[veagle]

My wife and I spent a long weekend in North Dakota - great birding! This is my first trip report - all suggestions appreciated.

Veagle

[Edward]

A good start to the trip Veagle. I visited the Prairie Potholes of North Dakota in June last year and it's one of the best places I've ever been birding, lots of birds and no birders! It must be one of America's best kept birding secrets as we were at Lostwood NWR on a beautiful Sunday in early June, prime time for birding, and there was just one other car there. I guess it's just a long way from any of the major US population centres and doesn't have spectacular scenery to attract many tourists (althought the Badlands in the west are impressive).

I look forward to reading the remainder of your report to see if you managed to find the speciality birds such as Baird's Sparrow and Sprague's Pipit. It's essential to know the song of these two, especially the former, as it is extremely secretive and must be almost impossible to see if not singing.

As for the format of the trip report, it looks good to me, and it's a good idea to put the names of birds in bold as you have done.

[veagle]

The attached file is the next installment on our trip to North Dakota.

[wolfbirder]

Very nice report so far, tho I have never been there. So Bairds Sparrow on your list, wonder if you got the pipit too?

Looking forward to the next part.Will the good run continue?

[veagle]

Well, here's the last installment of our North Dakota trip. A really great little trip.

[Edward]

An excellent short trip "north of the border" Veagle. Your experiences mirrored mine in many ways, not least your appreciation of just how undiscovered North Dakota appears to be as a birding destination. I met two birders in the whole time I was there (both out of state) but both agreed that North Dakota was a must visit location for any American birder. On your next trip I recommend that you head a bit further north and visit Lostwood NWR and the area around Kenmare. Lostwood is a wonderful area of prairie and it is here that we saw Sprague's Pipit, Baird's Sparrow and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow. The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is also great but I've heard that the Badlands of South Dakota are more impressive so it might not be as exciting for you. You can read my trip report here
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=122421
I'm especially envious of the Dickcissel and Loggerhead Shrike we looked for in vain at Bowman-Haley.

E

[veagle]

Originally Posted by Edward

An excellent short trip "north of the border" Veagle. Your experiences mirrored mine in many ways, not least your appreciation of just how undiscovered North Dakota appears to be as a birding destination. I met two birders in the whole time I was there (both out of state) but both agreed that North Dakota was a must visit location for any American birder. On your next trip I recommend that you head a bit further north and visit Lostwood NWR and the area around Kenmare. Lostwood is a wonderful area of prairie and it is here that we saw Sprague's Pipit, Baird's Sparrow and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow. The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is also great but I've heard that the Badlands of South Dakota are more impressive so it might not be as exciting for you. You can read my trip report here
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=122421
I'm especially envious of the Dickcissel and Loggerhead Shrike we looked for in vain at Bowman-Haley.

E

Edward,

I appreciate your comments. I had already read your wonderful trip report; felt humbled by it, to be honest. One of the great things about birding, I think, is how one person's usual birds are another person's target. After being away last weekend for my Dad's 90th birthday, I went to my "patch" Sunday night for two hours of birding, and saw both Dickcissel and Loggerhead Shrike. Its part of what makes travel so much fun is that you get to see the "usual" birds of that environment that are anything but usual for you.

Your suggestion about Lostwood is an excellent one. North Dakota is a big state, and I knew I couldn't cover it all. I had more info about the Potholes area, but your trip report, as well as some contacts that I've subsequently made would certainly make a trip to the western part of the state worth our effort.

Good birding

Veagle