| Eastern and mid North Dakota:
The Sheyenne River Valley includes grasslands
with native prairie remnants of mixed and tall
grass prairie and oak savanna river riparian
areas. This area is part
of the state’s Scenic Byway and Backway and
North Country Trail. Prairie pothole country.
Waterfowl factory of the nation.
Target species: Sparrows:
Baird’s, Nelson's Sharp-tailed,
LeConte’s, grasshopper, savannah, vesper,
Henslow’s, chipping, grasshopper and
clay-colored. Say’s phoebe, abundant ducks,
waterfowl, American Bittern, horned larks, sedge
and marsh wrens, gray catbird, brown thrasher,
occasional sharp-tailed grouse, prairie chickens
and gray partridge, marbled gotwit, Western and
Eastern Kingbirds, and more.
Western and SW North Dakota: 2-4
days trip, cowboy country, pickup trucks and
cowboy hats - badlands regions that are dry,
arid; mixed grass prairie.
Due to the distances involved,
plan for plenty of time to explore this unique
area, beautiful vistas and wildlife such as
bison, antelope, elk, deer, wildflowers.
Target Species: Rock wrens,
turkey vultures, Sprague’s pipit, spotted
towhee, Townsend’s Solitaire, mountain and
western bluebirds, lazuli and lark buntings,
assorted sparrows, Loggerhead shrikes, wild
turkey, listening for common poorwill (at night),
burrowing owls, long-billed curlew, sharp-tailed
grouse, gray partridge, black-billed magpie,
occasional pheasants, golden eagles and more.
A Barnes County, ND slough
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For birders (1-4 people):
spotting scope, check list, assorted field guides, CD’s of bird
songs to review. You are encouraged to bring your own binocular
equipment that you are comfortable with. You may also bring
your favorite scope and camera if you wish. Dakota Birding
will provide you with information for restaurants and motel
reservations at convenient locales on your route in North
Dakota.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING:
Personal supplies, sunscreen, hat, raincoat & overshoes (not
rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night shall keep us from completing
our appointed rounds), hiking shoes, binoculars, your favorite
field guide, insect and wood tick repellant, small water bottle
you can carry easily if walking distances are involved. Walking
short distances in early morning will mean your feet will get
wet from dew in moderately tall grass. I usually wear “barn
boots” or “Wellies” to keep feet and pant legs dry until the dew
dries. These can be purchased quite inexpensively at a farm
goods supply store or online. Then I change into regular
shoes. Cool mornings also mean lots of mosquitoes so prepare
for your protection.
Weather forecast: You can
check the forecast for your destination to plan for the weather:
check out
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=58072
for advanced forecasts. You can plug in any town or zip code
you want to get the forecast for several days ahead of time.
It is assumed that
birdwatchers are familiar with and prepared for the extremes in
weather conditions encountered during birding activities-cold,
wet, windy or dry, or warm and wonderful.
ETHICAL BIRDING
As a member of the American Birding
Association, Dakota Birding agrees with
the ethical birding recommendations made by that
organization. These recommendations include
taking care to limit the amount of disturbance to
the birds, their natural habitat and their
activities. Respect for the birds and landowner
concerns are of great importance to Dakota
Birding.
Faust Dam, on the scenic
Sheyenne River
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