What to look for in nature in North Dakota this May

Which prairie songbirds are singing over North Dakota grassland in May?

• Chestnut-collared longspur

  On the breeding grounds since late March; peak nesting early May to early August · Large native pastures with short grass, most reliably over 250 acres

  The male is easy to know once the light is right: a chestnut patch on the nape, a black belly and pale outer tail feathers that show in flight. Game and Fish says the species perches on rocks, fences and stiff stems and nests on the ground, often beside a cowpie or under a clump of grass. The department reports that its numbers have fallen 85 percent since 1970, and that North Dakota holds about 19 percent of the global breeding population, second among six states. The agency calls it uncommon in cropland and hayland.

• Sprague’s pipit

  Present from early April; first nesting period late April to early June · Big blocks of native prairie, ideally over 470 acres, with intermediate grass height

  This streaky, shy bird is a specialist of idle and lightly grazed prairie and avoids woody vegetation and deep litter. The department lists a 75 percent decline since 1970 and ranks North Dakota second of three states for its share of the breeding population. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service names Sprague’s pipit and Baird’s sparrow as the rare grassland birds Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge protects. Stand still and let it settle.

• Bobolink

  Arrives in early May; peak nesting early June to late August · Moderately tall, dense hayfields, pastures and wet meadows away from tree lines

  Males arrive in black and white with a straw-colored nape, perch on stems and fence posts, and sing in a bubbling burst. Game and Fish says the bird prefers vegetation of moderate height and density more than any particular plant mix, and that cowbirds parasitize its nests moderately to heavily. Its numbers are down about 60 percent since 1970, yet North Dakota holds about 19 percent of the world’s nesting bobolinks, first among 32 states. The Grassland Trail at J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge is a good place to look.

• Upland sandpiper

  Here from mid-April; peak nesting mid-May to mid-July · Pastures, hayland and roadsides with fence posts to perch on

  A shorebird that has given up the shore. The department notes it is almost never seen near water, needs posts, rocks or other display perches, and feeds on small invertebrates in short grass, including fields just after a burn. Early mowing is named as one of its main threats, because it can destroy nests or kill nesting females. The state hosts roughly 15 percent of the global nesting population, second among 22 states. Watch the tops of fence posts along gravel roads in the morning.

When do curlews, godwits and piping plovers nest in North Dakota?

• Long-billed curlew

  Eggs laid in early May; hatching late May to early June · Short, open pasture, often on level or gently rolling ground

  The department's natural history calendar puts egg laying in early May and hatching from late May into early June. Nests are shallow scrapes, often near cow dung or another object that breaks up the outline. Game and Fish says grazing is best held off until late May or late June so birds can settle, and that early mowing and ordinary farm work can destroy nests or kill incubating adults. The species is declining and its North Dakota range has contracted a lot. If you spot one on a fence post, enjoy it from the car.

• Marbled godwit

  Peak nesting mid-April to mid-June · Grassland uplands and wet meadows; feeds in shallow wetlands and along roadsides

  A large, tawny shorebird with a long, slightly upturned bill. North Dakota has the highest share of the global breeding population among 15 states, about 15 percent according to the department, which also says the population is declining steeply. Nesting success depends on wide stretches of grass and plenty of wetlands, and, as with curlews, an early hay crop can wipe out a nest.

• Piping plover

  Present from mid-April; peak nesting late May to mid-July · Bare sand, gravel and alkali shores of lakes and rivers

  The Northern Great Plains population has been federally listed as threatened since 1985, and North Dakota lists the plover as threatened too. A nest is a slight hollow in sand or gravel, usually next to a clump, rock or log, and never in heavy vegetation. The state asks boaters and walkers to avoid nesting sites and to keep dogs leashed on sandbars and shores where plovers nest. The department says people on sandbars can destroy nests, and projects the species could lose more than half its current range by 2050.

Which waterbirds, frogs and toads fill North Dakota's wetlands in May?

• Western grebes

  Here from early April; peak nesting late May to late August · Medium to large lakes and marshes with beds of cattails, bulrush and open water

  Western grebes nest in colonies on floating platforms of plant stems, sometimes mixed with eared grebes, and a colony can reach hundreds of nests. The state hosts about a quarter of the world’s nesting western grebes, first among 16 states. The last colonial waterbird inventory, in 2014 and 2015, found 75 colonies with about 2,556 breeding pairs.

• Wilson’s phalarope

  Arrives mid-April; peak nesting late May to early July · Fresh and alkaline wetlands with open water and a wide margin of low prairie or wet meadow

  These small, quick shorebirds spin on the water to stir up insects. Game and Fish says they nest in wet meadow or grassland usually within about 100 meters of the shore, a spot that floods easily. The state holds about 1.7 percent of the global breeding population, ranking second of 18 states, and a 2024 petition asks for federal listing because of drying saline lakes elsewhere in the species' range.

• Black tern

  Arrives in early May; peak nesting early June to mid-July · Shallow marshes with about equal parts open water and emergent plants

  Black terns hawk insects over the water in a loose, swooping flight and nest on floating mats of old vegetation. In the 2014 and 2015 colonial waterbird survey, North Dakota had 18 colonies with an estimated 107 breeding pairs, though the survey did not cover all habitat. The state hosts about 8 percent of all nesting black terns, first among 23 states, and the species is declining.

• Frogs and toads

  Singing begins as ice leaves ponds; the main chorus fades as breeding ends · Ponds, ditches and marsh edges across the state

  Prairie Public’s Natural North Dakota series lists four frogs and five toads for the state: gray treefrog, northern leopard frog, western chorus frog and wood frog, plus American, Canadian, Great Plains and Woodhouse’s toads and the plains spadefoot. The leopard frog and chorus frog range across the whole state, and the wood frog lives north and east of the Missouri River. The program gives no species-by-species dates, so on a warm evening this month, listen from a quiet shore and note what you hear.

• Three refuges to try

  Best at dawn on a calm morning · Arrowwood, J. Clark Salyer and Chase Lake

  Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge near Pingree has recorded more than 250 bird species, and the Service says large numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds use it at the peaks of spring and fall migration. Its wildlife drive closed for the winter on November 6, 2026, with no reopening date listed. J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge near Upham also lists more than 250 species and names the black tern. At Chase Lake the pelican colony fluctuates between 4,000 and 35,000 birds and nearly all of the refuge is designated wilderness, so watch from adjacent county and township roads and call the Chase Lake district office at 701-752-4218 about road conditions.

Which North Dakota animals have young in May, and what should you do if you meet one?

• Bison calves

  Mid-April through late May · Theodore Roosevelt National Park

  The calving window closes in the last week of May. Cows and calves stay close, and the park asks for at least 25 yards from all wildlife, and a cow with a calf is the case where more is wiser.

• Bighorn lambs

  Usually born early May; range mid-April to mid-June · Steep badlands along the Little Missouri River

  Unlike fawns, lambs do not lie hidden: within a few days they trail the ewe, and groups of ten or more are common. The department says a newborn may tuck beneath its mother’s belly to avoid golden eagles. Scan the rims with binoculars rather than climbing toward them.

• Moose calves

  Mid-May to mid-June · Turtle Mountains and forested rivers across the northern third

  Game and Fish places moose mainly in the Turtle Mountains and along wooded rivers in the north, and asks people to keep at least 100 yards away. Its warning signs are a raised hump, pinned ears, lip-licking (a sign you are much too close), or a slow walk in your direction. A cow with a new calf deserves the widest berth.

• Elk calves

  Late May to early June · Little Missouri National Grasslands, Killdeer Mountain and northeastern Cavalier County

  One calf, rarely two, with a reddish coat spotted with white. Cows travel in groups of ten or more and are most active at dawn and dusk.

• White-tailed deer, mule deer and pronghorn fawns

  Late May through late June · Statewide; pronghorn mainly in the southwest, Bowman and Slope counties

  The first fawns arrive just before June. If you find one alone, do not touch it: the doe is usually nearby. Game and Fish’s species pages give no handling advice and point questions to the department at 701-328-6300.

• Prairie dog pups and wild horse foals

  Pups underground for about six weeks after birth · Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)

  The park says prairie dog litters are born after about a month of gestation and the pups stay in the burrow for roughly six weeks, so the first pups above ground arrive in the weeks after the births. Never feed prairie dogs; the park warns that their fleas can carry bubonic plague. The park’s wildlife page says feral horses are often visible from the Scenic Loop Drive and that rangers can tell you about foals and pups.

Is paddlefish snagging open in May, and what else stirs in North Dakota's waters?

• Paddlefish snagging

  2026: May 1 to May 21 scheduled; 2027 dates not yet posted · Yellowstone River and the Missouri River west of the U.S. Highway 85 bridge to the Montana border

  In 2026 snagging was legal May 1 through May 21 for anglers with a tag, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time, and the harvest closed early, on May 8 at 7 p.m. Central, followed by a snag-and-release period. The department had not posted 2027 dates when I read its page in October 2026, so check the Game and Fish paddlefish page for the season and tag rules.

• Bluegill spawning

  Late May into June, when water nears 71.6 °F · Warm bays and shallows

  The department’s calendar lists bluegill spawning from late May through June at a water temperature of about 22 °C. A shallow bowl in the sand near shore, guarded by a male, is the sign.

What is leafing out and blooming in North Dakota in May?

• Tree and shrub leaf-out

  Varies by year and place; keep your own dates · Shelterbelts, river bottoms and coulees

  NDSU Extension describes juneberry (serviceberry) as a hardy, suckering shrub native to prairie hillsides and woody draws. Pick one tree or shrub near home and record the day its buds open and the day its leaves reach full size.

• Arbor Day

  Friday, May 7, 2027 · Schools, towns and park districts

  North Dakota law (Century Code section 1-03-07) designates the first Friday in May of each year as Arbor Day. In 2027 the first Friday is May 7. Local observances vary, so check with your city forester or park board.

• Monarchs

  Reach North Dakota in late May · Gardens, prairie edges and roadsides

  The Game and Fish calendar lists late May for monarch butterflies reaching North Dakota. Journey North takes reports of monarchs and hummingbirds, so your first sighting helps map the spring wave.

How warm is May in North Dakota, and what weather should you watch?

How much daylight does North Dakota gain in May?

When is the last spring freeze in North Dakota?

What can you see in the North Dakota night sky in May?

• The Flower Moon, a seasonal Blue Moon

  Full at dawn on Thursday, May 20; best evening is Wednesday, May 19 · Rising in the east after sunset

  Folk almanacs call the May full moon the Flower Moon. Its peak arrives at 5:59 a.m. Central (4:59 a.m. Mountain), after the Moon has already set across the eastern half of the state (about 5:15 a.m. at Fargo by our calculation), so the round Moon that climbs out of the prairie on the evening of Wednesday, May 19 is the best view, with Thursday evening close behind. By our calculation the Moon rises about 8:55 p.m. at Fargo and about 9:10 p.m. at Bismarck that evening, within minutes of sunset. May 20 also earns a second name. Spring is usually given three full moons, yet this one holds four, counting from the equinox in March to the solstice in June. March 22 and April 20 come first, May 20 is the third, and June 19 the fourth. Almanac tradition gives the third of four the title Blue Moon, and SeaSky’s 2027 calendar labels it so. The modern test, a pair of full moons in a single calendar month, is never met in 2027. Dates and times are on the moon phases page.

• Eta Aquariid meteors

  Best mornings Wednesday, May 5, Thursday, May 6 and Friday, May 7, before dawn · Low in the east, away from town lights

  These are bits of Halley’s Comet burning up. With the Moon new on May 6, nothing washes out the faint ones in 2027. SeaSky quotes up to about 60 an hour from the Southern Hemisphere and about 30 from the Northern. North Dakota sits far enough north that the shower’s point of origin, in Aquarius, has barely cleared the horizon when twilight begins, which holds the count below those figures. Dress warmly, lie flat facing east, and give your eyes a good quarter hour in the dark before you judge the sky.

• Mercury in the evening

  Greatest eastern elongation Friday, May 28; look about May 12 to June 5 · Low in the west-northwest, roughly 45 to 90 minutes after sunset

  For the northern states, this is the best twilight appearance of the innermost planet in 2027. On May 28 it reaches its widest separation from the Sun, 22.9 degrees (SeaSky), and Mercury sits nearly as far out on the evenings before and after the peak. The planet is at its brightest around the middle of the month and dims quickly in early June. A flat, open western horizon is the requirement; binoculars make the first sighting easier. The timing above comes from calculations for the middle of the country, so shift it a little for your town.

• Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars

  Venus and Saturn close before dawn on May 7; Moon beside Jupiter on May 12 · Venus and Saturn low in the east before sunrise; Jupiter and Mars high in the south and southwest in the evening

  By our calculation, before sunrise on Friday, May 7, the brilliant Venus and dimmer Saturn lie within about a degree of each other, hugging the eastern horizon; a clear low horizon and binoculars are essential, and it is a modest sight. In the evening, Jupiter has been up since dusk all spring, and by our calculation the half-lit Moon sits next to it on Wednesday, May 12.

• Dark skies: Milky Way, noctilucent clouds and aurora

  Milky Way core windows May 1 to 11 and May 28 to 31; noctilucent clouds start late in the month · A dark site with a clear southern horizon

  In May the galactic core hangs low in the southern sky in the small hours. By our calculation for a spot near 48 degrees north, the Moon-free dark windows run May 1 to 11 and May 28 to 31, and each gives under two hours because the nights are shrinking. Noctilucent clouds, thin electric-blue streaks lit by the hidden Sun, can show in the northern tier from about the end of May; look low in the north 60 to 120 minutes after sunset (this timing is a general expectation, not an agency forecast). For aurora, the Space Weather Prediction Center’s 30-minute forecast looks roughly half an hour to an hour and a half ahead; nobody can say months in advance whether a storm will come.

What can North Dakota families do outdoors in May 2027?

Safety notes for May in North Dakota