North Dakota (Statewide) RBA
March 18, 2008
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:03:43 -0400
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Subject: RBA: North Dakota, March 18, 2008
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* RBA
* North Dakota
* Statewide
* March 18, 2008
* NDST0803.18
- Transcript
Hotline: North Dakota Update
Date: March 18, 2008
Number: 701-527-0730
To Report: 701-527-0730
Coverage: Statewide
Compiler: Ken Torkelson
Compiled: March 18, 2008
Transcriber: Jane Kostenko
mailto: tork02@juno.com
- Birds Mentioned
Merlin
Harris's Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
American Robin
Pine Siskin
Great Horned Owl
PEREGRINE FALCON
Canada Goose
Cackling Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Northern Harrier
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Shrike
Western Meadowlark
American Kestrel
American Tree Sparrow
Gray Partridge
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Common Redpoll
Black-billed Magpie
Snow Bunting
Horned Lark
Snowy Owl
Mourning Dove
Bald Eagle
Blue Jay
Ring-necked Pheasant
Black-capped Chickadee
American Goldfinch
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Ring-billed Gull
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted)
Mountain Bluebird
Red-tailed Hawk
Redhead
Long-eared Owl
Townsend's solitaire
Hooded Merganser
Killdeer
California Gull
Herring Gull
Snow Goose
Welcome to the North Dakota Rare Bird Alert compiled by the North
Dakota Birding Society. This report was prepared on Tuesday, March 18.
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.
Merlins and falcons top our report this week, but bluebird and waterfowl
sightings continue to roll in. Dennis Wiesenborn says one or two MERLINS
are being seen near a 2007 nest site at Broadway and 13th Ave. N. in
Fargo. He also saw a HARRIS' SPARROW near Trefoil Park on March16 and
heard a NORTHERN CARDINAL singing nearby. Dennis says the only
overwintering AMERICAN ROBIN he is aware of in Fargo was singing on March
12, and PINE SISKINS are singing in many locations. He notes that a GREAT
HORNED OWL has returned to its nest at Trefoil Park after apparently
abandoning it during the cold temperatures in late February. For details,
contact Dennis at 218-287-4420.
Keith Corliss reports a single male MERLIN has been seen for about a week
at Broadway and 7th Ave. N. in Fargo, and was calling on March 16. He is
at kcorliss@forumcomm.com
Connie Norheim watched a PEREGRINE FALCON swoop into a yard on 12th Ave.
at 17th St. in Fargo on March 17. Call her at 232-4386.
Gary Nielsen reported a PEREGRINE FALCON on the NDSU campus in Fargo on
March 14. He's at larrybearnielsen@yahoo.com
Linda Gregg says a male NORTHERN CARDINAL landed on her deck railing and
rapped on her windows near Harwood on March 15. She adds that a cardinal
pair has been daily visitors. Contact Linda at lgregg@wah.midco.net
Mark Otnes found a decent variety of waterfowl on a small piece of open
water at Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern North Dakota on
March 14. He observed 500 CANADA GEESE, two CACKLING GEESE, two GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 200 MALLARDS, 40 NORTHERN PINTAILS, eight GADWALLS,
two AMERICAN WIGEON, a RING-NECKED DUCK, 25 LESSER SCAUP, 15 COMMON
GOLDENEYE and seven COMMON MERGANSERS. Also in the area was a NORTHERN
HARRIER. You can reach Mark at markotnes@cableone.net or 241-4194.
Pat Beauzay and Jan Knodel visited the same area on March 16, and found
many of the same birds that Mark saw two days earlier. They estimated
2,000 CANADA GEESE and 50 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. Ten miles north of
Cayuga, they added seven ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and a NORTHERN SHRIKE. Just
inside South Dakota, they saw a WESTERN MEADOWLARK. Contact Pat at
231-7064.
Daniel Ackerman watched an AMERICAN KESTREL hovering over numerous CANADA
GEESE near Heitkamp Pond in Wahpeton on March 15. You can get details at
330-5781.
Todd Larson went home to lunch on March 17 and found two CANADA GEESE
checking out his slough near Larimore. Overhead were two NORTHERN HARRIERS
and four ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS. In his yard, he added an AMERICAN TREE
SPARROW and an AMERICAN ROBIN. You can find Todd at i81.ou812@yahoo.com
Betsy Batstone-Cunningham birded Grand Forks County on March 12. South of
US 2, she found GRAY PARTRIDGE, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, three CANADA GEESE,
COMMON REDPOLLS and BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES. North of US 2, Betsy added a
GREAT HORNED OWL on a nest, SNOW BUNTINGS mixed in with HORNED LARKS and
an AMERICAN KESTREL at Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge. She's at
batsham@gra.midco.net or 218-791-5079.
From Benson County, Bob Peterson reports a pair of CANADA GEESE circling
his small lake near Heimdal on March 13, followed later by a single. He
also saw a SNOWY OWL near the side of the road just north and east of
Heimdal, and a single MOURNING DOVE flying north. Contact Bob at
KQ6AF@GONDTC.COM
Dan Buchanan spotted an adult BALD EAGLE south of Ypsilanti, which is
southeast of Jamestown, on March 16. He says that's usually a good area to
see eagles. Contact Dan at 252-6604.
Sherry Leslie toured Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge on March 16.
Although birding was slow, she reported 190 CANADA GEESE and four GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. At headquarters, she added PINE SISKINS, five
redpolls, BLUE JAYS, RING-NECKED PHEASANTS, CHICKADEES and 15 AMERICAN
GOLDFINCHES. Sherry heard two NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS calling near her home
in rural Burlington on the evening of March 17. She's at 725-4389.
Charles J. Taft recorded his first AMERICAN ROBIN of the year in west
Minot on March 17. Call him at 852-1981.
Ron Martin reports some new arrivals in the Garrison Dam area on March 16.
They included AMERICAN WIGEON, RING-BILLED GULL and a BELTED KINGFISHER
that may have overwintered. Ron also counted 22 BALD EAGLES, most of them
moving northward, along the west edge of the valley. He also reports great
horned owl nests in Ward and McLean counties. You can reach Ron at
jrmartin@srt.com
On March 11, Bernice Houser saw an adult BALD EAGLE north of Fairview in
McKenzie County and four more near Fort Union in Williams County. At New
Town, she reports good numbers of PINE SISKINS, AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES and
an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, which was joined by five more on March 16. Other
guests included two female and one male DOWNY WOODPECKERS, a pair of HAIRY
WOODPECKERS and an occasional yellow-shafted NORTHERN FLICKER. North of
New Town, she saw a MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD near a new oil well site. Contact
Bernice at sanishnd@hotmail.com
Rita Satermo also saw a MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD north and east of New Town on
March 16. She's at rsatermo@RTC.COOP
>From extreme northeastern Montana, Ted Nordhagen recorded an adult
NORTHERN SHRIKE southeast of Westby on March 11, and says it was only his
third of the winter. He also saw a NORTHERN HARRIER and a small flock of
about 20 redpolls. Contact Ted at soraart@NEMONT.NET
Lillian Crook saw a male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD in Teddy Roosevelt National
Park near Medora on March 13. On March 16, she added three NORTHERN
HARRIERS and three RED-TAILED HAWKS in the Twin Buttes area west of
Medora. She's at lilliancrook@hotmail.com
Bob Scarlett recorded his first WESTERN MEADOWLARK of the season southwest
of Mandan on March 11, and added one more southeast of Bismarck on March
16. He reported a flock of robins just inside the South Dakota line on
March 16. He's at bobkat@btinet.net
Corey and Linda Ellingson birded the Bismarck-Mandan area on March 15, and
reported a slow trickle of birds. At Nelson Lake near Center, they
recorded four GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, three GADWALLS, three AMERICAN
WIGEON, 20 NORTHERN PINTAILS, eight REDHEADS, two RING-NECKED DUCKS and
seven COMMON GOLDENEYES. At the Mandan experiment station, they flushed a
LONG-EARED OWL twice and counted five TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES. At Kist
Livestock, they added five REDHEADS. Contact Corey at tcellingson@juno.com
Clark Talkington found quite a bit of birding activity in the
Bismarck-Mandan area on St. Patrick's Day. At McKenzie Slough, Long Lake
National Wildlife Refuge, the Missouri River, Bismarck landfill and Mandan
lagoons, he totaled six GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 500 CACKLING GEESE,
150 NORTHERN PINTAILS, 30 COMMON GOLDENEYES, two HOODED MERGANSERS,
KILLDEER, 125 RING-BILLED GULLS, 10 CALIFORNIA GULLS and a single HERRING
GULL. Three days earlier, Clark saw two SNOW GEESE at McKenzie Slough, 500
MALLARDS on the Missouri River, 10 REDHEADS at Nelson Lake and Kist
Livestock, and a LESSER SCAUP at Nelson Lake. For details, try Clark at
ctalkington@bis.midco.net
That concludes this report from the North Dakota Birding Society. This
report is normally updated each Tuesday.
- end transcript