[mou] Re: Repost: Need help IDing duck in Itasca County
You can't post the pictures on the listserve, but you can post a link to the pictures. I've copied the pictures to: http://moumn.org/temp/mystery%20duck%201.jpg http://moumn.org/temp/mystery%20duck%202.jpg so they can be accessed. --- David Cahlander da...@cahlander.com Burnsville, MN 952-894-5910 - Original Message - From: shawn conrad dingermcd...@hotmail.com To: dingermcd...@hotmail.com; mou-...@cbs.umn.edu Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 2:22 PM Subject: Repost: Need help IDing duck in Itasca County Well, several people have suggested that it wouldn't be a bad thing if I provided the photos I took, even on the listserve, so here goes... Anyone out there have an idea of the bird I saw on Trout Lake a couple of days ago? The duck is fairly tame, as large or larger than a Mallard, and has beautiful plumage. It's breast wings, and back are a deep, slightly reddish-brown, except for a small blue-green patch on each wing. The head is dark reddish-brown with a slightly darker, small moustache. The bill is dark with an orange tip. The duck has a thick, white neck ring. It has a white rump, white under the tail, and bright orange legs. It was not associating with any other waterfowl. I suspect it might be some domestic or strange Mallard hybrid, but I'm not sure. I've never known of domestics to appear on this lake--do they usually fly or interbreed with wild ducks? Nothing resembling it is in any of my field guides. I took a couple of photos that, while dark, at least show most of these field marks. I could send them to someone who thinks they might have a good idea as to what it is. (I didn't think MOU-NET would appreciate me attaching the photos to this message.) Shawn Conrad Bovey ___ mou-net mailing list mou-...@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net
[mou] SAY'S PHOEBE'S, Felton Prairie, Clay County
Today was a wonderful whirlwind day of birding in Felton Prairie, Clay County with Leslie Marcus and Susan Schumacher. We went into Felton Prairie on the southern end from Clay CR 26, and enjoyed the Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Marbled Godwits, Upland Sandpipers, and a great variety of singing sparrows. When we reached the north end gate Clay CR 108 we turned right, and wound around the road to the gravel mining pits where the Rock Wren was found both last year, and again this year near rock pile #6002. We were walking around listening for the Rock Wren when we noticed movement from behind the rock pile along the dirt ridge at 12:15. We got our binoculars on the bird while it was perched and to our surprise and amazement was a Say's Phoebe! We watched this bird flycatch, and work its way around to the east around the ridge toward the heavy equipment. That black bobbing tail, and apricot belly and undertail coverts were easily seen. We had it in our scopes, and it worked its way back to continue diving to the ground, and behind the ridge into the grass. When much to our surprise it was joined by a second one, and they both flew out together up and over our heads to the east ridge area. At this point a loud lime green dirt bike entered the pits in that area to go riding and we lost sight of the bird at 12:45. We were elated, and could hardly believe our good fortune to be in the right spot at the right time! Then who appears but the Rock Wren singing up a storm from atop a large gravel pile over in the area the motorbike was just in. It sang and sang and flew clockwise stopping in 3 different spots always out in the open up high, and circled us ending up on rock pile # 6002. We had our scopes on the energetic songster, and we were a captive audience until it flew off to the east again. We stopped at Barnesville Sewage Ponds, and there was a nice variety of shorebirds with 260 Wilson's Phalaropes, and 2 Red-necked Phalaropes. Conny Brunell Richfield, Hennepin Cty con...@mycidco.com
[mou] Catle Egret: L. Bylessby more
5/15 7:30pm Lake Bylessby, southern Dakota Co. Cattle Egret roosting with gulls Bonaparts Gulls (5) legs deep red. Too red for Sibley. 8 species of shorebirds, probably more Semi-palmated Plover (24) L. Yellowlegs (4) Willet (1) Sanderling (winter plumage) 6pm Purgatory Creek/Flagship Caspian ternss (530+) First of year birds: C. Nighthawk Wood Thrush (H - Quiggley Lake) Wilsons Warbler No.Waterthrsh Chestnut-Sided Ovenbird (H) Am Redstart Black White Warbler Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan swest...@comcast.net
[mou] Brown County Update
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --=_NextPart_000_0135_01C559F2.79208820 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Sunday, Dave Bartkey and myself spent the day birding around Brown = county. Despite the less than ideal weather conditions in the morning = and early afternoon, we found good varieties of resident and migrant = birds in almost any habitat. Highlights included: Peregrine Falcon: fly-over at the Sleepy Eye compost site Veery: one bird heard giving its call note and song at Flandrau State = Park Cerulean Warbler: Dave found a male singing in a tree near the Minnesota = river along Brown Cty. 10, west of Hwy. 4. We were able to get = excellent looks at this gorgeous bird. First one I've seen in many = years. Hudsonian Godwit: one bird found in a flooded cow pasture on 140th St. = west of Hwy. 258 Warblers were slow but steady. The flocks that we found generally = consisted of several birds on up to ten or more. Overall, we had 16 = species of warblers for the day. We found no Wilson's and only one Palm = all day. There are still good numbers of shorebirds around the county = and we had 13 species in all. The recent rains have flooded a lot of the = fields so the shorebirds seem to be more dispersed than usual. Good Birding, Brian Smith Sleepy Eye --=_NextPart_000_0135_01C559F2.79208820 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC -//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN HTMLHEAD META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3Dtext/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1 META content=3DMSHTML 6.00.2900.2627 name=3DGENERATOR STYLE/STYLE /HEAD BODY bgColor=3D#ff DIVOn Sunday, Dave Bartkey and myself spent the day birding around = Brown=20 county.nbsp; Despite the less than ideal weather conditions in the = morning and=20 early afternoon, we found good varieties of resident and migrant birds = in almost=20 any habitat. Highlights included:/DIV DIVFONT face=3DArial size=3D2/FONTnbsp;/DIV DIVSTRONGPeregrine Falcon/STRONG: nbsp;fly-over at the Sleepy=20 Eyenbsp;compost site/DIV DIVSTRONGVeery/STRONG: one bird heard giving its call note and = song at=20 Flandrau Statenbsp;Park/DIV DIVSTRONGCerulean Warbler/STRONG: Dave found a male singing in a = tree near=20 the Minnesota river along Brown Cty. 10, west of Hwy. 4.nbsp; We were = able to=20 get excellent looks at this gorgeous bird.nbsp; First one I've seen in = many=20 years./DIV DIVSTRONGHudsonian Godwit/STRONG: one birdnbsp;found in a flooded = cow=20 pasture on 140th St. west of Hwy. 258/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVWarblers were slow but steady.nbsp; The flocks that we=20 foundnbsp;generally consisted of several birdsnbsp;on up to ten or = more.nbsp;=20 Overall, we had 16 species of warblers for the day.nbsp; We found no=20 Wilson'snbsp;and only one Palm all day. There are still good numbers of = shorebirds around the county and we had 13 species in all. The recent = rains have=20 flooded a lot of the fields so the shorebirds seem to be more dispersed = than=20 usual./DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVGood Birding,/DIV DIVFONT face=3DArial size=3D2/FONTnbsp;/DIV DIVBrian Smith/DIV DIVSleepy Eye/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVFONT face=3DArial size=3D2/FONTnbsp;/DIV DIVFONT face=3DArial size=3D2/FONTnbsp;/DIV DIVFONT face=3DArial size=3D2/FONTnbsp;/DIV/BODY/HTML --=_NextPart_000_0135_01C559F2.79208820--
[mou] Opportunity for Raptor Research volunteers
An opportunity for those raptor lovers in need of a mission... Mark Alt=20 MOU President mark@bestbuy.com C/O J. F. Bell Museum of Natural History University of Minnesota 10 Church Street SE Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104 MOU.mn.org -Original Message- From: Jim Lind [mailto:jsl...@frontiernet.net]=20 Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 9:09 PM To: mark@bestbuy.com Subject: final draft of raptor request The Minnesota Ornithologists' Union and the University of Minnesota's=20 Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) in Duluth are requesting=20 volunteers to help survey three study plots in northern Minnesota for=20 breeding raptors and other species. Three 1-square mile plots have=20 been selected in northern Pine (near the Net Lake Road), western=20 Cass (near Walker), and Lake (near Isabella) counties for a pilot=20 study investigating the feasibility of conducting a large scale off- road raptor monitoring program in Minnesota.=20 Copies of topographic maps of the plots will be provided, and=20 participants will be free to survey as much or as little of the plot=20 as they like. Each of the plots have at least one gravel road that=20 runs through or along it, but the majority of each plot has no roads=20 or trails (i.e. bushwacking will be needed). The methodology will=20 simply be to search each plot for raptors from now through mid-July=20 (preferably in the morning hours), paying particular attention to=20 nesting activity. Participants can visit the plots as often as=20 they'd like, and they will be asked to keep track of the type (sight,=20 vocalization, nest, fledged young, etc.) and number of raptor=20 observations, the amount of time spent surveying the plots, and the=20 approximate areas of the plots they covered. =20 One goal of this semi-formal effort is to get an idea of the=20 densities and sample sizes of breeding raptors that could be expected=20 if a similar effort was expanded across larger portions of the state.=20 Depending on the plot and habitat, raptor species that could be=20 encountered include Broad-winged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's=20 Hawk, Merlin, American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, and potentially=20 Northern Goshawk or Red-shouldered Hawk. Motivated observers could=20 also listen and search for owls at night, but this is not expected. =20 Participants are also encouraged to note all non-raptor bird species=20 encountered, including nests and young.=20 Anyone interested in participating should contact Jim Lind as soon as=20 possible at NRRI (218-720-4384; jl...@nrri.umn.edu).=20
[mou] Piping Plover- Kandiyohi co.
Yesterday evening (5/15) I observed a piping plover in SE Kandiyohi county. Directions: look at a map and find Lake Lillian as a frame of reference The wetlands are 2.6 miles east of the intersection of hwy 7 and cty rd 8. Look for mile marker 118, or Sue's Metal Works if coming from the east. The driveway has a fire number at the highway: 16001. The area is a new DNR acquisition, but no signs have been put up yet; this is public land. Go down the driveway to the south and park in the open area west of the old bldg site (currently a big hole). Please do NOT drive further into the area, although there are not barriers preventing it, vehicles beyond this are inappropriate. Walk down the field road ESE into last year's corn field (worked but not plowed). Proceed walking ESE unto the rise and you will see several small wetlands. The bird could be in any of these but we saw it in the wetland farthest SE. Also present, 9 other species of shorebirds including 3 black bellied plovers- how can black and white be so beautiful? The piping plover is very difficult to see if facing away from you as the color of the back and corn residue is almost identical. Also, it did occasionally walk back into the corn stubble. A scope is highly recommended. Incidentally, this is the same location the Smith's longspur was seen about 9 days ago and it holds promise for water pipits or maybe even a Sprague's. Randy Frederickson Willmar
[mou] Say's Pheobe on Recently Seen
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --=_NextPart_000_000B_01C559FE.75198860 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable http://moumn.org/recent.html Photo by Peder Svingen. --- David Cahlander da...@cahlander.com Burnsville, MN 952-894-5910 --=_NextPart_000_000B_01C559FE.75198860 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC -//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN HTMLHEAD META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3Dtext/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1 META content=3DMSHTML 6.00.2900.2627 name=3DGENERATOR STYLE/STYLE /HEAD BODY bgColor=3D#ff DIVFONT face=3DComic Sans MS size=3D2A=20 href=3Dhttp://moumn.org/recent.html;http://moumn.org/recent.html/A/F= ONT/DIV DIVFONT face=3DComic Sans MS size=3D2Photo by Peder = Svingen./FONT/DIV DIVFONT face=3DComic Sans MS size=3D2---BRDavid Cahlander A=20 href=3Dmailto:da...@cahlander.com;da...@cahlander.com/A Burnsville, = MN=20 952-894-5910BR/FONT/DIV/BODY/HTML --=_NextPart_000_000B_01C559FE.75198860--
[mou] 6 Caspian Terns at Lake Como St. Paul
Between=209:00=20-=209:30=20AM=20today,=20six=20Caspian=20terns=20were=20a= ctively=20fishing=20in Lake=20Como.=20=20At=20one=20point=20they=20all=20congregated=20at=20The=20= point=20on=20the=20east side=20of=20the=20lake.=20=20I=20got=20a=20kick=20out=20of=20watching=20on= e=20bird=20play=20with=20its=20food. It=20had=20a=20fish=20in=20its=20beak.=20=20It=20would=20make=20a=20small=20= arch=20up=20in=20the=20air=20throw the=20fish=20and=20then=20catch=20it=20in=20midair.=20=20I=20don't=20think= =20it=20was=20trying=20to reposition=20the=20birds=20but=20just=20having=20fun.=20=20 Heidi=20Ferguson St.=20Paul=20 =09=09 __ This=20e-mail=20has=20been=20scanned=20by=20MCI=20Managed=20Email=20Conten= t=20Service,=20using=20Skeptic=99=20technology=20powered=20by=20MessageLab= s.=20For=20more=20information=20on=20MCI's=20Managed=20Email=20Content=20S= ervice,=20visit=20http://www.mci.com. __
[mou] Re: [mnbird] 6 Caspian Terns at Lake Como St. Paul
six Caspian terns were actively fishing in Lake Como. We had at least two over Glen Lake in Minnetonka; I watched them feeding all afternoon yesterday. Christine, on the shores of Glen Lake, Minnetonka, Hennepin Co.
[mou] Cass Co. Caspian Terns
Hello all, I stopped by the Walker sewage treatment ponds Sunday on my way back from a very cold and wet trip to the BWCAW, and noted about 24 Caspian terns on the rocks between two ponds. Does anyone know the current breeding status of this species in MN? Also present were about 100 ring-billed gulls, about 50 Bonaparte's gulls, several common goldeneye exhibiting mating behavior, and a pair of hooded mergansers. Good Birding! Pat Patrick Beauzay Department of Entomology 217 Hultz Hall, Bolley Drive North Dakota State University Fargo, ND 58105 701-231-9491 patrick.beau...@ndsu.nodak.edu
[mou] Warning Afton State Park
---1116262451 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My daughter's car was broken into yesterday at Afton State Park while she was looking for morels. Her security system was turned on; she has tinted windows in the back to prevent viewing contents.They broke a window with a special tool to gain access and by-passed her security system. The police indicated that the thieves use two-way radios and watch for cars that are somewhat screened from view. She had parked next to a van which was larger than her vehicle. Elizabeth Bell 5868 Pioneer Road South St. Paul Park MN 55071-1143 651 459-4150 lleb4...@aol.com ---1116262451 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC -//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN HTMLHEAD META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3Dtext/html; charset=3DUS-ASCII META content=3DMSHTML 6.00.2900.2627 name=3DGENERATOR/HEAD BODY id=3Drole_body style=3DFONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #00; FONT-FAMILY:=20= Arial=20 bottomMargin=3D7 leftMargin=3D7 topMargin=3D7 rightMargin=3D7FONT id=3Drol= e_document=20 face=3DArial color=3D#00 size=3D2 DIVMy daughter's car was broken into yesterday at Afton State Park while s= he=20 was looking for morels. Her security system was turned on; she has tinted=20 windows in the backnbsp;to prevent viewing contents.They broke a window wit= h a=20 special tool to gain access and by-passed her security system.nbsp; The pol= ice=20 indicated that the thieves use two-way radios and watch for cars that are=20 somewhat screened from view.nbsp;She had parked next to a van which was lar= ger=20 than her vehicle./DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVFONT lang=3D0 face=3DArial size=3D2 FAMILY=3DSANSSERIF PTSIZE=3D10= Elizabeth=20 BellBR5868 Pioneer Road SouthBRSt. Paul Park MN 55071-1143BR651=20 459-4150BRlleb4...@aol.com/FONT/DIV/FONT/BODY/HTML ---1116262451--
[mou] Piping Plover, etc. Dakota Co.
--=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII 5/16 9:00am Lake Byllesby, west end Piping Plover - 1 Semipalmated Plover - 15 Short-billed Dowitcher - 70 Baird's Sandpiper - 1 Wilson's Phalarope - 1 Pectoral Sandpiper - 1 Dunlin - 5 L. Yellowlegs - 8 Least Sandpiper - 30 Semipalmated Sandpiper - 1 Sanderling - 1 (prealternate) Sora - 2 (on mudflats) Common Tern - 17 Caspian Tern - 15 Jim Mattsson Eagan --=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII HTML style=FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans SerifHEAD META http-equiv=Content-Type content=text/html; charset=windows-1251 META content=MSHTML 6.00.2900.2627 name=GENERATOR/HEAD BODY P DIV5/16 9:00am/DIV DIVLake Byllesby, west end/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVSTRONGPiping Plover/STRONG - 1/DIV DIVSemipalmated Plover - 15/DIV DIVShort-billed Dowitcher - 70/DIV DIVBaird's Sandpiper - 1/DIV DIVWilson's Phalarope - 1/DIV DIVPectoral Sandpiper - 1/DIV DIVDunlin - 5/DIV DIVL. Yellowlegs - 8/DIV DIVLeast Sandpiper - 30/DIV DIVSemipalmated Sandpiper - 1/DIV DIVSanderling - 1 (prealternate)/DIV DIVSora - 2 (on mudflats)/DIV DIVCommon Tern - 17/DIV DIVCaspian Tern - 15/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVJim Mattsson/DIV DIVEagan/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV DIVnbsp;/DIV P/P/BODY/HTML --=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8--
[mou] Caspians at Lake Hiawatha
I also noticed three caspian terns sitting on the shoals at Lake Hiawatha in S. Minneapolis this morning. Diana
[mou] Say's Phoebe/Rock Wren/Clay Co.
The Say's Phoebe and Rock Wren are still being seen in the Felton Prairie area of Clay County as of today (Monday, 5/16). We were at the site about 1-1/2 hours. The Rock Wren sang and was conspicuous on piles #6002 and #6006. We saw just one Say's Phoebe from about 10:40 - 10:50, but he put on a show as he flew and perched along the vertical bluff wall behind and to the right of the rock piles. Directions from the town of Felton: Go south on Hwy 9 for two miles. Turn left (east) on CR 108. Travel on 108 to the T where 108 turns into a gravel road. Follow that gravel road left and north to the Gravel Pit area. The north gate is the best. Rock piles 6002/6006 are just to the left as you enter through this gate. Thanks to Scott and Doug who brought luck with them. Dan Sandy Thimgan Otter Tail Co. Battle Lake, MN
[mou] Murphy Hanrehan
--part1_1f9.9e48403.2fba5853_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit We went birding at Murphy Harehan this morning. It was chilly out but we saw some fun stuff. We drove down to the fork in the road and parked, walking up the left path. We saw one Blue-Winged, one Black-Throated Green, one Ovenbird, a few Redstarts. We then went back down the road to the open-gated trail and went inside. A man there told us he had seen Hooded Wablers so we went to the clearing and took a left down the small slopey path. It goes up and we took the trail to the right. Probably 20 Yellow-Throated Vireos were hopping around singing. I went back because I heard an odd call and then I heard the Hooded Warbler from in the woods to my left. I yelled out Hooded and my dad ran over. He looked right into the spot I said the call came from. I ran to the side to try to see it and it hopped out right above the thicket. I just caught a glimpse of it before it flew over us and disappeared. It was the second time I had ever seen it and the third for my dad. We were happy. We went down the trail and saw at least 5 or 6 Black-Throated Greens. After that we decided to go back and look on the Pet Trail/Horse Trail for the Henslow Sparrows and more warblers. We got there and we were tiring out. We walked up the right path from the parking lot to see a bunch of warblers. Tennessee's, Redstarts, Myrtle's. There were a bunch. A Rose-Breasted Grosbeak perched about 5 feet right above us. We found out we made the wrong turn for the Henslow Sparrows and headed back. On our trip back past the beginning of the right path we saw a Magnolia Warbler right in the sun. A great look at it. Yellow Warblers flitted about as well. That was it for our day birding. We totalled 11 Warblers. Not as good as some but a nice bunch for us. Good birding! - Leo Wexler-Mann --part1_1f9.9e48403.2fba5853_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable HTMLFONT FACE=3Darial,helveticaHTMLFONT SIZE=3D2 PTSIZE=3D10 FAMILY= =3DSANSSERIF FACE=3DArial LANG=3D0We went birding at Murphy Harehan t= his morning. It was chilly out but we saw some fun stuff.BR We drove down to the fork in the road and parked, walking up the left path.=20= We saw one Blue-Winged, one Black-Throated Green, one Ovenbird, a few Redsta= rts. We then went back down the road to the open-gated trail and went inside= . A man there told us he had seen Hooded Wablers so we went to the clearing=20= and took a left down the small slopey path. It goes up and we took the trail= to the right. Probably 20 Yellow-Throated Vireos were hopping around singin= g. BR I went back because I heard an odd call and then I heard the Hooded Warbler=20= from in the woods to my left. I yelled out Hooded and my dad ran over. He=20= looked right into the spot I said the call came from. I ran to the side to t= ry to see it and it hopped out right above the thicket.BR BR I just caught a glimpse of it before it flew over us and disappeared. It was= the second time I had ever seen it and the third for my dad. We were happy.= We went down the trail and saw at least 5 or 6 Black-Throated Greens. After= that we decided to go back and look on the Pet Trail/Horse Trail for the He= nslow Sparrows and more warblers.BR We got there and we were tiring out. We walked up the right path from the pa= rking lot to see a bunch of warblers. Tennessee's, Redstarts, Myrtle's. Ther= e were a bunch. A Rose-Breasted Grosbeak perched about 5 feet right above us= .BR We found out we made the wrong turn for the Henslow Sparrows and headed back= . On our trip back past the beginning of the right path we saw a Magnolia Wa= rbler right in the sun. A great look at it. Yellow Warblers flitted about as= well.BR That was it for our day birding. We totalled 11 Warblers. Not as good as som= e but a nice bunch for us.BR BR Good birding!BR - Leo Wexler-Mann/FONT/HTML --part1_1f9.9e48403.2fba5853_boundary--
[mou] Wood Lake (Richfield) -- Mourning Warbler
Y'all, Among many other wonderful birds, I saw a mourning warbler on Sunday 05/15 at Wood Lake. It was in the southwestern-most corner, near I-35W. This is the exact place that I saw a mourning warbler last year. Some very tame deer were only 10-20 feet away while I searched. Jonathan Ferguson
[mou] FW: Wood Lake Warblers and some Oriole questions
I am much better informed after a discussion with Tony Hertzel, corroborated by clarifying comments supplied by Bruce Fall (attached below). I agree it must have been a bright female Baltimore Oriole with a dark face, a darkly washed breast, with a dull buffy orange rather than yellowish on her belly and underparts. Wing bars were not noticed. The written record shows that males rarely assist in nest making. Watching this Oriole peel the bark off of the Grapevine was wonderful. Look for this behavior; it seems the Orioles are setting up housekeeping right now. This one is working up high in one of the giant cottonwoods right by the dead end the path takes towards the pond near the visitor center in Wood Lake in Richfield, Hennepin County. Set out long fibers for them at your house. I now have another reason to plant and maintain wild grape in a forest plot, I have always loved them. The first Bay-breasted Warbler I ever saw was perched horizontally on a vertically growing grape vine, parrot-like, back in the woods of Western Pennsylvania. On walks with my grandfather, he would cut a vine, then cut it again 4 feet above, holding it aloft to let me drink the clear sweet liquid that ran out as if it were a hose. I don't cut grape vines any more, but I remember it being good stuff. Watching an Oriole for ten minutes today sure changed the way it played out. Pick the nearest bird and watch it and figure out what you are seeing it do. The worst you can do is be wrong, as I was today. God's grace is shown to us in little children and birds. Here's some information on this from the Birds of North America=20 (online) for Baltimore Oriole: Construction process Generally female is sole builder; male may occasionally bring material=20 for nest and inspect nest during construction (Bent 1958, Wedgwood=20 1989, Sealy and Neudorf 1995, NJF). A few records of males building=20 nests (Bent 1958, Audubon 1967), although these may have involved=20 females that were very similar to adult males (NJF; see Distinguishing=20 characteristics, above). If your bird is a dark-headed and bright female, you should be able to=20 see the male as he follows her about during nest building. Bruce Mark, In response to your questions on MOU-net regarding oriole nest-building behavior, the answer to the first question is that males generally don't contribute anything to nest building (although they closely guard their mate during the process), as is typical for most passerines. My guess is that the bird you thought was a male (you noted it was dimly plumaged) may have been a dark-headed and bright female--some females (probably age related) can appear rather male-like with considerable black on the head, especially the throat. I saw such a female nest building at the Old Cedar Ave. Bridge on yesterday (Sunday) morning; the nest was about half finished. Her mate was nearby. Bruce A. Fall General Biology Program 3-104 Molecular and Cellular Biology 420 Washington Ave., SE University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 phone 612-625-4391, fax 612-626-7823
[mou] Lake Byllesby's future?
--=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Lake Byllesby Lovers: For two years now, I have been told by Dakota County administrators that they recognize the value of the west end of Lake Byllesby to birds, especially shorebirds, and that there will be no camping or other development that might jeopardize birds or their habitats. I recently received the following meeting notice (see below) and was struck by the following exerpt: The west side of Lake Byllesby is a passive use area and the plan provides opportunities to picnic, fish and camp along the Cannon River. A new trailhead and boardwalks will bring visitors to view the unique shorebirds that frequent the marshland and mudflats on the west end of the lake. A year ago I met with Dakota County personnel regarding enrolling Lake Byllesby in IBA, or Important Bird Area program. Although vocally supportive of the program, they have thus far not responded to my follow-up emails. Undortunately, I do not know the details of their plans for the lake as I am unable to open their web site (see below) that contains the plan. Maybe you can do better. I plan to attend the meeting tomorrow and I hope several of you can attend as well. Hopefully, their plans are well thought out and will not negatively affect this vital area for birds. However, it's important that birders attend the open house tomorrow to ensure that planners have the benefit of out input. See you there. Jim The open house schedule is: Lake Byllesby Regional Park: Tuesday May 17, 2005 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Randolph Fire Hall 4365 292nd Street, Randolph *** Hello, Many of you attended workshops or open houses for Lake Bylleby Regional Park, Miesville Ravine Park Reserve, and Thompson County Park in the past year. Draft master plans are now ready and I thought you might be interested in attending the final series of open houses for the plans. More information about the open houses and the draft plan follows below... Mary Jackson Dakota County Office of Planning OPEN HOUSES PLANNED FOR DAKOTA COUNTY PARKS MASTER PLANS Dakota County citizens are invited to attend open houses to review proposed master plans for three County Parks - Lake Byllesby Regional Park, Miesville Ravine Park Reserve, and Thompson County Park. The new draft master plans, when approved by the Dakota County Board of Commissioners, will be the 20-year guide for land acquisition, natural resource protection, and recreational facilities in each park. During the past year, staff and consultants prepared the plans with participation from citizens at public open houses, surveys, and focus meetings. This final series of open houses is an opportunity for citizens to express their ideas and preferences for the future direction of each park before the new master plans are approved. The draft plans reflect the unique character of each park and its role in the regional system: Lake Byllesby Regional Park The draft plan reflects the recreational draw of Lake Byllesby and is designed around the concept of Lake Byllesby as a gathering place. Already home to a popular campground, the plan for the east side of the park proposes a new visitor center, picnic shelters, fishing docks, swimming lagoon, biking and hiking trails, off road bike area, disc golf, additional camping, and landscaping to beautify the park. A bridge over the Cannon River will provide a connection to the Mill Towns Trail, Cannon Valley Trail, and greater Cannon Valley area. The west side of Lake Byllesby is a passive use area and the plan provides opportunities to picnic, fish and camp along the Cannon River. A new trailhead and boardwalks will bring visitors to view the unique shorebirds that frequent the marshland and mudflats on the west end of the lake. Miesville Ravine Park Reserve This park is in a rustic wilderness nestled next to the Cannon River in Douglas Township, in southeastern Dakota County. The draft plan focuses on protecting the naturally reproducing trout stream, natural landscape, and the unspoiled viewsheds of the Trout Brook Valley. The primary facilities are for hiking, fishing, and picnicking. In addition, a new canoe and tube launch is planned along the Cannon River and a bridge will provide a connection to the Cannon Valley Trail. This plan recommends park boundary expansions on the upstream tributaries of the Trout Brook to reduce erosion, protect water quality, and provide recreational access to the interior areas of the park. Thompson County Park This park is in an urban setting and is very popular among northern Dakota County residents. The main idea for this park is to improve recreational facilities but not develop the natural areas that people enjoy. This park will have paved trails for young families and senior citizens, new picnic pavilions, an art walk,
[mou] American Golden-Plovers
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Flock of at least 8 American Golden-Plovers were foraging in
the wetlands of Section 35, Tilden Township in Polk County this late
morning. Other species from the area of interest to me were a Green
Heron, American Bittern, and Yellow Rail. Lots of Soras calling along
with most of the prairie LBJs you could imagine. Marbled Godwits are
basically a guarantee when venturing around in Glacial Ridge NWR
territory.
=20
Nate Emery
Polk County (NW MN)
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[mou] Gunflint area
Birding in the Gunflint lodge area over the weekend included a cooperative, singing Northern Parula, a calling Broad-winged Hawk, and a rapids floating Common Loon. We saw the loon while looking at a small rapids on the Granite River just northwest of Magnetic Bay.=20 Other birds included Pileated Woodpecker, lots of Pine Siskins, Purple Finches and singing White-throated Sparrows. Common Goldeneye. Also had some snow flurries and saw a moose. Have a few photos: Common Loon: http://www.greenbackedheron.com/photo.cfm?setid=3D1513 Northern Parula http://www.greenbackedheron.com/photo.cfm?setid=3D1512 Broad-winged Hawk http://www.greenbackedheron.com/photo.cfm?setid=3D1514 Moose http://www.greenbackedheron.com/photo.cfm?setid=3D1517 Good birding, --=20 Kent Nickell Waterloo, Iowa mountainp...@gmail.com
[mou] Live From Freeborn County
---1116291104 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Two Cattle Egrets just south of Hartland. Summer Tanager near Lake Francis. Unable to find again. This passed on upon request. The Nature of Amery Festival will be held on June 17-18. Bird banding, canoeing, kayak demos, birding by pontoon, Eagle Optics, U of M Raptor Center, decoy carving, origami for kids and a fish boil. There will be an opportunity to see wolf pups, bobcat kittens and otter pups. Many other exciting events will be offered. For more information on this Festival in Amery, Wisconsin, please call 715-268-8486. It's a great day to look at a bird, Al Batt ---1116291104 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable !DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC -//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN HTMLHEAD META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3Dtext/html; charset=3DUS-ASCII META content=3DMSHTML 6.00.2900.2627 name=3DGENERATOR/HEAD BODY id=3Drole_body style=3DFONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #00; FONT-FAMILY:=20= Verdana=20 bottomMargin=3D7 leftMargin=3D7 topMargin=3D7 rightMargin=3D7FONT id=3Drol= e_document=20 face=3DArial color=3D#00 size=3D2FONT id=3Drole_document face=3DVerdan= a=20 color=3D#00 size=3D3 DIVSTRONGTwo Cattle Egrets just south of Hartland./STRONG/DIV DIVSTRONG/STRONGnbsp;/DIV DIVSTRONGSummer Tanager near Lake Francis.nbsp; Unable to find=20 again./STRONG/DIV DIVSTRONG/STRONGnbsp;/DIV DIVSTRONGThis passed on upon request./STRONG/DIV DIVSTRONG/STRONGnbsp;/DIV DIVSTRONGThe Nature of Amery Festival will be held on June 17-18.nbsp;=20= Bird=20 banding, canoeing, kayak demos, birding by pontoon, Eagle Optics, U of M Rap= tor=20 Center, decoy carving, origami for kidsnbsp;and a fish boil.nbsp; There wi= ll=20 be an opportunity to see wolf pups, bobcat kittens and otter pups.nbsp; Man= y=20 other exciting events will be offered.nbsp; For more information on this=20 Festival in Amery, Wisconsin, please call 715-268-8486./STRONG/DIV DIVSTRONG/STRONGnbsp;/DIV DIVSTRONGIt's a great day to look at a bird,/STRONG/DIV DIVSTRONG/STRONGnbsp;/DIV DIVSTRONGAl Batt/STRONG/DIV DIVSTRONG/STRONGnbsp;/DIV/FONT/FONT/BODY/HTML ---1116291104--
