Chuck Lura

I was perusing Robert Stewart’s Breeding Birds of North Dakota (1975) recently and noticed that he listed three species of gulls nesting in the state: California, Franklin’s, and ring-billed. He also noted that herring gulls were nesting on Stump Lake back in 1884.

Birdwatchers attend the 2024 Fargo Birding Festival at Forest River Park in Fargo, North Dakota.

The Amphibians and Reptiles of North Dakota website lists eight species of snakes documented in the state. I assume that most North Dakotans are familiar with many of these snakes, but I suspect that few have ever heard of or seen a smooth green snake

I encourage you to consider a trip to the International Peace Garden this summer. There is much to see and do there, including exploring a little Natural North Dakota and Manitoba in the Turtle Mountain aspen forest.

Common Sunflower on the Little Missouri National Grassland, North Dakota

Much of central and eastern North Dakota is pothole country. As you look out at all those sloughs, it appears that the vast majority of them are dominated by cattails. Those sloughs have been changing more than most people realize.

Are you seeing yellow? As you look out on the North Dakota landscape this time of year, it seems that there are yellow flowers everywhere. It is the color of the season!

September is upon us! As you have probably noticed, the days are getting shorter and cooler. Daylight has been decreasing since the summer solstice back in June. Sunrise and sunset on September 1 in Bismarck are 7:02am and 8:23pm, respectively. On September 30, sunrise and sunset in Bismarck will be 7:40am and 7:25pm.

Sharp-tailed grouse season opens up on September 19. To quote Morris Johnson and Joseph Knue from their Feathers from the Prairie (1989), “no other upland bird has been in the state so long or in such numbers.”

I recently read a blog by Kent Nerburn, author of the trilogy Neither Wolf Nor Dog, The Wolf at Twilight, and The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo, most of which are set in North and South Dakota.