[mou-net] Shorebird correction/Brown County

Hi, I was able to go back to the Sleepy Eye WTP's this morning and the Sandpiper I reported yesterday as a likely Bairds Sandpiper was still present. Viewing conditions were better but still distant. I now believe it is a Semipalmated Sandpiper. It definitely has black legs and there didn't

[mou-net] Baird's Sandpiper/Brown County

Hi, Around 5 p.m. I found a Baird's Sandpiper (nonbreeding plumage) foraging on the ice at the Sleepy Eye WTP's. This is a new early south record - the previous early south record was 3/14/12. Seems like migration is underway earlier with this mild weather we're having. Brian Smith Sleepy Ey

[mou-net] Tufted Titmouse/Brown County

Hi, I tried posting this earlier but for some reason it didn't go through. Anyway, there's a somewhat out of range Tufted Titmouse visiting the feeders at the home of Floyd & Carol Alwin in New Ulm. I saw it this morning off and on between 8:00 and 8:45 a.m. Floyd said that he first noticed

[mou-net] Blue Grosbeak, Cottonwood County

Earlier this evening I found an adult male Blue Grosbeak in NE Cottonwood county. The bird was heard singing on the north side of 280th St., about a quarter mile west of Cty. Rd. 2. Eventually I was able to see the Grosbeak as well. The location where it was found was along the southern bound

Re: [mou-net] Excellent shorebirds - Sleepy Eye lagoons

The shorebirds that Bill Marengo reported yesterday at the Sleepy Eye WTP's yesterday are still present today for the most part. The vast majority of the shorebirds are Dunlin, White-rumped Sandpiper and Semipalmated Sandpiper. There were 13 American Avocets, 1 Ruddy Turnstone and 1 Sanderlin

[mou-net] Yellow-headed Blackbird, Brown County

The was a single Yellow-headed Blackbird in a small mixed flock of Red-winged Blackbirds and Starlings in the town of Hanska today. Brian Smith 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] Townsend's Solitaire/Redwood County

Earlier today I found a Townsend's Solitaire in NW Redwood County in the Minnesota river valley. The bird was found 4/10's of a mile west of Cty. Rd. 7 on 440th St. According to the MOU website, this is the second record for Redwood County, the first was by Bob Janssen on 12-24-1986, on Cty. Rd

[mou-net] Sleepy Eye WTP's

Hi, There has been little worth reporting at the Sleepy Eye WTP's this fall season but this afternoon there were a few species worth noting: 2 Eared Grebes 3 Black-bellied Plovers 2 Buff-breasted Sandpipers 2 Red-necked Phalaropes 1 Lapland Longspur - well seen on the ground and in flight severa

[mou-net] Western Kingbird, Redwood Cty.

Earlier today I found a Western Kingbird in Redwood County. It was flycatching from a utility wire along 250th St., just a little west of Cty. Rd. 5. (250th St. is the southern border of Westline WMA). It was in the company of many Eastern Kingbirds. Brian Smith Join or Leave mou-net: h

[mou-net] Blue Grosbeak, Brown County

This evening there was a first summer male Blue Grosbeak singing at Hoffmann Landfill, 24214 220th St., Home township. This is very close to the Cottonwood river and a couple of miles SE of Sleepy Eye. There was a pair of Blue Grosbeaks which successfully nested last summer at this same locatio

[mou-net] Ruddy Turnstones, Brown County

This evening there were 18 Ruddy Turnstones at the Sleepy Eye Waste Treatment Ponds. Ten flew away but there were still 8 present when I left. There was also a flock of around 30 Red-necked Phalaropes. All of these birds were on or along the far eastern lagoon and the berm that divides the th

[mou-net] Summer Tanager, Blue Earth County

(Sorry for this being slightly late but my earlier attempt to e-mail this from the field went awry for some reason). Kim Eckert's Minnesota River Valley MBW group found an adult male Summer Tanager around 10:00 a.m. this morning near the town of Courtland in NW Blue Earth County. The bird was

[mou-net] Northern Goshawk, Brown County

Earlier this morning I flushed a juvenile Northern Goshawk when I pulled into the parking lot by the entrance to Lake Hanska County park. It was perched in a tree and then flew past my car and then southeast over County Rd. 11 into more trees. I was unable to relocate it. Brian Smith Sleepy

[mou-net] Geese and a few Ducks, Nobles Co.

I was in Worthington briefly today and found some early waterfowl migrants in and along the open water of the aeration on Lake Okabena. There were around 120 Canada Geese and 6 ducks. I didn't have any optics along but I'm pretty sure the ducks were Scaup. It was encouraging to find some earl

[mou-net] Snowy Owl/Redwood County

I was out and about for work this afternoon and found a Snowy Owl in eastern Redwood County. It wasn't heavily barred so I'm thinking its an adult female or a 1st year male. It was found standing in a stubble field about a 100 yards on the east side of Redwood County 13 and just south about 1/

[mou-net] Shorebirds, Brown Co.

Hi, There are a few late season shorebirds this morning at the Sleepy Eye WTP's, which includes: 2 Dunlin 3 Long-billed Dowitchers 1 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Pectoral Sandpiper 2 Least Sandpipers These numbers change daily. Yesterday morning Mike Oetken and I saw a Merlin and a Peregrine Falcon (al

[mou-net] Blue Grosbeak, Brown County

Hey, birders: Late this afternoon there was a male Blue Grosbeak perched on a utility wire along a gravel mine a few miles southeast of Sleepy Eye. This gravel mine is along the Cottonwood river and is a location where I've been searching for Blue Grosbeak at for years but haven't found one un

[mou-net] Another Blue Grosbeak, Blue Earth Co.

Earlier this morning I heard and then saw a male Blue Grosbeak in another location in Blue Earth county. The bird was singing from the top of a dead tree along a large gravel mining pit close to the little town of Cambria in the far north western part of the county along Hwy. 68. There's a roa

[mou-net] How To Plan & Execute A Bad Day's Birding

Hi, Birders: I saw this subject title while browsing on the Illinois listserve earlier today by a birder named Al Stokie. He's writing about how he and a birding friend chased for a Tri-colored Heron in Illinois yesterday. I thought it was pretty funny and thought I'd share the link with bird

[mou-net] Acadian Flycatcher/Brown Co.

For the second consecutive year, there are Acadian Flycatchers on the KC Road in the Minnesota river valley. This is NW of New Ulm in Milford township, just south and east on the KC road where it intersects with 210th Ave. I found an Acadian Flycatcher at this location last June as well. There

[mou-net] Lazuli Bunting, Nicollet Co.

Hi, I thought it worth menioning that another Lazuli Bunting was seen this spring and it was found by Nancy Voges of rural Courtland, MN on 5-15-13. Nancy wasn't familiar with this species and asked me to help ID some photographs that she took of it. Nancy provided some additional information

[mou-net] White-faced Ibis, Nicollet Co.

At 12:15 there was an adult White-faced Ibis near St. Peter. It was along Hwy. 99, 6/10ths of a mile west of county road 40, on the north side of the road, feeding in the flooded ditch. Brian Smith Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://list

[mou-net] 16 Avocets, Brown Co.

This morning I found a flock of at least 16 American Avocets along the shore of Lone Tree Lake, which is on the west side of 310 Ave. in NW Brown county. While I was scoping them a very nice farmer that lives nearby stopped by to visit. He said that he regularly checks the birds on this small

[mou-net] Ross' Geese, Y-H Blackbird, Brown Co.

I checked the Sleepy Eye WTP's after work this afternoon and there was a flock of about 900 Snow Geese spread out nicely along the eastern berm. I was able to find at least 3 Ross' Geese within the flock. I noticed that the Ross' seem to always be moving about in the flock because their larger

[mou-net] Shorebirds/Brown County

Hi, I enjoyed birding Nobles county for most of the day but the best birding turned out to be when I checked the Sleepy Eye WTP's on my way home. I estimated that there were 90-100 shorebirds there. It was difficult to get exact counts due to it being so cold and windy plus the birds were sca

[mou-net] Shorebird correction

The shorebird I reported on 11-18-12 as a Stilt Sandpiper was incorrect. It was at the Sleepy Eye WTP's again today and I got a good look at it's black legs, clearly a Dunlin. My apologies. Brian Smith Sleepy Eye Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archi

[mou-net] Baltimore Oriole, Stilt Sandpiper, Brown Co.

Hi, While birding around Sleepy Eye I found a few late birds of interest. There's a first year male Baltimore Oriole visiting feeders at a home along the Cottonwood river in Iberia (a few miles SSW of Sleepy Eye). The property owners stopped by to ask what I was doing and told me it's been a

Re: [mou-net] [mnbird] Ramsey Cty: Clark's Nutcracker

If anyone looks for the Clark's Nutcracker this morning, please post to the listserve. I'd like to try for it this afternoon if it's still around. Thank you! Brian Smith - Original Message - From: Jim Ryan To: Mou-net ; MNBird List Serv Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2012 7:00

[mou-net] Greater Yellowlegs flock, Brown Co.

Hi, This afternoon there was a flock of approximately 41 Greater Yellowlegs at the Sleepy Eye WTP's. They were very vocal. Not an unusual species, but I thought the size of the flock worth noting. There was also one Lesser Yellowlegs and one Pectoral Sandpiper. They were at the end of a gr

[mou-net] Red-necked Phalarope, Brown County

There was a fairly large flock of forty-four Red-necked Phalarope at the Sleepy Eye WTP's this evening. Yesterday evening there were seven so they seem to be peaking at this time. Brian Smith Sleepy Eye Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http:/

[mou-net] Acadian Flycathcher, Brown Co.

Hi, birders This morning I heard and saw an Acadian Flycatcher on territory in the Minnesota river valley about 4.5 miles NW of New Ulm. Actually I first heard this bird on 6-11-12 but I was on my lunch break at the time and didn't have time to positively ID it until today. It was in habitat

[mou-net] Black-necked Stilt, Brown Co.

This morning I ran into Skyler Vold, a young birder from Lamberton at the Sleepy Eye WTP's. While we were scanning the ponds, we found a Black-necked Stilt along the shoreline in the northwest corner of the north pond. It was loosely associating with some other shorebirds. We noticed that it

[mou-net] Smith's Longspur Search, Brown Co.

The Smith's Longspurs that were present at the grasslands NE of Comfrey a year ago have reappeared again this spring. Last Saturday there was a flock of 6 in almost the same exact location. Next Saturday, April 14th, I will be taking some birders to that location to look for more migrating Smi

[mou-net] Baird's Sandpiper, Brown County

Hi, birders: Late this afternoon there was a single (and early) Baird's Sandpiper at the Sleepy Eye WTP's. It was foraging on a chunk of ice/matted vegetation along the shoreline. Other than the Baird's Sandpiper, there wasn't much else birdwise. I can't help but think that this unseasonably

[mou-net] WW Crossbills, Nobles County

Hi, While birding in Nobles county earlier today, I found a flock of 15 White-winged Crossbills at Lake Bella County Park. I first heard them call faintly a few times and then found them in some spruces near the northernmost of the two picnic shelters. Watched them for several minutes before

[mou-net] Red & WW Crossbills/Brown Co.

Hi, birders: While birding the New Ulm cemetery complex (has the city of New Ulm, Catholic & Lutheran cemeteries all in one location) on my lunch break I found a flock of 20 plus White-winged Crossbills feeding on spruce cones in the Lutheran cemetery. This was in the row of spruces near the m

[mou-net] Ross's Goose, Brown County

Hi, birders: Late this afternoon there was a single Ross's Goose at Sleepy Eye lake. It was in a larger mixed flock of mostly Canada Geese and a few Cackling Geese. Brian Smith Sleepy Eye Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/

[mou-net] Shorebirds, Brown County

Hi, Birders: Just to follow up on Steve Broste's post about a probable Sanderling at the Sleepy Eye WTP's. I also saw a juvenile Sanderling when I stopped by around 5:30 p.m. Also present were: 1 American Golden-Plover 2 Stilt Sandpipers 1 Short-billed Dowitcher 2 Pectoral Sandpipers 2 Baird'

[mou-net] Red-necked Phalarope, Brown Co.

Hi, After seeing a total of 3 Red-necked Phalarope at the Sleepy Eye WTP's from 8-1-11, their numbers have peaked over this weekend. Yesterday there was a flock of 28 and today that flock grew to 52. I don't recall ever seeing that many at the ponds. Also, there was a single Buff-breasted Sa

[mou-net] Henslow's Sparrow, Brown County

Hey, birders: I stopped by the Sleepy Eye airport this evening to check the sod runways for Buff-breasted Sandpipers (none yet) but I was surprised to hear what sounded like a Henslow's Sparrow singing from the grassland that borders the runway on the east. I drove over to 260th Ave., which ru

[mou-net] Common Moorhen/Brown County

Hi, On my drive home to Sleepy Eye today I spotted an adult Common Moorhen with two chicks swimming/foraging on the small wetland on the north side of Hwy. 14 at the Rosenau-Lambrecht WMA. This is between New Ulm and the town of Essig (guessing about 2.5 miles from New Ulm). By coincidence, t

[mou-net] Henslow's SP, Red-headed WO, Brown Co.

Hi, I heard and then saw a male's Henslow's Sparrow singing in a CREP grassland in SW Brown County this morning. It was on the west side of 410th Ave., about 1/2 mile north of Cottonwood Cty. Rd. 10. This is the only Henslow's I've found in Brown County this summer so far. Also along 410th A

[mou-net] Prothonotary Warbler, Brown Co.

Hi, I found a male Prothonotary Warbler at Minnecon park in New Ulm around 12:15 p.m. today. I first heard it singing and then got good looks at it. Minnecon park is along the Minnesota river. To get to the park, take Front St. to Minnecon Dr. (turn at the Brown County Evaluation Center). T

[mou-net] Black-bellied Whistling Duck Not Found, Watonwan Co.

Hi, Looked for the pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks found by Chad Heins yesterday in the wetland on the NE corner of Madelia (this is on the south side of Hwy. 15) around 7:00 a.m. with no success. Also there was Phillip Chu, Bob Dunlap, John & Chris Hockema and Mike Oetken. Brian Smit

[mou-net] Smith's Longspur Update, Brown Co.

Hi, For those birders that are interested - earlier this afternoon I walked the grassland southwest of Sleepy Eye where the Smith's Longspur's have been previously reported. I walked counterclockwise around the two fields without finding any and was almost back to my car when I heard their dis

[mou-net] Smith's Longspur Correction

Hi, I'm sorry, I guess I was a little tired when I wrote my post yesterday. I made a mistake when I wrote the directions for the location to get to the grassland where we found the Smith's Longspurs yesterday. I wrote to go 1/2 mile north of the intersection of County Rd. 20 and 330th Ave. I

[mou-net] Smith's Longspur/Brown Co.

Hi, Mark Ochs, Doug Kieser and myself birded around Brown County today and our target bird was Smith's Longspur. We walked a large area of CREP grassland located on the east side of 330th Ave., Section 20 in Mulligan township (this is approximately 1/2 mile north of the intersection of County

[mou-net] Yellowlegs, Brown Co.

Hi, Earlier this morning I found 3 Greater Yellowlegs and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs in a flooded farmfield off of 330th Ave., Mulligan township. It was interesting that they were finding some large pink colored worms to eat. Brian Smith Sleepy Eye Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cg

[mou-net] Waterfowl Migration, Brown County

Hi, Probably nothing like what's going on in southwestern/western Minnesota right now, but today there are a lot of swans, geese and ducks migrating thru Brown county. The area where they are showing up is along the Little Cottonwood river south and west of Sleepy Eye. I found the most birds

[mou-net] Red-tailed Hawk ID Help

Hi, While birding this morning I spotted and viewed a Red-tailed Hawk that is giving me some ID issues. It was very light colored but I don't think it was albinistic. I saw a photo on-line (and which I've included a link for) of a hawk that is very close to what I saw. What do other birder's

[mou-net] Ross's Geese/Brown Co.

Hi, This afternoon there were several hundred geese on Sleepy Eye lake around the aerator hole. There must have been a push to migrate with the strong southerly winds. I was surprised to see 5 Ross's Geese, 8 Greater White-fronted Geese, Cackling and Canada. When I was there there were few d

[mou-net] Possible Ringed Turtle- Dove/Brown County

While out helping with the New Ulm CBC today I temporarily left the count to look for Eurasian Collared-Doves in the town of Hanska. There was a sizeable flock found on the south side of the elevator. Some of the birds were perched in a row of trees while others were flying to and from an area

[mou-net] Peregrine Falcon, Brown County

Hey, birders: I know a Peregrine Falcon sighting isn't all that unusual but I'm lucky to see one a year in Brown county so I thought I'd report on one I just saw at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds. I happened to be walking east on the berm from the front entrance when I noticed a large bird of pre

[mou-net] Shorebirds, Brown County

Over the past few days the city of Sleepy Eye has drawn down the NW and SW sewage ponds which are the ponds closest to the entrance. This has created some gravel bars and very good foraging conditions for shorebirds. Some of the shorebirds seen this evening included: 1 Semipalmated Plover 1 G

Re: [mou-net] Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Redwood County

I saw the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in Redwood County this evening from 6:40 to 7:00 pm. However, it was in a slightly different location west from where Ron observed it earlier this afternoon. At the intersection of Cty. Rd. 9 and Co. Rd. 17 (17 runs north and is a gravel road) go six tenths

[mou-net] Flycatching Screech Owl

About a half hour ago I saw an Eastern Screech Owl in my neighborhood in SW Sleepy Eye actively flycatching for insects from tree branches, something I have never witnessed before. Pretty cool. Brian Smith Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: htt

[mou-net] Northern Cardinal, Nobles Cty.

Hi, I birded in Nobles county today and I thought it significant to report that I found a male Northern Cardinal on the west edge of Worthington. In my experience this is a rare county bird as it's only the second one that I've ever found. For anyone interested in trying for it, I found it on

[mou-net] Fw: [mnbird] Lesser Blackback Gull in Blue Earth county

- Original Message - From: jamesamund...@aol.com To: mnb...@lists.mnbird.net Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 6:49 PM Subject: [mnbird] Lesser Blackback Gull in Blue Earth county My husband and I spotted a Lesser Black-backed Gull on Crystal Lake in Lake Crystal. We were down at the boat

[mou-net] New Ulm CBC

Hi, We had 14 field observers and 9 feeder counters on Saturday for the New Ulm CBC. Overall we had 38 species for the day, which is above averge. Highlights were: one Bufflehead, one Eastern Screech Owl, 3 Fox Sparrows, American Robins, one Rough-legged Hawk, 392 Wild Turkey. We had a new s

[mou-net] Baird's Sandpiper, Brown Co.

Hi, There was a late juvenile Baird's Sandpiper at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds this morning. Only other shorebird was a single Greater Yellowlegs. Still few waterfowl around this area. Good birding, Brian Smith Sleepy Eye Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou

[mou-net] Willets, Brown County

Hi, This afternoon there were two Willets at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds. Also of interest were 45 (forty-five) Stilt Sandpipers, one female Red-necked Phalarope and a Sanderling. In all there were 12 species of shorebirds. Good birding, Brian Smith Sleepy Eye Join or Leave mou-net:

[mou-net] Red-necked Phalarope, Brown Co.

Hi, There were three adult female Red-necked Phalaropes at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds today. All were in breeding plumage, but two were showing some molting. This would appear to be a pretty early fall arrival date for Minnesota. Good birding, Brian Smith Sleepy Eye Join or Leave mou-

[mou-net] Shorebirds, Brown Co.

The shorebird migration is starting to pick up at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds over the past few days. Today there were: 1 Baird's, 2 Pectoral; 2 Semipalmated and 11 Least Sandpipers; 2 Lesser Yellowlegs and 2 Wilson's Phalaropes. Not big numbers but still, it's nice to see some migration agai

[mou-net] Plegadis Ibis & Shorebirds, Brown Co.

Birded at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds from 3:00 - 4:45 pm with Cody Fox of New Ulm. While the warbler migration has been poor at best around here, the shorebird migration has been very good. There were a few highlights that I thought worth mentioning. A Plegadis Ibis passed over the easternmos

[mou-net] W. Tanager Not Found, Cottonwood Cty.

I searched for the Western Tanager reported earlier today at Red Rock Cty. park in Cottonwood County for about 45 minutes late this afternoon without success. It was fun trying for it, though. Good birding, Brian Smith Sleepy Eye Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBE

[mou-net] Western Tanager - Cottonwood County

I'm posting this for Brian who was contacted by the Kim Eckert MBW group. Kim's group found a Western Tanager at Red Rock County park in Cottonwood County. The park is located on the border of Brown and Cottonwood Counties. This was reported at 11:00am. today. Risa Smith, spouse/administrativ

[mou-net] Cattle Egrets, Brown County

Hi, There were two adult Cattle Egrets at the Sleepy Eye compost site earlier this morning. Brian Smith Sleepy Eye 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] Dunlin, Brown County

This afternoon I photographed two Dunlin (both still in nonbreeding plumage) at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds. Also present were three Baird's, one Pectoral and one Least Sandpipers. Most of the shorebirds had chunks of ice hanging on their lower extremities. I'm not sure, but this could potenti

[mou-net] Shorebirds, Brown County

The ice went out on the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds just this week and some early migrant shorebirds were found there this morning. Most were on the far eastern pond where a bunch of vegetation has washed up along the western edge of that pond: 2 American Golden Plover 4 Greater Yellowlegs 6 Lesse

[mou-net] T. Solitaire/Brown Co.

Hi, birders: Had an excellent morning birding western Brown County. The highlight was finding a Townsend's Solitaire in a large conifer/juniper stand at Bashaw WMA. This is located a few miles NW of Comfrey and it is on the west side of 380th Ave. It is roughly half way between Brown Co. Rd.

[mou-net] White-winged Crossbills/Brown County

After a number of unsuccessful searches of the New Ulm City Cemetery over this winter, I finally found White-winged Crossbills there this morning. I first found a flock of 4 (one male and three females or immatures) and then about a half hour later a flock of 15 arrived and foraged for several

[mou-net] Common Redpolls, Brown Co.

Hi, Had a flock of ~ 24 Common Redpolls at my home feeder in Sleepy Eye this morning. Not terribly unusual for this winter, but it is significant in these are a new yard bird for me in almost 10 years and only the third sighting I've had of them in Brown County. One looked very similar to Si

[mou] Brown Co. Sabine's Gull Update

One final update on the Sabine's Gull at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds. I went back to check on it at 9:00 a.m. & was unable to see it on either of the two ponds from the front entrance. I began walking down the road that runs due east from the entrance and found the Sabine's hunkered down in th

[mou] Brown County Sabine's Gull

Hello: The juvenile Sabine's Gull was still present at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds this morning at 7:00 a.m. It was loafing ~ 100 yards out on the NW pond. It was raining moderately heavy at the time, but the forecast says that the rain should let up by 1:00 p.m. I'm participating in an MBW

[mou] Piping Plover/Brown County

Around 4:30 p.m. I found a single Piping Plover in non-breeding plumage on the mudflat of a small farm settling pond. The location of the farm is 1/2 mile south of the intersection of Cty. Rd. 20 and 10 (address is 13343 Cty. 10). This is in southern Brown County, near the western end of Lake