Date: 9/6/26 12:36 pm From: Vic Fondy via groups.io <treasurecreek...> Subject: [sd-birds] WW to Orman and Other Sightings
We birded back roads (at 90+ degrees) to various lakes/water hotspots to the North on Saturday 9.5 and found minimum waterfowl sightings, but considerable roadside Sparrow activity. Bear Butte Lake continues to shrink with land from the North side extending to the middle of the lake. Bear Butte South road access was closed for unknown reason and the lake had only a few Mallard sightings. Belle Fourche Reservoir had lots of boat activity and few birds except for Gulls. Lots of Sparrow activity on the trip including Lark, Vesper, Field, and Lark Buntings. Raptor sightings included numerous Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels, but no Eagles. Shorebird/waterbird sightings were Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, and Wilson's Phalaropes. Lots of Eastern Kingbirds. Other sightings of interest included Lewis', Red-headed Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, and Eared Grebe. One Yellow Warbler was only warbler sighting. European Starlings largest number of bird sightings.
Our feeder activity 1.5 miles south of Whitewood has included one Evening Grosbeak on 9.3, Western Tanagers and Brown Thrashers daily, and lots of the other regulars, but no American Goldfinches. Our weekend bird calendar was the Arctic Tern which has the longest migration of any bird traveling from South America/Antarctica to Alaska and return. My career was in Alaska and if you got near an Arctic Tern nest on the ground you would be dive-bombed.
