Part 14

Red-necked Grebe—Uncommon summer resident of larger ponds and lakes in the northern portion. Most common in the Turtle Mountains and on J. Clark Salyer Refuge. Also seen with some frequency on Des Lacs (try the Old Lake Road) and Upper Souris Refuges. Rare breeder and uncommon to rare migrant over the rest of the state.

Horned Grebe—Fairly common summer resident on ponds and lakes in the northwest, northeast, and southeast sectors. This species does not nest in large colonies as do the Western and Eared Grebes; hence, it may be harder to find. However, it should be fairly easy to see at places such as Des Lacs, Upper Souris, J. Clark Salyer, Lostwood, Long Lake, and Arrowwood Refuges.

Eared Grebe—Common summer resident on seasonal and permanent ponds and lakes over much of the state. Often nests in large colonies. Hard to miss at such places as Long Lake, Hobart Lake, Arrowwood, Audubon, Des Lacs, Lostwood, Upper Souris, J. Clark Salyer, and Stump Lake Refuges.

Western Grebe—Conspicuous and easy-to-find summer resident on scattered lakes and permanent ponds throughout the northwest, northeast, and southeast sectors. Usually nests in large colonies, and prefers areas with lots of open water. Look for it on Devils Lake and on Des Lacs, Lostwood, Upper Souris, J. Clark Salyer, Arrowwood, Lake Alice, Long Lake, Alkaline Lake, Stump Lake, and Tewaukon Refuges.

American White Pelican—Hard-to-miss summer resident over most of the state. Apparently, the only known breeding colony is on Chase Lake, where there are about 4,000 pairs nesting. Individuals from this colony (and many others which nest in neighboring states) range far and wide all summer. Should be easy to find at Des Lacs, Lostwood, Upper Souris, J. Clark Salyer, Audubon, Arrowwood, Long Lake, Lake Ilo, Bowman-Haley, and Tewaukon Refuges, as well as at Beaver Lake and Baldhill Dam (Lake Ashtabula).

Whistling Swan—Fairly common spring and fall migrant throughout. It can be found on almost any large marsh or lake, including places like Des Lacs, Upper Souris, Lostwood, J. Clark Salyer, Audubon, Arrowwood, Long Lake, and Tewaukon Refuges. The best spot is Hobart Lake, where there are usually hundreds present for several weeks in fall.

Greater White-fronted Goose—Fairly common migrant throughout the western half; uncommon in the eastern half. Found on marshlands or grainfields with congregations of Canada and Snow Geese.

Cinnamon Teal—Rare spring-through-April visitor and probable breeder in marshlands throughout the central and western parts. Occasionally seen in the southeast corner (Tewaukon).

Wood Duck—Fairly common summer resident of wooded streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes through the eastern half. Uncommon in the western half at places like Des Lacs, Upper Souris, and Audubon Refuges—except along the Missouri River below Bismarck, where it is fairly common. Should be easy to find along the Wild Rice and Red (especially at Fargo) Rivers, along the Sheyenne River below Baldhill Dam, and at Arrowwood and J. Clark Salyer Refuges.

White-winged Scoter—Rare migrant on lakes and sewage ponds throughout. Occasionally nests on lakes in the Turtle Mountains and at Des Lacs Refuge.

Hooded Merganser—Rare migrant on water areas throughout. Fairly common summer resident along the woodland-bordered stretch of the Souris River in Bottineau and McHenry Counties (particularly on J. Clark Salyer Refuge). Uncommon to rare breeder at Arrowwood Refuge.

Northern Goshawk—Rare winter visitor/resident and migrant in wooded areas throughout. Some possible areas include the river bottoms of the James, Red, and Sheyenne Rivers in the southeast; Turtle River Park, the Pembina Hills, the Turtle Mountains, the Souris River bottomlands in J. Clark Salyer Refuge, and the forest surrounding Devils Lake in the northeast; and the Missouri and Little Missouri bottomlands and the wooded hills of the badlands in the western half. The Turtle Mountains are probably your best bet.

Broad-winged Hawk—Uncommon to fairly common summer resident of mature, deciduous forests in the Turtle Mountains and Pembina Hills. Rare breeder in other areas with similar habitat in the eastern half. Uncommon migrant through wooded areas of the western half.

Swainson’s Hawk—Common summer resident of prairies and agricultural areas throughout the western three-fourths of the state. Uncommon to rare in the eastern one-fourth. Easy to find.

Rough-legged Hawk—Uncommon to fairly common migrant and winter visitor/resident, in prairies and agricultural areas throughout. Most often seen in November.

Ferruginous Hawk—Fairly common summer resident of open prairies throughout the western and southeast-central portions. Not hard to find. Many people confuse this species with juvenile or light-phase Red-tails. The best mark for separating the two is probably the large, white windows on the upper side of the Ferruginous’ wings. Also, when soaring, the Ferruginous flies with a dihedral (not as pronounced as with the Swainson’s), as opposed to the more flat-winged pattern of the Red-tailed.

Golden Eagle—Uncommon to fairly common permanent resident of the badlands along the Little Missouri River. Uncommon to rare winter visitor throughout. The best areas are the north and south units of the Roosevelt Memorial (including prairies in between) and on the sage-grasslands of Slope and Bowman Counties. The road going south from Marmarth can be especially good. In winter also check Lake Sakakawea, the Missouri River south of Bismarck, and Audubon Refuge.

Bald Eagle—Rare migrant and winter visitor throughout. A pair nested along the Missouri River (McLean County) in 1975, for the first nesting record in several years. In winter it may be found on almost any of the refuges (most likely Audubon), Lake Sakakawea, or along the Missouri River.

Prairie Falcon—Uncommon to rare resident of prairies and badlands in the western quarter. Rare visitor elsewhere. The best areas are the north and south units of the Roosevelt Memorial and Little Missouri and Sully’s Creek State Parks.

Ruffed Grouse—Fairly common to uncommon permanent resident of the Turtle Mountains and Pembina Hills. Can be found almost anywhere in mature deciduous forests throughout these areas. Try the nature trail at Lake Metigoshe State Park, the forest surrounding the Pelican-Sandy Lakes Primitive Recreation Area, the Wakopa and Tongue River Game Management Areas, and the Gunlogson Arboretum.

Greater Prairie Chicken—Rare permanent resident of remnant tracts of tall-grass prairie in Grand Forks, Ransom, and Richland Counties. The booming grounds in Ransom and Richland are on the Sheyenne National Grasslands. However, many of these spots are hard to find and hard to get to because of poor roads. Your best bet is on either of the two game management areas near Manvel in Grand Forks County.

Sharp-tailed Grouse—Common permanent resident over the western half. Fairly common in the central portion, and uncommon to rare across the eastern quarter. Found mostly in mixed-grass prairies and abandoned farm fields. Should be easy to find on the grasslands and sagebrush flats of both units of the Roosevelt Memorial, on the roads going south from Marmarth and Rhame, in the sandhills of Ransom and Richland Counties, in weedy fields along the Missouri River south of Bismarck, and on Des Lacs, Lostwood, J. Clark Salyer, Audubon, Long Lake, and Arrowwood Refuges.

Sage Grouse—Uncommon to fairly common resident of sagebrush prairies in Bowman, Slope, Billings, and Golden Valley Counties. Most common in the western halves of Slope and Bowman Counties. Try the roads going south from Marmarth and Rhame, and the road going north from Marmarth to Amidon. Activity on the dancing grounds usually reaches its peak in April.

Ring-necked Pheasant—Generally uncommon to fairly common resident over most of the state. Prefers weedy fields and ditches, shelterbelts, dry sloughs, and brushy edges of wooded river bottoms. Look for it in Barnes, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, and Dickey Counties; in the sandhills on J. Clark Salyer Refuge; around Lake Ilo; along the Missouri River bottoms near Bismarck; and in the Little Missouri bottomlands of the Roosevelt Memorial.

Gray Partridge—Fairly common resident over most of the state, becoming less common in the northeast. Utilizes much the same habitat as the Ring-necked Pheasant, but is more often found in open prairie areas. Fairly easy to find, particularly in winter when it is often found in the open along the roads.

Wild Turkey—Has been introduced in many areas. Has taken hold in the wooded river bottoms of the Missouri and Sheyenne (locally—around Valley City) Rivers, and in the Little Missouri badlands, where it occupies an upland coniferous-forest habitat. In these areas it is a fairly common to uncommon resident.

Whooping Crane—Rare migrant on its way to and from the nesting grounds in Canada. At those times it may be seen on almost any of the refuges in the western and central portions.

Sandhill Crane—Common migrant throughout the western half; uncommon to rare through much of the eastern half. During migration, may be found in large concentrations on refuges, in grain fields, or simply flying through the air in long skeins.