I drove up to Killdeer Plains Sunday (3/24) after
church, a beautiful, sunny day, hoping to stay till
dusk to see the long-eared owls, and hoping for a look
at the Bobwhites which I always seem to miss (both had
been reported recently).

I think of Killdeer Plains as a huge rectangle,
bounded on the north by CH-71, on the south by CH-77,
and bisected by a lengthwise road down the middle
(CH-75) where the Sportsman's Center and Upground
Reservoir are located.  From CH-75 to either boundary
road is one mile.  I always carry a map of the area.
I've enjoyed birding Killdeer Plains once or twice a
year for the past three years or so.

I arrived via Rt. 294, through Harpster, and turned
south on CH-115.  Arriving at CH-75 I found it roped
off, so I continued south to CH-68, which goes
east(only)off CH-115 and allows access to the large
pond 27 (5 parking areas, one too muddy to use).
There were hundreds of ducks and geese there, but too
far away to see comfortably without a scope.  I could
make out (barely) mostly Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser
Scaup.  A couple I met there explained that I would
have to use the north-south crossroads (three of them
east of CH-115, each a mile apart) to get to anything
on CH-75.  They said the roads had been closed to stop
the chicken farm workers from speeding along the
roads.  I didn't know there was a chicken farm.

I made my way to Pond 3 by backtracking to the
northern boundary road (71) and finding a north-south
crossroad near the pond. I rolled down my window to
scan the pond and the car was immediately filled with
flies.  I opened the doors to shoo them out but many
more came in.  I realized there were even more on the
outside of my car than on the inside.  They buzzed
around my face all the rest of my trip and on my
50-mile ride home.  A few people I talked to at
Killdeer said the flies might be a result of the
chicken farm on the southern boundary road.

From Pond 3 I drove south to 75.  It was roped off on
both sides.  I had to backtrack to 71 and drive west
to the next crossroad to get to the reservoir and Pond
33.  Only a few waterfowl were there, far to the south
and unidentifiable.  I'd hoped the breeze at the
reservoir would mean fewer flies, but such was not the
case.

To get to the Sportsman's Center I had to reach the
crossroad 108, meaning a mile backtrack to 71 or 77.
I chose 77, the southern boundary.  As I approached
it, the stench of the chicken farm reached my nose
before I could see the buildings.  I switched my air
conditioner so that it circulated only the air inside
the car, which helped a little.  There were several
long, very neat buildings with no windows.  Had it not
been for the smell (and the tips from the people), I
would never have known it was a chicken farm.  If it
smelled this bad so far from the buildings, I pitied
the workers inside--and the residents nearby.  I
wondered if all the chicken waste seeped into the
ground in one area.  My low-priced eggs and chickens
from major supermarkets probably are produced at one
of these chicken farms, by chickens that never see the
light of day.  I felt a little sick.

Going east on 77 to the appropriate crossroad (108), I
was finally able to access the Sportsman's Center.  I
was greeted by the loud barking of about 10 dogs
leashed to the front fence.  A few horse trailers were
around, but no people.  I pulled to the back and
scanned the fields for a Northern Bobwhite.  I finally
found one (female)--walking around on the tailgate of
a pickup truck!  Two men on extremely muddy horses
soon arrived and rode toward the pickup.  I stopped
them to tell them about the Bobwhite.  They said it
had been there for some time.  It darted out of sight
amidst piles of clutter in the back of the pickup.
I'd noticed small cages (about 10) built on top of the
pickup.  When I looked through my binoculars I was
surprised to see a dog in each, unable to stand up due
to the small size of each cage.  It was close to 80
degrees and sunny, but the dogs didn't bark from their
cramped quarters.  I asked one of the men, out of
curiosity, why they had so many dogs and only two
horses.  They said they brought them there to train.
I was glad one of those dogs didn't belong to me.

I'd stopped by the old pine grove earlier with the
hope that the Long-eared Owls had returned, to no
avail.  I spent about an hour slogging through mud in
the pine grove and saw only one Golden-Crowned
Kinglet.  Along 108, north of 75, I had my best views
of waterfowl...from the road, standing on my car.  Two
eagles were checking out a nest far to the east across
the water.  I usually see many raptors at Killdeer.
This time I saw only one Northern Harrier, one
Broad-winged Hawk, one Red-tailed Hawk, and a few
Kestrels.

The flies annoyed me too much to wait another hour
until dusk.  I returned home and sprayed the inside of
the car and the trunk with insecticide.  The next
morning they were still buzzing around as thick as
ever.  I think they liked the spray!  I went to the
store for old-fashioned flypaper which I hung inside
while I washed the outside.  I caught 11 flies in an
hour and had to hang another strip after I cleaned the
interior.  I caught 2 more with the second strip.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed.  I don't like
writing depressing trip reports, but maybe someone
else will be saved an unpleasant trip.





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