Bob's Gone Birding: Birding North Dakota: Granville

A typical "pothole" in North Dakota, they polka dot nearly the entire middle of the state.

During the planning stage of this trip, I posted a request for birding suggestions on the "North Dakota Birding" Facebook page. Among the tips I received were several comments along the lines of "Don't neglect the Granville area, especially along 57th Street North." Accordingly, on Friday morning my friends and I turned east from Minot and eventually found ourselves along a 7-mile rural road through an agricultural area peppered with pothole ponds.

Before I get to the birding part of the day, I'd like to add an aside for my non-North Dakota friends. During my trip I learned that 90% of the land mass of the state is used for agriculture. There's also some native prairie left, mostly in national refuges. So there is very little to prevent the wind from tearing through anything in its path. To protect their farms, many farmers chose to plant thick rows of trees and shrubs around their homes, barns and other structures. At this time of year, the trees are lush and the lilacs gorgeous. The photo to the left depicts a really nice example of this practice. The result provides color and variety to the waves of wheat and other grains rippling in the breeze.

The first field on the western end of the street looked very interesting. I pulled over and the first thing I saw was a nest high in an oak. I put the spotting scope on it and saw a Red-tailed Hawk! Then another flew directly over the nest and began hunting the field in front of me. Mom tending the home while dad hunted for food? Whatever the case, it was great seeing that little vignette of domestic life. I did a slow 360 degree turn and checked out the fields around me. I saw Killdeer, Robins, a Yellow Warbler, a Ring-necked Pheasant, some Brewer's Blackbirds, an American Goldfinch or two (right) and several Red-winged Blackbirds. Just another North Dakota farm field.

At the next corner, a Song Sparrow lived up to his name from the top of a pine tree. A little farther up the road was the first pond and on it were some Mallards and Gadwalls. Against the far edge were a couple of Blue-winged Teals, and several Northern Shovelers flew in while I watched. Just another North Dakota farm pond.

Continuing along the road we quickly added Wilson's Snipe, Barn and Tree Swallows, Clay-colored Sparrow, and a gorgeous Northern Pintail (and yes, that's a redundant phrase). Then I heard a familiar "chin chin chin chin". I almost overlooked it because it's such a common sound in Florida. But I stopped to watch the little bird's progress through a small patch of vegetation. I didn't realize that with all of the many lakes, ponds and potholes I would visit, this would be the only Swamp Sparrow I would see.

Then we heard a very different sound - one that we want to hear desperately in Florida but rarely do. It was the dry "chibek" of a Least Flycatcher. At home we see empids and turn away with a shrug. Here in North Dakota they sing out, identifying themselves to anyone who cares to listen. What a treat that was ... but not the last of the day. Each field, pond or copse of trees held something new: Eastern and Western Kingbirds perching on the same fence. Orchard Oriole and Lark Sparrow (left) showing off their gaudy plumage. Sharp-tailed Grouse and Upland Sandpiper feeding in the same field. Wilson's Phalarope and Green-winged Teal sharing the same pond. I loved it all.

Near the end of the road I heard another sound that brought me to a stop. It was a sound I knew, but not because it was familiar. I had studied it before coming to North Dakota and heard it frequently in Lostwood NWR without ever seeing the bird. It was the song of a Baird's Sparrow, wasn't it? I pulled out my iPhone and played the song to check my memory. The bird popped up just in front of me, took one look at my unimpressive visage, and dove for cover. Fortunately, the others saw the bird too. We looked at each other and finally one of us said, "That was a Baird's Sparrow!" I didn't expect it here along this road, but there it was, a completely unexpected life bird! After that, the Vesper Sparrow that I saw a few minutes later and a bit farther along the road was a bit of a letdown.

We wrapped up the day with a too-brief stop at the Denbigh Experimental Forest. In the parking lot I saw an American Robin, a Chipping Sparrow and another Least Flycatcher (right). We walked along the trail that leads away from the parking area but didn't see or hear a single bird. Back at the car, I looked longingly down the road that would have to remain unexplored. It had been a long day, the afternoon was creeping toward the dinner hour, and we had to get back to Minot. Reluctantly, I hopped in the car and turned to the west.