Today Dave Bartkey, John and Chris Hockema, and I birded Waseca,
Steele, and Dodge counties. Bird activity was good throughout the day,
and we had some notable sightings, including:
-Mudflats with shorebirds on south side of CR 10 north of Rice Lake in
Waseca County, the best shorebird
Last night around dusk a Whip-poor-will began calling near the
campgrounds at Rush River County Park south of Henderson in Sibley
County. It can probably be easily heard by parking near the flagpole
at the entrance to the campgrounds. The bird called fairly
consistently throughout the
John Hockema just called to report that he and Dedrick Benz saw the
Brant at noon at the previous location in Duluth.
Bob Dunlap
This afternoon I found a singing Louisiana Waterthrush along High
Island Creek in eastern Sibley County. There is a low spot with the
creek on the east side of the road and a small swamp on the left about
two miles south of the intersection of CR 11 and CR 12 on 371st St.
This is about six
This afternoon I found a female Hudsonian Godwit in a flooded field
north of the twon of Nicollet. About a mile north of Hwy. 99 on Hwy.
111 there is what appears to be a new wildlife management area access
on the east side of the highway. Drive into this area and park in the
gravel lot at
Chad Heins and I spent the day birding in Blue Earth County beginning
at 2:00 AM. Probably our most notable find of the day was a Clark's
Grebe at Indian Lake WMA in the northeastern part of the county. The
bird was associating with a small group of Western and Red-necked
Grebes on the
This afternoon I checked out the Gaylord sewage ponds accessed on the
south side of town on CR 67 east of Hwy. 22 in Sibley County. The best
find was a Ruddy Turnstone in the NW corner of the southernmost pond.
Other shorebirds present:
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
This morning Bill Marengo found a Western Kingbird along the Sand
Prairie Road south of Henderson in Sibley County. As of 12:30, when I
saw the bird, it was perched on a telephone wire alongside an Eastern
Kingbird. From Hwy. 169, go north on Hwy. 19 toward Henderson. Before
the town, turn
It seems that passerine migration is always a few days behind the twin
cities along the MN River. Whereas most of the states' warbler species
have been seen in the cities for almost a week now, we are just
starting to see those species in places near Henderson and St. Peter,
which leads me
Ben Fritchman just called to report a Black-necked Stilt in Kandiyohi
County. Go west of Willmar for 3 miles on Hwy. 12, then north on 60th
St. NW. About a mile north on 60th at its intersection with 15th Ave.
there is a flooded field in the NE corner of this intersection. This
is where he
I went canoeing on Swan Lake in Nicollet County this afternoon with
one of my college professors and we found a Common Moorhen in the
marsh way out in the middle of the lake. We put in our canoe at the
boat access on the northeast side of the lake and paddled pretty much
straight south
Clarification on the Sibley County Summer Tanager:
The bird was frequenting the trees in the grassy area adjacent to the
campgrounds at Rush River County Park. This is the area with the big
flagpole in the middle...pretty obvious from the road. I initially
found the bird sitting on the wire
To clarify Alyssa's previous post regarding the 7 American Avocets at
the Bass Ponds in Hennepin County:
The birds were at the far EAST end of Long Meadow Lake, so when you
walk down the hill to the lower parking lot take your first left. You
will pass over a trout stream and then a pond on
I did some birding in eastern Sibley County this morning and observed
the following:
-Winter Wren at Rush River County Park southwest of Henderson, also
many Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers here
-at least 30 Common Loons and around 20 or so Horned Grebes on Silver Lake
-Greater Yellowlegs at
I checked out Eagle Lake east of Mankato in Blue Earth County this
afternoon and found very few gulls. It appears that most of the gulls
present there yesterday have migrated farther north with today's warm
south winds. Needless to say, the only gulls I saw were Ring-billed
Gulls.
There
This afternoon I found 3 Greater White-fronted Geese among a flock of
100 or so Canada Geese on the east side of Gaylord in Sibley County.
There is a man-made pond on the east side of town on the north side of
Hwy. 19 that is attracting geese, although there is little open water
here; all
Around noon today Chad Gustafson and I stopped by Hermie's Corner Bait
and Tackle, which is a small restaurant/bar/bait shop just east of St.
Peter on the corner of Hwy. 99 and French Hill Road in Le Sueur
County. Last winter there were several blackbirds frequenting these
feeders. Today,
Around 4:00 this afternoon I witnessed a massive flock of 2000+
blackbirds flying north over Hwy. 22 north of Mankato in Blue Earth
County. The majority appeared to be Red-winged Blackbirds, but I'm
guessing there were other species present as well.
This seems like an excessively large
At 2:50 PM, Denny and Barb Martin along with Bruce Fall observed the
Ross's Gull at the original location posted by Bruce earlier. They
observed the bird flying south along the river, and apparently the
bird kept on going south. Fifteen minutes later the bird had not
returned according to
I went birding today around Blue Earth County to see what effect
today's unseasonably warm weather, not to mention the warmer fall
overall, is having on the birds. There's something a bit disconcerting
about it being almost mid-November while the outside temperature is
somewhere in the
Josh Watson just called to report that the Inca Dove in Two Harbors
was still present as of 1:30 PM today (11/1).
Bob Dunlap
John Hockema just called to report that the Inca Dove in Two Harbors
was still present as of noon today, 10/31.
Bob Dunlap
I wouldn't call this bird a hybrid for the following reasons:
The clean white head of a Ross's Goose is not diagnostic; Snow Geese
can also have very white heads, with little or no yellowish wash in
the face. The amount of yellow that Sibley shows on the heads of Snow
Geese is quite liberal
This afternoon around 3:00 I found both a Nelson's Sharp-tailed and a
Le Conte's Sparrow at Cobb River WPA in south central Blue Earth
County. This is the same area from which I reported the late
Henslow's Sparrow yesterday.
I found the birds in the cattails/mixed rushes bordering a large
This afternoon around 4:30 I found a late Henslow's Sparrow at Cobb
River Waterfowl Production Area in south central Blue Earth County. To
get there, go south from Mankato on Hwy. 22 to the town of Beauford.
In Beauford, take a left onto CR 10, which will take you east. From CR
10, go
John Hockema just called me to report that as of 7:00 this morning the
Black-throated Sparrow was still present at the location it was found
yesterday in Cass County.
Bob Dunlap
This morning around 9:30 I had about a 10-second look at a flyover
adult Little Blue Heron at Fisher Lake in Scott County. Fisher Lake is
the large marshy area visible on the west side of the Hwy. 169 bridge
across the MN River in Shakopee. The lake is also part of the Wilkie
Unit of the
Today Jake Musser, Chad Gustafson, and I birded two shorebird spots of
interest:
Geneva Lake in Freeborn County: today's rains have raised the water
level considerably, covering up much of the mudflats that were present
last weekend. However, there is still lots of muddy shoreline
Yesterday (7/28) afternoon Jake Musser and I birded Lake Geneva in
Freeborn County and found between 500 and 600 shorebirds. The lake has
been drawn down since late spring, and right now the water level is
quite low with extensive mudflats present around the entire perimeter.
We found 11
This morning around 9:30 there was an adult Buff-breasted Sandpiper on
Chaska Lake. The water level has dropped significantly over the past
week here: there is now only limited mudflats, and this area is
surrounded by drier ground ideal for plovers and Buff-breasteds. Other
species
It looks like the fall shorebird migration has already begun in the
Twin Cities. This morning on the extensive mudflats at Chaska Lake
were about 65 Killdeer, 7 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 13 Least Sandpipers.
The habitat looks excellent right now and should remain so into August
if not later.
This morning around 8:30 a friend and I found a Yellow-breasted Chat
at Minneopa State Park just south of Mankato in Blue Earth County.
From the campground entrance off Hwy. 68, drive into the park and
take your first left into the prairie. Drive all the way back to where
the road begins
Around 10:00 this morning I found an adult Snowy Egret at Chaska Lake
in eastern Carver County. From Hwy. 41 in downtown Chaska, go west on
1st Street to the Chaska ballfields. Park in the parking lot and take
the main trail south which runs along the eastern side of the lake. In
about two
The Bell's Vireo found at Kasota Prairie yesterday by Conny and Susan
was still present this morning as of 10:00. It looks like decent
Bell's breeding habitat to the north of the parking lot from where it
was singing. Let's see if it sticks around this summer. Thanks Conny
and Susan for
This afternoon I found Yellow-billed Cuckoos in both Nicollet and Le
Sueur counties. In Nicollet, the cuckoo was at Seven Mile Creek County
Park, along with Cerulean and Blue-winged Warblers. In Le Sueur, the
cuckoo was near Woodlawn Cemetery, which is south of Hwy. 99 just east
across the
Around 5:00 this afternoon there was a Black-billed Cuckoo vocalizing
in the arboretum here at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. This
is by far the earliest I have seen/heard one in May.
Bob Dunlap, Nicollet County
Two years ago, I decided not to skip my classes when the Aitkin Glossy
Ibis was found, and never had the chance to see it before it was gone.
So, given a second chance, I did indeed skip my afternoon classes
today and drove to Lac Qui Parle County to see the Glossy Ibis with
its
This afternoon I found 4 Eurasian Collared-Doves in the town of
Mapleton in southern Blue Earth County. Two of the birds were just
north of town in a yard on the west side of Hwy. 22, while two more
were perched on the powerlines along CR 7 near its intersection with
Hwy. 22, still on the
John Hockema just called to report a 1st winter Black-legged Kittiwake
that he and Dedrick Benz found in Lake City, Wabasha County. The bird
was sitting on the ice behind the Wild Wings Art Gallery at the Lake
City Sportsman's Club on the south side of town. They found the bird
around 2:00
Late this afternoon I found a Wilson's Snipe at Seven Mile Creek
County Park in Nicollet County. Seven Mile Creek has open water from
the park entrance to the parking lot where the road ends. The bird
seemed to favor hiding among the larger rocks in the creek and was
very skiddish. On the
This morning after viewing the Green-tailed Towhee in Mountain Lake,
Ben Fritchman, John and Chris Hockema, Jeff Stephenson, Jerry Pruet,
and I found a Red-shafted Northern Flicker in the cemetery on the
southeast side of Windom. The bird was an adult female and showed no
signs of
John Hockema just called to report a 1st winter Glaucous Gull sitting
on the ice south of the marina in Lake City, Wabasha County. He said
the bird was with a small group of Ring-billed Gulls to the south of a
breakwall. This was around 12:30 today.
Bob Dunlap
This afternoon I found a flock of about 300 blackbirds north of Swan
Lake along CR 5 in Nicollet County. The vast majority were Red-winged
Blackbirds, but there were also several Brown-headed Cowbirds present
in the flock, along with a few Common Grackles, plus one very late
male
John Hockema just called to report that he found a Black Scoter at
Lake Byllesby in Dakota County this afternoon around 4:30. He said the
bird could be viewed from near the cemetery on the northwest side of
the lake.
Bob Dunlap
Around 4:00 this afternoon I found a flock of about 15 Red Crossbills
feeding on cones among the spruce and pine trees on campus here at
Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. I first saw the flock fly, and
immediately I heard the jip jip calls that I have heard up north. I
followed the
This morning I found a Bohemian Waxwing northwest of the town of
Madelia in Watonwan County. The bird was sitting on a low telephone
wire in front of someone's yard. It sat there for about a minute,
allowing me to take some photos. The bird flew off behind the house
and I could not
This morning I found a Eurasian Collared-Dove in the town of Mapleton
in southern Blue Earth County. The bird was perched on a powerline
directly over Hwy. 22 on the north end of town. I don't know if this
is a new location for this species, as they have been seen elsewhere
in Blue Earth
When I arrived around 11:00 to look for the jaeger at the south side =20
of Eagle Lake, the bird was not present. However, around 11:30 the =20
bird came into view and began chasing Ring-billed Gulls, as it did for =20
much of yesterday. I was able to note the field marks that Peder =20
posted
This afternoon around 1:45 I found what I believe to be a juvenile =20
light-morph Pomarine Jaeger at Eagle Lake in Blue Earth County. This =20
is just east of Mankato on Hwy. 14. On the north side of Hwy. 14, =20
there is a small dirt pulloff from the highway from which you can view =20
the south
Now is the time to be looking for migrating Le Conte's and Nelson's =20
Sharp-tailed Sparrows in southern Minnesota. Around 5:30 this evening =20
I found both at the Kasota Prairie in western Le Sueur County. I was =20
walking the edge of a pond that had a thick shrubby perimeter, and =20
found
Around 12:30 today I refound the ibis reported this morning at Swan
Lake, Nicollet County. Viewed from the conservation club access, the
bird was feeding alone on the mudflats a few hundred yards to the
north. All you can tell from this distance is that it is a Plegadis
ibis; I wasn't even
Today at Chaska Lake there were around 200 shorebirds present. Most interesting
was an adult breeding-plumaged American Golden-Plover...I don't recall ever
seeing one in July...seems somewhat early. Other species present:
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Least
Today at Chaska Lake there was a total of 201 shorebirds present, the majority
being Killdeer and Least Sandpipers. Also present:
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
And it only gets better from here.
Bob Dunlap, Carver County
In my post of the shorebird habitat at Chaska Lake, Carver County, I had said
that the best viewing is on the south side of the lake. It turns out that this
viewing spot is actually still on the EAST side of the lake, about a
quarter-mile south of the locked gate. There is no viewing area from the
This morning there was a Willet and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs at Chaska
Lake. This lake has been drawn down as part of a shorebird study by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently, habitat is great for shorebirds, with
extensive mudflats present around standing water. The habitat
There is a Henslow's Sparrow near Soberg WPA in Lakeville, Dakota County. From
Hwy. 35W, take the CR 70 exit. Take a right (go west) onto CR 70, and then
immediately turn left onto Keokuk Ave. Follow Keokuk, which ends at 215 St. W.
Follow 215 St. to where it ends at Laigle Ave. The bird was
Dad and I quickly drove over to Purgatory Creek in Eden Prairie after reading
about the Turnstone and Phalarope. As of 8:50 this evening, the Ruddy Turnstone
was still present among the Ring-billed Gulls and Caspian Terns on the island
behind the Flagship corporate center. We were unable to locate
Just got off the phone with John Hockema who is at the Rochester airport. He was
listening to an interesting call that he could not identify. According to the
airport workers, this call has been heard at the airport for at least a week.
John's overnight job allows him special access to the
On the east side of Hwy. 169 just south of Seven Mile Creek County Park is a
flooded field that has been attracting shorebirds for a few weeks now. Water
levels were dropping after the floodwaters began to recede, but the river is
beginning to flood again from last week's rains, and so there is
An update on the Western Tanager and Louisiana Waterthrush found this morning at
Williams Nature Center, Blue Earth County:
The Western Tanager was seen as late as 5:45 this afternoon, but not by me
(arrgh). It was last seen along the Vollmer trail near the north overlook.
Around 5:30 this
This morning while leading a Gustavus Birding Club trip to Swan Lake, my group
and I found a Cattle Egret at the Nicollet sewage ponds. The bird was in the
air as we arrived, then proceeded to land at the top of a tree to the west of
the ponds.
I later received a call from Denny and Barb Martin
This morning I found a Wilson's Phalarope spinning in the water at the Nicollet
sewage ponds. Also, at the nearby Conservation Club access on the south side of
Swan Lake, in addition to the many waterfowl there were Forster's Terns, Greater
Yellowlegs, Wilson's Snipe, Black-crowned Night-Herons, a
This evening I found a Virginia Rail calling in a cattail marsh on the west side
of Gilfillin Lake in northeast Blue Earth County. Also, at dusk there were
around a dozen American Woodcocks displaying near the campground entrance in
Minneopa State Park. Last night I had one at Kasota Prairie in
I just observed a flock of about 50 Tundra Swans flying over campus here at
Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. A beautiful sight to behold and a
welcome sign of spring!
Bob Dunlap, Nicolett County
This afternoon Chad Heins and I found four Eurasian Collared-Doves in the town
of Hanska in Brown County. They were hanging around the feed mill on the
southeast side of town. These birds were very active and were displaying
courtship behavior, including head-bobbing and vocalizing. We may have
This afternoon I found 3 Eurasian Collared-Doves just east of the town of
Courtland in western Nicolett County. The birds were actively feeding on the
ground and flying up to sit in trees in front of a house. The location is
nine-tenths of a mile north of Hwy. 14 on CR 21. The house is on the west
John Hockema, Ben Fritchman, and I birded the above counties today. Our
significant sightings included:
-Le Conte's Sparrows in Sibley, Renville, and McLeod Counties. with at least 8
birds at the Schaefer Prairie in McLeod County -- this was one of 13 species of
sparrow we found today
This afternoon I birded both Nicolett and Blue Earth counties. At Swan Lake in
Nicolett County, I birded from the southeast side of the lake at the
Conservation Club access/parking lot. From here I walked out onto the grassy
point and scanned the lake. Present were:
-probably over a thousand
To everyone who volunteered at the MOU booth at this year's State Fair:
Thank you so much for once again making this a fun and exciting experience! It
has always been a great way to reach out to the public and get people
interested in birds. None of this would have been possible without you,
Here is the current schedule for the MOU booth at the state fair. If anyone can
fill the empty shifts on the last two days please let me know. Thanks!
Thursday 8/25
9 am to 1 pm - Denny and Barb Martin
1-5 pm - Bob Holtz and Lisa Swanstrom
5-9 pm - Karen Eckman
Friday 8/26
9 am to 1 pm - Manley
MOU members,
There are still many shifts that are in need of volunteers at this year's MOU
state fair booth:
Thursday 8/25
1-5 pm (one volunteer needed)
5-9 pm (one needed)
Friday 8/26
1-5 pm (one needed)
Saturday 8/27
9 am to 1 pm (two needed)
1-5 pm (one needed)
5-9 pm (two needed)
Sunday
(two needed)
5-9 pm (two needed)
Please let me know if you can volunteer for one or more of these shifts. Either
email me at rdun...@gac.edu or call me at 952-250-2271. Thanks!
Bob Dunlap
on the
stage opposite our location. You're bound to have fun!
So, to all MOU members interested, please let me know what shift on what day you
would like to volunteer at the booth. Either email me at rdun...@gac.edu or
call me at 952-250-2271. Volunteers will receive additional emails and material
This morning I birded mostly Nicolett County and a little bit of Le Sueur
County.
Notables in Nicolett:
-Dickcissels plentiful on any of the county roads west of St. Peter
-Prothonotary Warbler at the Seven Mile Creek Boat Launch- walk the trails north
of the parking lot back to the swampy area
This afternoon John Hockema and I found both Le Conte's and Henslow's Sparrows
singing in Carver Park Reserve in Carver County. We heard at least 3 Le
Conte's and at least 4 Henslow's. 4 locations to be aware of:
1: Both a Le Conte's and Henslow's in the fields along CR 11 just south of the
Around 9:15 this morning I found a Northern Mockingbird in the Gustavus Adolphus
Arboretum. From Hwy. 169 in St. Peter, go west on College Ave. Follow this up
the hill to a T: go left at the T. This will take you past three dorm
buildings on your left; after the last dorm there is a stop sign.
John Hockema just called me to report that the Piping Plover at Mud Lake in
Winona County was last seen around 9:00 this morning. It apparently took off
with a flock of shorebirds after a Peregrine Falcon spooked the birds. It has
not been relocated since. However, around 12:30 today, a Snowy
Around 1:30 this afternoon I observed an adult Golden Eagle flying over Fisher
Lake in Scott County. Fisher Lake is just west of the Hwy. 169 bridge in the
northeastern part of the county. There is a large parking lot for the MN River
Valley NWR from which one can view the area.
Bob Dunlap, back
Around noon today there was an adult Trumpeter Swan at the Mill Pond behind
Dangerfield's restaurant in Shakopee, Scott County. The bird appeared to have
some sort of orange tag on its left wing. This is the first time I have checked
this area this year, so I don't know whether others have seen
This afternoon while walking in the arboretum here at Gustavus Adolphus in St.
Peter I observed an adult Northern Goshawk flying overhead.
A search through the many pines in the arboretum yielded no owls, although a few
trees appeared to have been whitewashed. I might have to try an owl prowl one
The Great Gray Owl was still present as of 11:20 this morning. When my dad and
I arrived it was sitting in the trees on the east side of Bavaria Road near the
houses. The credit for finding this bird goes to my brother, Tom, who spotted
the bird while driving through the area earlier this
As of 3:15 this afternoon the Great Gray Owl was still present at its spot in
Chaska. I will check again sometime tomorrow to see if decided to hang around.
-Bob Dunlap
Today Jeff Stephenson, John Hockema, Carol Schumacher, my brother and I went
owling in Aitkin County. On the way up, we observed one of the Townsend's
Solitaires at its residence along the Ann Lake Campground Road near Sherburne
NWR, Sherburne County. In Aitkin County, we found 5 Great Gray Owls
This morning a flock of Common Redpolls flew over campus near my dorm building
here at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter. I suspect that I'll be seeing more of
them in the weeks to come. Now if only the owls will start coming farther
south...
Good birding!
-Bob Dunlap, Nicolett County
I got a taste of northern Minnesota around noon today when I observed a Red
Crossbill flying over campus here at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter. I first
heard the bird giving frequent call notes in flight and then spotted it flying
overhead. It could have been feeding in the many pine stands on
While everyone was birding along the North Shore today, a few of us (Jeff
Stephenson, John and Chris Hockema, Ben Fritchman, Carol Schumacher, Howard
Towle, and myself) went to pick up a few species in the southwest part of the
state. Around noon we found a large flock of longspurs at the
Thanks to Barb Martin for promptly posting the Sprague's Pipit at Red Rock
Prairie. I first flushed the bird around 3:15 this afternoon. I noticed how it
popped up quickly and flew upwards in a stair-step manner, which got my hopes
up. I stalked the bird until I found it standing upright in
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