A unique habitat found along the scenic tour is the sandhills. These tall ridges of sand, now covered by grasses and shrubs, were once a beach of glacial Lake Souris during the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago. Some of the birds to be seen while walking the sandhills (or any other open areas of the refuge) include Red-tailed and Swainson’s Hawks, American Kestrel, Sharp-tailed Grouse (There is a photo blind near a dancing ground on the refuge. To use it check with refuge personnel.), Ring-necked Pheasant, Gray Partridge, Mourning Dove, Common Nighthawk, Common Flicker, Eastern and Western Kingbirds, Say’s Phoebe (rare), Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Mountain Bluebird (Most common as a spring migrant, but a few nest in the aspens.), Loggerhead Shrike, Brewer’s Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch, Rufous-sided Towhee, and Vesper, Lark, and Clay-colored Sparrows. Sandhill Cranes often pass overhead in migration.
One thing which distinguishes J. Clark Salyer from the other refuges to the west is the large amount of wooded area. Most of it is composed of American elm, box elder, and green ash in stands on the bottomlands along the Souris River. However, there are large mixed stands (mostly aspen) scattered across the uplands. These woodlands (especially those along the river) are natural migrant traps for transient passerines.
Some of the regular migrants are Olive-sided Flycatcher; Red-breasted Nuthatch; Brown Creeper; Hermit, Swainson’s, and Gray-cheeked Thrushes; Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets; Bohemian Waxwing; Black-and-white, Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Mourning, and Wilson’s Warblers; Ovenbird; Northern Waterthrush; Rusty Blackbird; Purple Finch; and Harris’, White-crowned, White-throated, Fox, and Lincoln’s Sparrows.
Several species nest in these wooded areas. Two of the more interesting are the Wood Duck and the Hooded Merganser. Both nest either in natural cavities in trees along the river or in boxes provided by the refuge personnel. The Wood Duck is fairly common in similar habitat over the whole eastern half of the state, but this is about the only area where the Hooded Merganser may be expected.