[mou-net] tornado takes out GBHE rookery at North Mississippi Regional Park
I saw the story on KSTP 10:00 pm news tonight. Sharon Stiteler was a big player and helped rescue some of the chicks (9? survived). She was in her NPS uniform and only a few trees were still standing. There are photos and text on her blog. Scroll down to view and read the story. This link should open to her blog page, but if not, go to her website "birdchick.com" and click on "blog". Sharon, thanks for the work you do and for helping save some of the young of the year. http://www.birdchick.com/wp/ Gordon Andersson St Paul MN Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Pope county birds
My wife and I did a little birding around western Pope County this weekend – actually very little considering lousy, rainy, stormy weather and out of town visiting family with 4 under 3 years old. Fun but hard to get away to bird! We found pretty much the same good supply of birds as everyone else. I just wanted to post an observation. There are an unusually good number of Bobolinks around. I found Bobolinks in four locations, three within my Breeding Bird Atlas blocks and one within a quarter mile. All with very little effort and within a couple hours time. One was an apparent breeding pair in courtship-type behavior, and right across the road from my farm! I do not think I have ever seen a Bobolink there or anywhere near there. Thinking this must be a fluke or a reflection on my poor observation skills, I told a friend of mine, a retired MN DNR Fisheries guy, and he said he had not seen them in years. Went over to see my cousin and buy tomato plants and he volunteered that he had seen this bird on his postal rural route east of Glenwood. Then my cousin’s granddaughter (who, with her brother, has agreed to help me with my BBA block) said her school group saw 2 Bobolinks on a nature walk outside the school near Glenwood. She proudly told me she had spotted the birds and, when she pointed them out to the teacher, he got really excited. He said he had not seen them in awhile, either. So – although this is by no means a scientific report, at least for this year, it appears that west-central Minnesota has good Bobolink habitat. I plan to follow up for my BBA data. Other “good birds” around: Sora pair Sedge Wrens (lots) Sparrows (Clay-colored, Song, Vesper, and Chipping) (lots) Eastern Kingbirds (many) Bald Eagle pair (on nest) Least Flycatchers (several) Yellow-headed Blackbirds (several) Common Loon (on Lake Latoka) Black-billed Cuckoo calling up the shore of Lake Latoka Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats (all over the place) Orchard Oriole pair Baltimore Orioles (all over) Horned Larks singing There is water everywhere you look. Should be a good year for ducks (and muskrats). Whew – there are a lot of serious muskrat mounds around! Redheads on several larger ponds A few Canvasbacks Blue-winged Teal everywhere Pied-billed Grebes on many ponds No shorebirds except Killdeer Raptors, Many Northern Harriers and Red-tails Turkey Vultures (a few around) Not many Kestrals, though There were lots of migrating warblers and vireos. All-in-all not a bad few hours considering. Sid Stivland Plymouth, MN (and Pope County) Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Blue-winged Warbler - Itasca County - Forest History Center
This morning I found a Blue-winged Warbler singing at the Forest History Center where the paved trail intersects the Swamp Trail. I have posted the best photo I got on Recently Seen. http://www.moumn.org/cgi-bin/recent.pl Also of interest on the Swamp Trail were Canada, Magnolia, and Tennessee Warblers, a Philadelphia Vireo, an Olive-sided Flycatcher, and a Green Heron. The bike ride from my house to the Forest History Center was good for 17 warbler species, with many of them being migrants grounded by the mist as there were Palm, Nashville, Black-throated Green, and Blackburnian Warblers (along with Blue-headed Vireos) singing in residential neighborhood trees. -- Shawn Conrad www.itascacnfbirding.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] about viewing Whooping Cranes
I've received the following message, with specific guidelines from one of the people who monitor the whereabouts of the Whooping Cranes. To many of you, these must be well-known. To me, the specifics were new, and maybe that would be so for others. I originally tried reporting the birds to the RBA, thinking that the safest, but the post would not go through, so I went to the regular list-serves.( Perhaps it was rejected precisely so it would not be entered in the general postings.) It had never occurred to me in my ignorance that the birds might be on something other than a very temporary foraging expedition. I fully expected them to be gone within a day, off back to Necedah. If the birds are choosing to stick around that vulnerable location, my posting may have caused them safety problems, which I regret. I can only hope others are more knowledgeable than I was, and will follow the guidelines provided (Linda Whyte): "My name is Eva Szyszkoski and I work for the International Crane Foundation as part of the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership’s Monitoring and Management Team. We are responsible for monitoring the Whooping Cranes in the Eastern Migratory Population (EMP). We received your report of the two cranes you spotted near Dennison in Rice County, MN on 21 May. Thank you for your report! These two birds are both juvenile males, #’s 1-10 and 8-10. They apparently arrived at this location in Rice County shortly before you reported them. They had previously been at the Necedah NWR in Wisconsin and at a location in Goodhue County, MN. It sounds as though these birds are in a very visible location as we have been getting numerous reports on them. Hopefully they stay out of trouble. One of our major concerns with the birds in the EMP (especially young ones) is the possibility that they will become habituated to people. This is a concern not only for their own safety and well-being, but also for the safety of the public. We ask that observers keep the following guidelines in mind when viewing a Whooping Crane: WCEP (the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership) asks anyone who encounters a whooping crane in the wild to please give it the respect and distance it needs. Do not approach birds on foot within 600 feet; remain in your vehicle; do not approach in a vehicle within 600 feet or, if on a public road, within 300 feet. Also, please remain concealed and do not speak loudly enough that the bird can hear you. Finally, do not trespass on private property in an attempt to view whooping cranes. Also, please do not report the bird on a birding list or to the media, to keep the amount of attention it receives to a minimum." 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] Carver County
Select morning count at Carver Park Eastern Wood-Pewee 4 Willow Flycatcher 1 Least Flycatcher 3 Great Crested Flycatcher 5 Eastern Kingbird 1 Yellow-throated Vireo 3 Warbling Vireo 2 Philadelphia Vireo 2 Red-eyed Vireo 10 Gray-cheeked Thrush 1 Swainson's Thrush 1 Blue-winged Warbler 1 Tennessee Warbler 11 Yellow Warbler 21 Chestnut-sided Warbler 3 (2 female, 1 male) Magnolia Warbler 2 male and female Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 female Blackburnian Warbler 1 female Blackpoll Warbler 3 male American Redstart 48 Mourning Warbler 1 male Common Yellowthroat 18 White-crowned Sparrow 1 Scarlet Tanager 3 (2 male, 1 female) Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2 Orchard Oriole 2 male and female Baltimore Oriole 5 Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] ebird occurrence maps
Have you all seen these VERY COOL occurrence maps that ebird is producing? http://ebird.org/content/ebird/about/occurrence-maps/occurrence-maps Betsy Beneke Sherburne NWR 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] Birding about the metro
I went down on Sunday to see the Whooping Cranes awesome! I am just disappointed that it is a pair of males. I will refrain from any political statement that might really get me in trouble. I found swallows in Sciota township. A large mixed flock of swallows were feeding in the rain, which kept me behind closed windows. I found Cliff, Tree, Bank, and Barn, but most of the swallows on the wire were Cliff with only a few Tree and Bank. Interestingly the Bank Swallows all had light or incomplete bands across their chests. I assumed that these were juveniles, which would mean that the first swallows had already fledged, which seemed too early to me. None of the books showed this plumage. Any comments? On the way back, I stopped at the McKnight Prairie south of Randolph to check out the wildflowers. I was able to walk the trail before the rain drove me off. Flowers there included Purple Avens (Prairie Smoke), Sheep Sorrel, and CrowfootViolet (perhaps two varieties), and some small star shaped flower I haven't a clue. Nighthawks were flying in my neighborhood, but silently. Great crested Flycatchers are calling from the trees. Toads and Copes Gray Tree-frogs are producing a deafening chorus. In my yard, the Showy Orchis is in full bloom! Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN swest...@comcast.net Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
