Ferruginous Hawk

Route 20 near Lostwood NWR, ND
5/23/14

American Coot

Arrowwood NWR, ND
5/21/14

Savannah Sparrow

Lostwood NWR, ND
5/23/14

Clay-colored Sparrow

Lostwood NWR, ND
5/23/14

The Clay-colored Sparrow is a very common sparrow in this part of the country, but it took us a while to get to know and recognize them quickly because they are usually only half visible in brushy plants.

Bobolink

Upper Souris NWR, ND
5/25/14

This male Bobolink is defending his nesting territory. The breeding range of the Bobolink stretches from the Rockies to Nova Scotia roughly above the Mason Dixon line, but they have become scarce in the east because there are so few grass fields that are not being mowed regularly. In the National Wildlife Refuges we visited, they were rather common.

Northern Harrier

Lostwood NWR, ND
5/23/14

The Northern Harrier is an open country hawk and a very graceful flier. It hunts by gliding over fields as it is doing here and watching for small animals in the grass. This is a male; the female is larger and brown; but they both have the distinctive bold white upper tail stripe.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Audubon NWR, ND
5/26/14

Killdeer

Audubon NWR, ND
5/26/14

Clay-colored Sparrow

Audubon NWR, ND
5/26/14