If you do not get the plover or tern here, backtrack 2.2 miles to the fork before the Girl Scout camp and turn left (west). Drive 0.5 mile to 12th Street or 1.5 miles to Washington Street. By taking either south you will eventually reach the river. The view at the end of Washington Street is better, but access may be difficult if the river is high. During migration you may want to check General Sibley Park along Washington Street for passerines.
b) [Morton] County
The city of Mandan lies in Morton County just across the Missouri River from Bismarck. Most of the birds here are about the same as on the other side of the river, but there are some important exceptions.
To reach the best spots, take I-94 west to Mandan and turn off onto Main Street (I-94/Highway 10 Business Loop). Turn left (south) on 6th Avenue Southeast at the sign to Fort Lincoln State Park. This street becomes Highway 1806 and leads to most of the better birding spots.
Fort Lincoln State Park (about four miles south of Mandan) is worth a visit. It is not a particularly good spot for birds, although you will probably find typical upland species present. The most interesting feature of the park is its historical significance. There are three important sites: 1) the Slant Indian Village, which was once occupied by the Mandan Indians, 2) Fort McKeen Infantry Post, which was occupied by the 6th Infantry, and 3) Fort Abraham Lincoln, home of the colorful George Armstrong Custer and his famous 7th Cavalry. The two military posts were active in the late 1800’s. The park also offers an interpretive museum, picnic sites, and several modern camping sites (complete with electrical hook-ups).
Continue south on Highway 1806 for 6.0 miles to the Little Heart River. Turn left on an unmarked side road just north of the bridge. This passes under an old railway trestle and through a field of alfalfa and tall wheat grass. A colony of Sedge Wrens has nested here in recent years. This area is also dependable for Gray Partridge, Bobolink, American Goldfinch, Dickcissel, and Grasshopper Sparrow. At the field’s edge and in the woods look for Cedar Waxwing, Veery, Yellow-breasted Chat, Northern and Orchard Orioles, Lazuli Bunting, Black-headed Grosbeak, and other typical bottomland birds.
Several roads lead from Highway 1806 down to the river, some of which you may want to take in order to look for bottomlands species and migrants. Some 4.0 miles past the Little Heart River Bridge, a small road leads left to a good point for Piping Plover and Little Terns.
Another interesting spot is 6.8 miles past the bridge. Here, you will enter a small badlands with several severely eroded buttes, much like those in the extreme western part of the state. Watch for Turkey Vulture, Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks, Western Kingbirds, and Say’s Phoebes (rare; look near old buildings). Rock Wrens can be surprisingly common. The best way to find them is to park and walk past eroded buttes. It is just a matter of watching and listening for their distinctive series of trills.
Rock Wren