[mou] Duluth RBA 12/20/07
-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *December 20, 2007 *MNDU0712.20 -Birds mentioned Thayer's Gull Glaucous Gull Northern Hawk Owl Great Gray Owl American Three-toed Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker Mountain Bluebird Townsend's Solitaire Varied Thrush Bohemian Waxwing -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore Date: December 20, 2007 Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) Reports: (218) 834-2858 Compiler: Jim Lind (jslind at frontiernet.net) This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, December 20th, 2007 sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. A NORTHERN HAWK OWL was found on the 14th in the Sax-Zim Bog at CR 7 and the Sax Road (CR 28), and it was still present on the 17th during the Sax-Zim Christmas Bird Count. Another NORTHERN HAWK OWL was found on the 15th in Duluth along Airpark Boulevard, a quarter mile west of Rice Lake Road (CR 4), but it has not been relocated. Butch Ukura found a GREAT GRAY OWL in Aitkin County on the 12th along the Pietz Road, 2.9 miles north of CR 18. Allison Clarke reports that the VARIED THRUSH at her home at 226 Ridgewood Road in east Duluth was seen on the 20th and birders are still welcome to look for the bird. A female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was found by Joe Hudick on the 18th at the Grand Marais Coast Guard station. This is possibly one of the birds that were present in November. Joe also saw 400 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in Grand Marais on the 19th. On the 17th, Debbie Waters reported a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at the Northland Country Club in Duluth. Check the coniferous trees that are across from Old Howard Mill Road and run perpendicular to Skyline Parkway. Another TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was found on the 15th at 1511 Skywood Lane in Duluth. In Lake County, a TOWNSEND?S SOLITAIRE was found in Two Harbors on the 16th at 8th Ave. and 18th Street, and another was found at the municipal campground. An AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER was seen on the 15th in the Hunter's Park neighborhood of Duluth at Lewis Street and Columbus Avenue, and another was seen at a private residence along Arrowhead Road. A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was found at Hawk Ridge on the 15th along Skyline Drive near the Superior Hiking Trail. A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was found on the 17th in the Sax-Zim Bog along Lake Nichols Road, 1.1 miles west of US Highway 53. Peder Svingen found a first-cycle and a second-cycle GLAUCOUS GULL at Canal Park on the 16th. A THAYER'S GULL was seen here on the 15th, and another was found on the 16th at Knife River. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, December 27th. The telephone number of the Duluth Rare Bird Alert is 218-834-2858. Information about bird sightings may be left following the recorded message. The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum, e-mail us at mou at moumn.org, or visit the MOU web site at moumn.org. -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/21878a5f/attachment.html
[mou] St. Paul CBC--Almost a Ross's Gull
Bruce Fall sent me a map showing the locations of his Ross's Gull sightings on the 15th. Despite our best efforts, it appears that the bird missed our count circle by about a half-mile. Julian -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/3f138b3e/attachment-0001.html
[mou] MRVAC Trumpeter newsletter
The January/February issue of the Trumpeter Newsleter of the Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter is now available online at: http://home.comcast.net/~mrvac/Jan2008.doc Also check out the newly revised fieldtrip list at: http://home.comcast.net/~mrvac/fieldtrip.doc Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN sweston2 at comcast.net -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/6fa90a59/attachment.html
[mou] St. Paul (North) CBC Results
The St. Paul CBC on 12/15 found 55 species, down from our record of 62 last year but within the range of the last 10 years. There were no real rarities, but good finds included Northern Harrier and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. A surprising number was the total of only three gulls--two ring-billed and one herring. The center of our circle is the intersection of County Road B and Dale Street, in Roseville. The circle extends from northern North Oaks on the north to parts of Minnehaha, Hidden Falls, and Crosby Parks and Pig's Eye Lake on the south, and from east of Century Avenue on the east to downtown Minneapolis on the west. So it's very much an urban and first-ring suburban count. We always have open water at a few places on the Mississippi and at the outflow of the Pig's Eye wastewater treatment plant (where 18 of our 19 Great Blue Herons and 10 species of waterfowl were present). In the Mallard competition, we didn't do very well: 5,488. Julian -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/81dfc831/attachment.html
[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Thursday, December 20, 2007
-RBA *Minnesota *Detroit Lakes *December 20, 2007 *MNDL0712.20 -Birds mentioned Tundra Swan Gray Partridge Sharp-tailed Grouse Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Mourning Dove Great Horned Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker American Three-toed Woodpecker Black-backed Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Northern Shrike Gray Jay Black-billed Magpie Brown Creeper Bohemian Waxwing Snow Bunting Northern Cardinal Purple Finch Red Crossbill Hoary Redpoll Pine Siskin -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes Date: December 20, 2007 Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours) Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru at wiktel.com) This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, December 20, 2007 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may also hear this report by calling (218)847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888. Weather and roads have remained in good condition throughout December in the northwest. We have good snow cover, enough to make walking on ungroomed trails a little harder, but not enough to make it impossible. Christmas Bird Counts are beginning, and conditions seem to be excellent for a good count. Ryan Sansness in Douglas County at Lake Carlos State Park reported that many PINE SISKINS were at the park feeders on December 18, and many flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS could be seen in the Miltona area. Two AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS were seen in Cass County by Dale Yerger on December 17. They were not relocated on December 18. The birds were seen along Cass CR 8 six miles north of the bridge at Federal Dam in the tamarack bog on the east side of the road. On December 18, Ben Wieland reported a HOARY REDPOLL along CR 8, 2 BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES along CR 19, and 3 TUNDRA SWANS on the Crow Wing River below the Sylvan Dam. Doug Johnson reported on the Itasca State Park CBC where the count was held on December 16. Among the species seen were BALD EAGLE, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, BROWN CREEPER, NORTHERN SHRIKE, NORTHERN CARDINAL. 3 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS and 5 GRAY JAYS were seen in Hubbard County,while nine RED CROSSBILLS were found in Clearwater County. 70 EVENING GROSBREAKS were found at Lake Alice in Hubbard County, and some also in Clearwater County. Mary Lou Marchand in Beltrami County reported a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS at her feeder in Bemidji on December 18. Here in Pennington County, there have been BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in Thief River Falls all week. A very late immature YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER showed up at our feeder accompanied by a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER on December 15. Anita Vettleson observed a GREAT HORNED OWL along US 59 in the very southern part of Pennington County on December 19. Maggie Anderson reported that Becky Carlson saw a MOURNING DOVE at the feeder at Agassiz NWR on December 20, and Greg Knutson observed BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS at headquarters also. Larry Wilebski in Kittson County sent a report on December 15 in which he reported 8 GRAY PARTRIDGE, 15 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, PILEATED WOODPECKER, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, one GRAY JAY, and a PURPLE FINCH. On December 16, he saw BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in the county. Thanks to Anita Vettleson, Ben Wieland, Carolyn Towler, Dale Yerger, Doug Johnson, Larry Wilebski, Maggie Anderson, Mary Lou Marchand, and Ryan Sansness for their reports. Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than Thursday each week, at ajjoppru at wiktel.com OR call the Detroit Lakes Chamber's toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders please call 847-9202. Please include the county where the sighting took place. The next scheduled update of this report is Thursday, December 27, 2007. Jeanie Joppru Pennington County, MN -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/e71b188c/attachment.html
[mou] Black Dog Lake (Glaucous, possible Iceland)
Hi everyone, I stopped by Black Dog Lake/Reservoir today from around 4:40-5pm, spending that time near the outlet trying to sort through the distant flock of gulls across the lake. When I arrived a KINGFISHER flew up from below the outlet into the trees, calling as it flew. In the corner of the lake were a few TRUMPETER SWANS (down from the 11 I saw there yesterday morning) and a few Canada Geese (B. c. maxima?). Also in the same area yesterday during the late morning was a female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER below the outlet with a flock of 12+ HOODED-MERGANSERS. I tried to scope the flock of 200+ gulls (mostly HERRING GULLS) but visibility wasn't all that good due to the fading light, cold air in my eyes, and steam off the water. Stil, 4 birds caught my eye among the masses, all were "white winged" gulls (Glaucous, Iceland or Glaucous-winged type birds) however only 1-2 were seen well enough to identify (1 Ad. and 1 1st/2nd year GLAUCOUS GULLS). Bird #1: A 1st or 2nd winter GLAUCOUS GULL. Pale creamy bird with wingtips as pale or paler than the upper parts and a strongly bicoloured bill. Not a super-pale individual though -- very reminiscent of the glaucous gull seen this past Sunday while looking for the Ross's Gull near the 494 bridge. Bird #2: A slighly smaller, paler young bird that was about Herring Gull sized (maybe a bit larger, if anything). I didn't get great looks at this bird as it blended in a little too well with the snow and ice under the poor viewing conditions, the bill wasn't ever seen. Other than the pale creamy white plumage (including wing-tips) I would guess a paler 1st/2nd winter smaller Glaucous or maybe larger Iceland Gull, etc. -- but who knows... Bird #3: Apparently an adult GLAUCOUS GULL. A larger, paler bird than the surounding adult Herring Gulls. The bird was facing away from me and was clearly paler than the nearby Herring Gulls. It had noticable white scapular crescents and wing tips more pale than the upperparts, at times looking almost white (but they could have been grayish white -- again, the poor visibility). I don't have any guides with me, however looking at on-line resources I don't think it could have been something else like Glaucous-winged Gull - the only other option I could think of (?), based on the larger size and pale wingtips. Also, the head was only lightly marked if anything, wing tips obviously paler than the light gray upper parts, large size, etc. Bill and legs were never seen. Bird #4: A similarly pale looking young bird, perhaps a little darker than the other two pale young gulls. This bird was only seen from the back later during my stay, when the light was getting bad -- but it was as pale or a little darker than the young Glaucous, and noticeably paler than nearby 1st winter Herring Gulls. I would guess this was also a young Glaucous Gull based on larger size and pale plumage, however I really didn't see it all that well and couldn't rule out Glaucous-winged or something weird. Wing tips weren't seen really well, but didn't contrast noticeably with the rest of the bird. Good birding, -Paul Hurtado
[mou] MOU RBA 20 December 2007
-RBA *Minnesota *Minnesota Statewide *December 20, 2007 *MNST0712.20 -Birds mentioned Harlequin Duck Barrow's Goldeneye Snowy Owl Northern Hawk Owl American Three-toed Woodpecker Townsend's Solitaire -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota Statewide Date: December 20, 2007 Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) http://moumn.org Reports: (763) 780-8890 Compiler: Anthony Hertzel (axhertzel at sihope.com) This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, December 20th 2007. On the morning of December 16th, Bruce Fall found a BARROW'S GOLDENEYE in a large flock of Common Goldeneyes on the Mississippi River near Point Douglas, Washington County. The following day, two BARROW'S GOLDENEYE were seen here. Bruce also found an adult male HARLEQUIN DUCK in the Mississippi River near the U.S. Highway 10 bridge. A NORTHERN HAWK OWL was in the Sax Zim bog in last week, half a mile west of St. Louis County Road 7 along county road 28. On the 19th, a SNOWY OWL was reported one mile north of highway 40, along Chippewa County Road 9. A pair of AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS was found by Dale Yerger on the 17th along Cass County Road 8, six miles north of the bridge at Federal Dam. On the 17th, Debbie Waters reported a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at the Northland Country Club in Duluth. Check the coniferous trees that are across from Old Howard Mill Road and run perpendicular to Skyline Parkway. Another TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE has been behind the Science Museum in St. Paul, Ramsey County, for about ten days. The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, December 27th 2007. -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/dacff441/attachment.html
[mou] An outrage against hawks and falcons
forward by Jim Williams, Wayzata -- Forwarded Message: -- From: Chuck Hagner To: BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > > We?ve posted a story on our blog about the killing of hawks and falcons by > > pigeon breeders. You can read about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service > > undercover operation that busted several people for Migratory Bird Treaty > > Act > > violations and see photos here: > > > > GO TO http://bwfov.typepad.com > > > > > > Matt Mendenhall > > Associate Editor, Birder's World > > Brookfield
[mou] New birds for the year?
Best bird for the year is the Northern Shrike that I saw out our front window in November. It had chased a song sparrow into the front window, which pushed my "yard" list up to 141. It waited until we were not watching, then came back for the prey. Holly Peirson Columbus, Anoka Co.
[mou] Best New Bird
Having had to think a bit about Derek's comments, I have to say there is no one stand-out memory for a new bird, but rather many. I can visually recall the places where I encountered most of my new lifers, and as for Sue and others, some of these were not pursued, but just serendipitous. Even a known bird can be a memorable joy. A few winters ago, when Rob was undergoing major cancer surgery, my only daily comfort and pleasure, was the unprecedented residence of a little RB nuthatch around my yard. I think it reminded me of times and places beyond the scope of out troubles, keeping me connected to the world at large. I'm still thinking about the question of how I approach improvement of my birding skills, but I know it's a task worth undertaking. Linda Whyte -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/791460a6/attachment.html
[mou] Birders helping other birders
Hi all, At the risk of getting someone from another planet offering me advice, I'm going to explain what I was REALLY asking. I saw a bird in my back yard a while back, and in my mind, it was either one of two species, based upon how it looked to me. So, after I saw it and attempted to binoc it, only to see it fly under our deck, I consulted several of my field guides that I use regularly. I looked up both species and looked at both species range maps for the Minnesota are (I say Minnesota area because the range maps in field guides are so small). I then thought that perhaps the data that made up the range map in my field guide isn't right for Minnesota (that was what birders in Maryland have taught me), so I figured I would look at the seasonal data for the two species on the Minnesota OU website (moumn.org). The thought then occurred to me that if I did use this method to "confirm" my ID, that I might get the ire of the locals if I reported my sighting and stated that I used the MOU data. So, I figured why not ask the locals and see what they thought. I would think that it would be pretty obvious that if someone had a picture or more information to give to others, that they would be able to ID the bird themselves. Instead of getting what I was hoping to get, I wound up getting advice from everyone and his brother on how to be a better birder, how to report bird sightings, what books to read, etc. I posted the information I did, which was based on the look that I had, because I felt that I had a good idea of the posibilities, otherwise, I would have posted more information. Some of you thought I didn't know that I should be more "complete"; well, that was all I had. I saw enough to rule out all but two species in the US, I would think that should be enough. And I don't think that I AM overly sensitive to this attempt at helping me (you should have been at my thesis defense when a member of my committee told me that a method that I had used was incorrect, when it turned out that the questioner was incorrect, and you would have seen how much I can handle), or most other things, for that matter, and I propose that perhaps the answerers aren't answering in the right ways that are truly helpful. They may think they are being helpful, but they are not. I ask a simple question and I get treated like I'm a beginner; I use what supposedly "better birders" than me have taught me, and I get told that's wrong. I get told not to be so sensitive about criticism of sightings and to, "get over your bad experiences with BRC's"; well, you've obviously never had someone tell you that you didn't see a certain bird in a certain place, only to have that person go and see the same bird in the EXACT same place a year later, and get patted on the back for getting a "state first". I'm sorry that some of you take my posts as "tirades", and I'm also sorry that some of you think you're helping me, when in actuality, you are not. I'm not saying I couldn't use help birding, but the way that it's done is lacking something. In my "career" up until this point, I've done a lot of teaching of college students, and I will say that I am not the best at it, which is probably why I have no wantings to go into academia. That being said, I think that I can judge when someone is a good helper and when someone isn't a good helper. I've had teachers tell me a book to look stuff up in when I ask a question, and to me, that isn't good teaching. I'll give you an example that I have carried with me for over 30 years. When I was in high school, taking chemistry, someone asked the teacher what the value of Avogadro's Number was. Instead of giving the student the value (6.022 x 10^23) , he said, "Look it up in your text...". To me, he might have just as well said, "Go away and leave me alone...". I guess the bottom line is, just because someone asks a question, and you give a response, you aren't always helping that person to learn something. If all this is "helping me", I wonder how many birders are driven away by this, because I'm about to quit. I didn't post for quite awhile because birding had lost a lot of the fun for me, and I had gotten to a point where I was ready to come back and bird, now I'm not so sure. Happy Holidays, Richard Richard L. Wood, Ph. D. Hastings, MN rwoodphd at yahoo.com Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/b33c8fad/attachment.html
[mou] New birds for the year?
Absolutely, Derek, your comments could have been written by me! I do check birds off in my field guide, but don't know my life list total. I start listing on paper every New Year, but find I forget to add to the list sometime in the spring. I was truly "wowed" by the irruption of Great Gray Owls a few years ago, and driving north to find them didn't take anything away. But since then, I would rather just happen upon new birds. The acccidental bird that I remember best was a Whooping Crane flying in Florida, near HWY 75 two years ago. Good thing I wasn't driving as I would have put the car in the ditch! Sue on Melody Lake, Edina MN -Original Message- >Subject: [mou] New birds for the year? > >Hello, > >I started birdwatching in the summer of 2005 and finished the year >with 138 species. By the end of 2006 I was at 215 and excited about >chasing after 300 and then on. > >But something happened ... >
[mou] Upcoming Field Trips
I am pleased to announce a field trip on March 15th in the Henderson area. Birders will meet at 8:00am at the Blakeley Township Hall at the intersection of US 169 and 250th St. W. located 3.8 miles south of Belle Plaine. From there birders will explore the Minnesota River Valley on both sides of the river with long time Henderson residents Art and Barb Straub. A complimentary continental breakfast will be provided, but birders should furnish their own lunch. There is a soup and sandwich bar in Henderson where lunch can be acquired. This trip will cover areas in Southern Scott, Northern LeSueur and Eastern Sibley Counties. The trip is free and open to the public. To register or ask questions contact Dolores Hagen at dhagen at closingthegap.com or at 507-248-3559(W) or 507-248-3824(H). Other upcoming events and/or field trips include: Sax-Zim Bog Festival of Birds, February 15-17, 2008. For more info go to moumn.org/sax-zim/ Eagle Bluff Field Trip, June 6-7, 2008. For more info contact me at bxwilliams at cbburnet.com Eagle Bluff is near Lanesboro in Fillmore County and this trip will include Friday night and Saturday birding primarily on the premises as well as lodging and 3 meals for $70 per person. Shorebird Workshop, August 8-10, 2008. For more info go to www.itctel.com/buri/SHOREBIRD As always if you would like to lead a field trip in your area in 2008, please let me know. Happy Holidays and Good Birding in 2008. Bob Williams, Field Trip Coordinator -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/5fa2ba03/attachment.html
[mou] Northern shrike
I saw a Northern Shrike on the Anoka-Ramsey Community College campus today in Coon Rapids. It was perched on a tree on the Mississippi River banks on the southside of campus. Joan McKearnan -- 1487 St. Albans St. St. Paul, MN 55117 651-487-5924 -- next part -- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20071220/b6644c65/attachment-0001.html
