POTHOLES, PRAIRIES AND PEOPLE

I had the privilege of attending a delightful birding festival last June in Carrington, North Dakota, appropriately named the “Potholes And Prairies Birding Festival”.  Carrington is a little town located about 150 miles NW of Fargo, where the sky goes on forever, the landscape and wildlife is breathtaking, and the local folks instantly make you feel like you’re part of the family.  There are miles and miles of natural prairie land in this area of North Dakota, and natural “potholes” have formed that are actually little ponds and lakes scattered throughout the region.  It was my first time visiting North Dakota, and it far exceeded my expectations!  I had never stepped foot on an actual prairie before, and it was a life changing experience for me.   The feeling of being on a vast, open prairie is freeing and peaceful.  I tried to breathe deeply and drink in the “bigness” of it all, leaving my day-to-day worries behind.

Our birding group always walked single file to minimize our impact on the natural condition of the prairie. 

One of the many things about North Dakota that surprised me was the fact that it never became fully dark at night in mid-June.  Because we were so far north, there was a faint “midnight sun” experience like you would have in Alaska during the summer months.  It was also much warmer during the day than I had anticipated.  I understand that June weather is quite unpredictable in and around Carrington, and I was happy to have visited during a stretch of great weather.  

Sunrise in North Dakota

I attended the Potholes And Prairies Birding Festival with dear friends who were speaking and guiding at this event.  For years they had told tales of their adventures in North Dakota, and I was eager to experience it firsthand.  I had many other friends who attended Potholes And Prairies last June, and I made lots of new friends, too.  If you’ve never been to a birding festival, they are great fun!  Whether you are a veteran birder, a newbie, or something in between, festivals are a great way to learn more about birds and wildlife, enjoy the outdoors, and meet lovely, interesting people.

Back row:  Bill and Al

Front row:  Sarah, Julie, kelly, Ann, Ernie and me

 

Birding down a lonesome road

Along with the beautiful people and landscape, there were many birds to see that were totally new to me.  I had over 40 “life birds” on this trip.  For those of you who don’t speak “birder”, a “life bird” is a bird you see for the very first time in the wild.  Some birders are “listers” and keep an ongoing list of the birds they’ve seen.  Growing up in Tennessee, I had never seen birds like Wilson’s snipe, American avocet, yellow-headed blackbird, chestnut collared longspur, sora, Nelson’s sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, and many, many more.

 Wilson's snipe

yellow-headed blackbird

My favorite day of birding was the day we set out to find a large nesting colony of grebes. We were told about a marshy area nearby where supposedly 100 western grebes were nesting, which would be a rare thing to see, indeed.  The bird I most wanted to see on this trip was a Clark’s grebe, named after my ancestor William Clark (of Lewis and Clark), and it was discovered and named during the famed Lewis and Clark expedition.  Clark’s grebes are elegant birds, and I had always wanted to see one, but had only ever admired them in photographs.  I was uncertain if I would be able to see one on this trip because they are somewhat uncommon birds, even in North Dakota.  We headed out to find the grebe colony early one morning, and after an intense search and lots of madcap map mania, we finally found it!  I was moved to tears as we approached the marsh that hosted hundreds of grebes nesting in the wild.  The unmistakable sound of the mass number of grebes reached me before I could actually see them, and as they came into view, it was as if time stood still.  A truly magical moment.  I was overwhelmed with emotion as the natural scene unfolded.  There were more grebes than I could count, busily swimming and nesting and living their little grebe lives in this colony they called home.  At first glance, I only saw western grebes, identified by their red eye surrounded by a black head.  I immediately started scanning the colony to try and find a Clark’s grebe.  Unlike the more common western grebes, Clark’s grebes have a red eye that is surrounded by white.  My eyes searched wildly for my namesake bird, a bird that I had traveled far and wide to see with my own eyes.  After a few minutes of focused searching, I found my bird!  We targeted it in the spotting scope, and sure enough, there were two Clark’s grebes in my sights, one sitting on a nest while the other continued to swim back and forth, adding nesting material a little at a time.   Because these birds were nesting and not on the move, I was able to take great photos and watch their activity for a long time.  I imagined William Clark seeing this bird for the first time, and wondered if he felt the same sense of amazement and humility that I felt at that moment.

 Clark's grebe

Taking photos on the prairie

Another memorable part of my trip was playing music with my band, The Rain Crows, on the last night of the festival.  Our talented friends, Ernie Hoffert and Stephen Ingraham, joined us, and these talented musicians made a great evening even better.  While dozens of people enjoyed a picnic on that mild summer evening, our band enjoyed a night of outdoor music on the picturesque farm owned by our friends Ann and Ernie Hoffert.  Ann, along with her faithful event team and local tourism leaders, has coordinated this festival for nearly ten years.  She represents the heart and soul of Potholes And Prairies, and she and her husband Ernie seem to capture the heart and soul of North Dakota for me as well.  They are very special people, and their hospitality and generosity have brought joy to thousands of people over the years.

 Bill Thompson, Jessie Munson, Ernie Hoffert and Stephen Ingraham

Fishing with Ann Hoffert

Our evening presentations during the festival took place at the charming Chieftain Hotel and Conference Center in downtown Carrington.  It’s not every day you see a giant Native American statue greeting you in the parking lot of your hotel!

I hope you have the opportunity to visit North Dakota, and see firsthand the glory and beauty of this region of the world.  If you would like more information on the Potholes And Prairies Birding Festival, please visit their website: 

This plant is called prairie smoke and grows wild on the prairie. 

Who knows?  You might just fall in love with the potholes, prairies and people of North Dakota.  I know I did.