20090613 – Culbertson to Westby to Kenmare--Hello North Dakota

20090613 – Culbertson to Westby to Kenmare--Hello North Dakota

We spent the early part of the day birding backroads in a northerly direction along the North Dakota border aiming toward Westby—in far northwest Montana. We had been pointed to this area by a ranger at Medicine Lake (Jerry Rodriguez) who said that the city park would be quite active and the area North of the city was one that had the very short grass preferred by Sprauge's Pipets. However, the park was not very active when we arrived in the afternoon, but perhaps would be during migration as a unique treed oasis in the area. We struck out on the Sprauge's Pipets. Then we crossed into North Dakota, spending the night in a campground operated by the City of Kenmare.

Birds: Mourning Dove, Western Meadow, Ring-necked Pheasant, Gadwall, Northern shoveler, Lesser Scaup, Eared Grebe, American Avocet, Wilson's Phalarope, Baird's Sandpiper, Song Sparrow, Pintail, Killdeer, Eastern Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Blue-winged Teal, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Ruddy Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Grasshopper Sparrow, Horned Grebe, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Sora (heard), Warbling Vireo, Marbled Godwit.