2-7-08 Northeastern Clay County, a few miles southeast of Felton Prairie - large mature Bald Eagle in the middle of a field feeding on a deer carcass. More than 300 hundred Rusty Blackbirds feeding near a large grain elevator complex in the same area as the Bald Eagle.
Ron Miller, MN MOU Fly Fishing 101 R My biggest worry is that my wife (when I'm dead) will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it. -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of MOU-NET automatic digest system Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 12:02 AM To: [email protected] Subject: MOU-NET Digest - 6 Feb 2009 to 7 Feb 2009 (#2009-20) There are 8 messages totalling 955 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Going for 300 2. Horned Larks (2) 3. Ely Bohemian Waxwings 4. MOU-NET Digest - 5 Feb 2009 to 6 Feb 2009 (#2009-19) 5. not present, E. Screech Owl, Minnetonka, Hennepin Co. 6. Lake Co. Birds 7. Varied Thrush in Ramsey Cty seen 2/7 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 01:21:06 -0600 From: Derek Bakken <[email protected]> Subject: Going for 300 Not in 2009 (I don't have the time or money). Instead, I have made it my goal to reach 300 life birds by the end of 2009. I currently stand at 291. Almost all of my birding has taken place in these areas: 1) Twin Cities 2) Duluth/Sax-Zim Bog (winter only) 3) Burleigh County, North Dakota 4) Spirit Lake, Iowa With spring quickly approaching, very little experience outside of those areas, and neither the time or money to make more than a couple of trips this year, I have decided to seek some help. Here is a list of likely species that could get me to my goal (there are other birds but I know where to find them - just no luck yet): Ross's Goose Greater Scaup White-winged and Black Scoters Greater-prairie Chicken Northern Saw-whet Owl Whimbrel Upland Sandpiper Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull Glaucous Gull Lesser and Greater Black-backed Gulls Black-throated Blue Warbler Mourning Warbler Blue Grosbeak Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow Smith's Longspur Chestnut-collared Longspur If anyone knows any very good locations for these birds in Minnesota please let me know by direct email. I am looking to not only find the birds but to find new areas to go birding when I have the time. -- Thanks, Derek Bakken [email protected] ornitholature.blogspot.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 09:30:31 -0600 From: Tom Bell <[email protected]> Subject: Horned Larks At least 10 Horned Larks on Friday afternoon on 100th between Kimbro and Neal in Cottage Grove. Tom Bell Grey Cloud Island 5868 Pioneer Rd. S. St. Paul Park, MN 55071 651 459-4150 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 09:58:35 -0600 From: Norma Malinowski <[email protected]> Subject: Ely Bohemian Waxwings Flock of 38 Bohemian Waxwings found at 8:20 this morning along the west end of Miners Drive near the Ely Vet Clinic. Norma Malinowski ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 10:37:23 -0600 From: Jim Fitzpatrick <[email protected]> Subject: Re: MOU-NET Digest - 5 Feb 2009 to 6 Feb 2009 (#2009-19) I could not figure out how to post without attaching the entire report so if the editor would cut out all previous posts from this its OK by me. =20 =20 One must be careful not to try to sex juncos by plumage (per Peter Pyle) Wing chord or breeding status (cloacal protuberance or brood patch) are the only diagnostic methods of sexing juncos because plumage patterns vary widely. Never mind what the field guides say or depict.=20 =20 Jim Fitzpatrick =20 -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of MOU-NET automatic digest system Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 12:14 AM To: [email protected] Subject: MOU-NET Digest - 5 Feb 2009 to 6 Feb 2009 (#2009-19) =20 There are 10 messages totalling 331 lines in this issue. =20 Topics of the day: =20 1. Varied Thrush observed in Roseville this morning 2. Great Gray Owl, Aitkin County Rd 18, and Hoary Redpoll at Rice Lake NWR 3. Roseville Varied Thrush still present Friday afternoon 4. A new yard bird today 5. Canada Goose x ? Hybrid in Downtown Minneapolis 6. Sax Zim / Duluth Birds 7. Red Polls (2) 8. R-H Woodpecker (Carver), other local birds 9. ww crossbills, Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 08:13:53 -0600 From: Liz Harper <[email protected]> Subject: Varied Thrush observed in Roseville this morning =20 My husband and I observed and photographed a Varied Thrush between 7:55 and 8:10 am this morning. The bird was in the crab apple trees on the NW corner of the intersection of Merrill and County Road C2. The bird flew a few trees to the north on Merrill street. =20 Liz =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ----------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 13:02:34 -0600 From: [email protected] Subject: Great Gray Owl, Aitkin County Rd 18, and Hoary Redpoll at Rice Lake NWR =20 Early am on 2/5/06, a Great Gray Owl was observed on the south side of Aitkin County Rd 18 approximately 2-4 miles west of the junction of County Rd 5 north of Palisade by Andy Paulios, Monica Fowlds and Christian Artuso. =20 Andy also spotted a female Hoary Redpoll with a flock of Commons at the feeders at Rice Lake NWR, 5 miles south of McGregor. =20 Good birding, =20 Michelle McDowell Wildlife Biologist Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge McGregor, MN 218-768-2402 =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ----------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 12:48:50 -0800 From: Scott Loss <[email protected]> Subject: Roseville Varied Thrush still present Friday afternoon =20 The Varied Thrush reported by Liz Harper in Roseville from this morning was=3D present in the original location at 2:00 pm today (Friday).=3DA0 The locatio=3D n was quiet when I first arrived, but within 10 minutes the Thrush (a male)=3D flew in from a yard to the northeast and fed for a couple minutes before f=3D lying back to the northeast (but not far).=3DA0 There were several = robins fee=3D ding in the tree at one point, but the Varied Thrush was by itself when it =3D was feeding. =3DA0 Thanks to Liz for sharing this great find! =3DA0 Scott Loss St. Paul - St. Anthony Park =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 =3DA0 Original Post: =3DA0 My husband and I=3DA0 observed and photographed a Varied Thrush between 7:55 =3D and 8:10 am this morning.=3DA0 The bird was in the crab apple trees on the = NW cor=3D ner of the intersection of Merrill and County Road C2.=3DA0 The bird flew a few trees to the north on Merrill street. =20 Liz =20 =20 =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A =20 =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3D3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ----------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 13:23:35 -0800 From: Forest & Kirsten Strnad <[email protected]> Subject: A new yard bird today =20 Greetings from the FOREST by the Straight River in Faribault: =20 At 1:00 p.m. today Kirstan and I returned from birding in Rice County, west of Faribault to Warsaw. We saw 2 Crows, 1 Blue Jay, 3 House Sparrows. =20 When we came into our apartment I went to the kitchen window to see what birds might be there. WOW! TO my delight there were three Redpolls. Two were Common Redpolls and one was a HOARY REDPOLL. =20 That makes the 77th and 78th bifrd for our yard here in Faribault =20 Forest and Kirsten Strnad Faribault, Mn =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ----------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 16:04:30 -0600 From: Matt Pierce <[email protected]> Subject: Canada Goose x ? Hybrid in Downtown Minneapolis =20 Jason Furtney and I found what appears to be a hybrid of Canada Goose = =3D and something else, perhaps Greylag(?). It was found below the 3rd Ave = =3D Mississippi River Bridge in downtown Minneapolis at 2:15 PM on Friday = =3D February 6th. It was on the ice shelf below the bridge on the north and =3D downstream side. It was staying pretty close to the Canada Goose beside =3D it. It had moved on within an hour or so and we did not relocate it. I have uploaded an image to the "Recently Seen" page. =20 Matt Pierce Minneapolis, MN =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3D3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ----------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 14:11:54 -0800 From: Michael Hendrickson <[email protected]> Subject: Sax Zim / Duluth Birds =20 First day with the Beckham Bird Club of Louisville Kentucky. =20 Highlights: -Great Gray Owl: Briefly seen as it flew west to east over McDavitt Rd just south of the sandpit road that connects with Admiral Rd. -Hawk Owls: 2 seen on McDavitt Rd and 1 seen on Admiral Rd & Kolu Rd. -Black-backed Woodpecker (female) on traditional area on McDavitt Rd on foot paths. -Boreal Chickadee (2) on Admiral Rd (1) on Arkola Rd feeders. -Hoary Redpolls (1) at Admiral Rd (1) on Owl Avenue feeder (1) at Blue Spruce Rd feeders -Snowy Owl off Barker's Island in Superior, WI on ice seen from the end of Park Pt, ( banded bird ) =20 Other: -WW Crossbills in Bog=20 -Pine Grosbeaks -Gray Jays -Common Redpolls -Northern Shrike -Ruffed Grouse -Snow Buntings =20 =20 =20 Mike Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota Website: http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/ Blog: http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/ =20 =20 =20 =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 =20 ----------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 17:08:26 -0600 From: "john c. nelson" <[email protected]> Subject: Red Polls =20 I am inundated with Red Polls, 80+ today and they are eating me into =20 bankruptcy. In 8 years with PFW have never counted more than a couple. =20 Considering the wide variation in color and markings nothing stands =20 out as a Hoary. As to shape and sixe of bill on any one individual- =20 give me a break ! =20 John Nelson South of Mankato MN=20 =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ----------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 17:19:38 -0600 From: Andrew Longtin <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Red Polls =20 John, One year just a few back I had 350+ with me and I went through 450 pounds of thistle seed that winter.. =20 My last PFW weekend I had 250.. =20 =20 -- Andrew Longtin Corcoran (Hennepin Co.) Minnesota See my WEB pages at: www.birderguy.com Email: [email protected] =20 Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory Supporter http://www.hawkridge.org Minnesota Ornithologists Union Member http://www.moumn.org Cornell Lab Member (PFW) http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw =20 -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of john c. nelson Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 5:08 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [mou-net] Red Polls =20 I am inundated with Red Polls, 80+ today and they are eating me into =20 bankruptcy. In 8 years with PFW have never counted more than a couple. =20 Considering the wide variation in color and markings nothing stands =20 out as a Hoary. As to shape and sixe of bill on any one individual- =20 give me a break ! =20 John Nelson South of Mankato MN=20 =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ----------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 17:42:09 -0600 From: alyssa <[email protected]> Subject: R-H Woodpecker (Carver), other local birds =20 I got a report from a park ranger at the MVNWR Rapids Lake Unit that =3D there was a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker that visited their feeders on =3D the 4th (Wednesday.) Other birds at the feeders that day includes =3D Cooper's Hawk, Common Redpolls, (at least 53; no Hoary's noted), and =3D Purple Finch (2; interestingly, 34 overwhelmed the feeders one day in = =3D November.) The park ranger also mentioned that a Interior West race =3D Hairy Woodpecker has been seen on a daily basis (also seen last winter) =3D and he has taken pictures. I do not know how uncommon this is; any =3D feedback is appreciated. The Rapids Lake Unit is located just south of = =3D Carver in Carver County. =20 The male Oregon-race Dark-eyed Junco and Fox Sparrow were seen again at =3D the MVNWR Visitor's Center (Bloomington, Hennepin Co.) on the 2nd =3D (Monday.) =20 As for the White-winged Crossbills in Plymouth (Hennepin Co.), I =3D attempted to relocate them on the 3rd (Tuesday) without succsess. =3D However, another birder told me that the flock had been there that =3D morning at about 10am. He also told me of two new places the flock has = =3D been observed: 1) Along a long row of spruces behind Bachman's. (North = =3D of Highway 55, ~1/2 mile west of Highway 169). 2) Scattered spruces =3D along the parking ramp further east of Bachman's (right next to 169, but =3D still west of 169.) I checked all these places, plus the Willow Creek = =3D theatre parking lot and a few areas in western Golden Valley, but I came =3D up empty. I have recieved no additional reports of this crossbill flock; =3D any observations would be appreciated. =20 Good birding! =20 Alyssa DeRubeis (who is anticipating Spring) Golden Valley, MN =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3D3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ----------------------------- =20 Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2009 20:59:35 -0600 From: linda whyte <[email protected]> Subject: ww crossbills, Resurrection Cemetery, Mendota Heights =20 At around 4 PM today, there was a flock of ww crossbills feeding from cones on the ground, beneath some spruce boughs that hung all the way to the surface. It's not clear whether they had plucked the cones or simply found them wind-fallen. We parked right beside the trees before we could see exactly what was under them, but they seemed undisturbed by us. A few of them flew up into the lower mid-canopy very briefly, giving us unhindered, close looks. There was relatively little vocalization going on as they fed, and they finally took flight farther into the cemetery, in a NW direction--- a lovely addition to a day that had included siskins and redpolls at Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings. Linda Whyte =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html =20 ----------------------------- =20 End of MOU-NET Digest - 5 Feb 2009 to 6 Feb 2009 (#2009-19) *********************************************************** =20 ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 13:59:46 -0600 From: George B Skinner <[email protected]> Subject: not present, E. Screech Owl, Minnetonka, Hennepin Co. Saturday, Feb. 7, the owl was not in the box at 8:00 am. George Skinner ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=3Dmou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 14:45:41 -0600 From: "john c. nelson" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Horned Larks On a 30 mile excursion this morning in the Mapleton-Good Thunder area frequently saw from i-6 Horned Larks at a time, generally on windswept roads bordered by open fields. A flock of Robins was foraging the road ditch bordering a Wildlife Management Area just east of Good Thunder. Chrismas Day 1 Red Poll, Jan. 20 I was excited to see 6, Jan. 29th 18, today close to 100. Meanwhile the Pine Siskins have all but disappeared. John Nelson South of Mankato MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 13:50:19 -0800 From: Michael Hendrickson <[email protected]> Subject: Lake Co. Birds Second day guiding the Beckham Birding Club from Kentucky. Highlights: -11 Spruce Grouse (1) a male .5 miles south of the School of Log Building on Lake Co. Rd 2 (5) .5 miles north of the Sand River pull off (2) 1 mile north of the Sand River pull off on Lake Co. Rd 2 and (3) on Hwy 1 east of Lake Co. Rd 2 intersection between mile markers 301-302 - Great Gray Owl at the Greenwood Lake area which is about .5 miles north of the old Greenwood Lake building on Lake Co. Rd 2. - Red Crossbills in the Jack Pine stand on Hwy 1 about 1 mile east of Spruce Rd gritting on the road. Good Birding Mike Mike Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota Website: http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/ Blog: http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/ ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 18:33:29 -0500 From: Linda Sparling <[email protected]> Subject: Varied Thrush in Ramsey Cty seen 2/7 I and other observers saw the Varied Thrush in the same location reported by Liz yesterday. He comes periodically the the crabapple trees right on the corner of County C2 and Merrill. I observed him in the afternoon, but others I spoke to indicated that he'd been seen at various times throughout the day. Also in the area - Common Redpolls, and (reported by others) White-winged Crossbills and Pine Siskins. Linda Sparling ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ------------------------------ End of MOU-NET Digest - 6 Feb 2009 to 7 Feb 2009 (#2009-20) *********************************************************** ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
