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South Dakota Birds

Updated on Monday, December 10 at 01:20 PM ET
The most recently received Mail is at the top.

I just got a second-hand report of two ravens north of Rapid City, in the 
backyard of a house on Seahawk Drive (off N. Haines). It was on Saturday, the 
8th, during the snowstorm. They were there just briefly. The observer is 
reliable, has lived near ravens in other states. He said they were large, with 
large beaks, but he couldn't provide other diagnostic details. 


Michael Melius

Saturday, December 15, 2007 has been selected for the annual Sturgis Christmas 
Bird Count (CBC). Persons 

interested in participating should meet at McDonald's in Sturgis at 7:30 AM 
December 15th. This 

will be the 20th year for the Sturgis Count. The bad weather backup day is 
December 20th. 


The center of the Sturgis Count Circle is the corner of Junction and Main 
Streets. The Count runs 

from midnight to midnight December 15th and during that 24 hour period 
volunteers will count 

individual birds and species of birds plus some observers will be looking and 
listening for owls 

during nighttime hours.. In addition to birds observed on the 15th, unusual 
species of bird seen 

during Count Week are also counted. Count week is the three days before and the 
three days after 

count day. All counts are open to birders of all skill levels and include both 
field and feeder 

observers.

Vic and Donna Fondy will host the count wrap-up meeting and compilation of the 
Sturgis CBC with a 

potluck at their home on Crook City Rd South of Whitewood following the count 
on December 15. For 

more information about the Sturgis CBC, contact Vic Fondy at .

Vic Fondy



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi all--

Sorry for the late post.  A birding friend of mine reports possibly seeing a
Common Raven in Badlands National Park, in the western highlands, on the
Thanksgiving weekend.  My friend is a good birder--good enough to be unsure
of his identification.  But you South Dakota birders might keep an eye out
for ravens in the park.

dan

-- 
Dan or Erika Tallman
Northfield, Minnesota
http://danerika.googlepages.com/home
danerika AT gmail.com

".... the best shod travel with wet feet"
"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes ...."--Thoreau


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Watched the Sioux Falls feeder complex most of the day, but still no House 
Finches. All the regulars were back. Did a count on the total RB Nuthatches. 
Three males and a female. With nasty night temps, I was surprised that Carolina 
Wren was back. He was around all day. Drinking at the heated bird bath, eating 
mostly peanuts, but going to other feeders also. See him on a short video at: 
http://www.leifericson.org/sfbc/id32.html 


Mick 
SFBC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We made it! A great day of birding with 42 species and we made our goal of 207 
species in 2007 plus 2 more. Eight members and guests of the NHBC birded Canyon 
Lake, West Rapid City, and Nemo Road in temperatures around 12-15 F with 
moderate snow falling at times during the trip. 


At Canyon Lake, we picked up #207 with several HOODED MERGANSERS. The lake was 
filled with waterfowl with 13 species of ducks, an Eared Grebe, Coots, and lots 
of Canada Geese. We stopped at Meadowbrook golf course looking for a Snipe but 
found a pair of Wood Ducks instead. At Storybook Island we looked for Waxwings 
without success but picked up a Kingfisher and several feeder species at the 
Parks/Recreation feeders. We then had coffee at McDonald's to warm up. 


After warming up, we walked Wilderness Park in NW Rapid and picked up a 
Townsend's Solitaire and one Red-tailed Hawk. A large flock of Cedar Waxwings 
were seen enroute along West Chicago. Jocie Baker suggested we next look for 
the Northern Cardinal at Pine Hills Dr where it had been seen. While walking 
the neighborhood we picked up species #208 when Michael Melius heard 5 PYGMY 
NUTHATCHES flying overhead. People saw us birding the area and one person 
advised he had the Cardinal at his feeder Friday. We were about to leave when 
another person stopped by and said the Cardinal was frequenting her backyard 
feeders at 405 Pine Hills Dr, We took the driveway to the South of the 
residence to look at the backyard, and there we found #209, a male NORTHERN 
CARDINAL. Everyone remaining with the field trip got a good look at the bird 
which the neighbors have named "Harold." 


We finished the day with a visit to the feeders of Norma Eckmann at mile 7 on 
Nemo Road which had great birds including more PYGMY NUTHATCHES. Birders that 
missed the earlier sighting got to observe them closely at Norma's feeders. It 
was a life bird for some. 


The next event for the NHBC will be the area Christmas Bird Counts. There will 
be no more field trips in December. The next meeting of the NHBC will be 
January 3, 2008. 


Vic Fondy-NHBC

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi,

I've made a 2008, 12-month calendar with some bird photos. It's free for 
download and printing if you'd like. Just a 12-page PDF (or individual PDF's 
for each month) that you can print pretty easily: 


http://sdakotabirds.com/calendar_main.htm

I met Pat Dunn at Big Sioux for a little bit yesterday afternoon. Even the two 
long-eared owls that Mick and Doug saw along the road weren't around (or we 
missed them). Over the past week, the ones I've found have been more spread 
out, over a wider area, with a lot of single birds rather than several in one 
roost tree. Don't know if that's a precursor to them bailing altogether. Was 
going to check later today as well. 


Terry Sohl

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Last week I was in Sioux Falls for a wedding. I stopped by the Big Sioux 
Recreation area to get some pictures of the Long-eared Owls you all have seen 
from Terry's great pictures. 


http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Long-eared+Owl+eyes.jpg.html

http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Long-eared+Owl.jpg.html

http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Long-eared+Owl+2.jpg.html

These are the other photos from that trip.

Fox Sparrow
http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Fox+Sparrow+2.jpg.html

http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Fox+Sparrow.jpg.html

Junco (Oregon) 
http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Dark-eyed+Junco+2.jpg.html

http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Dark-eyed+Junco.jpg.html

Brown Creeper
http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Brown+Creeper.jpg.html

Purple Finch
http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Purple+Finch+3.jpg.html

http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Purple+Finch+2.jpg.html

Yesterday, I went up to the Long Lake area and It looks like we have a small 
invasion of Short-eared Owls. I saw thee of them. 


http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Short-eared+Owl+3.jpg.html
This is the only one that I could get with enough light. The others were 
driving home just at sundown. 


I also saw 5 Snow Buntings, 1 Bald Eagle, 2 Great Horned Owls, and many Horned 
Larks. 


Daniel Streifel
Aberdeen, SD




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Lake Andes NWR CBC has been re-scheduled for Tuesday, 18 December. For more 
information, call Ed Rodriquez at . 


Ron Mabie
Pickstown, SD

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

As Doug Chapman indicated, we had decent Winter birds today. The temp was a 
balmy 15 degrees. A few photos at : 
http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery.php?source=ppsl&instanceid= 


Mick
SFBC

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Gyrfalcon was along Hwy 212 again today.  It was perched on a 
utility line right at the turn off to Fruitdale.  Seen at approximately 
3:00 pm.  Looks like it may stick around for awhile!

Scott Weins
Spearfish, SD

Hello All,

Mick Zerr and I went out birding today. We beat the forecasted snow  
storm by getting back to town as it was just starting to come down.

We saw good winter birds.

Species seen: pheasant, turkey, Mallard, C Goose, Red-tailed Hawk (8),  
Rough-legged Hawk (3), kestrel (2), Horned Lark (100s), meadowlark  
(1), Lapland Longspur (20+), Snow Bunting (1), junco (incl. 2 "Oregon"  
Junco), American Tree Sparrow, cardinal, chickadee, Purple Finch,  
White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy and Hairy Woodpecker, flicker, Northern  
Shrike and the usual pigeon/House Sparrow/Starling combo.

We went to Corson to see if the Eurasian Collared Doves were around.  
Found thirty of them.

Went to Big Sioux Rec Area to see about Long-eared Owls. Saw 2 of them  
from the car but did not walk at all (cold and snow-filled area!).

After we returned, Mick called me to say that a freind in my  
neighborhood had just called and had a Varied Thrush. I went right  
over. It is indeed an adult male Varied Thrush. I saw it briefly as it  
flew from the deck feeder areas to a large spruce tree. As it never  
came out, I assume it is roosting there for the night; the snow was  
really coming down by then. He also had several Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Doug Chapman
Sioux Falls, SD

Jean Adams had a report of a possible Snowy Owl seen by commuters along I-90 
West of Whitewood. Donna and I drove the highways and byways today from I-90 to 
St. Onge without finding any Owl. We did have our first flock of about 90-100 
Bohemian Waxwings on the road off of SD 34 to the Dane Church. Also on the trip 
5 Bald Eagles, 15+ Red-tailed/Rough-legged Hawks, and one Merlin plus other 
assorted birds. The approximate spot of the possible Snowy Owl was about MP 21 
near the overpass bridge West of Whitewood. 


On Tuesday 12/4 we birded with Bud/Alice Shaykett from Whitewood-St Onge-Belle 
Fourche-Aladdin and return via Upper/Lower Redwater Rd. Raptors included 2 
Golden Eagles, 2 Bald Eagles, Kestrel, Northern Harrier, 6 Rough-legged Hawks, 
and 3 Red-tailed Hawks. Also 2 Northern Shrikes. No unusual sightings. The 
grasslands West of Belle Fourche are about devoid of birds with only 3 birds 
seen in 15 miles. 


At our feeders South of Whitewood we have 30-40 Evening Grosbeaks daily plus 
lots of our usual feeder birds. On Dec 1 a Brown Creeper returned and we have 
had a male Purple Finch daily for over a week. 


Vic/Donna Fondy


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

At our planning meeting for the Rapid City Christmas Bird count, a question 
came up about what birds we might be missing, that we should be trying harder 
for. Here is a list of birds that have been absent for most of the counts in 
the last ten years, after being fairly frequent in prior counts. (I'm not going 
to analyze it any more quantitatively than that, for now.) Some such as Horned 
Lark, Pinyon Jay and Evening Grosbeak were often quite numerous, found by the 
dozens or more than 100. 


Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Pheasant
Gray Jay
Pinyon Jay
A. Dipper (last found in 1984)
Horned Lark
Cassin's Finch
Common Redpoll
Common Grackle
Evening Grosbeak


Michael Melius
Hermosa

I haven't posted for awhile, because I was out of town and it has been quiet 
here. Not many gulls, the ones present are Herring & Ring-billed. I did see a 
Killdeer yesterday. Otherwise for waterfowl mainly Geese, Common Goldeneyes & 
Common Mergansers, not much diversity. 


Sharing is half the fun of birding.
Ricky D. Olson
Fort Pierre SD
tatanka40 AT pie.midco.net


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Birds observed at Canyon Lake Park today (December 6) included: Redhead, 
Ring-necked Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Killdeer, Bald Eagle 
(adult) and American Robin.  Out on the prairie east of the Rapid City 
Airport, I observed an American Kestrel, a mixed flock of Horned Larks and 
Lapland Longspurs, a few Sharp-tailed Grouse and not much else.  The drought 
has had a big impact on the birds in this area.  Jocelyn Lee Baker, Rapid 
City 

Hello SD birders,

I cannot begin to tell you the elation I felt when Ricky called me to  
tell me that he finally received his March 07 Bird Notes. I was at the  
eye surgeons, taking my 92-year old cousin for laser surgery. As soon  
as I could I got home--and mine was delivered too!

Hopefully all of you will be getting them now. I want to credit Larry  
F in the Aberdeen Post Office with tracking this down. Perhaps many  
others were involved but I thanked him for all of us. The alternatives  
were not pretty: paying double because we needed to reprint and then  
pay double for postage is not in the budget--to say the least. I was  
very worried as you could tell.

June 07 is going out on Monday Dec. 10 and Sept. 07 is being mailed  
Fri. Dec 14.

Dec. will be coming when all articles come in.

Doug Chapman
Bird Notes Editor
Sioux Falls, SD

>
> Hello Again,
>
> Just an update on what I know as of this evening concerning the March
> 07 Bird Notes.
>
> The pre-sort man at the Aberdeen PO told me that they remember the
> trays for our March Bird Notes. They have the info from the printer
> that there were 11 for Aberdeen and 160 for the rest of South Dakota.
> (The rest are either foreign mail not covered by Bulk, and the out of
> state Bulk Mail which went out okay. After I expressed confusion,
> since I thought they were mailed from Aberdeen, he explained that they
> send out the Aberdeen addresses themselves--ALL the others are sent to
> Sioux Falls to be processed (why have bulk in Aberdeen at all then I
> wonder).
>
> Anyway, presumably they are stuck somewhere in the Sioux Falls Bulk
> Mail Dept. They are checking.
>
> I called a few members on the mailing list from Aberdeen and, yes,
> indeed, at least one member got his March 07 Bulk Mailing last week.
> The other member I reached had not.
>
> We will have to sleep on it and see what Wednesday brings.
>
> Doug Chapman
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello Again,

Just an update on what I know as of this evening concerning the March  
07 Bird Notes.

The pre-sort man at the Aberdeen PO told me that they remember the  
trays for our March Bird Notes. They have the info from the printer  
that there were 11 for Aberdeen and 160 for the rest of South Dakota.  
(The rest are either foreign mail not covered by Bulk, and the out of  
state Bulk Mail which went out okay. After I expressed confusion,  
since I thought they were mailed from Aberdeen, he explained that they  
send out the Aberdeen addresses themselves--ALL the others are sent to  
Sioux Falls to be processed (why have bulk in Aberdeen at all then I  
wonder).

Anyway, presumably they are stuck somewhere in the Sioux Falls Bulk  
Mail Dept. They are checking.

I called a few members on the mailing list from Aberdeen and, yes,  
indeed, at least one member got his March 07 Bulk Mailing last week.  
The other member I reached had not.

We will have to sleep on it and see what Wednesday brings.

Doug Chapman

It’s Junior Duck time again in South Dakota, and this year’s contest
is coming to Spearfish.

The Junior Duck Stamp Program is an annual contest that provides
students with the opportunity to learn about biology and express their
knowledge of the beauty, diversity, and interdependence of wildlife
through art.  The Junior Duck Stamp Contest, partnered with a dynamic
arts curriculum, teaches wetlands and waterfowl conservation to
students in kindergarten through high school. 

Each year, over 27,000 students nationwide participate in the contest.
 Last year in South Dakota, 380 students submitted artwork.

Prizes are awarded to the top 9 entries in four different age groups
at a public awards reception held in Spearfish in April.  Prizes for
the contest include cash prizes, art prints, binoculars, books, DVDs,
art supplies, and much more.

The Best of Show winner from South Dakota will be judged nationally,
and the winning submission from the national contest will be used to
create a Junior Duck Stamp for the following year. Proceeds from the
sale of Junior Duck Stamps support conservation education and provide
awards and scholarships for the students, teachers, and schools that
participate in the program.

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2008.  For information about
the South Dakota contest or to request information about the
specifications of the submitted artwork, visit http://www.sdjuniorduck.org

More information about the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest is
available at: http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/About.htm

On Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 I birded extensively in the Rapid City area, within the 
circle of our Christmas Count. There seems to be a paucity of birds around 
here, except for waterfowl, pigeons and starlings, so I really wanted to cover 
some ground in search of "land birds". I didn't get far into the Hills because 
of slick roads, but did get into some pine forest, creekside habitats, suburban 
landscapes, and feeders. I spent about 9 hours total, most of it on foot. 
Highlights included a dark phase Red-tailed Hawk on Skyline Drive and Wilson's 
Snipe near the bridge at Meadowwood Golf Course. 


Here is my two day list of birds, sans waterfowl, pigeons & starlings:

STGR 7
WITU 6
BAEA 1
RTHA 2
SSHA 1

WISN 1
ECDO 3
GHOW 1
BEKI 2
HAWO 3

NOFL 2
AMCR 81
BLJA 1
TOSO 7
AMRO 1

BCCH 7
WBNU 2
DEJU 15
AMGO 7
HOFI 4

SOSP 2
HOSP 25

Michael Melius
Hermosa

Just for info,

This great post to me from Mark Mahnke is typical of the many emails I  
got Re: this issue.

No one in State has theirs. All others do!

I will (he said hopefully) see that the Post Office tries to find  
them. I am in contact with the bulk division in Aberdeen. They are  
"looking."

As to preparing for alternatives--I see none. That decision is WAY  
above my pay grade.

Doug Chapman

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Mark Mahnke 
> Date: December 4, 2007 9:27:59 AM CST
> To: foodrev AT sio.midco.net
> Subject: March 07 Bird Notes
>
> Doug, just to let you know, my copy of the handsome March Bird Notes  
> made it to Bath, Maine sometime in the last week, and I have enjoyed  
> it enormously. regards, Mark Mahnke
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello All,

It has come to my attention that very few members have received the  
March 07 issue of Bird Notes. Those copies which are sent bundled are  
sent UPS and arrived nearly immediately.

But the only member to received from Bulk Mail mailing is Dan and  
Erika Tallman in Northfield, MN. I checked around, and all those in  
other states I called have received theirs--North Dakota, Iowa, Ohio  
and New York. I am guessing that the South Dakota in-state Bulk Mail  
bag is still lying about somewhere. Hopefully they will find it.  
Otherwise I have no idea what will happen. The printer will blame the  
PO and the PO will blame the printer. Such is life.

No one in SD has theirs as of today.  I have been asking about it-- 
especially since the printer inadvertently deleted my name from the  
first mailing list (not the best idea-- to NOT send the Editor a  
copy). I am told the PO is busy w/Christmas.

I called the printer again today and they are checking.  I have no  
idea t this point what to expect.

And, by the way, they informed me that due to increased labor costs,  
the mailing list management fee will go up $20.75 each issue starting  
with the June 07 issue they are putting into production today.

Hoping for the best,

Doug Chapman
Editor, Bird Notes

I saw a Black-legged Kittiwake in the tailwaters of the dam today. Also 
Bonaparte's, Ring-billed & Herring Gulls, Common & Hooded Mergansers, Common 
Goldeneye and Mallards. 


Ron Mabie
Pickstown, SD

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This afternoon,  I looked for the Gyrfalcon which was observed yesterday by 
Elizabeth and Scott near Fruitdale but was unable to locate it.  If anyone 
does locate it, would he/she please post the sighting!
Jocie Baker, Rapid City 

The American Kestrels "just keep on coming." I saw three more today along roads 
E-SE of Rapid City. Also saw seven 

Rough-legged Hawks, most I've seen in one day this season. Other raptors: Bald 
& Golden Eagles, N. Harrier, Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks. 


There is a nice flock of around 30 Sharp-tailed Grouse near my place in NE 
Custer County. It's the most I've seen here in several years. They favor a 
Conservation Reserve field, in case anyone wants to put in a good word with our 
congressional delegation for the extension of such habitat-building efforts in 
our federal farm legislation. 


Michael Melius
Hermosa

 


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Elizabeth and I found an adult Gyrfalcon on Hwy 212 near Orman Dam just 
east of the turn off to Fruitdale.  It was in the same location as the 
one we found last February. 
We also saw a Merlin in Newell, 2 red-tailed hawks, 3 Ferruginous Hawks, 
7 Rough-legged Hawks, 4 Golden Eagles, 1 Prairie Falcon, 1 Northern 
Harrier, and 6 Short-eared Owls northeast of Newell along the Old 
Twilight road and Erk road.

Here is a link to the Gyr.  http://www.gdik.com/gyrfalcon.htm

Scott Weins
Spearfish, SD

January weather in Fall. The temp at 2:00 pm was around 15, with strong wind 
after 5 inches of snow. It would be interesting to see what would happen at the 
feeders. The usual folks showed up, with an interesting absence for both days. 
No House Finches. This is most unusual. 

Species list: Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied woodpeckers, House Sparrows, 
Starlings, Cardinals, Juncos, Red and White Breasted Nuthatches, American 
Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Sharp-shinned hawk, Crows, BC Chickadees, and the 
cold little Carolina Wren. 

Photos at: 
http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u210/zerrmick/feeders%/?action=view¤t=b2afa571.pbw 


Mick
SFBC

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Long-tailed Duck at the Lewis and Clark Marina did not get chased away
by the sleet and snow. It is still in the Marina hanging out with a Lesser
Scaup and some Common Goldeneyes as of noon Sunday.
 
Roger Dietrich
Yankton, South Dakota
Email rogerd AT iw.net


 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Northern Hills Bird Club (NHBC) will hold its December meeting 7:00 PM 
Thursday, 

December 6, 2007 at the Meade County Extension Service Office, 1029 Fifth 
Street, Sturgis -- just beyond the 

courthouse at the west end of Sherman Street.

The program will be part 2 on identification of Sparrows of the United States 
and Canada. This program is designed to aid in Sparrow identification thru 
excellent videos giving both field marks and songs of the confusing Sparrow 
family. Other topics include a review of November field trips, assignment of 
territories for upcoming Christmas Bird Counts, personal bird reports, and 
plans for the December 8 field trip. Refreshments will be 

served.

The final field trip of 2007 for the NHBC will be Saturday December 8. The 
group will meet at Hardee's Restaurant at 2300 West Main in Rapid City at 7:30 
AM and depart at 8 AM to bird Canyon Lake and other selected locations in the 
area. To date, the NHBC has observed 206 different birds in 2007 with a goal of 
207 species. Target species for the field trip include Hooded Merganser, Scoter 
Species, Pygmy Nuthatch, Canyon and Winter Wrens, Northern Cardinal, Bohemian 
Waxwing, and other winter birds not yet seen in 2007. The trip will last into 
the afternoon and participants should bring a lunch and we will car pool. 


For further information contact Vic Fondy at .


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ricky Olson observed a Common Raven at 7:15 a.m. Sunday, December 2, 3-4 
miles east of Deadwood on Highway #14.  He was near the Boulder Canyon 
subdivision when he observed the raven flying from the south to the north. 
(Ricky reported this to me via cell phone.)  Jocie Baker, Rapid City 

Despite having 100% ice cover on Pickerel Lake in Day County a Belted 
Kingfisher was observed along the shore this morning (12/107)

I thought some of you may be interested in this Minnesota Winter Bird
Festival.

Dick Kappedal              
Sioux Falls, SD 
roughrider AT sio.midco.net

-----Original Message-----
From: Birding Discussion List for North Dakota
[mailto:ND-BIRDS AT LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU] On Behalf Of Michael Hendrickson
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 10:37 AM
To: ND-BIRDS AT LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU
Subject: [ND-BIRDS] Saz-Zim Bog Winter Bird Festival - Minnesota

On February 15-17 the first annual Sax Zim Bog Winter Bird Festival will be
held in Meadowlands, Minnesota.  This is the only winter bird festival in
Minnesota and perhaps in the Midwest.  What birds can be found or expect to
be found during this festival?  Take a look at the bird list!
.        Sharp-tailed Grouse
.        Snowy Owl
.        Northern Hawk Owl
.        Great Gray Owl
.        American Three-toed Woodpecker
.        Black-backed Woodpecker
.        Northern Shrike
.        Gray Jay
.        Boreal Chickadee
.        Bohemian Waxwing
.        Snow Bunting
.        Pine Grosbeak
.        White-winged Crossbill
.        Common Redpoll
.        Hoary Redpoll
.        Evening Grosbeak
Not a bad list of birds and the list above also includes some of the top ten
most wanted birds in the ABA area!  The festival will have to wonderful
speakers,  Laura Erickson and Dave Benson.  Both of speakers are authors of
books.  Dave's new book, "Owls of the North: A Naturalist Companion" which
covers 10 species of northern owls. Laura's Erickson's book "101 Ways to
Help Birds" is a wonderful book, that informs birders of all levels on how
to help and protect birds.  There will be several field trips held on
Saturday & Sunday led by some outstanding local birders like Kim Eckert, Jim
Lind, Dave Benson, Laura Erickson, Warren Nelson and several other local
birders who really know their birds.
Here is another list of birds of possibilities that can be found in and
around Duluth and also in the Sax-Zim Bog Area.
.        Harlequin Duck
.        Northern Goshawk
.        Rough-legged Hawk
.        Gyrfalcon 
.        Thayer's Gull
.        Iceland Gull
.        Glaucous Gull
.        Boreal Owl
.        Northern Saw-whet Owl
.        Townsend's Solitaire
.        Varied Thrush
Plus all the other winter residents that occur here!
To learn more about the festival and also to register on-line please visit
our website: http://moumn.org/sax-zim/
 
Thank you

Mike Hendrickson
Duluth, Minnesota
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/
Blog: http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/


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This afternoon around 4:30 p.m. Mary Gertsema and I observed a beautiful
female Long-tailed Duck in the Lewis & Clark Marina. The bird was between
the docks on the west side of the marina.
 
There are thousands fo Common Mergansers and many gulls and other birds on
the big lake right now.
 
Roger Dietrich
Yankton, South Dakota
Email rogerd AT iw.net


 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

A male Cardinal was seen last week at Cedar Drive in West Rapid City. The 
person is not a birder, but does know a male Cardinal. 


We have are usual winter birds at our feeders South of Whitewood including lots 
of Evening Grosbeaks, but the Cassin's Finch has left again. Bud/Alice Shaykett 
saw a Red-headed Woodpecker and two Lewis's Woodpeckers at the silos along 
Whitewood Valley Road on 11/25. They still have Chukars visiting their home 
North of Whitewood daily and today had both Golden and Bald eagles flying 
overhead. 


Vic/Donna Fondy


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I counted 12 Hooded Mergansers at Canyon Lake on Nov. 29. I looked back at our 
Christmas Count records, and the most we've had was 6, in 1962. Otherwise it's 
usually one or two or none. 


I found a Song Sparrow near the fairgrounds this morning, as well as a Great 
Horned Owl (thanks to mobbing crows for that tip-off). 


Michael Melius

Hello All,

Bird Notes issues JUNE 07 and SEPT 07 are at the printer.

I want to thank all who have contributed so much to helping me get  
these issues out, not the l;east "my" Publications Committee. Thanks.

But also, all of you who took the time to write articles, all of which  
are of interest to me. I hope to all of you too. Perhaps I'm just too  
curious about everything, but I am amazed at the diversity of  
information this small group can muster--from the early days of Bird  
Notes to banding studies, and stories of new-found nesting birds.

Thanks again.

Doug Chapman
Sioux Falls

On February 15-17 the first annual Sax Zim Bog Winter Bird Festival 
will be held in Meadowlands, Minnesota.  This is the only winter bird 
festival in Minnesota and perhaps in the Midwest.  What birds can be 
found or expect to be found during this festival?  Take a look at the 
bird list!
�	Sharp-tailed Grouse
�	Snowy Owl
�	Northern Hawk Owl
�	Great Gray Owl
�	American Three-toed Woodpecker
�	Black-backed Woodpecker
�	Northern Shrike
�	Gray Jay
�	Boreal Chickadee
�	Bohemian Waxwing
�	Snow Bunting
�	Pine Grosbeak
�	White-winged Crossbill
�	Common Redpoll
�	Hoary Redpoll
�	Evening Grosbeak
Not a bad list of birds and the list above also includes some of the 
top ten most wanted birds in the ABA area!  The festival will have to 
wonderful speakers,  Laura Erickson and Dave Benson.  Both of 
speakers are authors of books.  Dave's new book, "Owls of the North: 
A Naturalist Companion" which covers 10 species of northern owls. 
Laura's Erickson's book "101 Ways to Help Birds" is a wonderful book, 
that informs birders of all levels on how to help and protect birds.  
There will be several field trips held on Saturday & Sunday led by 
some outstanding local birders like Kim Eckert, Jim Lind, Dave 
Benson, Laura Erickson, Warren Nelson and several other local birders 
who really know their birds.
Here is another list of birds of possibilities that can be found in 
and around Duluth and also in the Sax-Zim Bog Area.
�	Harlequin Duck
�	Northern Goshawk
�	Rough-legged Hawk
�	Gyrfalcon 
�	Thayer's Gull
�	Iceland Gull
�	Glaucous Gull
�	Boreal Owl
�	Northern Saw-whet Owl
�	Townsend's Solitaire
�	Varied Thrush
Plus all the other winter residents that occur here!
To learn more about the festival and also to register on-line please 
visit our website: http://moumn.org/sax-zim/

Thank you
Mike Hendrickson

Waterfowl Estimates for Sand Lake NWR - 11/27/2007


Canada Geese - 2500

Snow Geese - 0

Ducks - 18,000

Swans - 0

Things are pretty well frozen up here in the Sand Lake area.  The lakes
were frozen over Thanksgiving morning.  Up to 30,000 snow geese continued
to use the refuge into the weekend.

The birds remaining are using the open water near the Mud Lake water
control structure.



Waterfowl Estimates for Sand Lake NWR - 11/20/2007


Canada Geese - 5000

Snow Geese - 250,000

Ducks - 160,000

Swans - 1800

Mallard numbers increased on the refuge since last week.

There are still good numbers of snow geese in the Putney Slough area.

All wetlands in the area are open as of today, but cold temperatures
predicted for the remainder of the week could close them up.    Waterfowl
numbers could change quickly.


Bill Schultze
Wildlife Biologist
Sand Lake NWR
39650 Sand Lake Dr.
Columbia, SD  57433

Numbers of waterbirds have been increasing at Canyon Lake with the arrival 
(finally) of the Common Goldeneyes.  Males arrived in increasing numbers 
first and then the females began showing up- there are approximately 50-60 
individuals at the lake now.  The Barrow's Goldeneye for the first time that 
I remember can be found in various areas of the lake, rather than almost 
exclusively at the southwest end.  This makes me wonder if it is a different 
male from past years.  A female Barrow's has yet to arrive. Species at the 
lake are the same as reported in the past (i.e. Redhead, Bufflehead, Common 
& Barrow's Goldeneye, Hooded and Common Mergansers,  American Coot) with the 
addition of a single Northern Pintail.
Jocelyn Lee Baker, Rapid City 

A Surf Scoter was still present at the lagoons today.

I saw an Iceland and Thayers Gull today, no Mew Gull since SAT. 

Sharing is half the fun of birding.
Ricky D. Olson
Fort Pierre SD
tatanka40 AT pie.midco.net


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

For those interested, the Black-tailed Gull and Fork-tailed Flycatcher  
in central are written up in the Des Moines Register today.

Here's the address. If for some reason the whole string does not  
"blue" just copy the whole of it and paste to browser.

Cool picture of the flycatcher in a spruce tree!

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=//NEWS/

Doug Chapman
Sioux Falls, SD

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Turkey Day is over and Christmas bells are ringing so .... It must be
time to enter your sightings for the Fall Season Report. As always, you
may enter your records into the database at the SDOU On-line Seasonal
Bird observation Report System located at

	http://homepages.dsu.edu/palmerj/sdousbor/

Click on Observer Login and enter your Observer ID and Password (if you
have forgotten them drop me an e-mail and I can remind you). New
observers are always welcome and can request an account by clicking
"click here" on the Observer Login page.

As always, any and all sightings are welcome and relevant. At a minimum,
however, I would like each observer to report for each species:

*	First and last sighting between August 01 and September 30
*	First and last sighting between October 01 and November 30

Also, remember that sightings reported to sd-birds AT yahoogroups.com are
not included in the Seasonal Report published in South Dakota Bird Notes
unless you enter them into the on-line database. I notice every season
many interesting reports that are not included in the published Seasonal
simply because they were not entered into the on-line database.

Finally, if you want to look at a preview of the Fall Season:

1.	select Public Login
2.	click on Select Data
3.	select Master Data Selection Form
4.	under Select Date Range - click Between and set dates to August
01, 2007 to November 30, 2007
5.	hit Submit Query


Good luck and all the CBC's and good birding :-)

Jeffrey S. Palmer
College of Arts & Sciences
Dakota State University
Madison, SD  57042

jeff.palmer AT dsu.edu
http://www.homepages.dsu.edu/palmerj/

sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Eric Davis conducted the NHBC field trip on  and asked that I post the 
following report: 


Eight members and guests participated in the NHBC field trip on 11/24/07.
The weather was cold and windy but with mostly clear skies and sunshine.
There were between 2-4 inches of snowcover along most of the route. The
group toured Spearfish from the City Campground north into the Highway 85
corridor, up to McNenny Fish Hatchery, and back through Spearfish Canyon to
Cheyenne Crossing.
 
The highlight of the trip was Paul Miller�s reservoirs and wetlands where we
saw a large variety of waterfowl including:  Pintails, Redheads, Mallards,
Canada Geese, A. Widgeon, Green-winged Teal, and Ring-necked ducks.  Also at
Paul�s we had a Virginia Rail answer a call, but it did not show itself.
 
We saw a total of 37 species for the day (complete listing below.)  Most
interesting, however, were some of the birds we DIDN�T see (but not for lack
of trying). Red-tailed Hawk, Snow Bunting, Horned Lark, and Wood Duck.
 
With a positive identification this brings the club total to 206 which should 
make for an exciting December 

field trip.
 
Complete listing of 11/24/07 NHBC Field Trip:
Blue Jay, House Sparrow, E. Starling, N. Flicker (red and yellow shafted,)
Mallard, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted
Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Adult Bald Eagle, A. Goldfinch, House Finch,
Wild Turkey, Rock Dove, Hairy Woodpecker, Rough-legged Hawk, White-crowned
Sparrow, A. Tree Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, Great-horned Owl, Pine Siskin,
Townsend�s Solitaire, A. Robin, Belted Kingfisher, Pintail, Redhead,
Virginia Rail, Canada Goose, Ring-necked Duck, Green-winged Teal, Ferruginous
Hawk, A. Widgeon, A. Crow, Ring-necked Pheasant, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and A.
Dipper.
 
Eric Davis
Spearfish

ericdavis AT rushmore.com

Posted by Vic Fondy-NHBC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The staff at the Lake Andes NWR has announced that their CBC will be on 
Wednesday, 12 December with a snow date of the 14th. Meet at Headquarters at 
8:00 am. For more information, contact Ed Rodriquez at . 


Ron Mabie
Pickstown, SD  

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I got out for a couple of hours this afternoon.
 
Waterfowl on Lake Yankton included Hooded Mergansers, Green-winged Teal,
Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scoup. Mallards, Gadwalls, Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye. Others: Am Crow, Dark-eyed Juncos and Eastern Bluebirds.
 
Lewis & Clark Lake - Cackling Geese x 5, Canada Geese x 220, Ring-billed
Gulls, Double-crested Cormorants. 
 
No Loon, Long-tailed Ducks or Bonaparte's Gulls like Saturday.
 
 
 
Roger Dietrich
Yankton, South Dakota
Email rogerd AT iw.net


 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have identified Dan Streifel's bird as a Branta anser streifelens. Why not?  
Seriously, the nice weather brought many birds to the neighborhood feeders. 
Friday a large Cooper's Hawk took a House Sparrow for lunch out of the 
woodpile, and two large Crows did a litter pick-up. Today I thought I would do 
a photo record of the feeder visitors. Unfortunately three of the usual feeders 
were absent when I was watching; the Red-bellied and Hairy Woodpeckers, and, 
surprisingly, House Finches. My theory of the cold weather chasing the Carolina 
Wren south was shattered when he showed up on and off all day long. The photo 
log can be seen at: 
http://www.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery.php?source=ppsl&instanceid= 

Species list: Male and Female Downy Woodpeckers, Male and female Red and White 
Breasted Nuthatches, House Sparrows, Starlings, Male and Female N. Cardinals, 
Dark-eyed Juncos, BC Chickadees, A. Goldfinches,.Carolina Wren...... 

 Seen this weekend but not on the photo log: A. Crow, RB Woodpecker, Hairy 
Woodpecker, Cooper's hawk, House Finch, overflying Red-tailed Hawk, Snow and 
Canada geese. 


Mick
SFBC




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Today in Corp Bay was the Lesser Black-backed Gull.

At Farm island were:
ICELAND GULL-1st year
Thayer's
Herring
Ring-billed
Bonaparte's



Sharing is half the fun of birding.
Ricky D. Olson
Fort Pierre SD
tatanka40 AT pie.midco.net


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I took a quick trip to Wylie Park just north of Aberdeen and found this Goose 
there. I wouldn't have even noticed it or ran back to get my camera but someone 
just showed me a picture of one just like it a week before that was shot by 
that person. He thought that it may have been a cross between a Greater 
White-fronted and a Canada Goose. 


http://dansphotos.servehttp.com/birds/v/New-Photos/Weird+Canada.jpg.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1 


Dose anyone out there have any ideal of what this maybe?

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Someone had asked about the amazing sightings of dozens of Long-eared Owls in 
the Big Sioux Recreation Area near Brandon, SD. (if you missed photos of the 
LEO's. some are at: http://www.leifericson.org/sfbc/id17.html ) 

Owls have been seen there on and off for a number of years in Fall and Winter, 
and probably some of the regular visitors have been successful breeders. Since 
the LE might average 4 eggs, family groups probably are using the same areas as 
the parents. This information from the Owl Pages website. 

"Unlike most other Owls, during winter they may roost communally (7 to 50 Owls) 
in dense thickets and range over very large undefended foraging areas. Communal 
roost sites are often used year after year, probably by the same birds." 


Mick
SFBC

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

At big Bend Dam I saw the following gulls:
Bonaparte's
Ring-billed
Herring
Thayers

I also saw a MEW GULL at Lower Brule Lagoons.


Sharing is half the fun of birding.
Ricky D. Olson
Fort Pierre SD
tatanka40 AT pie.midco.net


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Following birds at Pickerel Lake State Recreation Area - West Unit

11/22/07 Snowy Owl
11/23/07 Townsends Solitaire, Northern Shrike, Red-breasted Nuthatch
11/24/07 Northern Goshawk