[TN-Bird] Canada Trip, Spring 2010: MB & SK with trips to IA, MO, MT, ND

  • From: kbreault <kbreault@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:19:41 -0700 (PDT)

TN-Birders:
 
Just got back from my spring trip and so the following is a trip report for 
central Canada, including North Dakota and some of Montana with, among other 
things, miscellaneous information on how to do (or how I do) Total Ticks trips, 
Bob Odear, crossing the Canada border, driving and DVT, and Birdingâ??s Bataan 
Death March. Enjoy or delete.
 
 
Canada Trip, Spring 2010: MB & SK with trips to IA, MO, MT, ND 
 
The main focus of my spring 2010 trip was central Canada, specifically Manitoba 
and Saskatchewan, but I was able to add Montana (central and eastern), North 
Dakota and limited trips to Iowa and Missouri. Because MB, SK and ND were 
essentially virgin areas for me (I had a limited number of birds in each on 
trips in the mid-â??70s from my parentâ??s home in New York to Oregon and 
Washington where I did some of my schooling), it may be of some value to talk 
about the logic involved in how one goes about putting together a "total ticks" 
trip. (Of course, by total ticks I mean the ABA game in which you add up all 
the birds you have identified in the 64 ABA area units in the U.S. and 
Canada--including all states, provinces, D.C., and the French islands of 
St.-Pierre & Miquelon, with the exception of Hawaii.)
 
At this point let me acknowledge the helpful advice I have received from other 
total tickers one of whom was Robin Carter. Several years before his untimely 
death, Robin, who ranked tenth on the Total Ticks list (2007), responded to an 
email question by Jack Hugus of Virginia concerning how to do total ticks 
birding, and I will make a few similar comments here (and I hope to put more 
suggestions on my university webpage). It is interesting to note that in the 
year after Carterâ??s advice, Hugus went on to have the best total ticking year 
ever (since the ABA began recording the list) with 2,578 birds. (Number two on 
this list is an active total ticker, Kenneth Ward of Vermont at 2,439 ticks in 
2001.) My best year was 2005 with 912 ticks, and while I rank first in total 
ticking activity in the last five years, 912 does not even get me into the top 
20 for number of birds in a year. Whether you use the proverbial tortoise or 
hare strategy, there is no
 question that total ticking requires determined birding over many years.
 
Before I begin let me also note the passing of another total ticker, Bob Odear. 
Bob died in April and while I expect to say more about him later it should be 
said here that he was a top 20 total ticker and as of 2008 was the second 
highest total ticker in Tennessee following David Chaffin. Bob also ranked 19th 
on the list of all time total ticking years with 1103 birds in 2001. Moreover, 
as of 2008 Bob was the Tennessee total ticker with the most experience in 
Canada. He was the only Tennessean on the Canada list (376 birdsâ??rank of 54), 
and the only Tennessean on any of the province lists with 247 birds and a 
strong rank of 9 for Manitoba (2008). Needless to say, Tennessee has lost an 
irreplaceable birder and Bob will be sorely missed.
 
When I consider going on a total ticks trip I first consult my wall map (of 
course, at this point it is seared into my brain) that indicates how many birds 
I have seen in every state and Canadian province, and I rank each area with 
regard to where I have seen the fewest birds. In total ticking you donâ??t go 
where the life birds are or where rare birds may be (unless you are Paul Lehman 
and have 17,000+ total ticks!), but where you have seen the fewest birds. 
Alaska may have many life birds but you are likely to identify three to five 
times more birds in several other states/provinces over the same amount of 
time. It terms of the time and money involved Alaska and the northern provinces 
(Northwest Territories, Nunavut & Yukon Territories) may be the least 
attractive for total ticking. They are places I certainly want to go eventually 
but I can put them off for now. When you become a serious total ticker you are 
often making a trade-off in favor of common
 or regular birds that you can see in many places compared to life birds. This 
is not always easy for birders to do, and perhaps it is the case that I would 
not be in this game if my ABA Area life list was not at a comfortable place to 
begin with (anemic at 639 compared to many birders but comfortable enough for 
me). Most total tickers back into the total ticking game after spending time 
looking for life birds.
 
So for me in spring 2010 the best places to bird were Alberta, British 
Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota because I had 
so few birds there. (Originally, this ambitious tripâ??with the potential of 
1,100-1,200 birds--was planned to include Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho and 
western Montana but I had to cut these places at the last minute. One of my 
goals was to get into the top 20 total ticker years of all time but it was not 
to be. At the end of this report I will add some notes about what I feel are 
the best areas in Alberta.) But how do you know how many birds you might see on 
a trip? How can you determine if Manitoba will be more productive than Nunavut, 
Quebec or Nebraska? One quite useful way is to look at ABAâ??s table for "ABA 
Champion Top Ten Big Days (published in the "ABA Big Day & ABA List Report"). 
The table provides the top ten or so Big Day records for each state and 
province. For example, the Big Day record
 for Tennessee is held by Jeff Wilson and Mark Greene on May 10, 1997 with 174 
birds. Nine other Big Day records for Tennessee are also indicated covering 
April 24-May 9 from 1981-2002. The table shows that the best Canadian provinces 
with regard to Big Days are Manitoba, followed in order by Alberta, 
Saskatchewan, Ontario and British Columbia. And with regard to states, only 
(again in order) TX, CA, WI, NJ, KS, OR and LA have more birds than Manitoba. 
Note again that this is not a list of the number of birds ever seen in a 
state/province (a large element of which is the amount of vagrants), but rather 
a quick rule for the number of birds that can be identified on a short trip. 
Now, I am not suggesting that a non-local birder can identify 260 birds in one 
day in Texas, the number one state on this list, but with expert local 
information and perhaps three to five days to spend between April 19-24 a 
competent birder should be able to get 90-95%+ or more
 depending on the vagaries of the weather. The table discussed above also 
provides the dates for the highest number of birds, and that is why the end of 
May/beginning of June is when you should be in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and 
Alberta. Unfortunately, the more states/provinces you add to your trip the 
greater the likelihood that you will be in some places when it is not optimal. 
You canâ??t have everything!
Manitoba
My first stop in Canada was to go through Customs. Things for birders and 
others to consider when crossing the border: 1. bring your passport: it is not 
technically required to get into Canada but required if you want to get back 
into the U.S., 2. give the driver all of the passports and IDs (drivers 
licenses) for the passengers in your vehicle, and roll down windows so that the 
border officials can easily talk to everyone, 3. have your car registration 
available if asked, 4. do not take weapons or ammunition into Canada including 
pepper/bear spray (you can get them in Canada). For more information see the 
Canada Border Services Agency: www.cbsa.gc.ca. 
 
My first Manitoba bird for the trip was a crow. Not very exciting but one of 
the nicest thing about total ticking is that by going to new states and 
provinces you relive your first birding experiences again and again. There are 
no "trash birds" for total tickers: a starling in a state or province you have 
not visited is as important as a rarity. And the fact that you can see European 
Starlings in all 64 states and provinces (I assume they can been seen in 
Nunavut) means that it is potentially more important than the rare birds that 
can only be seen in a few areas.
 
Once beyond the border you are on Highway 10 (the road in the U.S. is 281 near 
Dunseith, ND) and your first stop should be the campgrounds of Adam Lake for 
migrant songbirds. (Note that for maps of Canada, 1 kilometer = .62 miles. 
Also, if you are watching the weather on Canadian TV, multiply the Celsius 
number by 1.8 and add 32, e.g., 10 Celsius = (10 x 1.8) + 32 = 50 Fahrenheit.) 
On the way to Adam Lake I found that my GPS was no longer working correctly. 
Apparently, as I discovered, GPS sold in the U.S. often does not have 
international maps. Once I got to Brandon I was able to get another GPS with 
the appropriate software. Needless to say GPS is very useful. Now, if only we 
had weather radar in automobiles!
 
Clearly Adam Lake is not a major birding place (Riding Mountain National Park, 
below, is by far the best for songbirds), but I have found that all things 
considered it is better to go to more places than less, and to consider less 
productive areas as a kind of insurance policy. Weather, automobile and other 
calamities might reduce you chances in the better places, and there is always 
the possibility of missing even the most common birds in the best places. I can 
tell you stories about spending too much time looking for birds like Turkey 
Vulture and House Finch! The other reason for getting out of the car frequently 
is medical. Driving for long periods of time is related to cardiovascular 
disease, including stroke, and mortality (about three times the normal risk). 
Blood clots, as in deep vein thrombosis, are the major concern especially for 
people over 40. Iâ??m an expert on blood clotsâ??an experiential expertâ??and I 
can tell you that it is a lot
 easier to deal with them before they become a problem. The rule of thumb I use 
is no more than 2 hours of driving time before getting out of the carâ??even if 
no birds are around! Aspirin reduces the formation of blood clots (it does not 
reduce or eliminate existing clots), and like many people over the age of 40 I 
take aspirin once a day (but talk to your physician before starting and ask 
about dosing and aspirin resistance: bleeding and other side effects can 
happen). Dehydration is one of the causes of blood clots and most people 
donâ??t know when they are becoming dehydrated, so you will want to drink water 
often and reduce the intake of caffeine.
 
The first great place in Manitoba is Whitewater Lake, just off Highway 10 near 
the town of Boissevain. Just before Boissevain take a left on Road 15 N, 
another left (now going south), and then a right at Road 14 N, which will take 
you into the area. The best area for shorebirds on the lake shore is at the 
"viewing mound," but a trip around the southern and western end of the lake may 
give you Peregrine Falcon, Ferruginous Hawk, Willet, Upland Sandpiper, Marbled 
Godwit, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Gray Partridge, Sharp-tailed Grouse, 
Short-eared Owl, Sedge and Marsh Wren, and Le Conteâ??s and Nelsonâ??s Sparrow. 
The area has many birds and a large day list is not uncommon. Because 
Whitewater Lake is an important area consider two or more visits during your 
trip. If you have two opportunities to visit an important area it is helpful in 
migration to separate them by a day as consecutive visits reduce your chances. 
The general exception here is for consecutive
 days with different weather conditions. For more information on Whitewater 
Lake and a very good map on page 86, see Finding Birds in Southern 
Manitobahttp://birding (FBSM, discussed below).
 
Extreme southwestern (SW) Manitoba is the place to go if you want to round out 
your list with Manitoba birds typically seen in no other place in the province. 
Perhaps the best starting point is the section on extreme SW MB in FBSM, 
authored by a large number (17) of birders representing the Manitoba and 
Brandon Naturalists Societies and published in 2006. This is one of the best 
birding books I have seen, on par with the most recent books put out by the 
ABA. The book covers all of southern MB to Thompson in north-central MB. 
Importantly, the book includes a species list with bar graphs that indicate 
monthly abundance (very helpful), regional abundance (SW, SE & central) and the 
habitat and place locations of each species on the list. (Those interested in 
the science of tables/figures/maps, or what is generally known as quantitative 
depiction, will find an impressive six variables in the "Species List" section 
of the book, i.e., abundance, region,
 breeding status, month of the year, habitat and locationâ??it does not get 
better than that! While not strictly comparable, note that Minardâ??s vaunted 
1861 map of Napoleonâ??s disastrous 1812-13 march into Russia contained six 
variables.) One thing often lacking in many birding books is detailed maps of 
important areas. For example, a detailed map of the birding areas of Riding 
Mountain would have been helpful. Examples of good birding maps are the 
Whitewater Lake map on pg. 86 of the FBSM book and, closer to home, Michael 
Bierlyâ??s Bird Finding in Tennessee (1980). (Do we need another edition or 
what!)
 
The FBSM book indicates that if you are birding at the height of migration (the 
end of May/beginning of June) 224 uncommon-to-abundant species (i.e., not 
including rare birds) are present in Manitoba. Since the total Manitoba list 
contains only 389 birds, 57.6% are therefore present during migration, meaning 
that achieving the 50% threshold is quite possible in one well planned trip. 
Only a very few states and provinces have this potential, making Manitoba one 
of the very best places for total ticking (for my annual report on Tennessee 
birding I will report the rankings of all the states and provinces on the 
number of birds available on one trip as a percentage of the bird list for each 
state/province. Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan rank 1, 3 and 7 on this 
list, respectively.)
 
The birds of extreme SW MB include: Cattle Egret, Upland Sandpiper, Wilsonâ??s 
Phalarope, Willow Flycatcher, Sayâ??s Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, 
Yellow-throated Vireo, Mountain Bluebird (look for the bird houses in several 
areas), Spragueâ??s Pipit, Grasshopper Sparrow, Chestnut-collared Longspur, 
Orchard Oriole. One bird to look for is Eurasian Collared-Dove which bred in 
Lyleton in 2005 and has been established since. Note that Burrowing Owl and 
Bairdâ??s Sparrow, commonly found in the extreme SW in the past are seriously 
declining and may soon be extirpated in MB. Note that four-wheel drive is 
necessary in many areas when the roads are wet. 
 
Riding Mountain National Park was the highlight of the Manitoba leg of the 
trip, and it is the place where many Manitoba birders including Big Day folks 
look for migrants. According to the FBSM book, the park boasts 197 
"uncommon-to-abundant" species during migration, including 23 warblers. 
Contacting local birders just prior to your visit may add rare birds (i.e., 
rare for here) such as Great Gray Owl, American Woodcock, Yellow-bellied 
Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Scarlet Tanager. The mountainous nature of 
the park means that your shorebird list is likely to be lacking with only 14 
non-rare species, about 50% of those present at this time in southern MB. For a 
much better shot at shorebirds you will want to go to Whitewater Lake (above). 
Other options for shorebirds are Oak Lake and Plum Lakes west of Brandon. I 
would recommend at least two visits to Riding Mountain.
 
For the route through the park that I followed, begin well before dawn for 
Barred, Great Horned, Northern Saw-whet, and perhaps Great Gray Owl (Great 
Horned and Northern Saw-whet are common), and Common Nighthawk off Highway 10 
past Wasagaming. The next stop is to try for American Woodcock (rare) on 
Highway 19 (see pg. 105 of the FBSM book), but no luck for me. Next continue 
east on 19 and out of the park, and go north at Highway 5 and then west at 
Agassiz Ski Hill Rd. (Highway 361) for 6.2 miles taking you into the park again 
and at the top of the escarpment for the dawn chorus. After the escarpment 
carefully bird back down to Highway 5 for birds not often found in other places 
in southwestern Manitoba. Next go back down to Highway 19 and into the park 
again. Highway 19, including the exits, parking lots and adjacent trails, is 
one of the most productive and enjoyable routes I have ever experienced as a 
birder. (As with all such birding you should drive
 slowly and stop when you hear birds, especially numerous birds, and alarm 
calls, at different habitats and tree species, and at edges, clearings and 
water sources.)
 
It is said that Douglas Marsh, a short distance from Brandon, has perhaps the 
greatest concentrations of Yellow Rails in Canada, almost 12% of the total 
global population. In addition to Yellow Rail you will be looking (read 
listening) for Sora, Virginia Rail, American Bittern, Wilsonâ??s Snipe, Sedge 
and Marsh Wren, Nelsonâ??s and Le Conteâ??s Sparrow. Great Horned Owl may be 
the only owl you hear, which only goes to show that the night is not for owls 
only! (Note to young or inexperienced birders: birding for these night singers 
is a birding experience that should not be missed.) While you will find similar 
material in FBSM it is worth emphasizing the following for reasons of safety: 
you will need to park in Douglas (there is an area near the railroad crossing). 
Donâ??t park on Highway 340. When you walk along 340 south of Douglas be sure 
to use reflective clothing such as that used by bicyclers. If you have never 
been there I would strongly suggest
 you spend some reconnaissance time during the day. That worked well for me. 
Finally, note that Highway 340 can be a very busy road and if you want to drive 
it slowly you may need several trips down and back given the traffic. Stopping 
for even a small amount of time can be dangerous. The speed limit on this 
narrow two-lane road is equivalent to 55 mph and I am told there is police 
presence.
Other areas in and near Brandon
If you are staying in Brandon a good spot for more casual birding is the 
Assiniboine River Corridor. Along with Brandon Hills (below) Assiniboine may be 
one of the easiest places in southwest Manitoba for Wood Duck and Northern 
Rough-winged Swallow.
 
At least two pairs of Peregrine Falcons regularly nest in southwestern 
Manitoba. The most well known site is at the McKenzie Seeds building (30 9th 
St.) in Brandon. Migrating birds are generally seen at the end of April to 
mid-May at Whitewater Lake. To see the birds at McKenzie Seeds go to the top of 
the Town Centre free parking garage off 8th St. near Rossser Ave. Look north 
past Rosser Ave for the McKenzie Seeds building on the west side of 9th (you 
canâ??t miss the building and the large sign). Birders tell me that the Double 
Decker pub at the corner of Rosser Ave and 10th is excellent.One additional 
place I did not go was Brandon Sewage Lagooons. At times this can be good for 
California Gull. As with all birding trips make sure you have the number of the 
local rare bird alert and subscribe to the relevant state/province email 
discussion group.Just a few miles south of Brandon is Brandon Hills. It is a 
place to look for birds you have not yet found
 in other places, especially Veery, Scarlet Tanager and Indigo Bunting. Note 
that all three can often be found on the east side of Riding Mountain National 
Park (along Highway 361 to the top of the escarpment). Brandon Hills and the 
surrounding area is a wonderful traffic-free (at least when I was there) quick 
and easy trip for 60+ species. Wood Ducks can be seen in two different marsh 
areas. 
Saskatchewan
On the way to Saskatoon just off the Yellowhead Highway #16, the Quill Lakes 
area, specifically Foam Lake and the Wadena Wildlife Wetlands, is a premiere 
place for shorebirds and waterfowl. Reportedly, the area has 300 species and 
annual counts of more than one million birds. For more information see: 
www.quill-lakes-bird-area.com.
 
For many years birders in Saskatoon have been systematically recording birds of 
the area and in 2002 published an excellent book, Birds of the Saskatoon Area 
by the Saskatchewan Natural History Society (eds., Anna Leighton, Jim Hay, 
Stuart Houston, Frank Roy & Stan Shadick). If you are in the Saskatoon area 
this book is a must. The book has a full species list with arrival and 
departure dates for many birds and includes attractive photographs, excellent 
maps and habitat descriptions. All told throughout the entire spring migration 
there are roughly 190 birds present in the Saskatoon area. Unfortunately, 
unlike Manitoba, Saskatchewan does not have a regional birding book, and 
birders have found that spending time northwest of Saskatoon in the area of 
Turtle Lake (see below), and in the southwest produces a larger list over a 
smaller amount of time. But my first stop in the Saskatoon area was the 
Blackstrap Coulee area south of Saskatoon, perhaps the best
 place to bird in the Saskatoon area with a reported 240 species. The other 
reason for Blackstrap is that it is the best place in the area for shorebirds 
with about 20-25 regularly seen during spring migration. For these reasons 
Blackstrap and Quill Lakes are a shorebird insurance policy for birds you might 
not see in the Turtle Lake-to-North Battleford area. After Blackstrap you will 
want to add to your list with nearby Brightwater Reservoir, Brightwater Marsh 
and the Bradwell Reservoir area. 
 
The Turtle Lake area was the high point of the trip in Saskatchewan. In a half 
day of driving from Turtle Lake to North Battleford local experts have gotten 
close to 160 birds. As a non-local (with good local intel) if you spend two to 
three days there you are likely to approach that number or more. Turtle Lake 
(which apparently does not have any turtles) is at the edge of the boreal 
forest and as such has a high diversity of sought-after birds. For one thing, 
the area abounds with warblers, 18 of which are regular. Very good information 
is available online by Muriel Carlson 
(http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/maybank/Canada/SK-Turtle.htm), the main birder in 
the area for many years. One of the highlights of the Turtle Lake area are 
owls: Northern Saw-whet, Great Horned, Barred, Northen Hawk-Owl, Boreal and 
Great Gray are possible, with Northern Saw-whet and Great Horned being the most 
common. I had four species of owls including Boreal, a life bird for me.
 
My list for Saskatchewan was very good at this point but as a birder I am 
greedy and the possibility that I could get to the 50% threshold by birding 
extreme SW Saskatchewan was too much for me to say no. Unfortunately, the 
Saskatchewan threshold is 205 birds, somewhat more daunting than that for 
Manitoba. The three areas I visited in SW SK were the Big Stick Lake area, 
Maple Creek, and the western side of Cypress Hill Provincial Park (CHPP). On 
the way south look for Golden Eagle, Gray Partridge, Sayâ??s Phoebe, 
Spragueâ??s Pipit and Lark Bunting. At Big Stick find Ferruginous Hawk, 
Long-billed Curlew, Upland Sandpiper, Bairdâ??s & Grasshopper Sparrow, and 
McCownâ??s & Chestnut-sided Longspur. Maple Creek is a good location for 
Eurasian Collared-Dove, which is now established in southern SK. CHPP has a 
good checklist. 
Beyond Canada: Iowa
Riverton Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and Waubonsie State Park is in extreme 
southwest Iowa. It was of interest to me because I had only 125 birds (about 
30%) for Iowa, many of which were obtained on a day trip with another total 
ticker. Many birders think that the Riverton area & Waubonsie St Pk are the 
best birding areas in all of western IA and they are easily located near I-29. 
At Riverton WMA be sure to take the road indicated by the picnic sign which 
takes you into the extensive management area.
 
                    Missouri
 
If you have a limited amount of time flying is the only way to go, but if 
flying is not necessary driving is always better for total tickers as it allows 
you to be in more states/provinces. At my age the limit of my driving is about 
450 miles (gone are the days when I could drive from Nashville to the coast of 
Delaware to see a Whiskered Tern in one day!), which can get you to about 
Columbia, MO coming from the Nashville, TN area. I used to be a faculty member 
at Washington University in St. Louis (before "financial exigency" cut my 
entire department) so I should really have more than 158 birds for MO but that 
four letter word, work, often kept me grinding away. One problem area on my 
list, as it is for many total tickers, is shorebirds (this is especially the 
case for some non-coastal states in the East and Midwest). The Eagle Bluffs 
Conservation Area very close to Columbia is one of the better shorebird areas 
in Missouri and has a list of 262 birds.
 
                        Montana
 
Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) near Malta is in north-central Montana. 
Bowdoin has about 112 breeding birds including Greater Sage-Grouse, 
Sharp-tailed Grouse, Black-crowned Night-Heron, White-faced Ibis, Swainsonâ??s 
Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Upland Sandpiper, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, 
California Gull (at about the eastern end of its breeding range), Short-eared 
Owl, Spragueâ??s Pipit (also at the end of its breeding range), Bairdâ??s 
Sparrow, McCownâ??s and Chestnut-collared Longspur.
 
Fort Peck Campground and Interpretive Center is a good stop if you are driving 
that way. Among breeding birds that may be seen are Downy and Hairy Woodpecker, 
Western Wood-Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Eastern and Western Kingbird, Warbling 
Vireo, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, 
Spotted Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak, Baltimore, Bullockâ??s and Orchard 
Oriole. Among other birds in the vicinity of Fort Peck look for Sharp-tailed 
Grouse and Upland Sandpiper in appropriate habitat.
 
Thought for some to be the migrant warbler capital of Montana, Westby on the 
Montana-North Dakota line is best in the last week of May, when eastern 
warblers not seen in other parts of Montana can be found (especially, 
Chestnut-sided, Magnolia and Canada). A list of 15+ warblers is not uncommon. 
The major areas are the city park in Westby and Round Lake (just north of the 
city) which may have many (20+) shorebirds. If you happen to be there after the 
migration window, as I was, keep an eye out for extreme northeastern MT 
breeding birds such as, Piping Plover, Ruby-throated Hummer, Purple Martin, 
Sedge Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Dickcissel, and Field, LeConteâ??s & Nelsonâ??s 
Sparrow. Like southwestern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, northeastern Montana is a 
must see for locals in the area and total tickers alike. 
 
Medicine Lake NWR is a major birding place in eastern Montana. It and Lostwood 
NWR in North Dakota (below) are some of the best places to see breeding 
Bairdâ??s Sparrow, a life bird for me on this trip. Ordinarily, I am not a 
sparrow person but Bairdâ??s Sparrow, unlike many other sparrows, has a much 
more musical, even pleasing song at least to my ear.
North Dakota
Kellys Slough NWR in North Dakota is close to Grand Forks and well worth the 
time. Mainly known for ducks and shorebirds, the 1,900 acre refuge in the Red 
River valley is reported to have an annual population of 36,000 shorebirds and 
29 species. Beyond the NWR look for shorebird areas on Road 5 between Roads 2 & 
11. Along 22nd St. NE north of 11 find a good area for perching birds. An 
excellent map is on the net.
 
Off Highway 5 near Cavalier, ND, Gunlogson Nature Preserve within Icelandic 
State Park is a good bet for migrant songbirds. Take the trail north past the 
Gunlogson Homestead to the winding Tongue River where you are likely to have 
the best luck (take Shady Springs Trail to Wildwood Trail to Basswood Trail and 
to the part of Old Settlerâ??s Trail near the river). Another good area is at 
the end of the campground near Lake Renwick. Note that in addition to looking 
for common state migrants, the preserve regularly has birds that are unlikely 
in other places in ND: Ruffed Grouse, Whip-poor-will, Pileated Woodpecker, 
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Common Raven, Northern Parula, Cape May Warbler, 
Scarlet Tanager and Eastern Towhee.
 
Lostwood NWR has about 100 breeding birds in June and roughly the same bird 
list as Medicine Lake NWR in Montana. You begin at the Refuge Headquarters and 
you should take the Auto Tour Route. A hiking trail also follows about 40% of 
the Auto Tour and there are lots of opportunities to leave the car for extended 
walks. A more strenuous hike is a seven mile loop that takes you into the more 
western part of the refuge. I devoted most of the day to the refuge and 
surrounding area (including nearby lower Des Lacs NWR). 
 
My non-birding friends were very interested in what I thought about Ken 
Burnsâ?? documentary on the U.S. National Parks (NP) and I had to tell them 
that while I had been to a fair number of national parks on family travels, 
most competitive birders usually go elsewhere, including National Wildlife 
Refuges. There are several exceptions, of course. One example is Big Bend NP in 
Texas, a great place for birding especially for those up for the rigors of 
serious hiking. On one such trip in the early â??70s, a group out of Austin, TX 
took birders on an excursion to the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend that for years 
was referred to as "Birdingâ??s Bataan Death March". The temperature was close 
to 100, almost no shade, the group ran out of food and water, there were 
minimal medical supplies, two people fainted from the heat, and several others 
had less serious leg and foot ailments. Of course, the birds were great, 
including Colima Warbler and a rare Gray
 Flycatcher seen by several people who, having endured too many hours in these 
conditions, still viewed birding as an enjoyable pastime. My teenage mind was 
not entirely convinced. My girlfriend had stopped talking to me several miles 
back and I was ahead of the exhausted group lying under a painfully sparse tree 
trying to rest. Suddenly, about 30 yards up the trail, one of the leaders 
(better not to use names here), began yelling for me to look up. As I opened my 
eyes I had only a glimpse of the retreating bird that would have been a lifer 
and a great addition to my Texas list. Of course, the moral of this story for 
competitive birders is to always keep your eyes open (and perhaps donâ??t leave 
it to others to be prepared). I say all that to suggest that Teddy Roosevelt NP 
and the immediate vicinity in western North Dakota are good areas to bird. 
While only about 75 breeding birds are possible (not including rare birds), 
several are not regularly found
 in eastern North Dakota, e.g., Prairie Falcon, Western Wood-Pewee, 
Violet-green Swallow, Rock Wren, Mountain Bluebird, Black-headed Grosbeak, 
Lazuli Bunting.
 
Southeast of Bismark, Long Lake NWR has about 115 breeding birds in June. The 
small but productive marsh area at the southwest corner of the lake has, among 
other common birds, American Bittern, Virginia Rail, Sora and Sedge Wren.
 
                    A Word on Alberta
 
Alberta was one of the places that I had hoped to visit but I had to truncate 
my plans leaving most of the western part of the trip to another time. If I had 
the time what I would have done is drive to the Cold Lake area for Cold Lake 
Provincial Park and various areas west of the park. After that I would have 
driven the long way south to the Hanna and Drumheller area stopping at Jessie 
Lake just south of Bonnyville, Kehewin Lake and Gooseberry Lake PP along the 
way. I would then have gone to the Banff area and Banff National Park, the 
westernmost part of southern Alberta in the mountains and adjacent to British 
Columbia . After Banff I would have finished up at the western portion of 
Cypress Hills PP and nearby prairie areas, including Pakowki Lake in extreme 
southeastern Alberta. In good weather this route should easily and comfortably 
get you to the 50% threshold or more in four to five days. Add at least a day 
for the mountains of British Columbia.
 Contact me if you are interested in more info. 
 
                        Summary
 
Not the very ambitious trip I had planned, and not finding western birds was a 
serious disappointment, but all told a wonderfully productive trip. And yet 
while 2010 ends up as my second best total ticker year it dawned on me that I 
have but a few large trips left. The fact of the matter is that in total 
ticking there comes a time when you hit the proverbial wall, when the birds 
donâ??t come as easily as they used to. I am close to that wall; I can see it 
coming. And yet I think in total ticking there may always be a frontier. If 300 
is considered to be a good list in Tennessee (something I have yet to achieve), 
the comparison for total ticking is about 20,750 (roughly 75% of each state and 
province list). No total ticker has ever gone there and the birder with the 
highest amount (Paul Lehman) has 17,744 (as of the end of 2008) or only 85% of 
that 20,750 standard. (Did I say only? After all, we are talking about the 
equivalent of 300 in TN x 64). The
 second highest, Kenneth Ward, has but 74% of that standard, more than 2,000 
birds fewer. So there is still much to do, especially for those like myself who 
are now at around 40-45%. And for me if I am able to go beyond 10,000, my total 
ticks life goal, then many of my favorite states, with lots of life birds 
become available. I look forward to once again birding in California, Arizona, 
New Mexico, Washington and Oregon.
 
But of course I am getting well ahead of myself. The state/province highlight 
for the trip was clearly Manitoba where I was able to cross the 50% threshold. 
Reaching the 50% threshold in one trip is only possible in a very few 
states/provinces. Saskatchewan is also a 50% possibility but I fell a bit 
short. (I think a third day at the Turtle Lake area or a second day at the 
Blackstrop area would have put me past the threshold.) Montana got me over my 
personal 37% threshold (37% x all states/provinces roughly = 10,000). Iâ??m 
pretty sure my third trip to Montana will push me over the 50% threshold. North 
Dakota was more difficult and I had lots of misses especially among shorebirds 
and warblers.
 
This was also a trip in which I got more than a couple of life birds, the best 
year for me since 2007: Greater Sage-Grouse, Spruce Grouse, Boreal Owl and 
Bairdâ??s Sparrow. All are code 2 birds with the exception of Greater 
Sage-Grouse at code 1. The bird highlights of the trip were Spruce Grouse and 
Boreal Owl, birds I had tried for several times in the past without success. 
The location highlight was Riding Mountain National Park followed closely by 
the Turtle Lake area. The sheer number and variety of birds, as well as the 
gorgeous scenery, will make Riding Mountain in migration a favorite for most 
birders. The top of the escarpment on Agassiz Ski Hill Rd. (Highway 361) out of 
McCreary on the east side of the park and Highway 19 are special places. The 
Turtle Lake area has almost as many birds but unlike Riding Mountain is still 
relatively unknown by the throngs of recreation seekers who love Riding 
Mountain to death in the warm months, the
 "Radnorification" of the park well known by birders in the Nashville area. If 
migration was in summer and birds were most active in the middle of the day 
there would be no birders. Unfortunately, I saw nothing of western Montana so I 
will reserve comment on Montana until I get there. High ranking Tennessee total 
tickers, David Chaffin and John Henderson, with a recent trip to Montanaâ??s 
west, would have much more to offer. While not in the same category as the 
places mentioned above, Teddy Roosevelt National Park was the highlight in 
North Dakota for its unusual avifauna and natural beauty. And, admittedly, I 
love prairie dogs and their owl friends.
 
Should I talk about low lights? Rarely birding locations will be low lights for 
me (John Heinz NWR in urban Philadelphia with vintage garbage in numerous areas 
the time I visited, and birding areas near Lake Calumet south of Chicago, 
essentially toxic dumps, are two exceptions), while weather is often the cause 
of my least happy birding experiences. I am not one of those birders (if there 
really are any) who say they are only truly happy when they are physically 
uncomfortable. (Perhaps a vanity for those who have yet to experience serious 
physical discomfort or disability.) Overall, the weather on the trip was quite 
tolerable. And whatâ??s not to like? I have life, health (or some large 
proportion of it), and birdsâ??I canâ??t imagine having a better time. In sum, 
central Canada at the height of migration is a great place to bird, well worth 
the interest of Tennessee birders. For total tickers going to Manitoba and 
Saskatchewan (and Alberta!) may be the
 most productive single trip you ever take.
 
Email me if you have any questions. As you might imagine a great deal goes into 
a trip like this (they take months to plan) and it is not possible to put 
everything down in the time I have available. Note that this trip report and my 
previous long trip to the Northeast in 2008 will soon be on my university 
webpage at www.mtsu.edu/~kbreault. 
 
Good birding and good totaling!
 
Kevin Breault
Brentwood, TN   
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