It’s all for the birds
Submitted Photo A robin grazes on a North Dakota lawn for berries in April. In summer they eat insects and worms as well. The robin is a partial migrant, like the Canada goose, and only go as far south as needed to find food and warmth. Photo by Roger Riveland.
Submitted Photo A yellow-rumped "Myrtle" warbler rests in a bush, most likely stopping in North Dakota on its way to Canada's boreal forest region. Photo by Roger Riveland.
Submitted Photo A mating pair of northern shoveler ducks rest in a water-filled ditch in Divide County. The drake (male) is brightly colored while the hen (female) has a orange bill and is mostly brown in color. Photo by Roger Riveland.
Submitted Photo A hawk, sitting on a large round bale of hay, feeds on a Richardson's ground squirrel, commonly called a gopher in North Dakota. Photo by Roger Riveland.
Submitted Photo A robin grazes on a North Dakota lawn for berries in April. In summer they eat insects and worms as well. The robin is a partial migrant, like the Canada goose, and only go as far south as needed to find food and warmth. Photo by Roger Riveland.
Submitted Photo A yellow-rumped "Myrtle" warbler rests in a bush, most likely stopping in North Dakota on its way to Canada's boreal forest region. Photo by Roger Riveland.
Submitted Photo A mating pair of northern shoveler ducks rest in a water-filled ditch in Divide County. The drake (male) is brightly colored while the hen (female) has a orange bill and is mostly brown in color. Photo by Roger Riveland.
Submitted Photo A hawk, sitting on a large round bale of hay, feeds on a Richardson's ground squirrel, commonly called a gopher in North Dakota. Photo by Roger Riveland.
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Saturday, May 9, was spring World Migratory Bird Day 2026 in the USA and Canada regions. There will a be Migratory Bird Day in the Mexico/Central and South America/Caribbean regions on Oct. 10 this year.
People are encouraged to get involved in monitoring and data collection via tools like Merlin Bird ID and iNaturalist.
The theme this year is “Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter!” according to MigratoryBirdDay.org.
Seven ambassador species have been chosen to showcase this year’s migratory patterns: Cinnamon teal, Merlin, ruby-throated hummingbird, barn swallow, American oystercatcher, spoon-billed sandpiper and Abdim’s stork, according to the Migratory Bird Day information.
There are around 450 species of birds in North America that migrate two times each year. Four to five billion birds migrate south each fall, and nearly that number return north in the spring. Over a billion can be in the air at any given time during those migrations.
Some North Dakota birds such as ring-necked pheasants, sharp-tailed grouse, prairie chickens, wild turkeys and Hungarian partridge are residents and do not ever migrate.