Date: 4/26/26 7:18 am From: Chris Anderson via groups.io <canderson1...> Subject: [sd-birds] SFBC field trip results
Yesterday a dozen birders joined the monthly field trip of the Sioux Falls Bird Club to visit the wetlands of western Minnehaha County. It was chilly with intermittent rain, but there were plenty of birds around and we ended up with over 60 total species for the day.
A nice group of Wilson's Phalaropes provided a close demonstration of their spinning behavior at the beach at Wall Lake, with an American Pipit foraging nearby. Dewey Gevik Conservation Area had a good diversity of waterfowl, plus a pair of Wild Turkeys surprising us along the water's edge. The island at Fensterman's Slough (visible from the dead-end of 460th Ave north of SD Hwy 42) had a number of Willets and American Avocets, with a Caspian Tern briefly passing through. Hartle WPA (just west of SD Hwy 19 on 261st St) had the best shorebird numbers and diversity, with 13 different species including Dunlin, Semipalmated Plovers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Wilson's Snipe, and more.
Thanks to everyone who attended. Our next club event will be Saturday, May 9 at Good Earth State Park.
And don't forget the upcoming South Dakota Ornithologists' Union spring meeting (https://sdou.org/SDOU/NextMeeting.aspx) May 15-17 in Pierre. If you haven't registered yet, please let me or Ricky Olson (<olsonr088...>) (mailto:<olsonr088...>) know that you would like to attend, and whether or not you will be partaking in the Saturday evening banquet. I believe we need a final head count for the banquet by May 1. Field trips and activities will be based out of the Ramkota Hotel in Pierre. Please let us know if you have any questions!
Chris Anderson
Sioux Falls, SD
Trip report from today's birding: https://ebird.org/tripreport/505965?view=checklists (https://ebird.org/tripreport/505965?view=checklists)
