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS. At a second spot just west of Jamestown, Bob added hundreds more WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, 75 DUNLINS, five STILT SANDPIPERS, six AMERICAN AVOCETS, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and LEAST SANDPIPER. At Lake Isabel, Bob saw WILLOW FLYCATCHER, LEAST FLYCATCHER and ALDER FLYCATCHER plus YELLOW WARBLER and NASHVILLE WARBLER. Back on May 25 at Armour Park in West Fargo, Bob saw BLUE-HEADED VIREO, CANADA WARBLER and MOURNING WARBLER among 13 warbler species. Contact Bob at 605-695-1344. Stacy Adolf-Whipp and Paulette Scherr found a neat group of birds along a shelterbelt near Bordulac in Foster County on May 26. The group included SCARLET TANAGER and at least 10 warbler species including BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER and CANADA WARBLER. Others present included RED-EYED VIREO, WARBLING VIREO, BALTIMORE ORIOLE, ORCHARD ORIOLE, WESTERN KINGBIRD, EASTERN KINGBIRD, LEAST FLYCATCHER, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER and SWAINSON'S THRUSH. For more information, it's sadolf AT hotmail.com Carl Stangeland had a SUMMER TANAGER in his Jamestown yard on May 26. Other visitors included BALTIMORE ORIOLES and ORCHARD ORIOLES, BLACKPOLL WARBLER and YELLOW WARBLER. You can reach Carl at carlcs AT daktel.com Jean Legge heard a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO calling at Little Yellowstone County Park north of Kathryn on May 27-28. During her time there, she saw a PILEATED WOODPECKER and two YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS. For details, Jean is at 845-4762. Corey Ellingson headed to New Johns Lake on May 26. He discovered a HORNED GREBE on a nest, AMERICAN BITTERN, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, VEERY, 30 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES and25 GRAY CATBIRDS. The 14 warbler species included NASHVILLE WARBLER, three MOURNING WARBLERS and CANADA WARBLER. Corey's list also included a LAZULI BUNTING in Sheridan County and 11 ORCHARD ORIOLES. You can reach him at crackerjackbirder AT bis.midco.net A PHILADELPHIA VIREO showed up in Bob Neugebauer's yard east of Bismarck on May 29. He's at bobneugebauer AT yahoo.com Dan Rogers accumulated 83 species in Morton County on June 1. He scored his first DICKCISSEL of the year, along with 10 BALTIMORE ORIOLES and 17 ORCHARD ORIOLES, two RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS and 48 LARK BUNTINGS. You can reach Dan at 224-5530. Janelle Masters found DICKCISSELS, BOBOLINKS, EASTERN BLUEBIRDS and a "mystery" vireo in the Beaver Bay area near Linton on June 1. Contact her at 224-5530. From Hettinger, Jan Sailer was surprised to see a male CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER on the south side of Mirror Lake on May 28. She says it was the first of the species she had seen there. One day earlier, Jan saw an AMERICAN REDSTART. You can reach her at jngsailer AT yahoo.com Clark Talkington took a report from Dave Griffiths of a LEAST TERN at Mirror Lake in Hettinger on May 27. Clark birded Long Lake NWR, MacLean Bottoms, Beaver Bay and the Mandan Tesoro Refinery on May 28. He saw SEMIPALMATED PLOVER at Long Lake refuge, while MacLean Bottoms offered up PIPING PLOVER and LEAST TERN. His totals for the day included nine RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS, 25 LEAST FLYCATCHERS, eight WARBLING VIREOS, six RED-EYED VIREOS, 70 HOUSE WRENS, 18 BROWN THRASHERS, 41 YELLOW WARBLERS, 72 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, 12 FIELD SPARROWS, 35 SONG SPARROWS, six BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS and 11 ORCHARD ORIOLES. Clark guided visiting birders in late May and early June. At McKenzie Slough, they recorded five WHITE-FACED IBIS, while Horsehead Lake offered most of the six VIRGINIA RAILS and 17 SORAS they saw. They also covered the Sterling to Wing area and Horsehead Lake, finding two SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, STILT SANDPIPER, four SPRAGUE'S PIPITS, 20 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, four BAIRD'S SPARROWS, 14 Nelson's SHARP-TAILED SPARROWS and 50 CHESTNUT-SIDED LONGSPURS. Moving on to Cross Ranch, Smith Grove and Huff Hills, they observed a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, EASTERN PHOEBE, three BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLERS, 20 AMERICAN REDSTARTS, 12 OVENBIRDS and two YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS. The visitors closed out their stay at Long Lake NWR, the Dawson area and Beaver Bay Recreation Area. Those sites produced HORNED GREBE, CLARK'S GREBE, AMERICAN BITTERN, GREAT EGRET, SNOWY EGRET, CATTLE EGRET, WHITE-FACED IBIS, PIPING PLOVER, RUDDY TURNSTONE, SANDERLING, COMMON NIGHT HAWK, ALDER FLYCATCHER, BELL'S VIREO, PHILADELPHIA VIREO, SEDGE WREN, LECONTE'S SPARROW, SWAMP SPARROW and TENNESSEE WARBLER. Contact Clark at 663-8103. While visiting in Bismarck on May 24, Bernice Houser recorded at least a handful of EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES, plus GRAY CATBIRDS, SWAINSON'S THRUSHES and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES. Back home in New Town on May 27, she added male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD and male BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. Bernice is at sanishnd AT rtc.coop Mo O'Mara was back in the grasslands of McKenzie County on May 24, where she found a pair of UPLAND SANDPIPERS, RED-TAILED HAWK, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS, SPOTTED TOWHEE, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and LARK SPARROW. About four miles west of Williston, she had a flyover by a likely COMMON TERN. Contact her at mo1_omara AT yahoo.com Dennis Wiesenborn birded north Fargo parks over the Memorial Day weekend. He saw or heard ALDER FLYCATCHER, LEAST FLYCATCHER, YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, EASTERN WOOD PEWEE and EASTERN KINGBIRD, about 100 AMERICAN REDSTARTS and 12 warbler species including CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, BAY-BREASTED WARBLER and CONNECTICUT WARBLER. On May 26, his 20 warbler species included NORTHERN PARULA in his backyard and across the river, plus at least six CAPE MAY WARBLERS. He also recorded a flock of CHIPPING SPARROWS. Contact Dennis at 218-287-4420. Finally, a reminder that the Bismarck-Mandan Bird Club meets at 6:30 pm on Friday, June 5 at Dakota Zoo in Bismarck. There'll be a short business meeting and a bird walk around the zoo. That concludes this report from the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. - end transcriptSubject: chimney swifts From: M Gonzalez <magpie AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 23:12:53 -0500 Greetings ND-Birders: I observed FOS Chimney Swifts over NW Bismarck Tuesday evening. Earlier in the day, I found Violet-green Swallows in McKenzie County on the Little Missouri National Grassland. These were observed in a couple locations along Forest Service Road 805A along the barren south-facing hillslopes/cliffs. Good birding, Mark -- Mark Gonzalez Bismarck, ND 701-255-0310 (H) 701-250-4443 (W) 701-202-8636 (cell)Subject: Little Blue Heron From: Wayne Easley <easley57 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 19:38:10 -0700 Hi: A Little Blue Heron was observed and photographed along Highway 2 just to
the west of the small city of Towner, N. D.. The bird was feeding in a grassy
marsh on the north side of the highway approximately 3 miles west of Towner
which is in McHenry County. The Little Blue Heron was one of a total of 101
species listed for today (June 2) as 4 of us birded places between Harvey, ND
and J. Clark Salyer Refuge. Good birding! Wayne Easley at 701-324-2344
Subject: Minot migrationFrom: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 20:58:27 -0500 ND-Birders: Still significant migration going on in the Minot area today. Some duck broods also showing up these days. Wood Duck - brood in Oak Park. Alder Flycatcher - 12 Warbling Vireo - 31 Red-eyed Vireo - 45 Swainson's Thrush - 1 Tennessee Warbler - 6 Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1 Magnolia Warbler - 1 Blackpoll Warbler - 4 Lazuli Bunting - 5 Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Bismarck/Mandan area From: Clark Talkington <ctalkington AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 11:50:16 -0500 The last three days, 5/29,30 & 6/1, I guided some out of state
birders. On the 29th we birded the McKenzie Slough and Sterling
to Wing area (BURLIEGH)in the afternoon and Horsehead Lake at
night. On the 30th we bird Smith Grove in Oliver County and
southeast MORTON. On the 1st we birded Long Lake NWR, Dawson
area and Beaver Bay Recreational area. The following highlights
are listed by each day with sites noted after the species.
5/29
White-faced Ibis - 5 (McKenzie Slough)
Virginia Rail - 6 (most at Horsehead Lake)
Sora - 17 (most at Horsehead Lake)
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 2 (BURLEIGH)
Stilt Sandpiper - 1 (BURLEIGH)
Sprague's Pipit - 4 (north of Sterling & north of Rice Lake)
Grasshopper Sparrow - 20 (n. of Sterling & Rice Lake)
Baird's Sparrow - 4 (north of Rice Lake)
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow - 14 (Horsehead Lake, night birding)
Chestnut-sided Longspur -50 (n. of Sterling & Rice Lake)
5/30
Common Merganser (pair sitting on log with turtles) (2 miles south of
Cross Ranch on a pond on the west side of HWY 1806)
Black-billed Cuckoo - 1 (west of Cross Ranch in a draw)
Eastern Phoebe - 1 (6 miles south of Mandan on Little Heart River,
pearched near a bridge)
Black-and-White Warbler - 3 (Smith Grove & Huff Hills - BURLEIGH)
American Redstart - 20 (Smith Grove)
Ovenbird - 12 (Smith Grove & Huff Hills)
Yellow-Breasted Chat - 2 (Huff Hills)
6/1
Horned Grebe - 3 (southwest corner of Dewald Slough square, adjacent
to Lake Etta in Kidder County) (1 bird on nest)
Clark's Grebe - 2 (Unit III, Long Lake NWR)
American Bittern - 3 (Kidder County)
Great Egret - 6 (Alkaline Lake & Dewald Slough)
Snowy Egret - 6 (Dewald Slough)
Cattle Egret - 2 (Dewald Slough)
White-faced Ibis - 4 (Dewald Slough)
Piping Plover - 3 (nesting on Dyke "A" and the road south of the stone
house at Long Lake NWR)
Ruddy Turnstone - 1 (Lake McKenna at Napoleon, Logan County)
Sanderling - 8 (Lake McKenna)
Common Nighthawk - 1 (Beaver Bay State Park, Emmons County)
Alder Flycatcher - 1calling (Beaver Bay Rec. Area)
Bell's Vireo - 2 (Beaver Bay State Park in primitive area on west side)
Philadelphia Vireo - 1 (Dawson, Nunn's yard, Kidder Coutny)
Sedge Wren - 5 (east side of Lake Isabella, Kidder County)
LeConte's Sparrow - 2 (between east of side of Lake Etta and west side
of pond in southwest corner of Dewald Slough area)
Swamp Sparrow - 1 (east side of Dewald Slough)
Clark Talkington
Mandan
663-8103
ctalkington AT bis.midco.net
Tennessee Warbler - 1 (Dawson, Nunn's yard)
Subject: Beaver BayFrom: Janelle Masters <Janelle.Masters AT BSC.NODAK.EDU> Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2009 07:47:46 -0500 Hello: I birded the Beaver Bay area west of Linton last evening. Highlights were dickcissels, bobolinks, and eastern bluebirds and a raccoon up a tree masquerading as a hawk nest. Also in the campground a mystery vireo. No sign of the blue grosbeak I've seen in the area before. Janelle Janelle Masters Dean of Academic Affairs 224-5525 Office Annex 101 Janelle.Masters AT bsc.nodak.eduSubject: Dickcissel, Redheaded Woodpeckers and lots of Orioles From: Daniel Rogers <daniel.rogers AT BSC.NODAK.EDU> Date: Mon, 1 Jun 2009 22:39:35 -0500 Having missed two weeks of migration while tromping around Berlin and Progue, decided to catch up with a day long jaunt around Morten County. 27 Orioles, 10 Baltimore and 17 Orchard. My first Dickcissel of the year along the heart river and two Redheaded Woodpeckers doing their thing in the same area. 48 Lark Buntings. 83 species and a blown tire. Fun. |