About 40 Sandhill Cranes, I Northern Harrier, Blue winged Teals, Coots, Lesser
Scaups, Flickers, Wood Ducks seen at various pools
----- Original Message -----
From: MOU-NET automatic digest system<mailto:[email protected]>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2009 12:05 AM
Subject: MOU-NET Digest - 17 Apr 2009 to 18 Apr 2009 (#2009-90)
There are 13 messages totalling 763 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Hennepin County Shorebirds
2. Oak Savanna Birding Festival
3. Glaucous Gull
4. Rough-legged Hawk
5. FOY Vesper Sparrow and others LOS Purple Finch Lyon Co
6. Swainson's Thrush (Hennepin Co.)
7. Cinnamon Teal not found
8. Eastern Towhee
9. any citing of the sage thrasher?
10. Chestnut-collared Longspur in Dakota Co.
11. Itasca Bird Club field trip
12. South Dakota Sightings
13. Least Flycatcher, Pine Warbler, Crosby Park, St. Paul
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Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:49:32 -0500
From: Conny Brunell
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Hennepin County Shorebirds
The Purgatory Creek Wetlands in Eden Prairie, Hennepin County have stepped up
a notch for Spring Migration. The last two mornings I have enjoyed seeing and
hearing the raspy vocalizations of the Forster's Terns, this morning there were
5. The water level is still high with very little shoreline exposed but there
is one small bare mudflat that continues to be attractive and the Gulls consume
most of it. A scope would be needed to clearly see from the walking path
surrounding the wetlands. The shorebirds seen from the walking bridge were:
1 ~ Least
2 ~ Pectoral
6 ~ Greater Yellowlegs
5 ~ Lesser Yellowlegs
Barn Swallow
The Pergatory Creek Wetlands is in Eden Prairie between MN Hwy 5 and US Hwy
212 on the south side of Prairie Center Drive behind the Flagship Corporate
Center.
Conny Brunell
Richfield, Hennepin County
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Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:11:38 -0500
From: Richard Smaby <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Oak Savanna Birding Festival
The Austin Audubon Society will be hosting the 6th
annual Oak Savanna Birding Festival at the J C Hormel Nature Center. In
past years we have seen between 120-130 species of birds
. In these tough economic times you won't find a better bargain, $30 for
two days of birding. In addition, the tour groups are small so you will
get a lot of individual attention.
Oak Savanna Birding Festival
May 16-17, 2009
J. C. Hormel Nature Center
Austin, MN
Cost: $30.00 for all programs, Saturday lunch
Individual programs may be purchased separately
Festival Schedule
Saturday, May 16, 2009
6:00 AM Bird hike at J. C. Hormel Nature Center
7:00 AM Birding tours
1. Western Tour - Big Island SP & other areas in
Freeborn County
2. Eastern Tour - Lake Louise SP & other areas in Mower
County
Cost: $20 - includes a box lunch.
1:00 PM FREE Programs, Rupner Auditorium, Hormel Nature Center
1. View 5th grade bird art projects
2. "Bird Migration Survival Game"
2:00 PM National Eagle Center presentation- a LIVE EAGLE
By Scott Mehus
3:00 PM 5th Grade Bird Art Contest Award Ceremony
3:30 PM - Free family bird walk on the Nature Center trails
All students, friends and family are encouraged to attend.
6:00 PM Oak Savanna Birding Festival Banquet at the Brick House (Optional)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
6:00 AM Bird hike at J. C. Hormel Nature Center
7:00 AM Birding tours
1. Western Tour - Big Island SP & other areas in
Freeborn County
2. Eastern Tour - Lake Louise SP & other areas in Mower
County
Cost: $10 -
Pre-registration is required. For more information or registration call:
Terry Dorsey - 507 433-4483 or email -
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Dick Smaby - 507-433-1925 or email
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
REGISTRATION:
Name_____________________________________________________
Address____________________________________________________
City_______________________________________________________
State___________________________ ZIPCODE___________________
EMAIL (OPTIONAL)_____________________________________
Make checks to: Oak Savanna Birding Festival
Send registration to: Austin Audubon
PO BOX 8
Austin, Minnesota 55912
For lodging information contact the Austin Convention and Visitor's Bureau
at 507- 437-4563
Dick Smaby
601 17th St SW
Austin MN 55912
507-433-1925
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Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:45:14 -0500
From: Craig <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Glaucous Gull
Found a Glaucous Gull this morning at the land fill here in Mora, =
Kanabec County. It looks like it's in it 2nd year plumage. The land =
fill is about 1.5 miles west of Mora on Hwy 23.
Craig Menze
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Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:49:01 -0500
From: Rick <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Rough-legged Hawk
This afternoon while driving around in southern Clay County I spotted a
Rough legged Hawk.on 110Ave. S. one mile east of Highway 9S
--
Rick
Fargo, ND
N 46°53'251"
W 096°48'279"
Remember the USS Liberty
http://www.ussliberty.org/<http://www.ussliberty.org/>
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Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:11:29 -0500
From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: FOY Vesper Sparrow and others LOS Purple Finch Lyon Co
Hello everyone,
I was out this morning on Chippewa Prairie in Chippewa County and saw
several first-of-year birds/activities. They include:
1st PRAIRIE CHICKEN MATING (copulating) - I've been watching them for weeks.
I'm working on a research project comparing the behavior of males on 'pure'
prairie chicken leks (booming grounds) and on 'mixed' leks that include both
chickens and sharp-tailed grouse.
1st VESPER SPARROW - Nice to see those white outer tail feathers and rufous
wing patches. He even gave me a little song.
1st YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD - There's no mistaking that yellow head and
white wing patches
Then I returned home to Marshall, and saw a last-of-season PURPLE FINCH at
my feeder - a female. I had thought that those had all moved on by now.
Good birding!
-Jackie Augustine
Marshall, MN
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Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:17:36 -0500
From: alyssa <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Swainson's Thrush (Hennepin Co.)
Just a minute ago, I observed a Swainson's Thrush in my yard in Golden =
Valley.=20
I understand that this is an exceptionally early date, and I myself was =
in disbelief. Nonetheless, I am 1000% certain (yes, one thousand =
percent) that it was a Swainson's Thrush and NOT a Hermit Thrush.
I first found it within close vicinity of 2 Hermit Thrushes, until one =
of the Hermits chased it away. I first noticed how buffy-colored its =
face was. As I examined further, I saw absolutely NO hint of red =
anywhere on its plumage, including its tail. (The flanks were especially =
dingy-colored too, although I do not know how diagnostic it is to =
diferentiate it from a Hermit.) I looked at this bird through my 20x80 =
spotting scope at a range of 30 yards, and at closer ranges with my =
little pair of binoculars. I observed it for several minutes. The sky is =
overcast, so that did not prove to be a problem whatsoever.
I did take a picture of it through my cell phone through my spotting =
scope that may be diagnostic, however I am still trying to figure out =
how to e-mail it to myself...
Good birding!
Alyssa DeRubeis
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------------------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:02:52 -0500
From: Jeanie Joppru <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Cinnamon Teal not found
Several folks looked for the Cinnamon Teal in Polk County today, but to my
knowledge no one saw it. Apparently it moved on during the night or is
sitting in some unseen location on the Glacial Ridge property of which there
are many not viewable from any road.
Jeanie Joppru
Pennington County, MN
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------------------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:56:29 -0700
From: Steve Morrison
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Eastern Towhee
Eastern Towhees (2) at Wood Lake Nature Center this evening on the first
trail that goes completely across the marsh.
Otherwise FOY Barn Swallow and Yellow Rump Warblers but not much else new.
Steve Morrison
Mpls
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Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:17:43 -0500
From: Milton Blomberg <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: any citing of the sage thrasher?
Since Wed.=2C anyone see the Sage Thrasher at Lake Harriet? backchannel if=
you wish-mjb=
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------------------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:32:48 -0500
From: Matt Dufort <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Chestnut-collared Longspur in Dakota Co.
I spent the day birding from the twin cities area down to Lake Byllesby.
Not surprisingly, there were lots of other birders out and about.
The big highlight of the day was a Chestnut-collared Longspur, observed
around 12:30 among a large flock (500+) of Lapland Longspurs at the Randolph
industrial site in Dakota County. This site is just off MN Hwy 56 (Randolph
Blvd) north of Randolph. From Hwy 56, turn west onto 284th St E. It's
essentially a small network of roads that don't connect to anything, but run
through some really nice grassland habitat. The longspur flock was moving
around a lot, frequenting fields on the north and south sides of the road
west of the first stop sign. The vegetation south of the road makes it
impossible to see them when they're on the ground; the field north of the
road is bare stubble, and they spent a lot of time feeding in it. The
majority of the flock departed to the north around 1:00, but is probably
still in the general area.
At the time the Chestnut-collared appeared, I was with Steve Weston and
another birder. The Chestnut-collared was seen only in flight - it made
several passes by us, giving a unique flight call. I was able to follow it
for 30-45 seconds and see the extensive black on the breast and sides
contrasting with the pale face, as well as the white wedges in the tail,
which were much more extensive and differently-shaped than the Laplands.
Unfortunately we weren't ever able to find it on the ground to get longer
looks. We also spent a long time looking for Smith's Longspurs in the
flock, without success.
Otherwise, birds were everywhere today, including many recent arrivals.
Some notable things:
Many places:
Vesper Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Phoebe, Tree & Barn Swallow, Wood Duck,
Green-winged & Blue-winged Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser
Scaup
Bass Ponds (with Alexis Powell & several others)
- loads of Hermit Thrushes, Ruddy Duck, Hooded Merganser, Horned Grebe
Old Cedar Ave bridge area (with the same folks):
- 1 Broad-winged Hawk, many calling Virginia Rails, Great Egret, Trumpeter
Swan, White-throated Sparrows
Randolph industrial site
- Northern Harrier, both Eastern and Western Meadowlarks, Savannah Sparrow
West end of Lake Byllesby (where I ran into Laura Coble)
- Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, ~20 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Semipalmated
Plovers, 2 Sandhill Cranes, 5 Greater White-fronted Geese, 1 Red-breasted
Merganser, 1 Redhead, Am. White Pelicans, 20 Bonaparte's Gulls, Lapland
Longspur (fly-over)
East end of Lake Byllesby
- Field Sparrow (at the county park / boat launch), 3 Common Loons, 20
Pied-billed Grebes, Kestrels
North of Vermillion, I found several Loggerhead Shrikes at the sites along
Fischer and Emery Avenues described by Bill Stauffer. A quick note on these
shrikes - I went by this morning and couldn't find them. Went back this
afternoon and they were very cooperative. So it pays to try the same spot
at different times of day.
I'm sure I'm forgetting things... it was a wonderful day to be out!
Matt Dufort
Minneapolis
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------------------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:47:13 -0500
From: Earl Orf <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Itasca Bird Club field trip
The Itasca Bird Club held a field trip this morning and we visited two
locations that are not generally open to the public.
At the Mallard Club rice paddies (just west of Deer River) we had lots of
action. We saw at least a dozen Trumpeter Swans, 2 Sandhill Cranes, 2
Wilson's snipe, a large flock of Lapland Longspurs, and a Northern Harrier.
Duck species included:
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Wood Duck
Ring-necked duck
Bufflehead
Redhead
American Wigeon
Pintail
Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
We also saw three Grebe Species (Pied-billed, Horned, and Red-necked), and
three Sparrow species (Song, American Tree, and Savannah).
Our next stop was at the Minnesota Power and Light holding ponds. Action
here was much slower. We saw some of the same species that we saw at the
rice paddies but we did manage to add Common Loon, Common Goldeneye, Bald
Eagle, Ruffed Grouse, and Gadwall. We also saw a soaring flock of White
Pelicans numbering between 60 and 100.
Earl Orf
www.earlorfphotos.com<http://www.earlorfphotos.com/>
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Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:14:44 -0500
From: Erik Bruhnke <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: South Dakota Sightings
Hello everyone! Just thougth I'd drop ya a line and let you know what I've
been seeing here in central SD. I saw my first butterbut (Yellow-rumped
Warbler) for South Dakota today, and also saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 3 Red
Crossbills (all here in town), and counted just over 2 dozen Greater Prairie
Chickens throughout select surveying locations this morning. Here's my ebird
data for today:
Yesterday afternoon while conducting bird surveys throughout the fields
south of Ree Hights, I had a fantastic time seeing:
Location: Fields south of Ree Heights
Observation date: 4/17/09
Number of species: 33
Canada Goose 4
Gadwall 12
Mallard 10
Blue-winged Teal 4
Northern Shoveler 6
Northern Pintail 8
Green-winged Teal 2
Redhead 1
Ring-necked Duck 4
Greater Scaup 20
Bufflehead 1
Greater Prairie-Chicken 30
Pied-billed Grebe 1
American White Pelican 15
Double-crested Cormorant 7
Northern Harrier 1
Swainson's Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 2
American Coot 30
Killdeer 2
Marbled Godwit 3
Wilson's Snipe 1
Franklin's Gull 77
Rock Pigeon 2
Tree Swallow 2
American Robin 1
European Starling 10
Vesper Sparrow 3
Savannah Sparrow 4
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Western Meadowlark 8
Brewer's Blackbird 100
Common Grackle 25
Here's what I observed this morning just south of Highmore while conducting
some bird surveys - this also includes birdwatching that I did after
returning back home to Highmore for a little bit:
Location: Highmore
Observation date: 4/18/09
Notes: GPCH counts were done via morning surveys immediately south of
Highmore
Number of species: 22
Greater Prairie-Chicken 29
Great Blue Heron 1
Northern Harrier 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Killdeer 2
Franklin's Gull 15
Ring-billed Gull 2
Mourning Dove 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 (My first of the season)
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 4
Blue Jay 1
Brown Creeper 1 (my first of the season)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 (My first of the season)
American Robin 20
European Starling 25
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 (my first of the season)
Common Grackle 20
House Finch 2
Red Crossbill 3 (although likely here throughout the winter, my first of the
season)
Pine Siskin 4
House Sparrow 5
Good birding,
Erik Bruhnke
Hyde Co.
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
www.pbase.com/birdfedr/naturallyavian<http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/naturallyavian>
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Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:55:46 -0500
From: linda whyte <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: Least Flycatcher, Pine Warbler, Crosby Park, St. Paul
At Crosby Park today, there were some new delights. The trees were
well-attended by many dozens of yellow-rumps and ruby-crowned
kinglets.The several phoebes had been joined by a couple of Least
Flycatchers, identified after the fact by their sound. From high in
the canopy came another distinguishing song: Pine Warbler; the very
yellow throat and breast made it stand out among the yellow-rumps.
Added to that was the song of a brown creeper, only the second time
I've been lucky enough to hear it.
The touch of melodrama came from the belted kingfishers. Two of them
were vocalizing loudly and insistently to warn off a third one, to
which they gave vigorous chase. Given the location right off the river
path, it would not be surprising if there were a burrow in the bank
just there, now that the water is receding. If the beach re-emerges it
would be worth investigating.
Linda Whyte
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End of MOU-NET Digest - 17 Apr 2009 to 18 Apr 2009 (#2009-90)
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