It’s been a big week in the bird world in Grand Forks, from traffic encounters with Canada geese on the south end of town to increasing numbers of migrating shorebirds at Kellys Slough west of the city. And then some. To start with, the shorebirds: A trip to Kellys Slough National Wildlife Refuge on Monday, July 22, yielded a couple of hundred American avocets, double the number in the west pond a week earlier – Monday, July 15.
Numbers will continue to grow in the weeks ahead. In Grand Forks County, August is the month for avocets. This is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Avocets are known to nest in the county, but they’re not common in the breeding season. Instead, the bulk of the North American population nests west of here. In North Dakota, avocet nesters are most numerous along the Missouri Coteau, a glacial ridge that marks the Continental Divide.
This is an area of shallow, alkaline wetlands and mudflats that avocets favor. ADVERTISEMENT In breeding plumage, the avocet is a striking bird, with head and neck the color of cinnamon and the body a sharp contrast of black and white. The face is distinctive, too, with a bit of white behind the bill and around the eye.
Plus, the bill is long and turned up at the end. What’s more, this is a tall bird, maybe knee high to an 8-year-old, so avocets are hard to overlook. The avocets were not alone at the slough.
A gang of pelicans, perhaps 200 strong, was bunched up on an island and against the far shore. There were other .