[mou-net] Golden Eagle over Spring Lake Park
At 11:45 AM today, I saw a first year Golden Eagle soaring about 200 feet above the bike trail 0.5 miles east of the Spring Lake Park West Trailhead, Dakota County. The bird was a rich brownish color with hints of gold, lighter in color than a 1st or 2nd year Bald Eagle, with light tan translucent stripes under each wing in a symmetrical pattern and a light tan patch at the base of the tail. The habitat was a restored prairie with scattered trees. Spring Lake Park Schaar's Bluff Trailhead is about 4 miles further east along the bike trail. Earlier this AM I saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch in an extensive conifer grove 0.5 miles south of the Schaar's Bluff Trailhead and southeast of the bike trail in the same area where I saw a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Great Horned Owl on March 27. Dave Zumeta Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Woodcock flight displays near Black Dog Lake
Yesterday (3/18) at dusk, two Am. Woodcock were "peenting" and doing mating flight displays in the Black Dog Unit of MN Valley National Wildlife Refuge (MVNWR). From Minneapolis or Bloomington, drive S on 35W, cross the Minnesota River to exit 4A, drive 0.5 mile east on Cliff Road, turn left into the parking lot S of the playground and W of the recreation field. Take the trail to the NE through the recreation field past the MVNWR-Black Dog Unit sign. Follow the trail to the power line right of way (ROW) that parallells the north side of the power line, then walk E for 1/4-1/3 mile. Boots advised, as places on the trail are wet and muddy. Clear nights make for better viewing. Dave Zumeta Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Merlin and Peregrines at Ford Bridge
This morning at 9:55 AM, I saw a Merlin being scolded by Blue Jays just north of the Ford bridge in south Minneapolis (Hennepin County), a couple hundred feet south of the upper parking lot for Army Corps of Engineers Lock and Dam #1 immediately south of West River Road. At 10:00 AM a Peregrine Falcon was perched on the south side of the bridge on the St, Paul (Ramsey County) side near where a pair nested successfully in 2019, and a second Peregrine Falcon was perched on the top of the water tower on the east side of the river several hundred feet south of the dam. I did not see the two falcon species interact with each other. Dave Zumeta Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Diverse ducks at Bass Ponds
34 species (12 species of ducks) at Bass Ponds this PM: 2 Wood Duck, 3 Gadwall, 2 Canvasback, 3 Redhead, 12 Ring-necked Duck, 1 Greater Scaup, 60+ Lesser Scaup (mostly), 8 Bufflehead, 65 Common Goldeneye, 20 Hooded Merganser, 10 Common Merganser, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Northern Flicker. Dave Zumeta Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Hooded Warbler by West River Road
Between 10:20 and 11:20 a.m. today, I heard a Hooded Warbler singing intermittently (for 1-2 minutes every 5-10 minutes) between the upper and lower walking paths immediately east of West River Road just east of Dowling School by the Mississippi River in South Minneapolis. I also got an excellent brief look at the bird (an adult male) one foot off the ground, but the bird was otherwise very secretive. Lee Pfannmuller also heard the bird singing, but we were unable to see it while we were together after 10:40 a.m., and it stopped singing between 11:20 and 11:50 a.m., when we left the area. To access the lower walking path, the best place from which to observe the bird, park on the west side of Edmund Blvd. near the corner of 38th Street East and Edmund Blvd., then walk east for about 100 feet across West River Road to steps leading down to the lower walking path, turn right (south) on the path, and look for the bird on both sides of the path about 200-300 feet south of the ste ps. Earlier this morning I also heard a Least Flycatcher calling several times on the southern edge of the 36th Street ravine about 150-200 feet northeast of the 36th Street parking area. Least Flycatchers do not normally occur in this area in June, so this bird is likely a very late migrant. Dave Zumeta Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Winter wren in S. Minneapolis
>From 11:40 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. today, Lee Pfannmuller and I observed a winter >wren on the steep, east-facing slope by the west shore of the Mississippi >River 3/8 mile south of the Lake Street bridge in S. Minneapolis, Hennepin >County. We last saw it (and heard its distinctive "tik tik" call note) by the >large storm drain that empties into the river below 33rd St. and W. River >Road. We also saw what was very likely the same bird at dusk on 12/15 by a >small, partially open stream that enters the river about 1/3 mile south of >where we saw it today. Both of these sites can be accessed by the steps down >to the river floodplain about 1/2 block south of 33rd St. and W. River Road. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Good birding day in Goodhue County
Saw 96 species in Goodhue County today, including 22 species of warblers and 9 species of sparrows, with Leslie McInenly and Paul Smithson. Highlights included a Black-billed Cuckoo, Tufted Titmouse, and singing Gray-cheeked Thrush along Rt.46 near the Cannon River; 2 Philadelphia Vireos and 19 species of warblers at Hok-si-La Park; a Tufted Titmouse at Frontenac Episcopal Cemetery; a pair of Prothonotary Warblers between the ski hut and bridge on the Frontenac State Park Sand Point Trail; and 2 singing Henslow's Sparrows on the Prairie trail at Frontenac State Park. Dave Zumeta Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Hooded and Cerulean Warbler posting yesterday
I apologize for posting the Hooded and Cerulean Warbler observations at Murphy-Hanrahan Regional Park yesterday. Because I was using an obsolete map to navigate, I didn't realize that the area where these observations were made is off limits during the summer. Dave Zumeta Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Hooded and Cerulean Warblers, Red-headed Woodpecker
Observed 19 species of warblers this morning at Murphy-Hanrahan Regional Park, including 1 singing Hooded Warbler and 1 singing Cerulean Warbler both near sign marker 8 en route to sign marker 9 in the northeast portion of the park. Other warbler species of interest included 3+ Blue-winged, 3+ Golden-winged, 6+ N. Parula, 6+ Blackburnian, 1 Black-throated Green, and 1 Orange-crowned. Also 5+ singing Wood Thrushes. In early afternoon in St. Paul, saw an adult Red-headed Woodpecker perched in a yard and then flying southeast from Griggs Street toward Ayds Mill Road. Dave Zumeta Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
