Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, north of Minot, North Dakota, is one of the premier birding locations
in the United States. Its attraction is grassland birds. I detoured there on a drive from North Carolina to Oregon.
It was worth it. I added three life birds and had my fill of Clay-colored and Grasshopper Sparrows, to name a few.
I had just made the acquaintance of the LeConte's Sparrow two days before in Minnesota, but that was in the dark.
At Lostwood I got to see one singing from an exposed perch. Here are a few of his very high buzzes. Can you hear them?
The tick notes before and after the buzz may be easier to pick up. The Grasshopper Sparrow's song is similar, but lacks the short buzz
at the beginning and the tick at the end.