[mou-net] MRVAC - Martin/Faribault counties - Field trip report - 4/27 - 4/29, 2011

[CRAIG MANDEL]

Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter
Field trip report
April 27, 28, 29, 2011

Martin & Faribault counties

We encountered lots of wind and some rain over the three days.  But did find a 
few interesting species, including the previously reported White-faced Ibis.

Here are some of the species our group observed:

4/27 - Faribault county 
Wild Turkey
Barred Owl
Pileated Woodpecker
Hermit Thrush
Swamp Sparrow
Yellow-headed Blackbird

4/28 - Martin County
Snow Goose - several observed at the Ceylon Sewage ponds
Western Grebe - several observed at Budd Lake
White-faced Ibis - Note previous posting for location and that the birds were 
not relocated on the 29th at this location.
Osprey
Merlin
Hudsonian Godwit - Three Hudsonian Godwits were in a flooded field along CR 50, 
just West of Minnesota Highway 15.  There were also Greater and Lesser 
Yellowlegs and a single Pectoral Sandpiper
   present at this spot.   Also note that other 
observers did not see the Godwit's on the 29th, but there were still other 
shorebirds at this location.  
Eurasian Collared Dove -A single bird was observed and heard in the town of 
Granada.
Hermit Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Harris's Sparrow - One

4/29 - Martin & Faribault Counties
We began the morning with an unsuccessful attempt to relocate the previously 
reported Spotted Towhee in the town of Fairmont.  Thanks go out to Ed for 
posting this species.
Red-necked Grebe - Wells Sewage ponds - on the South side of the South pond.
Eared Grebe - Wells sewage ponds - same pond as the Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe - 100+, were observed at Minnesota Lake.  
Cattle Egret - We relocated the previously posted Cattle Egret along the East 
side of 405th Ave., at 4:00 pm.  The bird was still present at 4:30, when we 
departed.  Although, it had moved somewhat to the North, after a stray cat 
walked through the area it was feeding in.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Barred Owl
Chimney Swift
Swallow's - There were large numbers of Tree Swallows migrating through today, 
in addition to a lesser number of Barn Swallows.  Also observed a single Purple 
Martin, Bank and Northern Rough-winged Swallow.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Brown Thrasher
Nashville Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler - lots
White-throated Sparrow - Two
Eastern Meadowlark - Martin county


Craig Mandel
Minnetonka, Hennepin County
egretc...@msn.com


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[mou-net] Long-tailed Duck, Yellow Medicine Co.

[Doug Kieser]

Female Long-tailed Duck currently at Clarksfield sewage ponds
Small shorebird variety here as well.

Doug Kieser
Mark Ochs
Howard Towle

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[mou-net] Grebes

[Bruce Munson]

I am enjoying 36 horned grebes off of park point in duluth. And there is one 
red-necked grebe near the airport at park point. It is a good morning for 
birding. 
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry


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[mou-net] Common Moorhen in Rice County

[Bob Dunlap]

Dave Bartkey just called to report a Common Moorhen at River Bend  
Nature Center in Faribault. He said the bird was skulking in and out  
of the cattails in the lower pond by the parking lot.


Bob Dunlap


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[mou-net] urban St. Paul FOY yard birds

[linda whyte]

A glance in the yard this morning riveted attention for a fleeting
second, as a White-crowned Sparrow flitted off from under a feeder. A
bit later came another pleasant surprise: an entire flock of
White-throated sparrows working the yard.  Apparently, rain had
discouraged the usual clean-sweep by the regulars, and the mallard hen
is still absent after trying to elude the two amorous drakes who were
pursuing her earlier. That seems to have left enough goodies to please
the migrants---and this weather-bound birder.
Linda Whyte


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[mou-net] Rice County Northern Mockingbird

[james otto]

I was just informed by Dave Barkey of a Northern Mockingbird at River Bend 
Nature Center in Faribault Mn.. The bird was seen by the feeders at the nature 
center building.


Jim Otto
  

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[mou-net] Baltimore Oriole Hennepin County

[Madeleine Linck]

I had my FOY male oriole at my feeders this morning.A welcome change of color!  
Also a flock of about 50 White-throated Sparrows.

Madeleine Linck
Medina, Hennepin County


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[mou-net] Black and White Warbler

[Madeleine Linck]

Just had my first of the season Black and White Warbler foraging along the tree 
trunk where   I hang suet.  It was not, however, at the suet as I occasionally 
see the Yellow-rumps.  
If this heavy rain keeps up, I am concerned that our Purple Martins that have 
returned to several of their colonies at Three Rivers Park District will become 
stressed...

Madeleine Linck
Medina, Hennepin County


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[mou-net] Carver County nice little fallout (7 warbler species)

[John Cyrus]

After yesterdays slow day(squeezed in both Carver Park (5 Ruby-crowned Kinglets 
and Winter Wren) and Rapids Lake MVNWR (1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Thrasher, 
and 7 Yellow-rumped Warbler) in the morning, the rain this morning almost kept 
me in for the day.   Luckily I decided to push through the poor weather, as 
there was a nice little fallout at Rapids Lake MVNWR.   Last nights strong 
southerly winds must have helped push some of these up here.

Todays select count in and out of showers and drizzle

Solitary Sandpiper 2 along the river
Least Flycatcher 1
Brown Creeper 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12
Swainson's Thrush 1
Brown Thrasher 1 (different location)
Blue-winged Warbler 1 male feeding in the trees and grass around the farmhouse 
behind the visitors center(This is within 1/4 to 1/2 mile of a few territories)
Orange-crowned Warbler 4 (1 male western V. c. lutescens(showing his crown 
which is rare for me), 3 Celata, possibly a 5th in poor lighting)
Nashville Warbler 1 (possibly a 2nd but I'm pretty sure it was just the same 
bird seen twice, 2nd was about 150 yards northwest of the 1st)
Yellow Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler ~20
Palm Warbler 2
Black and White Warbler 3
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow ~40 (also singing in Chaska)
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 male
I thought I also heard a distant Bobolink but it was a bit too far and brief 
for me to count it.

  

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[mou-net] FOY Grosbeak Meeker

[Paul - Koni Fank]

   We have our FOY Male & Female Grosbeak in our feeders today.

 Paul & Koni Fank
Dassel


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[mou-net] White-faced Ibis, Nicollet County

[Bob Dunlap]

Currently looking at an adult White-faced Ibis in breeding plumage at the  
WMA 1 mile north of Nicollet on east side of Hwy. 111. First wetland east of  
the parking lot.


Bob Dunlap
Sent via DROID on Verizon Wireless



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[mou-net] Yellow Headed BB Park Point

[Chris Elmgren]

Yellow headed Black Bird Park Point in the front yard by 35th

Chris Elmgren via iVagrant


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[mou-net] Yellow Headed BB Park Point

[Chris Elmgren]

Yellow headed bb park point in the front yard by 35th street

Chris Elmgren via iVagrant


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[mou-net] Spotted Towhee in Duluth

[Michael Hendrickson]

I just saw a Spotted Towhee in my backyard coming to my feeders!  If your 
interested in seeing it give me a reply and I'll give you directions to my home,

Mike Hendrickson

 
Mike Hendrickson
Duluth, Minnesota
Website: http://www.mikehendricksonbirding.com

Blog: http://colderbythelakebirding.blogspot.com/


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[mou-net] Eastern Towhee, Crow Wing County

[Ken & Pam Perry]

FOY Eastern Towhee female in back yard with White-throated Sparrows.

--Pam Perry, Brainerd

 



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[mou-net] Warbler Q

[Bruce...Hackensack, Mn]

Came home from buying a fridge, dreary,rainy cold day. My yard was crawling 
with Y-rumps. Too many to count and I have a huge yard. Then as I was glassing 
them a male Pine Warbler landed on my deck feeder. This is my first spring 
here, so is that early or normal? The strong southerlies must have shook some 
loose. (I briefly saw him yday too.)

-- 
Hackensack/Longville
Cass County, Mn


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[mou-net] Carver County Baltimore oriole

[J Brophy]

Just after the rained stopped, my FOY Baltimore oriole arrived at my 
feeding station in Victoria, Carver County.



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[mou-net] Flock of pelicans

[Zbees]

A flock of pelicans, estimated to be 50 - 60 birds, just flew over Afton 
heading north towards the St Croix River and Hudson, WI


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[mou-net] Carver County 6 more FOY at arboretum

[John Cyrus]

Deciding to go against my rule of no mid-afternoon birding(except during peak 
migration) since the sun came out, I went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 
  This past Wednesday there was very little activity(no migrants and very few 
residents seen).  Today was the complete opposite.

Select count

Osprey 1
Virginia Rail 4 (heard only)
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Blue-headed Vireo 3
Barn Swallow 1
House Wren 1
Sedge Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5
Swainson's Thrush 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 6
Palm Warbler 9
Black and White Warbler 1
Northern Waterthrush 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow ~15
  

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Re: [mou-net] Baltimore Orioles

[Don Darnell]

Ditto on the BALTIMORE ORIOLES  -- our foy male also showed-up on our porch 
railing this afternoon (And the jelly dish was empty!).  Also had 5 species of 
sparrow (Lincoln and Swamp included)  and 5 species of warbler (Northern 
Waterthrush and Nashville included) from our kitchen window during the mid-day 
rain.  We were also excited to see an Eastern Towhee scratching for food along 
the backyard hedge.  Nice little end-of-April fallout.

What will the 1st of May bring?

Don & Michelle (Darnell & Kern)
Eden Prairie
Hennepin Cty.

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[mou-net] Swainson's Hawk - Carver County

[William Marengo]

About 45 minutes ago, while checking out the abundant migrants in my wooded
back yard, I spotted an adult Swainson's Hawk soaring together with a Turkey
Vulture.  I watched the Swainson's Hawk for about a minute as it fought the
strong south-westerly winds and was gradually pushed north in the general
direction of Carver Park.

Also, there were numerous Black-and-white warblers, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers,
Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a couple of Ovenbirds, Orange-crowned Warblers,
single Least Flycatcher, Eastern Towhee, Hermit Thrush, Swainson's Thrush,
Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Creeper, Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the back woods
today.

A nice day !!

Regards!


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[mou-net] Green Heron

[john c. nelson]

At Pet Expo in Mankato today a call from a lady asking if I could  
identify a bird she had never seen before, which she had found dead in  
front of her garage door this mornng.
I asked her to bring it in and I would try. She did and it was a Green  
Heron. Very sad. How many migrating birds succumbed to the storm last  
night?


John Nelson
Good Thunder MN


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[mou-net] L. Vadnais Pine Warbler/St. Paul Swainson's Thrush

[linda whyte]

With rain subsiding, the daily exercise hour went back on the agenda,
and L. Vadnais was the destination. On the west side we enjoyed great
views of a flock of Forster's Terns. On the east side, a young loon
gave us close looks. But the real treat was in the conifers just west
of the canal between the upper and lower lakes.
There, among trees swarming with Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Pine Siskins,
and Yellow-rumps, was a rather co-operative Pine Warbler foraging in a
conifer and regaling us with song periodically. Its song was answered
by another from the opposite side of the path, so there may have been
at least two Pine Warblers.
As if the day could improve on that, we looked out into the pine at
the front of the house, checking on one of our visiting sapsuckers,
and found a Swainson's Thrush looking back at us from 4 feet away. It
was a first for our yard.
Linda Whyte


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[mou-net] This evening

[jeff fischer]

After the sun came out I decided to head over to the MN Valley NWR and see f I 
could find any new warblers.

I was able to photograph:

Nashville Warbler
Black and White Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Yellow-rump Warbler

I also photographed:
White-throated sparrow
Blue-gray gnat catcher
Solitary Sandpiper

there was also a number of ruby crowned kinglets.

Thanks,
Jeff Fischer
http://ecobirder.blogspot.com/


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[mou-net] a flock of sparrows and a poem by Wm Stafford

[G Andersson]

This afternoon I drove down Randolph in St Paul across Shepherd Rd to look
at the osprey platform.  It is right across a backwater from the High Bridge
Xcel EGU. The road goes past the power plant.  Right away I saw a lark
sparrow in a small tree, then a savanna on the ground, then a couple
white-crowned in shrubs.  At one time I saw two larks, a song, a savannah,
and a chipping in my view in the median between the two paved trails.  A
jogger flushed a flock of about 10 birds from about 30 ft on and next to the
pavement that included larks and others.  He jogged on without breaking
stride.  I also got a glimpse of one swamp below the walkway in the thicket
above the river. Before I left there were 4 larks foraging together.  I
never saw more than one savannah at one time but there may have been more.
The one had a very yellow face--- lores, ear patch, and supercilium.  This
was all in the 150 yds of turf grass next to the walk and road, and the
trees/shrubs below the walk.  In addition there was a solitary sandpiper and
I believe a spotted sandpiper, but need to confirm the flight call.  There
were usually yellow rumped in view. 

The osprey nest is being used.  Happy May (for 17 minutes now)

 

GAndersson

St Paul

---

 

News Every Day

 

"Birds don't say it just once.  If they like it

they say it again.  And again, every morning.

I heard a bird congratulating itself

all day for being a jay.

Nobody cared.  But it was glad

all over again, and said so, again. 

 

Many people are fighting each other, in the world.

You could learn that and say, "Many people

are fighting each other, in the world."

It would be true, but saying it wouldn't

make any difference.  But you'd say it. 

Birds are like that.  People are like that."

 

--- William Stafford

in Passwords (1990)

 



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