RBA: North Dakota, November 3, 2009


Wood Thrush,©Chris Kerrigan

* 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@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 lan=
dfill
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@bis.midc=
o.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@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@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@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@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@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 transcript