We are pleased to announce that, after a three-year hiatus, the Salt Lake Birding Weekend is once again an annual event! Join us in Lac qui Parle County to ring in our 45th spring while shorebird and waterfowl migration peaks in the Upper Minnesota River Valley.
This is a great place to find rare and interesting migrants like Hudsonian Godwit, American Avocet, Prairie Falcon, Western Grebe, Black-necked Stilt, Glossy Ibis, and Northern Goshawk. Sharp-tailed Grouse have been seen lekking in recent years. Also, water levels are down right now, suggesting a good chance of finding productive mudflat habitat. We typically coincide with the very start of warbler migration. On the evening of Friday, April 28, beginning at 5:30, birders are invited to stop by Madison Mercantile for a potluck dinner and live music. It is a coffee shop/art gallery, and they will be featuring bird-themed works from regional artists for the month of April. They also serve adult beverages. Birders will meet at the American Legion in Marietta at 7:00 AM, Saturday, April 29, for breakfast and coffee, available for a modest fee. There you will meet your guides and assemble into caravans for the day. While most of the count is centered around Lac qui Parle County, we generally also make our way to sites in Big Stone and Yellow Medicine counties. In addition to Salt Lake, birders can expect to visit numerous state and federal wetlands, Big Stone NWR, Lac qui Parle State Park, Marsh Lake, and the many potholes that dot southern Big Stone County. Maps and checklists will be provided. Our guides will communicate via group text, so any extraordinary sightings will be quickly known to all. The final tally will be total species observed, but birders may still keep track of individual numbers if they wish. After returning to the Legion at noon for lunch, we will huddle to share intel and then embark on the afternoon leg of the journey. At 7:30 PM Saturday evening, birders will re-group at the Sons of Norway Lodge in Madison for supper and the final tally. Dinner is fried chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, and pie for $15. Reservations are necessary for dinner with prepayment preferred; please contact: Bernice Oelien, Sons of Norway, at oel...@farmerstel.net, (507) 829-0676, or (320) 752-4757. Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available upon request via RSVP. Payment at the door will be $20 per dinner (limited meal availability). Some of your guides will still be around birding on Sunday, so feel free to make inquiries on Saturday night if you plan on lingering in the area. The Salt Lake Birding Weekend is free and open to all, though advance registration is appreciated, to help us with the planning. To register, visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f48a9ac2fa5ffce9-salt#/ Any questions can be sent to Jason Frank, event coordinator, at jmfran...@gmail.com. Lodging information, an area map, and the latest event details can be found online ( www.MOUMN.org/saltlake/ <http://www.moumn.org/saltlake/> ). ***IMPORTANT CORRECTION*** ***PLEASE NOTE!!!*** My email address was misprinted in the MOU and Trumpeter Newsletters. My apologies if you've tried to get ahold of me using that address... please use jmfran...@gmail.com. ---- General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
