[mou-net] Black-necked Stilt, Wabasha County
I am looking at a pair of Black-necked Stilt south of the city of Wabasha on N Wabasha County Road 24 just west of 155th Ave (or Wrangler Dr). The birds are distant in a wetland on the south side of the road. I don't see any accepted records for Wabasha County on ebird, so they must not be common in this area. I obtained distant photos. Jason Caddy Minneapolis Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/AAb9ysg> General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
Re: [mou-net] Ovenbird Eagan, MN Dakota County
Thanks for the information. I actually saw an Ovenbird today at Pamela Park in Edina. I haven't yet submitted the eBird report to see if it triggers as rare but I'm assuming it will. Jason Caddy Minneapolis From: Minnesota Birds on behalf of Paul Budde Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2022 11:34 AM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: Re: [mou-net] Ovenbird Eagan, MN Dakota County Hi Jan, It's a later bird than usual, as in half the years they are gone from the southern half of the state by 21 October. Ovenbird is one of those warblers that sometimes stick around until quite late in the season. Some extreme dates we've had for this species: 12 Jan 2016 in Hennepin County 8 Jan 1994 in Olmsted County 1 Jan 2009 in Hennepin County (New Hope) 27 Dec 1018 in Hennepin County (Bloomington) 2 Dec 2009 in Hennepin County 28 Nov 2019 in Anoka County Paul Paul Budde pbu...@earthlink.net -Original Message- From: Minnesota Birds On Behalf Of Jan Uden Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2022 12:06 PM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: Re: [mou-net] Ovenbird Eagan, MN Dakota County This morning I watched an ovenbird "walking" in the leaves in my yard. It seems like a late date to me. I found a copy of the Loon that said Oct. 10. What do you think? Also had one junco. Recently brown creeper and red-breasted nuthatch. Birdwatching makes me happy!! Jan Uden General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] Sabine's Gull at High Island Lake, Sibley Co.
I'm very glad that Doug Kieser was able to re-find the Sabine's Gull I found this morning. I tried to relocate the bird with Brian Smith after my initial find and I only had distant views while the bird was flying at the south side of the lake. This lake has amazing habitat but the south side is inaccessible and too distant to see with a scope if there is heat distortion. As a warning, do not attempt to go out on the mud on this lake. I saw what looked like a place that I could go around the lake edge and ended up well past my ankles in mud (luckily I had brought a spare pair of shoes and socks.) There was an unfortunate fawn on the other side of the lake that didn't look as lucky as me. It looked like it was truly stuck in the mud, like quicksand. Other birds of interest: Yesterday I found a male Black-throated Blue Warbler on the south side of Minnehaha Creek just east of Dupont. The Leconte's Sparrows are still present at Severance WMA but to the south and east of the previous pins. The Eared Grebe is still present at the Gaylord sewage ponds. Good birding! Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.ca...@hotmail.com General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] Sabine's Gull High Island Lake, Sibley County
I am currently looking at a juvenile Sabine's Gull at High Island Lake in New Auburn, Sibley County. I'm not sure if this bird has been reported yet so I thought I'd give a heads up. Jason Caddy Minneapolis Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Obtener Outlook para Android<https://aka.ms/AAb9ysg> General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] Acadian Flycatcher on Minnehaha Creek at Logan, Minneapolis
On my lunch break today, I came face-to-face with an Acadian Flycatcher along the Minnehaha Creek where it crosses under Logan on the west side of the road and the south side of the creek (South of Lake Harriet.) Several years ago, I heard what sounded like an Acadian Flycatcher on the Minnehaha Creek just west of Lydale but I was never able to see that bird and it was not re-found. This time I am 100% sure. I played the song of Acadian Flycatcher singing from ebird as the bird was singing just a few feet away from me and it was a perfect match. The bird was an obvious empidonax flycatcher that was quite yellowish overall. On a side note, did anyone notice that the 9th through the 14th of May this year was the best warbler migration ever in the Twin Cities (or at least in Minneapolis/ Richfield?) I can't believe how many warblers I saw last week. I saw 20+ species all six days in a row and I was working that week! Also, I was able to do a Big Day on May 14th and ended the day with 136 species, the most I've seen in Minnesota in a day. I didn't really plan it very well and it was a relaxed pace, I even incorporated my weekly Roberts Sanctuary walk into the Big Day, but it still worked out well. There was a group of young birders that did a Dakota County Big Day that same day and ended up with 142 species. Those pesky kids one-upped me! Just Kidding! I was super happy to meet up with them at the end of the day and chat about our sightings. That was quite the accomplishment for that group! Congratulations! Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis, MN j.ca...@hotmail.com General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
Re: [mou-net] Lake Minnetonka Update (Better than Before) Hennepin Co.
To clarify a bit. Yes, counting very large numbers of birds is sort of difficult, but with practice it can be done. I slowly move my scope over the rafts and count 10, 20, 30, etc. until I reach 100 and that is 1, and then 10, 20, 30 to 100 again and that is 2. If you say the numbers out loud it can help the process. I usually only count one species at a time because it can be hard to keep track of two sets of numbers at once. So, at Lake Minnetonka I counted the gulls first, followed by the Common Mergansers, then the Common Goldeneyes, and finally all other species. In the case of the Common Mergansers, I birded from three separate vantage points and made sure that I was looking at three sets of birds. So, on Smith Bay I could see the large raft of mergansers in the middle of the lake from a northern vantage point and I counted all of them but noticed more distance birds hugging the southern shore and did not count those birds until I found a location on the lake that allowed me to see the depth of that raft, this ensured that I did not double count any of the birds and that I was counting the full number of birds on the water. Since I have practiced counting birds a lot it sort of becomes second nature, but I have found that the process does not necessarily come naturally. When I look at a flock of birds with somebody who is not a birder and ask them how many they see they invariably underestimate the number. I'm not sure why that is but it seems to be pretty consistent. Thus, the numbers on ebird tend to err on the side of lower counts. Of course, if you are going to count a huge flock of birds it is important to be careful with your methods so that the data stays accurate. Good Birding, Jason Caddy South Minneapolis From: Minnesota Birds on behalf of Thomas George Sent: Saturday, December 12, 2020 11:16 PM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: Re: [mou-net] Lake Minnetonka Update (Better than Before) Hennepin Co. Yeah. Jason. How do you count 8 thousand plus birds. Is it sort of like those “I’m not a Robot” drills?Count the number of birds in each square and check the box when you’ve counted over 100. Just teasing you a bit. Love your enthusiasm! Sent from my iPhone > On Dec 12, 2020, at 7:20 PM, James Metchnek wrote: > > HI JASON - casual birder here. that's an amazing no. of birds - how the heck > do you go about the counting of them when there are so many??? are you > counting them off of a photo maybe??? I mean, couldn't there actually have > been 8081 common mergansers and 907 goldeneyes??? > > jim > > >> On 12/12/2020 5:59 PM Jason Caddy wrote: >> >> >> Hello All, >> I don't think Lake Minnetonka gets all that much birding coverage because it >> is hard to access but tonight the birding was even better than last week. >> I had: >> Common Merganser: 8,080 >> Common Goldeneye: 910 >> Herring Gull: 1,750 >> There are now a ton of gulls hanging out in the Browns Bay/ Smith Bay area >> and I would think that some rare ones could turn up, though I didn't spend a >> lot of time sorting through them. The Common Goldeneyes were in the middle >> of the lake and easy to see but about half of the 8,080 Common Mergansers >> were hugging the south shore (mostly around Big Island), making them hard to >> see well unless you get the correct angle. >> Anyways, I just thought I would share. Of course, there were other birds >> there as well, including a lone Bufflehead. >> Good Birding, >> Jason Caddy >> South 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 >> >> During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social >> distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. > > > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html > > During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social > distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] Lake Minnetonka Update (Better than Before) Hennepin Co.
Hello All, I don't think Lake Minnetonka gets all that much birding coverage because it is hard to access but tonight the birding was even better than last week. I had: Common Merganser: 8,080 Common Goldeneye: 910 Herring Gull: 1,750 There are now a ton of gulls hanging out in the Browns Bay/ Smith Bay area and I would think that some rare ones could turn up, though I didn't spend a lot of time sorting through them. The Common Goldeneyes were in the middle of the lake and easy to see but about half of the 8,080 Common Mergansers were hugging the south shore (mostly around Big Island), making them hard to see well unless you get the correct angle. Anyways, I just thought I would share. Of course, there were other birds there as well, including a lone Bufflehead. Good Birding, Jason Caddy South 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 During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] 6,840 Common Mergansers on Lake Minnetonka, Henn Co.
I know people generally are more interested in rare strays than large numbers of birds but Gregg Severson tipped me off that Lake Minnetonka had a ton of Common Mergansers right now, so I made it a point to get down there before the ice closed in. I found 1,540 on Browns Bay and 5,300 on Smith Bay (SE of Crystal Bay) along Lakeshore Drive (county 15). I love seeing these huge concentrations of birds!! Good birding, Jason Caddy South 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 During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
Re: [mou-net] 5 Long-tailed Ducks ~ Hennepin Co.
The LT Ducks are now on the SE portion of the center of the lake, best viewed from the south or SE corner of the lake and they are not associating with any other duck and diving constantly. I birded the lake at 8:00am fairly thoroughly and did not see the LT Ducks but the waterfowl are moving around a lot and may not have been there yet. There is also a Ruddy Duck and a Lesser Scaup on Calhoun and a Gadwall on Harriet. There were only about half as many birds on the lake at 12:30pm as what was there at 8:00am, so if you are planning on searching for the ducks sooner is probably better. Thanks Connie! Jason Caddy Kingfield, Minneapolis From: Minnesota Birds on behalf of Conny Brunell Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2020 10:17 AM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] 5 Long-tailed Ducks ~ Hennepin Co. Earlier this morning at a crisp 20 degrees I observed 5 Long-tailed Ducks on Bde Maka Ska (Calhoun) mixed in with 180 Common Mergansers on the north end. Conny Brunell Richfield, Hennepin Co. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] Mower County Midge Hatch Musings
I got a lot of responses from my email last night and some very interesting thoughts have arisen. Thank you for everyone who sent me responses. First, I totally agree with Tom Gilde who said that you have to enjoy the moment and not worry about whether something gets accepted or not. Having said that, I still am interested in some of the interesting questions still surrounding this sighting. One thing that was obvious about yesterday is that there was an insect hatch going on. These midges that were around the treatment ponds were big, about three times the bulk of your average Minnesota mosquito. There is no doubt that the birds were feasting on these flying insects. Tami Vogal made a good point that there has been a lot of evidence lately that the insect numbers are down, way down in the US and Europe. If this is the case then maybe these birds were concentrated here out of necessity. Perhaps it's like when there are flooded fields everywhere which makes it harder to find shorebirds because there is so much habitat around. This could be the opposite, the birds were ultra concentrated in this location because of the lack of insects in other locations nearby. One thing I found very interesting was that there were tons of Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers at the sewage ponds but I found none of those two species at Lake Louise SP, an area that had a lot of other warblers around. Why would YR and Palms only be at the sewage ponds, and also the four Scarlet Tanagers and the other flycatchers? Is it because there weren't enough insects in the forest or is it just random and even in the past these species would have been attracted to this insect hatch? I was also thinking how incredibly important these sewage ponds were for these migrants, much like the horseshoe crab feast that Red Knots get on the East Coast, something that bulks the birds up before they head north. With all of the disturbed habitat around the ponds, the ponds are a welcome reprieve to birds. Kathrynne Baumtrog pointed out that she wishes I showed photos, just to help document the sighting. I couldn't agree more with this. I usually don't take photos because I am trying to cover a lot of ground but when you find something rare it is nice to have a camera with and this particular instance would have been very photogenic and it is something I was thinking at the time. Also, Gordon Anderson was wondering why in the heck I decided to bird Mower County. This is actually an important point since some might think that some guy wandering around aimlessly and happening upon some incredible migration numbers seems random and perhaps unlikely... I did research the night before and there were some very big migration numbers in Mower County reported by others over the last few days on ebird, otherwise I may have tried a different county. I also incorporated information from Kim Eckert's book on county birding. Nobody said that they had seen a flycatcher event like the one I observed but Kathrynne Baumtrog pointed out that in the Bob Janssen book there is a record of 64 Least Flycatchers in Agassiz in 2009. This shows not to rely too much on the high counts on ebird. I have been trying to get a review of a migration event in which I had over 1,700 Eastern Kingbirds fly overhead on the east coast of Costa Rica on April 9th, 2019. I have written details in Spanish and re-submitted my sighting several times but the reviewer will never confirm the sighting. But I did notice that local guides can submit gaudy numbers that are rounded to the nearest thousand with hardly a comment and it will get accepted. I guess that is what reputation can do for you on ebird, and elsewhere for that matter... Cheers, Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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 During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] Mower County Madness and a philosophical question
Hi Birders, Today I did half a big day in Mower County. This county does not get a lot of fanfare but I found it to be crawling with migrants this morning. I basically birded the east edge of the Cedar River Golf Course, Lake Louise, and the Grand Meadow Sewage Treatment Ponds. I birded from 7:00am to 1:00pm and got 102 species, which isn't bad considering there were nearly no shorebirds and I only saw three species of duck/goose. I had 23 species of warbler and big numbers of some of them. I also did well with thrushes and flycatchers. I also found a Swainson's Hawk just east of Taopi, my first in Minnesota and sort a nemesis Minnesota bird for me. The craziest thing I saw was not the hawk or the awesome warblers, but it was actually an unusual and amazing event at the Grand Meadow Treatment Ponds. There was some sort of large midge hatch going on and the birds were going bonkers. I found 19 species of warbler in this small area around the sewage treatment pools! It sort of reminded me of an ant-swarm in Central or South America (or maybe I'm just pining for my canceled Central and South American birding trips that I was supposed to go on this spring.) Anyways, the fence at these ponds was loaded with birds, and I mean loaded. There were 6 Great Crested Flycatchers, 2 Eastern Wood-pewees, 4 Eastern Kingbirds, an Olive-sided Flycatcher, a female Scarlet Tanager, a Cape May Warbler, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, and multiple Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers all sallying from the fence. The edge of the woods was also dripping with birds. The most remarkable thing of all was the Least Flycatchers. At one point I was staring at 23 Least Flycatchers all sallying out from one small section of the fence and I counted a total of 54 Least Flycatchers at this location. Now comes the philosophical question: what is more exciting and rare, big numbers of birds or stray birds? I checked ebird and this 54 Least Flycatcher count is incredibly high, in fact it is higher than the highest count of the species in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri or Texas. But why is this? Is it because the event is so incredibly rare? Or is it because people don't take the time to count common bird species? Or is it because high counts like these are excluded from the database by the regional reviewers on ebird? I really have no earthly clue which of those is the right answer. I know that it is by far the most Least Flycatchers I have ever seen, and I know that my count is accurate, but I also know that not many people will be packing up their belongings to go down and see this epic gathering of birds tomorrow (if you do, you should park on the outside of the ponds and walk in. It says no unauthorized vehicles but I talked to locals who walk down the path. It is hidden on the east side of town behind a maintenance yard.) But I guarantee if somebody spotted a Tricolored Heron down there half of the state's birding community would get a move on. But what is actually more rare, the 54 Least Flycatchers in one location or the Tricolored Heron in Minnesota? According to ebird the Least Flycatcher phenomena is actually less common , but is that actually the case? Any thoughts on this topic would be greatly appreciated. I especially would like to know if anyone else has seen this many flycatchers gathering in an area together (concentrated during a migration event, not dense on their breeding grounds.) Good Birding! Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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 During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] The migrants have come to Minneapolis
Hi All, After an excruciating and slow last week for migrants I knew last night was our only hope for change as there were strong winds out of the south. The birds didn't disappoint. I had several new species in my neighborhood this morning, including 2 Golden-winged Warblers and 3 Black-throated Green Warblers. Usually (but not always) if there are good birds in my neighborhood in the heart of South Minneapolis it is even better at the parks nearby. I would suggest that if you have been trying to decide on a day to go out and bird to go out and do it today. Carpe Diem. Good luck out there! Jason Caddy Minneapolis, MN j.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 During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] Lake Sanborn, Le Sueur County shorebird spot information (long)
I wanted to go out and try for the Glossy Ibis today but with my 6 and 9 year old girls with me in the car it was too long of a haul. I checked ebird and noticed quite a few shorebirds were reported at Sanborn Lake this morning by Douglas Kieser and Brad Abendroth, including a Hudsonian Godwit. So I took my kids here instead and it turned out to be an amazing location. With the bad news lately about the 140th Street marsh I thought it would be nice to hear some good news. Lake Sanborn is being managed for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl in conjunction with several entities and it appears they are doing an impressive job. This "lake" is a very large mudflat and perfect for shorebirds and seemed to be isolated and buffered enough from the surrounding farmland to be relatively pristine. It is not an ebird hotspot but if they keep managing it the way it looked today it is sure to attract an impressive array of shorebirds. The one problem with the location is not from a wildlife/ conservation standpoint but from an accessibility standpoint. The north access to the lake by way of taking 164 straight south from 320th St. was a nice place to get out and place the scope but the birds were simply too far away. This means you need to access the lake from the south and it is a little confusing. From 340th St. you need to take 137th north. There is a driveway that is just to the east that parallels 137th. Both locations have a nice little parking area but I don't think they get many visitors considering different locals drove up to my car in each location to check out what I was doing. At the southern access point there is also a very steep hill to traverse down and then you have to walk out through cattails and place your scope at the end. DO NOT step in the mud beyond the cattails as you would sink at least 2 feet immediately (my older daughter was using sticks to measure the mud.) Once you are there the wildlife is incredible and there is even surrounding forest that would make this location good during warbler migration as well. I heard a Pileated Woodpecker and Barred Owl in the woods, indicating good habitat. Another bit of good news is that the dapper Hudsonian Godwit, a species whose populations are declining and are only around 70,000 worldwide, is getting a lot of conservation attention on its wintering grounds. Check out this link https://whsrn.org/canada-adds-hudsonian-godwit-to-threatened-species-list/. At the end of the article it talks about how 15 years of research led Chile to designate a large island wilderness area as a nature sanctuary for Hudsonian Godwits and Red Knots, two gorgeous species in desperate need of conservation. I know the Glossy Ibis gets a lot more attention in Minnesota because it is more rare here but to me the Hudsonian Godwit is an incredible species, especially in its handsome breeding attire! Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.ca...@hotmail.com [https://whsrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/hugo_threatened_featureimage.jpg]<https://whsrn.org/canada-adds-hudsonian-godwit-to-threatened-species-list/> Canada Adds Hudsonian Godwit to Threatened Species List<https://whsrn.org/canada-adds-hudsonian-godwit-to-threatened-species-list/> This spring, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) added the Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica) to its growing list of “wildlife species in danger of disappearing from Canada.”The committee convenes twice a year to designate species at risk of extinction with a status of Special Concern, Threatened, or Endangered. whsrn.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 During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] Glossy Ibis update request
I am thinking about taking the long drive down to find the ibis (if my kids will tolerate it) but there have been no reports today of the bird on ebird. Has anyone seen it today? I know that everyone uses Facebook and the update is probably there but it would be nice to have it updated in different locations. Jason Caddy Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
[mou-net] Long-eared Owl, Hennepin Co. update
It appears that the Long-eared Owl from yesterday has migrated north. It left its perch in the early evening just after sunset. I could see it waking up and getting restless just before sundown. I am one who loves to share all of my sightings with others but since I live in a town home complex and since the bird could not be seen from the street (it was right in the middle of the courtyard) I made the tough choice to not post the location. I was busy with my family last night so I could not have facilitated the guest visitors, otherwise I would have invited more people over. I will try to share subsequent sightings as best I can in the future. Thank you for all of the encouraging comments on my original post! Jason Caddy 126 W. 43rd Street Minneapolis j.ca...@hotmail.com 949-370-3157 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] Long-eared Owl, Hennepin County
Hello Birders, Today I heard a pair of crows exhibiting mobbing behavior in a grove of pines my front yard in South Minneapolis. I had recently found them mobbing a Red-tailed Hawk and Cooper's Hawk in the area so I went out and expected the expected, only to find the unexpected. This turned out to be the best overall view I had of the Long-eared Owl because I was very close and the bird was heavily distracted by the aggressive corvids who made contact with the owl a few times and got a bill jab in return! I was able to call over some of my birding friends who got to see the bird in the pines. It was hugging the trunk of a tree and in dense cover so the photos and views where obscured but the bird surprised us all when it flew directly towards my kitchen window and pulled up and landed in a large crabapple. It was now on an exposed perch which allowed photographs and was able to somehow fool the crows that went back into the original position in the pines. The Long-eared Owl did its signature "look like a pencil" pose to escape detection. I was happy to share my sighting with the local birders and with some of my neighbors but because I live in a town home complex I couldn't have too many people over at a time (most of my neighbors would not care but there are a few...…) This was another example of how the birding hobby is full of surprises and I am constantly getting re-invigorated. It is also another example in my experience of how the most rewarding sightings seem to come when you least expect it (isn't that what they also say about finding love?) Many of my very best sightings were not when I was concentrating and scanning every tree in an area but when I stumbled upon the birds. I had a Yellow-throated Warbler four blocks from my house while I was pushing my kids to the park in a double stroller. I had to put the break on to quickly check a group of warblers that were feeding on my neighbor's doorstep, literally! Another time I found a Black-legged Kittiwake in Duluth when I was about to get back into my car after scanning the lake. The gull just caught the corner of my eye as I faced away from the lake- I was this close to entirely missing that bird. Then last summer I noticed some reddish finches eating gravel on the side of the road in Kidder County, ND and I told my mom I was going to turn around because I hadn't yet seen House Finches in the county yet. The reddish finches turned out to be a flock of Red Crossbills, in the middle of the Great Plains, in July! My point is that you aren't going to find a Lynx of a Black Bear in your yard in South Minneapolis, and you're not going to find a rare species of Noctuid moth because you just wouldn't know what the hell you are looking at, but you can find a Long-eared Owl in your yard in a big city because that's how birds are. They are unpredictable creatures that can fly and are readily identifiable and that's what makes this hobby so amazing. If you are new to the hobby and feeling frustrated give it time and if you are an old hand in the hobby you know that the next great surprise could be just around the corner. or on the other side of that tree trunk! Jason Caddy South Minneapolis 949-370-3157 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] Interesting Hermit Thrush behavior and some yard observations, Minneapolis
On 10/10 I observed a Hermit Thrush foraging in my backyard. As I watched it I noticed it was quivering its feet alternately to scare up prey. It would quiver a foot and then pounce. I had never seen this behavior before and it was fun to watch. I did a little research and found that all of the North American catharus thrush species have been observed doing this but not the Wood Thrush. There is even a Youtube video showing “amazing Hermit Thrush behavior” which shows the exact behavior I observed. It is one of those things that may not be rare but shows that there can always be surprises in our wonderful hobby. Also of note in my yard I found a Cape May Warbler on 10/9, a Nashville Warbler on 10/10 and heard an Eastern Screech-Owl tonight (10/12). On 10/9 there was a Swainson’s Thrush eating the berries from the volunteer Solomon’s Seal in my yard, which shows how useful native plants can be for migrating birds. My younger daughter Phoebe found a dead Chipping Sparrow in our front yard today. The bird did not look to have noticeable trauma, and all of the windows in our complex have outside screens, so it must have been killed by a cat or something. It made me feel sad because Chipping Sparrows successfully nested in the pine trees outside our back window last summer. The nesting pair had to contend with the ever-present local squirrels and constantly forage to feed their chicks. The nest was concealed well and the birds fledged. I would hate it if the dead bird made it through all of the obstacles of being raised in an urban environment just to be killed by a cat before it had a chance to migrate south. I guess I will never know the true story of what happened to the dead Chipping Sparrow. Good Birding, Jason Caddy Kingfield, Minneapolis j.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
Re: [mou-net] RFI Seward, Alaska pelagic trips
Hi Karl (and anyone else who would like information about this), I went on a Seward fjord tour on 6/9/12. We went to the Aialik Bay glacier and it was a long tour that was about $200.00 or a bit more. The trip was amazing and the tour leader was excited that we were birders and tried to get us the species that are special to the area. There are some important things to know before you head out. The tour leader will probably not be a true birder and may misidentify birds. I was scanning like crazy for Thick-billed Murre and the leader knew I wanted this species so she took us to a rock wall and pointed one out. The problem was that the bird was just another Common Murre but I pretended to be excited so that she wouldn’t be disappointed. She did get us great views of Parakeet Auklet. Along with studying Thick-billed Murre identification you need to really study the difference between Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelet, study photos online, don’t just rely on a field guide. You will have to sort through tons of Marbled to find a Kittlitz’s and it is not a guarantee. The Kittlitz’s will usually be near glaciers because that is where they nest. Thick-billed Murre is also not common in the Seward area in June so be really careful with this species, I missed it. The other tricky bird for the area is trying to identify a Short-tailed/ Sooty Shearwater. They are both common in the area but differentiating between the two is murder and if you aren’t very close you can pretty much forget about it. Study them online. (If you ever go on a west coast pelagic in the fall through spring keep in mind that the Sooty Shearwater won’t land on the water for chum but the Short-tailed Shearwater will, a crazy and little known fact!) There are also species that you need to go to Homer to get. There is a birder there named Karl that will take you out on a boat (find him online). He will focus on getting you Yellow-billed Loon but there are also Aleutian Terns and Red-faced Cormorant in the bay in Homer, neither of them are common in Homer but they are far less likely out of Seward. Differentiating between Red-faced and breeding Pelagic Cormorant is trickier than one would think, make sure to look for the blue at the base of the bill of the Red-faced, both will have very red faces and trying to differentiate the bulkiness of the neck and body of the Red-faced is difficult without a direct comparison. I guess the point is that you need to know your stuff before you go because there are many pitfalls in identification despite low overall diversity. If you have any more questions let me know. Jason Caddy 126 W. 43rd St. Minneapolis j.ca...@hotmail.com From: Minnesota Birds on behalf of Karl Roe Sent: Sunday, July 1, 2018 6:51 PM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] RFI Seward, Alaska pelagic trips Hi all, I will likely have a chance to do some birding in Seward, Alaska for one day later this month. I'm interested in information/advice/personal experience you might have with taking boat tours into Resurrection Bay/Kenai Fjords NP. There seems to be a lot of one-day tours available and I'm finding it hard to choose. If you have done a boat tour from Seward I'd like to hear about your experience. What was the tour company and how long was the trip? Time of year? Cost? Was the focus of the trip on birds or more general sight-seeing? Were there any guides aboard with knowledge of local pelagic bird species? Thanks in advance! -Karl Roe Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net LISTSERV 16.0 - Login Required<http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net> lists.umn.edu If you are a University of Minnesota user, please enter your UMN.EDU email address (i.e. interne...@umn.edu - regardless of campus affiliation) and Internet password and click on the "Log In" button. 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] A Big Day, mostly from Duluth to Two Harbors, St. Louis and Lake Counties (Long)
When doing a Big Day attempt most people will have a planned route in place and are prepared for a marathon birding day starting before the crack of dawn, along with some target birds that they have found beforehand or that were previously reported. That is the best way to increase your chances and squeeze in the most birds possible for a day. I have longed to try a true Big Day but my obligations get in the way of that magical day. So how can I get a Big Day?... Yesterday morning (5/19) I headed out about an hour after light and went to Park Point in Duluth. The day started off wonderfully and there were plenty of other birders out. I began to work with these local birders to pick out as many birds as possible. The numbers and the activity level on the southwest shore of Lake Superior was hot and heavy and the numbers started to add up. I checked my list and noticed that I had seen 55 species by around 8:30am and I got a twinkle in my eye. Could this be the start of something very good? And so it was. I concentrated hard finding migrants wherever I could around the point. I scanned the beach and the open water on both the lake and the harbor side at many locations. Birds were piling up. I checked the sand barrens and the pines past the airport and there were some very good birds around. I found a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. Yes! I came across a Black Tern at a very long distance while scanning the water through my scope. Double Yes! The race was on! There was question to ponder after finishing Park Point- should I go over to a marsh in Wisconsin to nab an Upland Sandpiper and other prairie birds or should I head up to Two Harbors and try for the Loggerhead Shrike? I called my local friend for advice and while I was talking to him he got a text that there was a warbler tsunami at Stony Point. I headed northeast from Duluth in a hurry, eating a quick sub on the way, careful not to waste time. I stopped on the way to Stony Point and there where warblers swirling through the trees. At a very inconspicuous spot at Nordling Rd. I crossed Scenic 61 and tried to get a look at these birds. It was a reverse migration! The warblers were heading back southwest down the shoreline and in huge numbers! I finally got to an open area where I could view the birds and they were flycatching and hopping along branches all over the place and with such variety! Cape May Warblers were everywhere, along with many Blackburnian, many Wilson’s, and others. Then a male Bay-breasted! I went to the next location along Big Sucker Creek and it was even crazier. There were warblers hopping on the rocks in the middle of the stream. I kid you not that Canada, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, American Redstart, and Yellow-rumped were all on little rocks in the stream, all at once. Madness! I was thinking at that moment that if there was ever an advertisement for spring migration in eastern North America this was the perfect setting, natural beauty with gorgeous and inquisitive little birds all around you. I doubt many would believe such a ploy. I had to keep moving. I went to Stony Point and met up with another local birder who helped me get Purple Finch and Golden-crowned Kinglet as we scanned the trees together. There were a ton of birds there and they just kept moving through, sometimes as many as eight warblers of multiple species in a single spruce tree. I texted my wife to see if I could stay out longer since I was doing a big day and she kindly obliged (she was watching our two girls). On I went to Two Harbors where the warblers were good but patchy. I missed the Loggerhead Shrike but gained a passing flock of Whimbrel. I went back to Duluth and hit-up the West River Trail and napped some species in a different habitat. I finished in Carlton county and got a few more to end around 6:30pm. What a rush! The numbers: Total birds: 116 Warblers: 22, but missed Connecticut, Mourning, Pine, and Northern Waterthrush. Other obvious misses: Tree Swallow!, Eastern Bluebird, Red-tailed Hawk, and Great Blue Heron. I usually see the Big Year postings coming from the southern half of the state so I have nothing to compare this to. Obviously, many have seen more in a day in the area than I did but it was still really fun and great to meet new people and bird with those I have met before. It was the best birding day I have ever had in Minnesota and beat my previous best of 108 in Stearns county on 5/19/13. Interestingly, I texted Alex Sundvall and he had had his best day of birding ever that day too (also 5/19/18) with almost exactly the same species count in Hennepin county. I believe that the cool conditions with wind actually assisted the high total since on my previous big day there were similar conditions. Or could that just coincidence? Thanks for the help of others and to my wife for this Big Day! Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.ca...@hotmail.com Join or Leave
[mou-net] Curlew Sandpiper info. and chase story (long), Lyon Co.
In the day in age we are in of texting, ebird and facebook we generally get quick bits of information like “rare bird seen at (location)” and “bird refound” or “bird not refound”. This information is vital when a person wants to go out and chase said bird but I like to give a bit more information on the big rarities so if you are interested read on…. The Curlew Sandpiper is a beautiful species that breeds in Siberia and migrates great distances to winter in Africa, Australia, and tropical Asia. It is only a rare migrant to Western Europe and a notable find anywhere in the US, though it is most frequently encountered on the East Coast from North Carolina northwards. In the interior of the country it is a mega-rarity and this will likely be the 4th record for Minnesota. Having never seen this bird and because it is rare most places that I would likely travel (or at least in the season I would travel there) I really wanted to see it. I decided not to go last night and be rushed as light was failing so I took the leap of faith this morning. I left with my daughter around 7:20am and set off. I spoke with Alex Sundvall at around 8:40am and he said that the many had been looking since daybreak and the bird had not been found. I made a decision that since I had my daughter with me I should cut the trip short and just bird Renville county instead. The birding there was actually going quite well when I got a text from Alex at 9:26am that the Curlew Sandpiper had been refound. I headed out again towards Lone Tree Lake and arrived around 10:45am. I found a group of birders quite a distance from the road on the west side of the lake with their scopes out but I noticed a bad omen: they all had their scopes pointing in different directions. NNNOOO I knew what that meant but of course there was still hope that the bird would be refound. It never was. Why did the bird not show up until almost 9:30am and then disappear about an hour later when there were strong winds from the west and the rest of the birds there seemed to be getting plenty of food? I need to ask the bird gods that question…. After the group talked a bit they decided that they had seen the bird in that one-hour window for a total of 15 minutes. This means that the bird was only in sight for 15 minutes during the entire day! The good side. Yes I am now 0/5 chasing rarities in Minnesota this spring but in each case the birding has been fantastic other than the miss. Also, my daughter was a real sport about the whole thing and it was a bonding experience. Lesson? I don’t quite know what to make of it. When I chase something close or not-so-rare I don’t really care if I miss it but this one stings a little because if I had driven straight there I would have seen the bird and because when the heck is the next Curlew Sandpiper going to show up in Minnesota again? Would I do it again not knowing what the outcome would be- Yes! Good birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Shorebird habitat update for Carver County
I decided to head over to a spot that Julie Zempel had some luck with recently (ebird report). There are a pair of flooded fields to the north on 102nd St. on Co. Rd. 25 west of Waconia. The fields are obvious in the area as the best shorebird habitat. Today they only held a large number of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs but also Gadwall, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, and Trumpeter Swans. Afterwards I went over to the Tacoma Ave. wetlands near the corner of Tacoma Ave. and Co. Rd. 32. The land looks like it is being drained for planting sod but it still has a fair amount of shallow water covering portions of it and on the south side of 32 there are more flooded areas. I found a large number of Least Sandpiper on the north and the south side of 32 and two Baird's Sandpipers on the edge of the far eastern pond on the north side of 32. On the way back I had a Solitary Sandpiper in a little pool on the SW side of the roundabout at 5 and Orchard Rd. just west of Waconia. I also had a surprising flyover Spotted Sandpiper near the overpass of the 101 over Hwy. 212 while I was driving. The two fields explained above are pretty good right now but look like they could dry up soon. Both could be worth checking for the next week or so. Good birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Kentucky Warbler, Carlton Upper Arboretum, Rice Co.
I went to the Carlton Arboretum today with my 4-year-old daughter. It was a great experience with plenty of birds and nice weather. We stayed for over two hours and saw a large number of species including: Lincoln's Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Blue-headed Vireo, many Nashville, Orange-crowned, Black-and-white, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Yellow Warbler, a Least Flycatcher, many Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a pair of Barred Owls awake at midday, and plenty of other good birds. I missed on the Kentucky and the Prothonotary Warblers but Alex Sundvall apparently got the Kentucky Warbler just after I left. If you park at 2nd and Oak and walk down to the first bridge the bird was along the dirt trail to the right on the far side of the bridge near a large fallen log. We had searched this area before and did not see the bird so it could take some effort to find. I'm glad he got it (lifer for him I think). I have now missed all three of the birds I have gone after this spring that would have been state birds for me: Mute Swan, Cinnamon Teal, and Kentucky Warbler but on each occasion the birding has been very enjoyable and it's great to get my young daughter outside! No regrets. Happy spring migration! Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Lake Byllesby Dakota/ Goodhue County
The spectacle on Lake Byllesby tonight was amazing! There were hundreds of waterfowl of many species including a large variety of ducks in numbers and vast quantities of coots and swans. There were also a lot of Horned Grebes and over 100 Bonaparte's Gulls. Two Greater White-fronted Geese were there but at the far western edge of the lake in the usual shorebird spot, away from most of the other birds. We didn't even see the Cinnamon Teal but it was still well worth the trip! There were also a ton of water birds at Fort Snelling Stated Park where 494 crosses over but I did not have time to investigate. On the bird walk I led this morning at Roberts Bird Sanctuary there was a nice variety of migrants but notable were the very large numbers of Fox Sparrow and Hermit Thrush. Happy spring migration! Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Great Black-backed Gull, St. Louis Co
There was an adult Great Black-backed Gull today at Canal Park. I checked the wing pattern while it was flying to rule out Slaty-backed Gull. There were also 10 Long-tailed Ducks at the Talmadge River on Lake Superior in St. Louis County and another 55 Long-tailed Ducks at Burlington Bay in Lake County. Jason Caddy Minneapolis Sent on a Samsung Galaxy S®4 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] Clay, Polk, Marshall and Wilkin County sightings 5/28, 5/29
I went on a trip with my mother to four western Minnesota counties that I had never birded before and checked out what the prairie had to offer. We spent the morning and afternoon of 5/28 in Clay county and Polk counties and hit Marshall county just before dark. We did a little birding at Rothsay in Wilkin county today (5/9). The weather was not ideal for birding either day, with spotty showers and high winds, but we were able to pull out some good birds. The area is beautiful and if you haven't checked it out before it is worth a trip. Highlights: Henslow's Sparrow- One seen and heard very well at Bluestem Prairie SNA along CR 12 just east of 150th Street on the north side of the road. Greater Prairie-Chicken and Upland Sandpiper- I finally saw my first Greater Prairie-Chicken (four of them) and got a good view of a bird I usually have a lot of trouble finding, the Upland Sandpiper, both at Felton Prairie. Warren Sewage Ponds- The other surprise of the trip (other than the Henslow's Sparrow) was the incredible amount of bird activity at these sewage ponds. The conditions were atrocious, with driving winds and dropping temperatures on the night of 5/28, and I think that drove surrounding birds to this location. Here are the numbers I got at the sewage ponds (excluding some common birds with low numbers): Wilson's Phalarope- 95- This estimate is probably on the low end as the eastern pond was swarming with a huge flock and a scattered second flock. Dunlin- 6 Least Sandpiper- 2 Pectoral Sandpiper- 2 Marbled Godwit- 1 Black Tern- 12 Franklin's Gull- 17 Canvasback- 15 Ruddy Duck- 4 Green-winged Teal- 4 Blue-winged Teal- 14 Lesser Scaup- 6 Northern Shoveler- 8 Gadwall- 8 Mallard- 15 Cliff Swallow- 215 (obviously an estimate) Barn Swallow- 175 (obviously an estimate) Tree Swallow- 15 Bald Eagle- 2 Brewer's Blackbird- 2 Yellow-headed Blackbird Horned Lark- 2 Common Loon- 1 Bobolink- 1 Vesper Sparrow- 1 I had to very careful at the Warren sewage ponds because the birds were being extremely skittish so I was just peeking over the top of the berm and then ducking back down again. I'm sure I missed many birds that were just on the other side of the berm or small shorebirds that were on the far side of the ponds. West side of Rothsay WMA. There was a small marshy area that was in front of a farmhouse that held a few shorebirds including: Wilson's Phalarope- 9 Pectoral Sandpiper- 3 Semipalmated Sandpiper- 11 I think there was one other species involved but I could not get a good scope view of one of the shorebirds that was mostly obscured by the grass in front of it. Overall, the windy conditions led to changed feeding behaviors and many species were not being vocal, especially the flycatchers and the rails/ bittern. I ended up with around 86 species for the western counties with several other species being added on the drive up. I don't think I had any migrants other than the shorebirds. Notable misses in the western counties (Wilkin, Clay, Polk, Marshall) include: Chestnut-collared Longspur- 0 Le Conte's Sparrow- 0 ( although there were tons of Grasshopper Sparrows and I may have confused each others song) Western Kingbird- 0 (a bit of a surprise) Blue Jay- 0 Black-capped Chickadee- 0 Good birding, Jason Caddy South 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
Re: [mou-net] Bar-headed Goose - Wright County
The Bar-headed Goose is a migratory species of south-central Asia but has been introduced in Europe, at least in the Netherlands. I checked eBird and found only two June records of the species in the United States of the same bird in northern Texas mixed with Canada Geese. I checked what I think is the latest version of the American Birding Association checklist and the Bar-headed Goose is not listed so it is probably one of those species that is considered domestic unless you can somehow prove (within reason) it to be wild. This is certainly an intriguing find but I just thought I would throw a bit of additional information in so people can better make the determination whether to chase the bird or not. There may be more up to date information available than what I listed. Jason Caddy South Minneapolis From: Minnesota Birds <MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU> on behalf of David Cahlander <da...@cahlander.com> Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2017 8:49 PM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Bar-headed Goose - Wright County Tony Hertzel reports a Bar-headed Goose seen in Wright County. Green Mountain Lake at the junction of 10th St NE and Ebersole Ave. If it is wild it would be a new Minnesota record. -- David Cahlander da...@cahlander.com Burnsville MN 952-894-5910 Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net LISTSERV 16.0 - Login Required<http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net> lists.umn.edu If you are a University of Minnesota user, please enter your UMN.EDU email address (i.e. interne...@umn.edu - regardless of campus affiliation) and Internet password ... 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] Lake Byllesby and 180th St. Marsh, Dakota County
I headed to Lake Byllesby today looking for shorebirds and the water was very high so there wasn't any shorebird habitat that I noticed on the west end of the lake. I only saw one Spotted Sandpiper but there was a lot of activity from more common species on shore. I decided to go over to the Randolph industrial park nearby and there were: Dickcissel- at least 2. Grasshopper Sparrow- many Eastern Meadowlark- at least 2 Sora Savannah Sparrow Clay-colored Sparrow I then headed over to the 180th Street marsh and there were some nice birds including: Yellow-headed Blackbird- many Black Tern- 9 Hooded Merganser- 4 Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow Vesper Sparrow- several Sora I tried for the Loggerhead Shrike on Emery but did not find it. Good birding, Jason Caddy South 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] Eastern Whip-poor-will at Roberts Bird Sanctuary, Minneapolis, Hennepin Co.
I co-guided a Friends of Roberts bird walk this morning at the TS Roberts Bird Sanctuary in Minneapolis with a group of about 18 other birders. The highlight of the morning (in my mind) was a perched Eastern Whip-poor-will in a large cottonwood tree near the eastern part of the main trail, maybe 200 feet west of the normally locked gate near the Rose Garden complex. The bird was perched on a small dead branch on the left side of the tree just below the area of the tree that starts to branch out in many different directions. I would guess that the branch it was perched was about 30-35 feet off the ground so if you go quietly looking for the bird it shouldn't be disturbed. The nightjar was differentiated from a Common Nighthawk by its relatively larger head, shorter wings, rufous patch on the wings, and rounded tail that is white underneath towards the end. There are photographs of this bird from a member of our group. I was the original finder but all were able to see the bird. There were a lot of other birds of interest in the area including many warbler species. Jason Caddy South 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] Smew in Duluth? Clarification please.
I just looked at the rare bird alert Friday weekly report from the American Birding Association and it lists a sighting of a Smew in Duluth. I agree with Kathy who inquired about this earlier. Where are the reports on this bird? Who found it and did anyone else see it? I found no reports at all on eBird and saw nothing on the Minnesota Facebook group. Is this some sort of underground sighting meant to be kept on the down low? 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] Black Swan on Lake Harriet, Hennepin Co.
There is a Black Swan associating with a large raft of Mallards on the southwest side (where the dock is in the summer) of Lake Harriet right now. I know this is not technically a countable species but it is a beautiful bird none-the-less. I won't count it on my life list but it will be going on my year list :-) 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] North Shore, Duluth and Carlton Co. Migrants
I was just about to write about my weekend sightings when Kim posted his so I will just add. It was a very good weekend for migrants in Duluth and on the North Shore. Highlights include: -Great sparrow numbers with many White-crowned and Harris's seen on the North Shore as well as Lincoln's, many American Tree Sparrows and, FINALLY, some FOY Fox Sparrows for me in Cloquet. - Still the normal Yellow-rumped Warblers but also a Palm, Nashville, and a few Orange-crowned Warblers around. - A single American Pipet, single Horned Lark, and a single Dunlin at the picnic area along the shore at Gooseberry Falls. Interesting that Kim's group had a single Dunlin at Park Point. - I had White-winged Scoters at three locations: three at the beach house on Park Point, four at a location just southwest of Stoney Point, and a single at Stony Point. All of these birds were flying and easy to identify. - I saw the Red-necked Loon at Agate Bay as well as three Common Loons. - Two sets of Red-necked Grebe at Two Harbors and Stoney Point. - The pair of Black-bellied Plover and a medium-sized flocks of Lapland Longspurs at the ball fields on Park Point. - Northern Cardinal at Knife River. This is the furthest north I have seen this species in Minnesota. - Merlin, Rusty Blackbirds, and Winter Wren were also seen at various locations. There was a notable lack of raptors while out both days but Lake Superior seemed to be relatively active and one would probably do well to scan it thoroughly in the following days. 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] Red Phalarope update request
I was planning on heading out to see the phalarope this morning but am in a holding pattern because I saw the second hand report on Minnesota Birding Facebook that the bird was not seen at 8:00am. Any updates, negative or positive, would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, 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] Sharp-tailed Sandpiper information
Since most NA field guides only give a short blip about the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper being a vagrant to the US mostly found on the Pacific coast and casual inland that is similar to the Pectoral Sandpiper, I thought I would share a bit more information on this interesting bird. Like many sandpiper species, the most intriguing thing about the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is its incredible migration. The birds "winter" (austral summer) in Australia, New Zealand, and many South Pacific islands. They then migrate along the east Asian coast and fly overland to get to their Arctic Siberian breeding grounds. The adults head back south overland but a large number of juvenile birds are theorized to stage in Alaska. These juvenile birds then fly over the open Pacific Ocean to their "wintering" grounds. Thus, it is likely that the individual found in Carver county was born in Siberia after its parents had come all the way from the South Pacific. It traveled east to Alaska, got mixed up with some Pectoral Sandpipers and headed on their southward migration, perhaps eventually ending up in South America. Quite a journey for a bird that was just born over the summer. Also, showing the flexible abilities of shorebirds, the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper prefers to stay inland in Australia during the winter if there are adequate rains. This provides energy savings by shortening their migratory journey to the southeastern Australian coast. The Birdlife Australia website describes the Sharp-tailed as the most dinky-di of all shorebirds in Australia. Apparently, a well deserved compliment! 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] 19 Warbler sp., 6 Sandpiper sp., Park Point, St. Louis Co.
Fall migration was in full swing today on Park Point. I had many warbler clusters and in some areas there were so many birds that it was like they were dripping from the trees above. Most of the flocks were in the pine forests from the airport and east. The most common species were American Redstarts and Nashville Warblers but there was a fair amount of diversity with 19 species seen. I had several Golden-winged Warblers along with Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, and Cape May Warblers. The dogs were out in force this Sunday which inhibited the shorebird search but near the end of the point I had three Sanderlings, two Baird's Sandpipers, a Ruddy Turnstone, a Spotted Sandpiper, a Semipalmated Sandpiper on the harbor side (where I almost never see any shorebirds besides Spotted Sandpipers), and fantastic close looks of a Buff-breasted Sandpiper (associated with and dominating one of the Baird's Sandpipers). Some other interesting birds were: a female Indigo Bunting in the open stretch past the airport, two Merlin, a Cooper's Hawk and a Caspian Tern on the Minnesota side of the Superior Entry associating with a large grouping of gulls. I also added Ruffed Grouse with its teenage young and a sprinting Wild Turkey in Carlton county. The Caspian Tern was one of six "year birds" I picked up on the day and happened to be my 500th bird in 2016- a year which included non-bird-centric family trips to Costa Rica, South Carolina, and Oregon. Whoo-hoo! 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] Eastern Screech-Owl in Minneapolis, Hennepin Co.
I know this is not a "rare" bird per se but I have never actually found one on my own and I know that they are not super easy to locate. There was an Eastern Screech-Owl whinnying and trilling loudly at the NE intersection of 41st and Pillsbury in South Minneapolis at 10:45pm- a mere 2 blocks from my house. I cannot believe my owl luck lately! First I get a Great Horned Owl being chased by Tree Swallows at midday in coastal South Carolina in April, then Flammulated Owls performing a duet in Oregon at the end of May, then a Barred Owl literally screaming right above my sister and me at a campfire in western Iowa in early June, then the incredibly unlikely view of what I truly believe to be a Long-eared Owl in southern Carlton county this last weekend and now an Eastern Screech-Owl calling loudly up the hill from my house. Crazy! If anyone goes to look for this bird please try to limit any callback. It would be a shame if it were to chased out of the neighborhood by the unscrupulous use of their call. I am not sure what the protocol is for reporting owls but since this species isn't threatened I thought it couldn't hurt to report it. I suspect that if someone simply listened for it at the right time of night it would call again without prompting. Cheers, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Carlton County Owl ID
I have gotten several responses from my request for the owl ID help and I thank everyone for their input. It seems that most people think that a Long-eared Owl is possible in this situation and some have seen them in nearby areas. I did some research into it myself and here is what I came up with: The Long-eared Owl is usually a strictly nocturnal hunter that needs areas of dense woods and, usually, some sort of open area nearby for hunting. I checked Google maps and found the area to be suitable habitat for this species since there is ample woodlands and several open areas nearby, including very near where I saw the bird. There are some circumstances where Long-eared Owls will hunt in the day, such as Finland in the summertime. I saw this bird relatively late at night during the time of year with the least darkness so it is possible a Long-eared Owl could hunt under these circumstances although they hunt more like a Short-eared Owl and not the sit-and-wait approach that is taken by the Great Horned Owl. >From a visual identification standpoint I would lean towards a Long-eared Owl. >This bird looked small and slender with ear tufts near the top of the head. I >initially thought it was a crow and then it turned its head and I saw the >obvious ear tufts and the owl-like head. I have seen Great Horned Owls several >times under similar circumstances and I think I would have identified this >bird right away as a Great Horned Owl had the dimensions and profile been >right. The problem is that I only saw a silhouette and I suppose your eyes may >play tricks on you in that situation. I checked silhouette images of both >Great Horned and Long-eared Owls and, generally, the Great Horned Owl looks >more bulky and has ear tufts that are flopped to the side of the head. Windy >conditions could make the ear tufts of a Great Horned Owl appear more upright >but I know that last night it was still in this area. Even with all of these signs that seem to point to Long-eared Owl I cannot be completely sure of the identification with such a brief view. With the Great Horned Owl being more typical in such a circumstance and probably somewhat more common in the area I can only give this sighting a 60%ish likelihood of being a Long-eared Owl. Either way it was cool to see! Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Owl ID Help- Carlton County
Around 9:50-10:00pm as I was driving south on I-35 in southern Carlton county I saw a bird perched on a snag on the side of the freeway. I could only make out a black silhouette because of the lighting but it appeared to be a crow-sized bird that was relatively slender and had obvious ear tufts. From the brief view I had it appeared that the tufts were closer together on the head than they would be on a Great Horned Owl. If both the Long Eared Owl and the Great Horned Owl were common birds in that county I would certainly chalk the sighting up as a Long Eared Owl because the shape, size, and ear tufts would point me in that direction but of course Long-eared Owls are exceedingly difficult to find in Minnesota in the summer so I want to get ideas on the possibility of that species. Great Horned Owls have been reported twice in the general vicinity in the past on eBird, the last report coming from 2012. The location was due east of Moosehead Lake, just before the CR-137 exit on the west side of the road in what I guess is Moose Lake State Park. Any thoughts? (I know most people will lean GH Owl but is there even the slightest chance this could be a LE Owl?) Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Piping Plover info?
I just noticed a picture of a Piping Plover on the MOU website but the bird has not been seen since 5/7. The bird was not mentioned at all on this email thread. I scrolled through countless posts on the Minnesota Birding Facebook page to see if it was mentioned there and it was but just with one distant photograph that had to be clicked on to see the positive ID information. There is no way I have time to sort through all of those Facebook posts to find a rare bird (especially this time of year). Where are people posting rare bird information now (eBird rare bird alerts)? I find that rare sightings are becoming harder to locate and feel totally out of the loop with my limited time to spend searching for things. The Piping Plover would have been a much wanted "lifer" for me and I don't want to keep missing out on those opportunities (I happened to be busy on Saturday anyway but it's the principal of it all). Sorry for the (sort of) off topic post. 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] Sax-Zim Bog, St. Louis County- 3/27
I went out to the Sax-Zim Bog for a morning of birding on Sunday with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised at some of the sightings: Rough-legged Hawk- 3- All along CR 133. Black-billed Magpie- 1- CR 155 (now CR 74?) west of CR 29. Northern Shrike- 2 - One on McDavitt Rd. and one on Sax Rd. Sandhill Crane- 2 - A pair flew over. Gray Jay- 6 - Arkola Rd. and McDavitt Rd. Boreal Chickadee- 1 - I finally saw one at the Admiral Rd. feeders after missing them my first 3-4 times at this location. Northern Harrier- 2 - Pair on Sax Rd. Eastern Bluebird- 1 Common and Hoary Redpoll- 60 (1) - There were a lot of Common Redpolls at the bog welcome center. One was lighter than the rest, had practically no visible streaking on the belly or the under-tail coverts and had a squished-in beak appearance. I believe it was a Hoary Redpoll but they do confuse me. I heard a Wild Turkey calling at the Admiral Road feeders but have no idea how it got there! I looked for the Black-backed Woodpecker on the south logging road off of McDavitt Rd. with no luck. It was a fun time to visit the bog with wintering birds mixing with early migrants. It was also nice to have tolerable temperatures without having to deal with any pesky insects or ticks. Side Note- I drove into Meadowlands thinking that was where the Friends of Sax-Zim Welcome Center was located and mistook the first building on the east side of town along CR 133 for it. This residential care home is called The Hummingbird and has a bird feeder out front- hence the confusion! I thought the real welcome center located on Owl Ave. was wonderful. Good Birding, Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Gyrfalcon, Duluth, St. Louis County
I was searching for my nemesis bird this morning in Superior, WI- a Gyrfalcon. I had no luck at Winter St. and I was met by JG Bennett (forgive spelling if wrong) at the Peavey grain elevator on Connors Point and we had no luck there but then JG got a text that the female, juvenile bird was at Enger Tower in Duluth. We rushed there and immediately saw the bird soaring over a flock of crows that was huddled in a tree. We parked and the bird put on a huge show. It swooped and dove and circled and harassed crows for about 10 minutes until it dove all the way down the hill to the residential neighborhood bellow. What an amazing and close encounter with this gigantic falcon! The fact that the bird had moved from its typical hunting territory in Superior may indicate that it is in the process of migrating back north. Thanks to those that helped me get this great "life" bird. Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Ivory Gulls- 1 dead, 1 alive
Sorry to post another time today but I keep getting emails about this blog: Blog.lauraerickson.com<http://blog.lauraerickson.com/> There were indeed two Ivory Gulls in the Twin Ports. Crazy! Too bad one of them was eaten. It seems like this whole situation has caused confusion over on the Facebook page of Minnesota Birding. Thanks to all for the updates and information on this remarkable phenomenon. 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
Re: [mou-net] Ivory Gull still alive
What a relief! I had just about finished writing a eulogy for the poor thing! (I'm serious) :-) Jason Caddy Minneapolis From: Minnesota Birds <MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU> on behalf of Bob Dunlap <bob.dunlap...@gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, January 6, 2016 10:43 AM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Ivory Gull still alive Apparently the Ivory Gull is being seen right now at Canal Park in Duluth. The predated bird represents a second individual. 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 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] Ivory Gulls, 1 still alive!
It would be nice to get some more details on the dead gull. Since they were never seen at the same time but were found in the same area it seems that the new bird had either just arrived or the dead bird has been misidentified. More details on the dead gull would be greatly appreciated since two Ivory Gulls at the same location in Minnesota would be extremely rare, though not unprecedented (it apparently happened in St. Paul in 1991 according to America's 100 Most Wanted Birds ). Jason Caddy Minneapolis From: Minnesota Birds <MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU> on behalf of Dedrick Benz <benzdedr...@hotmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, January 6, 2016 10:44 AM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Ivory Gulls, 1 still alive! Folks are looking at a live Ivory Gull in Canal Park at 10:30AM January 6, so it appears that there have been 2 Ivory Gulls in the area! Dedrick BenzWinona, 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 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] Ivory Gull- General Information and Sighting Significance.
I agree with Jesse that there needs to be more information given on the Ivory Gull. I drove up to Duluth this morning and there had been nothing posted about the bird since 3:00 the previous day. However, when I arrived in Canal Park there were 30 or more observers looking at the bird with more arriving and leaving all of the time. I was elated to see the bird but confused that no one had posted anything about it to MOU for so long. I would like to give a bit of general information about the species for those birders who are not totally familiar with the Ivory Gull. Ivory Gulls are one of the very few purely arctic species of birds and are very closely associated to pack ice in all but the breeding season. Ivory gulls often associate with Polar Bears and, like them, are very susceptible to changes in climate. Ivory Gulls breed in scattered colonies through the arctic and have been studied at breeding sites. The overall number of individuals has recently been estimated between 16,000-28,000, a very small number for a gull species, and the species is thought to be declining rapidly at its Canada, and possibly Greenland, breeding sites according to surveys. The birds face a surprisingly high number of threats given their northerly range and are actually hunted on their breeding grounds. Studies on the eggs show very high concentrations of mercury in Ivory Gulls, some of the highest among seabirds. Ivory Gulls are the sole member of the Genus Pagophila and are considered by some to be intermediate between gulls and skuas. Most birds that are seen in Minnesota that are reported as rare are rare for our state but easily found in other locations in the United States. This is not the case for the Ivory Gull, which is very difficult to find in the Lower 48. When it is located it is usually found on the Great Lakes or coastal New England in the winter (but not every winter) and is very rarely recorded on the Pacific Coast outside of Alaska. Because of all of these factors the Ivory Gull was my number one most wanted bird in Minnesota. The experience of seeing this individual was unforgettable as it flew and landed several times to the great delight to all of the observers. The beauty of this juvenile birds is second to none and the photographs don't at all do it justice. If anyone is contemplating going to Duluth to see the bird I would highly recommend the experience! Happy New Years, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Lake Byllesby update 10/25, Dakota Co.
I had to get out birding on my birthday so I headed to Lake Byllesby this morning while my wife watched the kids. There were a lot of birds but they were widely scattered and patchy and it took a little patience and a scope to pick out the different species. Highlights: Hudsonian Godwit- I had to scan the mudflats with my scope for a long time before I saw it. The bird was at the far east end of the mudflats where it becomes deeper water and with a scope I was able to just get good enough views for identification. Black-bellied Plover- Same area as the Hudsonian Godwit but closer to the north shoreline. White-rumped Sandpiper- Two birds seen just down from the cemetery were associating with Wilson's Snipe and Killdeer but they were flushed by a Sharp-tailed Hawk and went to a different location. I was tipped off to this species by fellow birders. Snow Buntings- flyovers (I was surprised by this find!) American Pipit- flyovers Dunlin- 4 Pectoral Sandpiper- 6 Rusty Blackbird- a flock drinking on the side of the lake I saw no American Golden Plover, Bonaparte's Gull, Sanderlings or yellowlegs that were reported yesterday but I saw at least 60 Killdeer and about 8 Wilson's Snipe. There were also Fox Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Horned Lark, and American Tree Sparrows in the area. There was one unidentified large flock of shorebirds flying around the lake and many flocks of passerines flying around north of the lake which may have contained Lapland Longspurs but I could not get good enough views. Overall a great day to be out! 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] Old Cedar Ave. Bridge, Hennepin Co.
I took my two children down by the Old Cedar Ave. bridge this evening and the birding was great! There were plenty of Rusty Blackbirds along the aforementioned Wilson's Snipe, Greater Yellowlegs and Great Egret. The place is also dripping with American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, Cedar Waxwings and various woodpeckers. I found a fabulous mixed flock of Harris's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and American Goldfinch in some scrubby grass area. There was also a pair of Sandhill Cranes flying over west of the parking lot. I did take a peak (from the road of course) at the trail that runs to the east and I was pretty shocked at the landscape change! There are probably about 30% of the trees and 15% of the shrubs that used to live in the area. It looks like along with the bridge there is some other massive project that is going on that required giant land-moving vehicles that essentially flatten anything in their path. It did look somewhat like a human created oak-savannah type habitat though and could benefit some species of birds. Seeing this along with the dramatic changes to the Thomas Sandler Roberts Bird Sanctuary on the north side of Lake Harriet is a little hard to swallow even if they were "necessary" city/county projects. Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis-Kingfield 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] Late report dark-morph Broad-winged Hawk, Park Point, St. Louis Co.
Hi All, On 5/2/15 I had fantastic views of a dark morph Broad-winged Hawk on Park Point near the airport. My question is: does this constitute a rare sighting? Because this is just a morph of a bird it is very hard for me to find information about how common it is in our area. The National Geographic: Complete Birds of North America lists the dark morph as casual in the East and typically during spring migration. Other guides I have looked at have simply listed the dark morph as rare. The dark morph birds apparently typically migrate through the eastern Great Plains and nest in western Canada. Has anyone seen the dark morph Broad-winged Hawk in Minnesota before and if so what portion of the state did you see it? I have never seen the dark morph of this species before but have others encountered it frequently? I would love some information on this since the information I have been able to collect so far has been sparse. Interestingly, I just got back from Big Bend National Park in Texas and observed a dark morph Short-tailed Hawk there that looked very similar to the dark morph Broad-winged Hawk. Cheers, Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Ruff Update
As I was walking down the trail at the Bass Ponds to see the Ruff at about 3:30 every person walking up the hill had seen the bird. Just before I got there the Ruff and other shorebirds were flushed by an airplane and relocated at various locations. I stood with many other birders for over an hour and could not relocate the Ruff. It was definitely not a total loss because there were hundreds of other shorebirds including: 100's of Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpipers; dozens of Greater Yellowlegs; at least 10 Long-billed Dowitcher; 2 Semipalmated Plover; at least 6 Dunlin; 1 Wilson's Phalarope 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
Re: [mou-net] FW: BirdNote website and evolution of bird migration route
I am in the middle of reading Living on the Wind at this moment and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone with an interest in birds or wildlife conservation. It is not a boring scientific study on bird migration but an engrossing and personal book about the author's field experience on the subject. So far I would count this as one of my favorite books of all time, especially since many of the experiences are from areas that I have traveled already or hope to travel in the future. Although I had just heard of this book it is not actually new, it was published in 1999. Thank you Gordon for pointing this fabulous book out to others in the birding community. Cheers, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.ca...@hotmail.com Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 16:59:57 -0600 From: gpanders...@msn.com Subject: [mou-net] FW: BirdNote website and evolution of bird migration route To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU BirdNote features Scott Weidensaul new book Living on the Wind. It describes how Blackpoll warblers and others nested in W Alaska and Canada during the peak of glaciation (18K yrs BP). Due to gigantic high pressure system over glacier, the birds migrated in fall on big tailwind of 155o (NW to SE). (This is based on pollen studies of lake sediment.) And they still do. Raises some Q's and I havent read the book. I did click on migration in Related Topics and found a whole list of previous postings on aspects of bird migration from Peter Matthiessen to Vaux' swift to Moonbird. You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the upper right area. It has birdsong and wind too. Migration Routes Evolve | BirdNote http://birdnote.org/show/migration-routes-evolve http://birdnote.org/show/migration-routes-evolve http://birdnote.org/show/migration-routes-evolve Migration Routes Evolve | BirdNote Support BirdNote Help BirdNote tell more stories, reach more people, and inspire action. http://birdnote.org/show/migration-routes-evolve View on birdnote.org Preview by Yahoo 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] Mew Gull picture request
Would it be possible for those who have pictures of the Lake Calhoun Mew Gull to post those pictures on the M.O.U. website. The Minnesota Birding Facebook group is a closed, private group and not accessible to everyone, whereas if it were on the M.O.U. website people could access the pictures right away. There was a similar situation with a birding group in Southern California and some people get pretty frustrated being cut out of the loop on rare birds. I know there is no requirement for people to share their information but it would be nice. Cheers, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Ross's and Cackling Geese in Lake Co. and WI Point Gulls
Yesterday morning I found a nice mixed flock of Geese on the golf course in Two Harbors. There was one adult and one juvenile Ross's Goose and one hybrid Ross's X Snow Goose and there were at least two Cackling Geese along with many intermediate sized Canada Geese and, of course, the larger Canada Geese and a few Snow Geese. Other birds in Two Harbors included Horned Grebes, White-crowned Sparrows, Lapland Longspurs, American Tree Sparrows, Horned Larks, and tons of Pine Siskin. I left to head to Park Point when a friend of mine called and advised me of a possible California Gull at Wisconsin Point so I headed there instead, to the first parking lot. There was a already a huge raucous of gulls when I arrived because the local birders were chumming the waters with bread and it had become a full-on gull bonanza. The majority of the birds were Herring and Ring-billed Gulls but there were several first-cycle Thayer's, a lone first-cycle Iceland, a beautiful first-cycle Glaucous and a first-cycle California Gull. The California Gull had a pale nape and was very fun to study and compare to the other gulls of the area. A Parasitic Jaeger swooped in twice to harass some gulls but both times it was fairly distant. My friend spotted a Northern Goshawk flying overhead and I picked out a flock of Snow Bunting with one Lapland Longspur flying over the lake. Later still, a huge first-cycle Great Black-backed Gull joined the party. The whole experience was fantastic! There was beautiful weather, friends to talk to, and a large flock of gulls that were so close to shore that we hardly even used our scopes, just binoculars. What a great birding community we have here in Minnesota! Oh wait, we were in Wisconsin :-) Cheers, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Acadian Flycatcher, Minneapolis- Hennepin Co.
I heard an Acadian Flycatcher this morning on the south side of Minnehaha Creek just to the west of the new Lyndale Avenue bridge. It called many times and I tried to get down to the area to get a look which proved very difficult but by the time I got down there the bird stopped calling. I waited for about 25 minutes and then went back home. I never did get a view of the bird but I initially thought the call was of an Acadian Flycatcher and when I listened to the call afterwards it sounded to me to be exactly the same as the bird I heard. I don't have extensive experience with this species although I have seen and heard them a few times before. The call reminded me initially of a Pacific-slope Flycatcher but not quite as high pitched (at least it was more similar than any other bird I could think of). I had just heard and seen Pacific-slope Flycatchers on a trip to California. On a side note, I went and saw the Cerulean Warbler that was on the Cattail Trail loop at Carver Park near the Lowry Nature Center yesterday. The bird was singing at the top of a large oak tree. About 100 yards down the trail I saw a backlit warbler seemingly gathering nesting material. This warbler had two distinct white wing-bars but I could not see the coloration. The overall pattern seemed to match a female Cerulean Warbler. I would warn anyone going to see the Cerulean Warbler to not use playback at all to get views of the bird, just in case there is a nesting pair in the area. There is no need to use playback anyway, I was able to get views of the bird while rocking a stroller back and forth. Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
Re: [mou-net] Hooded Warbler @ T.S. Roberts
I re-found the Hooded Warbler at 1:30pm at the same location that Tom Tustison had reported it. The warbler was foraging very actively only a few feet off the ground. There was also an Alder Flycatcher a little to the east of there that called once. Cheers, Jason Caddy Date: Mon, 26 May 2014 15:32:12 + From: tomtusti...@hotmail.com Subject: [mou-net] Hooded Warbler @ T.S. Roberts To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU There was a silent male Hooded Warbler @ Roberts this morning. It was seen between 9:00 9:30 along the fence north of the path near the bird feeder. Also, present were several male Mourning Warblers a calling Red-headed Woodpecker. Tom 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] Yellow-throated Warbler, Minneapolis- Hennepin County
I was walking to the park this morning with my two girls and had my binoculars with to see if I could snag some migrating warblers when I saw a group of birds foraging on the ground to the right of me. Most of the flock was Tennessee Warblers but much to my delight the was a brilliant Yellow-throated Warbler foraging with them. The bird was only about 10 feet away so I was able to identify it instantly but of course I checked my Sibley Guide to Birds of the East that I had with me just to make sure. The warbler only had bright yellow on the neck and no-where else, it had a grayish back and two distinct wing-bars, it had a triangular black facial pattern that extended to the sides of its throat and had a longish bill. The bird was on the north side of the house on the southwestern corner of 41st and Nicollet, across the street from MLK park. I saw the bird at around 11:15am and looked again at 1:45pm but did not relocate it. There are a lot of tall trees in the area and a lot of small birds flying around so it will be tricky to re-find but I would be surprised if it totally left. Always remember to bring your binoculars with you in May in Minnesota, you never know what might turn up :-) Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Sewage Treatment Pond article in the St. Cloud Times
Hi All, I know this is not a rare bird sighting but it certainly pertains to state bird watching. There is a good article today in the St. Cloud Times about sewage ponds. The article is written by Ann Wessel and has interviews (or at least quotes) from Phillip Chu, Kim Eckert, and myself. It gives information on why birds are attracted to sewage ponds and about some of the species you can see there. I was very excited to be interviewed for the article as an amateur birdwatcher! Here is a link to the article: http://www.sctimes.com/story/life/outdoors/2014/05/03/birders-never-turn-noses-sewage-treatment-sites/8618855/ Happy spring birding! Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Garganey Crex Meadows Update and Info.
I was able to observe this wonderful species at Crex Meadows today around 1:30pm at the previously reported location with my family along with some other birders who made the journey (mostly people from Minnesota). Not all rarities are created equal! I have been waiting to see a good Eurasian vagrant in the Midwest for a long time. This bird is a bona fide ABA code 4 rarity. It used to be code 3 but it has been less frequently seen recently, possibly because of declines in eastern Asia. The Garganey is a rare bird in the western Aleutian Islands but very rare in the rest of the United States. Pending acceptance this will be the first record for Wisconsin and Minnesota only has two accepted records. It is far more rare in North America than the Eurasian Wigeon or even the Tufted Duck! The Garganey is the only duck in Europe that completely leaves the continent during the winter. North America also does not have any duck species that entirely leave the continent in the winter (that I am aware of). The Garganey has a relatively late northward migration and a very early (for a duck) southward migration. I would be surprised if this were not a bird of wild origin for a few reasons: late April is the most likely time of the year to find a Garganey; it was found associating with Blue-winged Teal in perfectly appropriate habitat; and, especially, since there have been a fair number of western rarities found recently in the area. In Minnesota we have had Eurasian Wigeon and Cinnamon Teal recently and within Crex Meadows there was a Chestnut-collared Longspur and a Mountain Bluebird found recently. There must be a weather pattern that is pushing these birds east of their normal ranges. If you have a chance to go see the bird I would highly recommend it but please be conscientious when trying to get a better look or a photograph because this a small pond and if the bird were to feel harassed he may leave for countless other ponds in the area, possibly never to be found again. If you are lucky enough to see him, a male Garganey is quite a sight to behold! Not only does he have an interesting head pattern, but his entire body is full of intricacies and sharp contrasts. One strange fact I found on Wikipedia is that the name Garganey originally derives from the Latin, gargala, which means tracheal artery. Thank you Jesse Ellis for posting this for Minnesotans and to the original finder of the bird. Cheers, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
Re: [mou-net] How To Plan Execute A Bad Day's Birding
This is funny. It reminds me of the morning I had up in Duluth searching for a Little gull on 5/25. I sifted through at least 30 Bonaparte's Gulls near the end of Park Point near the Wisconsin entry. I was very careful to look at every detail of each bird and I even went out on the break wall with my scope. I was so close to the birds that I felt there was no chance that I could have missed the bird if it was in the cluster of birds I was looking at. Later that day two birders reported seeing not just one but both a juvenile and an adult Little Gull near the end of Park Point! I couldn't believe it! I am still not sure if they saw them at the same location as me. I was not totally disappointed though because I still had a very enjoyable time birding, seeing lots of other species and I had not driven very far to get there from my In-law's house. It does go to show that chasing a lifer can either be incredibly rewarding or somewhat disappointing. I think if I had been waiting at a feeder for a life bird it really would have been a bad birding experience.Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.ca...@hotmail.com Date: Sun, 9 Jun 2013 11:12:07 -0500 From: brsm...@sleepyeyetel.net Subject: [mou-net] How To Plan Execute A Bad Day's Birding To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Hi, Birders: I saw this subject title while browsing on the Illinois listserve earlier today by a birder named Al Stokie. He's writing about how he and a birding friend chased for a Tri-colored Heron in Illinois yesterday. I thought it was pretty funny and thought I'd share the link with birders here in Minnesota. We all feel good when we chase for a rarity and find it but we all can relate to driving/searching for hours to look for a rarity and don't find it. Anyway, here's the link to Al's post, hope you enjoy it, too: http://birding.aba.org/message.php?mesid=458429MLID=ILMLNM=Illinois Brian Smith Sleepy Eye 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] Stearns County sightings 5/19
I started early Sunday morning to try to see as many species as I could in Stearns County. I really wanted to break 100 species for the first time for me in Minnesota and I was able to hit that mark before noon. I was already planning on Stearns county based on the previous report from Besty Beneke so it was a bonus to have the two reports on Saturday night explaining where the migrants were being seen. I started my morning at the St. John's University Campus. It was raining for the first hour but when it stopped the birds were fast and furious. It was a good start to the day! I then went to the Albany sewage ponds. I wish all sewage ponds in Minnesota were as productive as these with a large number and variety of shorebirds as well as waterfowl and even some prairie species around the perimeter. I then went south and birded a bit of the rural county until I got to the Paynesville sewage ponds. These were a stark contrast to the Albany ponds and appeared almost lifeless despite having a very similar appearance to the Albany ponds. As I turned left on Highway 23 to head back home something immediately caught my attention on the south side of the highway. It was a pair of beautiful American Avocet! They were foraging in a muddy pit that looks pretty good for shorebirds although I did not see any others in the area. What a way to end the day! Highlights: 16 species of warbler including Cape May, Mourning, and Blue-winged; 8 species of flycatcher including a singing Alder and a Yellow-bellied; 4 species of vireo; 13 species of shorebird including American Avocet, 4 Red-necked Phalarope, a large number of Wilson's Phalarope, Willet, White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin, and Wilson's Snipe. I did not do particularly well with sparrows with only 8 species seen. The two big highlights of the day were seeing four Red-necked Phalarope in breeding plumage, which I had never seen before, and, of course, finding the Avocets. The woods around St. John's were particularly thick with empid flycatchers, vireos and warblers. What a fun birding day in central Minnesota! I will miss the posts from Al Schirmacher from this part of the state. Happy May! Jason Caddy, Minneapolis, j.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
[mou-net] McLoed Co. GT Grackle and Brown Co. sightings
I did relocate the Great-tailed Grackle at the previously reported location in McLoed County today (5/12). As previously reported the homeowners, Terry and Joyce, are very nice and should be contacted first 320-587-5873 because the bird is far behind their house and is not likely seen without going through their property. The location is 3 miles south of Hutchinson on Hwy 15 and then 5.3 miles west on CR. 18. The bird was quieter and more shy than it has been in the past several days according to the homeowners which makes me think it may be about to re-locate. In Brown County I found two Eurasian Collared-Doves at the granary just south of the Hwy. 15 bridge in New Ulm. At Flandrau State Park and vicinity I found several species of warbler including Blackpoll, Magnolia, and Northern Parula. Two Barred Owls were calling back and forth to each other at 10:00am. At one point there was a Gray-cheeked Thrush and a Veery feeding on the trail together just in front of me for a long time and it was a great look at the stark contrast in coloration between the two species. I also found White-crowned Sparrow, Pileated Woodpecker, a flock of Pine Siskins, Swainson's Thrush and tons of Lincoln Sparrows. Good Birding, Jason Caddy, Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] McCleod Co. GT Grackle and Carver Co. YT Warbler update request
Does anyone have any current information on the Great-tailed Grackles in McLeod County or the Yellow-throated Warbler in Carver County? I want to look for them tomorrow morning but wasn't sure if they were still around. As a side note, I relocated the Summer Tanager reported today in south Minneapolis with the help of Scott Meyer. This bird was travelling back and forth across 34th Ave. S. and could be difficult to re-find. I also saw the male Hooded Warbler last night in the Robert's Bird Sanctuary north of Lake Harriet. In the vicinity of the Hooded Warbler was a male Cape May Warbler, male Blue-winged Warbler, a Brown Thrasher and a Clay-colored Sparrow. On the east side of the lake last night were also male Black-throated Green Warbler, male Blackburnian Warbler, and female Blackpoll Warbler. There must have been ten Yellow-rumped Warblers for every other warbler of a different species! Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] McCleod Co. GT Grackle and Carver Co. YT Warbler update request
Does anyone have any current information on the Great-tailed Grackles in McLeod County or the Yellow-throated Warbler in Carver County? I want to look for them tomorrow morning but wasn't sure if they were still around. As a side note, I relocated the Summer Tanager reported today in south Minneapolis with the help of Scott Meyer. This bird was travelling back and forth across 34th Ave. S. and could be difficult to re-find. I also saw the male Hooded Warbler last night in the Robert's Bird Sanctuary north of Lake Harriet. In the vicinity of the Hooded Warbler was a male Cape May Warbler, male Blue-winged Warbler, a Brown Thrasher and a Clay-colored Sparrow. On the east side of the lake last night were also male Black-throated Green Warbler, male Blackburnian Warbler, and female Blackpoll Warbler. There must have been ten Yellow-rumped Warblers for every other warbler of a different species! Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Red-throated Loons, Park Point (St. Louis Co.)
Hi All, Sorry for the belated post but yesterday morning I found at least 18 Red-throated Loons out from the Beach House on Park Point. All but one of them was in striking breeding plumage. With a scope you could see their full beauty but it was possible to see some of the closer ones with binoculars. I tried scanning two other areas on the lake side and found no Red-throated Loons but there is an absolute abundance of Red-necked Grebes on both sides of the point as well as some Purple Martins. Good Birding, Jason Caddy, Minneapolis, j.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
[mou-net] 180th St. marsh update, Dakota Co.
I went to 180th Street marsh this morning with my two-year-old daughter and my visiting mother to look for the Cattle Egrets and whatever else we could find. Despite the sunny weather it was quite chilly with the snow and wind so I wasn't able to scan as well as I would have liked. I did not find the Cattle Egrets and two other people that were looking also came up empty. Nice finds were a flock of Bonaparte's Gulls that flew by and a hunting Merlin that tried to take a bird very nearby. I did not see the Canvasback or the Wilson's Phalarope that I had seen on Sunday but I did see a pair of Wood Ducks that I had not seen then. In the town of Vermillion there were a pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves and there was a flooded field just west of town that contained many ducks and shorebirds but I was not able to look at length because my daughter is not very patient when the car stops and she is in her car seat. The highlight of the morning was definitely a flock of breeding plumaged Lapland Longspurs that were feeding on 190th St. just east of Hwy. 52. I had never seen them in their alternate plumage before and it was quite striking!Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] St. Louis and Lake counties weekend birding
I was lucky enough to have chosen this weekend to visit the In-Laws up in Cloquet. Early Saturday morning I headed up to Superior Street where it continues along the North Shore east of its intersection with Highway 61. The first bird I encountered was a Great Gray Owl on Superior Street. I stopped the car a good distance from the bird and got out my scope to view it hunting. After changing perches a couple of times the bird looked right at me for about a minute and then flew towards me. I was honestly a little concerned because I had read about the birds showing some aggression at their nest sites and I wondered if the bird was disturbed by me even though I was at least 100ft. away. Much to my delight the owl instead cruised low to the ground right past me and landed on another perch about the same distance away behind me. It was absolutely incredible and really shows that you don't have to get in the birds face in order to get them to perform for you! Thanks to the help of others I located four more Great Gray Owls later in the morning. One was further east along Superior Street, another on Stoney Point, another just east of Stoney Point on Scenic Hwy. 61 and the last in Two Harbors on Park Road. The Great Gray Owl had been somewhat of a nemesis species for me before this winter. I had searched for it unsuccessfully at least a half a dozen times before finding one in Aitkin County and the next time I found this species was was almost six years later in the same county this winter, so only two sightings. Then on this morning I saw five birds. Crazy! I also had to live with the torment of knowing that I moved to Minnesota the winter after the big owl invasion and so I would run into local non-birders that would continuously tell me how incredibly common this bird was that I could somehow not find. I guess it was worth the wait for another invasion year to fully enjoy this northern delight! The rest of the morning was certainly not wasted. There was a large raft of Long-tailed Ducks in Agate Bay and more closer to Duluth. The Long-tailed Ducks are also amazing looking birds! I had only seen single females before and the males were absolutely stunning! They were very actively playing in the water and flying around. Of course the other highlight of the day was the King Eider. This 1st year male bird was very cooperative once it decided to settle down just east of the ice sheet and just west of Lakewood Road. With a scope you could see the pinkish bill and that it was about the same size as the trio of White-winged Scoters it was hanging out with but had more upright posture than the slouching scoters. The eider was a life bird for me and attracted quite the crowd of birders on and off for hours. There were so many birders parked and looking at the bird that many non-birders would stop and ask what the commotion was all about. We would describe the bird and its rarity and they would be impressed but I don't think it would have lasted if we would have let them take a look at the distant bobbing drab duck through a scope. I guess sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder:) Overall it was a magical morning and really shows how truly amazing the Duluth area/ northeast Minnesota can be for birding. I met birders who came from all over the country and all seemed equally as excited as I was that the sun was shining, it was warm out, there was no wind and the birds were cooperating marvelously! Thanks to everyone who helped with bird sighting information! Jason Caddy j.ca...@hotmail.com 949-370-3157 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] Slaty-backed Gull information request
The last report I have seen of the Slaty-backed Gull in the Duluth area was on January 1st. I was thinking of coming up to Duluth for a half a day on Sunday to look for this bird. Has it been seen lately and would I have a good chance of seeing it if I was only in town until around noon? The rare bird alert suggests that the gull is still being seen in the afternoons on the Canal Park break wall but has anyone been seeing this bird in the morning on the break wall or elsewhere? Any information would be greatly appreciated. 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] Aitkin County Great Gray Owl and other observations
On the morning of 12/24 I birded Aitkin county in search of the elusive Great Gray Owls that were previously reported. I found one on Co. Rd. 18 about 1.5 miles west of Pietz's Road. It was quite an amazing bird that was hunting with a temperature of zero degrees at 7:30AM. This is only the second great gray I have ever seen and the first in almost six years. I then looked for the previously reported Snowy Owl on Hwy. 169. I could not find it in the huge field but in its place was a large Gray Wolf that ran away quickly once I saw it in my binoculars. Further north in this field was a small flock of Horned Lark. Back on the snow mobile trail directly south of Pietz's Road I found four White-winged Crossbills, five Gray Jays and a single Golden-crowned Kinglet foraging in some small Black Spruce trees. I also saw a Northern Shrike on Co. Rd. 18 and another on Hwy 169. Thank you to those who previously reported the Great Gray owl location! Jason CaddyMinneapolis 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] Evening Grosbeaks; Carlton Co.
There is a flock of Evening Grosbeaks eating crab apples in the backyard of a private residence in Scanlon just to the northeast of the Cloquet High School football field. I cannot give the exact address because of privacy reasons but the flock was flying around in the area and could be found in the vicinity of 22nd St. and between Doddridge Ave. and Sahlman Ave. or just to the east of there. I'm not sure how uncommon this sighting is but I have not seen this species in Carlton County before. Good Birding, Jason Caddy j.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
[mou-net] Roberts Bird Sanctuay 9/16
While some friends were watching my daughter I checked out the west end of the Robert Bird Sanctuary for migrants. In a clearing the trees and bushes were full of warblers and other birds. I really enjoyed watching a 1st year Northern Parula and male Golden-winged Warbler bath with a couple of chickadees. There were seven species of warbler with the most notable being a striking male Blue-winged Warbler which is a species I rarely see in fall migration. There were also two vireo species, a Swainson's Thrush, White-throated Sparrows and a Brown Thrasher. I left the area and came back twenty minutes later at around 5:30pm to find that all of the migrants had left and the place was mostly quiet. Pretty cool to be able to watch birds with a live orchestra blaring in the background. Jason Caddy, Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Hooded Warbler, Lebanon Hills update
I met up with Curt Rawn this morning by chance and with my daughter we set out to find the Hooded Warbler in Lebanon Hills Regional Park. I had tried yesterday on the trail that leads to Portage Lake from Shulze Lake without success and we did not find it there again today but then we heard an unfamiliar call at trail marker #45. It turned out to be a beautiful male Hooded Warbler that gave us great views for several minutes. It was singing loudly and continued to sing past 11:00am. We also found a Pileated Woodpecker and I heard Eastern Towhee, and Red-eyed Vireo along with many flycatchers. Please do not use playback for this warbler as it has a potential to breed with the female that is in the area and it is of course quite rare in Minnesota. The use of playback is banned in some areas of Southeast Arizona because it was disrupting some of the range limited species when they were on their breeding territories. Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Park Point addition
I forgot to mention that in addition to the earlier mentioned shorebirds I also saw a breeding plumage American Golden-Plover. Jason Caddy 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] Park Point shorebirds and other migrants
I went out very early this morning in miserable conditions to check out Park Point and I was not disappointed. At the parking area next to the Sky Harbor Airport on the lake side I ran into the best mixed species flocks of shorebirds I have ever seen in St. Louis County. There were eight Ruddy Turnstones, several Dunlin, a Semipalmated Plover, three Black-bellied Plover, many Sanderlings, several Baird's Sandpipers, Several Semipalmated Sandpipers, and a few Least Sandpipers. I then walked almost to the Wisconsin Entry and back and this flock was replaced by a large flock of mostly Sanderlings with a few Dunlin. As I was observing this flock flying I looked up and there was a flock of twenty to twenty-five Whimbrel flying over the lake. I have never seen a flock that large of Whimbrel before! I did try other locations for shorebirds and only saw a few others including a Spotted Sandpiper and more Ruddy Turnstones but overall the shorebird distribution was patchy. There were other good birds around as well. I saw a Peregrine Falcon with a Sanderling-sized shorebird in its talons and a Sharp-shinned Hawk flying through the pines successfully catching and consuming a bird on a visible branch. I also found a Mourning Warbler, two Bonaparte's Gulls on Hearding Island, a Horned Grebe, two Ring-necked Ducks and lots of Purple Martins feeding overhead. I really like birding in difficult weather because it seems to bring me great treasures during migration. Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Minneapolis Migrants 5/24
There was a lull in the rain this morning and I could hear an unfamiliar warbler calling from behind my house so I put my baby Caitlin on my back and headed out with the binoculars. It turned out the warblers behind the house were a pair of Blackburnian and a Black-throated Green Warbler. Just down the block I found a beautiful male Canada Warbler. Other migrants seen on our little neighborhood walk were: Chestnut-sided Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo and Indigo Bunting. Of course there were many other birds around as well. These were all seen around 43rd St. and Wentworth Ave. S. Don't give up on warbler migration quite yet! Good Birding, Jason Caddy j.ca...@hotmail.com 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] Theodore Wirth Park update
I tried out Theodore Wirth Park yesterday afternoon with the help of many who responded to my request. The habitat is still good in the area and the rain last night probably made it even better. It is an area under construction not on Wirth Lake itself but behind the volleyball courts on 3200 Glenwood Avenue. I don't have a scope but this is one of the few times that even the smallest of shorebirds were easy to see with just binoculars so it is a great opportunity for anyone who typically gets frustrated trying to see the subtle differences. I found good numbers of Least, Semipalmated, Pectoral and Spotted Sandpipers along with several Semipalmated Plovers and Killdeer. What I really went to the location for was the White-rumped Sandpipers of which I found two. They can be distinguished from the other sandpipers by their slightly down curved bill with a colored base on the lower mandible, a gradual sloping forehead, a noticeable pale supercilium, wings that extend well past the tail feathers and obviously the white rump if they fly. This was one of the last of a few regular Minnesota birds that I had never seen before and therefore it was an exciting find. Thank you to all who assisted. Jason Caddy j.ca...@hotmail.com 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] Theadore Wirth Park inquiry/ Brewster's Warbler
I have seen lots of photos of shorebirds in Theodore Wirth Park. Can anyone give me the location within the park that they are being seen? Also just as a general update, I went to Kunkel State Wildlife Management Area last Wednesday and found a Brewster's Warbler and four Red-shouldered Hawks and saw an Olive-sided Flycatcher yesterday at Wentworth and 43rd Ave. S. in Minneapolis. Thanks, Jason Caddy j.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
[mou-net] Rice Co. update
I went to Wells Lake just west of Faribault off of Hwy. 60 this morning with Paul Ogren and found at least ten Greater White-fronted Geese. There were also many Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, two Ruddy Ducks, a Northern Pintail, an American Black Duck, a few Gadwall, a pair of Trumpeter Swans, a Northern Shoveler, some American Coots and many Common Mergansers and Canada Geese . To the west we found a Horned Lark and Great Horned Owl. Twenty nine species in about an hour and a half was not bad. Thank you Dave for the earlier posts of these birds and for pointing out the owl. 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
Re: [mou-net] Behavior around roosting owls
I too noticed that when I arrived there was a crowd right in front of the owl which is not perched very high in the tree and was therefore vulnerable. Flash pictures were being taken and the owl did seem to wake up a few times. It did not seem to be particularly distressed but it did make me a little nervous. When I found a Boreal Owl in Lake county a few winters ago I did not post the exact location for the same reason. The bird was on an exposed perch and could have been disturbed. I think it really depends on the vulnerability of the bird. This bird is very vulnerable because of it's low perch at a nature center. I'm sure the nature center brings students to see the bird and to educate them which I don't have a problem with. The bird has stayed there for a long time in the same location so it probably is getting some rest and food but I really do hope that people will use more caution when approaching it. Yes, it is great to see an owl open its eyes but it is not worth the stress to the owl if people are purposely causing it to open its eyes. I remember one winter when there was a American Three-toed Woodpecker in Aitkin county and some people got out of their car blaring a recording of the bird. I told them that they did not need the recording, they just need to listen for the tapping and they were sure to see it since I had seen it just minutes before. The birders told me they had to use the recording because it was a lifer for one of them. I have never used a recording and have probably missed a few lifers but we really need to be concerned about the well being of the birds and not just getting the tick on our lists. Jason Caddy, Minneapolisj.ca...@hotmail.com Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:11:05 -0600 From: andrew_for...@fws.gov Subject: [mou-net] Behavior around roosting owls To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Today I was fortunate to get to see the roosting N. Saw-whet Owl at the Dodge Nature Center. What is unfortunate is that I could tell where it was long before I could even see the trees that it was in. There was a large group of people talking loudly, less than 10ft. from the owl. What is worse is that some of these people were moving branches and even shaking the tree to get shots of the bird with its' eyes open. I appreciate that owls are beautiful birds and it is hard not to get excited about them. Keep in mind though that this bird is trying to SLEEP. Let's hope that the owl doesn't leave this roost tree because of this harassment. Not only would that be bad for others that would like to see it that haven't, but it may move to less suitable location and end up being dinner for a Great Horned Owl or something else. I beg future visitors to PLEASE use restraint around this - and other - roosting birds! Keep a respectful distance, keep noise to a minimum, use common sense. This type of harassment is not only unethical, it is also illegal. Andrew Forbes, Burnsville, Dakota cty. 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] Merlin, Carlton Co. + A. Three-toed Wood. thoughts
I forgot to mention in yesterdays post that I saw a Merlin in the back yard of my in-laws house in Cloquet on 2/24. I knew it wasn't a common bird in the season but according to the MOU occurrence map this would be rare in Carlton county in the Winter. I was also intrigued when I looked at the Janssen and Glassel coloring books for the American Three-toed Woodpecker and saw that neither of them had seen this species in St. Louis county. I have birded St. Louis county more than any other and have not seen American Three-toed woodpeckers there either despite seeing many Black-backed Woodpeckers. I have seen three ATT Woodpeckers in Lake county, one in Aitkin and one in Crow Wing. I have seen several BB Woodpeckers in both St. Louis and Lake and singles in Aitkin and Carlton. In the coloring books of Janssen and Glassel they seem to see the ATT in more central counties than the far northern counties. I wonder if the Black-backed Woodpeckers are dominant over the other species and push them out of their strongholds. Or could it be that the ATT Woodpecker prefers areas that have more pine around than the extensive bog areas. When I saw a ATT Woodpecker in Montana last summer it was in a dry pine area that did not look like typical habitat and I believe they are much more common in the mountains of the west than the BB Woodpeckers are. I'm not really sure of the answer since I have seen the two in the same areas before and they do not appear to be too concerned about one another but it is a little food for thought. Cheers, Jason Caddy j.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
[mou-net] Aitkin and Crow Wing Co. Sightings
This morning I headed to the Aitkin CR 18 and Pietze's (320th Place) road early in the morning. I found two Pileated Woodpeckers, a mixed flock of White-winged Crossbills and Common Redpolls, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and a Downy Woodpecker on the snowmobile trail heading south. There were also Pine Grosbeaks in the area feeding on ash seeds. I then went to Stewart and Alice's house at 49314 405th Place in Palisade Township north of CR 3. I called them the night before at 218-845-2103. They were very nice and invited me in to watch the birds on their porch from inside the house. They have many feeders out and there were hundreds of birds around including: 30-50 Evening Grosbeaks, 75-100 Common Redpolls, at least one Northern Cardinal, a few Dark-eyed Juncos, several Pileated Woodpeckers and Bald Eagles and Ravens flying overhead. It was quite a spectacle! I followed CR 3 until it turned into Crow Wing CR 1 and found the male American Three-toed Woodpecker. It was a little to the west of Lows Lake Road on the south side of CR 1 in the area that has really been worked over by the woodpeckers. There were also Brown Creepers, WB Nuthatches, a Pileated Woodpecker and another large mixed flock of White-winged Crossbill and Common Redpoll. To the east on the same road I found a Northern Shrike and Rough-legged Hawk. At Emily City Park there were Red-breasted Nuthatches and many more Pileated Woodpeckers along with Common Redpolls and Pine Siskins. I have never found more White-winged Crossbills before than this winter and did not realize that they flock so frequently with redpolls. I am also surprised at how few Pine Siskins I have seen this winter so far. Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Has the NoHa Owl been seen in Lake Co.?
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
[mou-net] Dodge Co. Snowy Owls
I went out very early this morning with Paul Ogren to find the previously reported Snowy Owls in Dodge County. From about 7:10am until 8:15am we drove around the area of 700th, 690th and 120th looking with no success. We then found a group of cars looking north on 700th Street to the small snow patch about 1/4 mile away from the road and to the west of the abandoned school ruins. The owl was there and may have been there as we were searching before but this location is far from the road and difficult to see unless you have a scope on the bird already. There was another paler bird a little further west on the south side of 700th. This bird was even further from the road. It was amazing to see two snowies in one location but much like last nights report of the Streans County owl it would have been a lot nicer had they been closer to the road. Thank you to those who reported previously on these birds. 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
[mou-net] No Snowy Owl, Dakota Co.
I went to look for the Snowy Owl reported on CR 42 west of Hastings without success. I arrived at around 7:15am as did one other birder. We combed the area near Idell Ave. and I found nothing of particular interest other than a large flock of American Tree Sparrows to the north. I'm not sure exactly where the owl was spotted before because Idell Ave. runs north/south so south of this avenue didn't make a lot of sense to me but the other birder said it was to the southwest of the Idell Ave./ CR 42 intersection. I also looked for the Northern Shrike reported on Jacob Ave. without success. 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] Grouse picture on recently seen
The grouse picture on recently seen of the MOU website is fantastic! I do believe that this is actually a Sharp-tailed Grouse and not a Ruffed Grouse based on shorter crest, facial pattern, tail shape, and white spotted wing coverts. This species I'm sure is more difficult to get a photo of so it does not diminish the photograph at all, great work! Not sure who to email about this information but more of an fyi. I could be wrong on the ID. Good Birding, Jason CaddyMinneapolis 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] C. Wren, Chisago Co; Varied Thrush, Dakota Co.
I went out with Paul Ogren yesterday and we first went to Wild River State Park and I spotted the Carolina Wren immediately at the visitors center on the down hill slope next to the feeders. It then disappeared for a bit and came back and exhibited some fun behavior by skulking in a dense patch of dried leaves high up in a tree and then exploring inside of some crevices and holes in the tree trunks nearby. After hanging out far about 20 minutes it disappeared again and did not return before we left. I love the shortened version C. Wren because my daughters first name is Caitlin and middle name Wren (after the bird of course:)) and sometimes people call her C Wren. We did not find the Northern Shrike reported earlier but there was a Trumpeter Swan in with many Canada Geese on the river. We then went down to the Varied Thrush on 17774 blackbird trail and the homeowner Richard was outside to greet us. There were many A. Tree Sparrows and D.E. Juncos around and the thrush did make a brief but very exciting appearance. We then tried very quickly for the Townsend's Solitaire at the Carpenter Nature Center and found to woods to be about as silent as the outdoors can sound but I had seen this bird previously. Overall a very warm and successful January day. 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] No Western Tanager, Hennepin Co.
I went to look for the Western Tanager that was reported this morning in Maple Grove and did not find the bird. Other birders had not seen the bird today either. One birder reported that it was last seen on Thursday. The sign for Fieldstone Blvd. is knocked over so you have to be careful when looking for this intersection. Jason Caddy 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-legged Kittiwake Photograph
Thank you Karl Bardon for getting a photograph of this amazing gull and posting it on the MOU web page. There is no way to know for sure but I do believe that this is the individual that I found in Canal Park on 12/13. The extent of gray on the upper wing is variable in juvenile Kittiwakes and this photo shows the gray just as I remembered it. The mantle has strong almost dark gray coloration but the gray extends only slightly out past the black M pattern. The black collar is also a variable feature on these birds and this black collar is very thick and dark. Both features on this bird are exactly how I remember them on the bird I saw and also match the sketch that I had drawn at the time. It sounds like the bird did not hang around very long for you either but the photograph is fantastic! Good birding everyone! 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] Black-legged Kittiwake notes
I just wanted to clarify a couple of things from my previous email of my sighting yesterday of the Black-legged Kittiwake. I never mentioned that the bird was a 1st winter bird. This is evident from the description but I just wanted to clarify. Secondly, the bird did not have black wing edges on the tips of its primary and secondary feathers, these edges were white. What I meant was that from the car I could see black running the length of the wing instead of being predominantly on the wing tip as most gulls in the area would have. A Little Gull can have a similar black collar and thick black M pattern but this bird did not show black on its cap and was definitely bigger than a Little Gull. Bonaparte's Gulls can show a slight M pattern but have the dark wing edges and do not have the thick black nape. I have also seen plenty of Bonaparte's Gulls and this did not look anything like them. The only other confusion would come from a Sabine's Gull. I was very careful to note the fact that the mantle was gray because I knew that a juvenile Sabine's Gull would be more brownish. An adult Sabine's Gull does not have black on the end of its tail as this bird did and also does not have the thick black collar on its nape. I know whenever someone who is not well known to the birding community and posts a very rare bird the sighting will be questioned unless others see it or there are photographs, which I do understand. The identification was actually not that difficult for me and I have no doubt that the bird I saw was a Black-legged Kittiwake but I have no idea what the criteria is for the MOU records committee to accept the record. I will take no offense if it is not accepted because I'm sure they do have to be very careful not to document birds without evidence. I just feel lucky that I was in the right place at the right time to see an amazing bird. That is why I am so passionate about birding and it has still not gotten at all boring after six years. Jason Caddy, Minneapolisj.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
[mou-net] BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE St. Louis Co.
I was in Duluth for the day and decided to look for the Greater Black-backed Gull that was reported on the Minnesota entry break wall in Canal Park. There were several gulls resting at 10:00am and I did find my first state juvenile Greater Black-backed Gull which I studied for a long time and compared to the Herring Gulls of all ages. A stark white juvenile Glaucous Gull and Ring-billed Gulls were also present. I walked back to my car very pleased with the four gull species that I had seen and started to write notes about them when something caught my eye out the car window. A gull flew over the lake that had black wing edges. I had to get back out of the car to see if I was just imagining things. While standing on the shoreline I was able to relocate the bird flying west over the water towards the city and I immediately noticed a bold M pattern on its back. At that point I was thinking it was either a Sabine's Gull or Black-legged Kittiwake. Luckily for me the bird starting flying back towards the break wall and to my surprise actually started heading straight towards me and I began noting its features. It had a very thick and distinct black nape and a black mark between the eye and the neck. The head was mostly white. The black on the nape formed a distinct collar that is unlike that of an adult Sabine's Gull. There was also black at the end of its tail. The mantle of the bird was definitely gray and the black M pattern was relatively thick. It looked to be around the same size as a Ring-billed Gull or slightly smaller. Its flight was more buoyant and tern-like than that of a Ring-billed Gull. I continued to have great observations of it as it flew back east towards Park Point. This is the first time that I have found a casual/accidental species on my own (in the 6 years I have been a birder) without somebody else finding it first, so it is a very special bird for me. I have only seen Black-legged Kittiwakes once before on a pelagic boat trip out of Newport, Oregon. I think I need to submit this to the MOU record committee for review. 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
Re: [mou-net] costa rica
Hi Charlene, You are very lucky indeed! I have gone on two trips to Costa Rica in which I did not hire guides and were family vacations not focused specifically on birding. In those two trips I have seen a total of 335 species. The guide that I used most often by far was the one already recommended: The Birds of Costa Rica. The old book that was once the best guide is A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica by Stiles and Skutch. This book actually gives a lot more information on the birds including their behavior and their full ranges outside of Costa Rica. The bird sketches in this book are not as good as the Garrigues and Dean book and it does not have actual range maps which can be frustrating. There is a newer book called Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide which is by Carrol L. Henderson who is from Minnesota. This book is good because it has photographs of the birds and tells you the actual sites that these birds can be seen. The drawback is that it does not include all of the birds you will see. Have fun and see some Motmots for me! Jason CaddyMinneapolis Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:12:51 -0500 From: jnel...@runestone.net Subject: [mou-net] costa rica To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU 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
[mou-net] Steele and Dodge Co. Migrants
I checked out the north end of Steele and Dodge counties on 10/5 in the afternoon and had a few good birds. Dodge County:I tried the gravel ponds that were at the intersection of County G and County Road 1 north of Claremont mentioned in Kim Eckert's A birders guide to Minnesota. On the second gravel pond to the east of CR 1 on the north side of the road I flushed an owl from the bank and it flew east. I saw the bird in flight and it was similar in shape to a Short-eared Owl but seemed darker and did not have a distinctive wing pattern but because I saw no ear tufts I was hoping for the Short-eared Owl. I was able to relocate the bird by its extremely loud call and it was a large Great Horned Owl perched on the side of the pond. That teaches me to assume a rare bird when I should have been considering the most likely suspect. It proved a good backdrop for watching all of the sparrows. Birds observed in the area:Harris's SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowLincoln's SparrowFox SparrowIndigo Bunting- Seemed very late for this birdSavannah SparrowWhite-throated SparrowSwamp SparrowSpotted SandpiperOrange-crowned WarblerHorned Lark Steele County birds seen near Medford and at Rice Lake State Park:Lincoln's Sparrow- severalWhite Crowned Sparrow- severalField SparrowYellow-rumped WarblerPalm WarblerRuby-crowned KingletGolden-crowned Kinglet Good Birding, Jason CaddyMinneapolis 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] Best Bird While Not Birding?
I was exploring the Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala and there was a group of green toucans that flew through the courtyard. I never knew that toucans could be green and it wasn't until much later that I identified them as Emerald Toucanets. I also saw California Condors soaring over the Grand Canyon before I became a birder while riding mules up the canyon. The bird that sticks out most was a Black Oystercatcher that I saw while in Victoria, British Columbia when I was very young. I had seen them in my parents Peterson guide and thought they looked so weird. When I actually saw one on the rocky coast I was amazed at their appearance. Such an orange bill on such a black bird! Very cool! Jason CaddySouth minneapolisj.ca...@hotmail.com Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 09:36:08 -0500 From: alschirmac...@live.com Subject: [mou-net] Best Bird While Not Birding? To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Sometimes the best birds show up while doing something else. Golden Eagle at a business convention dinner - Violet-green Swallow during a meeting break (both pointed out by non-birders) - Prairie Falcon while reading in my chair - Tri-colored Heron while visiting relatives - sure there have been others. You? 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 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)
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] Le Sueur County/ Lark Sparrow observation
I went down to Le Sueur County last night (5/15) out of curiousity because I don't seem to hear many reports from this county and wanted to see what was migrating through. Most of my birding was in the vacinity to the near east and south of the city of Le Sueur. I was only out for a little over 2 hours before sunset and saw 52 species. I was surprised to only find 2 species of warbler and no vireos considering these species had been active in other areas I have birded lately. The highlight was the sparrows. I had 8 species including: White-crowned Sparrow- 3 nice adults Vesper Sparrow- singing like crazy at a couple of locations Clay-colored Sparrow Field Sparrow- many Lark Sparrows- many seen at C.R. 26 east of Le Sueur, C.R. 115 to the south and C.R. 36 (4 total locations and approx. 20 total birds) I have now birded for 5 years in Minnesota and have been keeping county lists for the last 3 and am surprised that I have seen the Lark Sparrow now in the following counties: Sherburne Goodhue Wabasha Blue Earth Nicollet Cottonwood Le Sueur I also thought I just saw one or more in Dakota County this last Saturday but could not relocate the bird that had flown in a farm field. If anyone has a tip for this species in Dakota county I would appreciate it. When you look on the range maps in the Sibley, Kaufman and the large National Geographic guide, it does not show Lark Sparrows in Minnesota except for the far S.E. of the state. I know that bird ranges are complex but this seems to be a consistant ommision of a bird that is readily found in the state. By contrast I have only seen a Red-headed Woodpecker in Aitkin County while in the Kaufman Guide it actually shows them as common throughout the southern half of the state. I know they exist there but I can hardly imagine anyone calling Red-headed Woodpeckers common in Minnesota but maybe they used to be. Kaufman also shows Barn Owls in the far southern portion of the state. Other birds seen yesterday were massive flocks at dusk of Cliff and Bank Swallows along with 3 other species of swallow. Also a Common Nighthawk, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Spotted Sandpiper, and Horned Lark. Good Birding, Jason Caddy Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Dakota Co. sightings
I relocated the Least Bittern that is at the 180th Street Marsh north of Vermillion with the help of some fellow birders. It was actively foraging at east edge of the western pool that is north of 180th about 30 feet from the road and about 15 feet away from the corn stalks in the tall grass. I then found the Loggerhead Shrike by making a second pass on Emery. The bird was on the power line on the 3rd pole north of 190th street. Great views and a nice state first for me! I then birded a dead end where 180th ends to the east. Here are some of my other findings from today: Bobolink- at 180th street marsh Coopers Hawk- at 180th street marsh Palm Warbler Y.R. Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Tennessee Warbler Northern Waterthrush Common Yellowthroat Cape May Warbler- several White-throated Sparrow Ruby-crowned Kinglet Least Flycatcher American Redstart Believe it or not but this is actually my favorite type of weather during migration because I seem to have the best luck when the poor birds are miserable due to lack of food up high in the trees. Happy 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] Nicollet Co. Update
I went to search for the Clark's Grebe on Oak Lead Lake west of St. Peter on C.R. 99 and did not find it but I did turn up lots of other good birds. At the lake there was : Canvasback B.W. Teal Lesser Scaup Ruddy Ducks Bufflehead Redhead Western Grebe- only 1 that I could find Forster's Term Warbling Vireo Easter Meadowlark On the two roads that go south from C.R. 99 next to the lake I found 2 Lark Sparrows on each and Harris Sparrows on 367th along with Vesper Sparrows. At and near 7-mile creek park there were wablers active and other birds including: Y.R. Warbler Nashville Warbler Ovenbird B. + W. Warbler American Redstarts Orange-crowned Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Rose-breasted Grosbeak Baltimore Oriole Pileated Woodpeckers- 2 There was still a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a Red-breasted Nuthatch around. Late migration but fun because it seems like right now both early and late migrants are here at the same time. I had 67 species in a few hours and then it started raining and I had to get back to my wife for Mother's Day:) 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] Slaty-backed Gull Update Please
I am going to try for the Slaty-backed Gull this weekend but have not seen any recent postings. If anyone knows where the gull has been lately or knows the best area to check please post the information. I will certainly check the break wall at Park Point and probably the Superior landfill which are usually the best spots but any sort of update on gull activity in the Duluth area would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Cape May W arbler - E dina stil l there
The Cape May warbler in Edina at 5410 York was actually feeding on the feeder when I arrived at 2:45pm. It was very windy and frigid so the bird must have to eat a lot of peanuts just to stay alive. I have never seen a bird look so cold before! I did a little research in the Peterson guide to warblers and I guess this is the second most likely warbler in many northern climates this time of year after the Yellow-rumped Warbler. It also says that most of the stray Cape May's do not typically survive through December which was a little sad. Lets hope that this one can make it. Great find! Happy Thanksgiving, Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Townsend's Solitaire Vadnais Lake not found
I looked for the Townsend's Solitaire today around 10:00am-12:15pm with no luck. It was by no means a waste of time because there was a lot of other birds on the lakes. The cedars did have groups of Cedar Waxwings eating berries but I could not pick out the solitaire. All of the other birds in the area were very active and fun to watch. Here are some of the other birds present: Gadwall- 2 Canvasback- several Common Goldeneye- several Ring-necked Duck- several hundred Hooded Merganser- over 100 I observed many with fish in their bills. Bald Eagle- 1 juvenile Red-winged Blackbird- 1 Common Loon- 2 Foraging together and one of them called. Trumpeter Swan- 12 I'm assuming that they were this species. The bill on the juvenile birds had a black base. American Coot- 1 Good Birding, Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Jaegar Identity thoughts
The differences in Juvenile Pomerine and Parasitic Jaegers can be difficult to discern but I believe that if you are looking at a fairly close photo of the two you should be able to make the proper identification. While I was at Wisconsin Point there was debate about the juvenile birds that we were looking at. I later took a look at the photos that another birder was kind enough to send to me and found that we had seen all three species. The consensus that morning was that we were seeing the adult Long-tailed Jaeger and the juvenile Pomerine over and over but I had my doubts about this and photos confirmed my doubts. I studied the Peterson Advanced birding guide and many photos taken from coastal pelagic trips along with photos from fellow Minnesota birders. Here is what I found: One aspect that seems to be little talked about between the two is the head size. The Pomarine has a noticeably larger head that bulges out past the wings and I think this can be one of the better characteristics. In direct comparison this can be quite noticeable and the most recent posted photos of the Parasitic show this quite well (it has a relatively small head). Pomarines have a much more noticeable bi-colored bill than a Parasitic although both can show this characteristic. Even in poor light the Pomarines bill should typically show bi-colored when a Parasitic's bill may appear black. The barring on the Pomarine is more distinct. There is barring on the Parasitic but it is more even throughout the underwing and far less contrasting on the undertail coverts. The Pomarine typically has an almost black and white contrast where the Parasitic will have a more light brown to cinnamon and black contrast. The Parasitic usually has more cinnamon coloring and the coloring is less contrasting and more uniform than the Pomarine. Both seem to have darker heads than bodies. Pomarines may have a dark brown coloration but it does not have the warm tone of the Parasitic. Wing size can be subtle but the Pomarine has a chunkier wing more reminiscent of a skua and I find that the white wing patch is slightly more elongated on the Parasitic (this would be hard to analyze unless there was a direct photo comparison). Unfortunately since I did not know which was the Pomarine and which was the Parasitic when I was actually looking at the birds I can not comment on flight style. All of the juvenile birds to me looked to be about the size of an adult Ring-billed Gull or slightly smaller (I had fantastic side by side views of this on multiple occasions). One aspect that I think can sometimes be misleading is the tail extension. On an obvious individual the sharper tail extension can be very useful for the Parasitic but I found that in many photos it was difficult to tell if there was a small rounded extension or a slightly longer pointed extension. Because of this I found that if the bird has a short tail extension the photo needs to be extremely close and at the correct angle to make the distinction between the two and could lead a person in the wrong direction if this is used for identification without looking at all other characteristics. Another photo that to me looks like a Parasitic and not a Pomarine is the juvenile bird that Erik Bruhnke posted on 10/15/10. The bottom photo I believe to be a Parasitic based on the above observations but this analysis could be wrong. I do not pretend to be an expert on the above species and these are just personal observations. As with any of the more difficult species it is best to look at a combination of characteristics. Just the fact that that we are able to analyze all three species in detail is a great experience and shows how fun and challenging birding can be! Any comments are appreciated. Thanks, Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] More on the Jaegers
I left Minneapolis this morning at 5:00am in hopes of finding the jaegers that have been reported at Wisconsin Point and when I arrived the birds did not disappoint. The juvenile Pomarine was the first to show up on the scene from the east and later the Long-tailed put on an amazing show. Both of these birds made several passes. There may have been a juvenile Parasitic mixed in as well but the star of the show was the definitive Long-tailed Jaeger (a lifer for me). This bird was constantly on the move, chasing and being chased by the Ring-billed Gulls. It came within 30 ft. of the shore in front of our viewing area and later surprised me when I went back to my car by floating 20 ft. above the ground in parking lot #1! There were several other birds of interest in the area including: 1st winter Franklin's Gull- 1 on the water right next to shore Bonaparte's Gull- 7 White-winged Scoter- 1 Common Tern- 15 Semipalmated Plover- 2 Lapland Longspur- 12 Green-winged Teal- several American Wigeon- several Many other birds as well. The show put on by the jaegers along with the other great birds seen today definitely ranks among my best birding experiences. I feel lucky that this region of the Midwest is so productive for an assortment of our feathered friends. Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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
[mou-net] Jackson Co. Shorebirds
I was driving back from Iowa today when a few egrets caught my eye from the road and I pulled off to observe. Here is what I found: American Golden-Plover- 45 Probably the most I have seen at one time. Long-billed Dowitcher- 1 Lesser Yellowlegs- 2 or more Pectoral Sandpiper- at least 10 Great Egret- 3 One eating a large frog. Franklin's Gull- 7-10 Killdeer- Many Pied-billed Grebe-3 Ring-billed Gull- many There was a small flock of what were likely teal that I was too far to identify. There may have been other species of shorebirds and certainly far more individuals than listed above but a scope would be required to observe the far end of the wetland. There is a sign showing that this is a protected wildlife refuge. The location is two miles west of the town of Heron Lake on the north side of Hwy. 60. It is a two lane highway here because of road construction that starts about two miles to the east of the site. Good Birding, Jason Caddy South Minneapolis j.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
