Backyard birds in Williston, North Dakota
Which birds visit Williston yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Williston's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 48.147°, -103.618°
- Population
- 26,977
- June 21 daylight
- 16 h 4 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 21 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 7:06 AM / 5:53 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- roughly 4 days later than the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 3a–4b
Nesting timing in Williston
The state guides give nesting windows for North Dakota as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 47.2°N). Williston is at 48.1°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts roughly 4 days later than the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Williston goes from 8 h 21 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 16 h 4 min in June, a 7 h 43 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window May–August
- Eastern Bluebird — state window May–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window June–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window August–September
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window June–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
- House Finch — state window May–August
Birds you can expect in Williston
Year-round residents (35)
Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatchs, House Finchs, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Northern Flickers, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Black-billed Magpies, Eurasian Collared-Doves, American Crows, Common Ravens, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Field Sparrows, Canada Gooses, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Barn Owls, Horned Larks, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (64)
Eastern Bluebirds, Purple Martins, American Goldfinchs, House Wrens, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Chimney Swifts, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Spotted Towhees, Mountain Bluebirds, Say's Phoebes, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Lazuli Buntings, Bullock's Orioles, Gray Catbirds, Western Tanagers, Lark Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Ovenbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Least Flycatchers, Western Kingbirds, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, American Coots, Killdeers, Spotted Sandpipers, American Woodcocks, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Ospreys, Burrowing Owls, Savannah Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Dickcissels, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Bobolinks, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds
Winter visitors (22)
Dark-eyed Juncos, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red Crossbills, Hooded Mergansers, Merlins, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Harris's Sparrows, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls, White-winged Crossbills, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finchs, Bohemian Waxwings
Severe winters to −30°F; Snow Buntings and redpolls arrive from the Arctic.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Williston
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Williston, sunrise is around 7:06 AM in mid-April, 5:53 AM at the June solstice and 8:41 AM in late December (local time, America/Chicago). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Williston yards
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.
Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.
Blue fruit on red stems in early fall.
Tubular flowers for hummingbirds and seed heads for finches.
Prolific seed heads for finches and sparrows.
Annual native sunflower — the original feeder seed.
Nearby cities in North Dakota
- Dickinson — 96 mi away, nesting roughly 5 days earlier than Williston
- Minot — 107 mi away, nesting about the same time as Williston
- Mandan — 157 mi away, nesting roughly 5 days earlier than Williston
- Bismarck — 161 mi away, nesting roughly 5 days earlier than Williston
- Jamestown — 244 mi away, nesting roughly 5 days earlier than Williston
- Grand Forks — 304 mi away, nesting about the same time as Williston
Frequently asked
What birds live in Williston all year?
Year-round residents across North Dakota include Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Williston.
When do birds start nesting in Williston?
Williston sits at a different latitude from North Dakota's population centre, so nesting runs roughly 4 days later than the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Williston?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Williston, sunrise is around 7:06 AM in mid-April and 5:53 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — North Dakota
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.