Date: 4/22/24 6:59 am From: gabrunner73 via groups.io <gabrunner73...> Subject: [sd-birds] Broad-winged Hawk
I saw a Broad-winged Hawk yesterday late afternoon at Oahe Downstream. (past the campgrounds, where the road curves rather than turning down Diver's Point). According to range maps at Cornell, migration is in eastern SD but not this far east. Audubon migration maps have uncommon for most of South Dakota, with common migration along far eastern South Dakota. I realize maps might not be exactly right but this was the first broad-winged I had seen in South Dakota.
Date: 4/20/24 7:09 pm From: Vic Fondy via groups.io <treasurecreek...> Subject: [sd-birds] WW to Orman and WW report
We selected today 4/20 as the best day for birding, but the weather was different than forecast with more wind and colder temps. After reading the East river list of Shorebirds we were determined to find shorebirds and birded Bear Butte area lakes, Nisland slough and lagoons, and Belle Fourche reservoir but found only Killdeer. Our final stop was Sale Barn Road lake near St. Onge and were rewarded with Greater Yellowlegs and Long-billed Curlews nearby. (Note: Approach Sale Barn Road from the south as the north road is badly rutted).
We had some interesting sightings today including FOS American White Pelicans at Bear Butte Lake and BF Reservoir, Vesper Sparrows on Sale Barn Rd, and Hooded Merganser at St. Onge pond on Crooked Oaks Road. I was a little uncertain on the Hooded Merganser which had the crest lowered, but the black spurs are pretty diagnostic. Attached are pictures of the Long-billed Curlew and Hooded Merganser. Raptor sightings were limited to Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Harrier, and American Kestrel. One o the Harriers was displaying with his dive/climb maneuver. Loggerhead Shrikes appeared to be migrating as we had 8 or more sightings. The Great-horned Owl nest along SD 34 NW of St. Onge now has two owls visible.
At our feeders 1.5 miles south of Whitewood, we had a FOS White-throated Sparrow, the Song Sparrow is still around, and the Evening Grosbeaks showed up again intermittently. Our birding friend at Hat Ranch subdivision south of Belle Fourche had a FOS Rock Wren on 4/17/24.
Date: 4/20/24 10:22 am From: Jeff Hansen via groups.io <jeff.hansen.sd...> Subject: [sd-birds] Feeder watch, sanborn county
I'm doing feeder watch this weekend and saw a chipping sparrow but then a new sparrow showed up. Not one I recognized immediately. Took a picture with my good camera and it's a vesper sparrow. Eating food on the ground.
Date: 4/19/24 1:21 pm From: David Strom via groups.io <djstrom...> Subject: [sd-birds] Outdoor Campus West Survey April 19, 2024
The weekly survey at the Outdoor Campus West was conducted on April 19, 2024, by Judy Hengen, Rachel Benton, Laural Bidwell and Jackie Stucky-Strom. 32 species were identified with a total of 234 Individuals.
Date: 4/18/24 1:41 pm From: Chris Anderson via groups.io <canderson1...> Subject: Re: [sd-birds] [siouxfallsbirdclub] SFBC field trip - April 27
My apologies - I neglected to mention our start time for this field trip. We will meet at the Outdoor Campus at 8:00 a.m.
On Thu, Apr 18, 2024 at 02:38 PM, <canderson1...> wrote:The Sioux Falls Bird Club will hold its April field trip next Saturday, April 27th to look for migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, and whatever else we can find around the wetlands west of Sioux Falls. We will meet at the Outdoor Campus (4500 S Oxbow Ave) to organize carpooling, and aim to be back around midday. This will primarily be a driving field trip, with stops to get out of the vehicles and check out the various wetlands along our route - these will likely include Wall Lake, Dewey Gevik Conservation Area, Klein's Slough, Fensterman's Slough, Grass Lake, Beaver Lake, and others in Minnehaha County. You do not need to be a club member to attend, all are welcome.
Despite the recent north winds, shorebirds continue to trickle into the Sioux Falls area. Within the last week, the following have been observed near SF: Marbled and Hudsonian Godwits, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Baird's and Pectoral Sandpipers, American Golden-Plovers, Wilson's Phalaropes, American Avocets, Wilson's Snipe, and a Black-necked Stilt. Passerines like Purple Martins, Barn and Tree Swallows, Brown Thrasher, and various sparrows are also showing up now.
Always fun when migration starts picking up. Looking forward to getting out and enjoying it with folks on the 27th.
Chris Anderson
Sioux Falls, SD
Date: 4/18/24 12:33 pm From: Chris Anderson via groups.io <canderson1...> Subject: [sd-birds] SFBC field trip - April 27
The Sioux Falls Bird Club will hold its April field trip next Saturday, April 27th to look for migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, and whatever else we can find around the wetlands west of Sioux Falls. We will meet at the Outdoor Campus (4500 S Oxbow Ave) to organize carpooling, and aim to be back around midday. This will primarily be a driving field trip, with stops to get out of the vehicles and check out the various wetlands along our route - these will likely include Wall Lake, Dewey Gevik Conservation Area, Klein's Slough, Fensterman's Slough, Grass Lake, Beaver Lake, and others in Minnehaha County. You do not need to be a club member to attend, all are welcome.
Despite the recent north winds, shorebirds continue to trickle into the Sioux Falls area. Within the last week, the following have been observed near SF: Marbled and Hudsonian Godwits, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Baird's and Pectoral Sandpipers, American Golden-Plovers, Wilson's Phalaropes, American Avocets, Wilson's Snipe, and a Black-necked Stilt. Passerines like Purple Martins, Barn and Tree Swallows, Brown Thrasher, and various sparrows are also showing up now.
Always fun when migration starts picking up. Looking forward to getting out and enjoying it with folks on the 27th.
Chris Anderson
Sioux Falls, SD
Date: 4/17/24 6:35 pm From: Preheim, Kelly via groups.io <kelly.preheim...> Subject: [sd-birds] Spring Arrivals - Douglas and Charles Mix Counties
Hey everyone! I'm going to try to be better about posting bird sightings. It seems like every day I see a couple more new arrivals during spring bird migration. This morning on my walk to school I heard a Harriss Sparrow. After school, on my walk around the lake in Armour, South Dakota, I saw my first Osprey of the year. This past weekend, some other FOYs were a flock of 40 White-faced Ibises flying over Armour and three Swainsons Hawks flying together in Douglas County. Theres a lot of waterfowl at the Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge, along with American Avocets, Bairds Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Purple Martins and Tree Swallows are increasing in numbers. I have seen Says Phoebe, Eastern Phoebe, Hermit Thrush and Vesper Sparrows in the area lately too.
My kindergarteners and Chickadee Bird Club kids are thrilled with all the birds they are seeing. They act like they saw celebrities! They are excited about the Turkey Vultures, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Double-crested Cormorants, American White Pelicans and others. All the elementary kids are keeping track of their sightings on a huge, picture chart in the hallway. I think it helps make them more aware of the birds in their area. I hope you are all able to enjoy spring migration with the enthusiasm of a child!
Date: 4/17/24 2:32 pm From: Ricky Olson via groups.io <olsonr088...> Subject: [sd-birds] Ft Pierre
Several species of sparrows & swallows arrived this week. Our Ospreys showed up. Large numbers of Ring-billed & Franklin’s Gulls around. Very little shorebird habitat within 100 miles so little knowledge of migration.
Sharing is half the fun of birding
Date: 4/17/24 12:53 pm From: Vic Fondy via groups.io <treasurecreek...> Subject: [sd-birds] Thanks and WW Report
Thanks to Judy Hengen and the other ladies that weekly survey Canyon Lake and the West River Campus. Their reports often give us a forecast of migrating birds to look for at our feeders 1.5 miles south of Whitewood. An example is today we had our FOS Eastern Phoebe briefly at our feeders which we might have overlooked today if it had not been reported earlier on the West River Campus report. Other new sightings since our last report include FOS Mourning Doves on 4/12, which are still around, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk this morning. The Lewis's Woodpecker also showed up twice last week but is no longer protecting the feeder it adopted. I suspect it is still in the neighborhood and headquartering at a location it used a few years ago. Unfortunately the Evening Grosbeaks have not returned recently. The warm weather has lowered the larger numbers of birds feeding, but still lots of birds.
In the past 10 days we have been fortunate to received 5 inches of rain which should help to offset the earlier drought conditions. Whitewood Creek is running very high and we have pairs of both Common Mergansers and Mallards on creek. Attached is a picture of the male Common Merganser.
Date: 4/15/24 3:22 pm From: Judy Hengen via groups.io <judyhengen...> Subject: [sd-birds] Canyon Lake Survey, RC, Pennington Co. April 15, 2024
Canyon Lake Park Survey, Rapid City, Pennington County
April 15, 2024 6:45 AM – 9:35 AM
Surveyors: Muriel Anderson, LoRayne Baker, Rachel Benton, Laural Bidwell,
Judy Hengen, Jackie Stucky-Strom
Conditions: Temp: Start: 49 End: 62 Wind(Beaufort Scale): Start: 0
End: 2
Cloud Cover: 100% Weather: mild, cloudy
SPECIES: 35 INDIVIDUALS: 426
Canada Goose 24 ON
Wood Duck 10
Blue-winged Teal 6
Northern Shoveler 1
Gadwall 12
Mallard 19
Green-winged Teal 5
Ring-necked Duck 1
Common Merganser 5
Rock Pigeon 14
Eurasian Collared Dove 6
Mourning Dove 3
Killdeer 1
Great Blue Heron 31 CN ON
*Glossy Ibis* 1 (seen at 7:10 AM flying over Park Dr bridge into
Meadowbrook Golf Course)
Turkey Vulture 14
Osprey 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 4
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 7
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
European Starling 69
American Robin 27 CN
Cedar Waxwing 22
House Sparrow 37
House Finch 16
American Goldfinch 12
Song Sparrow 5
Red-winged Blackbird 18
Common Grackle 39
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
We birded today mainly lakes from Whitewood to Bear Butte Lake, Newell Lagoons and golf course, Newell Lake, and return via Nisland slough and lagoons, and other lakes along Whitewood Valley Road. There were lots of waterfowl and we ended up with 15 duck species including FOS Blue-winged Teal. Raptors included Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel and one Golden Eagle. We had good weather today with temperatures reaching 75 F but also pretty gusty winds. The wind farm wind chargers NE of Newell were turning nicely. The repair work at Newell Lake is finished and you can again drive to the east side but the lake water level is quite low. We had several FOS sightings including lots of Tree Swallows at Bear Butte Lake, Cormorants and Loggerhead Shrike at Newell Lake, various sightings of Common Grackles, and several sightings of Greater Yellowlegs. My picture today is a Jackrabbit which was with 3 others Jackrabbits. Jackrabbits have been scarce for several years and this small group indicates they might be increasing in numbers. I believe Snowy Owl sightings are somewhat tied to the number of Jackrabbits available.
We had our FOS Morning Dove at Whitewood when we returned. In addition, the Lewis's Woodpecker was back.
Date: 4/12/24 6:33 pm From: David Strom <djstrom...> Subject: [sd-birds] Outdoor Campus West Survey April 12, 2024
The weekly survey at the Outdoor Campus West was conducted on April 12, 2024 by Judy Hengen, Rachel Benton, LoRayne Baker, Laural Bidwell and Jackie Stucky-Strom. 35 species were identified with a total of 257 individuals.
Date: 4/12/24 11:41 am From: Jeff Hansen <jeff.hansen.sd...> Subject: [sd-birds] New arrivals sanborn county
I saw a chipping sparrow in my driveway today. Yesterday saw song sparrows. I think I heard franklins gulls flying over.
Flickers are doing their thing. Saw three in one tree today. Wood ducks are frequenting my trees
I was in Sioux falls Tuesday and think I had a winter wren at lake Alvin which should be renamed cedar infestation Park. Such a depressing place. The wren was at the spillway.
Had greater yellow legs on the big sioux River at gitchie manitou. What a neat park. Unfortunately buckthorn and honeysuckle are taking over.
Date: 4/10/24 8:58 am From: Vic Fondy <treasurecreek...> Subject: [sd-birds] West River Migration Count
The annual West River Migration Count (WRMC) dates are May 10-13, 2024 and I will be coordinating the count. Similar to the Audubon Christmas Bird count, the WRMC is conducted during the second week of May to count both species and numbers of birds migrating thru West South Dakota. The WRMC is conducted by counties. During the four day period, volunteers in Western SD from the Nebraska border to the North Dakota border will count migrating birds arriving or passing thru South Dakota.
County coordinators for 2024 will be Charlie Miller-Harding, Jocie Baker-Pennington, and Vic Fondy Butte and Lawrence. Coordinators/participants are needed for Custer and Fall River counties. Please let me know if you can participate in those counties. Forms and further information will be passed out closer to the count dates.
Vic Fondy, Coordinator WRMC 605.269.2553 or <treasurecreek...>
Date: 4/9/24 7:25 pm From: Judy Hengen <judyhengen...> Subject: [sd-birds] Canyon Lake Park Survey, RC, Pennington Co. April 9, 2024
Canyon Lake Park Survey, Rapid City, Pennington County
April 9, 2024 7:00 AM – 9:50 AM
Surveyors: LoRayne Baker, Laural Bidwell, Judy Hengen, Jackie Stucky-Strom
Conditions: Temp: Start: 37 End: 53 Wind(Beaufort Scale): 0
Cloud Cover: 0% Weather: sunny, clear, mild
SPECIES: 29 INDIVIDUALS: 325
Canada Goose 61
Wood Duck 4
Gadwall 30
American Wigeon 13
Mallard 28
Common Merganser 7
Rock Pigeon 5
Eurasian Collared-Dove 5
American Coot 6
Killdeer 1
Great Blue Heron 20
*Glossy Ibis* 1
Turkey Vulture 10
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 2
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Northern Flicker 4
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 6
Black-capped Chickadee7
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
European Starling 16
American Robin 24
Cedar Waxwing 6
House Sparrow 41
House Finch 5
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Common Grackle 8
The weekend storm brought 2.9 inches of rain and 7 inches of snow at our home 1.5 miles south of Whitewood, but no new birds at the feeders. Our birder friend south of Belle Fourche reported Yellow-headed Blackbirds passing thru at their feeders last Sundayand we saw very large numbers of American Robins along Crook City Road and in Spearfish Monday.
The Lewis's Woodpecker was last seen Sunday, and has possibly moved on. The Evening Grosbeaks are still seen daily. We finally had two new arrivals today with a male Common Merganser bouncing down Whitewood Creek and a Song Sparrow in the feeder area.
Neighbors say they saw nearly 100 swans in a group straight north of Britton, 2 miles south of the ND line this week. I saw a pair on Saturday morning on a pond that has reported been there all week. Big...the female had a greyer neck than the male.
Yard birds today:
First flicker in the grass
First juncoes in months.
A pair of purple martin scouts! Oh, what a beautiful sound!
Date: 4/6/24 10:53 am From: Vic Fondy <treasurecreek...> Subject: [sd-birds] Orman and WW Report
We birded briefly on Friday from Whitewood to Orman. Highlights included a small flock of migrating Sparrows, but another vehicle spooked the birds and we didn't ID them. St. Onge reservoir on Crooked Oak roads had several species and the Great-horned Owl is still on the nest along SD 34 at St. Onge. Friday was very windy but we had a Northern Flicker at Orman which was a FOS for that area. Orman is still 100% full and most of Gull Island submerged.
The Lewis's Woodpecker continues at our feeder area and chases off the Blue Jays at the feeder it has adopted but lets the small birds feed. Turkey Vultures also showed up yesterday circling over Whitewood. Whitewood creek is free of ice and a pair of Mallards stopped by and a Great-blue Heron is flying by at times. Evening Grosbeaks are still intermittent visitors and I have attached a picture from 3.29.24. Vic/Donna Fondy 605.269.2553
Date: 4/6/24 10:45 am From: Michael Zerr <zerrmick...> Subject: [sd-birds] purple finches
Merlin had been picking up Purple Finch songs in my SF yard the last few days, but I have not seen any until today. Here is a video. <https://flic.kr/p/2pHBEmy> This is the first male I have had in the yard. I did have females two years ago. https://flic.kr/p/2pHBEmy
An adult Short-billed Gull was along the west Oahe Tailrace today. Many Ring-billed, an immature Lesser Black-backed Gull, a few Bonaparte’s & Franklin’s, and a single California. The California Gulls should been here in good numbers by now???
Hi Birders,
The registration for the South Dakota Ornithologists Union ( SDOU ) 2024 spring meeting in Custer SD is now open for people to sign up on our website at sdou.org ( http://sdou.org/ ) Click on “Next meeting” to get started. All weekend details are posted including speakers, field trips, banquet registration and schedules. The dates of the meeting are May 31 - June 2, and you do not have to be a member of SDOU to attend this event. We would very much welcome attendance by anyone who is interested to see birds of the Custer area and would like to learn more about SDOU. This should be a great weekend of birding and looking forward to seeing you all in Custer!
Date: 4/5/24 11:40 am From: David Strom <djstrom...> Subject: [sd-birds] OutDoor Campus West Survey 4-5-2024
The weekly survey at the Outdoor Campus West was conducted on April 5, 2024 by Judy Hengen, Laural Bidwell and Jackie Stucky-Strom. 27 species were identified with a total of 176 individuals.
Date: 4/1/24 11:28 am From: Chris Anderson <canderson1...> Subject: [sd-birds] Peregrine Falcon
After coming back to work from lunch today, I noticed my first Peregrine Falcon of the year perched on top of the US Bank building in downtown Sioux Falls. I know they have a considerably longer history of being in downtown SF, but for the last 13 years that I have been seeing them (spring and fall) from my office, today is exactly the median spring arrival date of my sightings.
Chris Anderson
Sioux Falls, SD
Date: 4/1/24 11:28 am From: Elizabeth Krueger via groups.io <spearlodge...> Subject: [sd-birds] A crane
This morning at McNenny GPA I encountered a single sandhill crane. I didn't see it until it flushed, and I automatically thought great blue heron until I realized what sound it was making.
Despite the snow, the blackbirds, meadowlarks, song sparrows, and the one marsh wren were singing with abandon.
Date: 3/30/24 12:24 pm From: David Strom <djstrom...> Subject: [sd-birds] Amended Outdoor Campus Survey List 3-29-2024
The weekly survey at the Outdoor Campus West was conducted on Friday, March 29, 2024 by Judy Hengen, LoRayne Baker and Jackie Stucky-Strom. 27 species were identified with a total of 119 individuals.
Date: 3/30/24 9:21 am From: Michael M. Melius <pingothenbingo...> Subject: [sd-birds] Faulk birds
FOY species found in recent days near Faulkton include Sandhill Crane (1), Greater Yellowlegs (2), Mourning Dove (1) and A. Kestrel (3). Killdeers, gulls, crows and harriers have been observed flying north recently.
Snow Geese were first seen here 22 Feb., and they're still moving through and milling about. Ducks have become numerous the past week. Lots of water around, most with some ice still on it.
I encountered two small flocks of Greater Prairie Chickens southwest of Faulkton yesterday. There may have been a Sharp-tail with them.
Date: 3/29/24 6:24 pm From: David Strom <djstrom...> Subject: [sd-birds] Out Door Campus West Survey 3-29-2024
The weekly survey at the Outdoor Campus West was conducted on Friday, March 29, 2024 by Judy Hengen, LoRayne Baker and Jackie Stucky-Strom. 27 species were identified with a total of 119 individuals.
Date: 3/28/24 4:08 pm From: Vic Fondy <treasurecreek...> Subject: [sd-birds] WW and West of Belle
The Evening Grosbeaks returned right after my last post and this morning we had 10 at the feeders. The Lewis's Woodpecker has stayed around and is giving us endless enjoyment. It has adopted a bird feeder built by Ernie Miller and chases larger birds, such as the Blue Jays away, but allows the smaller birds like Junco's, Goldfinches, and Siskins to feed. The Tree Sparrow is still around as well as large numbers of other winter regulars.
We birded west of Belle this morning and returned via Upper Redwater, Coxes lake, and McNenny hatchery. Birds were really scarce west of Belle, but sightings improved near Beulah, and McNenny. Ducks sightings included Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Ringed Neck, and Common Merganser. Only FOY sighting was a single Turkey Vulture over McNenny. Great-blue Herons returned to the rookery just out of Beulah. Also nearby the rookery was a huge flock of 150-200 Turkeys. Raptor sightings were limited to Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks and American Kestrel. Starlings were migrating and we has several flocks of over 100 each. Lots of Western Meadow Larks. Nothing on the Osprey nest at Coxes Lake.
The snow storm brought us our first ever Lewis's Woodpecker to the feeders today. It immediately took over one feeder and is chasing the Blue Jays away from that feeder. A picture is attached below. Vic/Donna Fondy 605.269.2553
Date: 3/24/24 5:34 pm From: Eric Harrold via groups.io <gentilis03...> Subject: Re: [sd-birds] GFP seeking comments on draft Ring-necked Pheasant Action Plan
So will the SDOU put out a position statement on this proposal?
Eric HarroldSanborn, IA
On Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 03:14:31 PM CDT, N Drilling <dril0008...> wrote:
Some may not be aware of this.
|
GFP Seeking Comment on Draft Ring-Necked Pheasant Action Plan
|
|
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) is seeking comments on a draft Ring-necked Pheasant Action plan.
The Ring-necked Pheasant Action plan, 2024-2028, is a document that will be used by GFP to guide ring-necked pheasant management in South Dakota through identified management objectives and measurable strategies to meet these management objectives. All individuals interested in ring-necked pheasant management in South Dakota may provide suggestions and comments on the Ring-necked Pheasant Action Plan until Monday, April 1.
The draft Ring-necked Pheasant Action plan can be found online at gfp.sd.gov/management-plans
Written comments on the plan can be sent to 523 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, S.D. 57501, or emailed to <WildInfo...> Comments must be received by the deadline and include your full name and city of residence.
|
Date: 3/24/24 2:11 pm From: Ricky Olson <olsonr088...> Subject: [sd-birds] Ft Pierre
Gulls: many Ring-billed, a few Herring & Lesser Black-backed. Today saw Franklin’s.i do not know why there are no California around ??
Waterfowl normal. not passerine migrant’s around
Date: 3/24/24 1:27 pm From: Elizabeth Krueger via groups.io <spearlodge...> Subject: [sd-birds] McNenny GPA and Orman Dam
Today at McNenny GPA I heard and, after waiting a while, saw a singing marsh wren. I also saw a snipe that flew down the creek, landed at the edge, and turned into a really good imitation of a clump of sedges. Other critters included a harrier, downy woodpecker, tree sparrows, song sparrows, blue jays, mallards, gadwalls, Canada geese, chickadees, red-winged blackbirds, meadowlarks, and a muskrat.
Yesterday morning not a breeze was blowing in Spearfish, so naturally when I got to Orman a full gale was in progress. It was impossible to hold the binoculars still but I did see flocks of presumably migrating tree sparrows as well as a group of full-size mergansers (at a distance), a pair of hooded mergansers, a harrier, and the standard ducks, geese, and ring-billed gulls.
We at the South Dakota Ornithologists Union (SDOU) are looking for a few more new birders! SDOU is holding our annual spring meeting on the dates of May 31 st – June 2 nd , 2024 in Custer SD located in the beautiful southern Black Hills. All SDOU members and any new guest birders are encouraged and welcomed to attend. Notifying everyone of our upcoming spring meeting now, gives you more time to block-off these dates on your calendar if you are wanting to attend. We at SDOU would love to meet new people in Custer at this meeting who are interested in birds and have a desire to see birds that maybe are different then what they are used to seeing in their own neck of the woods. Our annual spring meeting gives any birder, wherever they live, the perfect opportunity to come and meet new people by partaking in the weekends festivities and to see what SDOU is all about. You need not be a member to attend and you do not have to join SDOU if you don’t desire but even as a guest birder for the weekend what you will gain is knowledge about birds from a great group of people who are very willing to help any new birder see new birds.
The specific details of the meeting are still in processing and this information will be coming out within a month or so and will be published on our SDOU website sdou.org ( http://sdou.org/ ) What is important to know now is that all meeting events, including the field trip starting points, the speaker presentations and the banquet will be held at the Custer County Annex building (the Custer County Library) in Custer SD. This is important because Custer and Black Hills area hotels and lodging fill up fast during the tourist season and securing lodging sooner rather than later is paramount. Typically, people that attend the SDOU meeting will need lodging for two nights which would be the nights of Friday, May 31 st and Sat. June 1 st. There will be no official hotel for the meeting and no reserved rooms set aside for SDOU members so finding lodging nearby will be the responsibility of the attendee and probably should booked well before the meeting. There are MANY, MANY hotels, motels, cabins, VRBOs, and campgrounds both public and private within 4 miles of Custer. Information about lodging can be found online or by calling the Custer Chamber of Commerce (605-673-2244).
As I mentioned before, more specific details about the speaker presentations, field trips, banquet info, and the actual meeting registration form will soon be forthcoming on the SDOU website sdou.org ( http://sdou.org/ ) probably in the next month or so. When this happens, then, that will be the time where you can fill out your information and register for the meeting. Also, if you have not renewed your SDOU membership for this year or if you want to join SDOU as a new member, you can use our website sdou.org ( http://sdou.org/ ) to do just that. If you have any questions please reply or message me privately and I will be sure to try to answer them. Thanks.
Date: 3/23/24 6:14 pm From: Vic Fondy <treasurecreek...> Subject: [sd-birds] Whitewood and Bear Butte Lake
We had commitments today and didn't get in our weekly birding trip except for a short visit to Bear Butte Lake. The duck population has exploded since last week and there were several 100 ducks with probably most every species normally seen. We saw Mallards, Pintails, Gadwalls, Wigeons, Shovelers, GW Teal, Canvasback, Ring-necked, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, and Common Merganser during a quick stop. There were also a pair of Bald Eagles and a Northern Harrier. Still no Herons or Cormorants. Lots of Coots. Red-winged Blackbirds finally made it up here and we saw two large flocks on the way home.
No new sightings at our feeders 1.5 miles south of Whitewood except for the one Tree Sparrow which is back and three American Robins stopped by briefly. The Mountain Bluebirds are still along Crook City Road. Whitewood Creek is almost fully open, but still no duck sightings.
Date: 3/23/24 1:14 pm From: N Drilling <dril0008...> Subject: [sd-birds] GFP seeking comments on draft Ring-necked Pheasant Action Plan
Some may not be aware of this.
*GFP Seeking Comment on Draft Ring-Necked Pheasant Action Plan*
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) is seeking comments
on a draft Ring-necked Pheasant Action plan.
The Ring-necked Pheasant Action plan, 2024-2028, is a document that will be
used by GFP to guide ring-necked pheasant management in South Dakota
through identified management objectives and measurable strategies to meet
these management objectives. All individuals interested in ring-necked
pheasant management in South Dakota may provide suggestions and comments on
the Ring-necked Pheasant Action Plan until Monday, April 1.
The draft Ring-necked Pheasant Action plan can be found online at
gfp.sd.gov/management-plans
Written comments on the plan can be sent to 523 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre,
S.D. 57501, or emailed to <WildInfo...>
<WildInfo...>?subject=Draft%20Fisheries%20Management%20Priorities>.
Comments must be received by the deadline and include your full name and
city of residence.
Angostura Reservoir, Fall River County, had an extremely early ice out this winter (sometime in early February) and the resulting waterbird migration has been very weird. This morning, I found ~20 individuals of waterfowl (all Canada geese or dabbling ducks) when there should have been thousands of diving ducks. But I did find some exceptionally early waterbirds. The fun began at the swim beach with two Common Loons, still in winter plumage; these birds are 2-4 weeks early. A small group of American White Pelicans were roosting on a sandbar by the dam; this is 1-3 weeks early. And picking through the thousands of Ring-billed Gulls, I found a handful of Herring Gulls (not unusual) and a Lesser Black-backed Gull (quite rare West River).
In addition to the waterfowl migration, March is a great time to check out all the big nests in trees before leaf-out.I visited two Bald Eagle nests in the Oelrichs area that can easily be seen before leaf-out from Highway 385. One, a couple of miles north on Lemon School Road, has an incubating bird. The other, a new nest this year, is south of town a few miles. It had a pair of eagles a couple of weeks ago but now is empty. This may have been a case of a new pair starting a 'practice' nest which they hopefully will finish in upcoming years.
Sadly, the south Angostura nest, which has produced many an eaglet over the years, fell down this winter. No sign of a new nest going up in the area.
