[mou-net] Western Minnesota

[Steve Weston]

Over Memorial Day weekend we went to western Minnesota to bird and survey for 
the Breeding Bird Atlas.  We found 120 species in Lac qui Parle, Yellow 
Medicine, and Lincoln counties.  Some of the better finds:

Say's Phoebe: Last year's breeding Say's Phoebe returned this year to the 140th 
Street bridge over Florida Creek in Yellow Medicine County.  This year we 
observed a second Say's Phoebe that lacked the tawny pink belly coloration and 
may have been a hybrid from last year's nesting.  I also heard begging calls 
from under the bridge, but I did not investigate.

Prothonatary Warbler in SW Lac qui Parle in the same location as last year 
(private land).

Red-necked Phalaropes (7) seen on Salt Lake.

Wilson's Phalaropes seen in several locations including a copulating pair.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in Lincoln Co.

Great-creasted Flycatcher in both Lincoln and Yellow Medicine.

Trumpeter Swan pair in Lincoln Co.

Other migrants included Swainson's Thrush, Blackpoll, Blackburnian, and 
Magnolia Warblers. 

We also found a badger guarding its den right on the edge of the road.

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

[mou-net] birds in Dakota Co.

[Steve Weston]

Here are directions to some of the locations that we visited on Sunday:

Schaar's Bluff is off of CR42 east (and north) of Highway 55 heading to 
Hastings.

The Sand Coulee area (SNA?) of Hastings is best accessed by turning east from 
CR 316 onto Tuttle Drive and then left onto Thomas Avenue. Make a right turn at 
trail.

UMore Park is in Rosemount and Empire Twp.   The Orchard Oriole was about a 100 
yards west of Akron Avenue on 155th Street on the south side of the road in a 
cottonwood.  The Sedge Wrens were in the field west of the Lone Tree (or 
something like that) parking area off of Station Trail.  Henslow's and 
Grasshopper Sparrows were found here last year.  Bobolinks are abundant.  
Regretably, a map of the park is not easy to find on the web.

Randolph Industrial Park is at Hwy 56 and 284th Street.

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

[mou-net] The 2011 Spring Season

[Paul Budde]

The spring season (3/1 - 5/31) is over.  If you will be submitting a
seasonal report for inclusion in the spring summary to be published in The
Loon or North American Birds, please do so now.  We start working with the
data by 6/15.

We strongly encourage submissions using the MOU website (
 http://moumn.org/).  Look under "Reporting Birds," then
"On-line Seasonal Reporting". Any documentation of rare-regular, casual or
accidental species can also be done on line, at this same website.

If you're not sure of how to use the website, send me an e-mail and I'll
help you navigate it.  If, for some reason, you cannot use the website, send
any paper submissions of seasonal report data to me at the address below.
Paper documentation to be considered by the state records committee should
be sent to the MOURC Chair, Tom Tustison.  

Thanks so much for your observations and the details you provide!

Paul

Paul Budde
4612 Colfax Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55419-5336
pbu...@earthlink.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

[mou-net] Sibley County Sightings (long)

[Jason Caddy]

I went to Sibley county yesterday to check for the Prothonotary Warbler south 
of Henderson and to explore the rest of the county. I was not disappointed in 
any respect. I first stopped at Ney Nature Center just to the east of Henderson 
on the Scott/Le Sueur County border where there were several Clay-colored 
Sparrows singing. I then went to the oxbow lake that is just south of town at 
6:00am and immediately heard the Prothonotary singing loudly with its 6 
consecutive "sweets". Actually seeing the bird was a whole other issue. I 
carefully scanned from a muddy bank for about 20 minutes while getting eaten 
alive by mosquitoes and gnats but I finally got a good view of this state first 
bird! The only other places I have seen them were in WI with a terrible view 
and a great view in a Costa Rica mangrove. On the way to Rush River State 
Wayside I found a nice Lark Sparrow from the dirt road. At the wayside I found 
singing Eastern Towhees and Field Sparrows. I then headed west on 19 and found 
Bobolinks in many locations. At the Winthrop sewer ponds were Brewer's 
Blackbird, Redheads, Wood Ducks and a Ruddy Duck. On both the east and west 
sides of Winthrop were Dickcissels. Further on 19 was a great pond that had a 
Red-necked Grebe, several Gadwall, and Marsh Wrens as well as many 
Yellow-headed Blackbirds on the north side of the road. The Gibbon sewage ponds 
had Northern Shoveler, Redhead and Vesper Sparrows. On C.R. 10 to the northeast 
of Gibbon was a flock of Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and 
Bairds Sandpiper in a flooded field. I am unsure how rare the Baird's Sandpiper 
are this time of year but I had fantastic extended views and checked many 
guidebooks and am 90% sure of this ID. I later found more Redheads and Black 
Tern at a marsh area and a Purple Martin in New Auburn.
 
Last Week I checked out Wadena, Cass and Hubbard counties but did not post 
because I don't think I saw anything too unusual but here is a list of a few 
birds I saw then:
Northern Parula- Hubbard co.
Blackpoll Warbler- Wadena co.
Wilson's Warbler- Wadena co.
Golden-winged Warbler- many locations
Common Tern- Leach Lake
American Woodcock- several displaying on CR 200 in Cass county at 3:45am
Wilson's Snipe- Winnowing at many locations
American Bittern- "pumping" in Cass co.
Eastern Towhee- Wadena co.
Brewer's Blackbird- Wadena co.
Western Meadowlark- Wadena co. I did not here it call and am basing this off of 
the MOU occurrence likelihood (eastern vs. western)
Two "southern" birds seen were two Red-bellied Woodpeckers Wadena co. and Wild 
Turkey in Wadena and Cass county's. I am unsure if these are unusual this far 
north. 
I was really hoping to see Prairie Chickens but searched several areas with no 
luck.
Good Birding,
 
Jason Caddy
Minneapolis
  

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] Notes on Mississippi Kite @ Girard

[Christopher Wood]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the brief messages earlier--was hoping someone else was at the
park and could look up and see the kite. Anyway, while I was not able to
find the White-eyed Vireo at Lake Girard Park, I did find a 1st-summer
Mississippi Kite that gave excellent views. Below are some notes that I
entered into eBird and MOURC.

**VERY RARE. I wasn't having much luck finding the vireo, so I started
scanning for raptors, herons or other flyovers given the hot conditions. The
first raptor I saw was a first-summer MISSISSIPPI KITE! It was circling
slowly, perhaps 175 meters overhead and slightly to the east. It circled and
glided the entire time I watched it. It got within about 50 meters at it's
closest, when it dropped and caught something (dragonfly perhaps) and ate in
on the wing. It eventually drifted off to the north.

I immediately knew what it was by it's shape and flight style. It was
similar in shape to a Peregrine, but slightly narrower wings, narrower tail
and more fluid wingbeats. It's body appeared largely gray, pale head with
dark around the eyes (eye color not seen well). There may have been one or
two indistinct streaks on the lower belly and perhaps a bit of faint
smudging on undertail coverts, but the overall appearance of the body was
gray. The underside of the wings appeared darker with primaries appearing
brownish (worn and lighting). The tail had two distinct tail bands, at least
on the innermost rectrices; the outermost appeared uniform. Most of the
underwing coverts appeared mottled/streaked with buffy, but those nearest
the wings (greater primary and secondary coverts) appeared almost as a
darker band with pale tip. These feathers may have had pale centers, but it
was too far to be certain. Most of the time, and when the bird was distant
away, it appeared fairly uniform below, and could have been mistaken for an
adult were it not for the tail, rather worn (faded, not heavily abraded)
primaires and secondaries, and the "unkept/messy" look to the underwing
coverts. I did not see the upperparts well.

Best,
Chris Wood

eBird & Neotropical Birds Project Leader
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York
http://ebird.org
http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu


Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net
Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html

Re: [mou-net] Mississippi kite

[Christopher Wood]

Sorry. That is Giard Park. Visible from west side still.

Chris Wood
Ithaca, New York
http://ebird.org

On Jun 6, 2011, at 1:23 PM, Christopher Wood  wrote:

There is a mIssissippi kite over guard wevi spot  going north right now.
Fairly high.

Chris Wood
Ithaca, New York
 http://ebird.org


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] Mississippi kite

[Christopher Wood]

There is a mIssissippi kite over guard wevi spot  going north right now.
Fairly high.

Chris Wood
Ithaca, New York
http://ebird.org


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] Henslow's Sparrow range in Minnesota?

[Eric Harrold]

There is at least one in Glacial Lakes State Park this season. Haven't checked 
a range map to see just how far north one should find them. 

Eric Harrold


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] Dakota County

[Steve Weston]

We had a successful MRVAC field trip in Dakota County finding many of our 
target grassland birds.  We started out at Schaar's Bluff, then hit the Coulee 
area in Hastings, UMore Park, finishing at Randolph Industrial Park.  I hope 
that anyone of my participants who stayed through the hike into the Coulee are 
sufficiently recovered and are not cursing my "easy" field trip.  The birding 
was fantastic.  The highlight of Schaar's bluff was a pair of Yellow-billed 
Cuckoos.  We also found Indigo Buntings, a nesting Wood Pewee, and Indigo 
Buntings.  We had excellant looks at Brewer's Blackbirds on the road outside of 
the park.  At the Coulee we found nesting Hairy Woodpeckers, Lark Sparrows, and 
a quiet Olive-sided Flycatcher.   At UMore Park we watched as an Orchard Oriole 
built her nest under the watchful eye of a first year male as a mature male 
occassionally flew in to mess in.  We also had a pair of Eastern Meadowlarks, 
one carrying food.  At the horse park of UMore we found a Grasshopper Sparrow, 
a field of Bobolinks and Sedge Wrens, one of which did the splits for us, but 
no Henslows calling.  The few birders I who had not dropped in exhaustion, 
joined me at Randolph Industrial Park.  there, I counted at least 18 singing 
Dickcissels.  We also had several western Meadowlarks, and many Savanah 
Sparrows, a Spotted Sandpiper, a Coot, and Horned Larks.  After that I dropped 
by Lake Byllesby, which is now at summer recreational levels with little sand.  
There were only five or six pelicans left.  I did find a late L. Yellowlegs.

Butterflies seen included white Sulphur, Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, 
Monarch, Viceroy, and a Checkerspot,  Flowers in bloom included Lupine, 
Penstomon (Beardstongue), Puccoon, Kittentails, geraniums, Virginia Waterleaf, 
Wood and Shepards Sorrel,  most of the fruiting trees and bushes, strawberries.

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

[mou-net] White-eyed Verio has moved

[pmegeland]

After posting I went out in the yard and I did not hear bird so I walked around 
Giard Park which is just accross France Ave. I had just finished walking around 
the Park and again heard the bird along France on the Giard Park side of the 
road about one third of the way between Shepard Hill Drive and 84th St.
Paul Egeland




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] White-eyed Verio

[pmegeland]

I currently have a White-eyed Verio singing in my back yard. It is only singing 
sporadically but I have had two good looks at the bird. It is in the small 
wooded area of my yard, hard to see but the song is diagnostic.
Paul Egeland
8633 Harrison Circle 
bloomington
952 897 3889




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] Black-throated Blue Warblers at Tettegouche State Park

[Chris Edwardson]

In case anyone is interested in locating Black-throated Blue Warblers in
their nesting territory, Chris and I located 3 singing males along the
Superior Hiking Trail to Mt. Trudee from the Trail Center at Tettegouche
State Park yesterday.  One was just up from the "Drainpipe" and one was at
the top of Mt. Trudee.  There was also at least one Black-billed Cuckoo
calling in a wet wooded area along the same trail about 1.5 miles from the
Trail Center.
Cindy Edwardson



-- 
Chris Edwardson
Wood Technology Consulting Services
31 E. Arrowhead Rd.
Duluth, MN  55803
218-724-6357


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] Hudsonian & a few more shorebirds, Aikin County

[hags...@aol.com]

I wasn't sure where the flooded fields referred to Pastor Al were, so I 
searched on Cty 15 going west out of Aitkin and Cty. 1 going north out of 
Aitkin.  There are flooded fields in both directions.  I had luck with one 
Hudsonian Godwit sharing a small wet, grassy patch north of Aitkin on County 
one, just before the curve to the right about a mile north of town.  A few 
White-rumped and Semipalmated Sandpipers where in a field on the east side of 
Cty 1, .5 mile north of Cty 55.  The 1st time I passed by on Cty 15 there were 
no shorebirds visible.  On a return pass, a massively flooded field on the 
south side of the road had shorebirds on the distant shore.  The only one I 
could safely identify was a Dunlin.  The rest looked like sandpipers.

Linda Sparling




Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net
Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html