Editor Afield

It was definitely one of my best local experiences among warblers! The best single-species warbler observation period I've witnessed, just for sheer numbers, but also for the fast-passed surround-vision that the warblers. Easily more than 200 Yellow-rumped Warblers were lining the west and north sides of the Old Schoolhouse Grove, plus the interior trees and surrounding cattail stands and small willows lining the 3 adjacent wetlands. The numbers were one thing, but once I stood in position, I was immediately surrounded by warblers, perched, flying out to catch newly hatched insects, mostly low to the ground; with warblers flying at my feet, my knees, within a foot of me.

Friday felt like the first warblers should have arrived overnight, and with flowering cottonwood trees setting the stage I searched for Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers, convinced they should be on hand. But there was no hint of their presence at my 2 best warbler stopover sites – nearby Melody's Grove and the more distant Country Schoolhouse Grove. Even so, Friday's new birds of spring were a Say's Phoebe, the first flycatcher of the season, and Red-throated Grebes, 2 pairs and a single in 2 locations – the 5th and last species of grebe to arrive.

An inspiring trip to Minnesota lakes country last Wednesday, which was coincidentally Earth Day, yielded looks at 4 active Bald Eagle nests and 2 active Osprey nests, as well as a sighting of an Osprey flying with a fish in its talons. After a warm walk through the woods filled with the sounds of Song Sparrows, American Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, a Blue Jay, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Downy Woodpecker, and pierced by a loud Pileated Woodpecker call, I made a second check for Common Loons. With the wind calmed to a murmur, the first pair of loons of the season materialized in a familiar location, which prompted me to approach a bit closer on foot. But the loons turned the table on me and actually approached me, which was both surprising and exciting.

An exciting surprise sighting of the week was finding a diminutive Burrowing Owl, exceptionally rare east of the Missouri River these days, but I found 2 last year after not seeing any the previous decade, so their return is promising. I'm almost surprised I found the too-kool owl because it blended into the grass background so well, although it was standing low behind the rim of bare dirt at a sizeable badger burrow. It seemed like it was even claiming the burrow considering it permitted me to take a few photos without flinching at my approach or quick photo series.

A week of new sightings began Thursday with a look at the first Great Blue Heron at Melody's Marsh, the first in North Dakota that is, preceded by Great Blue sightings in Minnesota 2 weeks before and in northern South Dakota 5 days earlier. At Charo Marsh 6 Baird's Sandpipers were firsts as they foraged with a Greater Yellowlegs. Friday was a much bigger migration day with first of year birds including 4 American Avocets, 6 Great Egrets, 7 Bonaparte's Gulls, and 28 Turkey Vultures, plus 14 more early White Pelicans and another Great Blue Heron. I also found my first nesting Giant Canada Goose of the year Friday, along with the first nest-building Red-tailed Hawk – the Krider's Red-tail no less. 

Mid-afternoon of the second of 4 snow days I broke away with the hope that roads were good enough to check on the Ferruginous Hawks, and while the roads were clear and dry, the hawks were both available on territory. The female was standing on the top of the low hill the pair seems to prefer and I saw the male flying toward the tree he sometimes perches in, but his flight angle took him to the ground where I lost sight of him. As I continued south past the nest, I suddenly realized the male was flying by my car with a branch in its beak, headed past me to the nest – a very fun sighting to witness. 

A Bald Eagle Extravaganza – again! Last Wednesday, on the way to Minneapolis-St. Paul, I counted 176 Bald Eagles at the Border Lake, just north of the border between the Dakotas! After checking for Bald Eagles in the Hecla area a week earlier and seeing none, it appeared that after poor weather conditions over the weekend, the first concentration of eagles arrived recently and should continue to build in numbers almost daily. Ice still covered the lake, as did scattered Bald Eagles in groups of up to 9, with lots of action as many eagles were patrolling the ice in low flights or perched in trees along the far side of the lake. 

A second spring breakthrough of Snow Geese and other waterfowl broke through Thursday with almost constant flocks flying northwest. Primarily Snow Geese, but the first flock I viewed was a serious mix of Arctic nesting geese – White-fronted Geese, Cackling Geese, Ross's Geese, plus blue morph and white morph Snow Geese – what a great way to usher in a "repeat migration" event in south-central North Dakota. There were plenty of raptors headed north too, including 8 Bald Eagles, 3 Rough-legged Hawks, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Merlin, and 3 Northern Harriers that included 2 males and the first female of spring. 

A personally exciting observation Thursday afternoon filled me with thrills every time I thought about it thereafter. As I was approaching a vacant hawk nest I've had my eye on south of my office, a Ferruginous Hawk suddenly appeared, flying directly toward the nest that a pair of Ferrugs checked out last March. The apparent male landed on the nest as I passed by to continue my drive to a lookout spot a half-mile away. I didn't see the regal hawk carrying a stick to add to the nest, but it spent a few minutes standing on the nest, then repositioned to a nearby tree before taking flight. As it banked, I saw a second Ferruginous Hawk flying low to the east, where it landed on a low hilltop – a slightly larger female – How Exciting! 

In Search of Spring, last Wednesday morning I pointed my car south looking for the most obvious signs of spring migration – flocks of Snow Geese flying north. A mile south of home a potential migrant flew above the road in front of me – a male Northern Harrier. The frozen marsh at mile 7 showed 5 new arrivals – Canada Geese – and a dozen miles farther south an adult Bald Eagle was also a pretty obvious potential migrant. It appeared the day had high potential to find a true vanguard of migrants, and at mile 19 I was shocked to see a bright yellow color beaming from the edge of a tree grove. I needed to double-check what I thought I had seen passing by at 60mph – a super-early male Yellow-headed Blackbird!

Before starting my drive east to Minnesota lakes country, I decided to choose a Pileated Woodpecker for the top of my wish list of birds to encounter. That's a bit of a far-fetched wish for any day, but it's been done before in the Pelican Lake-Cormorant Lake area. Photo? Don't even think 'bout it. But as rare as it would be to see a Pileated Woodpecker, after observing 3 species of woodpeckers a black crow-looking bird flew ahead of me – but it was no crow – it was a Pileated Woodpecker! I tried to get a second look at it by turning onto a muddy side road, but without luck. Even so, the luck was in crossing paths with the most noble woodpecker of the region.

My hope for an especially early spring were smashed last week after temperatures that peaked at 55 and 57 degree days were smashed by an especially wintery blizzard Wednesday that covered the landscape with bright white snow that blew horizontally and appeared to chase all the migrants beyond my expansive birding reach. But among continuing strong winds and blowing snow Thursday I was surprised to see a male Northern Harrier on the hunt above the highway 20 miles northeast of home on my way to Fargo. On my way back from a birding drive to the south Thursday, another silver hawk crossed the road ahead of me – a male Northern Harrier.

Seeing the first Northern Harrier in the area last Tuesday was a breaking point and I consider the silver-colored male to be the first spring migrant to cross north of the Dakota borderline that I've seen. And the following day, the first flock of geese showed – a mixed flock of 3 Canada Geese and 3 Cackling Geese. There was also a sprinkling of Horned Larks, numbering 1, 2, and 3, and a rare Golden Eagle sighting could be interpreted as a bird on its way north or northwest. My next step to check for the earliest migrants probably should have been to drive west to check for birds using the Missouri River as their migration corridor, but after heading west 20 miles short of the river, I turned south and made a beeline for Pierre, South Dakota. 

It seemed as if I had a case of owl fever today as I searched all the most likely areas where I might find a Short-eared Owl, or any owl in the area. But without a trace of any birds, I decided to double back to the east side of the 7-mile prairie south of home. On the way I encountered a yearling Rough-legged Hawk and an adult Bald Eagle – things were looking up. And when I least expected it, as I rounded the top of a low hill a Snowy Owl appeared! Perched on a sturdy fence post near the road, our eyes met and as I instinctively reached for my camera the Snowy instinctively took flight, beginning a low fluid movement on long white wings along the fenceline. It seemed the great white owl might land, and it did, providing some photographs from a much greater distance – very exciting nonetheless – for there is nothing like a Snowy Owl encounter!

Sunshine in South Dakota! Or so I was led to believe, ha. I was really excited about making another birding trip south to the Pierre area to repeat my monthly SoDak Winter Raptor Survey, and it appeared that last Friday would be my best bet. By the time I reached Pierre, which is about half-way through my survey route, I hadn't seen a raptor and it was cloudy and dreary – outdoors and to an extent, in my mind. It was a first to see no birds aside from Ring-necked Pheasants by the time I reached Pierre, but the best raptor sightings are usually south of Pierre, and the sun might peak through the clouds soon. 

In last week's "Owl Addendum" I described seeing 5 owls the previous Monday, and I followed-up by checking on them Tuesday about the same time – a half-hour before sunset. The first bird I encountered 6 miles south was a Rough-legged Hawk, the first I've seen in 10 days in that area. But I didn't have much faith in finding the Short-eared Owls – wrong – thankfully. A half-mile farther south was the first Short-ear hunting on the wing, and after it faded out of sight, I turned north and there was a second Short-ear perched near the road! It allowed me to approach and photograph it in the fading light, which was quite a thrill.

There is something about swans and snow – perhaps it's the pristine white on white effect – and when you add a beautiful shade of sky blue reflecting on the surface of tranquil water, it creates a very serene visual that takes you to a quiet place of meditation as you absorb the beauty of a captivating slice of nature. I let my body relax so my eyes could take the lead in absorbing the scene before me – aah. There were many pairs, single swans, 2 family groups, and larger loose groups that overall numbered about 70 beautiful Trumpeter Swans, swimming, feeding, bathing, preening, resting, and sleeping swans on the adjacent snow-covered ice, in what seemed to be something of a sense of community among the huge white waterfowl.

How did you begin the new year? After waiting for a sunny day over the holiday period rather impatiently, I eventually followed an Alberta clipper weather system New Year's Day, driving east toward Duluth with the promise of a sunny day January 2nd. This was my winter pilgrimage to the Sax-Zim Bog region north of Duluth, fueled by the hope to find Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks, a northern owl, a Boreal Chickadee, Ruffed Grouse, a northern woodpecker or hawk, and other exciting Northwoods winter birds. To start the fun along the 400-mile 7-hour drive to The Bog I managed to find a rare Northern Hawk Owl 90 minutes before the Bog, east of Aiken, Minnesota.

Happy New Year and Welcome Back to weekly issues of The Birding Wire for 2026. While we hope you had a wonderful holiday period, I enjoyed some memorable avian observations, and photo opportunities, beginning back on Saturday, December 20th. After impatiently waiting for a month of days for a clear, sunny day to coincide with a day I had an open schedule to conduct my first SoDak winter raptor survey of the season. I've been doing this survey during winter months for 10 years now, during which I drive the same transect that is kinda centered at Pierre, South Dakota; counting raptors about 50 miles north and south of the capitol city.

A winter Merlin! At first it was a shadow, flying between 1 and 2 feet above the ground, barely discernable but I had a feeling as it dipped over the edge of a low hill just 20 feet away. Three Horned Larks suddenly flew up in reaction to the appearance of the little falcon that was right on their tails as they flew directly over the windshield of my car – with the silver-gray male Merlin spreading its tail broadly to show the alternating gray and white bands, and its long pointed primary wings feathers were clearly evident as it continued its lark pursuit.