[mou-net] Sharing
I would like to propose a foundational principle for birding: SHARE Share your sightings, on MOU, on other sites, on a phone chain, whatever, but share. Why? 1) We are a relational species, not sharing violates deep parts of our being 2) Joy is greater shared 3) Sharing helps bring on the fence newer birders farther into the fold 4) Sharing allows for discussion, ID confirmation, further learning 5) Sharing states to the other, I trust you, building ethics commitment 6) Sharing allows birders not to throw The Loon across the room upon learning a life, state or county bird was 10 minutes away - a year ago. We realize there are risks, but the rewards far outstrip them. IMHO Al Schirmacher 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] E Screech Owl, not present, Minnetonka, Hennepin Co
Many folks have asked about our screech owl. I check our video camera every day and the owl has not been in the box. We have not seen the screech owl yet this fall/winter season. Maybe the mild weather has allowed it to stay away from the box. Barred Owls have been regulars in the yard for a year. That might also be an issue for the screech owl. I won't post again until I see the screech owl. George Skinner and Anne Hanley 15330 Lynn Terrace Minnetonka, MN 952-936-0811 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] Barred Owl, visible, Minnetonka, Hennepin Co
A Barred Owl is visible in the Norway Spruce off our rear deck. It can only be seen from inside the house. You may call to see if it still here before stopping by. It seems to be sleeping. Barred Owls have been regulars in the yard for a year. They nested near by (not found) but not in the box I put up. I did get to see one fly to the box in the spring. George Skinner and Anne Hanley 15330 Lynn Terrace Minnetonka, MN 952-936-0811 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] Glaucous-winged Gull rebound at Canal Park noon 12/23
Mike Hendrickson just refound the bird sitting on the water out from the breakwall at Canal Park with Herring Gulls. Bob Dunlap 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] Shrike in Roseville
A shrike was in Ladyslipper Park in Roseville about 2pm today. Flying between trees near the street. Same place as reported by Gail W a week or so ago. Mark Martell Director of Bird Conservation Audubon Minnesota 651-739-9332 Sent from my HTC Inspire™ 4G on ATT
[mou-net] Northern Shrike [Richfield, MN]
Spotted one Northern Shrike at the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield MN. Was feeding and flying - and was visible from the trail that cuts through the center of the lake. Ed Reilly 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] Snowy owl, downtown Minneapolis, Hennepin Co
Just had a Snowy Owl fly over when Glenwood Ave crosses 394 in DT Minneapolis at 1750! Been driving in area near here and Twins stadium, have not relocated--was on 394 when this huge white owl flew right over my car! Looking up (luckily), Alex Cruz Hennepin Co Sent from Alex's iPhone. 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] Glaucous-winged Gull, Duluth
Hey all- I'm not out to rain on anyone's parade, but I might. I'd be really interested to hear the opinions of some West-coast gull-meisters on this individual. From all of the photos I've seen, the color patterns are (obviously) good for Glaucous-winged Gull, but a lot of the structure is iffy. My chops in terms of gull ID aren't great, but I birded for a year or two in the Seattle area, and spent many winters in Ithaca NY gulling. However it's been a few years since I have put a lot of time into gulls (Madison doesn't get many unless you go to the dump.) All that said, here's my take on these photos. Every time I look at them, I feel weird about the head shape. This includes two aspects. One is the bill and the other is the crown. The bill just doesn't seem heavy enough for a Glaucous-winged. While it's rather stout, there are a number of photos where it seems too short and too even. Glaucous-winged Gulls generally have honkin' huge bills that are long and have a very heavy tip. This bird's bill seems short and fairly even. There are a few pictures that seem closer in line to expected for Glaucous-winged Gull, but the best photos (like this one: http://www.pbase.com/karlbardon/image/140493686) show a short, even bill. The other issue well-illustrated in this photo is the steep forehead. In my experience, and perusing lots of photos around, Glaucous-winged Gulls have a flat head and flat forehead sloping slowly down to the bill, even moreso than the similar feature on a Herring Gull. This bird looks more Thayer's-like in that aspect. Another issue is the wing pattern, but this isn't quite as annoying to me. Most of the photos and guides I've looked at say that p10 should have a large white mirror, while p9 will lack a mirror or show a small mirror. This bird has a big mirror. Additionally, most guides and photos show Glaucous-winged Gulls with very little white tongues/moons on p8 and not a ton on p7 (see this photo: http://columbiariverimages.com/Birds/Images09Feb/portland_glaucous-winged_gull_flying_02-16-09.jpg ). I want to be clear, here. These are things about the photos that bother me, given my personal experience with Glaucous Gulls. I'm not calling an ID one way or another on this bird from 9 photos. I hope I'm wrong! I just have a few doubts. I'll probably be up to Duluth to check it out on Monday, if it stays. I'm throwing this out there to get some discussion going, which, I think, is traditional for gulls... Karl, and anyone else who's seen the bird, what do you think about this? Have any western gull folks looked at the photos accumulating? Anyone else who's seen Glaucous-winged Gulls have opinions? Jesse Ellis Madison WI (and currently Saint Paul, MN) On Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 2:59 PM, Karl Bardon karl_bar...@yahoo.com wrote: Beginning at 9:43 this morning, I have been studying an apparent adult Glaucous-winged Gull at Canal Park, Duluth, St. Louis County. I say apparent because of the many complications inherent in identifying large gulls, especially this species. Since Glaucous-winged Gull forms hybrid swarms with multiple other species of gulls (including Glaucous, Western and Herring), where the majority of some local populations are actually hybrids, great must be taken when identifying this species out of range. For now I have posted a single photo on MOU recently seen, but will include a more in depth analysis on my pbase gull pages (www.pbase.com/karlbardon ). Karl Bardon Duluth, 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 -- Jesse Ellis Post-doctoral Researcher Dept. of Zoology University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, Dane Co, WI 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] [mou-rba] Duluth RBA 12/23/11
-RBA *Minnesota *Duluth/North Shore *December 23, 2011 *MNDU1112.23 -Birds mentioned Lesser Scaup Common Goldeneye Hooded Merganser Spruce Grouse Horned Grebe Black-legged Kittiwake Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glaucous Gull Great Black-backed Gull Snowy Owl Red-bellied Woodpecker American Three-toed Woodpecker Northern Flicker Black-billed Magpie Townsend's Solitaire Varied Thrush Yellow-rumped Warbler Chipping Sparrow Hoary Redpoll -Transcript Hotline: Minnesota, Duluth/North Shore Date: December 23, 2011 Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) Reports: (218) 834-2858 Compiler: Jim Lind (jsl...@frontiernet.net) This is the Duluth Birding Report for December 23rd, 2011 sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. A GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL was found by Karl Bardon on the 22nd at Canal Park and was relocated on the 23rd. The BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE was relocated briefly by Karl during the Duluth Christmas Bird Count on the 17th at Canal Park. ICELAND GULLS, GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS, GLAUCOUS GULLS, and THAYER'S GULLS continue to be seen in relatively high numbers at Canal Park. The male BARROWS GOLDENEYE, two COMMON GOLDENEYE X HOODED MERGANSER hybrids, and a late LESSER SCAUP were still present at Canal Park on the 21st. SNOWY OWLS continue to be reported from Duluths Port Terminal area. A total of 63 species were seen on the Duluth Christmas Bird Count on the 17th. In addition to the previously mentioned birds, a VARIED THRUSH was found by Pat Thomas at her feeders at 6219 East Superior Street, and the bird has been seen daily though at least the 22nd. Birders are welcome to look for the bird, but are asked to stay between the driveway and the back door and not venture beyond the back of the house while looking for the bird. A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was also found on the 17th at the 2300 block of 5th Street East. Another TOWNSENDS SOLITAIRE was found on the 18th on the 4200 block of McCulloch Street in the Lakeside neighborhood. A BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE was seen along the Riley Road (CR 280) off Jean-Duluth Road (CR 37) on count day, and a NORTHERN FLICKER was seen along West Skyline Drive at 6th Avenue West. In the Woodland neighborhood, RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS were seen along Wabasha Street and along Mygatt Street, and two HOARY REDPOLLS were seen along Allendale Avenue near Fryberger Arena. Highlights from the Two Harbors Christmas Bird Count on the 18th included an AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER at the Flood Bay wayside rest, a late YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER and a HORNED GREBE at the mouth of the Stewart River, and a late CHIPPING SPARROW along 16th Street on the west side of Two Harbors. Mike Hendrickson and Andrew Nyhus saw a SPRUCE GROUSE on the 21st along Lake County Road 2, 1.5 miles south of MN Highway 1. A SNOWY OWL was seen on the 19th during the Sax-Zim Christmas Bird Count along CR 19, about a mile north of CR 133. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, December 29th. 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 m...@moumn.org, or visit the MOU web site at moumn.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
Re: [mou-net] Sharing
Thanks Pastor Al for making this great point. Sharing is the primary reason I'm on this list - I find out about a bird and try to go find it. People have been so helpful with e-mails and this list in pointing me in the right direction to go to find birds of interest. Have a great Christmas, Fr. Paul 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] Sax-Zim Bog Winter Bird Festival
If you have not registered for the festival there is room but its fil If you have not registered for the festival there is room but its filling up fast so I encourage everyone if you are making plans to attend the festival and have not registered yet please do so soon. We have about 50 spots open for the 2012 festival and so far the turn out is great. We are getting birders from all over the United States. To learn more about the festival and our speakers please visit our festival website at http://sax-zimbog.com/birding-festival/ or visit our main website http://sax-zimbog.com/ and then click on festival tab on the navigation bar. In the last week the following birds have been found in the bog. -Sharp-tailed Grouse -Ruffed Grouse -Northern Goshawk -Rough-legged Hawk -Snowy Owl (2) -Great Gray Owl -Northern Shrike -Black-billed Magpie -Gray Jay -Black-backed Woodpecker -Boreal Chickadee -White-winged Crossbill -Common Redpoll -Pine Grosbeak The following birds have been spotted in Duluth/Superior, WI this week: - Snowy Owl (6) ( 4 in Wisconsin and 2 in Duluth ) -Barrow's Goldeneye -Iceland Gull -Thayer's Gull -Glaucous Gull -Glaucous-winged Gull -Great Black-backed Gull -Peregrine Falcon -Bohemian Waxwing -Varied Thrush -Townsend Solitaire -White-winged crossbill -Pine Grosbeak -Common Redpoll Lots of birds, lots of field trips, great speakers, great meals and lunches and great vendors to visit and shop at!! So please registered soon and be part of the 2012 Sax-Zim Bog Winter Bird Festival. Good Birding!! Mike Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota MikeHendricksonGuiding.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
