Very little of North Dakota is occupied by forest habitat, although it is locally well-represented. Much of it is found in the form of floodplain forests along the Red, James, Sheyenne, Souris, Missouri, and Little Missouri Rivers and their tributaries. In the west the floodplain forests are dominated, for the most part, by cottonwoods (as is true along large portions of the Missouri and Little Missouri Rivers) and have a more open canopy and understory than those of the eastern streams.
In the east bottomland forests are represented by a more diverse plant community. Among the more common trees are American elm, bur oak, green ash, basswood, and box elder.
Tracts of upland deciduous forest can be found locally throughout the state. In the southern and western portions, these are largely restricted to buttes and bluffs overlooking various rivers. Bur oak, green ash, and quaking aspen are usually the most representative trees. (A good example can be found at Little Missouri State Park in [Dunn] County.)
Upland deciduous forests also occur in the northeast. The best examples are in the Pembina Hills of [Pembina] and [Cavalier] Counties. Smaller tracts can be found on hills and bluffs overlooking many of the larger lakes such as those around the shores of Devils Lake and Stump Lake. Predominant trees include bur oak, American elm, quaking aspen, green ash, box elder, and birch. The well-forested Turtle Mountains are dominated for the most part by quaking aspen.
Small groves of evergreen forests dot the slopes and draws of the Little Missouri badlands. These are represented by various species of junipers and by ponderosa pine.
In addition to the natural habitats there are several artificial ones. Agricultural areas, the largest group, have already been mentioned. Others are urban areas—landscaped yards, gardens, golf courses, city parks, cemeteries, and the almost-sterile downtown streets. Stock ponds, reservoirs, and drainage ditches also constitute artificial environments. An interesting man-made habitat (at least from the birder’s view) is the municipal sewage ponds. These often attract an incredible array of waterfowl and shorebirds and make excellent birding spots for anyone who can put up with the smell.
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.