Date: 10/31/25 7:28 am From: N Drilling via groups.io <dril0008...> Subject: [sd-birds] late migrants
With the relatively warm Fall we've been having, it's not surprising that some migrant birds are showing up later than they normally do. In addition to the gnatcatcher that was photographed in Pierre the other day, I have had two unusual sightings. Yesterday I found a quite late Gray-cheeked Thrush at Amsden Lake in Day County. And Wednesday morning, I flushed a Burrowing Owl from highway 20 in Ziebach County, which appears to be a record-late observation.
That being said, the cold front that came through this week definitely brought in early winter migrants such as Purple Finch, Rusty Blackbird, American Tree Sparrow, and East River Prairie Falcons. Out in the newly-harvested fields, hundreds of Lapland Longspurs are moving through.
