North-central United States Trip ~ June 12, 1995

Once again, I left the motel in Minot at first light, but this time I headed for Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, hoping for the two North Dakota target birds that had eluded me---Gray Partridge and Sprague's Pipit. I was told that the Sprague's Pipit was more vocal in Spring and displayed less as the summer passed. I was also told that the numbers of Gray Partridge had dropped off in recent years, and the best chance to see one would be to drive the back roads through farmland areas in the early morning hours. This is what I did on the way to Lostwood.

Instead of taking Route 2 west to Stanley and then going north on Route 8, I turned off Route 2 at the town of Palermo and took a 14-mile-long dirt road north to Route 50. Several miles north of Palermo, I came over a slight rise in the road and noticed a quail-like bird fly from the shoulder of the road up onto a small hillside. I quickly stopped the car and walked up the hillside to where I saw the bird land in the tall grass. Suddenly, the bird bolted into flight for a good distance and then dropped back into the grass. Luckily, I was able to follow it with binoculars long enough to see the distinguishing rusty face patch and tail of a Gray Partridge before it disappeared out of sight.

I continued up to Route 50 and headed west on Route 8. Several miles up Route 8, I stopped at the refuge headquarters for Lostwood. After picking up some maps and brochures, I headed out on the 7-mile auto tour road. About three miles in, I noticed a group of birds atop a rolling hill. Scoping the spot, I realized that I was watching about 15 Sharp-tailed Grouse still displaying on their "booming grounds".

Sharp-tailed Grouse still displaying on their "booming grounds" along the auto tour in Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota.

Even though the lek was pretty far away, I could easily hear them calling. This was mostly due to the fact that there was no evidence of any human-made sounds anywhere---no cars, no planes, no voices, nothing! In fact, I was the only person on the entire refuge. It was the unique isolation of Lostwood that made it one of my favorite, best-remembered places on the trip.

The wide open expanse of Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota.

Farther down the road, I stopped at the Sharp-tailed Grouse blind. There, I saw more grouse, but it was here that I was told I had my best shot at seeing Sprague's Pipit. All around the blind, I kept hearing the pipits' calls but couldn't locate them. Finally, after walking through the area for about an hour, a Sprague's Pipit flew out in front of me and started climbing in altitude. I followed it with binoculars to what had to be several hundred feet above the ground. After about four or five minutes in the air, the bird dropped like a rock back down to earth and disappeared into the short grass. Baird's Sparrows were also singing in the same area. This was also the spot where I saw the only other person while I was at Lostwood. He was a botanist who drove up in a pickup pulling a horse trailer. We talked about how peaceful the place was as he got his horse out of the trailer and saddled it up. Then, he rode off over the hill into the seemingly endless miles of prairie. It was easy to imagine a wagon train coming over the hill at any moment.

Near the end of the road, I scoped the edges of Upper Lostwood Lake. The brochure stated that this was one of the few places in the area where the endangered Piping Plover still nested. Sure enough, I found two of the plovers working the edge of the lake. I then backtracked to the headquarters, making numerous stops along the way. Birds seen there included Pied-billed Grebe, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Ruddy Duck, Sora, Northern Harrier, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern and Western Kingbird, Tree and Barn Swallow, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Vesper, Savannah, Grasshopper, and Clay-colored Sparrow, Bobolink, Western Meadowlark, Brewer's, Red-winged, and Yellow-headed Blackbird, and American Goldfinch. A very small, wooded area held Least Flycatcher, Brown Thrasher, and Warbling Vireo.

I left Lostwood and started the 4-hour drive to Kidder County by way of Minot and Bismarck.

Along Route 50, west of the town of Coulee, I spotted a Ferruginous Hawk.

Ferruginous Hawk west of Coulee, North Dakota.

Temperatures were approaching 90 degrees and I was looking for a shaded place to pull over and rest for a while, but the only trees around were those found in people's yards. Finally, after nearly an hour of searching, I found several trees next to a small marsh that were grouped together enough to shade the car. The small marsh held Black Tern, Tree Swallow, Brown Thrasher, and Yellow Warbler. Next, I stopped at the town of Max to mail some post cards and call home. I drove on to Bismarck where I got something to eat. Then, I founded a shaded church parking lot where I managed to get some more sleep.

After my second one-hour nap, I pushed eastward towards Kidder County.

I left I-94 at the Tappen exit and headed for a large marsh described in Kevin Zimmer's old North Dakota birdfinding guide. There, I heard a Yellow Rail 'ticking', Sora and Virginia Rail calling, and saw Blue-winged Teal, Swainson's and Ferruginous Hawk, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Common Snipe, Black Tern, Horned Lark, Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Savannah Sparrow, and Yellow-headed Blackbird.

I then headed several miles east to a good-sized salt alkaline lake located northwest of Crystal Springs. There, I spotted Horned and Eared Grebe, American White Pelican, Wilson's Phalarope, and Ring-billed and California Gull, in addition to the previously-mentioned species. At dusk, I headed back to I-94 and drove east to the Ranch House Motel in Jamestown.

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North-central United States Trip ~ June 13, 1995

I drove north on Route 281 to Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge.

Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge near Edmunds, North Dakota.

I stopped at the headquarters for information and, unfortunately, found out that their auto tour road was also closed because of the Spring's high water levels. As a result, I was only able to bird the southern part of Arrowwood Lake. Still, I managed to find Western Grebe, American White Pelican, Northern Harrier, Marbled Godwit, Franklin's Gull, Black Tern, Chimney Swift, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern and Western Kingbird, Horned Lark, Purple Martin, Tree and Barn Swallow, Grasshopper and Clay-colored Sparrow, Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbird, and American Goldfinch.

Western Grebe at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota.

Since the auto tour route at Arrowwood was closed, I decided to drive to Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in order to witness the largest nesting colony of American White Pelicans in the world. Access to the lake is very limited and only by special permission, so I had to scope it from about a half-mile away. The islands in the middle of the lake were crammed full of what appeared to be thousands of pelicans. Mixed in with them were large numbers of California Gulls. The only way I was able to identify them was because groups of them left the lake and flew overhead on their way to nearby feeding areas. Armadas of pelicans constantly flew in and out of the lake area and were seen in several nearby ponds.

American White Pelicans near Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota.

I worked my way over to the marsh above Tappen that I had visited the day before. I stopped the car and heard Yellow Rail calling at the same spot as before. Once again, I put on my "Swamp Thing" outfit and headed out into the marsh. Since the bird was calling in daylight, my hope was to get a photo. I got closer and closer to the call when it suddently stopped. I played the tape of its call, but what I heard was the sound of something moving beneath the layers of short grass. I tried a few more times, but a Virginia Rail answered instead. Then, I noticed something tugging at my shoestring! It was the Virginia Rail. Within seconds of attacking my shoestring, it flew straight up beside me to waist-level and then powered off to another section of the marsh. Birds not seen in the area the day before included Sedge Wren, Swamp and Vesper Sparrow, and Bobolink.

I hopped back on I-94 and drove east towards my next motel in Moorehead, Minnesota, located just across the border from Fargo. I checked into "Motel 75" just in time to see the Flyers lose their last game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. I then called a local birder who gave me some information about Gray Partridge sightings and directions to the Felton Prairie area outside Moorhead.

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North-central United States Trip ~ June 14, 1995

I drove back over the Red River into Fargo, North Dakota and proceeded to the experimental farm area on the North Dakota State University campus. It was here that Gray Partridge had been seen in recent weeks. I scoured the area but couldn't find any. I left North Dakota and went to another spot where the partridge had been known to 'hang out'. This spot was northeast of Moorhead, east of Route 75. I was to check a field planted with sunflowers located along Clay County Road 95, 2.8 miles north of Road 18. Within minutes of finding the spot, I heard and saw a Gray Partridge walking around in the young, 6-inch high sunflower plants. I was able to study the whole bird in detail as it meandered through the rows of plants. This was a great look, much better than the look I had in North Dakota.

Gray Partridge northeast of Moorhead, Minnesota.

I left there and headed for the Felton Prairie Preserve. I went three miles east of Route 9 on Route 26 and then turned north on a gravel road to the preserve. This section of prairie, located atop a rolling hill, produced excellent looks at Marbled Godwit, Northern Harrier, Horned Lark, Vesper, Savannah, Grasshopper, and Clay-colored Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, and Chestnut-collared Longspur.

Chestnut-collared Longspur at the Felton Prairie Preserve southeast of Felton, Minnesota.

I left the preserve and started the long drive to Duluth. Following Routes 10, 210, and I-35, I passed through Detroit Lakes, Brainerd, Aitkin, and McGregor. That afternoon, I checked into the Prime Rate Motel, located near the Duluth Airport. I also visited the Gander Mountain store, which housed many different mountings of birds, fish, and animals.

Next, I went southeast into Wisconsin to the Lake Nebagamon area. This was where I was told I had my best chances of seeing Connecticut Warbler. After passing through the city of Superior, I took Route 2 east to the town of Poplar. There, I took Road "P" to Road "B", following it through the town of Lake Nebagamon. Outside of town, I picked up Road "S" and followed it to Comminsky and Motts Ravine Roads. These two logging roads, located on the north side of "S" just west of Route 27, cut through mature stands of Jack Pines, the trees that Kirtland's Warblers nest under in Michigan when they're in their younger stages of growth. These trees were about 25 feet tall and allowed very little undergrowth other than a few spots of scrubby pin oaks. About the same time that I reached the area, so did a thunderstorm. I sat in the car as heavy rain and some hail fell. About a half-hour later, the skies cleared and a double rainbow formed in front of the parting storm clouds.

I began making numerous stops along the two roads, listening for Connecticuts. Instead, I heard or saw Eastern Wood-Pewee, Hermit Thrush, Ovenbird, and Nashville, Pine, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. There area on the south side of Road "S" had been previously logged and held Eastern Bluebird and Clay-colored Sparrow. I drove back to Duluth and prepared for an early morning return to the same spot.

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North-central United States Trip ~ June 15-16, 1995

June 15, 1995

I headed back into Wisconsin at first light. Just after turning off Route 2 onto Road "P", I noticed an Upland Sandpiper on a pile of hay. I continued on and arrived at the Jack Pine area about an hour after dawn. I went north on Motts Ravine Road, stopping periodically to listen for the warbler's song. After only a few stops, I heard one, but it was pretty far from the road. I had been warned by a local birder that the area was infested with deer ticks. The thought of Lyme Disease kept me on the road. Instead, I played the tape from the road. The bird called several times and each time the call got closer. Eventually, the bird flew into a tree right next to the road at eye level. I finally had terrific views of my first Connecticut Warbler.

I left Motts Ravine Road and turned down Comminsky Road where I heard and saw six more Connecticuts. I also managed to get some half-decent photos of a few of them.

Connecticut Warblers along Motts Ravine Road near Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin.

Other birds seen that were heard or seen along these two roads included Eastern Wood-Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Nashville, Pine, and Black-and-white Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Indigo Bunting, Rufous-sided Towhee, Chipping and Clay-colored Sparrow, and American Goldfinch.

On the way back to Lake Nebagamon, I stopped at a small parking area next to the Brule River. Birds found there included Hairy and Pileated Woodpecker, Alder Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Rough-winged Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Cedar Waxwing, Red-eyed and Warbling Vireo, Black-throated Green Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, and Purple Finch.

With all of my life birds now "in the bag", I decided to spend the rest of the day sightseeing along the north shore of Lake Superior. So, I drove back to do Duluth and took a drive along the Skyline Parkway, a 16-mile drive atop the hill bordering the north edge of the city. I stopped at the Enger Tower, climbed to the top, and took some pictures. I then followed the parkway to Hawk Ridge, the famous hawkwatching site in Duluth.

The Hawk Ridge hawkwatching site above Duluth, Minnesota.

Of course, since it was June, it was between migration periods, so I didn't see any hawks or hawkwatchers there. I continued along the dirt road that switchbacked its way down to Lake Superior through Lester Park. Along the road, I saw American Redstart and Indigo Bunting.

I picked up Route 61, also known as the North Shore Drive, and headed northeast along the edge of Lake Superior. My first stop was at Gooseberry Falls State Park. I took the short hikes up and down the river and checked out the waterfalls.

Gooseberry Falls at Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota.

A few miles farther along the highway, I turned into Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. There, I visited the historical lighthouse built in 1910 atop a 100-foot cliff.

I left there and continued on to Tettegouche State Park. I parked there and took the 1.5 mile hike to the tallest waterfall in Minnesota. Along the trail, I heard or saw Ruffed Grouse, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Winter Wren, Veery, Hermit Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, Nashville, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green, and Black-and-white Warbler, Ovenbird, and White-throated Sparrow. I reached the top of the falls by way of a suspension bridge across the water.

The 100-feet High Falls at Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota.

After taking a few pictures, I headed back. On the way back, I was almost struck in the head by a pair of Mourning Warblers that were chasing each other down the trail! They veered off at the last second, actually causing me to duck.

Back at the car, I returned to the Split Rock Lighthouse, but this time I took the trail down to the lakeshore so I could take pictures of it from below.

The Split Rock Lighthouse at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Minnesota.

A portion of the trail passed through a large section of birches.

A stand of birches along Little Two Harbors Trail at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Minnesota.

Back at the parking lot, I found several Common Ravens scavenging the now-deserted lot. I returned to the motel and started packing up for tomorrow's flight back.

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June 16, 1995

Everything in the car, I headed for a car wash where I removed the 2,437 miles of grime from it before going to the airport. Then, I flew back to Allentown with stops in Minneapolis and Detroit.

The month of June's long daylight hours and the long drives between birding stops left little chance for a good night's sleep. I returned with "bird trip burnout", but the trip was a total success. I found 132 species during the week and got fantastic looks at all six life birds.

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North-central United States Trip List

1) Common Loon
2) Western Grebe
3) Horned Grebe
4) Eared Grebe
5) Pied-billed Grebe
6) American White Pelican
7) Double-crested Cormorant
8) American Bittern
9) Black-crowned Night-Heron
10) Great Egret
11) Great Blue Heron
12) Canada Goose
13) Mallard
14) Gadwall
15) Green-winged Teal
16) Northern Pintail
17) Northern Shoveler
18) Blue-winged Teal
19) Ruddy Duck
20) Cnavasback
21) Redhead
22) Ring-necked Duck
23) Lesser Scaup
24) Bufflehead
25) Virginia Rail
26) Sora
27) Yellow Rail*
28) American Coot
29) American Avocet
30) Piping Plover
31) Killdeer
32) Marbled Godwit
33) Willet
34) Wilson's Phalarope
35) Common Snipe
36) Upland Sandpiper
37) Franklin's Gull
38) Ring-billed Gull
39) Herring Gull
40) California Gull
41) Forster's Tern
42) Black Tern
43) Turkey Vulture
44) Northern Harrier
45) Red-tailed Hawk
46) Swainson's Hawk
47) Ferruginous Hawk
48) Osprey
49) American Kestrel
50) Ruffed Grouse
51) Sharp-tailed Grouse*
52) Gray Partridge*
53) Ring-necked Pheasant
54) Wild Turkey
55) Rock Dove
56) Mourning Dove
57) Common Nighthawk
58) Chimney Swift
59) Ruby-throated Hummingbird
60) Belted Kingfisher
61) Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker
62) Hairy Woodpecker
63) Pileated Woodpecker
64) Eastern Kingbird
65) Western Kingbird
66) Eastern Wood-Pewee
67) Eastern Phoebe
68) Least Flycatcher
69) Willow Flycatcher
70) Alder Flycatcher
71) Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
72) Horned Lark
73) Tree Swallow
74) Purple Martin
75) Northern Rough-winged Swallow
76) Cliff Swallow
77) Barn Swallow
78) Blue Jay
79) American Crow
80) Common (Northern) Raven
81) Black-capped Chickadee
82) Red-breasted Nuthatch
83) Winter Wren
84) Marsh Wren
85) Sedge Wren
86) Eastern Bluebird
87) Veery
88) Hermit Thrush
89) American Robin
90) Gray Catbird
91) Brown Thrasher
92) Sprague's Pipit*
93) Cedar Waxwing
94) European Starling
95) Red-eyed Vireo
96) Warbling Vireo
97) Nashville Warbler
98) Black-and-white Warbler
99) Chestnut-sided Warbler
100) Yellow-rumped "Audubon's" Warbler
101) Black-throated Green Warbler
102) Pine Warbler
103) Yellow Warbler
104) Mourning Warbler
105) Connecticut Warbler*
106) Ovenbird
107) Common Yellowthroat
108) American Redstart
109) Indigo Bunting
110) Rufous-sided Towhee
111) Grasshopper Sparrow
112) Baird's Sparrow*
113) Vesper Sparrow
114) Savannah Sparrow
115) Song Sparrow
116) Chipping Sparrow
117) Clay-colored Sparrow
118) White-throated Sparrow
119) Swamp Sparrow
120) Chestnut-collerd Longspur
121) Bobolink
122) Eastern Meadowlark
123) Western Meadowlark
124) Yellow-headed Blackbird
125) Red-winged Blackbird
126) Brewer's Blackbird
127) Brown-headed Cowbird
128) Common Grackle
129) Northern "Baltimore" Oriole
130) House Sparrow
131) American Goldfinch
132) Purple Finch

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New York Trip for Northern Lapwing! ~ January 29, 1995

Babe Webster and I drove to Long Island, New York and, after a fair amount of searching, found the Northern Lapwing in a field near Bridgehampton.

Northern Lapwing near Bridgehampton, New York. Note the wide breastband, facial markings, and distinctive crest plumes. This Eurasian bird, which occasionally strays into the Northeast, was present in a farm field with several Killdeer.

On the way home on the Belt Shore Parkway, we had the uneasy shock of watching a lady crash her car through a lightpost and a sign and come sliding back across the road right in front of us! Luckily, I missed her car and most of the debris. Needless to say, we had more than just a 'life bird' to talk about from this trip.

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Ferd's Bog in New York ~ May 6-7, 1994

Friday, May 6th

Babe Webster and I did a trip to Ferd's Bog in northeastern New York state. On Friday, we made the 5-hour, 280-mile drive up to the Adirondacks region and spent the night at the North Star Motel in the town of Inlet.

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Saturday, May 7th

We got up early and drove over and parked at a spot along Uncas Road. From there, we hiked the trail into Ferd's Bog. A Barred Owl was heard calling nearby. After walking through the spruces, we arrived at the bog.

Ferd's Bog (taken by Babe).

Perimeter habitat at Ferd's Bog (taken by Babe).

After we were there for a while, we heard tapping coming from the taller part of the forest on the far side of the bog.

Looking in the direction of woodpecker-tapping at Ferd's Bog (taken by Babe).

We followed the tapping into the woods and, after a lot of careful searching, found our 'life' Black-backed Woodpecker hammering one of the thicker trunks. We got great looks at it while it worked over the tree, but we were blown away when a second woodpecker flew in on the oppsite side of the same trunk, and this one was a Northern Three-toed Woodpecker! The two chased each other, spiraling around the trunk while I stood there totally amazed at our luck! We had both seen the Northern Three-toed before in Colorado, but both species on the same tree was one we won't forget.

Other birds noted at the bog included Red-shouldered Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Tree Swallow, Gray Jay, Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Nashville, Blackburnian, and Yellow-rumped Warbler, Purple Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, and Swamp, Lincoln's, and White-throated Sparrow.

Along the way out to the car, we found my 'life' Boreal Chickadee in one of the spruces. I ended up getting both life birds we were looking for, so it was a very successful overnight trip.

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North Carolina Pelagic Trip ~ June 6, 1992

I boarded the boat in Manteo, North Carolina for my first East Coast pelagic trip and only my second ever. I had done one on the West Coast back in 1986 and had great results. This one was pretty productive, too. I ended up getting 8 'lifers' among the 15 species.

Here's the list.

1) Cory's Shearwater*
2) Greater Shearwater*
3) Audubon's Shearwater*
4) Black-capped Petrel*
5) Herald Petrel* ("Intermediate morph" bird)
6) Wilson's Storm-Petrel*
7) Brown Pelican
8) Masked Booby*
9) Double-crested Cormorant
10) Great Black-backed Gull
11) Herring Gull
12) Laughing Gull
13) Forster's Tern
14) Common Tern
15) Bridled Tern*

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Here are a few identifiable photos I managed to get during the pelagic.

Cory's Shearwater on the pelagic trip out of Manteo, North Carolina.

Masked Booby on the pelagic trip out of Manteo, North Carolina.

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