BACKGROUND ON THE BIRDS
A few years ago the American Birding Association surveyed its members to determine the 50 “most-wanted” species in North America. Of these, 9 are to be expected in North Dakota. In decreasing order of priority they are: Yellow Rail, Snowy Owl, Connecticut Warbler, Bohemian Waxwing, Baird’s Sparrow, Northern Goshawk, Sprague’s Pipit, Hoary Redpoll, and Smith’s Longspur. An additional 6 are on the current state list but are very rare and seldom seen: Boreal Owl, Great Gray Owl, Gyrfalcon, Hawk Owl, Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker, and Eurasian Wigeon.
For the most part, North Dakota has an eastern avifauna which blends almost imperceptibly into a more western one in the extreme western part of the state. The blend zone is most apparent in the vicinity of Bismarck in the south-central part of the state. Here the ranges of Indigo and Lazuli Buntings and Rose-breasted and Black-headed Grosbeaks overlap, and the birder may see some interesting hybrids.
With few exceptions, the birds of the eastern half (especially along the Red, James, and Sheyenne Rivers) are the same species found in similar habitats throughout eastern North America. East begins to give way to West biologically in the central part. Here, the birder begins to notice the western species such as Ferruginous and Swainson’s Hawks, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Lark Bunting, and Chestnut-collared Longspur.
By the time one reaches the badlands on the western edge, it is the eastern birds which are unusual. Here, there is an abundance of western species, including Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Sage Grouse, Burrowing Owl, the red-shafted race of the Common Flicker, Say’s Phoebe, Black-billed Magpie, Rock Wren, Mountain Bluebird, Lazuli Bunting, Black-headed Grosbeak, the spotted race of the Rufous-sided Towhee, Brewer’s Sparrow, and McCown’s Longspur.
Although the breeding birds may vary considerably from one part of the state to the next, winter species are fairly uniform throughout. Comparatively few birds stick out the North Dakota winters. Extremely cold temperatures, little cover, and little open water combine to make this a somewhat poor state for winter birding. The following species can usually be found: Rough-legged Hawk; Golden Eagle; Sharp-tailed Grouse; Ringnecked Pheasant; Gray Partridge; Great Horned, Snowy, and Short-eared Owls; Mourning Dove; Common Flicker; Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers; Horned Lark; Black-billed Magpie; American Crow; Blue Jay; Black-capped Chickadee; White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches; American Robin; Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings; Northern Shrike; European Starling; House Sparrow; Western Meadowlark; Red-winged and Rusty Blackbirds; Evening and Pine Grosbeaks; Purple Finch; Hoary and Common Redpolls; Pine Siskin; American Goldfinch; Red Crossbill; Northern Junco (slate-colored race); Lapland Longspur; and Snow Bunting.