Willet—Fairly common summer resident of prairie potholes, marshes, and lakes throughout. Easy to find at places such as Bowman-Haley, Lake Ilo, Lostwood, Des Lacs, Upper Souris, J. Clark Salyer, Audubon, Long Lake, Arrowwood, Lake Alice, and Tewaukon Refuges; Kelly’s Slough; Rush Lake; Alkaline Lake; and the marshes around Burnstad.
Red Knot—Very rare migrant through the eastern half. Look for it at Tewaukon, Kelly’s Slough, and the sewage ponds at Grand Forks, Fargo, and West Fargo.
White-rumped Sandpiper—Uncommon migrant to water areas throughout. Look for it at Rush Lake, Kelly’s Slough, Stump Lake, Alkaline Lake, Hobart Lake, the sewage ponds at Grand Forks, Fargo, and West Fargo; and on marshes on Long Lake, Des Lacs, Upper Souris, Lostwood, J. Clark Salyer, Audubon, and Arrowwood Refuges.
Baird’s Sandpiper—Fairly common to uncommon migrant to water areas and flooded fields throughout. Can be found at all of the areas listed for the White-rumped Sandpiper.
Dunlin—Uncommon migrant throughout the eastern half; rare in the west. Found on flooded fields as well as on ponds, lake shores, marshes, and sewage ponds. Check Rush, Stump, Hobart, and Alkaline Lakes; Lake Ardoch; Kelly’s Slough; the fish hatchery at Valley City; Tewaukon Refuge; and the sewage ponds at Grand Forks, Fargo, and West Fargo.
Western Sandpiper—Uncommon to rare migrant throughout. Usually associates with Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, but seems to feed farther out from shore. Difficult to separate from Semipalmated except when in good spring plumage. Look for it on marshes, lake shores, and sewage ponds, or wherever you find other species of “peeps”.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper—Very rare migrant over most of the state; most regular in the northeast. Prefers grassy pastures and plowed fields. Your best bet is to check the farm areas of [Grand Forks] County.
Marbled Godwit—Fairly common summer resident of prairie wetlands throughout. Often seen on grasslands far removed from water (excluding an occasional stock pond) as at Longspur Pasture. Easy to find at places such as Bowman-Haley, Lake Ilo, Lostwood, Des Lacs, Upper Souris, J. Clark Salyer, Audubon, Arrowwood, Long Lake, Slade, and Tewaukon Refuges; Kelly’s Slough; Alkaline Lake; the marshes around Burnstad; and on the Sheyenne Grasslands of [Ransom] and [Richland] Counties.
Hudsonian Godwit—Uncommon to rare migrant to pastures and water areas throughout (less common in the western half). Try Rush Lake, Lake Ardoch, Kelly’s Slough, Long Lake and Tewaukon Refuges, and the sewage ponds at Grand Forks, Fargo, and West Fargo.
American Avocet—Fairly common summer resident of alkaline lakes and ponds and shallow wetlands throughout (absent as a nesting species over much of the southwest). Also commonly seen during migration and throughout the summer on sewage ponds and other areas where it does not nest. Easy to find at Bowman-Haley, Lostwood, Des Lacs, Upper Souris, J. Clark Salyer, Audubon, Long Lake, Arrowwood, Stump Lake, and Tewaukon Refuges; Kelly’s Slough; Alkaline Lake; Rush Lake; Hobart Lake; and the North Fargo sewage ponds.