The spring season has ended, and this would be a good time to remind observe= rs of=20 winter and spring reports of unusual species which still need to be document= ed.=20 Many of these were posted on the mou-net listserve. While birders are certai= nly=20 free to include anything they wish on their personal and unpublished lists,= =20 sightings of Accidental, Casual and rare-Regular species can only be publish= ed by=20 the MOU and included in its archives of bird records when accompanied by=20 documentation.
If you were an observer of any of the reports listed below and are intereste= d in=20 providing documentation, the MOU would appreciate your assistance. Note the = many=20 undocumented reports of Gyrfalcon, a species that is currently considered Ca= sual=20 in Minnesota. Also, documentation is requested for any occurrence of an=20 Accidental, Casual or rare-Regular species not listed below, or for any spec= ies in=20 an unusual location or at an unexpected date. Please contact me if you have= =20 questions about whether or not details are needed.=20 Eurasian Wigeon=093/28=9631 =09Winona (Prairie Island Rd) Gyrfalcon =091/19=09Duluth (airport) Gyrfalcon =092/4 =09Duluth (High Bridge) Gyrfalcon =092/5 =09Lake of the Woods (CR 1) Gyrfalcon =09mid-Feb =09Pennington (near Thief River Falls) Gyrfalcon =093/5 =09St. Louis (CR 85, 0.7 mi W of MN 73) Gyrfalcon=093/7=09Kandiyohi Gyrfalcon =093/21 =09St. Louis (Virginia) California Gull =093/30 =09Dakota (Inver Grove Heights) Lesser Black-backed Gull =094/16 =09Kanabec (Mora, 3rd-year) Lesser Black-backed Gull=095/7=09Mille Lacs (Mille Lacs L., 2nd-year) Lesser Black-backed Gull=095/14 Kanabec (Mora, two 3rd-year birds) Great Black-backed Gull=095/21 Duluth Black-legged Kittiwake=095/7 Crow Wing (Garrison) Clark's Nutcracker=091/15=09St. Louis (McQuade Rd) Yellow-throated Warbler=095/15=09Morrison (Little Falls) Yellow-throated Warbler=095/22=09Dakota (155th St, between Angus and Barbara= ) Summer Tanager =095/8 =09Goodhue (Hok-si-la Park) Summer Tanager 5/11 or 5/12=09Nicollet (St. Peter) Summer Tanager=095/16=09Freeborn (St. Francis) Summer Tanager=095/20=09Anoka (Linwood L.) Western Tanager=09several days thru 5/2=09Washington Western Tanager=095/13=09Rock Western Tanager=095/13=09Olmsted (Oronoco) Western Tanager=095/17=09Freeborn (Albert Lea) Spotted Towhee=095/8=09Renville (Olivia) Smith's Longspur =095/7 =09Kandiyohi (near Lake Lillian) Black-headed Grosbeak=095/29=09Marshall (SE of Newfolden) Great-tailed Grackle =093/28 =09Lyon (Sham L.) Great-tailed Grackle =094/16 =09Jackson (7 at Sandy Point C.P.) Great-tailed Grackle=094/16+ Rock (5 at Hills W.T.P.) Documentation is also still needed for the following reports from Fall 2004: Ross's Goose=099/8/04=09Koochiching County Tricolored Heron=098/17/04=09Whitewater WMA, Winona County Yellow-crowned Night-Heron=099/11/04=09Red Rock Road, Ramsey County Plegadis ibis (10)=098/28/04=09CR 13, 1.0 mi S of MN 40, Lac Qui Parle Count= y Plegadis ibis (3)=099/25/04=09Toqua Twp., Big Stone County Plegadis ibis (6)=099/26/04=09Malta Twp., Big Stone County Ferruginous Hawk=0910/9/04=09Sandpiper Prairie SNA, Norman County Gyrfalcon (gray morph)=0910/3/04=09Hawk Ridge, Duluth Gyrfalcon (gray morph)=0910/4/04=09Knife River, Lake County Gyrfalcon=09late Nov 2004=09Brooklyn Park, Hennepin County Little Gull (adult)=099/19=09(L. Winnibigoshish) Lesser Black-backed Gull 9/5 Anoka (Centerville L.) Sabine=92s Gull (juv)=099/19=09(L. Winnibigoshish) Sabine=92s Gull (juv)=0910/8/04=09L. Bemidji, Beltrami County Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 10/9/04=09CR 5, St. Louis County There are 3 ways to provide documentation: 1) By e-mail or regular U.S. mail, please send as complete a description as= =20 possible of the bird, any field notes or photographs which were taken, a=20 comparison of this bird with similar species, your experience with this and= =20 similar species, whether or not you knew it was unusual, if and when field g= uides=20 were used or needed to identify the bird, the light conditions, distance inv= olved,=20 how long the bird was seen, and the optics used. Or (2) by e-mail or regular mail, send me your mailing address, and I will s= end=20 you an MOU documentation form which outlines the requested information for y= ou to=20 fill in. Or (3) you can download this form from the MOU's website, <mou.mn.org>. Again, seeing a rare bird and adding it to your personal list is certainly= =20 enjoyable in its own right, but when your sighting is also documented and se= nt in=20 to the MOU it also serves as an important contribution to our knowledge of= =20 Minnesota bird distribution. If you have any questions, please don't hesitat= e to=20 contact me. On behalf of the MOU, thanks in advance for your help and your= =20 contribution to Minnesota ornithology! -- Peder H. Svingen Chairman, MOU Records Committee 2602 E. 4th Street Duluth, MN 55812 <[email protected]>
