2021 Michigan Trip - North Dakota
Halfway to Michigan, we made a stop in North Dakota to go to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (where we camped for two nights) and Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (where we spent a morning birding after Theodore Roosevelt). Both Dakotas and the other central states are famous for their extensive prairie and grasslands. These particular prairies in North Dakota have some relatively local and rare breeding birds, including Baird’s Sparrow and Sprague’s Pipit. Unfortunately, we saw neither of those despite many hours of searching in the mosquito-infested grasses, but we did get to see most of the other grassland-specific birds.
Though containing fewer mammals than Yellowstone, Theodore Roosevelt did have its fair share of rodents, like these Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). The ones that had established colonies inside the park were fairly conditioned to human interaction, so they didn’t mind us much besides the occasional alarm call. However, the prairie dogs that were relegated to the grasslands outside of the park and closer to farmland were a lot more cautious. As soon as they saw us, they’d spurt alarm shrieks that signaled all the other dogs to immediately hop inside the burrows. It might’ve not helped that there were some .22 rifle bullet casings on the ground near the colony.
Though less common than in Yellowstone, the American Bison (Bison bison) that lived in Theodore Roosevelt were definitely tamer. With a friend, this particular bison went up within a few meters of our eating tent and chowed down on the grass in our campsite. Oddly enough, there were a lot less signs here warning of the danger of bison, despite their tendency to wander the campground.
By far, the most surprising bird we found at the campground was this Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor). This particular nighthawk was perched right above one of our tents, and in the evening, it would let out insect-like cthee-eep noises before eventually taking off to look for bugs in the night.
Here is the nighthawk again, this time getting ready to fly away. Nighthawks are nocturnal, so they have to find good perches where they can blend in with the environment during the day.
Also in our campground was this friendly Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus). They live in most of the US, with the exception of the Southwestern states (think California and Colorado areas). Their song is slightly reminiscent of a robin or grosbeak but utilizing shorter phrases.
This very colorful male Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) was right at a cliff edge singing at nearly full volume. While the Red-eyed Vireo is primarily an Eastern bird, the Lazuli Bunting is strictly the Western side of the US, but if you get further into Wisconsin and Michigan, you can find its Eastern counterpart, the Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea).
Though we only saw this bird for a split second, I still managed to snap a few photos of this Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). Although they share the genus with a few other sociable woodpeckers that prefer family groups, such as Acorn (Melanerpes formicivorus), Lewis’s (Melanerpes lewis), and Yellow-tufted Woodpecker (Melanerpes cruentatus), the Red-headed Woodpecker is for the most part solitary.
Although they sound similar to California’s Wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) with their ping-pong ball-like song, the Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) looks and is quite different. This particular individual was part of a pair and carrying this delicious grub, most likely to carry off to a nest.
By far, the most common bird of the prairie was Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris). They were on every fence post and barbed wire. They even walked right in front of the car and only flew once you were about to squish them. Unfortunately, they didn’t sing that often, although they might drown out the other birds if they did. Also, despite what seems to be a good amount of sun in this photo, it wasn’t actually that hot out in the Great Plains. Unlike some other places in Kansas or South Dakota, the prairie of North Dakota is pretty high up there and relatively close to the Canadian border. Most of the time, the temperature was only slightly above what we were used to in San Francisco. Combined with the mosquitos, this gave us a small preview of what the arctic tundra might be like if we ever do get up there, but of course, the actual tundra would be a lot colder and have dramatically more mosquitos.
While Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) typically prefer places with a bit more water, Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) live perfectly fine in the prairie. These birds were most likely looking for pheasants or grouse, the former of which we saw many, but the latter we saw very little. We only saw one grouse, and it flew as soon as it saw us, so we were unable to determine whether it was a Sharp-tailed Grouse or Gray Partridge.
Combined with the prairie dogs, the Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) created a constant state of shrill, panicking noises. We were evidently close to this birds’ nest, and it did not like that. It followed us up and down the road, faking a broken wing, trying to draw us away from its home.
Though a frequent resident in marshes, these birds are relatively uncommon outside of them. However, there were a few streams in this prairie, and with streams come Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). The Red-winged Blackbirds here were slightly different from the ones in California. The ones of California in summer are of the Bicolored subspecies (not to be confused with a separate Bicolored subspecies in Mexico). Males that are Bicolored have no yellow under the red patch on their wing, compared with the blackbirds in the rest of the US, which do have it.
We encountered a few Sedge Wrens (Cistothorus platensis) in the marshes at Lostwood, but the similar and more widespread Marsh Wren (Cistothorus plaustris) was still more common and a tad bit more vocal. Sedge and Marsh Wrens look relatively similar, but Sedge Wrens have a slightly less prominent eyebrow and a different song.
While the Sedge Wrens posed rather nicely, the Marsh Wrens were pretty hasty in their angry noise-filled song-trips around their territories. Because of this, I was only able to get a few photos of them, and none of them were very respectable in regards to the wren.
The highlight of the birds at Lostwood was a couple of Nelson’s Sparrows (Ammospiza nelsoni). Their secretive nature, combined with their quiet song, made these birds relatively hard to find. Apparently, both males and females of the species are also promiscuous, meaning they didn’t sing much to defend territory.
Although we found both Eastern (Tyrannus tyrannus) and Western Kingbirds (Tyrannus verticalis), the Eastern Kingbirds were definitely more common. Interestingly enough, like the Red-eyed Vireo, the Eastern Kingbird isn’t really that restricted to the Eastern portion of the US; they just don’t like the Southwest. However, the Western Kingbird, like the Lazuli Bunting, only lives on the Western side of the US. Its range is like a line drawn straight down the middle of the country.
Throughout the grasslands and prairie, besides the grass, farms, and prairie dogs, one thing remained the same, the presence of fracking. Along the horizon on every dirt road were metal machines, pumping up oil for most likely the farmers to sell. They looked like giant scabs, with their orangish coloration and large dirt foundations.
