Re: [mou-net] Gargeny
Not to brag... well, yes, to brag, the Garganey my father reported here was his 400th Minnesota bird species. Congrats Dad! Heckuva bird to hit 400 with! Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, IA On Thu, Apr 25, 2024 at 5:42 PM wrote: > Still there today! John Ellis Saint Paul > Sent from my iPhone > > > 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. > -- Jesse Ellis 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.
[mou-net] Royal Tern Sept 22 Washington Co
3rd hand - "Cross posting from Discord: Garrett Wee found an apparent first state record ROYAL TERN in Washington County this evening. I last saw the bird flying down river and into Wisconsin at sunset. One of Garrett's images can be seen below. Pin in comments." Coords are: 45.080229, -92.800366 Not sure about any other good info, that's what I saw on Facebook, which refers to a Discord group. -- Jesse Ellis Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA 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.
Re: [mou-net] Yellow-throated Warbler, Washington County
I think this is a good point to bring up, Bob! I hear this "canyon wren" version of B warbler song quite a bit up in Ely over the summer early in the season and many recording collections don't mention it. All About Birds doesn't represent it, nor does Birds of the World Online, which only says "A variation of primary song that is longer, faster, and more varied in pitch is heard primarily on the breeding grounds (Bent 1953b <https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/bawwar/cur/references#REF56932>)." (Interestingly, eBird has a song that fits the above description but it doesn't have that descending feel like in your recording - perhaps this is a regional dialect, because I've heard descending songs a lot in NE MN.) Almost (?) all warblers that we run into in MN have "alternate songs", which can be quite a bit different in patterning from what we usually hear and are taught when learning songs. A number are very rare - for example Nashville Warblers do a short flight song sometimes, which I pick up on some automated recordings but almost never hear in the field. Others use theirs quite commonly, like Black-throated Green (zee-zee-zee-zee zoo-zee and zoo-zee zoo-zoo-zee), and are relatively well-known, but sometimes those common versions (like with B) have been missed by the literature, with many ornithologists perhaps not living near where these birds actually breed, or being out when they often give these alternate songs. Generally, the alternate songs seem to function in attracting or reassuring mates, while the ones we hear more often are for defending territories from other males. Good birding! Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, IA (and Ely, MN in summer) On Mon, May 22, 2023 at 11:55 AM Bob Dunlap wrote: > Follow-up to my observation from yesterday: turns out this was a > Black-and-white Warbler singing an alternate song. One birder had the > audacity to question the identification based on my recording as I had only > heard the bird and not seen it, and lo and behold when I heard the exact > same song in Pine County this morning I tracked the bird down to visually > confirm a Black-and-white Warbler. For anyone interested here is the > recording: > > https://ebird.org/checklist/S138674830 > > If anyone has the Sibley Guide app on their smartphone this song is akin to > what is listed as “Dawn Song” in the sounds for Black-and-white Warbler. > > Continually humbled, > Bob Dunlap > > On Sun, May 21, 2023 at 9:42 AM Bob Dunlap > wrote: > > > There is a Yellow-throated Warbler currently singing at William O’Brien > > State Park at these coordinates: > > > > 45.2193015, -92.7693324 > > > > This is a fairly short hike south of the visitor center. > > > > Bob Dunlap > > > > > 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. > -- Jesse Ellis 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.
[mou-net] Black-billed magpie - Douglas county
Hi all- Just had a black-billed magpie fly over my dad’s property in NE Douglas co near lake Irene. A stunning bird for the site! It did not land. We will keep our eyes out looking around tomorrow. Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, Iowa -- Jesse Ellis 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.
[mou-net] Ross's Gull at Port Douglas Washington County
Ben Leigh Douglas has an immature ROSS'S GULL at Port Douglas. Coordinates are 44.749137,-92.809232. -- Jesse Ellis 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.
[mou-net] Limpkin @ 11:05am Hugo Farms wMA Wash Co
Previously reported LIMPKIN audible out from dock. Called very intermittently. We were present for 45 min and it called in 3 bouts of 4-7 calls during that time. It took a while for it to start. -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net 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.
[mou-net] ANCIENT MURRELET STONY POINT St Louis Co
Hey All- Relaying a report by Steve Kolbe of an ANCIENT MURRELET at Stony Point at the St. Louis/Lake Co line between the point and the surfing rocks, diving actively. Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, IA -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net 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.
[mou-net] PAINTED REDSTART St. PAUL
Hey folks - BY way of a report on the FB group Minnesota Naturalists, a PAINTED REDSTART was reported near Sargent and Fairview earlier this afternoon, and has apparently been refound ~20 minutes ago near 1798 Sargent Ave in St. Paul. Someone has photos, according to a phone call with my father John, who is looking for it now. Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, IA -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net 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.
Re: [mou-net] A great "Slaty Candidate" in Duluth?
That is not a Great-black Backed Gull, Dale. GBBG would be much darker. Black, even. And the legs would likely be a paler pink. And as you say it's too small for a GBBG, or at least a "normal" one. They are enormous. Nice find. Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, IA On Mon, Jan 7, 2019 at 1:35 PM Dale Trexel wrote: > Yesterday, Jeff Eddy and I hit the Duluth Canal to check out the gulls and > other birds in the cold north wind blowing off Superior. We were happy to > get Glaucous and Iceland (Thayer's) Gulls, but then a darker-gray-backed > bird showed up. I've posted photos to my eBird report and the Minnesota > Birding Facebook group. https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S51428572 > > (Sorry if this is a repeat: I initially sent this to m...@moumn.org, which > didn't seem to go through.) > > The most likely species for the location is the Great Black-backed Gull, > but there were several things about this individual that made us question > that ID. Garrett Wee tagged Amar Ayyash on FB, who replied, "Looks like a > great Slaty candidate!" I'll post my full FB account below. > > So, for any of you up in the Duluth area willing to venture out in today's > conditions, this might be a chaseable bird! Also happy to take ID > suggestions here or privately. > > Dale Trexel > Mendota Heights, MN > > > My original FB post: > > Gull ID request. Yesterday we were at the Duluth canal park and spotted > this individual out on the far wall. It's clearly darker than the Herring > Gulls nearby, but not as dark as I'd expect for a Great Black-backed Gull. > GBBG is most likely, but I'm wondering what the chances are we found > something even more unlikely, like a Slaty-backed Gull. > > You can barely see it in the photos I got, but it's mostly adult with some > juvenile characteristics: head is very streaky, bill is light (I thought I > saw a slight pink cast in quick view that I got) with a dark tip, and in > photos there seems to be just a hint of brownish mottling at the edge of > the gray regions. I presume this is a 3rd winter bird. > > The legs are pink, but not distinctly more pink than the HEGU nearby (rules > out Lesser Black-backed Gull). The white band on the trailing edge of the > wing is pretty bold and even all the way across, especially compared to the > HEGU nearby, but is it enough for SLGU? Sibley has 3rd winter GBBG heads > much more white than this individual, which appears closer to his > illustration of 3rd winter SLGU, but I have no idea how variable that trait > can be. Size-wise it's not as dramatically bigger than the HEGU as I'd > expect for a GBBG. > > We observed the bird just this one time, just before noon. I digiscoped > these images before something sent the whole flock into the air, and we > never relocated it. We even popped over to Grandma's for lunch and to warm > up before heading back out for one last look, without success. Someone came > out with bread to draw the gulls in for photos, causing too much chaos, so > we headed out. > > We're back home now, so those of you still up in the Duluth area may want > to keep an eye out for this bird! > > > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Barrow's Goldeneye, Swan Park, Wright Co
A correction: the Barrow's was seen on Saturday. I apologize for getting ahead of myself. On Mon, Jan 9, 2017 at 3:40 PM Jesse Ellis <calocit...@gmail.com> wrote: > A BARROW'S GOLDENEYE drake was photographed by Cory Lindahl in Wright > County today. Photos are on the Minnesota Birding facebook group. > > "on the mississippi river between wright and sherburne counties. look up > swan park in monticello, he was seen from there flying. and swiming/diving > etc. just a bit east down the river, probably could be seen from there or > where the river cuts close to the road slightly east of swan park! " > > > Good birding! > > Jesse Ellis > > Cedar Rapids, IA > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Barrow's Goldeneye, Swan Park, Wright Co
A BARROW'S GOLDENEYE drake was photographed by Cory Lindahl in Wright County today. Photos are on the Minnesota Birding facebook group. "on the mississippi river between wright and sherburne counties. look up swan park in monticello, he was seen from there flying. and swiming/diving etc. just a bit east down the river, probably could be seen from there or where the river cuts close to the road slightly east of swan park! " Good birding! Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, IA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] CURVE-BILLED THRASHER Grand Rapids
This has been a little late getting to the list. Yesterday a CURVE-BILLED THRASHER was reported from the yard of Marta and Dan Carrigan in Grand Rapids, MN, at 605 NE 11th St. The bird has been coming to their feeders for about a month. Here is the quote from Andy Forbs from the Minnesota Birding Facebook group: "Possible CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, Grand Rapids, Minnesota (Itasca County). This bird has been seen multiple times over the last month or so at a bird feeder at the home of Marta and Dan Carrigan at 605 NE 11th Ave. in Grand Rapids. The picture doesn't show it, but they described it as a grayish bird with yellowish eyes. They welcome visitors, however they ask that people 1) NOT park in front of the white house on the corner next to theirs, and 2) otherwise observe good birding etiquette: don't block driveways, mailboxes, don't walk across other peoples yards, etc. Anytime of the day (within reason) is fine to visit but they prefer between 8AM-5PM. They did mention dogs in the house that may bark so no need to check in unless you see that someone is home. Good luck!" The photo is pretty compelling - any alternate species would be even more mind-bending. Facebook won't allow a link, unfortunately. I am traveling and assumed, wrongly, that some other kind soul in the MN FB group would have made sure this was available. It's too bad that didn't happen. Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, IA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Fwd: Platforms
-- Forwarded message -- From: Anthony Hertzel <axhert...@gmail.com> Date: Sun, Jan 3, 2016 at 10:21 AM Subject: Platforms To: Jesse Ellis <calocit...@gmail.com> MOU has had a Twitter feed for a while. MOUBirds ( https://twitter.com/search?q=moubirds=typd=en) On Jan 3, 2016, at 9:51 A.M., Jesse Ellis <calocit...@gmail.com> wrote: I'm not aware of any twitter feeds for this info. Anthony Hertzel axhert...@gmail.com -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] RFI Ivory Gull
Request for Information- Please, anyone seeing the Ivory Gull or not at any time today, post about it. Many people are tracking its activity, and obviously many people are trying for it, but I cannot find any information about it since about 9:30 this morning. I know more people are out there looking and it's helpful to all to know when and where people are having or not having success. Thank you all! Good birding! Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] [mou-rba] [mou-net] Ivory Gull, which is still present as of 4:45pm
With all due respect to everyone here, there was, to me, a gap in the info being posted from about 9:35 to sometime after 2, on all of the sources of info that I know of. I track MOU-NET and MOU-RBA, the Minnesota Birding Facebook page, the MOU facebook page, and the Minnesota Rare Bird Alert Facebook page. I was mostly checking for my dad, who was unable to head up there until about 2:30pm. None of those sources had anything concrete or current from about 9:35 until I posted requesting for updates in a number of those places. All of these are public, usually with a short lag to subscribe. Other facebook groups (if that's what you're thinking of?) may not be public and indeed "secret", and thus not even findable if you search, and therefore not exactly useful to down-staters or out-of-staters. It's of course very true that with more avenues for reporting it can be harder to get instant information. I find this balanced by the fact that some of these other avenues have attracted more birders who have found more cool stuff. Still, for a fabulous bird like this, I would have expected a fairly constant chatter on ALL those platforms. A gap from mid morning to mid afternoon seems like a long time to me, esp. when people in faraway places might be making decisions about traveling to see this bird. Thanks to all who have posted anything about this bird! Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, IA On Sat, Jan 2, 2016 at 7:31 PM, Mike imap <r...@moumn.org> wrote: > John, > > Which platforms is information about the ivory gull being posted to? > > Thanks, > > Mike Koutnik > > Sent from my iPhone > > > On Jan 2, 2016, at 6:16 PM, MOU admin <m...@moumn.org> wrote: > > > > (Posted by John Richardson <johnpr...@gmail.com> via moumn.org) > > > > It was seen at 4:45pm today flying over Canal Park. > > > > P.S. Jason Caddy, I think there has been plenty of information out there > about the > > Ivory Gull, but as you rightly indicated, not much on here? Many/most > are using > > other platforms to communicate it seems? With the age of Smartphones > sending > > emails is becoming secondary I find with many > > > > Best, > > > > John Richardson > > Duluth, 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 > > > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Snowy Owl in Sax-Zim
I've seen a second-hand report with photos of a Snowy Owl in Sax-Zim (exact location undisclosed). Seems a little early! Jesse Ellis Cedar Rapids, IA -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Minnesota Tropical Kingbird
Still present at 11:00am July 4th, marker 36, Pet trails at Murphy hanrehan. Sitting in the top of a basswood foraging Good birding, Jesse Ellis Saint Paul On Thu, Jul 2, 2015 at 13:02 R.D. Everhart everh...@black-hole.com wrote: Hey everyone- I went out to chase the Tropical Kingbird that has been seen at Murphy-Hanrahan Park south of Minneapolis/St. Paul and got a few photos that I have posted here: http://minnesotabirdnerd.blogspot.com The bird was seen off and on between about 7 am and 9:30 am. It did not vocalize while I was there. Roger Everhart Apple Valley, 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 Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Fwd: [mou-net] Kingbird thought
Some interesting points on the matter from Frank Gosiak - with his permission. -- Forwarded message - From: Frank Gosiak fgos...@gmail.com Date: Sun, Jun 28, 2015 at 8:11 PM Subject: Re: [mou-net] Kingbird thought To: Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com The chance for survival if raised in captivity is very slim. It wouldn't be aware of predators and wouldn't have developed the hunting skills to know what pray to focus on. This bird went mainly for dragon flies and has survived the Coopers and Sharp Shinned Hawks. It also was leery of humans and flew off when approached and it came and went using the cover available. On Sun, Jun 28, 2015 at 7:56 PM, Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com wrote: A response: many tyrannids have known propensities to wander, and I've never heard of them being kept as pets. They're not very pretty, nor do they learn songs. I suspect the odds of captivity are very small. Jesse Ellis Saint Paul On Sat, Jun 27, 2015 at 21:45 danerika daner...@gmail.com wrote: Just a thought here. The kingbird being reported and photographed may well have been a caged bird. The tail feathers seem very worn, especially if it is a young bird. It is possible that this bird was hand-reared and escaped captivity. dan -- Dan or Erika Tallman Northfield, Minnesota daner...@gmail.com http://dantallmansbirdblog.blogspot.com the best shod travel with wet feet...Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes ”—H. D. Thoreau Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Kingbird thought
A response: many tyrannids have known propensities to wander, and I've never heard of them being kept as pets. They're not very pretty, nor do they learn songs. I suspect the odds of captivity are very small. Jesse Ellis Saint Paul On Sat, Jun 27, 2015 at 21:45 danerika daner...@gmail.com wrote: Just a thought here. The kingbird being reported and photographed may well have been a caged bird. The tail feathers seem very worn, especially if it is a young bird. It is possible that this bird was hand-reared and escaped captivity. dan -- Dan or Erika Tallman Northfield, Minnesota daner...@gmail.com http://dantallmansbirdblog.blogspot.com the best shod travel with wet feet...Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes ”—H. D. Thoreau Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] HOODED WARBLER, Carpenter Naure Center, Washington
At around 11:30 today I found a singing male Hooded Warbler at Carpenter Nature Center, just south of the platform on the Savanna Trail. He was in the buckthorn thickets and lower tiers of the canopy singing consistently. I obtained some short recordings and got a good look at him. Nearly home in St. Paul, on St. Clair Ave where it intersects 35E, I then had both a flyover Osprey and better yet, a flyover Red-headed Woodpecker. Not a bad Ramsey Co bird, and darn near decent for St. Paul. Jesse Ellis St. Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] [mou-rba] CLARK'S GREBE Lake Osakis (Todd/Douglas Co)
Michael Thompson posted pictures of breeding grebes from Lake Osakis on the Minnesota Birding facebook group on Sunday evening, and when I wondered if he had seen any Clark's, he looked through his photos and was able to post one with an obvious CLARK'S GREBE. It's not clear exactly where this bird was since his friend was driving the boat and Michael was not tracking the exact location with each photo and breeding group. (Unfortunately the Todd/Douglas Co. line runs right through Lake Osakis.) It is also not clear if this bird is breeding - it was in with breeding birds and the photo shows it among nests, but without more details I don't think breeding will be substantiated. This species has been found at Lake Osakis on a number of occasions, and folks heading that way may want to spend some time scoping the grebes present. Jesse Ellis St. Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Lark sparrow Duluth Lafayette square
31st and Minnesota feeding in the playing field. Jesse Ellis St. Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Fallout at Park Point Duluth
Lots of warblers of 24 species, including Black-throated blue. Jesse Ellis From Saint Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Odd (greater-white fronted) geese at Bass Ponds yesterday
Hey all- Maybe some of the Ruff hunters can check this out. Dale Carlson posted two photos of a pair of geese from the Bass Ponds in the Minnesota Birding facebook group. (7 MAY 2015 I believe these are Greater White-fronted Geese. Can someone confirm? Seen in Long Meadow Lake east of the beaver dam in the Bass Ponds area of the MN Valley NWR.) They lack white fronts on the face, and have dark feathering on the face and fairly long orange bills. I'd love any comments on the photos - I don't have a great way to share them other than where they are hosted on facebook. But more photos might be helpful. If anyone sees these birds it might be worth snapping some photos. They may be immature Greater White-fronts with no white yet, which would be very late. Or they may be some weird mix with a domestic, though their proportions don't look anything like barnyard geese. Or perhaps a hybrid, or better yet an odd vagrant... Thanks much, jesse ellis Saint Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] [mou-rba] SPOTTED TOWHEE - Howard Lake
A Spotted Towhee was photographed in Howard Lake today. The photos were posted in the Facebook group Minnesota/Wisconsin/North Dakota Wildlife Photography. Not clear if the photographer is willing to have visitors yet. Good birding, Jesse Ellis Saint Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] PRWA
Pete Nichols, David Adair and I checked for the Prairie Warbler today at a Wood Lake around 1pm. No luck, but we tallied 57 species, 14 warblers including Wilsons, Tennessee, Golden-Winged. Jesse Ellis Saint Paul On Wed, May 6, 2015 at 09:38 Anthony Hertzel axhert...@gmail.com wrote: Mark Alt is reporting a Prairie Warbler from the east side of Wood Lake in Hennepin County. He says the birds are moving through quickly, but he found it about halfway down the trail. Anthony Hertzel axhert...@gmail.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 Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER, MOORHEAD
Kara Susag photographed a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in Moorhead, MN, Clay Co today, heading north. She couldn't relocate the bird after it flew over HER YARD. A photo is on MOU's Recently Seen: http://moumn.org/cgi-bin/recent.pl Good birding! Jesse Ellis St. Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Bass Ponds warblers - good conditions
Weather conditions were perfect for a good flight of birds in the Twin Cities this morning, esp. for a big push of warblers. I went to the Bass Ponds with Brian Clough https://www.facebook.com/brian.clough.315 this morning for a few hours and we had some great birding. Most birds were clustered near the bottom of the hill. We had EIGHTEEN species of warbler. Highlights among these (ornithologically speaking, since I loved seeing all of them) were CANADA WARBLER (tied for early date south) and BLACKPOLL WARBLER (feels early - blackpolls are usually a later migrant). Still a lot of Myrtle Warblers and a huge number of White-throated Sparrows; it feels like a lot of species just got backed up down south and are all arriving together. Notably we DID NOT check hard for the Ruff. IT COULD STILL BE THERE. We heard one negative report, and noted that many of the shorebirds have moved out. There were however LEAST SANDPIPERS and SOLITARY SANDPIPERS out there. Many other FOYS for me, many of which have already been reported around the Cities. Great Crested Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Gray Catbird Swainson's Thrush Baltimore Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak I'd write out the warblers but it's easier to link below... http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist… http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Febird%2Fview%2Fchecklist%3FsubID%3DS23263785%26share%3Dtrueh=rAQHjFGrsenc=AZO-xuK3o5sehTnY8V7hN5Dxsgc77a5o-yYMLj95Vzv7gAoIqrMhCbCGHH53AUGueNo7bJ-4c8TYq43E-VpBBEFsO9faiqxYCxaEgJOrvDH9Gnw4qklYbUCnUubE5v3xbPm2kZ7j4yvRzVCtISg8Q2CiVVcchyQEWSE82f0O-hZN3ws=1 Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Would the person (Mr Steef?) interested in my Birding/Loon collection please give me a call?
Warren, if you don't have any luck I'd still be interested in picking them up for Coe College's Wilderness Field Station. Let me know. 206 406 7776. Jesse On Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 12:58 PM Warren Woessner wwoess...@slwip.com wrote: 612 961 1457 Thanks Warren Woessner Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Todd and Grant Counties
Just for clarification, Lake Osakis is in Douglas and Todd Counties, not Grant (Douglas is between Grant and Todd). A Doug. Co. aficionado, Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, MN On Wed, Apr 22, 2015 at 8:24 PM Scott Dirks smdi...@hotmail.com wrote: Connie Jo and I birdied for a few hours this afternoon near and around Lake Osakis, the south, west and northwest shorelines of which held thousands of waterfowl. Highlights included FOY western grebes, as well as large numbers of canvasback, many scaup (mostly lesser and a few greater), and a good assortment of bufflehead, redhead, gadwall, ring-necked, shovelers, wigeon, wood duck, mallards, blue-winged and green-winged teal. Of course, many Canada geese, pied-billed grebes and rafts of coot were also present. Our scoping and viewing were done both from the public landing in the town of Osakis and from County Road 10 north of town. Other FOY birds were a pair of rusty blackbirds, a vesper sparrow, hermit thrush and yellow-bellied sapsucker, all viewed from County Highway 10. Scott Dirks Sent from my iPad Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Second hand N. Mockingbird, N. Minneapolis
Hey all- A member of the Minnesota Birding facebook group just posted an excellent photo of a Northern Mockingbird to the group, with the location listed as Minneapolis (North). I am hoping more details will be posted soon. I'll keep you posted. Sorry if this seems lacking, but I feel it's worth passing along any information in the spirit of sharing. Jesse Ellis Saint Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Bufflehead X Common Goldeneye, Old Cedar Ave, Bloomington, MN
Hey all- Waterfowl are more abundant at Old Cedar Avenue lately. Yesterday from the viewing platform I found an apparent Blufflehead X Common Goldeneye. I took really bad digiscoped photos for confirmation. Googling for this cross should provide images that are consistent with the bird at the Refuge if anyone is looking for it. It's about bufflehead sized, much smaller than a goldeneye, white flanks and back black when swimming. However instead of a buffle it has a white cheek patch that extends down through the cheek and connects with the white neck. The nape itself is dark (unlike a bufflehead). Interesting looking bird, and it was hanging out with Bufflehead. Other than that very quiet for passerines. Lots of L. Scaup, Ring-necked Duck and a handful of other expected species. Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, MN -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] [mou-rba] Any updates on the Brambling on Sat Mar 21?
Hi all- I received a message on Facebook from John Richardson, the original finder in whose yard the brambling appeared in Brainerd (409 N. Holly Street). No dice yet - he's been out of town for a few hours though. He welcomes people to his house, by the way, but I don't have any further instructions for access. He's excited to have people. Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, MN On Sat, Mar 21, 2015 at 12:41 PM, kabro...@mmm.com wrote: kabro...@mmm.com From:Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com To:mou-...@lists.umn.edu Date:03/20/2015 03:27 PM Subject:Re: [mou-rba] [mou-net] BRAMBLING, BRAINERD Sent by:Rare Bird Alert mou-...@lists.umn.edu -- The address of the location of the BRAMBLING is 409 Holly Street in Brainerd, MN. The picture was posted about 40 minutes ago and the bird was observed for a few minutes. As I noted a photo was obtained. I believe some other locals are heading over to look for it again. Good birding, Jesse Ellis, Saint Paul, MN On Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 3:23 PM, Jesse Ellis *r...@moumn.org* r...@moumn.org wrote: John Richardson posted a picture of what appears to to be a first-year male BRAMBLING on the Minnesota Birding facebook page. He is familiar with the species from the UK. I'll try to post any updates as they come in. Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: *http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net* http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: *http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html* http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- This message has been scanned and no issues discovered. Click *here* https://spam.mmm.com:443/pem/pages/digestProcess/digestProcess.jsf?content=aedaaa864ecbae94a2c532943fb85f3b4fcb3fc9d6f4119a091276b5f537dac3c6c4ff5fb22097b592aab29dac82584f2938bed5da76951bb71825e309f95060ed5998c8e41c69d7d50cf02b89a37a9fac61a734ec0f1f2bfa6d1fea5fa6ea0e6bb1523f92708b451bc638c325b16361ed4818dfcec5e688be8e55ee9f7128d892d6dde6a887871d to report this email as spam -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] No resightings of the Brambling in Brainerd Sat March 21
Hi all- As far as I am aware, John Richardson did not see the Brambling again today. I'm not sure if others went to look or not, so that's all the news I have from the Facebook group on this bird today. Good birding Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, MN -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] BRAMBLING, BRAINERD
John Richardson posted a picture of what appears to to be a first-year male BRAMBLING on the Minnesota Birding facebook page. He is familiar with the species from the UK. I'll try to post any updates as they come in. Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Losing HSP
John, Uwe - I've had some success discouraging House Sparrows from entering nest boxes by placing a strand or two of monofilament line so it blows near the entrance of the nest box. You only need a strand or two, but the sparrows seem repelled by it while the other birds species aren't bothered. it works on feeders, too. Not sure why... You probably don't want to have it too long, so it doesn't tangle and form loops that could catch birds, but that's pretty easy to do. Jesse Ellis On Thu, Jan 15, 2015 at 7:05 AM, Uwe Kausch u...@builtritehandlers.com wrote: John, Are you using the Peterson styled nest boxes? I have found that House Sparrows don't favor them as much, since they have a more difficult time constructing their nests in those, since the box is tapered. They seem to favor the rectangular boxes. The other interesting observation is that I see many less sparrows and starlings around my property when I have Kestrels nesting but still get my bluebirds and tree swallows. Good luck. Uwe Kausch Duluth -Original Message- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of John Nelson Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 6:10 PM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Losing HSP Watched a beautiful adult male Sharp-shinned Hawk lite in a shrub outside the bay window briefly before pouncing on a HSP. It flew to a nearby log to feast. Later we found another pile of HSP feathers nearby. Along with 6 in the sparrow trap we aren't even making a dent in the population prior to Eastern Bluebird nesting time. The 4 pm Northern Cardinal show yesterday numbered 21 a record high for our PFW count and equalling our all time high. John Nelson Good Thunder MN Sent from my iPad Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Male Red-bellied Woodpecker in Lakeside neighborhood of Duluth
Darn. I apologize to the list for not checking my Reply function. Sorry about that. Jesse On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 8:23 PM, Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com wrote: Hey Laura- I noticed your posts of Red-bellied Woodpecker on eBird, and then found your MOU-NET post in my inbox. My brother and father and I are going to be doing the BDATHON the weekend after next and it would be nice to have a spot to go to for Red-bellied if we don't find it elsewhere. Can you give me an address and viewing suggestions? I there a good time of day to look for it? Thanks much, Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, MN On Mon, Oct 27, 2014 at 2:19 PM, Laura Erickson chickadee.erick...@gmail.com wrote: Red-bellied Woodpeckers aren't that rare in Duluth anymore, so I didn't think to post information about the one visiting my yard, but in case anyone needs to see one for the county or just wants to enjoy a handsome male, he's been coming for a few weeks. I'm not sure where he goes when not in my yard, but he comes to my suet and sunflower seed feeders several times a day, and calls quite a bit while around. Email me if you need the address/directions. -- Laura Erickson Duluth, MN For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. —Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Male Red-bellied Woodpecker in Lakeside neighborhood of Duluth
Hey Laura- I noticed your posts of Red-bellied Woodpecker on eBird, and then found your MOU-NET post in my inbox. My brother and father and I are going to be doing the BDATHON the weekend after next and it would be nice to have a spot to go to for Red-bellied if we don't find it elsewhere. Can you give me an address and viewing suggestions? I there a good time of day to look for it? Thanks much, Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, MN On Mon, Oct 27, 2014 at 2:19 PM, Laura Erickson chickadee.erick...@gmail.com wrote: Red-bellied Woodpeckers aren't that rare in Duluth anymore, so I didn't think to post information about the one visiting my yard, but in case anyone needs to see one for the county or just wants to enjoy a handsome male, he's been coming for a few weeks. I'm not sure where he goes when not in my yard, but he comes to my suet and sunflower seed feeders several times a day, and calls quite a bit while around. Email me if you need the address/directions. -- Laura Erickson Duluth, MN For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. —Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] First robins of the year?
Hi All- In retrospect (I started second-guessing myself as soon as I posted, of course) I agree with Julian and Robert that these are hackberry, with smaller berries and heavily corrugated bark. Sorry for the mis-ID on the trees! Regardless, the robins are something to look at, and flocks could have something more interesting hanging out with them... Jesse On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 2:55 PM, Julian Sellers juliansell...@msn.com wrote: If you look closely, I think you’ll find that those trees full of robins are actually hackberry trees (*Celtis occidentalis)*, not cherry trees. The robins (and others) strip the cherries (*Prunus *sp.) in the summer. Julian St. Paul *From:* Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com *Sent:* Thursday, January 08, 2015 12:27 PM *To:* MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU *Subject:* Re: [mou-net] First robins of the year? Hey all- Robins are actually quite hardy fruit eaters in the winter. The birds you both are seeing are overwintering, as much as is possible. They may move south if conditions worsen, but if food remains available they may stay the entire season. Here in the Twin Cities, I've noticed that many street trees (that have perhaps replaced ash and elm?) are cherries, and they seem to be supporting a good population of American Robins. I've had up to 50 individuals in my neighborhood in Saint Paul. You could probably record Robins daily if you found some preferred spots. Springs with open water can also support overwintering Robins. If you're looking for signs of spring, for me it's not the presence of Robins, but territorial behavior, foraging for worms, and singing. Right now they're hunkering down just like any bird, but if you see any of those other behaviors you can start feeling good about things again. Good birding, Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, MN On Thu, Jan 8, 2015 at 11:06 AM, Lee leeprat...@msn.com wrote: Good morning, Thanks to Alan for his message: last week I observed what appeared to be a small [10 - 15 birds] of robins along the Mississippi bluffs in St. Paul. I looked awhile and all the time thinking it must be some other species, or late migrantsOr that I was losing more than I had thought. Thanks. Lee in St. Paul -- Date:Wed, 7 Jan 2015 08:09:52 -0600 From:Alan Stankevitz a...@iwishicouldfly.com Subject: First Robins of the year ... sign of Spring??? Huh. I haven's seen nor heard robins since the fall migration and this morning I have a flock of them outside my door. My guess is they are foraging down by the creek that runs through our property. Think Spring! Alan Stankevitz Mound Prairie, MN (Houston County) Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Duluth Eider present as of Dec 31
Hello All- A great photo of the Duluth Common Eider associating with a wild-type and a domestic mallard was posted to the Minnesota Birding facebook page yesterday. Seen by Paula Aschim around 11am in the shipping canal. Thus, the bird is still around, and probably enjoying the cold... did anyone see it today? Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, MN -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Eurasian Tree Sparrow - Dakota County
Hey all- This bird was present between about 1:30 and 2:00 this afternoon, but as others have mentioned is definitely not present continuously. Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, MN On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 10:43 AM, Pete Makousky ian...@usfamily.net wrote: Eurasian Tree Sparrow still present in Dakota County this morning at 9:10am. Many thanks to Andrew Smith for first spotting the bird and also to the CBC; partially to credit for this find. I would also like to thank the many other MOU birders who posted excellent information. And also appreciate the kindness of the owner and neighbors for allowing the invasion of more vehicles than usual. Location easy to find. Bird is favoring the blue tube feeder so positioning on that view is your best bet. When the bird showed up this morning I was right next to Bob Janssen. It was a joy to meet him (Bob was another lifer for me). Pete Makousky Anoka, 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 -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Possible Pacific Loon in Duluth?
Hello All- I wanted to pass this on. Clinton Niehaus posed on the Minnesota Birding Facebook group that he's seen photos of the purported Red-throated Loon seen near or at the same site as the Common Eiders yesterday, but that the loon looked far more consistent with a PACIFIC LOON. I have copied that message here in the hopes that this can be corroborated either by photos from yesterday or new sightings today. Hi everyone! I have clarification note for the group of birders from Minneapolis (who hopefully also use this FB site) who saw the common eiders today (11/13) at 21st Ave. here in Duluth. The group also saw a loon which was ID'd as a Red-throated Loon. I saw pictures of this bird this evening and it is not a Red-throated Loon, but instead a Pacific Loon!! The bird in the photo was solidly dark in the back and neck and head, with white not extending deep into the face, as you would see in a winter plumage Red-throated Loon. Also noted on the photo was the classic necklace that you would see in a winter plumage Pacific Loon. The bird was also holding its bill straight as opposed to raised at an angle, as you would again expect a Red-throated Loon to do. I personally did not see the bird, but the photo was clear as day Pacific Loon!! Another note if you are to look for this bird, it was seen hunting east up the shore in the afternoon, so perhaps it is a little further along up the shore than 21st Ave. Thanks! - Clinton Niehaus Good birding! Jesse -- Jesse Ellis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Mew Gull reported on Lake Calhoun, MPLS
Hello All- A message was just posted on the Minnesota Facebook page, that a Mew Gull was currently on Lake Calhoun. No other details yet. Jesse Ellis Saint Paul -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Wilson's Phalarope, other shorebirds at Bass Ponds, MVNWR, Bloomington, MN
Hi All- I (re?)found a Wilson's Phalarope at the outflow from the large pond into Long Meadow Lake at the Bass Ponds unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. It was feeding with a single Lesser Yellowlegs and 10 Greaters. Unfortunately a large Peregrine Falcon scattered the birds and it did not return. By the time I left around 11, there were no shorebirds at this location. Before that happened, I and another birder saw 7 Black-bellied Plovers fly by. I also had what I thought were a few Dunlin flying with a Green-winged Teal flock when these birds were scattered by an Eagle. Dabbling ducks were dominated by upwards of 300 Green-winged Teal and Northern Shoveler. A few Gadwall and a pair of Northern Pintail were present. Also of note were two separate Purple Finches flying over. As predicted, this is shaping up to be a good flight year for them. Good birding, Jesse Ellis Saint Paul -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Red Crossbill
Hi all- While canoeing on the north end of Lake Irene in NE Douglas co last night, my wife and I were pleased and surprised to have a young Red Crossbill fly in near enough to see and (hopefully) record faintly. Good bird for the county. We've also had a few Pine Siskins and Purple Finches over the past few days, but Thurs and Fri were very quiet for migrants otherwise. Things have picked up a little today. Lake Jennie in Douglas Co had many thousands of coots, upwards of 300 Canvasback, and about 20 Buffleheads. A few flocks of pipits were the other notable. Jesse Ellis Saint Paul, mn -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Possible/probable? Mountain Bluebird in Wright Co
Hi All- A Minnesota Birding facebook group member posted today that she had seen a MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD at her feeders at her home in Wright Co. I got a very good look at it through the binoculars. At first, I thought it might be an Indigo Bunting, but it was too large. It looks exactly like an Eastern Bluebird, only ALL bright blue, with some black wing markings. She was unable to get photos but will keep looking and trying. That is about the extent of the description, but it seems reasonably compelling! It is also currently unclear exactly where the bird was seen and whether it would be appropriate for other birders to search for it. I'm passing this along mostly because this may fit in with a recent pattern of western species showing up in the upper midwest. If more details come to light I will try to share them here. Good birding, Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Snowy Egret reported n of Elbow Lake
I have a better location for the Elbow Lake Snowy Egret now: the location was Highway 79 east of Elbow Lake and nearest cross street was Golf Course road., It was in a culvert crossing pool on the north side of the road Good birding, Jesse Ellis On Mon, May 19, 2014 at 9:27 PM, Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com wrote: Hi All- A Minnesota Birding facebook group member posted a picture of a Snowy Egret today. The location was not described other than along a state highway north of Elbow Lake (unclear if the lake, per se, or the town). I'm hoping to get more details. The poster was looking for help on the ID and was unaware of the rarity. We've also fielded a few more reports of Western Tanager and Summer Tanager which I haven't been able to pass along recently. It seems as though it's a great year for both these species in the Upper Midwest - Wisconsin has had a number of both as well. Good birding, Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Snowy Egret reported n of Elbow Lake
Hi All- A Minnesota Birding facebook group member posted a picture of a Snowy Egret today. The location was not described other than along a state highway north of Elbow Lake (unclear if the lake, per se, or the town). I'm hoping to get more details. The poster was looking for help on the ID and was unaware of the rarity. We've also fielded a few more reports of Western Tanager and Summer Tanager which I haven't been able to pass along recently. It seems as though it's a great year for both these species in the Upper Midwest - Wisconsin has had a number of both as well. Good birding, Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Western Tanager, Crow Wing Co.
John Richardson reported on the Minnesota Birding facebook page today a sighting of a Western Tanager on Old Grade Road in Crow Wing County ( https://www.google.com/maps/preview?ie=UTF8t=pz=13q=46.757269%2C-94.157381ll=46.757269%2C-94.157381 ) I believe he has photos but they have not been posted successfully yet. Good birding, Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Garganey still present - CREX MEADOWS
Alex Lamoreaux reported on the Wisconsin BIrding Facebook group that the GARGANEY is still present at the previously reported location in Crex Meadows, in Wisconsin. Good birding, Jesse -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Black-throated Gray Warbler not relocated today
Hi All- The original poster near Austen posted an update, saying he could not refind the warbler today. Good birding, Jesse -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Black Throated Gray Warbler
Hey all- I'm a long-time subscriber to mou-net, and one of the three moderators of the Minnesota Birding Facebook page. When unusual birds turn up on our page, we try to encourage members to post to mou-net, and eBird. If it's a significant rarity we encourage submitting the record to the MOU. However, we're pretty busy running the page itself, and can't always cross-post every single interesting species that shows up on the page. (I'm pretty sure the converse is also true of the MOU-net moderators who are also members of the Facebook group.) I unfortunately am not able to bird much in my home state, and thus haven't followed mou-net closely, and don't always realize when sightings are not cross-posted. We welcome all to the page, and also hope that mou-net members who are part of the Facebook group will consider cross-posting sightings here to the group. While I don't know the subscribership of mou-net and how we compare, the Facebook page has generated a large amount of interest from many new birders, hopefully increasing the number of rarities that are found/reported. I see this issue as a curse of riches. As more and more information is generated in the way of sightings, there are more and more streams of such info to keep up with. While late reports/sharing are of course regrettable, realize that without other sources of bird sightings, like eBird, the birding community of Minnesota might actually be missing more rarities. Indeed, I believe the Hutchinson Northern Hawk-Owl was first reported not to the Minnesota Birding Facebook page, but to a sort of sister page for photographers (Minnesota/Wisconsin/North Dakota Wildlife Photography). Mike, I appreciate you cross-posting this sighting! I hope other Facebook group members will also step up and do so when rarities are reported. We have no problems with cross-posting either direction, and encourage everyone to do so. Jesse Ellis PS - Andrew Nyhus, in response to your question? The photos are unquestionably a Black-throated Gray Warbler. This has been a pretty good spring for southwestern/western rarities across the Midwest, and this fits the pattern quite nicely. On Sat, May 10, 2014 at 8:06 PM, Andrew Nyhus andrewnyhus...@gmail.comwrote: The real question is: Was there actually a Black-throated Gray Warbler seen? On May 10, 2014 10:00 PM, Ann Lyons ann.ly...@gmail.com wrote: Jeez I hate it when this nonsense starts. Isn't there another way to administer the site than expose us all to his nastiness? On May 10, 2014 9:46 PM, Paul Roisen roisenp1...@gmail.com wrote: Impugning an individual for posting something on their media of choice seems ridiculous. Should people who post on the MOU-NET be censured for not posting on the Minnesota Birding FB page? While I agree that it would be nice if we all heard about special bird on our own favorite media, it is just not going to happen anytime soon. In the case of Brian Plath, he should have been thanked and commended for posting and including a photo. There may be a need to improve communication between these two Minnesota birding media sites. Maybe someone (administrator for this FB page or a member who is also a member of MOU-NET could take it upon themselves to pass this info along AND vice versa. FB and MOU-NET are both internet based. If you can access FB you can access MOU_NET so it should not be as difficult as changing from telephone to internet. Maybe not just a matter of moving with the times but more of an awareness of how to connect two important bird information resources so they can help each other. Michael--Your posting caused me to lose sight of the point you were trying to make. The issue was communication but you undermined any support you might have gotten when you went off on another of your tirades. No problem if you wish to vent, but slamming Brian for posting.… I just do not get it! On Sat, May 10, 2014 at 8:59 PM, Larry Sirvio lmsir...@comcast.net wrote: Facebook as a way of quickly spreading a message (along with photos)is just the latest in changing technology. I can imagine a few years ago - as the internet started (with mounet) - someone was saying The internet connected folks found out about a sighting before those of us with a telephone...and so it goes. In the not too distant future it will be something else. If you want to keep up... keep up with changing technology. I've talked to some who are fearful of Facebook. I think this fear is unfounded. It can be confusing. Maybe the biggest problem is that there are no instructions. You have to figure it out yourself or get some help. I use mounet and mnbird along with Facebook. I find Facebook a more useful system. Photos, immediate back and forth discussions, imbedded links, imbedded maps, etc. Larry S
[mou-net] WI - GARGANEY AT CREX MEADOWS
I figured this was worth sharing since it's close for Minnesotans... A male GARGANEY was seen at Crex Meadows in Burnett County, Wisconsin today. Photos were posted to the WIsconsin Birding facebook group about 45 minutes ago (4pm). No other location details have been posted yet, but I (or someone else of course) could/will forward those as soon as they have been provided. Good birding, Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] WI - GARGANEY AT CREX MEADOWS
More details on the WISCONSIN CREX MEADOWS GARGANEY, from the Wisconsin birding facebook group: I saw it today at 12:19 PM on what I call Abel Pond but is actually called Erikson Flowage located on the corner of Cty Rd F and Abel Road a couple of miles north of the visitor center at Crex Meadows SWA. It is on state property.. I did go back later and was unable to relocate it. I believe there is a mountain bluebird that was seen at Crex sometime in the last week, as well. Good birding, Jesse Ellis On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 2:53 PM, Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com wrote: I figured this was worth sharing since it's close for Minnesotans... A male GARGANEY was seen at Crex Meadows in Burnett County, Wisconsin today. Photos were posted to the WIsconsin Birding facebook group about 45 minutes ago (4pm). No other location details have been posted yet, but I (or someone else of course) could/will forward those as soon as they have been provided. Good birding, Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] WI - GARGANEY AT CREX MEADOWS
Another update - the bird was seen again this evening at (I believe) the same location. Good birding, Jesse Ellis On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 3:25 PM, Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com wrote: More details on the WISCONSIN CREX MEADOWS GARGANEY, from the Wisconsin birding facebook group: I saw it today at 12:19 PM on what I call Abel Pond but is actually called Erikson Flowage located on the corner of Cty Rd F and Abel Road a couple of miles north of the visitor center at Crex Meadows SWA. It is on state property.. I did go back later and was unable to relocate it. I believe there is a mountain bluebird that was seen at Crex sometime in the last week, as well. Good birding, Jesse Ellis On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 2:53 PM, Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com wrote: I figured this was worth sharing since it's close for Minnesotans... A male GARGANEY was seen at Crex Meadows in Burnett County, Wisconsin today. Photos were posted to the WIsconsin Birding facebook group about 45 minutes ago (4pm). No other location details have been posted yet, but I (or someone else of course) could/will forward those as soon as they have been provided. Good birding, Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] North Shore migrations
Hey On Monday, August 19, 2013, Jesse Ellis wrote: Hi all- Just north of Tofte in Cook co tonight estimated ~ 3700 Common Nighthawks between 7:25 and 8:15, probably more given that we were not in an ideal vantage and rate was probably higher than sampled average of about 75 nighthawks/minute. And they were going north... Fantastic sight. Later, noted a few night flight calls. Good birding, Jesse Ellis Currently near Tofte, MN -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Aug 21 nighthawk migration
As a late follow-up to this, on August 20 (the night before this massive movement in Duluth) I counted 2800 nighthawks over an hour (7:10-8:10) just north of Tofte, all moving south, the day after estimating about 3700 moving north. Interestingly, in comparison to the massive movement in Duluth, there were no birds moving before this period and very few moving after it. There were no nighthawks seen during the same period on the 21st, when they hit Duluth. I've eBirded both days here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14969522 and http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14962850 Good birding, Jesse Ellis On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 9:28 AM, Kim R Eckert ecker...@gmail.com wrote: Other than the mention of it on yesterday's Duluth RBA, nothing has been posted on mou-net about the very strong movement of Common Nighthawks through Duluth on 21 August. As mentioned on the RBA, the day's total was over 30,800, and I understand the exact total was 30,874. These were all counted by Karl Bardon from sunrise to sunset (despite an afternoon high of 88 degrees) from two sites: the main overlook at Hawk Ridge and the corner of 60th Ave East Superior St. There was also a total of 5,176 nighthawks counted the same day during 1.5 hours (5:40-6:10 pm and 7:15-8:15 pm) from the pedestrian bridge over I-35 behind the London Rd Perkins restaurant at 25th Ave East. However, it is presumed that most or perhaps all of these would be individuals seen by Karl and included in his total. This represents the second-highest total of Com Nighthawks ever documented in Minnesota. The largest flight recorded was 43,690 individuals counted on 26 August 1990 from the Lakewood Pumping Station in Duluth (see The Loon 63:68-69). Note, however, that this count was only during a 2.75-hour period, from 5:35 to 8:20 pm, and it is not known how many hundreds or thousands more had passed through earlier that day. All these numbers and comparisons aside, though, Karl is certainly to be commended for enduring the nearly 90-degree heat on the 21st to document this significant flight! Kim R Eckert ecker...@gmail.com http://www.mbwbirds.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 -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] North Shore migrations
Hi all- Just north of Tofte in Cook co tonight estimated ~ 3700 Common Nighthawks between 7:25 and 8:15, probably more given that we were not in an ideal vantage and rate was probably higher than sampled average of about 75 nighthawks/minute. And they were going north... Fantastic sight. Later, noted a few night flight calls. Good birding, Jesse Ellis Currently near Tofte, MN -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Integrative and Comparative Biology, UCLA Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Gooseberry Falls Boreal Owl?
Hi All- I noted today that a Boreal Owl photo was posted on the MOU facebook feed via Minnesota State Parks and Trails Facebook page. Apparently a Boreal Owl was seen (and photographed) near the visitor center today (Friday)? Any details? The photo is here: https://www.facebook.com/mnstateparksandtrails Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Nutcracker still present in Shoreview
Hello all- Pics of the Clark's Nutcracker have been posted in Facebook group called Minnesota Birding. The original finder, Tammy Holmer, went back to the same location and refound the bird and snapped some great documentary shots. One should be able to see the photos without being a facebook user. If you ARE a facebook user, the group is open to all. It's been a useful tool lately for bird ID questions and great pictures of some cool fall birds that people have been taking, if anyone is interested. Jesse Ellis (currently in West Los Angeles) On Wed, Oct 31, 2012 at 7:01 AM, Bob Dunlap dunla...@umn.edu wrote: The Clark's Nutcracker is currently on the north side of CR I just west of Hodgson Rd. in Shoreview. It has spent time on the bike path itself, as well as in the trees on both the north and south sides of CR I. Bob Dunlap Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Fw: Red crossbill recordings wanted
Hello MN birders - Matt Young's email got lost in that initial post I did about recording Red Crossbills to determine type. His email is: m...@cornell.edu. If you get any recordings, contact him. Otherwise continue posting sightings to MOU. Good birding! Jesse Ellis Recordings for this species are sorely needed from the upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region. There’s a significant influx of birds currently taking place in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin (Kansas too and few in Iowa as well). If you don't know, the Red Crossbill complex is made up of 10 different North American call types. On-going research may prove that some of these call types are even separate species. Getting audio-recordings is essential to solving the crossbill riddle. When you get a crossbill recording you (or I) can run an audiospectrographic analysis to get a signature of the birds voice, which then can be used to identify the individual (or flock) to call type. These recordings will help us understand their ecology and distribution better. Birds can be recorded by video camrecorders with audio, expensive recording equipment, and even most cell phones now. I can usually make a spectrogram of even pretty bad cell phone recordings. I recently was able to easily identify a Type 1 in Tennessee that was recorded via cell phone. Pretty amazing. If you have been finding Red Crossbills currently or recently, please let me know. I’d love to run the analysis on anyone’s recordings! For a summary of information about Red Crossbill forms, see http://research.amnh.org/vz/ornithology/crossbills/diagnosis.html Also look here for differences in some of the crossbill Types: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/introduction-to%20crossbill-vocalizations http://madriverbio.com/wildlife/redcrossbill/ Information for your area: As for Types that are most common in the Upper Great Lakes, they are Types 2, 3, and 10. Types 3 and 10 (these are both smallish-billed with Type 3 being smallest billed in NA and Type 10 being the next smallest-billed) are most common in the Pacific Northwest, with Type 3 most associated with Western Hemlock and Type 10 most associated with Sitka spruce. However, Type 10 is also the most frequently occurring Type in the Northeast from Adirondacks of NY to northern Maine and likely southern Maritimes (often using red and white spruce which isn’t that different than Sitka spruce). Type 3 is highly irruptive in the east and often uses spruce and Eastern hemlock. Dietary overlap can be great in the east, especially when you have very hungry irruptive birds, and it’s not uncommon to find all types in spruce or even occasionally white pine. With that said, Robert Payne studied crossbills (1987) in the UP Michigan and found a small billed bird to be relatively resident in the Marquette County Highlands. It would be great to get more information on these birds since it’s unknown at this time whether Payne’s work involved Type 3 or Type 10 (I hope to get up there this year to get some recordings). As for the large-billed Type 2, it is the most widespread type in NA, and can be fairly common at times in the east (often in red pine and perhaps even Jack Pine or pitch pine), but is most common in areas of Ponderosa pine in the west. Of the recent recordings I’ve received so far, I’ve identified Type 3 and 10 from Wisconsin, and Type 2 in Kansas. Thanks in advance for any help, Matthew A. Young -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI -- http://keweenawraptorsurvey.org/ Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theowlranch/ -- http://keweenawraptorsurvey.org/ Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theowlranch/ -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Red crossbill recordings wanted
Hey all- If you can get a recording (any kind of recording) of the irrupting Red Crossbills (or those that might not be irrupting, like those in the north country) it would be helpful for understanding what is going on with this species complex! See the request for recordings from Cornell Researcher Matt Young below. Also, I want to point out an error in my other message about the crossbills. I was unaware that there is an Appalachian population of these birds, and the ones seen in TN and NC are locals, not irrupting birds! I learn something new every day. Jesse Ellis, Madison, WI -- Forwarded message -- From: Nick Anich nick...@yahoo.com Date: Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 11:15 AM Subject: [wisb] Red crossbill recordings wanted To: wisbirdn wisbi...@freelists.org I got a note from Matt Young m...@cornell.edu at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology asking about Red Crossbill audio recordings, and he wanted me to forward this to the list. Please reply directly to him. I've sent him a couple recordings in the past and he was able to type them for me. (You can check eBird to see which types they were). Nick Anich Ashland, WI Recordings for this species are sorely needed from the upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region. There’s a significant influx of birds currently taking place in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin (Kansas too and few in Iowa as well). If you don't know, the Red Crossbill complex is made up of 10 different North American call types. On-going research may prove that some of these call types are even separate species. Getting audio-recordings is essential to solving the crossbill riddle. When you get a crossbill recording you (or I) can run an audiospectrographic analysis to get a signature of the birds voice, which then can be used to identify the individual (or flock) to call type. These recordings will help us understand their ecology and distribution better. Birds can be recorded by video camrecorders with audio, expensive recording equipment, and even most cell phones now. I can usually make a spectrogram of even pretty bad cell phone recordings. I recently was able to easily identify a Type 1 in Tennessee that was recorded via cell phone. Pretty amazing. If you have been finding Red Crossbills currently or recently, please let me know. I’d love to run the analysis on anyone’s recordings! For a summary of information about Red Crossbill forms, see http://research.amnh.org/vz/ornithology/crossbills/diagnosis.html Also look here for differences in some of the crossbill Types: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/introduction-to%20crossbill-vocalizations http://madriverbio.com/wildlife/redcrossbill/ Information for your area: As for Types that are most common in the Upper Great Lakes, they are Types 2, 3, and 10. Types 3 and 10 (these are both smallish-billed with Type 3 being smallest billed in NA and Type 10 being the next smallest-billed) are most common in the Pacific Northwest, with Type 3 most associated with Western Hemlock and Type 10 most associated with Sitka spruce. However, Type 10 is also the most frequently occurring Type in the Northeast from Adirondacks of NY to northern Maine and likely southern Maritimes (often using red and white spruce which isn’t that different than Sitka spruce). Type 3 is highly irruptive in the east and often uses spruce and Eastern hemlock. Dietary overlap can be great in the east, especially when you have very hungry irruptive birds, and it’s not uncommon to find all types in spruce or even occasionally white pine. With that said, Robert Payne studied crossbills (1987) in the UP Michigan and found a small billed bird to be relatively resident in the Marquette County Highlands. It would be great to get more information on these birds since it’s unknown at this time whether Payne’s work involved Type 3 or Type 10 (I hope to get up there this year to get some recordings). As for the large-billed Type 2, it is the most widespread type in NA, and can be fairly common at times in the east (often in red pine and perhaps even Jack Pine or pitch pine), but is most common in areas of Ponderosa pine in the west. Of the recent recordings I’ve received so far, I’ve identified Type 3 and 10 from Wisconsin, and Type 2 in Kansas. Thanks in advance for any help, Matthew A. Young You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: http://www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: http://www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: http://www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Red Crossbills?
Hi Minnesotans- Red Crossbills are also irrupting into southern Wisconsin (Milwaukee and Madison) and Michigan. There are also reports from Nebraska and Kansas, and from as far east and south as North Carolina near Asheville. Sounds like numbers are moving past Hawk Ridge, too! Keep the sightings coming! Jesse Ellis Madison, WI On Sun, Aug 19, 2012 at 6:07 PM, Ben Harste mnbir...@brainlaser.com wrote: I looked at the MOU database for Red Crossbill sightings in the month of August, regardless of year, in the whole state of MN. So far there have been 7 separate reports of Red Crossbills in August 2012, which compares to 14 total reports in the state of MN in August before this year. Most of these sightings have been in the last six days so it seems like this is a very unusual occurrence for them to be coming down in such numbers this early. It was also exciting to be able to see them in Minneapolis in August no less. About 20 or so Red Crossbills did make a brief appearance at the reported spot in Theodore Wirth Park around 1:45 PM before flying off to another part of the park. Unfortunately they were high up in the trees so I couldn't get any pictures of them. Ben Harste Bloomington, MN On Sun, Aug 19, 2012 at 5:10 PM, Pat DeWenter hoocooks4...@gmail.com wrote: Isn't it pretty unusual to have that many sightings of Red Crossbills so far south in MN? I'd better get out searching for them up here. Pat DeWenter Bemidji Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] BWCA expected sightings, Old Cedar Least bittern
Hey all- My family and I were in the BWCA out of Brule Lake from the 9th through the 14th. We had pretty standard boreal birding, which of course was great. Highlights were bog birds on the west end of Brule Lake, including YB Flycatcher, Boreal Chickadees, and Gray Jays. Elsewhere were a number of breeding warbler species, though they were far more easily heard than seen, and even then not singing too much. Weather was great for the five nights there, and bugs were few, only becoming bad at dusk. Today we stopped by the Old Cedar Ave bridge in Bloomington, and had a brief look at a Least Bittern flying over the vegetation and dropping down to hide again. This is the only kind of look I've had at them at this site, unfortunately - the looks are never long. Jesse Ellis Madison, WI -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] eBird Dickcissel challenge
Hey Minnesota- Our neighbor across the river (where I currently live, unfortunately) has instituted a bit of a community birding challenge that I have found interesting. Wisconsin, too, is suffering from a massive Dickcissel infestation, and the challenge has been laid down - find Dickcissel in every county. They're doing very well, too (see the forward from the wisb list at the very bottom), even getting Dickcissel in the relatively forested northwest and northeast counties. After getting my first Douglas Co., MN dickcissels last weekend, I thought I would see how well Minnesota was doing. The answer? Despite all those reports on the listserve, not very well, according to eBird. Below are the counties for which there are no eBird records of Dickcissel this year. A fair fraction of those counties have none or only one eBird list submitted for the whole year! I know we have more counties than Wisconsin, but we're closer to the core dickcissel range and we have better habitat! We should be able to best them in number of counties (87 vs 72 - can we beat 72?), even if we can't find Dickcissel in Cook or Lake counties. We're at 44 right now. Below is the list of counties for which there are no record of Dickcissel this year. Anoka county??? And I can't believe no one has submitted a list this summer for Traverse Co - there are good birds out there. So, if you already have a record for one of these counties, please go to eBird and enter it. If you're traveling through any of these counties, stick your head out the window by a large field, and tick a dickcissel, and then enter it. And if you really want to be nice, hop the river and see if St. Croix, Pepin, or Pierce Cos in Wisconsin have and Dickcissel, and ebird those. Good birding! Jesse Ellis Dane Co. WI List of Dickcisselless Counties of Minnesota. anoka becker beltrami benton brown carlton cass chippewa clearwater cook crow wing grant isanti itasca kanabec kandiyohi kittson koochiching lake Lake of the woods le sueur lincoln ONLY ONE eBIRD LIST SUBMITTED THIS YEAR? lyon mahnomen marshall meeker mille lacs morrison nobles ONLY ONE eBIRD LIST SUBMITTED THIS YEAR? norman NO eBIRD LISTS? otter tail pennington NO eBIRD LISTS? pope NO eBIRD LISTS? red lake renville roseau stevens NO eBIRD LISTS? swift traverse ONLY ONE eBIRD LIST SUBMITTED THIS YEAR? waseca watonwan wilkin ONLY ONE eBIRD LIST SUBMITTED THIS YEAR? yellow medicine On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 5:40 PM, tom prestby jjpres...@msn.com wrote: If you live in or near or are traveling to Buffalo, Juneau, Lincoln, Menominee, Pepin, Pierce, St. Croix, Waupaca, or Waushara Counties please read this email carefully!! If not, please read it anyway! :) As many have noticed, it has been an incredible summer in the state for Dickcisslels in coverage and density, especially in central and northern Wisconsin. Southern Wisconsin is not missing out either--ridiculously high counts such as 65 have been recorded by Bill Mueller and Noel Cutright at the Forest Beach preserve in Ozaukee County. While doing field work in the central and northern part of the state the last couple weeks, I have been trying to find them in each county by making short drives in open areas and listening out the car window. It has worked in every county I have tried. A couple weeks ago, on my way up, I pulled off I-94 in Jackson County and found 19 Dickcissels on a short drive near the Hixon/Alma Center area. On this same day, Ryan Brady found 29 in Ashland/Bayfield Counties. Over the next few days as I continued north, I realized they were very easy to find in Taylor, Chippewa, Rusk, and Sawyer Counties including 19 on a short drive near Exeland and 4 on m y Couderay BBS (1 of which was in Washburn County). Around this same time, Nick Anich found 9 in Iron County, one of the most forested counties in the state. On my way east after my NW Wisconsin field work, I ticked them off for Price County near Phillips by driving less than a mile off my route on Hwy 13. I wasn't sure if the impressive numbers from NW Wisconsin would translate to NE Wisconsin but this became obvious when I counted 19 on a drive in open areas near Argonne in Forest County a couple days ago. And finally, yesterday, Nick Anich and I found a couple in Vilas County and we did not have to even leave the parking lot of the hotel he was staying at (Derby Inn) to do so. By finding them in Vilas County, we completed a sweep of far northern Wisconsin thanks to the efforts of Kay Kavanaugh and others in Florence and Marinette Counties and Andy Paulios in Douglas County. This brings me to the important part of this post. We have the opportunity this year to eBird a Dickcissel in every single county in the state this summer. We are actually already very close-- the counties that have not recorded Dickcissel in eBird are BUFFALO, JUNEAU, LINCOLN, MENOMINEE (this will be the tough one since
Re: [mou-net] eBird Dickcissel challenge
I happily stand corrected! We are already ahead of the best Wisconsin can offer. Now it's only to see if we can find them in every county. Jesse Ellis Dane Co, WI On Thu, Jun 28, 2012 at 11:16 AM, David Cahlander da...@cahlander.comwrote: ** Check the MOU database and maps for Dickcissel sightings. http://moumn.org/cgi-bin/mapi.pl?species=Dickcissel (select Summer 2012) 14 counties have no reports, indicating that 73 counties have reports of Dickcissels. The counties that Jesse Ellis indicated did not have Dickcissel reports are as follows. The counties in blue do not have current reports for 2012. anoka becker - 6 sightings beltrami - 4 sightings benton - 2 sightings brown carlton cass - 1 sighting chippewa - 2 sightings clearwater - 4 sightings cook crow wing - 1 sighting grant isanti - 1 sighting itasca - 8 sightings kanabec - 1 sighting kandiyohi - 3 sightings kittson koochiching - 2 sightings lake Lake of the woods le sueur - 1 sighting lincoln - 3 sightings mahnomen - 2 sightings marshall meeker - 4 sightings mille lacs - 3 sightings morrison nobles - 9 sightings norman - 3 sightings otter tail - 1 sighting pennington pope - 1 sighting red lake renville - 2 sightings roseau stevens swift - 2 sightings traverse waseca - 1 sighting watonwan - 3 sightings wilkin - 1 sighting yellow medicine - 3 sightings --- David Cahlander da...@cahlander.com Burnsville, MN 952-894-5910 - Original Message - From: Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 10:33 AM Subject: [mou-net] eBird Dickcissel challenge Hey Minnesota- Our neighbor across the river (where I currently live, unfortunately) has instituted a bit of a community birding challenge that I have found interesting. Wisconsin, too, is suffering from a massive Dickcissel infestation, and the challenge has been laid down - find Dickcissel in every county. They're doing very well, too (see the forward from the wisb list at the very bottom), even getting Dickcissel in the relatively forested northwest and northeast counties. After getting my first Douglas Co., MN dickcissels last weekend, I thought I would see how well Minnesota was doing. The answer? Despite all those reports on the listserve, not very well, according to eBird. Below are the counties for which there are no eBird records of Dickcissel this year. A fair fraction of those counties have none or only one eBird list submitted for the whole year! I know we have more counties than Wisconsin, but we're closer to the core dickcissel range and we have better habitat! We should be able to best them in number of counties (87 vs 72 - can we beat 72?), even if we can't find Dickcissel in Cook or Lake counties. We're at 44 right now. -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Douglas Co. Le Conte's Sparrows
Hey all- Finally got back to MN to do a little birding in Douglas Co, north of Alexandria near Miltona. Our best birds were at least two singing Le Conte's Sparrows north of Lake Irene, on NW Lake Irene Rd. We've had them as migrants once or twice in fall, but it never had occurred to me that they might breed in the county. Also present here were the expected contingent of grassland birds, like Sedge Wren, Bobolink and Dickcissels. If anyone wants more precise directions, just email. Good birding, Jesse -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Northwoods Birdar site
Hey all- An acquaintance of mine, Max Henschell, is following the radar for northern Michigan and Duluth, and it may be useful for predicting bird movements in the northwoods. He's part of a growing network of birdar sites, where folks examine the radar for one evening and make some predictions about what'll be on the ground the next day. These are less useful without reports from the ground, so check out his Duluth predictions and see if he's on or off base, and let him know. It'll make the whole process better. Good birding! Jesse Ellis The site is here: http://northwoodsbirdar.blogspot.com/ -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Behavior around roosting owls
Hey all- This sounds unfortunate. It's worth pointing out that different species have different behaviors designed for dealing with predators and stress. An owl that is not moving and looking okay to us may be suffering from high levels of stress hormones that we as humans wouldn't anticipate. When we get scared, we run. When they get scared, they freeze. Just food for thought with respect to approach distance for any bird. Jesse Ellis Madison, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Glaucous winged gull canal park duluth today
Hey all While brrrding today for the bdathon we found the glaucous winged gull at canal park at around 1:00 pm. All other reported species were present, for 7 species. Jesse Ellis Madison wi -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] MOU Records Committee - Ferruginous Hawk Accepted 6-1
Hey all- As I understand it, another serious issue can be the quality of the report (as opposed to the photo). I have no idea if this is true with the Ferruginous Hawk record or not. But I've heard of issues where only a photograph is submitted, with no other information or documentation. While the photo may indeed be of the species in question, without other corroborating information, the record is incomplete in in some cases useless. I think in many cases if we give the records committees the respect of time put into completely documenting our sightings, we will often be rewarded with acceptance; they're already doing a lot of work for us, and the least we can do is make accepting the record easy for them. As noted, too, one can always resubmit with better explanations of how (for instance) a hybrid was or could be ruled out, even if that information was not in the original report. Jesse Ellis Madison WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] [mou-rba] GWGU@ 27th Ave 12:30
Hey all- Sorry for the short iPhone post from my dad's phone, that I forgot to sign. Yesterday at around 12:30, Jason Caddy, John Ellis, Lars Benson and I found the Glaucous-winged Gull, briefly, among 500 gulls on the ice at 27th avenue (sounds like very much the same group that Didrick Benz had). Jason first noticed the gull on the ice after the flock had risen and settled a few times, off the to side next to a 1st-cycle Glaucous Gull, which made for nice comparisons. Then the GWGU got up and flew, allowing us to see from below the lack of black on the wing tips. When it landed, the grey primaries with white tips were visible, as was the size of the bird compared with nearby Herring Gulls. Then it rose again and worked right, and out of sight behind some vegetation around the curve to the west. Not the stunning photo op Karl had, by any means. As noted, this flock was rich with winter gulls, including at least 12 Glaucous Gulls (1 adult, most 1st-cycle birds), 1 1st or 2nd cycle Iceland Gull, two Thayer's Gulls (1 adult, 1 1-st cycle), and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls (1 adult and 1 1st cycle). Jason left and we moved around a bit trying to get better views, but did not refind the Glaucous-winged. However, on our way out an immature Goshawk flew over, making for a nice day of winter birding. Both before and after this period we checked Canal Park for gulls generally, but it seemed like repeated ship traffic was spooking most of the gulls. All we saw here were a few Ring-billed Gulls, straggling Herring Gulls, and a single 1st-cycle Glaucous Gull. See you at the Brrrdathon... Jesse Ellis Madison, WI On Mon, Dec 26, 2011 at 2:44 PM, John P. Ellis jellisb...@gmail.com wrote: Briefly on ice, flew west. Also 12 GLGU, 1 ICGU, 2 GBBG , 2 THGU, goshawk. Sent from my iPhone Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] GWGU I'D suggestion
I received four responses to my post on the Glaucous-winged Gull on ID frontiers, which linked to Karl Bardon's photos. Three of these said the bird was quite typical for a female Glaucous-winged Gull, while one felt the bill was too petite. I think all thought the wings were probably not a concern. No one posted publicly back to the list, so I am just paraphrasing reponses. Good birding, Jesse Ellis Madison, WI On Tue, Dec 27, 2011 at 1:57 PM, Terence Brashear birdn...@yahoo.comwrote: It was posted by Jesse Ellis a couple of days ago on that list. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Old Cedar Avenue - Glaucous Gull
Hey MN - Yesterday some of my family and I took a short walk at Old Cedar Avenue in the MN Valley Natl Wildlife Refuge at around 1:30 yesterday. It was very quiet in terms of passerines, but there's a lead of open water which was productive, visible from the boardwalk platform. There were about 75 Herring Gulls and a handful of Ring-billed Gulls, and a single 1st-cycle Glaucous Gull on the ice. There were about 10 Trumpeter Swans, some Canada Geese, and a few Common Mergansers, Goldeneye and Mallards. Further west in the glare of the sun were many more waterfowl, probably also geese and swans. -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Glaucous-winged Gull, Duluth
Hey all- For the record, while a few folks have suggested other possibilities, quite a few experienced gull folk out there have said that the individual in Karl's photos is consistent with a small female Glaucous-winged Gull. I therefore have to second Miek Hendrickson and say this one's for the records committee. Here's hoping! If anyone else has seen it this weekend I'd love to hear about it. My dad and I will be looking tomorrow. Happy Holidays to all, Jesse Ellis On Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 10:54 AM, Terence Brashear birdn...@yahoo.comwrote: I forwarded the link to Karl's photos to my friend Stan Walens in San Diego. He is also taking a look at them. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Glaucous-winged Gull, Duluth
Hey all- I'm not out to rain on anyone's parade, but I might. I'd be really interested to hear the opinions of some West-coast gull-meisters on this individual. From all of the photos I've seen, the color patterns are (obviously) good for Glaucous-winged Gull, but a lot of the structure is iffy. My chops in terms of gull ID aren't great, but I birded for a year or two in the Seattle area, and spent many winters in Ithaca NY gulling. However it's been a few years since I have put a lot of time into gulls (Madison doesn't get many unless you go to the dump.) All that said, here's my take on these photos. Every time I look at them, I feel weird about the head shape. This includes two aspects. One is the bill and the other is the crown. The bill just doesn't seem heavy enough for a Glaucous-winged. While it's rather stout, there are a number of photos where it seems too short and too even. Glaucous-winged Gulls generally have honkin' huge bills that are long and have a very heavy tip. This bird's bill seems short and fairly even. There are a few pictures that seem closer in line to expected for Glaucous-winged Gull, but the best photos (like this one: http://www.pbase.com/karlbardon/image/140493686) show a short, even bill. The other issue well-illustrated in this photo is the steep forehead. In my experience, and perusing lots of photos around, Glaucous-winged Gulls have a flat head and flat forehead sloping slowly down to the bill, even moreso than the similar feature on a Herring Gull. This bird looks more Thayer's-like in that aspect. Another issue is the wing pattern, but this isn't quite as annoying to me. Most of the photos and guides I've looked at say that p10 should have a large white mirror, while p9 will lack a mirror or show a small mirror. This bird has a big mirror. Additionally, most guides and photos show Glaucous-winged Gulls with very little white tongues/moons on p8 and not a ton on p7 (see this photo: http://columbiariverimages.com/Birds/Images09Feb/portland_glaucous-winged_gull_flying_02-16-09.jpg ). I want to be clear, here. These are things about the photos that bother me, given my personal experience with Glaucous Gulls. I'm not calling an ID one way or another on this bird from 9 photos. I hope I'm wrong! I just have a few doubts. I'll probably be up to Duluth to check it out on Monday, if it stays. I'm throwing this out there to get some discussion going, which, I think, is traditional for gulls... Karl, and anyone else who's seen the bird, what do you think about this? Have any western gull folks looked at the photos accumulating? Anyone else who's seen Glaucous-winged Gulls have opinions? Jesse Ellis Madison WI (and currently Saint Paul, MN) On Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 2:59 PM, Karl Bardon karl_bar...@yahoo.com wrote: Beginning at 9:43 this morning, I have been studying an apparent adult Glaucous-winged Gull at Canal Park, Duluth, St. Louis County. I say apparent because of the many complications inherent in identifying large gulls, especially this species. Since Glaucous-winged Gull forms hybrid swarms with multiple other species of gulls (including Glaucous, Western and Herring), where the majority of some local populations are actually hybrids, great must be taken when identifying this species out of range. For now I have posted a single photo on MOU recently seen, but will include a more in depth analysis on my pbase gull pages (www.pbase.com/karlbardon ). Karl Bardon Duluth, 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 -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Map of current (and future?) snowy owl reports
Hey WI and MN birders- The number of Snowy Owls thus far reported in the upper midwest makes it clear this is an invasion year for this species. To get a sense of their distribution so far this winter I plotted all the sightings I could find on a google map, and I thought I would share. Currently the public may add new sightings as they occur. A couple of major points: all of the points on this map are intentionally plotted inexactly. The point here is to get a look at the overall distribution in our area. Because google maps is a very different sort of public forum than either of our listserves, I want to keep this points with significant error for the safety of the birds. I have generally plotted the point to the nearest population center mentioned in the posting to the listserve. If you want to get more information on a particular sighting, you'll need to check the appropriate listserve. If you are going to add points to the list, please use the rule of major population center noted above. DO NOT USE THIS MAP FOR BIRDING! Another major point! Only a small fraction of the reported individuals are currently in eBird http://ebird.org/! (And at least one sighting is in eBird http://ebird.org/ but was not reported to the list.) Ideally, I wouldn't have to make my own map, because everyone sighting these birds would put their list into eBird http://ebird.org/. However, I can't legitimately add someone else's sightings to eBird http://ebird.org. If you haven't tried this amazing tool for recording and viewing bird sightings, I suggest you give it a shot. You can now even include links to photos if you want to support an ID or simply make your list look snazzy. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=204094329457575509162.0004b268568ba73710764msa=0ll=45.752193,-92.021484spn=10.164185,23.269043 Please keep posting your general sightings to the lists, with as little or as much detail as you see fit, and keep an eye out for these magnificent birds! Jesse Ellis Madison, WI %3Ciframe%20width=%22425%22%20height=%22350%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20marginheight=%220%22%20marginwidth=%220%22%20src=%22http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=enamp;mpa=0amp;ctz=360amp;mpf=0amp;ie=UTF8amp;msa=0amp;ll=46.742908,-92.154142amp;spn=6.227535,9.853105amp;t=hamp;vpsrc=6amp;msid=204094329457575509162.0004b268568ba73710764amp;output=embed%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Csmall%3EView%20%3Ca%20href=%22http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=enamp;mpa=0amp;ctz=360amp;mpf=0amp;ie=UTF8amp;msa=0amp;ll=46.742908,-92.154142amp;spn=6.227535,9.853105amp;t=hamp;vpsrc=6amp;msid=204094329457575509162.0004b268568ba73710764amp;source=embed%22%20style=%22color:#FF;text-align:left%22%3ESnowy%20Owls%20in%20the%20Upper%20Midwest,%202011-12%3C/a%3E%20in%20a%20larger%20map%3C/small%3E -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Band-tailed Pigeon, St Louis Co.?
Hey all I'm seeing in the eBird Google Gadget that there's been a Band-tailed Pigeon reported in St. Louis Co.. Check the following map: http://goo.gl/maps/bWKe. Like the reported Curve-billed thrasher I personally have no details on this bird, just that it's been reported on eBird. Does anyone else have details on this? Good luck! Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Douglas Co. Big Day - RN Phal, Raven, Cerulean Warb
Hello Birders- My family and I did the 3rd Occasional Douglas County Big Day as part of the Hawk Ridge birdathon fundraiser on Saturday. We had a great run, starting with heavy rain early spotty rain in the mid-morning, and then a nice afternoon. The even was marked by an amazing lightning storm. We hit 142 species, including the dreaded peep sp. (which I will mention in a sec...). Our high is 153, but given the conditions we feel great about 142. We had some great highlights, no mega-rarities, and of course some big misses. Highlights: Three Red-necked Phalaropes on the Osakis Sewage Ponds Wilson's Phalarope 18 Warblers, which is pretty good for Douglas County, we felt. We might have had more with more bush beating and some better weather. We had just run into a great active flock when the floodgates opened. In that flock was a female CERULEAN WARBLER. We've had this species a few times in Doug. Co, but not often. A number of PHILADELPHIA VIREOS were present too. Near Spruce Center we found at least two singing GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS. And near Kensington late in the day we found a CANADA WARBLER, I believe our first or second record for the county. A YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER was a highlight at the Osakis boat launch, which also provided our only RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. A great bird for Douglas Co, which my dad has seen a few times now, was a COMMON RAVEN near Lake Irene. These birds seem to be pushing south a little! Some birds did not seem to be back, inlcuding Alder Flycacher, E. Pewee (we had one, also at the boat launch so potentially a migrant), Indigo Bunting (tough miss!), Cuckoos (also annoying to miss). We did poorly on sparrows, missing all Zonos and Lincoln's and Grasshopper Sparrows. The former may have been gone already but the other two we should have had. Shorebirds were awful - aside from the locals (Killdeer, Snipe, Woodcock, Spotted Sandpiper) we found a SANDERLING (!) a Lesser yellowlegs, and the two PHALAROPES. We had a flock of peeps with both a large and small size in it, but despite having a mark on where they landed, never refound them, resulting in a single tally of peep sp. With a better year for shorebirds, and maybe a little less rain, we could have broken our record. If anyone has questions about specifics, please feel free to email. Finally, on Friday in Wright Co at 94 and CR 39, we had a Common Raven soaring over the freeway. Good birding, Jesse Ellis Madison, Dane Co. -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Warblers and thrushes feeding on the streets in Ramsey Co
Hey all- Don't worry about Bay-breasteds yet... they arrived here in southern Wisconsin in big numbers yesterday and today. I think we had 10-15 in a few hours of birding this morning. Jesse Ellis Madison, WI On Sat, May 14, 2011 at 2:09 AM, Matt Dufort zeledo...@gmail.com wrote: Scott et al., I've also noticed way more Cape May Warblers than usual this year (seems like I'm seeing them everywhere in 1s and 2s). But I've yet to see or hear a Bay-breasted. As for birds feeding on the ground, I've been seeing a similar thing near my house. But rather than feeding on the ground, they've been foraging on the roof of my neighbor's house, under a large elm tree. My max counts this afternoon in about 20 minutes of watching (all on the neighbor's roof, most of these at the same time): 26(!) Tennessee Warblers 2 Cape May 1 Yellow 2 Blackburnian 2 Chestnut-sided 2 Palm 7 Blackpoll 4 Nashville 1 Black-and-white 5 Yellow-rumped 2 Orange-crowned 1 Redstart 4 Swainson's Thrushes 1 Gray Catbird 2 White-throated Sparrows 3 Chipping Sparrow The sight of 40+ warblers of ~10 species all foraging together on the roof of a house, is one of the most amazing experiences I've had in 15 years of birding. In the past few days, my very suburban yard has also hosted orioles, grosbeaks, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Lincoln's Sparrow, Golden-winged and Magnolia Warblers, Ovenbird, and Gray-cheeked Thrush. I've found this to be a fantastic spring for seeing migrant passerines. Get out and enjoy the migration! Matt Dufort Minneapolis, MN On 5/13/11 9:29 PM, Scott Loss wrote: I have also been seeing the street-feeding mixed flocks under elms, with one especially diverse flock located a block north from the north end of Lake Como. Yesterday, it included: Indigo Bunting, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, House Sparrow, Swainson's Thrush, Bay-breasted Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler. My friend Gopi Sundar reported the same at the U of M student housing in St. Paul, with additional species including Magnolia, Cape May, and Nashville Warblers, plus Robin, and Cowbird. On a related note, is it just me, or are Bay-breasted and Cape May Warblers particularly abundant this year? Typically, these are the hardest common warblers for me to find, as I see 1 or 2 a spring, and I sometimes completely miss one or the other over the course of an entire season. This year, I have seen 3+ of each every time out... and not just on the ground (which would suggest increased ease of detectability over previous years), but also feeding in tree canopies. Was there a spruce budworm outbreak in the boreal forest last year? Scott Loss St. Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Blue Jay behavior question
Betsy- Another factor to consider is predation, which confounds lots of questions of behavioral energetics. My first thought is that perhaps your feeding station now is a little more dangerous - more exposed, or there are more known predators in the area, something like that, that leads to a higher cost for the jays to sit and hack nuts. It may be more expeditious to dash and cache than worry about calories. Jesse Ellis former corvidologist Madison, WI On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 10:42 AM, Laura Erickson chickadee.erick...@gmail.com wrote: I think your questions are fascinating and worth examining experimentally, but there are a few more points to consider. Blue Jays probably started weighing food morsels not simply to get the most calories per trip but also because in the case of their most preferred natural food, acorns, the heavier ones are the ones least likely to contain a larval insect eating away at the contents. So selecting the heaviest ones is even more advantageous than it seems. Peanuts start rotting pretty quickly when stashed, and the process is quicker when they're not in the shell, so it's possible that over time, some jays figure out that it's best when caching peanuts to keep them in the shell. But those in your area may also be, as you note, simply trying to speed up the time they spend at the feeder. I doubt if anyone has worked out a definitive answer to your question. To start teasing out answers, you might try offering a small number of peanuts already shelled to see if the jays eat those on site or also carry them away for storing elsewhere. Best, Laura Erickson On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 10:27 AM, Betsy Beneke birderbe...@yahoo.com wrote: I started feeding blue jays peanuts in the shell many years ago, when I lived in Detroit Lakes. It was a Saturday morning ritual in the winter. Start a pot of coffee, fill the feeders, and throw a couple of handfuls of whole peanuts out on the platform feeder. I had two large picture windows in front of the kitchen table from which to watch. It was a very relaxing way to start my weekend. I LOVE watching behaviors in birds. The blue jays would fly into the yard the moment they heard my storm door shut. There were 4-6 birds, I think. Their mode was to fly to the feeder, pick up a peanut, drop it, pick up another one, drop it - until they found the heaviest one - then fly to a nearby branch, where they would hold the peanut between their feet, poke a hole in one end of the shell, pull out the kernel, do the same to the other side, and then let the shell fall to the ground. This process was repeated until they got several kernels in their mouth/throat, and then they would fly off to the woods to stash them. They would make repeated trips until all the peanuts were gone and there was a pile of shells left in my yard. All the birds used this same process. I understand that the heaviest peanuts are chosen first because they have more nutrition per trip. The wimpiest peanuts were always the last to be chosen. I've been feeding the blue jays at Avon the same way this winter, but have noticed that the jays here fly in, grab a peanut and then immediately fly off to the woods with the whole thing. They don't stop to pull out the kernels the way the Detroit Lakes birds did. I know that there are at least 7 different birds who come in for the treats - maybe more. So my question for SOMEONE who knows more about this than me, is...why is the feeding pattern different? Is it a learned behavior within the local population? Or could it be that there are more birds here - more competition/grappling for the goodies, so they zip in to grab what they can, and then fly off to stash it safely away? I'd love to know the answer! Betsy Beneke Avon, Stearns County Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Laura Erickson For the love, understanding, and protection of birds There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] BWCAW birding - Boreal Chickadee, Bonaparte's Gulls, Baird's Sandpiper
Hey all- Anya Illes and I went into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness at Entry Point 84, the Snake River, for a four-night stay, one night on the Isabella River and 3 nights on Gull Lake, in Cook Co. A few brief highlights - on the Isabella River we found a number of interesting marshland birds not normally seen in the lake country areas. A pair a presumably-breeding harriers, a bittern, swamp sparrows, a flock of red-winged blackbirds and a single Canada Goose feeding on wild rice were nice birds at the first campsite. The Snake River itself had a boggy area with Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and Gray Jays. On the portage from Bald Eagle Lake toward Gull lake we found two Boreal Chickadees at the east end, which was a highlight for me. Despite a number of trips into the BWCA, I hadn't birded much bogland there, so this was a nice find. The birds were in a boggy area on the stream between the two lakes. On Bald Eagle Lake and again on Gull Lake we saw single Bonaparte's Gulls, also a nice treat in the BWCA. To my surprise we also picked up a few migrating shorebirds. A few Least Sandpipers were heard on Gull Lake, and while passing a little too close to shore for comfort on our way out of Bald Eagle Lake back down the Isabella River, I saw two Baird's Sandpipers at close range on the rocky shore. A few Spotties rounded out the list. Warbler-wise it was, as expected, very slow. Nashville Warblers and Yellow-rumps were still feeding babies. On one nice morning we heard a Northern Waterthrush singing, and a single Northern Parula. There were yellowthroats in the marshes at the Isabella River. So look to points south for your warblers! Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] two nice st. louis county birds
Molly and Minnesota birders... From my perspective here in Wisconsin, it seems Kentuckys have been turning up in many more places than last year (though my sample size, 2 yrs, is small). However, I believe someone reported one from Door Co, or at least that far north, so it may be somewhat of an invasion going on. Document what you got! Most warblers that I know of don't respond to heterospecific playback of song, so your result is decent corroborating evidence. Keep an ear out, birders of MN! Jesse Ellis Madison, Dane Co, WI On Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 10:16 AM, Molly Thompson thomp...@hotmail.comwrote: This morning, I awoke to the song of a Kentucky warbler in my yard in Normanna Twp. I know this doesn't seem possible, but after searching on and off for about a half hour, getting only a fleeting glance because it was skulking in deep vegetation, I played a recorded call. It responded immediately, but I still could not see it!! It was right in front of me. How frustrating. I ran out of time and had to get to work. The call was not that of a ovenbird or a Carolina wren. I'll try again to find it when I get home, but it was on the move, last I heard it. Another nice sighting was a Black-throated Blue warbler. I both heard and saw this bird in a hardwood forest in Normanna twp. Molly ThompsonDuluth, MN _ The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_3 Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] two nice st. louis county birds
Jim- I will certainly retract my assertion with respect to Mourning and Kentucky Warblers! Sounds like this is more common than I thought. Interestingly, they probably don't normally sing around each other, perhaps explaining why Mournings might be fooled by Kentuckys. Cool behavior, though! Jesse On Fri, Jun 4, 2010 at 3:03 PM, Jim Mattsson matt...@earthlink.net wrote: Another perspective...by coincidence, the same day Molly posted her possible (heard only) Kentucky, I had a similar encounter here in Dakota County. My bird was singing 6 churry syllables all on the same pitch, sounding much like a KEWA. I've been fooled before by this song, so I played a KEWA song and a male Mourning Warbler came charging in. This alternate song is superficially quite like KEWA and, like I said, I've been fooled before. And the MOWA DID respond to the KEWA tape, and quite aggressively at that. I've already exchanged emails with Molly regarding this. Jim -Original Message- From: Jesse Ellis calocit...@gmail.com Sent: Jun 4, 2010 10:18 AM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: Re: [mou-net] two nice st. louis county birds Molly and Minnesota birders... From my perspective here in Wisconsin, it seems Kentuckys have been turning up in many more places than last year (though my sample size, 2 yrs, is small). However, I believe someone reported one from Door Co, or at least that far north, so it may be somewhat of an invasion going on. Document what you got! Most warblers that I know of don't respond to heterospecific playback of song, so your result is decent corroborating evidence. Keep an ear out, birders of MN! Jesse Ellis Madison, Dane Co, WI On Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 10:16 AM, Molly Thompson thomp...@hotmail.com wrote: This morning, I awoke to the song of a Kentucky warbler in my yard in Normanna Twp. I know this doesn't seem possible, but after searching on and off for about a half hour, getting only a fleeting glance because it was skulking in deep vegetation, I played a recorded call. It responded immediately, but I still could not see it!! It was right in front of me. How frustrating. I ran out of time and had to get to work. The call was not that of a ovenbird or a Carolina wren. I'll try again to find it when I get home, but it was on the move, last I heard it. Another nice sighting was a Black-throated Blue warbler. I both heard and saw this bird in a hardwood forest in Normanna twp. Molly ThompsonDuluth, MN _ The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_3 Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Jesse Ellis Madison, Dane Co, WI Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou] 2007 Year List: 327
Hello Minnesota Birders- I've been out of Minnesota for a while, now, much to my regret. In that time, my father, John Ellis of Saint Paul, has graduated from interested amateur to what I would call a serious amateur. In 2004, I believe, he did a Big Year in Minnesota and broke 300 species, hitting 305 (I think). In 2007 he tried again, planning on breaking his personal best. In fact, as he is much too modest to tell you all, he did much better than that. Despite missing Long-eared Owl, White-eyed Vireo, Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers (who gets Long-tailed and not the others???), Ross's Gull, Boreal Owl and a few others (most of them casuals and accidentals), he toted up 327 species of birds sighted, which I believes ties him for third highest Big Year total. Trust me, he did not intend to do this well. I think he was shooting for 310 or so. But when the birds in a state are as good as they were in Minnesota this year, it's hard not to keep looking, even when you've already hit your goal. Though he doesn't think so, I felt it was worth giving him a little public recognition for his hard effort and amazing total for the year. I'm sure he'll be quite embarrassed that I've done this, but it's worth pointing out that he couldn't have done it without all the timely postings that so many people make to this list. Here's to another amazing year of birding for Minnesota, though I think my dad will be taking a bit of a break from it this year. Congrats Dad. Sorry about the Ross's Gull, but thanks for coming to my defense. Jesse Ellis -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. candidate Neurobiology and Behavior jme29 at cornell.edu 111 Mudd Hall Cornell University Ithaca, 14853
[mou] falconer on 180th
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii ; format=flowed
I had the same reaction as John to the series of posts about the him,
the falconer, and I'm glad he's come forward to explain the
situation, and to let us know how he felt about the responses. Birds
are enjoyed by many people in many different ways, and birders need
to remember that.
Good birding,
Jesse Ellis
transplanted currently to Ithaca, NY
At 5:15 PM -0600 1/27/07, John Kellner wrote:
My name is John Kellner, I am the falconer the four gentlemen where
spying on. All of this drama could have been prevented if these men
were straight forward enough to approach me in the field. While I am
not given to entertaining strangers, I certainly would have been
kind enough to explain what I was doing. It would seem, the need to
do so, is becoming more of a requirement these days.
I find it disappointing that of all the reasons listed here as to my
activity, none was offered as to that of an innocent nature. Why is
that? It so happens that I have been training falcons at this
location for more than 10 years. I have been at this site 2 - 4
times each week for the last 6 weeks.
Was I aware there was a Gyr 4 miles away? No. Would I have flown my
bird if I had known, of course. There is a mature Bald Eagle in the
immediate area that is of concern also. We also have to contend with
wild Peregrines that go thru from time to time. But if I let all
these obstacles stop me, I would never leave the house. As to the
waterfowl, If they interfere with my ability to train my bird, than
I would move, they have not.
It would seem, some of you are willing to make judgments based on
your limited perception of animal behavior. I believe you are at a
disadvantage as you have not considered options that you obviously
are not aware of.
As for the hunting season in Minnesota, small game is legal until
the end of February. Migratory waterfowl ended January 13 or 14, I
am not sure. I very seldom hunt ducks in Minnesota, and never field
ducks. There is no regulation as to a season in which to train
raptors.
Hopefully, in the future we can replace conjecture with communication.
--- http://www.usfamily.net/dialup.htmlUSFamily.Net - $8.25/mo! --
http://www.usfamily.net/dsl.htmlHighspeed - $19.99/mo! ---
--
Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. candidate
Neurobiology and Behavior
jm...@cornell.edu
111 Mudd Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, 14853
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--/styletitleRe: [mou] falconer on 180th/title/headbody
divI had the same reaction as John to the series of posts about the
him, the falconer, and I'm glad he's come forward to explain the
situation, and to let us know how he felt about the responses.nbsp;
Birds are enjoyed by many people in many different ways, and birders
need to remember that./div
divbr/div
divGood birding,/div
divJesse Ellis/div
divtransplanted currently to Ithaca, NY/div
divbr/div
divAt 5:15 PM -0600 1/27/07, John Kellner wrote:/div
blockquote type=cite citefont face=Arial
size=-1nbsp;/font/blockquote
blockquote type=cite citefont face=Arial size=-1My name is
John Kellner, I am thenbsp;falconer the four gentlemen where spying
on. All of this drama could have been prevented if these men were
straight forward enough to approach me in the field. While I am not
given to entertaining strangers, I certainly would have been kind
enough to explain what I was doing. It would seem, the need to do so,
is becoming more of a requirement these days./font/blockquote
blockquote type=cite citefont face=Arial
size=-1nbsp;/font/blockquote
blockquote type=cite citefont face=Arial size=-1I find it
disappointing thatnbsp;of all the reasons listed here as to my
activity, none wasnbsp;offered as to that of an innocent nature. Why
is that? It so happens that I have been training falcons at this
locationnbsp;for more than 10 years. Inbsp;have beennbsp;at this
site 2 - 4 times each week for the last 6 weeks./font/blockquote
blockquote type=cite citefont face=Arial
size=-1nbsp;/font/blockquote
blockquote type=cite citefont face=Arial size=-1Was I aware
there was a Gyr 4 miles away? No. Would I have flown my bird if I had
known, of course. There is a mature Bald Eagle in the immediate area
that is of concern also. We also have to contend with wild Peregrines
that go thru from time to time. But if I let all these obstacles stop
me, I would never leave the house. As to the waterfowl, If they
interfere with my ability to train my bird, than I would move, they
have not./font/blockquote
blockquote type=cite citefont face=Arial
size=-1nbsp;/font/blockquote
blockquote type=cite citefont face=Arial size=-1It would
seem, some of you are willing to make judgments based on your limited
perception of animal
[mou] Tufted Titmouse, present and past?
While I won't argue whether these to sighting mean global warming is or isn't happening, I'd be curious to hear from those with access to long-term records about the former status of each of these species (Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Wren) in southern Minnesota. I recall my father (from Mankato) talking about HIS father (my grandfather) talking about Tufted Titmice at their feeders way back when. While I can't vouch for my grandfather's bird ID, I do know he spent a fair amount of time out of doors, and I'd argue that Titmice are a bit difficult to MIS-ID if you have them at a feeder. I have no idea if this was a constant occurrence or basically just a few sightings. My understanding of them in Ithaca, NY, is that while Titmice are a bit hardier, both expand and contract ranges locally with the severity of the winter, implying that Ithaca is right on the edge of their ranges. Anyone here with access to records care to shed light on these? Bill, it will be interesting to see if your pair of Wrens survive the winter... Jesse Ellis Seattle WA (by way of Saint Paul and Ithaca, NY) At 1:03 PM -0600 11/27/06, Bill Bruins wrote: About 12:15 today, a Tufted Titmouse twice visited our feeder which is just out-side the kitchen window. The last we saw the Carolina Wrens was just after 8 AM Friday. One started singing and I was able to whistle them both in to the burr oak. I taking these sightings to mean global warming has reached NE Rochester. Bill O. William Bruins 1538 11th Avenue NE Rochester, MN 55906-4213 wbru...@earthlink.net 507-281-1607 - home 507-261-6837 - cell (not always turned on) ___ mou-net mailing list mou-...@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. candidate Neurobiology and Behavior jm...@cornell.edu 111 Mudd Hall Cornell University Ithaca, 14853
[mou] Re: thinking about Cave Swallows
Chad's comment is a great one. After last fall's incredible fallout along the south shore of Lake Ontario (some birders reported large flocks of Cave Swallows), and greater observer awareness of these birds, I hope people will look. The birds tend to congregate on the south shores of large bodies of water, or migrate past migrant traps like Cape May. I think your best bet in Minnesota would be ... you guessed it... in Duluth. You might have the chance of seeing birds coming in from Wisconsin along the lake, or birds blown further north and moving south along the North Shore. Park Point seems decent in my mind - look for other swallows and check. Depending on where they blow, Mille Lacs or other large lakes could be good spots to check too. My lifer came a few minutes from my house in Ithaca, New York (I'm transplanted, originallys from the Cities) a few years ago when 6 birds showed up at the south end of Cayuga Lake, which is 40 miles long north-south. Glad to see that MN birders are thinking about this. Cave Swallow seems high on the list for next state records. Hm. Wonder what other birds people think might turn up first? Jesse Ellis Seattle, WA Reading Chad's comment about the Barn Swallows makes me think it's about the time of year when we should be out looking for a first state record Cave Swallow. Chris Benson - Original Message - From: Chad Heins oduna...@yahoo.com To: MOU mou-...@cbs.umn.edu Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 1:54 PM Subject: [mou] Pomarine not found Hey birders! Ben Inniger and I looked for the Pomarine Jaeger this morning around 8am. No such bird was found. We were there only 15 minutes or so, but two other birders had been scanning for awhile already and had the same result. We did see a couple of Wilson's Snipe and a variety of sparrows and blackbirds. We also visited Cobb River WPA in southeastern Blue Earth County and found some other shorebirds: Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Pectoral Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Sandpiper. A flock of 6 very subdued Barn Swallows was also there hawking insects over the water. Happy birding! Chad Heins Mankato, MN ___ mou-net mailing list mou-...@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net ___ mou-net mailing list mou-...@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. candidate Neurobiology and Behavior jm...@cornell.edu 111 Mudd Hall Cornell University Ithaca, 14853 Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich, and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs. And take them down. Herman Blume, in Rushmore
[mou] CAROLINA WREN at Grey Cloud Island Thursday, Grey Cloud Dunes SNA birds
Hey all- Another LATE report, I apologize. At around 6:45 on June 1, my dad John Ellis and I found a singing Carolina Wren at 1300 Grey Cloud Trail near Hastings, Minnesota. We were driving slowly when I heard a descending jeeer call, which I recognized immediately as a CAROLINA WREN. We backed up and waited for a few minutes and heard him teakettling twice. This was clearly someone's yard so we didn't sit there too long, since he seemed to have moved off after his first song. After that we made our way to Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area, where we had some great birds: Grasshopper Sparrow - numerous Lark Sparrow - 2 Brown Thrasher - 2 Orchard oriole - 1 - a green (1st year) male singing Dickcissel - numerous Eastern Towhee - 1 Sorry again aboutt he late post Jesse -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. candidate Neurobiology and Behavior jm...@cornell.edu 111 Mudd Hall Cornell University Ithaca, 14853 To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. --Theodore Roosevelt The Inuit language for 10,000 years never had a word for robin, and now there are robins all over their villages. --John McCain, on global warming
[mou] Barred Owl, YB Cuckoo at Crosby Farm Park
Hi all- Sorry this is a little late... I'm only in town a short while and had to subscribe. On Tuesday May 31 my sister and I found a Barred Owl at Crosby Farm Park in Saint Paul. The bird was at the west end entrance not too far from the path that leads toward the lake there, and was both calling during daylight (a muted hoo-hoo, very dove-like) and easily visible. It watched us watch it a while before moving away. On the path that goes around the lake, at a point where a short, wide wooden bridge crosses a sort of canal, I heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo go off briefly. We couldn't find the bird to see if, however. Jesse -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. candidate Neurobiology and Behavior jm...@cornell.edu 111 Mudd Hall Cornell University Ithaca, 14853 To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. --Theodore Roosevelt The Inuit language for 10,000 years never had a word for robin, and now there are robins all over their villages. --John McCain, on global warming
[mou] Prothonotary, Hooded Warbs on Wednesday
Hi all- My dad and I birded Wednesday morning. At 7 am, the Prothonotary at the visitor center in Fort Snelling State park was singing full blast and offered good looks. Then we went to Murphy-Hanrehan to look for more local birds. We managed to find Cerulean Warbler at three different sites, including hearing a singing bird at the road over the Credit River. The Hooded Warblers were on territory near trail intersection 2. We missed Acadian Flycatchers here. There are loons on the lake. Between the Prothonotary and the Hoodeds we managed 8 breeding warblers for the day, not bad for southern MN. At the Pet Trails the highlights were a singing Blue-winged Warbler, a nesting (?) Green Heron and both singing Willow and Alder Flycatchers. I presume the Alder was a migrant. Also had a BIG female Cooper's Hawk flying over. Jesse -- Jesse Ellis, Ph. D. candidate Neurobiology and Behavior jm...@cornell.edu 111 Mudd Hall Cornell University Ithaca, 14853 To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. --Theodore Roosevelt The Inuit language for 10,000 years never had a word for robin, and now there are robins all over their villages. --John McCain, on global warming
