Re: [mou-net] question regarding Superior, WI Gyrfacon
The way I heard it, the Gyr was banded in 2003 by David Alexander and was a 3rd year when he banded it. He trapped it again this year and the upon reading the band number, found it to be the same individual. The bird returned for three of the next four winters, then disappeared for eight years, during which time, who knows where it was. Given how old it was when it was banded, the bird is 14 years, 8 months old and is a male. It is the currently the oldest known wild Gyrfalcon. This bests the old record by nearly three years. --Chris W Madison, WI (currently Duluth, MN) On Tue, Mar 3, 2015 at 5:09 PM, linda whyte bi...@moosewoods.us wrote: Does anyone know if the Gyrfalcon currently overwintering in Superior, WI might be the same one that was seen for a few winters in a row in Dakota County? I don't recall the Dakota one being banded, though I saw it several times. But I have heard that the Superior one was banded by Jackie (Fallon?) over 14 years ago and is the oldest living one in banding record; not that the views we had of it yesterday allowed us to see a band. Nevertheless, this was a very impressive bird to see. We had first sought it in mid-morning with no luck. Having heard it's usually seen between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, we returned to Connor's Point then. Despite 2 hours of diligent searching from just outside the Peavey grain elevator property, we couldn't find it on any of the structures and decided to leave. Before departing, we drove the length of the dead-end road, looking for another glimpse of a Hoary Redpoll we'd seen in a small garden there. While we were doing that, the Gyrfalcon flew into the Peavey property, according to another birder there. We were scrutinizing the structures as we drove out, and Curt spotted the bird just as the other birder was trying to signal us. He and Rob worked to find good scoping scoping points. The bird had landed on the northwest corner (harbor side) of a tall, square stanchion of metal struts in front of the building with the red Peavey lettering. By perching there, it was likely able to scan the nearby flock of mallards foraging on the SE corner of the Peavey rail-lot, without being seen by the ducks. It spent about a half hour perched, facing the sunlight, affording us great looks in our scopes at its facial features and belly. It turned its head over its back, presumably to the oil gland above its tail, and preened a bit. When it lifted a leg to scratch its chin and pick at its talons, I never thought to look for a band. Shortly afterward, around 5:00, it took off, dropping behind the buildings out of our sight. We did not re-locate it. It was a magnificent bird to see, and it would be nice to know if it might be the same one that sojourned here in MN. Linda Whyte Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Tour Leader Swallowtail Birding Tours https://www.facebook.com/Swallowtailbirdingtours?ref=hl http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.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
Re: [mou-net] question regarding Superior, WI Gyrfacon
Correction: It was Dave Evans who banded the Gyr and NOT David Alexander. One of these days I'm going to get everyone's names right... sigh... My apologies. Thanks to Frank N and Mike H for catching that and bringing it to my attention. --Chris W On Tue, Mar 3, 2015 at 5:09 PM, linda whyte bi...@moosewoods.us wrote: Does anyone know if the Gyrfalcon currently overwintering in Superior, WI might be the same one that was seen for a few winters in a row in Dakota County? I don't recall the Dakota one being banded, though I saw it several times. But I have heard that the Superior one was banded by Jackie (Fallon?) over 14 years ago and is the oldest living one in banding record; not that the views we had of it yesterday allowed us to see a band. Nevertheless, this was a very impressive bird to see. We had first sought it in mid-morning with no luck. Having heard it's usually seen between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, we returned to Connor's Point then. Despite 2 hours of diligent searching from just outside the Peavey grain elevator property, we couldn't find it on any of the structures and decided to leave. Before departing, we drove the length of the dead-end road, looking for another glimpse of a Hoary Redpoll we'd seen in a small garden there. While we were doing that, the Gyrfalcon flew into the Peavey property, according to another birder there. We were scrutinizing the structures as we drove out, and Curt spotted the bird just as the other birder was trying to signal us. He and Rob worked to find good scoping scoping points. The bird had landed on the northwest corner (harbor side) of a tall, square stanchion of metal struts in front of the building with the red Peavey lettering. By perching there, it was likely able to scan the nearby flock of mallards foraging on the SE corner of the Peavey rail-lot, without being seen by the ducks. It spent about a half hour perched, facing the sunlight, affording us great looks in our scopes at its facial features and belly. It turned its head over its back, presumably to the oil gland above its tail, and preened a bit. When it lifted a leg to scratch its chin and pick at its talons, I never thought to look for a band. Shortly afterward, around 5:00, it took off, dropping behind the buildings out of our sight. We did not re-locate it. It was a magnificent bird to see, and it would be nice to know if it might be the same one that sojourned here in MN. Linda Whyte Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Tour Leader Swallowtail Birding Tours https://www.facebook.com/Swallowtailbirdingtours?ref=hl http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.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
Re: [mou-net] can anyone recommend a good field guide for Norway birds?
The best field guide for anywhere in Europe is the Birds of Europe by Mullarney, Svensson and Zetterstrom The one with the Bullfinch on the cover. It's one of the finest field guides in print. http://www.amazon.com/Birds-Europe-Second-Edition-Princeton/dp/0691143927?camp=1789creative=9325linkCode=ur2tag=discfm-20 --Chris W Madison, WI On Sat, Apr 19, 2014 at 10:34 AM, Jim Charlene Nelson jnel...@runestone.net wrote: Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Tour Leader Swallowtail Birding Tours https://www.facebook.com/Swallowtailbirdingtours?ref=hl http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.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
Re: [mou-net] Luring Owls might be Illegal in MN NO
Wow. Someone apparently doesn't like Mike Hendrickson and felt this would be the perfect thing to attack him over. Bad form there, and, as Terry just pointed out, breaks the rules of the listserve. But this post isn't about Mike (who, by the way, does and has done more for birds and birding in MN, and especially Sax-Zim Bog, than most.), it's about the issue of using fake mice and other, similar lures to attract owls, which I think most of us agree, is unethical. Thank you Mike for bringing this to everyone's attention as it will affect everyone and everyone should have a say in it. Instead of bickering over who said what, let's focus on the pros and cons of this imminent legislation. First, what is the intent here? It would seem to me that the intent is to ban using fake mice to bait owls. That's pretty simple isn't it? The way this law is worded doesn't seem to make it so simple. And maybe the current wording, banning any means used to interact with owls is better for the owls anyway. But as Fr Paul says, it would seem that this wording is going to have some unintended consequences. With the current wording, it would make it illegal for anyone to even imitate an owl without a permit. As mentioned, anyone who is currently an owl surveyor would be required to apply for a permit simply to complete their volunteer survey route. Let me ask some other questions: how many of you saw your first owl while on a guided naturalist walk or with a hired guide? How many of you got into birding because of that experience? How many of you, because of that experience, felt compelled to protect a family of birds that we all love so much? How many of you have seen the joy on the faces of new birders, looking at their very first wild owl? How many of you have been those new birders and gotten hooked because of that? You have your naturalists and guides to thank for that experience. If this legislation goes through as written, that experience will become substantially more difficult to have. Owl walks may cease altogether due to the immense difficulty of finding owls without means of locating them. As Rebecca just mentioned, it would seem to me that even though this particular legislation is focused on owls, it could easily later be expanded to other species. So how much do we protect a species/family at the cost of losing the opportunity to educate others on the importance of protecting a species/family? Or just birds in general. Something to think about. --Chris W Madison, WI (and occasionally Duluth, MN) On Mon, Apr 14, 2014 at 3:44 PM, Chuck Cole cnc...@earthlink.net wrote: Mikes posts ALWAYS contain promotion of his commercial services and are for no other apparent purpose. -Original Message- From: Fr. Paul Kammen [mailto:fr.p...@delanocatholic.com] Sent: Monday, April 14, 2014 3:37 PM To: Chuck Cole Subject: Re: [mou-net] Luring Owls might be Illegal in MN NO I appreciate this post. I realize people will take different opinions on it, but Mike raises some very good points. As a photographer and birder, I do not want to face harassment as a number of people have due to some self-appointed conservation officers in the field declaring themselves the guardian of owls. I have already contacted my local representative who said he would work on amendments to get this language removed, and he agreed with me that it was a bad idea. So at least that is one no vote. MOU is not-for-profit, and I do not feel Mike was promoting himself - rather he was alerting users to a political issue as the session winds down. I feel we can have a civilized discussion on this, and do feel that it unfairly targets photographers and birders who use calls and could have unintended consequences. Thank you, Mike, for this post. Regards, Fr. Paul Kammen On Apr 14, 2014, at 3:28 PM, Chuck Cole cnc...@earthlink.net wrote: I think I am looking at the big picture: all commercial baiting and luring practices should be stopped as professional naturalists clearly and repeatedly say. Your commercial exploitation of the MOU list should also be stopped. You only post in order to promote your commercial guiding and always include ads and links for that. Isn't this a NOT-FOR-PROFIT list and organization? The true not-for-profit groups and their activities are easy to accept, but your efforts are not. Your efforts here show that you are ONLY a commercial exploiter, not a naturalist or part of a not-for-profit group. _ From: Michael Hendrickson [mailto:michaelleehendrick...@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, April 14, 2014 1:59 PM To: Chuck Cole Subject: Re: [mou-net] Luring Owls might be Illegal in MN NO Chuck: You will have to include all the guides such as Kim Eckert, Erik Bruhnke, Sparky Stensaas, Frank Nicoletti and all the folks at nature centers that lead
[mou-net] Sax-Zim Bog Birding today (Mon)
Hi everyone, I was out guiding in the bog this morning, and what a spectacular morning it was! Quantity was low, but by jove did quality make up for it! We started out heading north out of Meadowlands around 10am and quickly found 4 Black-billed Magpies at an old abandoned house. Just south of the T at Correction Line Rd, I spotted an adult Northern Goshawk come zipping out of a barn, flew across the road in front of us, then proceeded to sit up in the top of a tree in the scope quite nicely! It was the best views I've had of a Goshawk in the Bog all winter. Absolutely spectacular! Along Owl Ave, south of Overton Rd, we found a Porcupine, munching on White Pine bark. That was really cool to see! Our next stop was a quick one at the Welcome Center before heading up and checking for the N Hawk-Owl on Owl Ave. When we arrived, the bird was sitting in the birch tree, 10ft off the road. Again, spectacular views. The next stop was at the Admiral Rd feeders where we watched Gray Jays (which, by the way, were seemingly abundant today. We saw them everywhere) Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers and the lone Pine Siskin. Then we headed over to Hwy 7 and saw a beautiful female Snowy Owl sitting on a Telephone pole near the greenhouse. We got to sit and enjoy the bird for several minutes before heading on. Near the Snowy Owl, we found the resident flock of Snow Buntings and enjoyed pretty decent views of those. About a mile south of the greenhouse, we got to enjoy extended, spectacular views of a Great Gray Owl, sitting in a birch tree just east of Hwy 7. Considering it was 2pm, it was a real treat to see! On our way back, through Meadowlands, an adult Goshawk flew over the road in front of us and kept going, out of sight. It was an awesome way to end the day! All in all, it was one of the more spectacular days I've ever had in the bog! -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Tour Leader Swallowtail Birding Tours https://www.facebook.com/Swallowtailbirdingtours?ref=hl http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.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] Sax-Zim sightings today
Hey everyone, I was out in the bog today guiding two clients from the Twin Cities. Even though it was a little chilly (high temp below zero), it was a beautiful day to be out in the bog. Bird sightings from today: Greenfield Rd 27: The usual juvie Male Snowy Owl CR 7 by the greenhouse: The usual female Snowy Owl Admiral Rd: 2 Boreal Chickadees, 3 Gray Jays, 1 Pine Siskin (My first Siskin this year) Stone Lake Rd: N Hawk-owl about a mile out Kelsey-whiteface feeders: 8 Pine Grosbeaks among other things CR 444: The usual Evening Grosbeaks Arkola Rd: lone male Ruffed Grouse Owl Ave: The usual N Hawk-owl CR 7: The usual flock of Snow Buntings No Magpies or Shrikes or Sharp-tailed Grouse, and of course, no Rough-legged Hawks. As far as I know, only 1 Great Gray Owl was seen this evening, apparently after sunset, just north of CR 133 along Hwy 7 on the west side. I'll be out and about tomorrow. -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Tour Leader Swallowtail Birding Tours https://www.facebook.com/Swallowtailbirdingtours?ref=hl http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.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] Sax-Zim Bog birding today-Mon: N Goshawk, Great Gray Owl, N Hawk-Owl, Snowy Owl
Hey everyone, First just want to say that the festival this past weekend was awesome. It was good to see a full festival and I hope that everyone who attended had a great time! I also want to thank everyone who worked hard to make the festival possible and to all the field trip leaders. It was a fun weekend! Now, on to today: I guided three birders from Ohio around Sax-Zim Bog today. When we started out this morning, it was windy and blowing snow. Nonetheless, undaunted, we headed up to McDavitt Rd and cruised around looking for a Great Gray Owl. No sign of the GGOW, but we got good looks at Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay and a beautiful, pure white Snowshoe Hare that hopped down the middle of the road. The juvie male Snowy Owl on CR 27 was sitting on a power pole just west of the Spruce it usually sits on. The feeders on CR 444 had about 30 Evening Grosbeaks, RB Nuthatch plus a few other things. The FSZB Welcome Center feeders on Owl Ave were dead, but the N Hawk-Owl was sitting on a dead snag and gave us the deadly, piercing stare. After a quick lunch, we went back up to McDavitt Rd. No Woodpeckers were seen, but we did pick up an adult Northern Shrike about halfway up the bog section. Overall, the day was good. The roads quickly piled up around 6 of snow, but it was a beautiful day to be out and the birds didn't care either way. After leaving my clients, I headed down to Floodwood and checked along Hwy 2 for Hawk-Owls, but there were none to be found. I did see a Magpie along Hwy 29 and a flock of Snow Buntings along CR 133 near Meadowlands. Coming back to Meadowlands, I had a flyover Northern Goshawk on CR 133 just west of Kingfisher Rd. This evening, I cruised Lake Nichols Rd, but came up empty-handed. However, I did hear from a couple birders that a single Great Gray Owl was seen along McDavitt Rd this evening after the snow tapered off. -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI (currently Meadowlands, MN) Tour Leader Swallowtail Birding Tours https://www.facebook.com/Swallowtailbirdingtours?ref=hl http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.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] Lake County + Ely yesterday.
Hey everyone, I'm up in Meadowlands, MN this weekend to guide field trips for the Sax-Zim Bog Winter Birding Festival. I drove up on Tues and spent all day yesterday puttering around in Lake County and headed up to Ely. I have two words: dead silent. I think I could count on one hand the number of birds I saw. Besides Ravens, I saw one Pileated Woodpecker in Lake County. Ely was similarly quiet. The Mountain Ash were loaded to the breaking point with berries, but no Waxwings or Solitaire. I stopped over at the Blue Heron BB where I found a flock of Evening Grosbeaks. Not much else of note though. I spent a few hours puttering around Ely, exploring the snow sculptures and the Wolf Center. Then I headed south along Hwy 21 to Embarrass where I picked up a couple Pine Grosbeaks, then headed down to Virginia, crossed the Laurentian Divide and headed south to Sax-Zim. Sax-Zim Bog: Gray Jay along Hwy 7 north of Zim Rd two Ruffed Grouse along 7 just south of Zim Rd. Hawk-Owl along Owl Ave in the usual spot, and one of the two Gray Foxes at the Welcome Center came in right on time. The N Saw-whet Owl was in his usual location at the farmhouse along McDavitt. If you'll be at the festival this weekend, see you there! -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Tour Leader Swallowtail Birding Tours https://www.facebook.com/Swallowtailbirdingtours?ref=hl http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.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] Sax-Zim Bog Owl update + Photos
Hey everyone, I spent the past weekend guiding clients around Sax-Zim Bog. I know a lot of people want owl updates, so here's the latest I know of: Great Gray Owls have become rather scarce in the bog itself. They are still present, but haven't been as visible lately. I found only one Great Gray along the North Shore this past weekend. Boreal Owls have also become quite scarce, but two were seen on Sat in the bog (including one I found along Arkola Rd) and one was seen on Sun, also in the Bog. There are currently three Hawk-owls in the Bog that I know of for sure, and possibly a fourth. The two WI Hawk-owls near Poplar, WI and the Door County Hawk-owl are still around as well. I took quite a few photos last weekend and managed to come up with a few good ones. Here are my favorites: Northern Hawk-owl: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8532590007/in/photostream Boreal Owl: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8533698872/in/photostream/ Gray Jay: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8532589825/in/photostream/ Townsend's Solitaire: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8532589601/in/photostream/ Boreal Chickadee: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8533699706/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8533698082/in/photostream/ Black-capped Chickadee: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8532587577/in/photostream/ Rough-legged Hawk: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8533697784/in/photostream/ Great Gray Owl: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8532556089/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8533665396/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8532550915/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/8532552117/in/photostream/ The rest of my photos from this past weekend and more, can, of course, be found at my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto/ Happy Birding! --Chris W, Richland County Tour leader Swallowtail Birding Tours https://www.facebook.com/Swallowtailbirdingtours?ref=hl http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/ http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/%20%0Ahttp://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphotohttp://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/%20%0Ahttp://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.com The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again. (From William Beebe's The Bird: Its Form and Function, 1906) 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] Boreals Still Around?
My understanding is that the TOS tour found two birds today. They also saw the Barrow's Goldeneye, 3 Great Grays, two Hawk-owls and a few Snowies. I have not heard where any of these birds were though. --Chris W Madison, WI On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 9:58 PM, Matt Paulson matpaul...@netscape.netwrote: Hello Duluth Birders, I missed out on last weekend's Boreal Owl madness, but would be able to make the trip this Friday. There haven't been very many reports the last few days; have the owls moved on or have birders stopped looking for them? To be optimistic, I haven't seen any reports of people looking for them but finding none, either. Any recent information will be greatly appreciated. Matt Paulson La Crosse, 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 -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto ch...@mississippiexplorer.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
Re: [mou-net] Snowy Owl - County Road 3 west of Brownsville, MN (near La Crosse)
I'll check on Sat for sure and possibly tomorrow if I go that way. --Chris On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 11:29 PM, Dan Jackson danjack...@lbwhite.com wrote: Today, while scouting for the bus trip that I will help to lead on Sunday for the Houston Nature Center Festival of Owls (Houston, MN), I found a juvenile male Snowy Owl on the north side of County Road 3 a few miles west of Brownsville, MN. When I first spotted it, it was on the bank of a stock pond. After I stopped, the bird got nervous and moved a little farther away. It was at that point, that I realized that it had something fairly large in its talons. The prey item turned out to be a Muskrat. It was large enough that the bird couldn't fly very well and it only moved about 30 yards from the road. The bird was located along County Road 3 about a mile west of the intersection of County Rd 24 and east of the intersection with Cork Hollow Drive. I talked to a passing motorist who lives right there and she indicated that her father-in-law had seen a Snowy in that area earlier this winter. Hopefully, that means that this bird will stick around at least until the field trip on Sunday. If anyone sees this owl in the next couple of days, please keep me posted with its location. It would be nice to share this bird with field trip attendees. Good birding, Dan Jackson Chaseburg, WI (Near La Crosse) www.pbase.com/dejackson Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto ch...@mississippiexplorer.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
Re: [mou-net] Has the NoHa Owl been seen in Lake Co.?
Jason and all, Yes, the Hawk-owl is still present. I would go to the feeders on Blue Spruce Rd in Sax-zim Bog for Evening Grosbeak. They seem to be reliable there in the morning. Good luck! --Chris W On Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 3:52 PM, Jason Caddy j.ca...@hotmail.com wrote: Has anyone seen the Northern Hawk Owl in Lake county recently or the Evening Grosbeaks in Aitkin County at the feeder? I'm trying to plan on what area to bird this weekend if I get the chance. Thanks, Jason caddyminneapolisj.ca...@hotmail.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 -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto ch...@mississippiexplorer.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] Common Crane twitch anyone?
Hi everyone, I live in Southwestern WI and am thinking of chasing the Common Crane near Grand Island, NE this week. My route would take me south through Dubuque, IA to I-80 and I-80 west to Grand Island. If you live near/along or are able to join me when I leave on Tues night, and would like to go, please let me know. I can fit 3, maybe 4 others in my car. -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto chris.w.bir...@gmail.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
Re: [mou-net] Houston County Swans
This is getting to be pretty typical in recent years. I'm told they've done some dredging of the river at Alma and the food supply dropped due to deeper water and it doesn't support swans any longer. Brownsville overlook has been the best place to see Tundra Swans for the last few years now. I was out on the river further south (pool 9 south of Lansing, IA) and saw a raft of about 50,000 Canvasback. Other duck numbers are still low as of yet. --Chris On Sun, Oct 30, 2011 at 8:22 PM, Ned Winters nwint...@isd.net wrote: Four of us did our annual Halloween Swan trip this weekend. They are there but not in great numbers yet. According to USFWS at the Brownsville overlook, they are running about a week and a half later than normal, probably due to mild weather and abundant food in the northern climates. We found about 200 swans at Brownsville, Houston County. Approx 50 at Weaver Bottoms, Wabasha County. None at Reick's Lake, Alma, WI and about 100 south of La Crosse off Hwy 35, near Co Rd K. Ned Winters South 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 -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto ch...@mississippiexplorer.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
Re: [mou-net] costa rica
Charlene and all, There's only one. The Birds of Costa Rica by Garrigues and Dean. It's the one with the Toucanet on the front cover. Mine weathered quite well. :) --Chris W, Richland County, WI Sent from my iPod On Oct 21, 2011, at 10:12, Charlene Nelson jnel...@runestone.net wrote: any suggestions for field guide? will be there in 40 days! Charlene Nelson Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html 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] Hummingbird, late Hennepin County
I always recommend leaving feeders up until Dec 1st or until you can't keep them from freezing. Whichever comes first. --Chris W, Madison, WI Sent from my iPod On Oct 1, 2011, at 19:18, Thomas P. Malone tmal...@bgs.com wrote: Sue's post raises a question: does anybody still have feeders out? Is anybody else seeing hummingbirds? I usually take my feeders down on Oct 1 but since Sue saw a bird I don't want to have a hungry migrating bird not be able to find food. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thomas P. Malone Attorney at Law Barna Guzy Steffen Minneapolis Minnesota tmal...@bgs.com (Via BlackBerry) - Original Message - From: Minnesota Birds MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Sent: Sat Oct 01 13:41:56 2011 Subject: [mou-net] Hummingbird, late Hennepin County So much for the old adage that hummers leave the Metro area on September 25! I have one here right this minute, thoroughly enjoying the fresh nectar I put out yesterday. Had not seen them since last Sunday so I figured they all saw the calendar... Also, a pair of Blackburnian warblers chasing around. Sue on Melody Lake, Edina Sent from my iPad Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html 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] Wisconsin Point, Tues morning- PACIFIC LOON
Hey everyone, My good friend Erik Bruhnke (of Naturally Avian) and I spent the morning birding Wisconsin Point (Superior, WI) yesterday morning. Had a pretty decent haul despite the relative lack of birds. The morning started gray and dismal with drifting fog out over the lake that made visibility quite poor. Eventually, the clouds lifted somewhat, but visibility remained less than ideal all morning. The star of the morning was the adult PACIFIC LOON that was found during Jaegerfest. Alas, I have no photos though. The bird was sitting low in the water about a mile out. Even with the scope at 60X it was difficult to identify, but we eventually made out the white throat, obviously small bill, dark back, etc. Other birds for the morning included: about a thousand Greater Scaup, a few Redhead Ducks 1 Green-winged Teal around ten-thousand gulls (Bonaparte's, Ring-billed and Herring), 1 1st winter Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Franklin's Gull 1 Common Loon, 4 Horned Grebes, 6 Sanderling, 2 Black-bellied Plover, 1 Am Golden Plover, 1 Dunlin, After Erik took off, I birded a little bit farther down the point and came up with: 3 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 American Pipit, 4 species of Warblers (Myrtle, Palm, Nashville and Orange-crowned), White-throated, White-crowned, Song and Swamp Sparrows, both Kinglets, 1 Hermit Thrush, 6 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a few Flickers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker, 1 flock of Cedar Waxwings and about a dozen Bald Eagles. I left Duluth at 5:30 ish and arrived home at 11pm last night. (that story later) Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.com http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/ http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/%20 http://www.nabirding.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again. (From William Beebe's The Bird: Its Form and Function, 1906) 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] Wisconsin Point addendum/warning
Hey everyone, Let the following narrative serve as a warning and reminder to everyone who visits Wisconsin Point: After a quick lunch, I drove down to the end of the point to look for Harris' Sparrow. There was a couple parked down on the bay side looking out at the bay. Otherwise, there was nobody else around. I parked near the 3-way split in the road where the thick brush where the sparrows usually hang out. I then walked down the middle fork and just around the corner, barely out of sight of my car. I wasn't gone for more than a few minutes at most. When I returned, I FOUND MY DRIVERS SIDE MIRROR SMASHED AND THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW SHATTERED AS IF SOMEONE HAD SWUNG A BASEBALL BAT THROUGH IT. I spent the next 3 hours cleaning up the glass, filing a police report and patching the window with plastic and duct tape. Now I have to replace the mirror and window, all at my expense. I can barely afford repairs to my car as it is without someone else incurring more Whoever the sorry excuse for a human who did it is, I sincerely hope when they're caught, they spend the next ten years sitting in a jail cell. Do note that this type of vandalism has been occurring on WI Point for YEARS and the City of Superior has DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. I severely doubt they will do anything about it in the future either. The cop I talked to acted like this stuff happens every day and it was OUR fault for parking our car on the point. Therefore, I highly recommend to everyone who visits, that as long as this stuff is still going on, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR. For ANY reason. That is, unless you really like repairing broken windows. End rant. To any would be vandals who might be reading this: I will be installing a video camera in my car so that you'll be on film next time you decide that I don't need windows in my car. On a side note, I talked to Peder Svingen who said that there have been no Jaegers and no Sabine's Gulls seen in Duluth since Sunday afternoon. Seems as if the front that came through moved everything out and nothing came in behind to fill their place. That was demonstrated by the lack of species numbers at the point. Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ ch...@mississippiexplorer.com http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/ http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/%20 http://www.nabirding.com/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again. (From William Beebe's The Bird: Its Form and Function, 1906) 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] Use of Radios
Here in WI, the WSO uses Channel 11, sub-channel/code 22. (11/22) I've seen other birding clubs in other states use that channel as well. --Chris On Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 10:20 PM, Rick Hoyme rho...@comcast.net wrote: The channel 6 sub-channel 6 was selected by Kim Eckert for the Minnesota Birding Weekends. As a result the birders that go on his trips have their radios set that way and others have followed. I think it was pretty much a random selection. Rick Hoyme rho...@comcast.net LinkedIn Profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickhoyme Rick Hoyme -Original Message- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of Alex Watson Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2011 8:06 PM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Use of Radios Greetings, Is there a MOU advocated radio frequency that birders are encouraged to use while out and about? I have heard Channel 6 sub channel 6 is good to use but don't know the origin of that information. Alex Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/ http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto ch...@mississippiexplorer.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] Sax-Zim Bog today + Canal Park yesterday
Hi everyone, A couple of my friends and I spent the day in the bog today. We arrived right around sunrise and left shortly after sunset. Winter finches are almost nonexistent. Our entire tally was 10 C Redpolls along Highway 16 north of the bog proper. Pine Grosbeaks were fairly common with several hanging around the feeders on Arkola Rd and a few flocks flying over in various places. Black-capped Chickadees were dirt common everywhere, but we did manage to find two Boreal Chickadees at the feeders on Admiral Rd and heard one at the feeders on Arkola Rd. Lots of Red-breasted Nuthatches around too. Interestingly enough, our 3rd bird of the morning was a Great Gray Owl along Highway 16 between Highway 25 and 5. The N Hawk-owl at the south end of McDavitt was still present this evening. These were the only two owls we saw. 4 N Shrikes, a Rough-legged Hawk along the west end of Arkola Rd, Blue and Gray Jays, 20 or so Ruffed Grouse, a Mourning Dove and a White-breasted Nuthatch made up most of the rest of the birds we saw today. No sign of any Black-backed or 3-toed Woodpeckers at all. McDavitt was completely silent and there was very little sign of any recent workings in the area, nor was there any trail into the trees near the road. Yesterday afternoon, we checked out Canal Park. Tally was: Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull (several of them Kumlien's Gulls), Great Black-backed, Glaucous. I'm fairly certain I had a juvie Lesser Black-backed over the Superior Landfill too, but I couldn't be 100% sure since it was flying fairly high. Did have a Peregrine Falcon flyby as we were driving through Duluth too. -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto chris.w.bir...@gmail.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] FYI: (out of state) Ross's Gull at Keweenaw Bay in Michigan's U.P.
Hey everyone, Thought that birders in Northeastern MN might want to know about this. This was posted on the MI-listers listserve at 0830 this morning: All- Joe Kaplan just called and is looking at an adult Ross's Gull in Keweenaw Bay. He is standing at the first overlook down from L'Anse overlooking the bay, and the bird is at fair distance. He also mentioned that some of the folks participating (in the Keweenaw Bay CBC) feel there is a 2nd Ross's Gull present with the first bird, but from what I could gather it may not yet be confirmed. The identity of the first bird, Joe said, is not in doubt. It had pink underparts, gray underwing, wedge-shaped tail, etc. Good Birding, Caleb Putnam Caleb G Putnam Sparta, MI larus10 AT hotmail.com -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto chris.w.bir...@gmail.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] Google map of this winter's Ross's Gulls
Hi everyone, I have mapped out the locations and dates of the 5 Ross's Gull reports so far. Thought people might be interested in seeing the distribution so far. Seems to me that more Ross's Gulls might be found if local birders search every reservoir or lake between Lincoln, NE and Denver, CO. (not that you aren't doing that already. :D ) When the second SD report came in, I almost expected it to be at Lake Oahe. Interesting that one hasn't turned up there. That's where the Feb '08 Ivory Gull was. If I have made any mistakes in dates or if you have any information to add, I have set the map so that anyone may edit it. Let me know if any problems come up. Here's the link: *http://tinyurl.com/263sszu* -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto chris.w.bir...@gmail.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] FYI: (out of state) Ross's Gull at Lake Yankton, NE
Hey eveyone, Just in case anyone's interested in this, a Ross's Gull was found this morning off the Swimming Beach at Lake Yankton along the Nebraska/South Dakota state line, not far from Sioux City, IA. http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NEBD.htmlhttp://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NEBD.html The Denver Ross's Gull was also still present this morning as well. That makes two Ross's Gulls within a week of each other! Might want to double-check all Bonaparte's Gulls... -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto chris.w.bir...@gmail.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] Possible female Barrow's Goldeneye at Brownsville (Houston county?)
Hi everyone, I just received a secondhand report of a female Barrow's Goldeneye at the Mississippi River overlook platform at Brownsville, MN yesterday. I did not get any details, nor photos and you all know how difficult this ID can be, so for anyone in the area, a confirmation of this bird would be nice. -- Happy Birding! --Chris W, Madison, WI http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto chris.w.bir...@gmail.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
