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19 Nov Re: Long-tailed Ducks [David Lambeth ] 19 Nov Shadehill, SD CBC [Ron Martin ] 19 Nov Long-tailed Ducks [Ron Martin ] 19 Nov Pacific Loon [Ron Martin ] 19 Nov Yardbirds [Sherry ] 18 Nov Special Birdclub Presentation! [Corey Ellingson ] 18 Nov Pine Siskins [Rick ] 17 Nov Long-tailed Ducks [Ron Martin ] 17 Nov Cass Co. Snow Buntings [Patrick Beauzay ] 17 Nov RBA: North Dakota, November 17, 2009 [Jane Kostenko ] 16 Nov Minot Lagoons and Minot CBC [Ron Martin ] 16 Nov Waxwings [Bernice Houser ] 16 Nov snowy owl [Larry Jones ] 16 Nov F/M CBC ["Robert O'Conner" ] 16 Nov Yardbirds [Sherry ] 15 Nov Pacific Loon [Ron Martin ] 15 Nov Long-tailed Duck at Kellys Slough [Sandy Aubol ] 14 Nov Long Lake NWR & Sweet Briar Lake [Clark Talkington ] 14 Nov redpoll [carol ] 13 Nov Upper Souris NWR [Ron Martin ] 12 Nov Christmas Bird Counts [Corey Ellingson ] 12 Nov McKenzie Slough and LLNWR [Dan Svingen ] 11 Nov Buffalo Lodge Lake [Ron Martin ] 11 Nov Goose Lake in Northern Wells Co. [Wayne Easley ] 11 Nov Burleigh, Emmons, Logan & Kidder Counties [Clark Talkington ] 11 Nov northern mockingbird [Wayne Easley ] 11 Nov black-billed magpie [JLegge ] 11 Nov Scherr, Paulette is out of the office. [Paulette Scherr ] 10 Nov Christmas Bird Counts [Ron Martin ] 10 Nov Glaucous Gull [Corey Ellingson ] 10 Nov RBA: North Dakota, November 10, 2009 [Jane Kostenko ] 10 Nov Odds and Ends [Corey Ellingson ] 8 Nov Pacific Loon [Ron Martin ] 8 Nov Garrison Dam area [Ron Martin ] 5 Nov Stutsman, Kidder & Burleigh Counties [Clark Talkington ] 4 Nov Tundra Swans with blue neck bands [James Tyler Bell ] 3 Nov RBA: North Dakota, November 3, 2009 [Jane Kostenko ] 2 Nov Long-tailed Duck [Ron Martin ] 2 Nov sparrows [David Lambeth ] 2 Nov Lesser Black-backs [Corey Ellingson ] 2 Nov Red-bellied Woodpecker (Stutsman Co.) [Lawrence D Igl ] 1 Nov McHenry Co. Sunday [Ron Martin ] 2 Nov Sunday surprise [Keith Corliss ] 31 Oct PACIFIC LOON [Corey Ellingson ] 29 Oct Sparrows [Sherry ] 29 Oct RBA: North Dakota, October 27, 2009 [Jane Kostenko ] 28 Oct Minot Lagoons [Ron Martin ] 28 Oct Eastern Bluebirds [Bernice Houser ] 28 Oct north of Bismarck [Lillian Crook ] 27 Oct Bismarck/Mandan area [Clark Talkington ] 26 Oct Update on ND Bird Checklist [Dan Svingen ] 26 Oct Fargo Peregrine [Corey Ellingson ] 26 Oct swans directions correction [Pipestem Creek ] 25 Oct Weekend birds [Ron Martin ] 25 Oct Trefoil Park in North Fargo & vicinity [Dennis Wiesenborn ] 25 Oct swans again [Pipestem Creek ] 24 Oct Bird watching in Renville County. [Rod Fossen ] 24 Oct Ruby-crowned Kinglet [Rick ] 24 Oct Wahpeton birds [Mark Otnes ] 23 Oct swans [Pipestem Creek ] 23 Oct RBA: North Dakota, October 20, 2009 [Jane Kostenko ] 22 Oct Minot area [Ron Martin ] 22 Oct Harlan's Hawk near Devils Lake. [Rod Fossen ] 22 Oct Elmwood again [Keith Corliss ] 22 Oct Re: Hermit Thrush [Corey Ellingson ] 22 Oct Hermit Thrush [Betsy Batstone-Cunningham ] 19 Oct Bis Landfill, Sleepy Hollow [Corey Ellingson ] 19 Oct no whoopers [Janelle Masters ] 18 Oct Bluebirds [Bernice Houser ] 18 Oct Backyard [Carl Stangeland ] 17 Oct Whoopers + [Bernice Houser ] 17 Oct eastern bluebirds [Larry Jones ] 17 Oct Kidder County [Mark Otnes ] 17 Oct Whoopers! [Bernice Houser ] 15 Oct Minot Lagoons [Ron Martin ] 15 Oct Bismarck/Mandan area [Clark Talkington ] Subject: Re: Long-tailed Ducks From: David Lambeth <davidlambeth58201 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:27:39 -0800 Sandy Aubol found a Long-tailed Duck at the main pool at Kellys Slough on Monday and it was still there today. A second Long-tailed was seen on Tuesday and it will still present today as well. Dave Lambeth Grand Forks, North Dakota ________________________________ From: Ron MartinSubject: Shadehill, SD CBC From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:25:46 -0600 ND-Birders: Dan Svingen has set the date for the Shadehill, SD CBC. It will be held Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. If you would like to participate please contact Dan at DSvingen AT fs.fed.us, or call 701-250-4443. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Long-tailed Ducks From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:40:26 -0600 ND-Birders: The two Long-tailed Ducks reported earlier this week from Lake Darling were still present today near the west side of the dam at Upper Souris NWR. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Pacific Loon From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:20:36 -0600 ND-Birders: Keith Corliss was in Minot today and we went to Cottonwood Lake to look for the Pacific Loon. It was still present, showing well on the north side of the lake. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Yardbirds From: Sherry <bird_nd AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:44:45 -0800 Today we have over 70 Pine Siskins at the thistle feeders. Increasing in
numbers every day.
Enjoy,
Sherry leslie
bird_nd AT yahoo.com
Subject: Special Birdclub Presentation!From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:10:45 -0600 WHAT: Pete Leary - Birds of the Midway WHERE: Discovery Center - Bismarck Zoo WHEN: 6:30pm, November 21st 2009 Pete Leary After high school I went into the Navy doing nuclear power stuff on a submarine. It wasn't so great so I got my biology degree from Montana State University. I then worked for the USDA doing human nutrition research for 8 years. I also got my Master's Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of North Dakota. While doing that I also worked for Mr. Ellie Pooh selling elephant dung paper (google it!) to help the Sri Lanka elephants. After that, I did the only logical thing with my M.S. and moved to Cleveland, OH and got a job in security at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It was great, but I quit my job at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame went to Midway Atoll for a 1 year temporary job with the US Fish & Wildlife Service. I loved it so much that I moved about 500 miles away to an even smaller island, Tern Island to do more bird banding, picking up marine debris, and a lot of maintenance. Check out the blogs! http://ternisland.blogspot.com/ or http://peteatmidway.blogspot.com/ Anyone is welcome to join us. Any questions, let me know. (701) 221-0644 Corey Ellingson Bis-Man BirdclubSubject: Pine Siskins From: Rick <fholbrook AT CABLEONE.NET> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:50:20 -0600 This morning 3 Pine Siskins showed up on the niger socks. -- Rick Fargo, ND N 46°53'251" W 096°48'279" Remember the USS Liberty http://www.ussliberty.org/Subject: Long-tailed Ducks From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:47:50 -0600 ND-Birders: Around noon today there were 2 Long-tailed Ducks visible from the dam on Lake Darling at Upper Souris NWR. Also one Red-breasted Merganser. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Cass Co. Snow Buntings From: Patrick Beauzay <patrick.beauzay AT NDSU.EDU> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:16:58 -0600 Hello all, My first Snow Buntings of the season found this afternoon along CR 20 about 2 miles east of junction with CR 11 (north of Mapleton). Flock of about 20 birds. Also two Mourning Doves and two Meadowlarks (presumably Western Meadowlarks) hanging around in our sunflower plots near Prosper. Good Birding! Pat Beauzay -- Patrick Beauzay Research Specialist NDSU Extension Entomology 701-231-7064 patrick.beauzay AT ndsu.edu Please note that my US Postal Service and UPS, FedEx, etc. shipping addresses are different. United States Postal Service: Patrick Beauzay Entomology Dept. NDSU Dept. 7650 P.O. Box 6050 Fargo, ND 58108-6050 UPS, FedEx, etc.: Patrick Beauzay 202 Hultz Hall 1300 Albrecht Blvd. Fargo, ND 58102Subject: RBA: North Dakota, November 17, 2009 From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:59:33 -0500 * RBA * North Dakota * Statewide * November 17, 2009 * NDST0911.17 - Transcript Hotline: North Dakota Update Date: November 17, 2009 Number: 701-527-0730 To Report: 701-527-0730 Coverage: Statewide Compiler: Ken Torkelson Compiled: November 17, 2009 Transcriber: Jane Kostenko mailto: tork02 AT juno.com - Birds Mentioned Snowy Owl Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Common Loon Dunlin American Avocet Snow Goose Cackling Goose Red-necked Grebe Greater Yellowlegs Herring Gull THAYER'S GULL American Pipit Snow Bunting GLAUCOUS GULL American Golden Plover Greater White-fronted Goose Common Goldeneye Rough-legged Hawk Surf Scoter PACIFIC LOON Greater Scaup White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Red-breasted Merganser American Goldfinch Pine Siskin Dark-eyed Junco Blue Jay Northern Flicker Hairy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Purple Finch Cedar Waxwing Red-breasted Nuthatch Black-capped Chickadee Northern Mockingbird Tundra Swan Black-billed Magpie Common Redpoll LONG-TAILED DUCK Double-crested Cormorant Savannah Sparrow Pectoral Sandpiper Baltimore Oriole Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Unless otherwise noted, any phone numbers mentioned are area code 701. Transcriber's Note: Birds listed in ALL CAPS in the Birds Mentioned section signify that the Revised Checklist of North Dakota Birds lists them as Occasional, Accidental, Extirpated, or never having occurred before for the season being reported. Some very late birds this week, but also some early birds. And Christmas Bird Counts are being scheduled. Clark Talkington found many of the late ones as well as some of the early ones. A SNOWY OWL was one of the birds Clark recorded on Nov. 13 at Sweet Briar Lake in Morton County. He also saw a PIED-BILLED GREBE and two HORNED GREBES, the latter being the latest sighting for the Bismarck-Mandan area. His other "latest" sightings for the day were two COMMON LOONS and a DUNLIN, while Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge also held a lone AMERICAN AVOCET. On Nov. 11, Clark birded parts of Burleigh, Logan, Emmons and Kidder counties. He saw a total of 61,000 SNOW GEESE, plus 3000 CACKLING GEESE in Burleigh and Emmons counties. Another "latest" for the record book was a RED-NECKED GREBE, but he also found HORNED GREBE and three PIED-BILLED GREBES in Burleigh and Kidder counties. Burleigh County also produced a GREATER YELLOWLEGS. Clark counted a total of 31 HERRING GULLS at the Bismarck landfill and Long Lake refuge, and the landfill also offered a first-cycle THAYER'S GULL and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. Clark saw eight AMERICAN PIPITS in Kidder County, which was the latest sighting for the area, and he closed things out with 80 SNOW BUNTINGS in Burleigh County. For details, contact Clark at 663-8103. Corey Ellingson discovered a first-year GLAUCOUS GULL just south of Bismarck's Expressway Bridge on Nov. 10. He says it is only the third fall sighting for the species in the area. You can reach Corey at crackerjackbirder AT bis.midco.net Dan Svingen recorded an AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER in the northwest corner of McKenzie Slough in Burleigh County on Nov. 11. Between there and Long Lake refuge, Dan saw lots of SNOW GEESE and a few dozen or more GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE in each flock of migrating geese. Other highlights included a few COMMON GOLDENEYES and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. Dan is at 250-4443, ext. 107. Ron Martin reported a SURF SCOTER at the Minot lagoons on Nov. l6. He adds that the PACIFIC LOON from a week or so ago was still at Cottonwood Lake in McHenry County on Nov. 15. On Nov. 13, Lake Darling was hosting 10 GREATER SCAUP, a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER and a BLACK SCOTER. Back in McHenry County on Nov. 11, Buffalo Lodge Lake had COMMON MERGANSER, HOODED MERGANSER and 10 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS plus four distant loons. You can reach Ron at jrmartin AT srt.com Sherry Leslie's feeders near Burlington attracted a good variety of birds on Nov. 16. The visitors included 37 AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, an almost equal number of PINE SISKINS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, BLUE JAYS, NORTHERN FLICKERS, HAIRY WOODPECKERS, DOWNY WOODPECKERS and four PURPLE FINCHES. Contact Sherry at bird_nd AT yahoo.com A small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS found the heated water at Bernice Houser's place near New Town on Nov. 16. Other recent sightings included RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, DARK-EYED JUNCO, DOWNY WOODPECKERS and HAIRY WOODPECKERS. You can reach Bernice at sanishnd AT rtc.coop Wayne Easley's feeders near Harvey drew in a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD on Nov.11. He says it was only the second yard record for the species in eight years. Wayne reports Goose Lake has been popular with migrating birds lately. Recent sightings included thousands of SNOW GEESE, 25 TUNDRA SWANS, several pairs of HOODED MERGANSERS, COMMON LOONS and COMMON GOLDENEYES. On Nov. 11, Wayne saw a nice flock of SNOW BUNTINGS near the lake. For more information, call 324-2344. Larry Jones found a SNOWY OWL in a worked corn field near Heaton on Nov. 16. For details, it's jljones AT daktel.com Jean Legge's yard near Valley City was visited briefly by a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE on Nov. 11. The stopover was the first yard visit in several years for the species. Contact Jean at 845-4762. Another rare visitor. The first COMMON REDPOLL in two years showed up at Carol Arzt's feeders at Harwood on Nov. 14. She's at carzt AT far.midco.net Sandy Aubol discovered a female LONG-TAILED DUCK at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge near Grand Forks on Nov. 15. She reports the duck was in the main pond, near the refuge sign. Contact Sandy at 218-779-5443. Eve Freeberg also found good birding in Grand Forks County. She and Dave Lambeth reported a juvenile THAYER'S GULL from Nov. 11 through Nov. 13. An immature SNOWY OWL was present on Nov. 11-12, followed on Nov. 14 by an immature male. Nov. 11 also produced a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, while SAVANNAH SPARROW and AMERICAN PIPIT revealed themselves on Nov. 12. Another LONG-TAILED DUCK appeared on Nov. 13, and was present on Nov. 16 with a juvenile. Eve's other sightings that day included two AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS and four PECTORAL SANDPIPERS. Eve notes that a BALTIMORE ORIOLE with a bad wing is visiting a rural Grand Forks feeder. You can reach Eve at birdwmn AT gra.midco.net Now the Christmas Bird Count schedule: The Fargo count is set for Dec. 19. Contact Bob O'Connor at 231-7175. Ron Martin is coordinating three counts. The Minot event is set for Dec. 27. Meet at the Broadway McDonald's at 7:30am. The Garrison Dam count is Dec. 14. Meet at 7:30 at the Audubon NWR headquarters. The Upper Souris count is set for Dec. 18. The meeting place is refuge headquarters at 7:30am. For details on any of those three, contact Ron Martin at 624-5241. And the Bismarck-Mandan count is set for Dec. 19, followed by a potluck supper. Contact Corey Ellingson at crackerjackbirder AT bis.midco.net That concludes this report from the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. - end transcriptSubject: Minot Lagoons and Minot CBC From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:10:25 -0600 ND-Birders: There was a Surf Scoter on cell 5 of the Minot Lagoons today. The Minot CBC will be held Sunday, Dec. 27. Meet at the Broadway McDonalds at 7:30 am. Please e-mail or call me if you plan to participate. 624-5241 Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Waxwings From: Bernice Houser <sanishnd AT RTC.COOP> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:24:40 -0600 A small flock of Cedar Waxwings, nearly all this year's young, found the heated water today. The resident American Robin wasn't too happy about it, but they had him outnumbered. The little flock of American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins that spent a couple days here last week have not shown up lately, but the Red-breasted Nuthatch and a few Black-capped Chickadees are very busy at the sunflowers, and a lone Dark-eyed Junco comes in several times a day. There are also Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. Not a real exciting fall season at the Houser's! Bernice Houser Rural New Town sanishnd AT rtc.coopSubject: snowy owl From: Larry Jones <jljones AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:29:50 -0600 Hi birders-Spotted a snowy owl 1 mile nw of Heaton in a worked corn field. Was able to get a few decent photos. Larry Jones BowdonSubject: F/M CBC From: "Robert O'Conner" <robert.oconnor AT NDSU.EDU> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:52:45 -0600 Hi, This year's Fargo/Moorhead CBC will be held December 19th. Anyone wishing to take part should send me an email at robert.oconnor AT ndsu.edu or call me at 701-231-7175. Bob O'ConnorSubject: Yardbirds From: Sherry <bird_nd AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:33:22 -0800 A few of the birds observed at our feeders:
Goldfinch 37
Pine Siskin quickly catching up if not surpassing the Goldfinch numbers.
Juncos
Blue Jays
Flickers
Hairy and Downys
All the regulars are here in good numbers but a nice change today were 4 Purple
Finch.
Good birding at home,
Sherry Leslie
bird_nd AT yahoo.com
Subject: Pacific LoonFrom: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:03:42 -0600 ND-Birders: The Pacific Loon found last Sunday at Cottonwood Lake in McHenry Co. was still present today around noon. Like last week, it was near the west end of the lake near the boat ramp. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Long-tailed Duck at Kellys Slough From: Sandy Aubol <egf_baseball AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:51:39 -0800 This morning at 10:45 I found a female Long-tailed Duck at Kellys Slough NWR
(GF County). It was found in the main pond on the west side of the road not far
from the big Kellys Slough sign. I observed it for 2-1/2 hours and it was still
there at 1:15 this afternoon when I left. It was also observed by Eve Freeberg,
Tim Driscoll and Betsy Batstone-Cunningham. A bit of a stretch for my camera
but I have put 2 photos on my Flickr site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39774035 AT N02/?saved=1.
If you need more information, I can be reached at 218-779-5443.
Sandy Aubol
East Grand Forks MN
Subject: Long Lake NWR & Sweet Briar LakeFrom: Clark Talkington <ctalkington AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:32:46 -0600 Birders, Yesterday I birded Sweet Briar Lake in Morton County and today I birded Long Lake NWR in Burleigh County. Some of the sightings among the geese and ducks: Sweet Briar Lake 2 - Horned Grebes (Latest for Bis/Man area) 1 - Pied-billed Grebe (Third latest) 1 - Snowy Owl (My first for the fall) Long Lake NWR 2 - Common Loons (Latest for Bis/Man area) 1 - American Avocet (2nd latest) 1 - Dunlin (Latest) Good Birding Clark Talkington MandanSubject: redpoll From: carol <carzt AT FAR.MIDCO.NET> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:16:11 -0600 Had a common redpoll at my feeder this morning. Its the first I have had in two years. Carol Harwood,NDSubject: Upper Souris NWR From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:35:29 -0600 ND-Birders: Among the waterfowl on Lake Darling the following were noted today. Greater Scaup - 10 White-winged Scoter - 1 Black Scoter - 1 Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Christmas Bird Counts From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:30:51 -0600 Greetings ND-Birders: The Bismarck-Mandan CBC will be held on Saturday, December 19th, with a potluck supper afterwards. Any of you that have CBCs scheduled, please let me know so I can post to the ND Birding Society website at the following link: http://ndbirdingsociety.com/customContent.php?seq=28&title=North Dakota Christmas Bird Counts Looking over the dates, some of you may be reminded of the horrible conditions we had last year. For example, the Garrison Dam CBC was rescheduled FIVE times before it was finally run on the last possible day Jan 5th. Thanks, Corey Ellingson Bismarck, ND From: Birding Discussion List for North Dakota [mailto:ND-BIRDS AT LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU] On Behalf Of Ron Martin Sent: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 9:27 PM To: ND-BIRDS AT LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU Subject: [ND-BIRDS] Christmas Bird Counts ND-Birders: The Garrison Dam CBC will be held Monday, Dec. 14. Meet at 7:30 am at the Audubon NWR HQ. The Upper Souris NWR CBC will be held Friday, Dec. 18. Meet at the refuge HQ at 7:30 am. Good birding, Ron Martin Sawyer No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.60/2495 - Release Date: 11/10/09 19:56:00Subject: McKenzie Slough and LLNWR From: Dan Svingen <dsvingen AT FS.FED.US> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:18:48 -0600 Yesterday afternoon, I birded McKenzie Slough and Long Lake NWR, both in Burleigh Co. Like Clark, I found lots of snow geese, with a smattering of other species. This continues to be a good fall for white-fronted geese, as I am finding a few dozen or more in each flock of migrating geese. A few common goldeneye were scattered about, as were rough-legged hawks. The highlight for me was an American golden plover at the n.w. corner of the McKenzie Slough Area, along the railroad tracks. Dan Svingen Grasslands Biologist Dakota Prairie Grasslands Bismarck, ND (701) 250-4443 ext. 107Subject: Buffalo Lodge Lake From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:42:54 -0600 ND-Birders: Today at Buffalo Lodge Lake in McHenry Co. I observed all three merganser species, including 10 Red-br. Mergansers. Also present were 4 distant loons. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Goose Lake in Northern Wells Co. From: Wayne Easley <easley57 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:16:24 -0800 Hi, On my last post in regard to the mockingbird, I should have added we live
near Harvey, ND in Wells Co.. With the good weather continuing, we have
enjoyed the 1000s of geese in and around Goose Lake. Goose Lake is on #3 north
of Harvey just beyond mile marker #164. Most of the geese are Snow Geese and,
at times, the sky is full of them. Over the same time period, there has been a
flock of appx. 25 Tundra Swan. On the lake itself, we have observed several
pair of Hooded Mergansers along with Common Loons, Goldeneyes, and several
other species of ducks. Today (Nov. 11), I saw a nice flock of Snow Buntings
just to the south of the lake. Good birding, Wayne Easley in Harvey, ND
701-324-2344
Subject: Burleigh, Emmons, Logan & Kidder CountiesFrom: Clark Talkington <ctalkington AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:59:50 -0600 Today I birded the Bismarck Landfill, McKenzie Slough and Long
Lake NWR in Burleigh County; Goose Lake in Emmons County; Lake
McKenna in Logan County and Lake Etta, Lake Isabel, Dewald
Slough, Alkaline Lake, Dead Buffalo Lake & Horsehead Lake in
Kidder County. 43 species for the day were tallied. Some of
the more interesting sightings were:
61,000 - Snow Geese - All counties.
3,000 - Cackling Geese - Burleigh & Emmons
3 - Pied-billed Grebes - Burleigh & Kidder
(1st late for Bis/Man area)
1 - Horned Grebe - Burleigh (1st late for B/M area)
1 - Red-necked Grebe - Burleigh (1st late for B/M area)
1 - Greater Yellowlegs - Burleigh (2nd late for B/M area)
31 - Herring Gulls - Bis. landfill & LLNWR.
1 - Thayer's Gull (first cycle)(Bis. landfill)
1 - Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult) (Bis. landfill)
8 - American Pipits - Kidder (1st late for B/M area)
80 - Snow Buntings - Burleigh
Clark Talkington
Mandan
701 663-8103
Subject: northern mockingbirdFrom: Wayne Easley <easley57 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:55:56 -0800 Hi: This morning (Nov. 11), we had a northern mockingbird at our feeder. He
was feeding on buffalo berries we had gathered from the roadside. Once or
twice, the bird tried the suet as well. We were hoping this bird would stay
around for a while but we have not seem him for the past hour or so. This is
only the second yard record over the past 8 years and brings back pleasant
memories of moonlit nights in Texas when the mockingbird would sing all night,
it seemed. Good birding, Wayne at 701-324-2344
Subject: black-billed magpieFrom: JLegge <jlegge AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:50:18 -0600 Barnes County, north of Valley City November 11, 2009 A black-billed magpie visited my yard this morning for about 30 seconds before flying off. They can be seen around here occasionally but I haven't seen any locally for several years now. -- Jean Legge 3212 115 Ave. SE Valley City, ND 58072 701-845-4762 j legge AT daktel.comSubject: Scherr, Paulette is out of the office. From: Paulette Scherr <Paulette_Scherr AT FWS.GOV> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:01:16 -0700 I will be out of the office starting 11/09/2009 and will not return until 11/17/2009. I will respond to your message when I return.Subject: Christmas Bird Counts From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:27:25 -0600 ND-Birders: The Garrison Dam CBC will be held Monday, Dec. 14. Meet at 7:30 am at the Audubon NWR HQ. The Upper Souris NWR CBC will be held Friday, Dec. 18. Meet at the refuge HQ at 7:30 am. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Glaucous Gull From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:11:07 -0600 Greetings ND-Birders: I looked over the gulls at their roost just south of Expressway bridge this evening, and found a first year type GLAUCOUS GULL among 1000 birds. This is the 3rd fall sighting for our area (Clark in 10/1995, Corey in 11/2004). Good Birding, Corey Ellingson Bismarck, NDSubject: RBA: North Dakota, November 10, 2009 From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:36:26 -0500 * RBA * North Dakota * Statewide * November 10, 2009 * NDST0911.10 - Transcript Hotline: North Dakota Update Date: November 10, 2009 Number: 701-527-0730 To Report: 701-527-0730 Coverage: Statewide Compiler: Ken Torkelson Compiled: November 10, 2009 Transcriber: Jane Kostenko mailto: tork02 AT juno.com - Birds Mentioned PACIFIC LOON LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL LONG-TAILED DUCK Northern Saw-whet Owl Common Loon WHOOPING CRANE BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE Snow Goose Ross's Goose Bald Eagle Golden Eagle Cackling Goose Wood Duck Blue-winged Teal Hooded Merganser Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Unless otherwise noted, any phone numbers mentioned are area code 701. Transcriber's Note: Birds listed in ALL CAPS in the Birds Mentioned section signify that the Revised Checklist of North Dakota Birds lists them as Occasional, Accidental, Extirpated, or never having occurred before for the season being reported. Another rare loon this week, as well as a very late but not-so-rare loon. Ron Martin discovered a juvenile-plumaged PACIFIC LOON on Nov. 8 at Cottonwood Lake, which is north of Butte in McHenry County. Earlier that day, Ron saw an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on the river below Garrison Dam, a LONG-TAILED DUCK at the north boat landing on Lake Audubon, which is just off Highway 83, and he heard a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL calling near Sawyer. For more information, contact Ron at jrmartin AT srt.com Corey Ellingson saw the Cottonwood Lake PACIFIC LOON later that day and got some photos, and the bird was number 250 on his McHenry County list. On his way home, Corey observed a COMMON LOON at New Johns Lake, making it the latest ever for the Bismarck- Mandan list. He noted that the bird was also present the following day. On Nov. 7, members of the Bismarck-Mandan Birdclub saw a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL near Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge. For details, contact Corey at crackerjackbirder AT bis.midco.net Clark Talkington birded Stutsman, Kidder and Burleigh counties on Nov. 3-4. He recorded five WHOOPING CRANES in the Woodworth area, a BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE at Barnes Lake, and 31,000 SNOW GEESE, 50 ROSS' GEESE, two BALD EAGLES and a GOLDEN EAGLE elsewhere in Stutsman County. His Kidder County stops were Horsehead Lake and the Dawson area, and his sightings included 21,500 SNOW GEESE, 20 ROSS' GEESE, 1575 CACKLING GEESE, WOOD DUCK, BLUE-WINGED TEAL and 150 HOODED MERGANSERS. His best bird at McKenzie Slough in Burleigh County was a first-cycle LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. You can reach Clark at 663-8103. If you see neck-banded or transmitter-equipped tundra swans this fall, try to get a closer look. If the bands are blue or white, please contact Craig Ely at cely AT usgs.gov That concludes this report from the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. - end transcriptSubject: Odds and Ends From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:31:48 -0600 Greetings ND-Birders: The Bismarck-Mandan Birdclub made a trip out to Long Lake NWR on Saturday morning and observed a Lesser Black-backed Gull loafing in a wetland beside the road about 3 miles north and alittle west of the refuge (first gravel road west). Clark and I were speculating that the birds at the Bismarck Landfill are flying in from quite a ways along that drainage east (McKenzie Slough, Long Lake NWR) to feast. I checked the Missouri river that afternoon and found the usual Ring-bills and Herring Gulls but no Black- backs. The Landfill was completely empty of gulls on a check Saturday afternoon. I chased the Pacific Loon Ron found on Sunday evening, and got some photos. This was McHenry county bird #250 for me (thanks Ron). As I worked on a photo, a Great Egret flew by, seems rather tardy but the weather has been quite balmy lately. A check of New Johns Lake on the way home yeilded a Loon but it was "only" a Common. It was the latest ever record for Bismarck-Mandan however, and Clark and I observed it Monday afternoon again. I have been told a Red-bellied Woodpecker has returned to a feeder north of Bismarck (where it has been off and on the last 5 years). I am curious whether this species resides along the Missouri in summer, or if this is another winter wander on the western plains from the eastern woodlands (Sheyenne River Valley, or Red River Valley). I would like to hear of other wanderers in the western part of the state if there are any. Minnesota has had two first state records in the last week (Black Guillemot on Superior and now Acorn Woodpecker at Crow Wing SP). I wonder what else is on the plains of North Dakota since there are so few of us birders to find them. All I have for now, Good Birding, Corey Ellingson Bismarck, NDSubject: Pacific Loon From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2009 16:38:11 -0600 ND-Birders: This afternoon there was a juv. plumaged Pacific Loon at Cottonwood Lake in McHenry County. The lake is about 4 miles north of Butte. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Garrison Dam area From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2009 00:11:07 -0600 ND-Birders: There was an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull on the river below Garrison Dam this morning. A Long-tailed Duck was at the north boat landing of Lake Audubon off of Hwy 83. A N. Saw-whet Owl called a few times this evening at my house near Sawyer. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Stutsman, Kidder & Burleigh Counties From: Clark Talkington <ctalkington AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 10:55:29 -0600 On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I birded Barnes Lake and
Meander Lake as well as the Woodworth area in Stutsman County.
I also finished up by birding Horsehead Lake and the Dawson area
in Kidder County and McKenzie Slough in Burleigh County. Here
are some of the sightings:
STUTSMAN
31,000 Snow Goose
50 Ross's Goose
2 Bald Eagle
1 Golden Eagle
5 Whooping Crane (Woodworth area)
1 Black-legged Kittiwake (Barnes Lake)
KIDDER
21,500 Snow Goose
20 Ross's Goose
1,575 Cackling Goose
1 Wood Duck
1 Blue-winged Teal
150 Hooded Merganser
BURLEIGH
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (McKenzie Slough)
(First Cycle)
Clark Talkington
Mandan
701 663-8103
Subject: Tundra Swans with blue neck bandsFrom: James Tyler Bell <jtylerbell AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 06:24:20 -0800 Below is some information about neck banded Tundra Swans that observers should
be on the lookout for. Please report sightings to:
Craig Ely
Phone: (907) 786-7182
cely AT usgs.gov
Thanks!
Tyler Bell
jtylerbell AT yahoo.com
California, Maryland
TUNDRA SWANS WITH BLUE NECK BANDS FROM ALASKA
TUNDRA SWANS WERE MARKED IN WESTERN AND NORTHERN ALASKA IN THE SUMMERS OF
2006-2009 WITH CODED NECK BANDS AS PART OF AN EFFORT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE
TIMING OF MIGRATION AND MOVEMENTS OF SWANS RELATIVE TO BREEDING AREA.
NECK BANDS HAVE A FOUR-DIGIT CODE THAT BEGINS WITH A LETTER. CODES ARE READ
FROM BOTTOM TO TOP. BANDS ARE BLUE WITH WHITE DIGITS, EXCEPT CODES T3##, WHICH
ARE WHITE WITH BLACK DIGITS.
______________________________________________________
No. Collared
Marking Location Codes 2006 - 2008 2009 Total
YukonDelta K### 227 100 327
Alaska Peninsula(North) P### 148 105 253
Alaska Peninsula(South) T4## 155 --- 155
Koyukuk Drainage T213-228, U075-U120, U390-U399 66 --- 66
North Slope T201-212,T3## 58 --- 58
Kotzebue Sound U### 390 197 587
Totals 1045 402 1446
______________________________________________________
In 2008, 50 swans were implanted with satellite transmitters, many of which are
still functioning. Birds with transmitters were not collared, but have a black
antenna exiting near the base of the tail. The movements of these swans can be
followed at our web site:
http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza/TUSW/index.html
PLEASE REPORT ANY OBSERVATIONS TO YOUR LOCAL CONSERVATION OFFICER, OR TO:
Craig Ely
AlaskaScience Center
4210 University Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
Phone: (907) 786-7182
EM: cely AT usgs.gov
WE WILL PROVIDE ALL OBSERVERS WITH A BRIEF
HISTORY OF THE BANDED SWAN THEY OBSERVED.
Subject: RBA: North Dakota, November 3, 2009From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 17:56:02 -0500 * RBA * North Dakota * Statewide * November 3, 2009 * NDST0911.03 - Transcript Hotline: North Dakota Update Date: November 3, 2009 Number: 701-527-0730 To Report: 701-527-0730 Coverage: Statewide Compiler: Ken Torkelson Compiled: November 3, 2009 Transcriber: Jane Kostenko mailto: tork02 AT juno.com - Birds Mentioned PACIFIC LOON Common Loon Northern Goshawk Swamp Sparrow Yellow-Rumped Warbler Golden Eagle Prairie Falcon Pectoral Sandpiper Long-Billed Dowitcher Red-Breasted Merganser Bohemian Waxwing LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL California Gull THAYER'S GULL Surf Scoter Hooded Merganser Rough-Legged Hawk Greater YellowlegS Common Raven Common Redpoll Long-Tailed Duck Sandhill Crane Bald Eagle Cackling Goose Snow Goose Tundra Swan Eastern Bluebird Dark-Eyed Junco Harris's Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Tree Sparrow Song Sparrow Fox Sparrow Purple Finch Red-Breasted Nuthatch American Goldfinch Pine Siskin Common Grackle Northern Cardinal Red-Bellied Woodpecker Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 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. One of the best birds of fall for two veteran birders. Corey Ellingson and Ron Martin watched as a PACIFIC LOON landed with three COMMON LOONS at Bowman-Haley Reservoir in southwestern North Dakota on Oct. 30. They also saw three other COMMON LOONS at the site, as well as an adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK. At Lake Tschida that day, they saw SWAMP SPARROW and two YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. Hettinger County brought views of seven GOLDEN EAGLES and a PRAIRIE FALCON, while Cedar Dam in Slope County held a PECTORAL SANDPIPER and three LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS. A return to Bowman-Haley the next day revealed only one COMMON LOON, while White Lake in Slope County produced four RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS and four PRAIRIE FALCONS. In Dickinson, they saw a BOHEMIAN WAXWING at the NDSU Experiment Station. Corey also had success at the Bismarck landfill on Nov. 2. Over the noon hour, he saw two adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS side-by-side, a CALIFORNIA GULL and a first-cycle THAYER'S GULL, but no Franklin's gulls. For details, contact Corey at crackerjackbirder AT bis.midco.net Ron Martin found a SURF SCOTER at the Minot lagoons on Oct. 27 and 28. Birding in McHenry County with David Walsh on Nov. 2, Ron added another SURF SCOTER, 110 HOODED MERGANSERS and COMMON LOON at Round Lake, NORTHERN GOSHAWK near Sawyer, plus four ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, three GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 10 COMMON RAVENS and COMMON REDPOLL. On Nov. 2, Ron found a LONG-TAILED DUCK at the Minot lagoons. You can reach him at jrmartin AT srt.com Lillian Crook saw two flocks of about 100 SANDHILL CRANES each plus six BALD EAGLES at Cross Ranch State Park on Oct. 28. Between Washburn and Wilton, she reported 2000 CACKLING GEESE plus SNOW GEESE. On the Missouri River west of Washburn, she reported 50 TUNDRA SWANS. Contact Lillian at lilliancrook AT hotmail.com From New Town, Bernice Houser saw four EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in her yard on Oct. 27, although she was down to two DARK-EYED JUNCOS. Overall, Bernice is noticing a scarcity of fall migrants. She's at sanishnd AT rtc.coop The end of October meant the end of most of the sparrows in Dave Lambeth's yard in Grand Forks. In late October, he saw HARRIS' SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, TREE SPARROW, SONG SPARROW and FOX SPARROW plus five PURPLE FINCHES, but all that remained on Nov. 1 was the WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. However, on Halloween on the UND campus, Dave saw a flock of 16-WHITE- THROATED SPARROWS, and noted that the species has over-wintered there in the past. Dave''s feeders still hosted RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, PINE SISKIN, two COMMON GRACKLES and two NORTHERN CARDINALS. A visit to Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 31 revealed five ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. You can reach Dave at davidlambeth58201 AT yahoo.com Keith Corliss saw only his second COMMON RAVEN in Cass County in the past 20 years on Nov. 1. Birding with Dean Riemer, Keith saw the raven near the lagoons in north Fargo. For details, it's koolhand AT juno.com Larry Igl forwards a report from Hal Kantrud, who saw a female RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in his yard southeast of Jamestown on Nov. 1. You can reach Larry at 253-5511. That concludes this report from the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. - end transcriptSubject: Long-tailed Duck From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 22:35:17 -0600 ND-Birders: There was a Long-tailed Duck at the Minot Lagoons today. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: sparrows From: David Lambeth <davidlambeth58201 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 18:33:53 -0800 Hi all, As recently as 3 days ago I had Harris's, White-throated, Tree, Song, and Fox Sparrows (one of each) at the feeders. Except for White-throated, all left with the north winds we had over the weekend. At that time also had 5 Purple Finch for one day only. At the Chester Fritz Library on UND Campus, I counted 16 White-throated Sparrows on Saturday. This is where double-digit numbers have overwintered in recent years and perhaps this group is going to stay. Anyone know of any place in North Dakota where a 10 or more White-throated Sparrows overwinter? Its puzzling to me why they like this particular spot since there are many places around the state where food is provided. Other species being seen at the feeders include Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin (five or fewer most days), and two Common Grackles that have been here for weeks. Cardinals appear sporadically and two were seen today. Saw about 5 Rough-legged Hawks on Saturday when I birded the Kellys Slough area. Good birding everyone! Dave Lambeth Grand Forks, North DakotaSubject: Lesser Black-backs From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 13:32:23 -0600 Greetings: I visited the Bismarck Landfill over the nooon hour and observed two adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLs side by side. Also present was a California Gull and Thayer's Gull first cycle. Appears the Franklin's Gulls have departed here. Good Birding, Corey Ellingson Bismarck, NDSubject: Red-bellied Woodpecker (Stutsman Co.) From: Lawrence D Igl <ligl AT USGS.GOV> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 11:43:38 -0600 Hal Kantrud reported that he had a female Red-bellied Woodpecker at his feeders (southeast of Jamestown, Stutsman Co.) on 1 November. Reports of redbellies at feeders in Stutsman Co. have been largely non-existent during the past couple of years. ************************************************************** Lawrence D. Igl, Ecologist U.S.G.S. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center 8711 37th Street SE Jamestown, North Dakota 58401-7317 Phone: 701-253-5511 Fax: 701-253-5553 E-mail: ligl AT usgs.gov Internet: www.npwrc.usgs.gov **************************************************************Subject: McHenry Co. Sunday From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 21:10:45 -0600 ND-Birders: David Walsh and I birded Round Lake and Buffalo Lodge Lake in McHenry Co. this morning. Not many birds, despite all of the open water. Surf Scoter - 1 at Round Lake. Hooded Merganser - 110 at Round Lake. Com. Loon - 1 at Round Lake. N. Goshawk - 1 at my house near Sawyer. Rough-legged Hawk - 4 Gr. Yellowlegs - 3 Com. Raven - 10 Com. Redpoll - 1 Quite a few Snow Geese were going over the house this evening. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Sunday surprise From: Keith Corliss <koolhand AT JUNO.COM> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 01:50:13 GMT For just the second time since moving back to the Fargo area nearly 20 years ago I saw a common raven in Cass County, only this time someone else was along to enjoy the 90 seconds of excitement. Dean Riemer and I were by the lagoons in north Fargo this morning when a raven appeared over the bean field to the west and lazily followed the wind east toward the Red River. Once passed the lagoons it was mobbed by about 8 American crows giving us a great size comparison. The bird never stopped, never landed and was probably in Clay Co., Minn., within a minute or two after heading out of sight. Sometimes the kismet of it all is astounding isn't it? Had it been just a few seconds later we would have never seen this bird. Makes you wonder just what all we are missing. K. Corliss West FargoSubject: PACIFIC LOON From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:50:08 -0500 Greetings ND-Birders: Ron Martin and I made a trip to the southwest for Friday and Saturday after the winter weather went through this week. The highlight of the weekend was watching a PACIFIC LOON fly into and landing on Bowman-Haley Reservoir with 3 Common Loons showing an excellent comparison. The bird was not found Saturday morning however. We were joined by Jack Lefor for the day on Saturday. The following are the highlights for the two days - overall quite slow! Friday: Lake Tschida (below the dam): Swamp Sparrow Yellow-rumped Warbler (2) Hettinger county: Golden Eagles (7) Prairie Falcon Cedar Dam - Slope county: Pectoral Sandpiper Long-billed Dowitcher(3) Bowman-Haley Reservoir: PACIFIC LOON Common Loon (6) Northern Goshawk - adult Saturday: Bowman-Haley Reservoir: Common Loon - only (1) that departed while viewed White Lake - Slope county: Red-breasted Merganser (4) Prairie Falcon(4) Dickinson: Bohemian Waxwing (NDSU Research station) I am sure I missed some things.. Good Birding, Corey Ellingson Bismarck, NDSubject: Sparrows From: Sherry <bird_nd AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:35:39 -0700 Who would have ever thought that the "lowly" House Sparrow could lighten up
ones day.
Being confined at Abbottt Northwestern and now Sister Kenny, I was thrilled
when a few Sparrows landed on the tree branch outside my window, so never
underestimate the healing powers of such an ordinary bird.
Sherry Leslie
bird_nd AT yahoo.com
Subject: RBA: North Dakota, October 27, 2009From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:03:25 -0400 * RBA * North Dakota * Statewide * October 27, 2009 * NDST0910.27 - Transcript Hotline: North Dakota Update Date: October 27, 2009 Number: 701-527-0730 To Report: 701-527-0730 Coverage: Statewide Compiler: Ken Torkelson Compiled: October 27, 2009 Transcriber: Jane Kostenko mailto: tork02 AT juno.com - Birds Mentioned Hermit Thrush Orange-crowned Warbler Fox Sparrow Greater White-fronted Goose Snow Goose Ross's Goose Blue-winged Teal American White Pelican Snowy Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Gray Partridge Bonaparte's Gull Cattle Egret Dunlin Long-billed Dowitcher Franklin's Gull Wood Duck Northern Flicker Yellow-wumped Warbler Lincoln's Sparrow Ferruginous Hawk Lesser Scaup Great Egret Herring Gull Thayer's Gull Common Tern American Pipit American Bittern Sanderling Burrowing Owl White-winged Scoter Common Loon American Golden-Plover Prairie Falcon Surf Scoter Red-tailed Hawk Northern Saw-whet Owl Smith's Longspur Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Northern Shrike Great Horned Owl Sharp-tailed Grouse Dark-eyed Junco Tundra Swan Ruby-crowned Kinglet Winter Wren Marsh Wren Cooper's Hawk Northern Cardinal Red-bellied Woodpecker American Tree Sparrow Song Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Harris's Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Purple Finch House Finch Merlin Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Pileated Woodpecker American Woodcock Eastern Phoebe Chipping Sparrow Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, Oct. 27. 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. Seasonal firsts continue to make their appearances. Corey Ellingson counted at least five HERMIT THRUSHES, his first of the fall, on Oct. 21 at Sleepy Hollow Park in Bismarck. Other sightings there included ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, Corey's latest ever. His other seasonal first was a FOX SPARROW in the Highland Acres area, just south of Bismarck State College. You can contact Corey at crackerjackbirder AT bis.midco.net Clark Talkington found a good variety of bird life on Oct. 26. In the Woodworth area, he saw 150 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, about 12,000 SNOW GEESE, 12 ROSS'S GEESE, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, two SNOWY EGRETS, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, 17 GRAY PARTRIDGE and eight BONAPARTE'S GULLS. In the Dawson area, Clark recorded another BLUE-WINGED TEAL, two SNOWY EGRETS, CATTLE EGRET, two DUNLINS, 12 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, three FRANKLIN'S GULLS and two BONAPARTE'S GULLS. On Oct. 25, the Tesoro Refinery in Mandan held eight WOOD DUCKS, two red-shafted NORTHERN FLICKERS, two YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and LINCOLN'S SPARROW, and Clark added a FERRUGINOUS HAWK in southeastern Morton County. In the Dawson area on Oct. 23, he observed about 10,000 LESSER SCAUP and four GREAT EGRETS, while Horsehead Lake offered HERRING GULL, THAYER'S GULL, COMMON TERN and four AMERICAN PIPITS. McKenzie Slough held AMERICAN BITTERN on Oct. 22 and 25 plus two SANDERLINGS. Clark discovered two BURROWING OWLS in southeastern Morton County on the 22nd. You can reach him at 663-8103. Ron Martin saw two WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS at the Minot lagoons on Oct. 23. On the following day, he saw six COMMON LOONS at Round Lake in McHenry County, plus two GREAT EGRETS and a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON in Pierce County, plus a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER at Antelope Lake. At the Minot lagoons on Oct. 19, Ron saw a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, followed on the 20th by 60 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, and on the 21st by a PRAIRIE FALCON, SURF SCOTER and immature Harlan's RED-TAILED HAWK. Ron's yard near Sawyer was visited by a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL on Oct. 18, and Ron was part of a group that saw 150 SMITH'S LONGSPURS in a pasture in Foster County, and about 20 more in Stutsman County. For details, contact Ron at jrmartin AT srt.com Rod Fossen had better luck birding than hunting north of Minot in Renville County on Oct. 24. He saw three BALD EAGLES including one juvenile, five NORTHERN HARRIERS, NORTHERN SHRIKE, a very pale GREAT HORNED OWL, plus two SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in Ward County and 40 more in Renville County. Rod's travels took him to the Devils Lake area on Oct. 21 and 22, where he saw a dark Harlan's RED-TAILED HAWK northeast of Devils Lake. He reported that DARK-EYED JUNCOS are common in the area, and he also recorded an adult BALD EAGLE near Norwich. You can reach Rod at rfossen AT min.midco.net From the Carrington area, Ann Hoffert says TUNDRA SWANS have been hanging around for a couple of weeks. She counted 150 on Oct. 25, along with lots of SNOW GEESE. She's at pipestem AT daktel.com Betsy Batstone-Cunningham saw a pair of HERMIT THRUSHES in her back yard on the Grand Forks Greenway on Oct. 22. She's at batsham AT gra.midco.net A RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET landed in Rick Holbrook's Fargo yard on Oct. 24. Details at fholbrook AT cableone.net Dennis Wiesenborn has been birding north Fargo and Moorhead. On Oct. 25, Trefoil Park held WINTER WREN, two MARSH WRENS, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and COOPER'S HAWK. The previous day, he saw male and female NORTHERN CARDINALS and a female RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, plus a large flock of sparrows in Mickelson Park. The flock was mainly DARK-EYED JUNCOS, but included many AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, SONG SPARROWS and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, but also several FOX SPARROWS and one or two HARRIS'S SPARROWS, SWAMP SPARROWS and LINCOLN'S SPARROWS plus some PURPLE FINCHES and HOUSE FINCHES. The weekend brought sightings of ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, GREAT HORNED OWL, MERLIN, NORTHERN SHRIKE, BROWN CREEPER, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, HERMIT THRUSH, PILEATED WOODPECKER and male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER. Dennis also reported hundreds of FRANKLIN'S GULLS overhead. Contact him at d.wiesenborn AT ndsu.edu Keith Corliss birded Elmwood Park in West Fargo on Oct. 22, and saw his first NORTHERN SHRIKE and two AMERICAN WOODCOCKS of the season. He also recorded nine FOX SPARROWS, two EASTERN PHOEBES, 12 HERMIT THRUSHES and a WINTER WREN. Keith is at koolhand AT juno.com Mark Otnes found good birding along the river in Wahpeton on Oct. 23. He tallied EASTERN PHOEBE, five HERMIT THRUSHES, three FOX SPARROWS, two CHIPPING SPARROWS, five HARRIS'S SPARROWS, and "abundant" WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and DARK-EYED JUNCOS. However, he reported very little going on at the Mooreton pond. Contact Mark at 241-4194. That concludes this report from the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. - end transcriptSubject: Minot Lagoons From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:33:26 -0500 ND-Birders: Yesterday and today there was a Surf Scoter at the Minot lagoons. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Eastern Bluebirds From: Bernice Houser <sanishnd AT RTC.COOP> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:31:49 -0500 There were still 4 Eastern Bluebirds in the yard yesterday (10/27). And 3-4 days ago the juncos left, all at the same time apparently, and the past 2 days we have had 2. I don't think I have ever seen such a scarcity of fall migrants as we had this year. Alvin keeps checking Sanish Bay, which 10 years ago used to be full of ducks in the fall, and every day he comes home and reports that there 'was not even one duck'. Of course, our end of the bay was dry for the 8 or so years prior to 2009, so maybe they gave up on it. A question--do birds migrate as much at night in the fall as they do in the spring? Could numerous very large gas flares in the oil fields affect their migration at night? They are visible for an unbelievable distance. (I guess that's 2 questions.) Bernice Houser Rural New Town sanishnd AT rtc.coopSubject: north of Bismarck From: Lillian Crook <lilliancrook AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:29:27 -0500 Today. Cross Ranch State Park. Two flocks of about a hundred each of sandhill cranes. Six bald eagles, one directly over us, very low. About 2,000 lesser Canada and Snow geese between Washburn and Wilton, field on the east side of the highway. Fifty tundra swans on the Missouri west of Washburn. _________________________________________________________________ Windows 7: It helps you do more. Explore Windows 7. http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windows-7/default.aspx?ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_evergreen3:102009Subject: Bismarck/Mandan area From: Clark Talkington <ctalkington AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:19:58 -0500 Hi to all, The last few days of birding brought some interesting sightings, those being: 10/26 Woodworth Area: Greater White-fronted Goose - 150 Snow Goose - 12,170 Ross's Goose - 12 Blue-winged Teal - 1 American White Pelican - 1 Snowy Egret - 2 Black-crowned Night Heron - 1 Gray Partridge - 17 Bonaparte's Gull - 8 Dawson Area: Blue-winged Teal - 1 Snowy Egret - 2 Cattle Egret - 1 Dunlin - 2 Long-billed Dowitcher - 12 Franklin's Gull - 3 Bonaparte's Gull - 2 10/25 Mandan Tesoro REfinery: Wood Duck - 8 Red-shafted Flicker - 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler - 2 Lincoln's Sparrow - 1 Southeast Morton County: Ferruginous Hawk - 1 10/23 Dawson area: Lesser Scaup - 10,000\ Great Egret - 4 Horsehead Lake: Herring Gull - 1 Thayer's Gull - 1 Common Tern - 1 American Pipit - 4 10/22 McKenzie Slough: American Bittern - 1 (and agin on 10/25) Sanderling - 2 Southeast Morton County: Burrowing Owl - 2 Clark Talkington 663-8103Subject: Update on ND Bird Checklist From: Dan Svingen <dsvingen AT FS.FED.US> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:47:17 -0600 Birders - just FYI. On 27 December 2006, I responded publicaly to a list-serve query from Dr. Craig Faanes regarding an update to the official North Dakota bird checklist. Updating the checklist is a responsibility of the North Dakota Birding Society's Bird Records Committee, of which I am currently chairperson. As I explained in December 2006, Ron Martin (past chair), Dr. Larry Igl (current secretary), and I planned to update the list once the backlog of accumulated rare bird records had been processed. Ron and I just approved author proofs for the committee's "Third Report" manuscript in the journal Prairie Naturalist. It will soon be time, therefore, to update the checklist. Ron, Larry, and I have started that process. We are on draft #2 at the moment. I anticipate draft #3 by mid-December. We will be contacting past committee members and other reviewers for their input after that. The new checklist will contain results of committee action through 2005. It will be the first update since 1982. I know folks have been waiting for the new checklist. It is coming. As chair, I accept responsibility for delaying its release until the committee reports were published. I did not want to get things out-of-order (i.e. publishing the conclusions before publishing the data). However, I do hope that our records committee will provide another checklist update well before another 28 years pass! dan. Dan Svingen Grasslands Biologist Dakota Prairie Grasslands Bismarck, ND (701) 250-4443 ext. 107Subject: Fargo Peregrine From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:46:21 -0500 Greetings ND-Birders: I found this on the Manitoba Listserve and thought it may be of interest to some of you. Good Birding, Corey Ellingson Bismarck, ND Subject: Mystery Peregrine at the Radisson From: "T. Maconachie"Subject: swans directions correction From: Pipestem Creek <pipestem AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:05:51 -0500 'Sorry-- Hopefully no one went on a wild goose chase looking for the swans. My directions were correct, except that the first turn beyond Bordulac on 1st St SE is West, not East. Ann Hoffert Pipestem Creek Bed and Birding 7060 Highway 9 Carrington, ND 58421 701-652-2623 pipestem AT daktel.com www.pipestemcreek.comSubject: Weekend birds From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:16:06 -0500 ND-Birders: On Friday there were 2 White-winged Scoters at the Minot Lagoons. On Saturday, on the way to a meeting in Devils Lake I had 6 Com. Loons at Round Lake in McHenry Co. In Pierce Co. I had 2 Great Egrets and a single Black-cr. Night-Heron. At Antelope Lake in Pierce Co. I had one White-winged Scoter. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Trefoil Park in North Fargo & vicinity From: Dennis Wiesenborn <d.wiesenborn AT NDSU.EDU> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:10:19 -0500 Highlights of Trefoil Park this morning: 1 winter wren 2 marsh wrens 1 ruby-crowned kinglet 1 yellow-rumped warbler 1 Cooper's hawk Yesterday, a male & female cardinal and a female red-bellied woodpecker were visiting the feeders just north of the south (12th Ave) parking lot. A large flock of sparrows south of the toll bridge in Mickelson Park was mainly juncos, but also had many Am. tree, song and white-throated sparrows, several fox sparrows, and one or two Harris, swamp and Lincoln's sparrows. Several purple and house finches were also in the flock. It has been a delightful Fall for finding winter wrens in North Fargo/Moorhead. A pair of winter wrens has been in my backyard (in MN, across from Mickelson Park) for about the past week, and a third was south of my yard yesterday. Other notable yard birds this weekend were orange-crowned and yellow-rumped warbler, great horned owl (heard), merlin, northern shrike, brown creeper, golden-crowned kinglet, hermit thrush, pileated woodpecker, and male red-bellied woodpecker. Hundreds of Franklin's gulls continue to pass by overhead. DennisSubject: swans again From: Pipestem Creek <pipestem AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:07:14 -0500 The swans I mentioned Friday are still here. Directions---- from Highway 9 (Hwy 9 is 9 miles South of Carrington off 281), go to the Bordulac road, 74th Ave SE. Go past Bordulac until you get to the first paved road going East, 1st ST SE. Then take the first road going North, 73rd Ave SE. It is apx. 2 miles until you get to the water on both sides of the road where the swans are. Today there are about 150 tundra swans there and lots of snow geese. It is a beautiful site with a corn field in the background. The sound is awesome. There are swans in several areas near here. I am told there are some at Arrowwood Refuge as well. Ann Hoffert Pipestem Creek Bed and Birding 7060 Highway 9 Carrington, ND 58421 701-652-2623 pipestem AT daktel.com www.pipestemcreek.comSubject: Bird watching in Renville County. From: Rod Fossen <rfossen AT MIN.MIDCO.NET> Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:15:38 -0500 Didn't have much luck grouse hunting north of Minot, in Renville County,
although there seems to be more S. T. Grouse the farther north you go
probably because last winter was less severe there. The cold and rain
made hunting unpleasant so we did a little bird watching instead.
Spotted were:
3 Bald Eagles (1 juvenile)
5 N. Harriers (both male and female)
1 N. Shrike (fos)
2 S. T. Grouse (Ward County)
40 S. T. Grouse (Renville County)
1 G. H. Owl (very pale)
The Owl was so pale that my hunting partner thought that it was a Snowy
Owl. But it had ear tufts. I've seen plenty of G. H. Owls but never
one that pale. A mature B. Eagle was on a deer carcass next to the road
and flew right in front of my truck as I passed, never been that close
to one before, magnificent.
Last hunting season on a typical trip in Ward County I would expect to
see 10 R. N. Pheasants, 30 S. T. Grouse and 30 to 70 Gray Partridge.
This year I've only seen a few Grouse and no Partridge or Pheasants. I
think for the rest of the season I'll leave the gun home and hunt them
with binoculars and camera.
Rod Fossen, Minot
Subject: Ruby-crowned KingletFrom: Rick <fholbrook AT CABLEONE.NET> Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:06:29 -0500 I was out looking to see if the lawn was dry enough to mow and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet flew by and landed on a Green Ash tree in the yard. First time I have seen on of these guys in the yard. -- Rick Fargo, ND N 46°53'251" W 096°48'279" Remember the USS Liberty http://www.ussliberty.org/Subject: Wahpeton birds From: Mark Otnes <markotnes AT CABLEONE.NET> Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:32:05 -0500 I decided to check out Wahpeton yesterday afternoon (10/23) and found plenty of bird activity along the river as is the case in Fargo. Some of the highlights were: Eastern phoebe - 1 Hermit thrush - 5 Fox sparrow - 3 Chipping sparrow - 2 Harris sparrow - 5 White-throated sparrow - abundant Dark-eyed Junco - abundant I checked out Mooreton Pond on the way back and just found a single large flock of Canada geese and no ducks at all. That's usually a good spot for diving ducks but they must not be down yet. I sure didn't expect another wave of migrant birds to be coming on through after all of the cold snowy weather we had earlier in the month. Mark Otnes Fargo ND 701-241-4194 markotnes AT cableone.netSubject: swans From: Pipestem Creek <pipestem AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:41:35 -0500 For the last 2 weeks, there have been hundreds of tundra swans around. What a thrill the sight and sounds are. The swans are still around in several areas within 5 miles of our farm, located on Highway 9 one mile East of 281. I can give specific directions is someone is interested in the best spot to see them. Ann Hoffert Pipestem Creek Bed and Birding 701-652-2623 800-446-1986 701-652-2623 800-446-1986 pipestem AT daktel.com www.pipestemcreek.comSubject: RBA: North Dakota, October 20, 2009 From: Jane Kostenko <jkostenko AT SOMD.LIB.MD.US> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:58:55 -0400 * RBA * North Dakota * Statewide * October 20, 2009 * NDST0910.20 - Transcript Hotline: North Dakota Update Date: October 20, 2009 Number: 701-527-0730 To Report: 701-527-0730 Coverage: Statewide Compiler: Ken Torkelson Compiled: October 20, 2009 Transcriber: Jane Kostenko mailto: tork02 AT juno.com - Birds Mentioned THAYER'S GULL LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL Franklin's Gull Ring-billed Gull California Gull Herring Gull Great Horned Owl Brown Creeper Golden-crowned Kinglet Orange-crowned Warbler American Goldfinch Pine Siskin Purple Finch Swamp Sparrow Fox Sparrow Burrowing Owl Ross' Goose Tundra Swan Clark's Grebe Snowy Egret Willet Cattle Egret Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Smith's Longspur WHOOPING CRANE Sandhill Crane Red-breasted Nuthatch Yellow-rumped Warbler Downy Woodpecker Eastern Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Wilson's Snipe Snow Goose Hermit Thrush Lincoln's Sparrow American Bittern Forster's Tern Barn Swallow American Avocet Long-billed Dowitcher White-breasted Nuthatch Merlin Dark-eyed Junco Cedar Waxwing Blue Jay Hairy Woodpecker Rough-legged Hawk Rusty Blackbird Snow Bunting Baltimore Oriole Buff-breasted Sandpiper Ferruginous Hawk Surf Scoter Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Unless otherwise noted, any phone numbers mentioned are area code 701. Transcriber's Note: Birds listed in ALL CAPS in the Birds Mentioned section signify that the Revised Checklist of North Dakota Birds lists them as Occasional, Accidental, Extirpated, or never having occurred before for the season being reported. More gulls and more whoopers. An Oct. 19 trip to the Bismarck landfill brought good gull sightings for Corey Ellingson. He recorded an adult THAYER'S GULL, two adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, FRANKLIN'S GULL, RING-BILLED GULL, five CALIFORNIA GULLS and seven HERRING GULLS. At Sleepy Hollow Park, Corey added a GREAT HORNED OWL, BROWN CREEPER, his first GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET of the season and three late ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS. Corey's yard held four species of finches including AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, PINE SISKIN and a female/immature PURPLE FINCH. The seven sparrow species included SWAMP SPARROW. You can reach Corey at crackerjackbirder AT bis.midco.net Clark Talkington found some of those same gull species at the Bismarck landfill on Oct. 14. He observed six FRANKLIN'S GULLS, CALIFORNIA GULL, three HERRING GULLS and one LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. A FOX SPARROW showed up in Clark's Mandan yard on Oct. 15. He saw one BURROWING OWL in southeastern Morton County on Oct. 14. On the 13th, Clark birded Barnes Lake in Stutsman County and Horsehead Lake in Kidder County, finding ROSS' GOOSE, 6067 TUNDRA SWANS, four CLARK'S GREBES, SNOWY EGRET and WILLET. In the Dawson area, he counted 46 CATTLE EGRETS. Around Woodworth, Clark saw four VESPER SPARROWS, nine SAVANNAH SPARROWS and four SMITH'S LONGSPURS. For more information, call Clark at 663-8103. Dave and Ellin Lindee saw two WHOOPING CRANES west of Ryder on Oct. 17. Bernice Houser found them later in the day, with a large group of SANDHILL CRANES near Ryder. Bernice's yard near New Town hosted RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and DOWNY WOODPECKER on Oct. 16. On the 18th, she reported two EASTERN BLUEBIRDS checking out a nest box. Contact Bernice at sanishnd AT rtc.coop Janelle Masters looked unsuccessfully for the Ryder whoopers on Oct. 19. She did see thousands of SANDHILL CRANES, plus MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS, WILSON'S SNIPES, SNOW GEESE, TUNDRA SWANS and various ducks. She's at 224-5525. Mark Otnes saw HERMIT THRUSH, LINCOLN'S SPARROW and two PURPLE FINCHES at Crystal Springs in Kidder County on Oct. 16. He said the Dawson WMA had "nothing." At South Lake, he recorded AMERICAN BITTERN, three SNOWY EGRETS, FORSTER'S TERN and BARN SWALLOW. In Barnes County, along the Hwy. 10 frontage road, Mark found about 40 of either BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS or AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS, as well as AMERICAN AVOCET and two LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS. Mark is at 241-4194. Carl Stangeland's back yard in Jamestown attracted a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES on Oct. 18. At the dam, he saw a MERLIN with a DARK-EYED JUNCO in its talons. You can reach Carl at carlcs AT daktel.com From Bowdon, Larry Jones counted 20-25 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS and a bunch of CEDAR WAXWINGS in his yard on Oct. 17. Other visitors included BLUE JAYS and HAIRY WOODPECKERS. Contact Larry at jljones AT daktel.com From Grand Forks County, Eve Freeberg saw a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK on Oct. 11, followed by RUSTY BLACKBIRD on Oct. 12 and SNOW BUNTING on Oct. 14. On the 19th, Eve added BALTIMORE ORIOLE, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER and FERRUGINOUS HAWK. Contact Eve at birdwmn AT gra.midco.net Ron Martin recorded a single SURF SCOTER at the Minot lagoons on Oct. 15. He's at jrmartin AT srt.com That concludes this report from the North Dakota Birding Society. This report is normally updated each Tuesday. - end transcriptSubject: Minot area From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:48:47 -0500 ND-Birders: The following were noted at the Minot lagoons this week. Monday - one White-winged Scoter. Tues. - 60 Am. Golden-Plover. Wed. - one Prairie Falcon and one Surf Scoter. Thurs. - one Surf Scoter and an imm. Harlan's Hawk. Last Sunday I had a N. Saw-whet Owl at my house near Sawyer. Also on Sunday, Ron M., Corey E., Paulette S., and Stacy W. went searching for Smith's Longspurs in Foster Co. We had good looks at a number of birds in flight and saw about 150 individuals in one pasture. About 20 more Smith's were seen at various places in Stutsman Co. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Harlan's Hawk near Devils Lake. From: Rod Fossen <rfossen AT MIN.MIDCO.NET> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:11:09 -0500 Greetings, Both yesterday and today I spotted a dark Harlan's Hawk in the same area NE of Devils Lake. It's either the first one I've ever seen or the first one I've been able to ID. Dark Eyed Juncos are everywhere around Devils Lake. On my way back to Minot there was an adult B. Eagle on a telephone pole near Norwich. If I did as much bird watching as I wanted to while doing my 300 mile daily route I wouldn't have a job anymore, so I limit myself to what I can safely see while driving. Have a good weekend. Rod Fossen, MinotSubject: Elmwood again From: Keith Corliss <koolhand AT JUNO.COM> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:03:50 GMT This spring it seemed like Elmwood Park in West Fargo produced quite a few "good" birds. Of course virtually every other Fargo area park was unreachable due to flood waters so it stands to reason that when you get that many eyes looking in one location something will be found. Well, this morning was another nice one. The sun was out--first time in many days--and so were birds. Of special note were seasonal firsts: northern shrike and 2(?) American woodcock. I'm going with two birds; it just seemed like the first one flew off in a different direction than where the second bird was. (FYI Corey: 243). Still quite a few fox sparrows (9), eastern phoebes (2), and hermit thrushes (12), plus a single winter wren. (The northern shrike was confusing. But then I'm annually confused when I hear the first one of the fall. Their rambling babbling squeaks and squaks bring a mimid to my mind. I would have liked to have found a mockingbird but I'll have to settle for the shrike). Keith Corliss, West FargoSubject: Re: Hermit Thrush From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:09:35 -0500 Greetings Betsy and ND-Birders:
I have been whining about the birding being so slow this fall.
Well, it may be also that things are late. Everything has been two
weeks late, which is probably a result of a late spring and cold
summer. The big rafts of waterfowl have not arrived yet either and
scoter reports usually start the beginning of October, but are just
now trickling in. (South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota)
Last night I birded Sleepy Hollow Park and had no less than 5 Hermit
Thrushes (First of Fall), and I am still seeing Orange-crowned
Warblers (new late date for me in this area). In the Highland Acres
area just south of Bismarck State College I observed a Fox Sparrow
(First of Fall).
Good Birding,
Corey Ellingson
Bismarck, ND
Quoting Betsy Batstone-Cunningham
Subject: Hermit ThrushFrom: Betsy Batstone-Cunningham <batsham AT GRA.MIDCO.NET> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:31:29 -0500 Good Morning, I have a pair of Hermit Thrush in the back yard this morning. Is it gettng late for them to be here? Betsy Batstone-Cunningham E Elmwood Dr & the Greenway Grand Forks NDSubject: Bis Landfill, Sleepy Hollow From: Corey Ellingson <crackerjackbirder AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:57:34 -0500 Greetings ND-Birders:
Some birds of interest this afternoon as I checked the
Bismarck Landfill and Sleepy Hollow Park.
Bismarck Landfill:
Ring-necked Pheasant rooster, trying to look like a gull among all the rest.
Franklin's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull - 5
Herring Gull - 7
THAYER'S GULL - adult
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - 2 adults.
One bird went flying to the east, (roosting at McDowell Dam? McKenzie
Slough?) are you ready for this Dean? - never to be seen again.
Sleepy Hollow Park:
Great Horned Owl - about the 3rd or 4th time in the last two weeks, reason
for no Long-eared Owl observed?
Brown Creeper (2nd of fall, first on Oct 01)
Golden-crowned Kinglet - my first of fall
Orange-crowned Warbler - 3 still persist.
Yard:
Four species of finch including Am. Goldfinch, Pine Siskin and a fem/imm
PURPLE FINCH
Seven species of sparrows including SWAMP SPARROW (first time in my yard
this fall)
Good Birding,
Corey Ellingson
Bismarck, ND
Subject: no whoopersFrom: Janelle Masters <Janelle.Masters AT BSC.NODAK.EDU> Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:41:16 -0500 A friend and I drove to the Ryder area in search of the whooping cranes.we found thousands of sandhill cranes, but no certain sitings of whoopers. We did encounter some gorgeous mountain bluebirds, snipes, snow geese, swans, various ducks, longspurs. Janelle Janelle Masters Dean of Academic Affairs 224-5525 Office Annex 202 Janelle.Masters AT bsc.nodak.eduSubject: Bluebirds From: Bernice Houser <sanishnd AT RTC.COOP> Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:57:30 -0500 Had two Eastern Bluebirds checking out a nest box today--do you think I should install insulation? Doing a lot of yard/outside work today--birds don't take kindly to mowers, etc. so there weren't many around. Bernice Houser Rural New Town sanishnd AT rtc.coopSubject: Backyard From: Carl Stangeland <carlcs AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:49:41 -0500 I had a Yellowed -rumped Warbler in my backyard today, I'm surprised ther'e still around after that snowy weather, the White-breasted Nuthatches were busy today. I went up to the dam and saw a Merlin with a poor Junco in it's talons. Carl Stangeland Jamestown carlcs AT dakel.comSubject: Whoopers + From: Bernice Houser <sanishnd AT RTC.COOP> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:20:29 -0500 I know that I have been sending such exciting reports in that you are all just waiting to see what comes next--well, yesterday ( and still present today) we had a Red-breasted Nuthatch--just one, and today a Yellow- rumped Warbler, just one, and a Downy Woodpecker, just one. I think there is a conspiracy going on to keep the birds out of our yard! But-- the high point of the day was our trip to the Ryder area to look for the Whooping Cranes that Ellin & Dave Lindee spotted earlier today. We left mid-afternoon and finally found them, west of Ryder, with a very large number of Sandhill Cranes, feeding in a field. It's been a few years since we've seen Whooping Cranes in the wild, so it was a real treat. A few of the Sandhills were even dancing! Or maybe they were fighting, but it looked like dancing. And the sun shone and the temperatures rose to a more comfortable degree-- great day for birding! Bernice Houser Rural New Town sanishnd AT rtc.coopSubject: eastern bluebirds From: Larry Jones <jljones AT DAKTEL.COM> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:07:14 -0500 A nice flock of eastern bluebirds numbering 20-25 invaded our yard this afternoon,bathing and drinking in the puddles around the yard. Also a bunch cedar waxwings. I hung some heads of striped sunflowers by our birdfeeders. My how the bluejays and hairy woodpecker enjoy them. Larry Jones Bowdon N.D.Subject: Kidder County From: Mark Otnes <markotnes AT CABLEONE.NET> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:42:42 -0500 I hit a few spots in southern Kidder County on Friday and found a few interesting things: Crystal Springs: Hermit thrush - 1 Lincoln's sparrow - 1 Purple finch - 2 Dawson WMA: Nothing at all. South Lake: American bittern - 1 Snowy egret - 3 Forster's tern - 1 Barn swallow - 1 Barnes County along the Highway 10 frontage road: Plover species (black-bellied or American golden) - 1 flock of about 40 American avocet - 1 Long-billed dowitcher - 2 I don't know what others think, but I've found 2009 to be a very dreary birding year. Winter lasted into late April and after that floods shut down the Red River, James River, and Sheyenne River valleys. Early fall wasn't good and now it looks like we've got an early winter on the way with no sign yet of any sort of finch invasion. Even worse, all this happened without my permission! Oh well. Mark Otnes Fargo ND 701-241-4194 markotnes AT cableone.netSubject: Whoopers! From: Bernice Houser <sanishnd AT RTC.COOP> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:53:31 -0500 Dave and Ellin Lindee have spotted two adult Whooping Cranes this morning at 11:50 one mile west of Ryder on a county road. They were located very close to the road. Bernice Houser Rural New Town sanishnd AT rtc.coopSubject: Minot Lagoons From: Ron Martin <jrmartin AT SRT.COM> Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:21:18 -0500 ND-Birders: Today (Thursday) there was a single Surf Scoter on cell 3 of the Minot Lagoons. Good birding, Ron Martin SawyerSubject: Bismarck/Mandan area From: Clark Talkington <ctalkington AT BIS.MIDCO.NET> Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:10:35 -0500 I am posting sightings from 10/12 to 10/15. 10/15 1 Fox Sparrow - my yard in Mandan 10/14 6 - Franklin's Gulls - Bismarck Landfill 1 - California Gull - Bismarck Landfill 3 - Herring Gulls - Bismarck Landfill 1adult - Lesser Black-backed Gull - Bismarck Landfill 1 Burrowing Owl - Haider Ranch, southeast Morton 10/13 1 - Ross's Goose - Barnes Lake, Stutsman County 6,067 - Tundra Swan - mostly HOrsehead Lake, Kidder & Barnes L. 4 - Clark's Grebe - Barnes Lake & Horsehead Lake 1 - Snowy Egret - Barnes Lake 46 - Cattle Egret - Dawson area, Kidder County 1 - Willet - Barnes Lake 4 - Vesper Sparrows - Woodworth area, Stutsman County 9 - Savannah Sparrows - Woodworth area 4 - Smith's Longspurs - Woodworth area 10/12 1 - Barn Swallow - Long Lake NWR, BURLEIGH Clark Talkington Mandan (701)663-8103 |