Re: [mou-net] Battle Creek East

[JULIAN SELLERS]

Thank you for the question, Tom.  I represent the Conservation Committee of the 
Saint Paul Audubon Society on this issue.  I was informed of the issue in late 
2020 by John Zakelj, president of the Friends of Maplewood Nature and by 
Catherine Zimmer, coordinator of the Legacy of Nature Alliance.  Within the 
past year Carrol Henderson, retired DNR Nongame Wildlife manager, has joined 
us, as has Michael Hurben, former board member of Birdability.  Officers of the 
Friends of the Mississippi River also are providing invaluable advocacy for 
this grassland.

You can find background information at 
https://www.saintpaulaudubon.org/battle-creek-grassland-at-risk/.  Be sure to 
click on the links for “Fact Sheet” and “Ramsey County Natural Resources Report.

In a word, we do not expect the status of the grassland to change before this 
fall’s election.  Commissioner Reinhardt and Maplewood Mayor Abrams have 
expressed support for protecting the grassland, but other county officials are 
not yet on board.  Messages to county and city officials impressing upon them 
the importance of preserving this grassland and its amazing suite of grassland 
bird species would be welcomed.

Feel free to contact me with questions.

Julian Sellers
Saint Paul


From: Minnesota Birds  on behalf of Tom G 
<2247eb7407f6-dmarc-requ...@lists.umn.edu>
Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2022 12:11
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU 
Subject: [mou-net] Battle Creek East

Does anyone know the status of development plans for the adjoining corrections 
grassland? Judging from eBird, it seems that it is again being birded. Thanks 
for any info, Tom Gilde


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[mou-net] Kestrel barely escapes raven

[JULIAN SELLERS]

 I spent some time this afternoon observing a kestrel nest box in The Belwin 
Conservancy’s Stagecoach Prairie in Washington County.  This is one of two nest 
boxes in a collaboration between Belwin and Saint Paul Audubon.  Today, a 
female American Kestrel consumed a small snake, brought by her mate, on top of 
the nest box pole, and then she stayed in place and preened for a long time.  I 
was hoping to see her enter the nest box (I think they have one or more eggs 
but are not yet incubating).  As I was walking away, I saw a kestrel and a 
Common Raven interacting overhead.  My initial thought was that the kestrel was 
trying to drive the raven away from the nest box, and perhaps that’s how the 
encounter began, but I quickly realized that the raven, not the kestrel, was 
the aggressor.  The Raven continued to chase the kestrel for perhaps a minute, 
with the kestrel barely able to escape with quick dives and turns until the 
raven broke off the chase.  In 2020, a kestrel pair abandoned this nest box 
with five eggs.  I have suspected that one or both of the kestrels were victims 
of a Cooper’s Hawk, but now I’m adding Common Raven to the list of suspects.

Julian Sellers
Saint Paul



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Re: [mou-net] Question re Breeding Bird Survey Results - a minor correction

[JULIAN SELLERS]

Well, the highlighting got lost in the translation to MOU-NET.  The last "2019" 
below is correct.  In the original, it was "2017."

Julian


From: Minnesota Birds  on behalf of JULIAN SELLERS 

Sent: Sunday, May 2, 2021 12:55
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU 
Subject: [mou-net] Question re Breeding Bird Survey Results - a minor correction

I made an obvious error in my posting.  See the highlighted correction below.

Julian


Last year I made charts of the population trends of a number of species from
the BBS results for all of the years available—1966 to 2017.  The BBS web site
now contains results for the years 1966 to 2019.  (It’s a separate data set;
the 1966 to 2017 set is still available.)  I would have assumed that the new
results would be exactly the same, but with the addition of the years 2018 and
2019, but they’re not.  I’ve checked the data for quite a few species, and, in
the 1966 to 2019 data set, the number of birds per BBS route is different for
all of the years 1966 to 2017 than it is in the 1966 to 2019 edition.  To take
just one little example, for Eastern Kingbird in Minnesota, the number per BBS
route in 1968 is 5.083706 in the 1966-2017 edition, but 3.77 in the 1966-2019
edition (never mind the fewer decimal places).  Obviously, there’s something I
don’t understand. Can anyone explain it?



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[mou-net] Question re Breeding Bird Survey Results - a minor correction

[JULIAN SELLERS]

I made an obvious error in my posting.  See the highlighted correction below.

Julian


Last year I made charts of the population trends of a number of species from
the BBS results for all of the years available—1966 to 2017.  The BBS web site
now contains results for the years 1966 to 2019.  (It’s a separate data set;
the 1966 to 2017 set is still available.)  I would have assumed that the new
results would be exactly the same, but with the addition of the years 2018 and
2019, but they’re not.  I’ve checked the data for quite a few species, and, in
the 1966 to 2019 data set, the number of birds per BBS route is different for
all of the years 1966 to 2017 than it is in the 1966 to 2019 edition.  To take
just one little example, for Eastern Kingbird in Minnesota, the number per BBS
route in 1968 is 5.083706 in the 1966-2017 edition, but 3.77 in the 1966-2019
edition (never mind the fewer decimal places).  Obviously, there’s something I
don’t understand. Can anyone explain it?



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distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.

[mou-net] Question re Breeding Bird Survey results

[JULIAN SELLERS]

Last year I made charts of the population trends of a number of species from 
the BBS results for all of the years available—1966 to 2017.  The BBS web site 
now contains results for the years 1966 to 2019.  (It’s a separate data set; 
the 1966 to 2017 set is still available.)  I would have assumed that the new 
results would be exactly the same, but with the addition of the years 2018 and 
2019, but they’re not.  I’ve checked the data for quite a few species, and, in 
the 1966 to 2019 data set, the number of birds per BBS route is different for 
all of the years 1966 to 2017 than it is in the 1966 to 2017 edition.  To take 
just one little example, for Eastern Kingbird in Minnesota, the number per BBS 
route in 1968 is 5.083706 in the 1966-2017 edition, but 3.77 in the 1966-2019 
edition (never mind the fewer decimal places).  Obviously, there’s something I 
don’t understand. Can anyone explain it?

Julian Sellers



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[mou-net] Battle Creek Grassland at Risk

[JULIAN SELLERS]

The city of Maplewood is planning to develop a 77-acre county-owned tract of 
(mostly) grassland adjacent to Battle Creek Regional Park in southeastern 
Ramsey County.  During recent nesting seasons, birders have documented a number 
of species on this property that are in steep decline in Minnesota and North 
America.  The county should adjust the park boundary to include this tract 
instead of selling it for development.  For more information, and to take 
action, go to tinyurl.com/77acres.

Julian Sellers
Saint Paul


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[mou-net] Loggerhead Shrike, Washington County

[JULIAN SELLERS]

I observed a Loggerhead Shrike today near Division Street and St. Croix Trail.  
I arrived at 11:20 to see if kestrels are using the nest box across Division 
Street from the Bison Prairie parking lot.  In two hours, I did not see any 
kestrels.  I did, however, see a Loggerhead Shrike along the north-south fence 
line north of Division Street and a bit west of the entrance to the Bison 
Prairie Parking lot.  The shrike was in the area for about 15 minutes.  A good 
scope view from 400 feet and the calendar give me confidence that it was a 
Loggerhead, not Northern, Shrike.  At about 2:15, the shrike flushed from the 
fence on the west side of St. Croix Trail north of Division Street as I drove 
past.  This is the same general area where a Northern Mockingbird was present 
two years ago.

Julian
St. Paul


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Re: [mou-net] Northern Raven/Number Winter Robins

[JULIAN SELLERS]

There could well be multiple factors.  I will just add that the "distinct 
inflection point around 1996" noted by Val Landwehr happened at about the time 
that large numbers of hackberry trees, planted after the demise of the elms, 
reached maturity.

Julian

From: Minnesota Birds  on behalf of Steve Weston 

Sent: Thursday, December 6, 2018 11:58 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: Re: [mou-net] Northern Raven/Number Winter Robins

While the availability of fruit is important, a more limiting factor in
numbers of robins in winter is the availability of liquid water. I believe
that in recent years the warmer winters have resulted in more availability
of liquid water, which should have increased the area where robins can
thrive in winter.

Steve Weston
On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN
swest...@comcast.net


On Thu, Dec 6, 2018 at 4:32 PM Val Landwehr <
012f44857088-dmarc-requ...@lists.umn.edu> wrote:

> I was intrigued by the discussion of whether in recent years
> more robins are being seen during winter in the Twin Cities(Charles Neil,
> Mary White and J. Baumann). I think that I
> have seen more robins, particularly in large flocks, in
> recent years. To put this hypothesis to the test I looked at the
> results from four Christmas Bird Counts over the years that are
> online at the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union website. The
> Christmas Bird Counts I checked were Bloomington CBC, St. Paul
> (North) CBC, Excelsior CBC and the Minneapolis (North) CBC.
> I found a distinct trend of more robins being counted during
> the counts since the winter of 1996 than were in prior years.
> The numbers vary widely each year, but there is a distinct
> inflection point around 1996 for a larger number of robinssince that date
> than prior to it. Since 1996, the number ofrobins counted varies greatly
> from year to year, but I don't
> see any clear evidence that the numbers are continuing to
> increase.
> Average number of robins counted at Twin Cities CBCs:
>Bloomington  St. Paul (North)  Minneapolis (North)  Excelsior
> Pre 21.2   17.1  2.5
>   5.3
> 1996
> 1996-367.4420.5   114.6
> 181.2
> 2017
>
> Median number of robins counted at Twin Cities CBCs:
>Bloomington  St. Paul (North)  Minneapolis (North)  Excelsior
> Pre   5  6 0
> 1
> 1996
> 1996- 27825526
>   132
> 2017
> I considered that the increased number of robins might reflect
> more birders participating in these Christmas counts as well
> as an increase in birding skills. If there are more skillful
> birders involved in these counts I would expect a similar
> increase in the counts of other species. So I looked at the
> counts reported by the Bloomington CBC for the black-capped
> chickadee, blue jay and dark-eyed junco. I didn't find any
> trends or long term changes in the number of these species.
> Therefore, I'm convinced that the increased number of winter
> robins is real.
> I didn't attempt to see if there is a link between the increasein the
> number of robins counted and weather/climate.
> That leaves a question in my mind. Are the larger counts just
> a reflection that the Twin Cities population of robins has
> increased but the same proportion of that population is
> overwintering as in the past or have the overwintering habits
> of the robins changed?
> The CBC data speaks only to the presence of robins in December.
> Maybe the only change is when the robins migrate to warmer
> regions. Maybe if we had many years of counts for January and
> early February we would find that the number of robins in
> those months hasn't changed much over the years. As Manley
> Olson pointed out, once the robins exhaust the availability of
> crab apples, perhaps they head south and are now just as
> uncommon in January and February as they were back in the
> 1950s through 1980s.
> Val Landwehr
> Minneapolis
>
> 
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>


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[mou-net] Winter Robins

[JULIAN SELLERS]

I think hackberries play a role.  I don't know when the cities began planting 
hackberry trees on boulevards, but I think it was not many decades ago.  Most 
of the trees do not look very old.  Did large crops of hackberries begin to 
appear within the last 10 or 15 years?

On the 2008 St. Paul (North) CBC, my team had the area west of Cleveland Avenue 
and south of Marshall Avenue/Lake Street, extending south to the Ford Dam and 
west past the Hiawatha grain elevators in Minneapolis.  We counted 808 American 
Robins.  As I recall, about 650 of them were feeding on Hackberries on the 
Summit Avenue median in the two blocks between Cretin and Cleveland Avenues.

It seems to me that robins become scarcer in late December, as the hackberry 
supply is depleted.

Julian

From: Minnesota Birds  on behalf of Rebecca Field 

Sent: Thursday, December 6, 2018 6:21 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: Re: [mou-net] Northern Raven/Number Winter Robins

I just heard this evening that Robins eat Buckthorn berries. Of course, we are 
trying to eradicate that invasive. I hope that isn’t causing less food for the 
robins.

Becky Field

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 6, 2018, at 5:36 PM, Jason Frank  wrote:
>
> It would be interesting to compare the data of outstate CBCs as well.
> I haven't lived in Minneapolis during winter since 1997, and it seemed
> noteworthy to me to see large numbers of robins in the winter. A few
> years ago I visited Minnehaha Falls around Christmas and couldn't
> believe how many there were, though I just figured they were local
> birds who stayed for the open water along the creek and had reliable
> food sources nearby.  Those numbers from Val show a pretty stark
> increase, which to my eyes fits the trend of climate change.
>
> But... having lived in the Lac qui Parle area since 09, I can't say
> I've seen many impressive winter flocks except during the mildest
> winters of the last decade, and those birds were usually seen in town
> or at parks, and not out in the countryside for the most part.
>
> Since the Twin Cities urban heat island effect means the temperature
> averages there would be trending warmer than elsewhere in the state, I
> wonder if outstate robins have gotten into the habit of migrating into
> cities and towns, rather than further south? Collating banding data
> with rural CBCs might shed some more light on the case.
>
>> On 12/6/18, GREG ELIZABETH CLOSMORE  wrote:
>> Buckthorn!
>>
>>> On Dec 6, 2018, at 4:32 PM, Val Landwehr
>>> <012f44857088-dmarc-requ...@lists.umn.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>> I was intrigued by the discussion of whether in recent years
>>> more robins are being seen during winter in the Twin Cities(Charles Neil,
>>> Mary White and J. Baumann). I think that I
>>> have seen more robins, particularly in large flocks, in
>>> recent years. To put this hypothesis to the test I looked at the
>>> results from four Christmas Bird Counts over the years that are
>>> online at the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union website. The
>>> Christmas Bird Counts I checked were Bloomington CBC, St. Paul
>>> (North) CBC, Excelsior CBC and the Minneapolis (North) CBC.
>>> I found a distinct trend of more robins being counted during
>>> the counts since the winter of 1996 than were in prior years.
>>> The numbers vary widely each year, but there is a distinct
>>> inflection point around 1996 for a larger number of robinssince that date
>>> than prior to it. Since 1996, the number ofrobins counted varies greatly
>>> from year to year, but I don't
>>> see any clear evidence that the numbers are continuing to
>>> increase.
>>> Average number of robins counted at Twin Cities CBCs:
>>>   Bloomington  St. Paul (North)  Minneapolis (North)  Excelsior
>>> Pre 21.2   17.1  2.5
>>>  5.3
>>> 1996
>>> 1996-367.4420.5   114.6
>>> 181.2
>>> 2017
>>>
>>> Median number of robins counted at Twin Cities CBCs:
>>>   Bloomington  St. Paul (North)  Minneapolis (North)  Excelsior
>>> Pre   5  6 0
>>>1
>>> 1996
>>> 1996- 27825526
>>>  132
>>> 2017
>>> I considered that the increased number of robins might reflect
>>> more birders participating in these Christmas counts as well
>>> as an increase in birding skills. If there are more skillful
>>> birders involved in these counts I would expect a similar
>>> increase in the counts of other species. So I looked at the
>>> counts reported by the Bloomington CBC for the black-capped
>>> chickadee, blue jay and dark-eyed junco. I didn't find any
>>> trends or long term changes in the number of these species.
>>> Therefore, I'm convinced that the increased number of winter
>>> robins is real.
>>> I didn't attempt to see if there is a link between the increasein the
>>> number of robins counted and weather/climate.
>>> That leaves a question in my mind. Are 

Re: [mou-net] Winter Wren, Ramsey County

[JULIAN SELLERS]

I have uploaded to Recently Seen a photo that Monica Bryand took at the 
Reservoir woods location on June 12.  I must have mistakenly entered  the date 
as 2017-06-08, but Monica took the photo on June 12.  I understand that this 
bird was earlier reported on MNBird.  I do not know who first discovered it.


Julian



From: Minnesota Birds <MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU> on behalf of JULIAN SELLERS 
<juliansell...@msn.com>
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2017 12:44 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Winter Wren, Ramsey County

Birding this morning with Clay Christensen and other friends, we heard a Winter 
Wren sing several times in Reservoir Woods Park in Roseville.  Clay first heard 
it just south of the wooden overlook with benches along the Trout Creek Trail, 
west of Dale Street.  The coordinates are approximately 45.000781, -93.128497.  
It sang a few times at that location, and again a bit later near the trail a 
short distance east of that point.  The nearest place to park is a small 
parking lot at the north end of Alta Vista Drive.  You can enter Alta Vista 
from Dale Street, 50 meters north of Larpenteur Avenue.


Other birds in that area included Red-breasted Nuthatch and Scarlet Tanager.


Julian

St. Paul


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[mou-net] Winter Wren, Ramsey County

[JULIAN SELLERS]

Birding this morning with Clay Christensen and other friends, we heard a Winter 
Wren sing several times in Reservoir Woods Park in Roseville.  Clay first heard 
it just south of the wooden overlook with benches along the Trout Creek Trail, 
west of Dale Street.  The coordinates are approximately 45.000781, -93.128497.  
It sang a few times at that location, and again a bit later near the trail a 
short distance east of that point.  The nearest place to park is a small 
parking lot at the north end of Alta Vista Drive.  You can enter Alta Vista 
from Dale Street, 50 meters north of Larpenteur Avenue.


Other birds in that area included Red-breasted Nuthatch and Scarlet Tanager.


Julian

St. Paul


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[mou-net] Fw: Mockingbird, Washington County

[JULIAN SELLERS]

I should have noted that the bison will return to their summer home at Belwin 
on May 20th, along with a crowd of spectators.  That might be a good day not to 
go birding in that area.


Julian



From: Minnesota Birds <MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU> on behalf of JULIAN SELLERS 
<juliansell...@msn.com>
Sent: Friday, May 5, 2017 5:50 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Mockingbird, Washington County

I saw a Northern Mockingbird at 8:15 this morning foraging along the fence row 
on the north side of Division Street, east of Stagecoach Trail.  I was there to 
observe the kestrel nest box that Saint Paul Audubon and the Belwin Conservancy 
placed in the grassland on the north side of Division Street, across from the 
Bison prairie and the bison observation platform.  Although kestrels have been 
hanging out in that area, the nest box is not occupied.  At about 9:45, I 
re-found the mockingbird farther east, near the northeast corner of the bison 
prairie.  I did not hear it sing.

Julian Sellers

Saint Paul


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[mou-net] Mockingbird, Washington County

[JULIAN SELLERS]

I saw a Northern Mockingbird at 8:15 this morning foraging along the fence row 
on the north side of Division Street, east of Stagecoach Trail.  I was there to 
observe the kestrel nest box that Saint Paul Audubon and the Belwin Conservancy 
placed in the grassland on the north side of Division Street, across from the 
Bison prairie and the bison observation platform.  Although kestrels have been 
hanging out in that area, the nest box is not occupied.  At about 9:45, I 
re-found the mockingbird farther east, near the northeast corner of the bison 
prairie.  I did not hear it sing.

Julian Sellers

Saint Paul


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[mou-net] The Saint Paul Sora

[JULIAN SELLERS]

A resident of the area has been seeing the bird for more than a month.  He 
thinks it has a broken wing.  He has tried to capture it, intending to take it 
to the Wildlife Rehab Center, but couldn't get close enough to it.  He has seen 
it flutter straight up about 16 inches.  It has been feeding in lawns, but will 
probably not survive much longer.


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[mou-net] A wayward Sora in Saint Paul

[JULIAN SELLERS]

At 11:40 this morning, a Sora ran from the boulevard grass across the sidewalk 
and onto the shrub-covered embankment along the west side of the parking lot 
for Macalester College's Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center.  This is in the block 
of Cambridge Street between Lincoln Avenue and Amherst Street.  I was walking 
on the sidewalk, and the Sora crossed about 10 feet in front of me.


Julian


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[mou-net] Golden-winged Warbler, Washington County

[JULIAN SELLERS]

Friends and I found an adult male Golden-winged Warbler in Lake Elmo Park 
Reserve, central Washington County, this morning.  According to Janssen's Birds 
in Minnesota, this is a bit early for fall migration and a bit south of the 
breeding range.
JulianSt. Paul

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Re: [mou-net] yellow-billed cuckoo window kill

[JULIAN SELLERS]

Perhaps 20 to 30 years ago, one of the leaders of the Twin Cities raptor 
community (Bud Tordoff, I believe) presented a program about Peregrine Falcons 
to a downtown St. Paul firm where my wife was employed.  He stated that the 
most common prey species identified at the nest box on the Bremer Building was 
Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  (Who would have guessed?)  Maybe the cuckoos you've 
found were also "peregrine leavings."
Julian

> Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2016 09:35:10 -0600
> From: m...@moumn.org
> Subject: [mou-net] yellow-billed cuckoo window kill
> To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
> 
> (Posted by Todd Starich  via moumn.org)
> 
> Two summers ago I found a dead black-billed cuckoo, apparent victim of 
> hitting a 
> window, on the north side of Moos Tower on the UMN East Bank. One day last 
> summer I found another dead black-billed cuckoo, maybe within 15 ft of where 
> I 
> had found one the summer before. Today I came across a dead yellow-billed 
> cuckoo about 30 yards away, by the adjacent PWB. This is not a prominent 
> window-kill graveyard-- I bike through there every workday of the year, and 
> it is 
> rare to see dead birds other than peregrine leavings. So the proportion of 
> cuckoo 
> window kill compared to other birds seems exceptionally high. Something that 
> cuckoos see that other birds in general don't??
> 
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[mou-net] Grassland Birds at Belwin Conservancy

[JULIAN SELLERS]

The prairie areas at the Belwin Conservancy, in Washington County 
(http://www.belwin.org/), have a good collection of grassland bird species.  On 
a St. Paul Audubon field trip this morning, we found Henslow's, Lark, 
Grasshopper, and Vesper among 9 sparrow species at the Stagecoach Prairies (see 
trail map at the web site).  At the Bison Prairie (south side of Division 
Street), we added Dickcissel, Bobolink, and Eastern Meadowlark.  Be aware that 
next Saturday, June 11, is the "Bison release day," when bison are brought in 
from a Wisconsin farm to spend the summer at Belwin.  Hundreds of people come 
on that day, so you should go before then or a few days afterward.
At least two Henslow's Sparrows were singing in the thick, tall grass at the 
southern edge of the Sauers Praire part of the Stagecoach Prairies.  They were 
close to the trail that continues from the 11th Street parking lot, but we 
could not see them.  Lark Sparrows were easy to see (not particularly wary) in 
the northern part of the Stagecoach Prairies, generally north of number 6 on 
the map.  A few Grasshopper Sparrows were also in this area.  Vesper Sparrows 
were abundant and singing throughout, but more common in the northern part.  A 
Blue-winged warbler was singing (and visible) on the east side of the Sauers 
Prairie, where the trail toward number 2 branches off.  Among woodland birds 
heard were Red-breasted Nuthatch, Wood Thrush, and Scarlet Tanager.
JulianSt. Paul

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[mou-net] Merlins, St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

At about 9:15 this morning, a pair of Merlins flew rapidly (as you would 
expect) in a wide circle centered approximately on St. Clair Ave and Amherst 
Street, Saint Paul.  I first heard one calling from north of St. Clair and 
Wheeler, then saw them flying.  Upon completing the circle, the loud one landed 
in the top of a large cottonwood just north of St. Clair & Wheeler.  I walked 
through that area again at about 12:15, and did not see or hear them.

Julian
St. Paul


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Re: [mou-net] FW: Brown Creepers--- correction on nest report

[Julian Sellers]

I found a pair of Brown Creepers building a nest in Crosby Farm Park, St. 
Paul, on 5/10/1998.  On 6/7/1998 I watched as the pair made repeated visits 
to the nest with food.  I reported this, with a photograph, to the MOU, and 
it was included as a new nesting record for Ramsey County in The Loon, Vol 
71, Number 1.


Julian

-Original Message- 
From: Gordon Andersson

Sent: Friday, April 15, 2016 9:41 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] FW: Brown Creepers--- correction on nest report

thanks Linda… I should have looked for the article or not "gone there" based 
on memory.   thanks for fixing it.




Gordon



From: Linda Whyte [mailto:li...@moosewoods.us]
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2016 9:10 PM
To: Gordon Andersson 
Subject: Brown Creepers



The discovery you referred to, by Diana Doyle, was indeed along Minnehaha 
Creek, but it was a night-roost, not a nest. She found 3 Creepers huddled 
together in the crevice of some pine bark, and returned to the site at 
first-light to photograph them. She brought me there to show me the site.


They do overwinter along the Creek, as we find them there on our CBC. 
Likewise, I find them at Crosby in winter months.


(The only sure nest I've ever found was in MI's Upper Peninsula, though I 
once witnessed what looked like nest activity on the trail to Sand Point in 
Frontenac. With the Mi nest we were able to see the parents bringing food to 
the young. I'd love to have that experience again!)


Linda



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[mou-net] Tufted Titmouse, South St. Paul, Dakota County

[Julian Sellers]

I birded Simon’s Ravine (South St. Paul, Dakota County) with friends this 
morning, where a Tufted Titmouse sang loudly and persistently.  We first heard 
it, then saw it, at 9:00 a.m., approximately 300 meters up the ravine from 19th 
Ave N.  On our way back down the ravine, it was singing near 19th Ave N and 
Conver Ave.  It’s probably best to park at the Simon’s Ravine Trailhead, on 
Concord Street, just south of Butler Ave (immediately south of the bike & 
pedestrian overpass), then walk up the ravine on the paved trail, which goes 
underneath 19th Ave N.  This is the general area where a Tufted Titmouse was 
found on the most recent St. Paul Christmas Bird Count.



Julian

St. Paul


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[mou-net] Maplewood State Park, Otter Tail County

[Julian Sellers]

I did some birding in beautiful Maplewood State Park on Tuesday, 5/19.  
Highlights were:  a spectacular Western Kingbird hawking insects in the company 
of Eastern Kingbirds near the observation blind on the south side of Beaver 
Lake and a displaying American Woodcock in the field across the road from the 
Baker Cabin (starting at about 9:30 pm).  Fair numbers of warblers in the 
woods.  Was not able to get into much of the grasslands due to prescribed burns 
in progress.

Julian Sellers
Saint Paul


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[mou-net] Date Correction, A Bird's Eye View

[Julian Sellers]

The date for St. Paul Audubon’s April program (A Bird’s eye View:  A 
Microscopic Look at Contour Feathers), in the MOU Calendar in the Mar/Apr issue 
of Minnesota Birding, is incorrect.  The correct date is Thursday, April 9th.

Julian


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Re: [mou-net] First robins of the year?

[Julian Sellers]

A good portion of them may be coming from Summit Avenue, between Cretin and 
Snelling Avenues, in St. Paul.  Many hundreds of Robins have been found 
feeding on the hackberries there on recent St. Paul CBC counts.


Julian
St. Paul

-Original Message- 
From: Bruce Fall

Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2015 8:51 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: Re: [mou-net] First robins of the year?

For the past few weeks I have been monitoring a large robin roost not
far from my home in S. Minneapolis, first reported to MOU-net in mid
December by Robert Bergad. It is located in the median of E Minnehaha
Parkway, just west of 28th Ave. S. My high count so far (2 Jan.) is
1,450 robins (and 200 starlings), nearly all of which arrive in a 20-min
period starting about 15 min before sunset. Nearly all come from an
easterly direction (NE to SE) and I am sure they are flying in from
miles away but I have yet to track that down. They are roosting in about
a dozen ornamental spruces in the parkway median. The roost tree
branches are covered with hackberry seeds; the berries are a favorite
robin food from autumn well into winter. So far I have found no other
species (except starlings) in this roost. According to Robert (who lives
adjacent to the roost), these robins depart in the morning in a
similarly impressive manner, and the roost has been active since early
November.

Bruce Fall, Minneapolis


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Re: [mou-net] Birds' Best Friend? | Audubon Magazine

[Julian Sellers]

But see this article in the May-June 2014 issue of Audubon: 
http://www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/living/tall-grasses-might-be-key-cutting-birdstrikes. 
Some airports are now growing tall grasses, which deter big birds while 
providing habitat for smaller birds that are not a hazard for aircraft.


Julian

-Original Message- 
From: Judy Chucker

Sent: Friday, January 02, 2015 9:31 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Birds' Best Friend? | Audubon Magazine

An airport in FL has found a novel way to cut down on bird/plane collisions.
www.audubonmagazine.org/articles/conservation/hair-dog-chases

--Judy Chucker
Download the official Twitter app here


Sent from my iPhone


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[mou-net] John Fitzpatrick in NY Times

[Julian Sellers]

In observance of the 100-year anniversary of the death of the last Passenger 
Pigeon, the New York Times has published an essay by John Fitzpatrick, 
executive director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  It’s worth reading (at 
John Fitzpatrick's op-ed).

Julian


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[mou-net] Afton St Pk Open-Country Birds

[Julian Sellers]

There was a good variety of open-country birds along the northern section of 
the Prairie Loop Trail, in the northern part of Afton State Park, this morning, 
including numerous Henslow’s Sparrows, some Grasshopper Sparrows, Eastern 
Meadowlarks, a few Bobolinks, a pair of Orchard Orioles, and a Bell’s Vireo.  
The Bell’s Vireo was singing near the northwest corner of the loop.  As you 
approach from the east, the trail rises and passes between some medium-sized 
box elder trees.  Beyond that point, mostly to the right of the trail, are 
patches of shrubbery of the kind that appeals to Bell’s Vireos.  The bird was 
moving around in this area.  At one point, I saw it fly across the trail, and I 
think it was pursuing another member of its species.

I also heard again the distinctive “pit-i-tuck” call of a Summer Tanager, this 
time at the northern edge of the woods near the trail junction 0.5 miles south 
of the northwest corner of the Prairie Loop Trail.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Responses to the iPhone Bird Call App Question

[Julian Sellers]

Here are the responses that I received to the question about bird call apps for 
iPhone.

Julian

=

Is the person using it to learn call (Quiz) or call in birds?

The trouble with asking for “an accurate” pitch is that birds have dialects 
just like we do and can sound different in different parts of the country.

Personally, I like Larkwire for learning bird song because it uses many 
different recording to quiz you.

For the field, I don’t know that it matters since I just use it there to remind 
myself of sounds.

=

I'm accustomed to using iBird pro. has worked well for me, but wondering if 
there are other or better options. If you are looking for a learning tool, i 
think LarkWire is the route to go. I haven't had time to start on mine yet.

=

I use iBird Pro, available at the app store  I've used it a few times to 
attract a bird and it has been effective.  It also contains a lot of info about 
each bird - 900+

=

You don't have to be tied to an app. You 
could download whatever songs you want to get and put them into iTunes and 
then on your phone. I guess my question is why are you concerned about 
perfect pitch?  I'm sure you know that there is variability in bird songs. 
I'm not sure the birds care either.

Anyway, www.xeno-canto.org has lots of bird songs (I'm sure you know about 
that one). You can easily download anything they have.

I've done that with xeno-canto and other sources and have them on my iPod. 
You won't have additional info on the bird with this method but you can 
associate a photo of the bird with the song (via album art) so you will see 
the photo on you iPhone when you play the song.

=

I am very happy with iBird.  It has audio as well as drawings and photos of 
birds.  Have had it for three years on my iPad and now on my smartphone, not 
iphone.  Others like Sibley but it has no photos.

=

I use IBird Pro and really like it.  It has photos/songs and a brief 
description of the habitat you will most likely see the bird in. The only 
drawbacks to it are its not for the beginning birder.   It's ideal for an 
advanced beginner to an intermediate birder, mostly because there is no raptor 
section nor a sparrow section, but indivdual birds, many of them and 
comprehensive field descriptions.  If you know its  warbler, you can try a 
common name for one, say Nashville Warbler, then choose the similar birds 
option and you'll be able to look at alot of warblers with gray and yellow 
colors.  The audio is good.I was in a state park lot when I first got the app 
and played several of the birds I wanted to learn, mostly warblers. I 
inadvertently called in several nearby birds, as they landed in the tree next 
to my open car window! I don't recall how much it costs, i don't think it was 
expensive, but it's worth it.

=

I would go with the Sibley app. Even tho it's somewhat expensive, I have
found that it's quite user friendly and the songs and calls are built into
the info on each species. And, the songs are from several US locations, so
you get some different 'accents' too.

I use an Android phone, tho I think this app is out for apple products also.

I have also downloaded several others, some of which I've paid a little bit
for, but I like the set up of the Sibley the best.

All of them take some time to download and install, so tell your friend to
do that at a time when he won't have to use the phone for a while.


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[mou-net] Summer Tanager, Afton State Park

[Julian Sellers]

This morning, I followed a Summer Tanager as it flew low through open woods at 
Afton State Park, Washington County.  It flew about 30 yards at a time before 
stopping briefly on low perches.  It was giving its “pit-i-tuck” call the 
entire time, which I recorded.  I have uploaded an excerpt from the recording 
to the MOU audio gallery.  The location was along the Trout Brook Loop Trail, 
on the wooded hillside near the southern end of the loop, on the west side of 
the brook.  The bird was moving northward along that hillside.

The location is about a half-mile south of the place where Liz Harper found a 
Summer Tanager in the summer of 2009.

Julian


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[mou-net] iPhone Bird Call App

[Julian Sellers]

Passing on a request for info:

“I would like advice to select an iphone app with the most accurate pitch of 
bird calls. Other secondary info like a picture would be nice for ID, but I am 
most interested in good sound replication.  I heard a National Geographic bird 
app that sounded nice to my untrained ears, but we could not find it to buy it 
and I realized I should ask you experts about good iphone apps for a beginner.  
Or is there a dedicated device that is better than an iphone app that I should 
consider and where would I obtain it?”

If you have a recommendation, please reply to me at juliansell...@msn.com.

Julian


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Re: [mou-net] iPhone Bird Call App

[Julian Sellers]

Thanks for your replies.  I think the requestor has plenty of good info now.

Julian

From: Julian Sellers 
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2014 2:22 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU 
Subject: [mou-net] iPhone Bird Call App

Passing on a request for info:

“I would like advice to select an iphone app with the most accurate pitch of 
bird calls. Other secondary info like a picture would be nice for ID, but I am 
most interested in good sound replication.  I heard a National Geographic bird 
app that sounded nice to my untrained ears, but we could not find it to buy it 
and I realized I should ask you experts about good iphone apps for a beginner.  
Or is there a dedicated device that is better than an iphone app that I should 
consider and where would I obtain it?”

If you have a recommendation, please reply to me at juliansell...@msn.com.

Julian


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Re: [mou-net] Audubon and the Art of Birds program at St Paul Audubon Socy this Thursday Sept 12

[Julian Sellers]

The social time with refreshments begins at 6:45.  A brief chapter meeting 
begins at 7:00, followed by the presentation.  Right, Gordon?


Julian

-Original Message- 
From: G Andersson

Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 11:56 AM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Audubon and the Art of Birds program at St Paul Audubon 
Socy this Thursday Sept 12


For you in the metro area, Don Luce of the Bell Museum will be presenting at
the SPAS meeting on the big new exhibit opening at the Bell October 05.  The
meeting is this Thursday Sept 12 at 6:45 pm.  Cty Rd B in Roseville.  see
map and address.  Free and open to everyone.  should be a crowd.



http://www.saintpaulaudubon.org/events/2013/09/audubon-and-art-of-birds



GAndersson

St Paul



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[mou-net] Kentucky Warbler not found

[Julian Sellers]

A group went to the Battle Creek Park woods this morning, and did not hear or 
see the Kentucky warbler.  We did not hang around longer than about 20 minutes 
waiting for it to sing, but this bird was a very active singer, so I think it 
was not present today.  We heard two Mourning Warblers at other places in the 
same woods, and saw one.  That one was singing actively from trees in the 
ravine on the south side of the wooded hill, providing a good opportunity for a 
sighting from the trail that runs more or less east-west at the top of the 
ravine.  Best access to these woods is from the rec center parking lot on 
Winthrop Street, between Upper Afton Road and Lower Afton Road, in southeastern 
St. Paul.

Julian
St. Paul


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Re: [mou-net] Fw: Probable Kentucky Warbler, St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

Thanks to all who have made the effort to confirm this bird's identity, and 
a special thanks to John Zakelj for the great photo.


Julian

-Original Message- 
From: John Zakelj

Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2013 1:28 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: Re: [mou-net] Fw: Probable Kentucky Warbler, St. Paul

Thanks to the postings by Julian Sellers and Doug Kieser, I was able to get 
a

recognizable photo of the Kentucky Warbler.  I posted it on MOU's recently
seen gallery:
http://moumn.org/cgi-bin/recent.pl?op=rare

As stated by Doug, this bird was singing persistently and loudly, but was
rather difficult to spot.


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[mou-net] Probable Kentucky Warbler, St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

On Tuesday, 6/11, and again today, I heard a probable Kentucky Warbler singing 
regularly in Battle Creek Park, St. Paul.  I’ve marked the location on this 
Google map:  
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8hl=enoe=UTF8msa=0msid=210992007790339495719.0004df23b3a9aa444a01a
 .

When I first heard it, I assumed it was a Mourning Warbler, but after hearing 
two Mourning Warblers in the same woods, I came to believe that this could be a 
Kentucky Warbler.  This morning, I spent a couple of hours trying in vain to 
see the bird.  I got some pretty good audio recordings of it as well as 
recordings of the two Mourning Warblers located a few hundred yards away.  I 
have compared my recordings of this bird with recordings of the Mourning 
Warblers that I made this morning and with Cornell recordings of a Kentucky 
Warbler and a very similar-sounding Mourning Warbler.  To me, the sound says 
Kentucky.  I  have also made sonograms for comparison.  The sonogram of the 
Battle Creek bird is practically identical to that of a Cornell Kentucky 
Warbler, but very different from that of the similar-sounding Mourning Warbler. 
 I have uploaded images of these sonograms to this web album:  View Album .

If you go to look for this bird, please stay on the trails and do not use 
playback.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Fw: Probable Kentucky Warbler, St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

I forgot two things:

1.  I have uploaded a bit of the probable KEWA song to the MOU web site’s audio 
gallery.
2.  If you go to look for the bird, take mosquito repellent.

Julian

From: Julian Sellers 
Sent: Friday, June 14, 2013 5:14 PM
To: MOU-NET 
Subject: Probable Kentucky Warbler, St. Paul

On Tuesday, 6/11, and again today, I heard a probable Kentucky Warbler singing 
regularly in Battle Creek Park, St. Paul.  I’ve marked the location on this 
Google map:  
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8hl=enoe=UTF8msa=0msid=210992007790339495719.0004df23b3a9aa444a01a
 .

When I first heard it, I assumed it was a Mourning Warbler, but after hearing 
two Mourning Warblers in the same woods, I came to believe that this could be a 
Kentucky Warbler.  This morning, I spent a couple of hours trying in vain to 
see the bird.  I got some pretty good audio recordings of it as well as 
recordings of the two Mourning Warblers located a few hundred yards away.  I 
have compared my recordings of this bird with recordings of the Mourning 
Warblers that I made this morning and with Cornell recordings of a Kentucky 
Warbler and a very similar-sounding Mourning Warbler.  To me, the sound says 
Kentucky.  I  have also made sonograms for comparison.  The sonogram of the 
Battle Creek bird is practically identical to that of a Cornell Kentucky 
Warbler, but very different from that of the similar-sounding Mourning Warbler. 
 I have uploaded images of these sonograms to this web album:  View Album .

If you go to look for this bird, please stay on the trails and do not use 
playback.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Sonograms

[Julian Sellers]

I think the link to the sonograms of the probable Kentucky Warbler did not come 
through in the email.  In case you’re interested, here’s the link:
https://picasaweb.google.com/PicasaJuke/SonogramsOfProbableKentuckyWarblerBattleCreekPark61413?authkey=Gv1sRgCISVx6GtpOavHg

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Crosby Park, St. Paul, This Morning

[Julian Sellers]

I led a St. Paul Audubon bird walk at Crosby Farm Regional Park this morning.  
Highlights:
- A Least Bittern made a brief flight across the marsh between the boardwalk 
and the larger lake.
- As we were walking through the open area from the smaller lake to the parking 
lot, we heard a Connecticut Warbler singing near the edge of the woods about 
150 yards east of the parking lot.  We watched and listened as it sang for 
about 10-15 minutes.  It stopped singing, and we walked into the woods to try 
to find it.  It did not sing again, and we gave up looking after about 15 more 
minutes.
- Other warblers:  Tennessee, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, Blackpoll 
(numerous), American Redstart (everywhere), Northern Waterthrush (heard—not to 
be confused with Connecticut Warbler), Common Yellowthroat
- Scarlet Tanager

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Mockingbird, St. Paul, BVNS

[Julian Sellers]

Between 9:45 and 10:15 this morning I observed a Northern Mockingbird in the 
Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary in St. Paul.  It was hanging around in the rows of 
young oaks in the center of the sanctuary, sometimes feeding on the ground, 
then it flew to the nearby cottonwoods on the east side of the main path.  It 
repeatedly shook its head, as if trying to free itself from a thread or 
something (which I could not see) around its neck.

The sanctuary is between Mounds Park and downtown St. Paul’s Lowertown.  Enter 
“Commercial St  E 4th St, St Paul, MN” to Google Maps.  The entrance is from a 
small parking lot at that intersection.  To get there you have to take 
Commercial Street from Mounds Blvd (E 4th street is blocked due to 
construction).

I’ve been going to BVNS this spring to check for activity at the kestrel nest 
box that St. Paul Audubon placed there in the winter of 2012.  Last spring a 
pair of kestrels fledged five young.  This year, I think the box is empty.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Short-eared Owl, Randolph, Dakota County

[Julian Sellers]

At 9:45 this morning, there was a Short-eared Owl in the Great Western 
Industrial Park off of MN Hwy 56 north of Randolph.  I was parked on the first 
road to the north when it floated past and landed on a post near the north end 
of that road.  The roads in the industrial park are paved, so the snow was not 
a problem.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] St. Paul Audubon Field Trip Cancelled

[Julian Sellers]

Tomorrow’s Saint Paul Audubon field trip to Miesville Ravine and Lake Byllesby 
is cancelled due to messy roads near Miesville Ravine and difficulty parking at 
Lake Byllesby.  This is NOT the MOU field trip led by Kevin Smith.

Julian


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Re: [mou-net] woodcock?

[Julian Sellers]

St. Paul Audubon's annual woodcock evening at the Arden Hills Army Training 
Site 
will happen on Tuesday, April 23, at 8 pm.  See 
http://www.saintpaulaudubon.org/events/2013/04/woodcock-courtship-flights, 
but be aware that the meeting location might change, so check again later.  We 
usually hear several and see one, but, of course, there are no guarantees.

Julian Sellers
St. Paul


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[mou-net] St. Paul Raptors (RSHA, COHA, MERL)

[Julian Sellers]

Tony Pfaff sent me photos of a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Cooper’s Hawk that 
have been hanging around his yard in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. 
Paul.  And today at 11:30, as I was stopped at the intersection of Jefferson 
and Lexington, a Merlin zoomed in from the west, made an unsuccessful pass 
through a flock of small birds, and zoomed back in the direction from which it 
had come.
Julian Sellers
St. Paul


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Re: [mou-net] Sparrow workshop

[Julian Sellers]

Recent Changes in Minnesota Bird Life

-Original Message- 
From: Mary Westra

Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2012 3:19 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: Re: [mou-net] Sparrow workshop

Can anyone refresh my memory of Bob Janssen's topic at tonight's Audabon
monthly meeting in Roseville? Thanks.

Mary Rondeau Westra
36 Dellwood Avenue
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
(H) 651-426-3325
(C) 612-868-1509
m...@mwestra.com
http://mwestra.com



-Original Message-
From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of Doug Buri
Sent: Monday, October 08, 2012 8:22 AM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Sparrow workshop

Bob Janssen and I just finished our 3 day sparrow workshop based in Milbank
SD. Even with the cold and very windy conditions we got good long looks at
12 species of sparrow. By far the dominate species was Harris's Sparrow
which seem to be everywhere in big numbers this year.

LeConte's Sparrow was seen in several locations but the high point came when
one perched in very plain site on a fence rail and was content to sit there
for over four minutes.

Big Stone NWR had few sparrows but more than made up for it with quite a few
shorebirds around. One quite late Wilson's Phalarope gave us a very fleeting
view. Several Black-bellied Plovers were found and two flocks of migrating
Golden Plovers were also seen over the weekend.

Doug Buri
Milbank, SD
www.dougburi.com/sparrow
www.dougburi.com/shorebird


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Re: [mou-net] Dickcisselsn meadowlarks SoWashCo

[Julian Sellers]

I think the general advice in MN is not to mow until at least July 15, 
preferably August 1.


Julian

-Original Message- 
From: Rick

Sent: Monday, June 25, 2012 3:58 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: Re: [mou-net] Dickcisselsn  meadowlarks SoWashCo

It can be done without hartming the birds if the mowing is delayed.  We
have use this technique quite effectively on some of the parkland in the
City of Fargo

Good birding,
Rick


On 6/25/2012 12:18 PM, linda whyte wrote:
I was told by an involved Xcel employee that the outfit responsible for 
the

landscaping would like to do prairie burns, but it was not deemed safe due
to the nature of the plant's fuel.  As a result they may choose to do some
mowing to cut back on the invasives. The question is, can that be done
effectively, without harming breeding birds already there?
Linda Whyte

On Mon, Jun 25, 2012 at 7:52 AM, Klein, Tom R (DNR) 
tom.r.kl...@state.mn.us

wrote:
The dickcissels that I have observed (near the High Bridge near downtown
St. Paul) are in a large, open area that has been planted to prairie
grass (so the sign reads). In fact, the expanse is a who's-who of 
invasive

forbs (particularly white and yellow sweet clover,  red clover, sow
thistle, hairy vetch, birdsfoot trefoil) with some token native stuff
thrown in there. If you look hard enough you can see some Canada wild rye
bravely soldiering on. All that being said, the birds are in there.

Tom Klein
West Side
St. Paul
-Original Message-
From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of Larry
Sirvio
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2012 3:42 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Dickcisselsn  meadowlarks SoWashCo

I know dickcissels are everywhere this year. Now dickcissels on the east
side of East Ridge High school in Woodbury. There’s not much for grass
there. Several of both species singing. What gives?
(Bailey Rd and Mile Road – near the gravel pit pond on Mile Rd.) Larry S


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--
Rick Holbrook
Fargo, ND
N 46°53'07
W 096°48'18
  or
46.887527N
-96.805079W


Remember the USS Liberty
http://www.ussliberty.org/


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[mou-net] Afton State Park Today

[Julian Sellers]

I led a St. Paul Audubon Birding By Ear field trip to Afton State Park this 
morning, having scouted it yesterday morning.  I think THE Hooded Warbler has 
moved.  Yesterday, at 9:00 and again at 11:30, it was singing constantly (the 
primary song) at the first main overlook north of the big terminal parking lot. 
 Today, we did not hear it there—either on our way out or on our way in—but we 
did hear a HOWA singing the same song almost a mile north, in the northeastern 
corner of the park.  We took the North River Trail (along the St. Croix), then 
the left turn and switchback that goes up a long hill to the northern boundary 
of the park.  We first heard the HOWA as we approached the bend to the east, 
then found it singing near the trail’s bend at the park border.  (We did not 
see it.)  On the trail maps, the mileage indicator 0.6 is printed near this 
location.

Yesterday and today we did not hear any Prothonotary Warblers in the promising 
area of flooded silver maples where Trout Brook flows under the trail bridge, 
but yesterday I SAW two Prothonotaries (or maybe one) there.  One of them had a 
caterpillar in its beak, and it flew toward the outer silver maples.

A Henslow’s Sparrow is singing on territory close to the trail between the two 
“prairie loops” in the north-central part of the park.  On the map, there is a 
trail junction with symbols for a shelter and a toilet.  From this junction, go 
west on the trail segment that is 0.2 miles long.  You will probably hear the 
HESP as soon as you leave that junction.  It is on the right (north) side of 
the trail, near the first pole with a blue diamond marker.  Several sedge wrens 
are also in the area.  Other grassland birds are scarce in this area, with a 
few very distant Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowlarks.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Migration is a wonderful thing

[Julian Sellers]

As I walked through the Tangletown neighborhood of St. Paul near Macalester 
College this morning, a Golden-winged Warbler and a Wood Thrush were among the 
birds singing.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] How do Brown Pelicans feed in MN?

[Julian Sellers]

Do they plunge into the water to grab fish, as they do in coastal areas?  How 
do they survive the trip here?  Carp?

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Shrike, St. Paul, Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary

[Julian Sellers]

At 11:30 this morning a shrike was hunting in the Bruce Vento Sanctuary just 
east of downtown St. Paul 
(http://www.mepartnership.org/sites/LOWERPHALENCREEK/sub_page6.asp).  I had 
binocs, but without a scope I could not determine the species (I was leaning 
Loggerhead).  This is the first shrike I have seen at BVNS.  As I continued my 
walk around the sanctuary, I lost sight of the shrike, and could not find it 
again.  I suspect that it had moved on.

Julian
St. Paul


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Re: [mou-net] Question about grassland birds

[Julian Sellers]

Let me clarify a bit.  We do not want to stop hay mowing.  The Nov/Dec 2009 
issue of Audubon magazine ran an article about research in Vermont that 
showed that hayfields that were mowed on the typical schedule produced 0.0 
fledged Bobolinks per female, whereas fields mowed on a modified schedule 
produced 2.8 fledged Bobolinks per female.  On the basis of this research, 
the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Vermont, an arm of the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, offered farmers payments to compensate for loss 
of income from the lower value of their hay crop.  The modified mowing 
schedule in Vermont was:  mow before the first of June, then don't mow for 
at least 65 days (rather than the typical 35 to 40 days).  The first mowing 
will destroy some nests, but the delayed second mowing gives the birds a 
chance to (re-)nest and fledge their young.  The Vermont NRCS has 
discontinued the program because rules do not allow compensating farmers for 
foregone income.  There is some hope that the rule may be changed or 
interpreted in a way to allow the program to resume in the future.


The Audubon article is at http://mag.audubon.org/articles/birds/buying-time. 
The brochure describing the Vermont NRCS compensation program is at 
ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/VT/Programs/WHIP/G-Bird%20brochure.pdf.  I 
have a seven-page .pdf document describing the study of nest productivity in 
Vermont, which I would be happy to email to anyone who would like to have 
it.


We in Audubon MN would like to see a program like this get started in 
Minnesota.  We think a good first step might be to get the University of 
Minnesota to adopt the modified mowing schedule on its hayfields, and we 
could study the results.  I have been disheartened in about the second week 
of June every year to watch the tractor mowing a large hayfield at the U of 
M's Research and Outreach center in Waseca.  A few meadowlarks, Bobolinks, 
Savannah Sparrows, and perhaps other birds, are always attracted to the 
lovely expanse of grass, but their young have no chance of survival.  The U 
of M ag department has six research and outreach centers around the state. 
I don't know if the other centers also have hayfields.


It would be good if we had some data on nesting dates of grassland species 
in different parts of Minnesota.


Julian

-Original Message- 
From: Judy Chucker

Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 9:56 AM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Question about grassland birds

I was at yesterday's Audubon EIC meeting where Julian Sellars is 
spearheading an effort to stop the mowing of hay at U of M stations around 
the state, which leads to the slaughter of our grassland birds during 
nesting season.



We were wondering if there is any data on the approximate nesting times 
around the state. We realize that there will be much variation--not just 
from region to region, but from year to year within the same region. 
Nevertheless, it would be helpful to have some data as a starting point.



If you have any information you could share, it would be most appreciated by 
us and the birds.



Thanks!


Judy Chucker
St. Louis Park


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Re: [mou-net] [mou-rba] MOU RBA 26 May 2011

[Julian Sellers]

Courthouse Park is southwest of Waseca, not southeast.

Julian

-Original Message- 
From: Anthony Hertzel 
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2011 10:07 PM 
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU 
Subject: [mou-net] [mou-rba] MOU RBA 26 May 2011 


-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*May 26, 2011
*MNST1105.26

-Birds mentioned
Long-tailed Duck
Red-throated Loon
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Parasitic Jaeger
Northern Mockingbird
Prairie Warbler
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: May 26, 2011
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) http://moumn.org
Reports: (763) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel (r...@moumn.org) 


This is the Minnesota Birding Report for May 26th, 2011.

On the 21st, Chad Heins found a PRAIRIE WARBLER at Courthouse County
Park on Waseca County Road 75 southeast of the town of Waseca.

A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was reported on the 21st in Eden Prairie,
Dakota County, but I have no specific location.

A PARASITIC JAEGER was seen by Matti Hakkila on the 25th on Lake
Superior just west of the Lester River in Duluth.

On May 23rd, three RED-THROATED LOONS were on the Lake Superior side of
Park Point in Duluth. One was seen from the 12th Street access and the
other two were at the 31st Street access. On the same day, a NORTHERN
MOCKINGBIRD was at the Park Point Recreation Area in Duluth, just south
of the bath house building. Another mockingbird was along 412th Lane
west of 597th Avenue in New Ulm, Nicollet County on the 19th.

On May 22nd, a LONG-TAILED DUCK was at Swartout Lake southeast of
Annandale in Wright County.

The Steele County SUMMER TANAGER reported last week at Rice Lake State
Park was still present on the 18th. It's being seen along the lake trail
between the access trails leading to the lake from campgrounds A and B.
And a WESTERN TANAGER was at the Bass Ponds area of Bloomington,
Hennepin County on the 26th.

The next scheduled update of this tape is June 2nd, 2011.


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Re: [mou-net] Warblers and thrushes feeding on the streets in Ramsey Co

[Julian Sellers]

Everyone is seeing warblers on or near the ground this year, even canopy 
species such as Tennessee and Blackburnian.  Here's my theory:  with the 
late leaf-out, birds are not finding the usual caterpillars (and perhaps 
other bugs) in the tree-tops, so they're finding food in the low shrubbery, 
where the leaves are further along, and on the ground.


Julian

-Original Message- 
From: John Zakelj

Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 7:53 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Warblers and thrushes feeding on the streets in Ramsey Co

I’ve been noticing unusual groups of birds feeding on our neighborhood
streets in the southeast part of St Paul.  They congregate under
overhanging elm trees.  The trees are dropping seeds, but I don’t think
the birds are eating the seeds.  A group on Totem Road this morning
included 5 Swainson’s (maybe grey-cheeked?) thrushes and a number of
yellow-rumped warblers.  Another group on Mystic St included a
mourning warbler (male in full spring plumage), a yellowthroat, 2
Nashvilles, 4 Tennessees, a number of yellow-rumps and 2 chipping
sparrows.  I watched each group with binoculars from my car and I could
not figure out what they were eating.  They were not picking up the
seeds.  They were so busy pecking at the pavement that they didn’t
move until the car was almost on them.  Later, I  examined the
pavement and the seeds but couldn’t find any bugs or larvae.  About
half of the Mystic St group were still feeding in the same location in the
evening, including the yellowthroat.  I was not able to refind the
mourning warbler.  Anybody have any idea what they were eating?


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[mou-net] St. Paul CBC - a bit of misinformation

[Julian Sellers]

If you saw the 12/23 segment of Sven Sundgaard's Simply Science feature on 
KARE11, you heard me say that the St. Paul CBC recorded its first Northern 
Cardinal in 1959.  That's not true.  Cardinals were recorded in 1944, the first 
year of the St. Paul (North) CBC, and most years since then, albeit in small 
numbers in the early years.

If you're wondering how I could have made such a gaffe, here's the story.  
Using a feature of the National Audubon Society's CBC web pages, I obtained a 
table of all of the results of the St. Paul (North) CBC.  The table is in the 
form of some files that you read with your web browser.  I used the browser's 
find function to find cardinal, and saw that the first entry for Northern 
Cardinal was in the year 1959.  I should have done the find again or 
scrolled down to the next species, which was Cardinal, and which was reported 
in 13 of the years from 1944 through 1958.  I was well aware that species names 
have changed, and that the NAS CBC reports show the historic names.  I just 
didn't think of that this time.

I felt that I should correct this error that's out there in the public domain.

Julian


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[mou-net] I'm not disputing the ID, but...

[Julian Sellers]

I don't think the ID of the Bloomington Chipping Sparrow is as straightforward 
as some of the comments have implied.  Specifically:
  a.. Every photo that shows the breast shows a central spot.  It's not 
well-defined, but it's not just an artifact of how the feathers are spread. 
  b.. In the photo at 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54582...@n02/5172266613/in/photostream/, I see a 
bi-colored bill, not an all yellowish bill.  The lower mandible is definitely 
light in color, but the upper looks dark.  In the the photo at 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54582...@n02/5192733225/sizes/l/in/photostream/, 
the bill looks dark. 
  c.. At 
http://ohiogeologyandbiodiversity.blogspot.com/2009/01/chipping-sparrow-endures-ohio-winter.html
 there are photos of a Chipping Sparrow in Ohio in January.  That bird has a 
two-toned bill.  The photographer notes that as an important field mark of 
Chipping Sparrow. 
  d.. In the Bloomington photos, I don't see a well-defined brown cheek patch 
as on the Ohio bird.  Could that be due to a difference in age or gender?  Or 
has the Bloomington bird not yet molted into full winter plumage? 
  e.. To me, the most Chippie-like field mark on the Bloomington bird is the 
apparently black eye line (not rusty as in American Tree Sparrow), including 
the dark lore, in the photo at 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54582...@n02/5192733225/sizes/l/in/photostream/.
Again, I'm not challenging the ID, but for this birder there's plenty of room 
for confusion here.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Tundra Swan Flyovers

[Julian Sellers]

At 5:25 this evening, I heard two flocks of Tundra Swans flying over the 
Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul (flying southeast).  Couldn't see 
them.  When my wife first heard this sound many years ago, she thought our 
neighbor was squeegeeing her windows.

Julian


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Re: [mou-net] Birds of Norway guide

[Julian Sellers]

Birds of Europe:  Second Edition (Princeton Field Guides) by Svensson, 
Zetterström, and Mullarney is excellent.  Well, I assume it's excellent, 
because the first edition (which I have) is.  I've seen it being used in the 
field by European and Scandinavian experts.


Julian

--
From: Roger Schroeder b...@rohair.com
Date: Tuesday, July 06, 2010 3:27 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Birds of Norway guide


My young birding friend Nolan (age 9) is going to Norway for 2 weeks
with his family. I have not been able to find a field guide for his
trip. Any suggestions?


Thanks!
Roger Schroeder


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Re: [mou-net] Recording birds inexpensively

[Julian Sellers]

That kind of device works pretty well for loud, relatively low-frequency 
sounds.  For example, I got a pretty good Whip-poor-will recording using 
one.  They don't do well with high-pitched or distant songs.


Julian

--
From: Peter Johnson pwjohnson5...@hotmail.com
Date: Monday, June 14, 2010 5:14 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Recording birds inexpensively

I was wondering if anyone might recommend a cheap hand held recorder one 
might use to record a bird song or call on one of those occasions when you 
hear something new or different. I noticed Sony makes a small hand-held 
voice recorder for around $50.00-65.00. Anyone tried something like that? 
It wouldn't have to be really great quality.


_
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[mou-net] Crosby Park Wood Thrush

[Julian Sellers]

I have been birding in Crosby Farm Park in St. Paul more or less regularly 
since 1993, and have never seen or heard a Wood Thrush there until this 
morning.  One was singing in the bluff woods very near the paved path on the 
north side of the small lake (Upper Crosby Lake).  I don't expect it to stay 
long.  Warblers were still scarce, the highlight being one Canada.  Also heard 
a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the flood plain forest.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Henslow's Sparrows, Grey Cloud Dunes, Washington County

[Julian Sellers]

This morning I heard and saw two Henslow's Sparrows at Grey Cloud Dunes SNA in 
southern Washington County.  From the parking lot at the end of 110th Street, 
start toward the river, but turn onto the trail that angles to the northwest, 
staying on the mostly flat land on top of the hill.  After you go past the 
dense grove of small oaks, continue through a line of medium-sized box elder 
trees until you start seeing four-foot-tall dead growth from last summer on the 
right (maybe white or  yellow sweet clover).  One Henslow's was singing in this 
area.  Another (probably more than one) was considerably farther along the same 
path.  When you have gone far enough that you can see the small underpass under 
the railroad tracks at the bottom of the hill, and when you're within about 50 
yards of a green steel post with the top six inches painted white, there's a 
large area of the same kind of dead growth from last summer on the right.  A 
Henslow's was singing from pretty far into this growth, but visible and easily 
heard.

You'd need a scope for a good look at these birds.  Stay on the path unless you 
really like ticks.  You'll get plenty of them on the path.

Lots of Grasshopper Sparrows were singing, Field Sparrows were plentiful, and I 
saw a few Vesper Sparrows.  I did not find any Lark Sparrows, but I did not 
stay long in the area where I think they hang out.  I saw Orchard Orioles in 
the trees north of the little railroad underpass.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Battle Creek Park Today

[Julian Sellers]

On this morning's Urban Bird Fest walk at Battle Creek Park in St. Paul, we 
heard two Mourning Warblers singing and two cuckoos.  One of the cuckoos 
sounded like a Yellow-billed, the other sounded like a Black-billed.  I think 
cuckoos are not always honest.  The other notable warbler was a Cape May.  
Red-eyed Vireos and Eastern Wood-Pewees have returned.  The location is the 
wooded hill between Upper and Lower Afton Roads and between Battle Creek Road 
and Winthrop Street.  Easiest access is from the rec center parking lot on 
Winthrop Street.  Both Mourning Warblers were in the southern half of the 
woods, one in the upper part, the other in the wooded valley to the south.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Crosby Park Brown Creeper Nest

[Julian Sellers]

A Twin Cities Urban Bird Fest group found a Brown Creeper nest this morning in 
Crosby Farm Regional Park in St. Paul.  We observed a creeper carrying either 
nesting material or food (couldn't tell which it was).  After we watched it for 
a while, the creeper entered a space behind loose bark, completely disappearing 
in the cavity.  It emerged empty-mouthed shortly thereafter.  I have entered it 
in the BBA.

Julian
St. Paul


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Re: [mou-net] Hooded Warbler?

[Julian Sellers]

It's rare but possible.  There is a sizable breeding population of Hooded 
Warblers in Murphy-Hanrehan Regional Park (Three Rivers Park District). 
(Bruce Fall is the expert on that.)  In recent years, the species has been 
reported from various locations in MN, including Battle Creek Park and 
Crosby Farm Park in St. Paul.  If your location was on Stewart Ave between 
Rankin St and Homer St, that's just a block north of Shepard Road and Crosby 
Farm Park.  I have seen Hooded Warblers in the bluff woods below Shepard 
Road on 5/24/03 and 5/19/09.  In Birds in Minnesota, Bob Janssen lists April 
22 and April 30 as the earliest spring dates for Hooded Warblers in 
Minnesota.


Julian
St. Paul

--
From: Lee Pratsch leeprat...@msn.com
Date: Saturday, May 01, 2010 1:50 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Hooded Warbler?


Good afternoon, again,

   I saw what I think is a hooded warbler on Stuart Ave. in St. Paul, 
between Lincoln and Homer at about 10:30a.


   Peterson does not have it in Minnesota, but my edition is 30 years old 
and the map states that it comes casually in April after storms.  Similar 
species have even less likely.


   Happy viewing,
   Lee in St. Paul


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[mou-net] Sparrows at Grey Cloud Dunes SNA

[Julian Sellers]

Birding at Grey Cloud Dunes SNA in southern Washington County this morning was 
fun, with lots of Grasshopper, Vesper, and Field Sparrows and more than a few 
Lark Sparrows.  The Lark Sparrows hang out mostly near the row of trees at the 
base of the hill.  The Lark Sparrows and the Vesper Sparrows were not shy.  The 
Grasshopper Sparrows were all over the place, but hard to see.

I like to walk in from the parking area at the end of 110th Street, near the 
southeast corner of the SNA (see 
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/sna01101/index.html).  The view from the top of 
the hill is lovely, as is the sand prairie.

Julian
St. Paul


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Re: [mou-net] Why a Canada Goose isn't Canadian

[Julian Sellers]

Today I came across the following on page 27 of Scott Weidensaul's Of a 
Feather, where the author is describing the pioneering work of the Englishman 
Mark Catesby.  Catesby published his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, 
and the Bahama Islands beginning in 1729 and ending in 1743, and he died in 
1749 or 1750.  Quoting Weidensaul:

 Perhaps his most lasting contribution to American ornithology was the 
names he gave to the birds he described, many of which have come down to 
us today unchanged, or with a few grammatical tweaks:  blew jay, red-headed 
and hairy wood-peckers, blew gross-beak, and hooping crane, as well as 
Canada goose, blue-winged teal, laughing gull, and purple finch.

A couple of pages later, Weidensaul describes how Linnaeus 
imposed his sytem of nomenclature on more than twelve 
thousand plants and animals, including seventy-five birds Catesby had 
originally described and named from North America.

Weidensaul does not mention Catesby ever traveling north of the Carolinas, 
nor does he address whether Catesby a) knew that the Canada Goose was 
associated with that country, or b) was a friend of the taxidermist (or both).

Julian

On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:39:42 -0500, Laura Erickson 
chickadee.erick...@gmail.com wrote:

The Canada Goose was named by Linnaeus in 1758, and gets its name from its
breeding range.

It is of course perfectly acceptable and correct to call one a Canadian
goose if you see it's passport or some other verification of its
citizenship.

Best, Laura Erickson

On Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 3:18 PM, Jeff Stephenson 
stephensonj...@charter.net
 wrote:


 I just read the information below on Wiki Answers. I don't know if it's
 true (anybody else know) but if so then since the goose was named after a
 person not Canada then it makes sense that it shouldn't be called a 
Canadian
 Goose. I also didn't know a person could name a new species after
 themselves.

 *
 John Canada was the taxidermist who first identified and classified the
 Canada Goose from the North. He decided to name the bird after himself,
 hence the name Canada Goose.

 *
 Jeff Stephenson
 Olmsted County, Rochester MN
 Cell Phone 507 254 8194
 Home Phone 507 289 7635

 
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--
--
Laura Erickson
Science Editor
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-254-1114


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Re: [mou-net] Afton Summer Tanager Refound

[Julian Sellers]

I found the Summer Tanager singing this morning at the same time and place 
described by Joel Claus below.  I recorded the song, and loaded an excerpt 
into the Audio Gallery on the MOU web site.  In more than an hour of 
searching for the bird, which was singing almost constantly in the nearby 
tree tops, I was only able to get a brief glimpse of it as it flew out of a 
tree.  For much of that time, Larry and Yoli Sirvio joined me in the futile 
attempt to see the bird.  It moved frequently over a pretty wide area.  At 
10:00, it went silent, and I didn't hear it again before I left at 10:30.


I have to say that if I had just been walking along that trail without prior 
knowledge of the Summer Tanager's occurrence there, I might well have 
assumed that the song was that of an American Robin.  The voices and song 
patterns of those two species are very, very similar (but different).  And 
there's not a lot of difference between Summer and Scarlet Tanager songs.


A tip of the birding cap to Liz Harper for discovering this bird.

Julian
St. Paul

--
From: Joel Claus jclau...@msn.com
Date: Sunday, July 12, 2009 9:30 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [mou-net] Afton Summer Tanager Refound

I was able to relocate the first year male Summer Tanager reported by Liz 
Harper about 7:15 this morning.  I found the bird singing along the west 
side of the Africa Loop of Trailrun race course well north of the 
junction with the Back40 Loop and was able to watch it for about five 
minutes before it moved west.  It was maybe 75 yards south of where the 
ski trail goes north from the race course at the north west corner of the 
Africa Loop in the link below.  Cool looking bird with a rose red head and 
upper breast and yellowish belly.  I also counted three singing Henslow's 
sparrows on the walk in from the horse trail gate at the north end of the 
park (take 50th street east of CR21 and watch for the gate on the right).




http://www.aftontrailrun.com/PDF_Files/course_map/2008_Afton_Map_Web.pdf



Thanks for posting this bird Liz!



Joel Claus

Eden Prairie



Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:22:03 -0500
From: harp0...@tc.umn.edu
Subject: [mou-net] Possible 1st spring Summer Tanager at Afton State Park
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU

I was out at Afton State Park today and heard and saw what I believe to 
be a

1st spring Summer Tanager. Unfortunately, I was out running, not birding.
Is there anyone that frequently birds Afton that can check on this?? I 
was

following the Afton trail race course (see link below) and the bird was
singing away just off of the trail west of where the course rejoins the
Africa loop after the Back 40 loop.


http://www.aftontrailrun.com/PDF_Files/course_map/2008_Afton_Map_Web.pdf

Thanks.

While you are out there, stop by and see (well, listen to) the Henslow's
Sparrows along the top of the Africa loop (usually hear 2-3 calling).

Liz


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[mou-net] Orchard Orioles, St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

Yesterday afternoon, I saw an adult male Orchard Oriole feeding three recently 
fledged young in the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, which is just east of 
downtown St. Paul.  The birds were near the base of the bluff in the 
southeastern part of the sanctuary.  The location is not in a BBA priority 
block.  It was near a limestone slab in the path that forms a bridge over a 
small stream.

My wife does not usually go birding with me, but came along yesterday because I 
presented it as a biking outing.  Paying more attention to the Orchard Orioles 
than to her footing, she fell off of the slab, crashing onto the rocks three 
and five feet below.  She suffered scrapes, bruises, a sprained wrist, a dent 
in her bike helmet (fortunately!), and some moments of panic, but no lasting 
damage.  I expect no increase in joint birding outings.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Hooded Warbler, Crosby Park, St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

I led a walk at Crosby Farm Park from 7:00 to 9:00 this morning.  From the end 
of the main road into the park, we walked down toward the small lake, then to 
the left on the old paved path between the lake and the bluff.  A couple of 
hundred yards down this path, we heard an unidentified song, and the fifteen 
(or so) of us spent about fifteen minutes searching in vain for the singer.  At 
9:15, Linda Kellar and I returned to try again.  The bird was still singing, 
and Linda got a brief look that was enough to identify it as a Hooded Warbler.  
I spent another hour searching as the bird sang almost constantly and moved 
about.  I finally got an eye-level view at a distance of 30 feet from the trail 
up on the bluff.  Be aware that the bluff trail is poorly maintained and the 
foot bridges have been vandalized.  I was able to get up to the bluff trail at 
the place where the main path turns into the wetland, and could return to the 
HOWA place on the bluff trail.

The voice had the right quality for a HOWA, but the syllables sounded like, 
Flip a de hip sweet SWEET! with a tiny pause after Flip.  I figure it 
wintered in the Caribbean.  From a distance, with only the ending audible, it 
sounded like an Acadian Flycatcher.

Last Saturday, I checked for Prothonotary Warblers in the SE corner of the 
park, and found none.  I have not checked there since then.

Julian
St. Paul


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[mou-net] Hooded Warbler Alternate Song

[Julian Sellers]

Cornell's Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds has 65 recordings of Hooded 
Warbler on its web site.  Among them I found recordings of an alternate song 
that is very similar to the song I heard this morning at Crosby Park in St. 
Paul.  A good example is the recording with catalog number 68970 (recorded by 
William W. Gunn in Ontario in 1952).  (Go to 
http://macaulaylibrary.org/index.do, click the Audio box, and enter Wilsonia 
citrina without the quotation marks in the Find box.  This particular 
recording is number 45 in the list.)

Now that I know that song, I hope to recognize it at Murphy-Hanrehan.

Julian


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[mou-net] Fw: [mou-net] Pine Siskins

[Julian Sellers]

Yes, I've been hearing and seeing a lot of them in my neighborhood, 
including one gathering nesting material in my yard today.


Julian
St. Paul

--
From: linda whyte bi...@moosewoods.us
Date: Thursday, May 07, 2009 8:10 PM
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: Re: [mou-net] Pine Siskins


We still have them in St. Paul, too.
Linda Whyte

On Thu, May 7, 2009 at 9:03 AM, Roger Schroeder b...@rohair.com wrote:

Anyone else in southern MN still hearing Pine Siskin? I've heard them
this past week in several towns in SW MN.
Roger Schroeder



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[mou-net] Anachronism in Movie

[Julian Sellers]

My wife and I recently rented The Great Debaters, which is set in 
northeastern Texas in 1935.  One scene shows cattle in a pasture with two--you 
guessed it--Cattle Egrets, a species which was first seen in North America in 
1941 (in south Florida), not well established in the eastern U.S. or nesting in 
Texas until the 1950s (source:  Birds of North America online).

Other than that, it's a good movie.

Julian


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[mou-net] Crosby Farm Snipe

[Julian Sellers]

I just noticed the Wilson's Snipe photo by Jeff Evans on the Sightings page 
of the MOU web site.  In the caption, Jeff states:  Found in open water on 
north shore of crosby farm lake Ramsey County Dec 22nd.  Thank you, Jeff.  The 
location is within the St. Paul (North) Christmas Bird Count circle.  Since 
none of our teams found a snipe on 12/20, the day of our count, I will add this 
as a count week species (species found during the three days before and the 
three days after the count but not on the day of the count).

Julian


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[mou-net] St. Paul (North) CBC Results

[Julian Sellers]

With nearly all reports in, 65 field participants and five feeder watchers 
found 52 species in the St. Paul (North) CBC circle on Saturday, 12/20.  That 
is the lowest species total since 1996.  We found 55 species last year.  The 
number of individual birds this year was 14,853, which is the lowest since 1993.

Highlights:
  a.. Six Eastern Bluebirds at Thompson County Park in West St. Paul.  Two more 
bluebirds in the Phalen area are pending documentation.  Only one Eastern 
Bluebird has been reported before this on a St. Paul (North) CBC, in 1969. 
  b.. Three American White Pelicans, one Double-Crested Cormorant, and eight 
Great Blue Herons at the Pig's Eye water treatment plant. 
  c.. 29 Trumpeter Swans--25 on Lake Vadnais and four at AHATS (Arden Hills 
Army Training Site). 
  d.. Nine duck species (including two mergansers) . 
  e.. Two Merlins 
  f.. 14 Northern Flickers (twice the highest previous total) 
  g.. 1069 American Robins (previous high was 658 in 2001).  Most were feeding 
on hackberries. 
  h.. Two Fox Sparrows at a feeder in Roseville 
  i.. 42 Pine Siskins in seven areas (scarce in recent years)
Misses:
  a.. Rough-legged Hawk 
  b.. Ring-billed Gull (only gulls were five Herrings) 
  c.. Eastern Screech-owl 
  d.. Barred Owl 
  e.. Northern Shrike (one in count week) 
  f.. Common Redpoll
Near Misses:
  a.. Peregrine Falcon--one, in a north suburb, not at the usual downtown and 
Ford Dam locations (but one at Ford Dam on 12/18). 
  b.. Ring-necked Pheasant--one 
  c.. Red-breasted Nuthatch--one
Count Week Birds:
  a.. One Wilson's Snipe 
  b.. One Long-eared Owl 
  c.. One Northern Shrike
Julian Sellers, Compiler


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[mou-net] Long-eared Owl, Lauderdale, Ramsey Cty

[Julian Sellers]

Yesterday (Monday), I learned of a Long-eared Owl in Lauderdale.  It was on 
private property with no public access.  Marcie O'Connor got a couple of good 
photos, and posted them on her blog at 
http://aprairiehaven.com/uploads/img494ff14ea6335.jpg and 
http://aprairiehaven.com/uploads/img494ff1396ce78.jpg.

Julian


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[mou] Snow Bunting, Washington County

[Julian Sellers]

This afternoon, I saw a lone Snow Bunting in the mowed grass behind the 
buildings at the Carpenter Nature Center in southern Washington County.

Julian
St. Paul
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[mou] St. Croix State Park - YEWA singing CSWA song

[Julian Sellers]

On 8/8/06, I sent the following message to MOU-NET, and received no response:

Yellow  Chestnut-sided Songs

In a recent message, Al Schirmacher confessed to mistaking a Chestnut-sided 
Warbler's song for that of a Yellow Warbler.  Al, you are not alone.  I've 
heard it stated that the Yellow's song always ends on an up-slurred note.  It's 
probably true that an up-slurred ending indicates Yellow, but I've watched 
numerous Yellows singing and ending on a down-slurred note.  Can anyone out 
there distinguish with certainty which of these species is singing when the 
song ends with a downward slur in habitat where either could occur?  If so, can 
you explain how you do it?

Thank you.

Julian
St. Paul


From: shawn conrad 
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 7:59 AM
To: mou-net at moumn.org 
Subject: [mou] St. Croix State Park - YEWA singing CSWA song


I spent a couple of days working at St. Croix State Park this week and led 
small bird hikes in and around St. John's Landing on Tuesday and Wednesday 
morning.  
 
At one point, we found a singing Chestnut-sided Warbler near the river and 
heard another one immediately adjacent.  The second one proved to actually be a 
Yellow Warbler singing a perfect Chestnut-sided song.  We watched it sing, and 
at one point, it sang the Yellow Warbler song once, then went right back to the 
Chestnut-sided song.  I can't remember ever noting this before and I wonder how 
these two birds can be such close neighbors...and whether the Yellow Warbler 
successfully attracted a mate--we never saw a female.  I didn't know warblers 
would sing the 'wrong' song; and sing it well.  
 
Also of note at St. John's Landing:
 
- Scarlet Tanager pair feeding a chick on a relatively low nest (a highlight 
for ANY bird hike!)
- Purple Martin pair in the nest box in the open field (I've never seen one at 
St. Croix...in fact, they're not even on the park's checklist)
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher near the river (listed as Occasional in the park)
- lots of Eastern Towhees (fun bird this far north!) 
- Northern Parulas and Mourning Warblers frequently heard

Shawn Conrad
http://users.2z.net/itasca_chippewa_birding/ 




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[mou] Bell's Vireo in Brooklyn Park

[Julian Sellers]

Phil Alban discovered a Bell's Vireo along the Elm Creek Regional Trail in 
Brooklyn Park.  He has been hearing it singing at about 6:00 a.m. on his 
morning runs.  I heard and saw it at 11:30 this morning (hey, I'm retired).  
The location is northwest of the intersection of 101st Ave N  Noble Ave N.  
You can mapquest that intersection, or you can get a PDF of the northeast 
Hennepin Bike Trails at 
http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us/images/HCInternet/EPandT/Transportation/Bikeways%20and%20Trails/Bicycle%20Maps/2007_Bike_Map_Northeast.pdf
 (and zoom in until you see the street names).  It appears to be OK to park on 
Noble Ave (I did).  From Noble Ave (not Noble Parkway), go west on the bike 
trail.  The vireo was singing and moving around on both sides of the trail this 
morning in the area between the second and third large utility poles west of 
Noble Ave.

I think Bell's Vireos have been reported along this trail in recent years, but 
I couldn't find those reports in the Summer Season summaries in The Loon.

Julian
St. Paul
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[mou] Tennessee Warbler, St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

Perhaps not quite so cool as the other late warblers, a Tennessee Warbler sang 
vociferously (of course) this morning from tall trees near my house in St. Paul.

Julian
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[mou] Waseca County Today

[Julian Sellers]

On my first trip to Waseca County since last fall, my main mission was to check 
on Red-necked Grebes for the DNR.  I found four on Goose Lake (south side of US 
14, E of Waseca.  Mott Lake used to be a hot spot for RNGR, but no more.  A 
Western Grebe and a few duck species were also on Goose Lake.

At Senn-Rich WMA (4.5 mi S of Waseca, W side of MN 13), a Bell's Vireo sang a 
few times in the SE corner of the WMA.  W of the parking area, a one-year-old 
male Orchard Oriole was singing.

I saw one Red-headed Woodpecker at a place where I have often seen one or two 
in recent years:  on CR 22, 0.3 mi W of CR 4.

One Western Meadowlark was singing at the U of M grassland (which was being 
mowed) E of CR 27, S of CR 2.

Did not see a Swainson's Hawk.  (If anyone knows of any in Waseca County, 
please let me know.)

Did not see a crow.

Did not get to Courthouse Park or Maplewood Park.

Wind was strong.

Julian
St. Paul
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[mou] St. Paul Empids for My BGBY List

[Julian Sellers]

Biking along Mississippi River Blvd at mid-day today, I heard, then saw, the 
following (among others):

Alder Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Wilson's Warbler

My 2008 Self-propelled BGBY* list total now stands at 104.  I haven't gotten 
out enough during this great spring migration (only 12 warbler species on the 
list), but I've seen some interesting birds within walking or biking distance 
from home, such as:

15 waterfowl species
5 raptors
Wild Turkey
American Woodcock
Carolina Wren
Northern Shrike
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin

How's your BGBY list coming?

Julian
St. Paul

* http://www.sparroworks.ca/bigby.html
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[mou] Carolina Wren at Crosby Park, St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

At about 8:30 this morning, I heard a Carolina Wren singing in Crosby Park in 
St. Paul.  The park is along the Mississippi, below Shepard Road, between the 
MN 5 bridge to Fort Snelling and the I-35E bridge.  The bird was on the south 
side of Crosby Lake (the big lake), roughly somewhat to the west of the center 
point of the lake, probably a three-quarter-mile hike from the main parking 
area at the west end, and a half-mile from the east end.  At this location, the 
paved trail is about 100 yards from the lake shore.  I didn't have time to look 
for the bird, but I'm positive of the song ID.

Julian 
St. Paul
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[mou] St. Paul Redpolls Carolina Wren

[Julian Sellers]

The small flock of Common Redpolls is still hanging around Amherst and 
Princeton in St. Paul, mostly south and west of that intersection.  I have seen 
and heard them in the early afternoon on 3/2, 3/11, and 3/13, and at 9:30 and 
12:00 today.  Most of the activity is in tall trees (deciduous and conifer) 
south of Princeton on Amherst, near where an alley runs west from Amherst.  
They make lots of high-pitched chitter-chatter and occasional dry trills on a 
steady pitch, less buzzy than Siskin trills.  Today they also made some display 
flights.

On 3/13, I heard a Carolina Wren sing briefly from about 50 yards in along the 
aforementioned alley.  Today, at 9:30, I heard a Carolina Wren sing from north 
of Princeton, west of Amherst.  I have seen and (mostly) heard Carolina Wrens 
in this area on several occasions since last spring.

Julian
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[mou] Common Redpolls, St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

On 3/2 and today, I have seen a small flock (about 10) of Common Redpolls in 
tall trees near Amherst and Princeton in St. Paul.  This is a pretty good bird 
for the Bigby* list of a city dweller with no feeders.

Julian

*Bigby:  See http://www.sparroworks.ca/bigby.html
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[mou] Fw: BNA at Mpls Public Library

[Julian Sellers]

See the old message below from Mark Martell about accessing Birds of North 
America online through the Minneapolis public library.  My St. Paul library 
info works fine.  Here's a more direct link to the Science and Technology 
part of the Minneapolis library's list of online databases:

http://www.mplib.org/databases.asp?subject=Science%20and%20Technology

From there, take the link to Birds of North America Online, where you will 
have to log on with your library info (name, card number, and PIN).

It's free.

Julian
- Original Message - 
From: MARTELL, Mark mmart...@audubon.org
To: MOU - Net (E-mail) mou-net at cbs.umn.edu
Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 12:12 PM
Subject: [mou] BNA at Mpls Public Library


A number of people have asked me about access to the Birds of North America 
online through the Minneapolis Public Library.

If you go to their website  http://www.mpls.lib.mn.us/ and follow research 
and online database links you can get to the info, however it appears you 
have to have a Mpls library card or belong to a library they have an 
agreement with.

For those interested you can subscribe directly with Cornell for $40 per yr.

Mark Martell
Director of Bird Conservation
Audubon Minnesota
2357 Ventura Drive #106
St. Paul, MN 55125
651-739-9332
651-731-1330 (FAX)

___
mou-net mailing list
mou-net at cbs.umn.edu
http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net

[mou] St. Paul (North) CBC Results

[Julian Sellers]

The St. Paul CBC on 12/15 found 55 species, down from our record of 62 last 
year but within the range of the last 10 years.  There were no real rarities, 
but good finds included Northern Harrier and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  A 
surprising number was the total of only three gulls--two ring-billed and one 
herring.

The center of our circle is the intersection of County Road B and Dale Street, 
in Roseville.  The circle extends from northern North Oaks on the north to 
parts of Minnehaha, Hidden Falls, and Crosby Parks and Pig's Eye Lake on the 
south, and from east of Century Avenue on the east to downtown Minneapolis on 
the west.  So it's very much an urban and first-ring suburban count.

We always have open water at a few places on the Mississippi and at the outflow 
of the Pig's Eye wastewater treatment plant (where 18 of our 19 Great Blue 
Herons and 10 species of waterfowl were present).  In the Mallard competition, 
we didn't do very well:  5,488.

Julian
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[mou] St. Paul CBC--Almost a Ross's Gull

[Julian Sellers]

Bruce Fall sent me a map showing the locations of his Ross's Gull sightings on 
the 15th.  Despite our best efforts, it appears that the bird missed our count 
circle by about a half-mile.

Julian
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[mou] Waseca Geese, etc.

[Julian Sellers]

At Loon Lake in Waseca, noon today:

Ross's Goose (white) - 1
Greater White-fronted Goose - 7
Cackling Goose - dozens, perhaps hundreds
Canada Goose - 1500 (wild guess)
N. Shoveler - some
Ring-necked Duck - 6 or 8
Hooded Merganser - 2 (males)
Ruddy Duck - 1
Mallard - lots

At Clear Lake in Waseca, 3:15 this afternoon:

N. Shoveler - 10-20
Canvasback - 2 (male  female)
Bufflehead - 10-20
Common Goldeneye - 20-30
Common Merganser - 1 (female)
Canada Goose  Mallard - lots

Loon Lake was about half frozen; Clear Lake was almost completely open.  That 
may soon change, but I think part of Loon Lake is kept open by an aeration 
system.  Lots of waterfowl gather there even when it's frozen.

Julian
St. Paul
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[mou] Bird Quotes

[Julian Sellers]

The thrush in my back yard sings down his nose in liquid runs of melody, 
over and over again, and I have the strongest impression that he does this 
for his own pleasure. It is a meditative, questioning kind of music, and I 
cannot believe that he is simply saying 'thrush here'.





Lewis Thomas (1913-1993) American physician, Dean of the medical schools of

Yale and New York Universities

Author, Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony (1983)

Julian
- Original Message - 
From: Pastor Al Schirmacher pasto...@princetonfreechurch.net
To: mnbird at lists.mnbird.net; mou-net at moumn.org; 
BIRDCHAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU; Wisconsin Birding Network 
wisbirdn at lawrence.edu
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 2:50 PM
Subject: [mou] Bird Quotes


 Have a favorite bird quote?

 Mine is probably the biblical command to bird :), Look at the birds of 
 the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your 
 heavenly Father feeds them.  (Matthew 6:26).

 Now if I could just find a similar reference for listing

 Al Schirmacher
 Princeton, MN
 Mille Lacs  Sherburne Counties

 

[mou] I need a ride to Old Cedar rally

[Julian Sellers]

If it would be convenient for you to give me a ride to and from the Old Cedar 
Avenue bridge event on Saturday, please contact me.

Thank you.

Julian Sellers
St. Paul, Macalester Groveland (3 blocks north of St. Kate's)
651-698-5737
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[mou] Waseca County Today - Moorhens

[Julian Sellers]

Arrived at the Senn-Rich WMA at about 8:30, hung around the SE corner for a 
total of about an hour listening for a Bell's Vireo, but did not hear one.  I 
did hear one on the county property to the north of the WMA.  Saw a 
Black-billed Cuckoo, and saw or heard several Eastern Towhees in the SE corner 
of the WMA.

At Mott Lake, the Red-necked Grebes that have nested there in good number for 
the last 10 or so years have disappeared, except for one pair in the wetland 
across the road from the NW corner of the lake.  The water is high in Mott 
Lake, but that has happened in past years, too, and the Red-necked Grebes have 
remained and re-nested.  Maybe this is where the more southerly Red-necked 
Grebes reported on MOU-NET came from.

There were only four birds on Mott Lake--two Mallards and a pair of Western 
Grebes (which are uncommon in the county).  I have never seen the lake so 
deserted.

At Courthouse Park in the late afternoon, I got drenched.  After the rain, the 
following birds sang:  Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos, three Scarlet 
Tanagers, a few Ovenbirds, a Barred Owl, two Wood Thrushes.

At Moonan Marsh, I saw two Common Moorhens where two families were present last 
summer.  This is NE of Waseca, where County Road 4 curves from north to east 
around the NW corner of Moonan Marsh WMA.  There is room for one car to pull 
off (on the right side), overlooking a wetland where a white sign announces 
work of Ducks Unlimited and the DNR.  The moorhens like to hang out on the far 
side of the open water (need a scope).  Viewing is best with late afternoon sun.

Julian
St. Paul
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[mou] Battle Creek Park

[Julian Sellers]

I led a St. Paul Audubon Tuesday Morning Bird Walk to Battle Creek Park in St. 
Paul and Maplewood this morning.  We did not find any Hooded or Mourning 
Warblers.  We heard and saw a Black-throated Green Warbler, and we heard a 
Connecticut Warbler.  An adult male Orchard Oriole sang briefly from a tree 
beside the rec center parking lot before flying toward the SE part of that 
section of the park (along Winthrop Street).

Julian Sellers
St. Paul
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[mou] Afton State Park

[Julian Sellers]

I birded Afton State Park last Friday and Monday.  Highlights:

Henslow's Sparrow - 1 (See location info below)
Grasshopper Sparrow - several
Savannah Sparrow - several
Field Sparrow - many
Vesper Sparrow - 1
Eastern Towhee - many
Ruffed Grouse -1 (heard drumming)
Black-billed Cuckoo - 1 (Friday, near entrance)
Blue-winged Warbler - good numbers
Ovenbird - many
Scarlet Tanager - good numbers
Canada Warbler - 1 (Friday)
Orchard Oriole - 1 (Friday)
Eastern Meadowlark - good numbers
Sedge Wren - several

No Bobolinks (Why?)

To the Henslow's (refer to a map of the park trails):  From the northern park 
boundary, west of center, a trail goes due south for 0.3 miles, where it 
branches west and east.  The east branch curves to the south and comes to a 
four-way intersection where there is a shelter (shown by a symbol on the map).  
From this intersection, go west a short distance to the first large wooden 
post.  The Henslow's was singing about 30 meters south (left) of the trail in 
this area.  This is a very large, open grassland, so there may be more 
Henslow's present, but I only heard the one.

Julian Sellers
St. Paul
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[mou] Corsby Park Prothonotary is Back

[Julian Sellers]

Yesterday, I saw (without hearing(!)) a male Prothonotary Warbler in the (St. 
Paul) Crosby Farm Park location where they have nested in recent years.  This 
is in the eastern corner of the park, near the Mississippi, a few hundred yards 
west of the I-35E bridge.  If you enter the park at the main entrance on 
Shepard Road at Gannon Road, and drive to the last parking lot, you have a 
two-mile hike to the far corner of the park.  More convenient is the old former 
secondary entrance on Shepard Road at Elway Street (there's a traffic light 
there, just west of I-35E).  Unfortunately, there's only room for three cars to 
park there, so you have to be lucky.  In the alternative, you can drive a few 
hundred yards up Elway Street and park on Montreal Avenue, then walk back down 
into the park.  From that old entrance, go down the paved road to where it 
turns right and goes along the south side of Crosby Lake.  But instead of 
turning right, bear left on a dirt trail into the woods.  Continue about a 
half-mile, always bearing left, until the trail turns right along a waterway.  
This is the beginning of the Prothonotary habitat.  The bird(s) may be seen or 
heard anywhere for the next 100 yards or so.  You'll see where the best habitat 
is (flooded dead trees, lots of woodpecker cavities for nesting).  There's a 
lot of vehicle noise from I-35E, and there are a lot of American Redstarts in 
the area, who often sing a song that is amazingly similar to that of the 
Prothonotary.

Julian Sellers
St. Paul
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[mou] St. Paul: 1 Hooded, 0 Prothonotaries

[Julian Sellers]

I checked the SE corner of Crosby Farm Park this morning, where Prothonotary 
Warblers have nested in recent years.  In the 20 minutes or so that I was 
there, I did not see or hear any.  That part of the park was full of American 
Redstarts, with some Indigo Buntings, Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, Baltimore 
Orioles, and a trio of Spotted Sandpipers.

Then I drove to the Battle Creek Park woodland bounded by Upper Afton Road, 
Winthrop Street, Lower Afton Road, and Battle Creek Road.  Last year, there 
were two singing Hooded Warblers there, one in the woods on the southern slope, 
and one in the northern part of the woods.  Today, late morning, one was 
singing actively in the oaks on the southern slope.  Mourning Warblers have 
also been present in recent years, but I did not find any today.  The woods 
were full of Tennessee Warblers and a variety of other birds.  I saw one each 
of Blackburnian, Black-and-White, and Chestnut-sided Warblers, and heard two or 
three Ovenbirds and a couple of Scarlet Tanagers.

Last year there was another Hooded Warbler in the woods east of McKnight Road 
(still Battle Creek Park).  I did not get to that part of the park today.

Julian Sellers
St. Paul
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[mou] Warblers Today - Waseca County

[Julian Sellers]

I spent about four hours in Courthouse Park this morning, then visited 
Senn-Rich WMA, Maplewood Park, and Moonan Marsh, with a few more brief stops 
along the way.  From about 8:30 to 10:30, Courthouse Park was full of 
activity--19 warbler and four vireo species (and good numbers of most) plus the 
other expected deciduous woodland species for May 11th (no pewees or cuckoos).  
I added another warbler species at Senn-Rich, and ended the day with about 100 
species total.

Julian Sellers
St. Paul
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[mou] The Birding Boat, Wednesday, 5/9

[Julian Sellers]

The National Park Service, MN Audubon, St. Paul Audubon, and the Padelford 
Packet Boat Company present The Birding Boat this Wednesday, May 9th, from 
9:00 to 11:00 a.m.  The trip on the Jonathan Padelford begins at Harriet 
Island, across from downtown St. Paul, and goes upstream to the confluence of 
the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers.  For more info, go to 
http://www.riverrides.com/.

Julian Sellers
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[mou] Carolina Wren in St. Paul

[Julian Sellers]

Late this afternoon, Barbara and I heard a Carolina Wren singing from an alley 
in the middle of the block bounded by Wheeler, Goodrich, Amherst, and 
Princeton.  This is in the Tangletown part of St. Paul's Macalester Groveland 
neighborhood.

Julian Sellers
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[mou] Odd G-C Kinglet

[Julian Sellers]

At Courthouse Park in Waseca County today, I saw what at first seemed like a 
strange warbler.  I soon realized that it was a Golden-crowned Kinglet without 
any yellow.  I watched it for several minutes at close range as it foraged in a 
spruce.  It had the typical bold black markings on the head and the usual wing 
pattern, but the top of the head and the wing feathers that should have shown 
yellow were a dull white.  I know that some birds can be missing a pigment, so 
I guess that's the case with this one.  Any other thoughts?

Warblers in the park today were:  Yellow-rumped, Black-and-White, Nashville, 
and Pine.  The Pine Warbler is a long-overdue addition to my Waseca County list 
(not many pines in that county, and this one was in an oak).

As my wife and I sat quietly enjoying the new spring greenery and the LeSueur 
River, an Osprey that we hadn't noticed dropped from a nearby tree and 
cannonballed into the river.  It came up empty, but returned to its perch for a 
few minutes and had better luck on the next plunge.

The spring ephemeral wildflowers are near their peak.

Julian Sellers
St. Paul

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[mou] St. Paul Merlin

[Julian Sellers]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

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I just now was entertained for about a half-hour by a Merlin zooming =
around my neighborhood harassing the crows.

Julian
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DIVI just now was entertained for about a half-hour by a Merlin =
zooming around=20
mynbsp;neighborhood harassing the crows./DIV
DIVnbsp;/DIV
DIVJulian/DIV/BODY/HTML

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[mou] New Book By Nancy Overcott

[Julian Sellers]

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Fifty Common Birds of the Upper Midwest

See =
http://www.hometown-pages.com/main.asp?SectionID=3D14SubSectionID=3D23A=
rticleID=3D14204
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DIVEMFifty Common Birds of the Upper Midwest/EM/DIV
DIVnbsp;/DIV
DIVSee A=20
href=3Dhttp://www.hometown-pages.com/main.asp?SectionID=3D14amp;SubSect=
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[mou] Geese

[Julian Sellers]

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I have found Cackling Geese at Loon Lake in Waseca the past three years =
between 10/19/(06) and 11/26/(04).  Numbers have ranged from a few to =
dozens.  Today, I picked out about 20 from the hundreds of small Canada =
Geese there.  The only Cackling Geese I have seen in spring migration =
were a group of four in the outflow from Lake Elysian (Waseca Cty) on =
3/10/06.

Julian
  - Original Message -=20
  From: rbjans...@aol.com=20
  To: mou-...@cbs.umn.edu=20
  Sent: Monday, November 20, 2006 6:35 PM
  Subject: [mou] Geese


  Today I sorted through 1000's of Canada Geese in numerous locations in =
Sherburne and Mille Lacs counties.  I could not find a single Cackling =
Goose in any of these groups.  This is most interesting as we are trying =
to learn the migratory pattern of Cackling Geese in Minnesota. In =
previous weeks and in late October it was relatively easy to find =
Cackling Geese in many locations were there were large numbers of Canada =
Geese.  Is this a possible indication that Cackling Geese are gone from =
the state by early to mid-November or was it just a local situation that =
I ran into today?  Your thoughts, comments and observations on the =
migration of Cackling Geese would be most interesting.

  Bob Janssen
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charset=3Diso-8859-1
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bottomMargin=3D7 bgColor=3D#ff leftMargin=3D7 topMargin=3D7 =
rightMargin=3D7
DIVFONT face=3DTimes New Roman size=3D3I have found Cackling Geese =
at Loon=20
Lake in Wasecanbsp;the past three years between 10/19/(06)nbsp;and=20
11/26/(04).nbsp; Numbers have ranged from a few to dozens.nbsp; Today, =
I=20
picked out about 20 from the hundreds of small Canada Geese there.nbsp; =
The=20
only Cackling Geese I have seen in spring migration were a group of four =
in the=20
outflow from Lake Elysian (Waseca Cty) on 3/10/06./FONT/DIV
DIVFONT face=3DTimes New Roman size=3D3/FONTnbsp;/DIV
DIVFONT face=3DTimes New Roman size=3D3Julian/FONT/DIV
BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3DPADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #00 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px
  DIV style=3DFONT: 10pt arial- Original Message - /DIV
  DIV=20
  style=3DBACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
blackBFrom:/B=20
  A title=3drbjans...@aol.com=20
  href=3Dmailto:rbjans...@aol.com;rbjans...@aol.com/A /DIV
  DIV style=3DFONT: 10pt arialBTo:/B A =
title=3dmou-...@cbs.umn.edu=20
  href=3Dmailto:mou-...@cbs.umn.edu;mou-...@cbs.umn.edu/A /DIV
  DIV style=3DFONT: 10pt arialBSent:/B Monday, November 20, 2006 =
6:35=20
  PM/DIV
  DIV style=3DFONT: 10pt arialBSubject:/B [mou] Geese/DIV
  DIVBR/DIVFONT id=3Drole_document face=3DArial color=3D#00 =
size=3D2
  DIVToday I sorted through 1000's of Canada Geese in numerous =
locations in=20
  Sherburne and Mille Lacs counties.nbsp; I could not find a single =
Cackling=20
  Goose in any of these groups.nbsp; This is most interesting as we are =
trying=20
  to learn the migratory pattern of Cackling Geese in Minnesota. In =
previous=20
  weeks and in late October it was relatively easy to find Cackling =
Geese in=20
  many locations were there were large numbersnbsp;of Canada =
Geese.nbsp; Is=20
  this a possible indication that Cackling Geese are gone from the state =
by=20
  early to mid-November or was it just a local situation that I ran into =

  today?nbsp;nbsp;Your thoughts, commentsnbsp;and observations on the =

  migration of Cackling Geese would be most interesting./DIV
  DIVnbsp;/DIV
  DIVBob Janssen/DIV/BLOCKQUOTE/FONT/BODY/HTML

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