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Another totally amazing fallout
May 21st, 2013.
I have been back home in ND for 3 weeks. For the past 3 days, it has been cold, windy, and raining. This weather has produced the most amazing site outside my kitchen window---- around the oranges, grape jelly, sunflower and thistle seed are at least 2 dozen Baltimore Orioles, 50 Goldfinches, 6 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a dozen Orchard Orioles, and 100 Pine Siskins. All have been in a feeding frenzy for 3 days. Flashes of orange and yellow erupt occasionally filling the air above the deck. Within nature is so much beauty,sometimes so subtle it goes unnoticed, but this spectacle out the kitchen window could be appreciated by even the most unobservant.
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Totally amazing fall-out
April 26, 2013
I am still in Texas on the coast at Rockport, about 30 miles North of Corpus Chrisite. I have never been here before at this time of year. The migration has afforded me a life bird nearly every day. The last couple of days have produced an amazing "fall-out". As a "Norther" arrived, birds started dropping out of the sky into our yard--- it was dramatic, as I witnessed it outside my office window. Needless to say, I haven't accomplished much in the office in the last 2 days.
Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Scarlet Tanagers, Summer Tanagers, Hummingbirds, Northern Waterthrush, Swainson's thrush, Catbirds, Black-and-White warblers, Prothonotory Warblers, Great-Crested Flycatcher, Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow Warblers,Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, and more---
Very near the house, Roseate Spoonbills, Great Blue Herons, Tri-colored Herons, and Reddish Egrets are nesting. Paradise!
I am excited to head back home to ND in 2 days. The migration will start there soon as well. I am grateful to be surrounded by the beauty of nature.
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Winter birding at the ranch
I am fortuneate to be able to spend most of the winter on the south Tx coast and also to have access to 700 acres of wild Texas laced with senderos through the dense vegetation. Our last visit to the ranch yielded 24 species of birds in a short time, my favorite being the Blue-headed Vireo. There is so much diversity here between the coastal areas and ranch country.
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| A lovely surprise in the yellow pansy wedding pot |
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Late Fall
November 3rd, 2012
It has been a few months since I have written. After my last post, my summer was totally focused on my youngest daughter's wedding in the backyard August 25th. It was a wonderful focus which led to a magic wonderland wedding. The photo of the beautiful blue eggs was taken in June. The Chipping Sparrow responsible for the lovely nest chose the pot of yellow wedding pansies for a home.
Check out our new garden gallery of photos.
We now have 3 inches of snow on the ground. The birdfeeders are active with Red-breasted and White-breasted nuthatches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Juncos, Chickadees, Siskins,and Blue Jays. The Goose migration has not ocurred yet. Bald Eagles have shown up. Coyotes serenade every night from several locations on all sides of the farm.
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North Dakota Ballet
There is nothing more thrilling in the world of nature and birding than watching the Sharp-tailed Grouse dance on the prairie. We got up very early and made our way to the top of a grassy hill overlooking Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge where the new portable blind is positioned. We watched the grouse drum and dance from about 10 feet away. Amazing!
As the sun rose over the virgin prairie, there were ducks flying everywhere, many species of grassland sparrows, and Bobolinks singing all around us. Shorebirds were abundant along the shores of the James River which flows through Arrowwood.
We are approaching the 10th Anniversary of the Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival June 13th through the 17th. 'Can't wait to share our region's abundance of birds and nature with the rest of the country.
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| Sunrise over Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge taken by Steve Ingraham during the festival |
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Two weeks of fantastic birding on the ND prairie
I am still in the afterglow of the 10th Anniversary of the Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival which took place June 13th to the 17th. I am the festival coordinator and president of Birding Drives Dakota, the non-profit organization which hosts the festival with our partner, Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge. We had 90 very happy participants from 28 states. My favorite tour in all the years of the festival was our new Prairie Ramble led by Julie Zickefoose. It was on 640 acres of virgin prairie loaded with wildflowers, teepee circles, birds, butterflies, and grasses. It was awesome. I love North Dakota.
Since the festival has been over, I have had time to bird on the farm. There are fledgings everywhere including bright yellow Orchard Orioles. A Black-billed cuckoo has been calling for the last 3 days. I still haven't seen it but will continue to get my rubber boots on and head into the brush in search of it whenever I hear it. I want to SEE it! Yesterday I saw an Eastern Bluebird, only the third I have seen on this farm where I grew up and have now lived for the last 25 years.
Last evenings' drive yielded a young Swainson's hawk sitting on a nest, a fledging Kestral near its cavity nest, nesting Red-headed woodpeckers, a coyote den, and a fox den.
We had interesting visitors from Sweden last week in Hans Jornvall and his wife, Ann Margaret. Hans has seen over 8000 birds and is the second biggest lister in the world. He had a great day birding with his local guide, Bob Anderson. Hans was SO happy with the 101 birds he saw in about 11 hours.
The dawn chorus is still happenning but will soon be declining as the breeding season comes to a close. I will look forward to it next year and try not to miss a day of it.
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November 19th, 2011
With the arrival of winter has come the migration of geese which has been at its peak the last few days. I have been so fortuneate to have thousands of snow geese feeding in a harvested corn field just across the road from the picture windows in my office. Every once in awhile, they all get up at the same time making the most enormous racket, a welcome distraction and a thrilling spectacle of white against the crisp blue sky.
The cold and snow has ended the spell of inactivity at the birdfeeders. The feeding area is teeming with Bluejays, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers, Juncos, Chickadees, Goldfinches, House Finches, and Sparrows. Yesterday brought an Eastern Towhee and an immature Red-headed Woodpecker.
The Great-horned Owl posing in a bare tree against a serene and gorgeous sunset while I was taking my dogs for an evening walk was a lovely surprise. There are many good things about the change of seasons. I would never have seen the owl if the trees were still green.
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| Scissor-tailed flycatcher at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge |
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Texas, Guatemala, and North Dakota
March 24th, 2012
It is spring on the southern Texas coast where I have been for two months with the exception of a ten day birding trip to Guatemala which included staying of coffee plantations.
Rain has nourished the Texas coast bringing gorgeous wildflowers and green grass, both of which were lacking last year at this time with the severe drought. The Egrets and Herons have started to nest. Great-horned Owl babies are easily seen in a nest very near here. Scissor-tailed flycatchers abound along with all the other birds returning.
Spring has sprung early in ND. I am feeling drawn home to ND by all the daily reports on ListServ. I will be returning home with the songbirds in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I am gratefully watching dolphins swim closely by with the Herons and Egrets in the background in full breeding plumage and behavior.
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Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge
September 14th, 2011
The Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge, just 5 miles from the farm hosted 2 Open Houses last week for its wonderful new Visitor's Center. As a member and President of Birding Drives Dakota, now an official "Friends" group of the Refuge, I was priviledged to help host the events. The Refuge is situated on the James River and Arrowwood Lake.
The drive to the Refuge from the farm is on gravel roads lined with potholes filled with migrating White-faced Ibis, Semi-palmated Plovers, Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, Avocets, plus many other shorebirds and numerous duck species. It was hard not to be late to the events.
Since my last post, I have been to the Amazon rainforest in Peru. No need to say how amazing that was. My favorite bird was the Sparkling Violetear Hummingbird.
Our yard has been frequently visited by migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the last 2 weeks. While a relatively common occurrence this time of year, Hummingbirds always demand a few minutes out of a busy day to observe and appreciate their beauty and behavior.
I am looking forward to the continued fall migration here, especially hundreds of thousands of snow geese and the occasional whooping crane.
Tomorrow I am off to the Midwest Birding Symposium.
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June 22, 2011
Just starting to fade is the afterglow of the 9th Annual Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival with great birds, wonderful new and old friends, and endless prairie at its finest. The cool, wet weather leading up to the festival and the wind during the festival caused the Baird's Sparrow and the Sprague's Pipit to be elusive. These are target birds for many attendees. However, there was no shortage of life birds for many folks and the Chestnut-Collared Lonspur was abundant, always a festival star. Bill Thompson tallied 111 species on his Big Day!
The wet weather before the festival and the warm sun during the festival brought the wildflowers out in spendid color. My favorite is Priaire Smoke. Many years it is difficult to find, but this year it was plentiful on the virgin prairie lands.
Watch for news of the 10th Anniversary of the Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival to be held June 6th to the 10th. Check out birdindrives.com.
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May 20, 2011
We are in the peak of the warbler migration. This time of year I wish everyone I know would have binoculars and would go back in the woods with me to see the warblers. Most folk have no idea of the little bits of vibrant flying colors that can be seen for a couple of fleeting weeks.
In the past couple of days, the warblers I've seen have included a Chestnut-sided, Yellowthroat, Palm, Yellow, Orange-crowned, Tennessee, Cape May, Magnolia, Blackpoll, Black- and white, Redstart, Connecticut, Wilson's, Northern Waterthrush, and Yellow-rumped. Of these, only the Connecticut is a life bird, but they all seem to be that when I see them for the first time in the spring, knowing that I may not see them again until they decide to stop again next spring.
An Olive-sided Flycatcher added to my life list last evening while I was surrounded by 10 species of warblers.
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May 1st, 2011
I was able to spend the latter part of the winter on the South Texas coast at Rockport, just north of Corpus Christie. This year I was fortuneate enough to be able to stay long enough for the spring migration of warblers, something I have never before been able to do. At "Paradise Pond" in Port Aransus, I got 5 live birds in a few minutes, all warblers--- Cerulean, Black-throated Green, Northern Parula, Prothonotory, and Hooded. Wow! I think it was the most fun few minutes of birding I have ever had.
We had many wildlife experiences while in Texas on the coast and inland at a ranch. The best was the mystery dark-headed swimmer. From our boat, we saw something swimming in the water which, here in ND, we would assume to be a muskrat or beaver. We quickly ruled those out, though, as we have never seen them in those coastal waters. With anticipation, we approached the creature and found it to be a very small ferrel pig! It seemed to be a confident swimmer but extremely out of place, and in danger with many boats around and no beach in sight. The situation evoked much anxiety and concern, but the story ended happily as it was rescued by another boat after our missed attempt with the fishing net.
North Dakota is just waking up from a long cold and snowy winter, ever so slowly. Many of the birds have returned, but I am patiently awaiting the warblers. I don't think their return will bring me 5 life birds, as I have watched the warlbers here in mid-May since I was a little girl. It is always a thrill, thouogh, to see every warbler return and there is always the chance that a life warbler will decide to stop for a rest--
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Raptor Evening, April 28th
The migration and return on the nesting birds is always so exciting. This evening we saw a juvenile Sharp-shinned hawk, a juvenile American Kestrel, both allowing very close looks. A Short-eared owl sat very close to us on a fence post and there were several hunting. Hunting Northern Harriers and Red-tailed hawks were abundant. On our evening drives, we have found 2 active Red-tailed hawk nests and an active Northern Harrier nest. I am looking forward to watching chicks through the spotting scope. They should still be present for the enjoyment of the folks coming to the Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival, June 9th through the 13th.
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January 24,2011
We have had a harsh winter with many blizzards, below-zero weather and snow that is now about 30 inches on the level. Even so, there is abundant wildlife to enjoy. Our farmstead is helping support a herd of about 100 deer, pheasants, rabbits and backyard birds. The deer are having a tough time finding food, so we enjoy supplementing their sparse diet with flax and screenings (seeds cleaned from grain). Birds at the feeders include Goldfinches, House Finches, Blue Jays, Juncos, Chickadees, Sparrows, Nuthatches, and Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. A Great-Horned Owl roosted very near the house one day adding to the array of wildlife visible from the windows. I am recovering from bilateral total knee replacement so I am grateful for the beautiful sparkly white snow and all the winter wildlife easily seen from the kitchen windows.
A Golden Eagle was around for a few days, possibly stalking the pheasant population.
It is fun to think about the spring but the beauty of nature endures all seasons.
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| Participants enjoy the wonderful morning. |
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October 12th, 2010
Today will be only about 65, but it has been over 80 degrees for the past 2 weeks in sunny North Dakota. This photo was taken during the Big Sit at Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge. I am fortunate to live just 5 miles from the Refuge.
36 species were recorded in the course of the daylight hours. Camp coffee added to the ambience of a windless, peaceful, and warm day beside Arrowwood Lake.
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May 22, 2010
In the course of looking for burrowing owls in a pasture, we found a meadowlark nest. It is a "life nest" for me. When I was a child, I spent hours every day looking for nests--- even so, I never found a meadowlark nest, even though meadowlarks were much more prevalent then.
We are in the peak of the warbler migration, my favorite time of year in North Dakota. Every day yields a new warbler. This morning my favorite was the Chestnut-sided warbler.
I am anticipating sharing North Dakota's bounty with the birders who will be here for the Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival starting June 9th. For more information, visit www.biridngdrives.com.
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October 2, 2010
It is a gorgeous sunny bluebird day in North Dakota, about 62 degrees and no wind. We have been enjoying the fall migration. "First fall" birds always present an interesting identification challenge. The immature Red-necked Grebe, however, was unmistakable, as were the numerous immature Yellow-rumped Warblers in our trees. I have never previoiusly taken the time to enjoy the colorful young Norther Harriers.
I was able to partake in a few hours of the Hummingbird Festival in Rockport, Texas. It followed Hurricane Karl, however, making a challenge for festival organizers because of the torrential rains. The rains did not halt the feeding activity of the hundreds of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that migrate through Rockport every fall.
The above photo was taken on a ranch about 60 miles inland from Rockport. Highlight of the day was the huge ferrel hog that darted in front of our "Mule". The young woman in the photo is one of my daughters.
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| This photo was taken by Rick Bohn. Rick is a great friend of the festival, volunteering to help scout and guide. |
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September 11, 2010
I have had an abundant summer with many trips with family and friends to wonderful places. Thus, the big gap between writings on my blog---- am headed to Rockport, Texas, tomorrow for the Hummingbird Festival. Will also be able to do some birding on a ranch.
We are already planning the 2011 Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival. Bill and Julie will be back as well as Al Batt. Please watch www.birdingdrives.com for more information. We are already very excited, anticipating another great festival.
The fall migration of warblers in North Dakota is coming to a close. Soon the skies will be filled with thousands of snow geese marking another season. Watch for a photo gallery on my web site.
Ann
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| We were very fortuneate to be able to see a bison herd with many babies against the backdrop of the beautiful Arrowwood Refuge. |
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June 26th, 2010
It is now 5 days after the summer solstice. It doesn't get dark until 10:30PM and one can still see light in the northern sky at midnight. It is the most awesome time of the year. Warm, sunny, green, birds singing everywhere and endless light.
The Potholes and Prairie Birding Festival finished on June 13th. We are still basking in the afterglow of the festival. So many folks from all over the country were thrilled to see what they came for-- the Baird's, LeConte's, and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows, Sprague's Pipits, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Chestnut-Collared Longspurs, plus well over 100 other species of nesting ducks, shorebirds, grassland birds, and raptors. Short-eared owls were abundant this year. It was great to be with wonderful friends again and watch new friendships being forged through the passion folks have for birding.
See the photo gallery "Potholes and Prairie Festival in ND in June" for photos.
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Migration TX and ND April 20, 2010
April 20, 2010
Just a week ago I returned from 2 weeks at our family home in Rockport, TX on the Gulf Coast. We had great birding in several habitats. Life birds for me were the Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Long-billed Thrasher, and Phainopepla. The first 3 are relatively common there, but I just have never had the opportunity to get to their habitat before. A special thrill was the Phainopepla, a rare bird at the ranch where we were birding near San Patricio, Texas.
It was great to return to North Dakota. It has been so much fun birding. The Snow Goose migration is finished, but the Sandhill Cranes are still flying over. There have been spottings of Whooping Cranes. Last evening we found 2 active raptor nests, a Norther Harrier nest and a Red-tailed hawk nest. Duck species abound in every pothole including Green-winged Teal, Blue-Winged Teal, Shovelers, Mallards, Pintails, Gadwall, Canvasbacks, Redheads, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy ducks, and Ring-necked ducks. Many of these will nest here. My favorite thing of last evening's birding was a really close-up look at an eared grebe.
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Early Migration
March 28th
The sight and sound of literally thousands of geese flying overhead in migration is one of the most spectacular events of nature. I never tire of it and it is just as amazing every spring as it was the last. Snow geese are my favorite, as there are so many of them, and they are so beautiful. Huge flocks in the sky look dark for a moment and then, all of a sudden, the geese turn and become a sea of white against the blue sky. Their voices are loud--- one can hear them all night flying overhead.
There are also huge numbers of Canadian geese and smaller numbers of White-fronted geese, and Ross's geese. All are passing through, though we have a small number of Canadian geese who stay and nest here.
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Costa Rica
Posted on 1/14/2010
Archived Blog Articles
2010
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