Date: 4/11/26 7:00 pm From: Vic Fondy via groups.io <treasurecreek...> Subject: [sd-birds] Birding WW North and West of Belle Fourche
We drove Northwest of Belle Fourche today on US 212 looking for displaying Sage Grouse but found none. Afterwards we took old bentonite roads along the Belle Fourche river then over to Sourdough Road. One of our West River migration birders reported 6 Long-billed Curlews and we located 2 along Sourdough Road. Attached is a photo. We then birded further West and returned via Aladdin, Upper Redwater, St. Onge cutoff and St. Onge. Raptors were scarce but we had 1 Golden Eagle, 2 Osprey on nest, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, and 6 American Kestrels. The area ponds were full and duck sightings included Mallard, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, and Hooded/Common Mergansers. Other sightings today included a FOS Mourning Dove, 100+ Ring-billed Gulls over a field North of Spearfish, and lots of Turkey Vultures in various locations.
Whitewood Creek is open, but we have had no nesting ducks on the creek yet. At our home 1.5 miles south of Whitewood we have lots of resident birds at the feeders, but no new migrants.
