Day 19, Sunday June 26,2022 Last day at Buffalo Trails ,Williston ND

 Day 19, Sunday June 26,2022 Last day at Buffalo Trails ,Williston ND

The day was beautiful and after a pleasant night, we headed out of town to the Theodore Roosevelt, National Park. We had been there once before, and as we were only staying two nights here, it was a good day to do it.

Western Wallflower

 

Entry to the Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The route is west on US 2 out of town, then south 50 miles on US 85 to the park. The entrance is seen from the highway "way down there" as the Little Missouri River has cut a huge  Valley and floodplain which makes up most of the accessible part of the Park. There are three units in the park. A South  and North unit as well as the Elkhorn Ranch Unit which has no buildings standing, as it is looooong gone. It is where Teddy Roosevelt  built a ranch and stayed there when he visited. He lost both his wife and his mother on Feb 14  and he started coming here just after that to recover those losses. He lost all of his cattle in the winter of 1887 two years after the buildings were completed by his workers. He went back to NY.

Scarlet Globe Mallow

Prickly Pear Cactus

Black Samson (a Cone Flower)

 

Ruth and I saw few birds ...I mean a few, but added the Cedar Waxwing which we did not have yet. There were 21 birds that day. We were able to identify in flight, the Lark Sparrow with its white patches on the wings against as all black body. We saw no Hawks or large birds although we know there are Golden Eagles in the Park. We saw no birds at all along the Little Missouri River. We stopped at the picnic grounds and the camping area but, again,  very few birds.

 

Concretions formed by water dripping on sand.

Irregular  formations in the soft rock.

Ledges formed by resistant layers to ersosion

 The end of the road at mile 14 is the Oxbow Overlook where the river actually does two complete oxbow loops. almost coming back on itself two times.  In 100 years  or so it probably will straighten itself out.

The Little Missouri River looking east

The Little Missouri at the double Oxbow..

The gray rock is Bentonite rock, that flows when it gets wet. (Waterfall like)

 

The rock formations I will show in the photos as there are many.

There are Buffalo in the Park and we did see them three times. They were reintroduced in 1956 and now have established themselves so that have to be managed each year. There are also Bighorn Sheep, Elk and Pronghorn (Antelope) in the Park.

The road to the Park  (US 85) is loaded with many "oil pads"and  all sorts of accessory pits that hold trucks, tankers, pipe, wire, metal, welders, parts stores and the like for the oil industry there and around  NE North Dakota. The industry is down about 20% since the pandemic began.

After getting home we did get to "Doc Holliday's" restaurant and saw the west as it might have been a few years back. The walls and ceiling were loaded with western memorabilia. Our guest on the wall at our table was my favorite "General"---Chief Joseph. There were two shiny Harley Davidson motorcycles that were displayed on platforms . Sturgis SD is a center for the  BIG Motorcycle rally each year. It is not that far from here. Quite a contrast in cutures.

So it was a great day in the sun and with little wind it was an ideal day. Tomorrow we head for Montana and the town of Malta, where we will spend 5 nights and see a number of NWR there.

See you on the road.

Day 18, Saturday June 25, 2022, Traveled to Williston ND

 Day 18, Saturday June 25, 2022, Traveled to Williston ND

Very windy on the road with the wind blowing at 30-35 mph. We took our time getting the campsite torn down, and still by 9:30 were ready to hit the road. The wind was still strong, and both Ruth and I felt "seasick" when we got to the campground in Williston. Our average mileage/gas on the first 1/2 of the leg (60 miles) ...was 6.5 mph on the gasoline.  I wouldn't want to do a whole trip against that headwind.  We still have some 200 miles to go westward before we turn south, and  hopefully that will be less windy.

As far as the eye can see.

More crops

A sectionof the road they were working on (Its 4 lane and we kept switch the two lanes for 24 miles)

 

 

 

 

The 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

terrain most of the way is a beautiful green carpet across the Prairie, with miles and miles of land that has been tilled and is growing wheat, alfalfa, some corn, and of course many beans. In some places we could see to the horizon some 20-30 miles away and it would be all crops growing. They have said that this is one of the best growing seasons they have had with all the moisture that has fallen. Of course with winds like today that moisture evaporates in a hurry.

It was quite amazing that even though we stopped only once, we did not stop at any ponds although their were birds in many of them, our total count for the day was 21 birds truly "on the fly". Ruth is gettng better at spotting them in flight and I certainly did not do much looking today, as the road was important to watch with the heavy wind. Those are all birds we can recognize from the truck at 55 mph.

One of the oil collecting pads.

More o fthe same

Each pad has its own well and holding tanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although there are the same number of granaries and silos per square mile than previously in ND,  which   indicates the agriculture activity, there was a "New Kid on the Block". ..The oil pads!  These are the places where the relatively new Bakken Oil Field has allowed investors to dig for oil and they have done well here.  I think even on US 2 there were 15 or 20 of them.  (Pads)There were 55 wells dug and active before the pandemic and now that is down to 40.   Usually there are 3-6 oil wells pumping on these pads,( See photo) For those of you who read my posts in 2018, I commented on them then. There are many supply yards along the way with pipes,  shielding well heads, etc, to keep those wells going.  We did see some "Man Camps"and more on that tomorrow.

Did you know?--- North Dakota is the largest producer of oil in the country second only to TX?

Did you know?-- That North Dakota has the largest number of National Wildlife Refuges of any state in the USA. Answer...53 of them.

The Grossman trestle bridge in Minot. It is 1790 feet 

long and 718 feet high

It is still used today, even the Amtrac travels it.

 

Gasoline was a bit higher here at $4.79.  That is,however, lower than in the eastern USA.

We arrived earlier than usual and Sandy greeted us as he asked us to call 1/2 hour before arrival. They play it pretty loose out here and may not be at the office all day.  They do check on the campers tsee if all is well.We were in site #1 so we can see a sunset if there is one.   It is a good campground with lots of room between trailers. About 45 feet wide and  room for a car at one end after our two vehicles. There are very few trees , except around the outside edges. Sandy's husband was born in Manistee MI, and is an ardent Fisherman as he learned the trade on Lake Michigan and on the Wolverine state streams and rivers.

Our site at Williston ND

Looking toward the road and office.

 

We set up the trailer  and relaxed  before even thinking about supper, but needed some groceries. There is an Albertson's just a mile down the road. (We are outside of town about 2 miles.)   So we journeyed there to test the store's computer/cash register that gave us trouble ,but the helper said "It's a stubborn machine anyway". On the way out Ruth spied a Pizza Hut across the street from the grocery store, so we were hooked for dinner.

We returned the 2 miles to that Pizza Hut and picked up a " take out" and enjoyed that in the trailer as the wind started to die down.

Tomorrow we will head for the Teddy Roosevelt National Park. It is just an hours drive from here and should yield not only birds but good photos.  Being Sunday it will be busy , but we have not seen any crowds since the "SS Badger "coming across the Big Lake.

Hope to catch you tomorrow.--Jim

Day 17, Friday June 24, 2022, Last Day at Minot ND

 Day 17, Friday June 24, 2022, Last Day at Minot ND

 Jim forgot that there was  one more day at Roughrider campground. He was all set to move out , when for some reason he looked at the itinerary and lo and behold! There was another day to go.  So...

We repeated the day that we had yesterday without the long drive around the NWR road.  The birding on that road was very good yesterday and was as well today. Ruth had wanted to try to get a better light on those Grebes on the edge of the Refuge, so we aimed for that.  We did take the same route in , north on US 83 and east on Co Rd 30. That is in Botteneau County, ND.

Last night's sunset after the storm

Two white horses we saw on the road both days.

In the village of Upham is this Veteran's Memorial School

 

It was remarkable that we actually picked up more birds than yesterday on these roads. Our total count  for the day was 45 and that included a surprise find in a pond...The Bufflehead Duck and the Hooded Merganser.  (see list below.) We had to get out the big telescope to verify those two. Ruth spotted them (she usually does as I am driving), and we stopped for quite a spell to identify them. That was a great find. 

We did stop at the Refuge HQ, but they all must have been in a meeting as no one came to greet us. 

Interesting note on the life of J Clark Salyer. He was a University of Michigan man, interested in the environment and outdoor studies.  Taught in Kanses in his early days. He caught the attention of Ding Darling and others  to head the beginning of what would become the Fish and Wildlife Refuge System. He was successful at it and was often called the "Founder of the Wildlife Refuge System". 

To restore waterfowl habitat on the Refuge, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a series of low dikes and water control structures along the river. As the waters of the Souris River slowly inundated the valley, aquatic plants were planted to enhance marsh development.

The day was mostly cloudy , with rain clouds building all day. Ruth did not get the good light that she had wanted  so there were no great photos to show for it. But that happens so we just go with the flow  and get what we can..

White Faced Ibis were not common

Our lunch time cafe right near the ponding  from Souris R.

The Horned Grebes were common there.

 

Some of today's outstanding birds I will list here:

White Breasted Nuthatch (at feeder), Harris' Sparrow (at feeder), Pied Billed Grebe, Bobolink, Forster's Gull, Red Necked Phalarope, Willet, Swainson's Hawk, Wild Turkey (our first), Purple Martin, Broad Winged Hawk,  Red Tailed Hawk,  White Faced Ibis, Lark Sparrow and Common and Black Terns. Forty Five bird species in all.

We did go by the Minot AFB again and this time on the return we saw a B 52 take off and evidently practice a landing as it went right over our truck two times.  Ruth did get a good photo of it  on the return flight.I  guess they have to train those pilots all the time. This AFB has over 5,000 military personnel, and there are 40,000 total people on the base working for it, contracted, civilian or family members.

PRIZE FOR GUESSES!!!

This early return to the trailer, gave us a both a time to identify the photos, sort them and also count the totals that we have for the trip. At this point , we have some 110 species.  I am again going to open up guesses to how many we will have when we return to the state of Michigan.( Across the border). A copy of Sibley's Bird Guide will be the prize to whomever comes the closest either + or -. So send in your guess as to what will be the total species Jim and Ruth will have seen on this trip that ends July 23.? I will not post any totals after today. Last time  we had a contest, (2018), daughter Therese won the prize with 147 birds I believe.

 After getting back to the trailer , we worked on those photos and did some discussion of the difference between the Eared Grebe and the Horned Grebe. Ruth won the 'discussion'.

 

 

The gas tank was filled, and we consumed some Wisconsin 'Brats" for supper. It was a good day and at supper time it did begin to rain and for much longer than last night. but not as heavy. It is still raining after 1 1/2 hours.

Tomorrow we REALLY head for Williston ND for sure. Should be a strong head wind.

Oh,... Yes by the way Jim said that he was bitten by a "mite" this week, well  he meant to say he was bitten by a "Tick" . It was removed easily with some loss of skin.

Day 16, Thursday June 23, 2022, last day in Minot ND

 Day 16, Thursday June 23, 2022, last day in Minot ND

A Dad carrying three chicks (Red Necked Grebe)

                                                                Mom keeping check.  (See below)

Today we DID head for Clark Saylor NWR. It is  about 54 miles from our campsite , and we were on the road at 9:15. Ruth put the chicken in the marinade, we packed a lunch and off we went. No fast food out there in the Refuge! Unless you could catch a fish, maybe? We did see two fishermen in the Refuge!

Th Refuge in North central ND

Jim's turn to take a few photos

The only road through the Refuge (18 miles)

The scraper had gone just ahead of us and turned
 around and met us coming the other way (He gave way)

 The Refuge is NE of us and we took US 83 north 25 miles to Co Rd. 30 east to the Refuge. There were many stops for pot hole birds along the way,  but we realized to get to the Refuge we would have to keep moving.

The Refuge is 58,000 Acres along the Souris River. A stop at the Refuge HQ, was good as we met Liz and Jane the Fish and Wildlife  workers , who gave us good hints about birds and animals, and explained how the units in the Refuge work. There is a north  Unit and a south Unit. The north one has a high road along the Souris River enabling a viewer to look down on the river and wetlands. We took the north one first and after a 10 mile drive to the road through the grassland on a one track road, we met a local rancher, who filled us in on the road, the weather, the grass,  and his calves. (They could not be seen in the tall grass this year which was not like last year when it was brown and short.)

We saw many Red Necked Grebes

The Souris River on the north unit.

The high bank (left) we took through the grassland.

 

We saw only one new bird on this stretch , the Horned Billed Grebe, although  there were many birds along the river and in the fields. This is grassland  and prairie along the wetlands of the River.

We doubled back the same way we came, found the south part of the refuge and followed that gravel road all the way to the end of the Refuge.  That is about 13 miles. This road wound around the River, crossed it, and followed the marshes that surround the river on the east side. There were many water grass areas. and the main grass is 'phragmites' that fill in gradually the wet areas until they become solid.  This is one reason the Refuges control the water flow with small dams so they can move the water through when needed. This part of the river has three (small) dams to do this.

Explaining the Truss bridge structure

The Thompson Well

The steel Truss Bridge they saved .

 

We also stopped to see some history in the way of an old farmhouse (not standing anymore) that had a water pump at "Thompson's Well".  Don't see many of them any more and thys one had very fresh water after a few pumps.

The other part of some history was the truss, pony bridge that was built in the early 1900's to replace the wooden ones that were becoming costly to the Counties to replace. When rivets were invented they replaced the old bolt type bridges. They saved this bridge as a reminder of the past.

It is a huge Refuge (see above) and takes time to get through it. We got back to the campground at 3;30, just in time to take a few camera shots of two barns that Ruth spotted along the way. Traditional barns are not used much here in the plains.I suspect the steel sheds are more useful in both the cold and windy weather that they have out here.

Ruddy Duck, has unique features.

We did get to watch some "crop dusting", both coming and going.

One of two barns and we talked the horse to pose.

This barn is actually on US 2 just outside of Minot

 

After filling up with gasoline (we drove 155 miles), we had a grilled supper of chicken and marmalade sauce. Those marinades worked well.

A brief storm is playing with us and no rain yet, but thunder, wind, sunshine  is all we got. It was a storm that was forming and was still moving east. (No rainbow yet!)... Yes! There was one but it is very "dim". ... (A few minutes later)...Now it is raining very hard and for the last 25 minutes we were in a deluge.

Tomorrow we head further west on US 2 to Williston ND, just a few miles from the border with Montana. It will be a two day stop and perhaps one day into Medicine Lake NWR, nearby.

P.S.Ruth informed me   have passed the 100 bird mark with 103 identified and counting!

Day 15 Wed. June 22, 2022,at Minot ND

Day 15  Wed. June 22, 2022,at  Minot  ND .

We had planned to visit the Sayler NWR, but plans changed as we did want to get a load of laundry finished in the afternoon, so moved to  a closer venue... the Minot Sewage Ponds which are located about 7 miles east of the city. (Smart 'city fathers' as the wind usually blows from the west!!!).

Sewage ponds all over the USA are traditionally a good magnet for bird life because of the food located there. June is not the best season as most birds are with their young, on nest, or teaching the young chicks the vagaries of survival. These ponds are 5 in number, cover about 100 acres each and have gravel roads around them to travel, Most sites have a one lane, one way road, but these are very wide two lane, for the most part. It was a pleasant drive all around.

More ND Beans

Some of the sewage ponds

More ND ponds at Minot

 

 

 

 

 

As 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost all of the ponds were filled with water so there was not much chance for birds to  congregate  for food. Birding is best when the ponds are releasing their water, before cleaning. These ponds as a result did not have many birds, and although we did identify 33 species all day, the ponds did not yield what they might have.

Female coming out, male heading in

Female waiting for male.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two events today, stick out on our minds.

1. The feeding of a male and female Tree Sparrow in a cut off stump, that had a  hollow they were using as a home. Ruth was able to photograph some of the action there, as we waited for the "changing of the guard" many minutes when the male and the female would switch  places. Fascinating to watch. It happened so fast!

2. At lunch we decided to watch the wetland area where 100's of Yellow Headed Blackbirds were nesting and busy flying about and perching on the few small willow trees that were there. Again Ruth was able to get many photos of those beautiful birds, and they appear on this page.  They have that yellow head and when they fly, a white patch appears on their wings.

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Another Yellow Headed Blackbird

The Ringed Necked Pheasant was escorting  two females.

 

Outstanding birds for us today were, the aforementioned hawk, the Vesper Sparrow and its song, Ring Necked Pheasant (abundant in ND),and the Sharp shinned Hawk.

After lunch we started back to town, but stopped by a hawk that perched in a spar tree. (They love those spar trees). It was new to us as we had not seen that one in a long while. With a very white tail and white under the wings we identified it as a Ferrugenous Hawk. It is found mostly in the western USA. A beautiful bird that was in our sights for a minute.

We had brought our laundry with us to stop at the laundromat, but found that one was closed, so headed back to the campground where there were 6 washers/dryers ready to use. About 1 3/4 hours later we finished the clothes and at 84 degrees worked up a sweat before returning to the trailer to cool off in the A/C.  A few articles still needed some additional drying so are hanging in the trailer this evening.

We had not eaten out in the evening but once, so this was the night. Our choice was a restaurant that we had never eaten at before and that was a Culver's. I had loved the ads for their  Pacific Cod so we both ordered that with... as Ruth said "very good mashed potatoes and gravy. I had the same. It was a good meal with friendly staff.  We thought it lived up to the ads.

Some ask how Ruth  takes most of her photos. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOmetimes we use the tripod outside the truck.

A FIRST for Jim happened today. I was in the shower and noticed a strange "bump " on my upper leg in the back. I seemed to be able to grasp hold of it but it was stuck tightly. I asked Ruth to look at it and we discovered that I had attracted my first MITE. It was clinging to the skin so I lost a little of that when we pulled it off. (It was intact). Good thing to catch it on the skin and not "in" it. How do you kill a 'mite'?

Yes I was wearing long pants and long socks the day before.

Tomorrow we head for J.Clark Saylor NWR as it is called. A one hour drive  (straight north and east) and has the makings of good shorebird concentration. It also has a long (22 mile) auto tour. (self drive) along the upper part of the Souris River.

So we will let you know how that goes. --JIm

.

Ticks

 Day 14 Tuesday June 21, 2022- (Summer Solstice) Visiting Upper Souris NWR ND.

It rained hard off and on during the night, and the temps cooled some 10 degrees in an hour. The plan was to visit the above mentioned National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) as it was about 25 miles from us  just a "straight shot" up the road.

We were on the road at 9:15 AM and as I did not fill the tank with gasoline the night before, I  needed to go another 9 miles to a small town further  than planned to get some gasoline. When we did, I also asked the clerk, about the road that turned  there to the NWR. The clerk told me that was the one to the NWR, so we were not back tracking or out of the way at all.

Those White Pelicans lined up behind the dam

A single White Pelican

A female Gadwall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunately for us  that route had abundant "pothole lakes"and ponds on which there were birds aplenty. We stopped often and added to our daily count. Where the road turned north to cross the Lake Darling Dam it also led to the Visitor Center and Hq. of the NWR. We were met by Patti a veteran who has worked there for 11 years and knew many  spots we might try to find birds. Namely, the dam, (Pelicans), the river (more waterbirds), and the boat launches, of which there were three spaced about a mile apart on gravel roads. They all had some good results. Patti has three young grandchildren under 3 years old.

This NWR was created in 1935 (CCC years) and straddles the Souris River for 35 miles. The 32,092-acre  refuge includes a narrow band of river bottom. woodlands, fertile floodplains, native mixed-grass hills, and steep, shrub-covered coulees.

NB: a coulee is a depression between hills that shelters plants and wildlife which would normally be killed by the surrounding dry surroundings..Water accumulates there  to give animals shelter and water.

The CCC was involved (Civilian Conservation Corps)

They built this fire tower, the Lake and roads.

The Souris River just downstream from the dam.

 

At lunch time we picked a high point overlooking the  valley of the Souris, and had just gotten ready  to get out the 'picnic basket', when the rains came hard. Not to be delayed for lunch I squirmed around to reach for the picnic basket on the back floor,and did manage to get it in the front seat. All of this to Ruth's calls of "Wait for the rain to stop". The rain did stop in 10 minutes sure enough!

We finished the three mile auto tour that had 9 stops for info on coulees, grasses, wildlife, and other environmental concerns that the NWR was all about. 

It was a good day and one of three that we hope to take to these NWR's in North Dakota from Minot.

Wild roses were abundant.

A view of the Upper Souris River and valley. 

 

 

 

                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished the day by heading into  town for groceries. I had checked the propane tanks (A good idea often) and they were good yet. "One stop shopping" would be good. "The Market Place" is the big local store in North Dakota. It was very clean, well stocked, but as Ruth says (even with today's price raises,), "The prices were very high".

But we ended the day cutting celery into strips to use for lunch, and putting the groceries away. (There is a  full 'fridge' again)

We did count some 37 birds today and kept our daily count near 40.  Our trip total is nearly 100 species counted. Tomorrow it will be the Salyer NWR and a look at the Minot "waste ponds" just outside town which are suppose to be excellent for birding as many are.

See you tomorrow .

W