Re: [mou-net] Wayzata Bay

[Kim R Eckert]

Based on today's and other recent reports on mou-net, there is little or no 
doubt in my mind that the posting of a second-hand report a few days ago about 
“thousands" of Common Loons at Lake Minnetonka actually involved misidentified 
Common Mergansers. I have frequently witnessed non-birders and beginners 
mistake mergansers for loons.   – Kim Eckert, Duluth
  

On Dec 4, 2023, at 10:55 AM, Jim Williams  wrote:

Mics-morn Wayzata Bay 100s common mergs stretched across mid-bay east to west. 
Too distant and hazy to distinguish loons. Unusual, no eagles seen hunting or 
in trees at bay entrance. Did not check Cty Road 15 shore.

Jim Williams
Birding columnist
Minneapolis StarTribune
startribune.com/variety/homeandgarden


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[mou-net] Fwd: Bob Janssen

[Kim R Eckert]

Maybe you had already heard this, but it was news to me…


Begin forwarded message:

From: Jim Williams 
Subject: Bob Janssen
Date: October 31, 2023 at 12:34:35 PM CDT
To: Kim Eckert 

Kim,
Bob died over the weekend, age 91, in hospice care for the past several months.
Jim



Jim Williams
Birding columnist, Minneapolis StarTribune

Everything’s fine until it’s not. And then everything goes to hell.
 — Doug Erwin, paleobiologist, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History




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[mou-net] Fwd: Bob & Suzanne Janssen

[Kim R Eckert]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Douglas Mayo 
Subject: Bob Janssen
Date: January 3, 2023 at 2:52:10 PM CST
To: Kim Eckert 

Bob Janssen’s wife died yesterday morning. A close friend of his reported that 
Bob, who now resides in an assisted living facility, is not expected to live 
much longer. I thought you’d want to know.



Both Bob and his wife Suzanne were having health problems for some time. 
Hopefully, there will be updates if Bob’s condition changes. My thanks to Doug 
Mayo for informing me of the news.  –Kim Eckert, Duluth  





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[mou-net] LaCrosse, WI Brown Booby

[Kim R Eckert]

As some of you are aware, an adult Brown Booby is being seen and photographed 
in LaCrosse, WI. It was apparently first discovered on August 9, then relocated 
yesterday afternoon and evening as it went to roost, and it was still present 
this morning, August 11. It is being viewed on the Black River from Rose St / 
US 53 / WI 35, just south of I-90. This location is less than 3 miles east of 
the state line, so it wouldn’t take much for this bird to fly west and appear 
on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River. The Dresbach Welcome Center on 
I-90 and the Mississippi R in the SE corner of Winona Co would be the spot in 
MN closest to where the booby is being seen.  –Kim Eckert, Duluth  

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[mou-net] Smith's Longspur in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

Just got a second-hand report that the Smith’s Longspur I found yesterday 
morning at the McQuade Rd. public access is still present this morning. It was 
not reported to this listserv yesterday because I assumed it would migrate on 
and not be present for long, but it was seen by others later in the day, and 
perhaps it will still be there later today or into the weekend. The McQuade 
harbor/public access is located just outside the city limits about 5 miles up 
Scenic Hwy 61; look especially in the weedy grasses near the kiosk on the E 
side of the harbor. There were also a few Lapland Longspurs there yesterday, 
and I’m fairly certain there were actually two Smith’s - one more brightly 
plumaged than the other.  

Kim Eckert, Duluth 

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Re: [mou-net] Tollefson Woods in Dodge County private property sign

[Kim R Eckert]

When I was chair of the MOU Awards Committee, the committee sent a Certificate 
of Appreciation from the MOU to the Tollefson family for their continuing 
hospitality in allowing birders to enter this property. I remember it was sent 
to Beth Tollefson, but I no longer have her contact information or remember 
where I got it. Maybe if someone could contact her or one of the other 
Tollefsons and remind them of this certificate, I’d think they would consider 
MOU members to be "invited guests” as long as we followed whatever guidelines 
they’d like to put in place.  –Kim Eckert, Duluth



On May 31, 2020, at 11:28 AM, Brad Abendroth  wrote:

I already posted this to Facebook. There is a shiny new sign now erected at
the entrance of this eBird hotspot.  It says private property invited
guests only.  I don’t know what the procedure is to get permission.


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[mou-net] Molly Hoffman

[Kim R Eckert]

Yesterday I received word that Molly Hoffman of Grand Marais recently died. For 
many years, Molly and her husband Ken had been the most active birders in the 
Grand Marais area, the first ones birders would contact for information on bird 
sightings there, and they would always alert MN birders promptly when unusual 
species were seen. Among their accomplishments were finding the first state 
records of Rock Ptarmigan in 1996 and Slaty-backed Gull in 2006, and in 1991 
they were the first to identify the Fieldfare and Anna’s Hummingbird (also 
first MN records) found by others in 1991. At this time I have no further 
information about Molly's death, and I thank Dave Benson and Ann Russ for 
passing on this sad news.  –Kim Eckert, Duluth


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[mou-net] Iowa report of a Smew

[Kim R Eckert]

Just received an e-mail from Ric Zarwell about his sighting yesterday of an 
adult male Smew on the Mississippi River at Lock & Dam #9 in Allamakee County, 
Iowa. Following is the link to his report on the Iowa listserv:

http://birding.aba.org/message.php?mesid=1645801=IA=Iowa 


This is only about a 23-mile drive south of Minnesota, so perhaps it’s 
something Minnesota birders would be interested in. Note, however, that the 
possibility exists that this bird is an escape or release from captivity, as 
was the case with at least two sightings in MN. Minnesota’s only accepted 
record is from 1999 in Jackson County (interestingly enough, also in March), 
but that record is qualified as origin unknown – i.e., the possibilities of 
wild vs. escape were considered about equal.  

Kim Eckert, Duluth 



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[mou-net] more on the Barn Owl

[Kim R Eckert]

For those who might be interested, here’s some additional information on the 
now-deceased Barn Owl seen by many on January 11-12 in the Sax-Zim Bog along St 
Louis CR 7. Some of the reports regarding this record have been somewhat 
confusing and sketchy, and I wasn’t aware of some of the actual details until 
yesterday...

On the 11th, it was initially and separately identified by both Heidi Kirsch 
Novak and myself in the late afternoon as it hunted the fields east of CR 7 
near Byrnes Greenhouse – i.e., about halfway between the "Twin Cities” of Sax 
and Zim). It flew from north to south near Heidi’s position on Dibbell Rd, and 
she recognized what it was and got some good flight images. At the same time, I 
was with a Minn Birding Weekends group and others birding along CR 7 about 1/2 
mile to the south, when someone spotted a whitish-looking owl flying in the 
distance from the north (i.e., from the direction of Dibbell Rd) and called out 
Snowy Owl. (This ID was understandable since a Snowy had been seen here the 
previous day.) Because of the distance and brevity of this first view, its ID 
was uncertain until it reappeared in flight a short time later and eventually 
flew a bit closer (though still at a distance) and at a better angle. I then 
managed to find it in the scope while it was in flight, could see that it was 
actually and surprisingly a Barn Owl, and called it out to the others. 

Shortly thereafter Heidi arrived where we were, not knowing whether or not we 
had seen the owl; nor did we know she had also seen it from Dibbell Rd. Other 
birders in the area were then called who were able to arrive and see it before 
sunset, including Frank Nicolletti (who was a few miles away with part of the 
MBW group) and Clinton Nienhaus (who was leading a field trip for Friends of 
Sax-Zim). Given the time of day, it wasn’t possible for birders from Duluth, 
the Twin Cities, or elsewhere to arrive in time to see it then, but it did 
reappear on the 12th when it was seen and photographed by many others before it 
died en route to The Raptor Center in St Paul. Its cause of death is still 
unknown at this time until there are lab tests and further examination.

I learned later that some of those on the scene on the 12th talked to the 
property owners who reported thay had actually noticed the owl at first about a 
month ago (!), as it was roosting in one of the sheds on their property. (I 
don’t know whether or not they knew what species of owl they were seeing.) I 
also learned recently that an owl was seen here briefly by birders on January 1 
and tentatively identified as a Barn Owl. They reported it to the Friends of 
Sax-Zim Welcome Center (and perhaps others), but there apparently was no 
follow-up on that sighting since the ID was uncertain and unconfirmed.

By the way, by all accounts there were no reports that any birders or 
photographers harassed the owl in any way – nor was there any real potential 
for harassment, given the location and terrain where the owl was hunting.

To my knowledge, this is the seventh Barn Owl record for northern Minnesota, 
including one found dead near Duluth in January 1984. The other published 
records were a February 1960 record from Duluth, and in Cook, Polk (the most 
recent in 1986), Beltrami, and Hubbard counties.


Kim Eckert, Duluth


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[mou-net] MBW website typo

[Kim R Eckert]

The e-mail sent a short time ago about MBWs had an error in the link to the 
MBWbirds.com website. In the first sentence the link should be: 
http://www.mbwbirds.com . My apologies, and thanks to 
Larry Sirvio for spotting the error.  –Kim Eckert, Duluth 



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[mou-net] 2020-21 MBW schedule

[Kim R Eckert]

The MBWbirds.com <http://mbswbirds.com/> website was updated earlier today, and 
it includes the complete schedule of the 2020-2021 Minnesota Birding Weeks & 
Weekends (MBWs), along with the registration procedure 
(http://mbwbirds.com/mbw-registration.html 
<http://mbwbirds.com/mbw-registration.html>).

A reminder that the opening of MBW registrations will be at 12:00 noon 
tomorrow, January 1. (Sorry, any registrations received before then will not be 
honored.) Be sure to note as well that each registration must be in a separate 
e-mail, that it can only be for one person or couple, and there is a limit of 
one MBWeekend or MBWeek registration per day. (A second registration can be 
sent after noon on January 2, a third on January 3 after noon, etc.) Again, see 
the website’s registration page for additional details and some exceptions to 
these procedures.   
As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thanks.


Kim R Eckert
218 349 5953
ecker...@gmail.com <mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>
http://www.mbwbirds.com <http://www.mbwbirds.com/>


(Please note: MBWs are offered in association with the MOU; we were originally 
known as MOU Birding Weekends when we started in 1986.)



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[mou-net] Lesser Goldfinch still present

[Kim R Eckert]

I’m sending this because there have been no updates on mou-net since Kim 
Emerson’s initial postings: I heard second-hand that the goldfinch did reappear 
today, but it apparently does not look in good condition. Thanks to Heidi for 
allowing visitors and to Kimberly for her earlier postings.  –Kim Eckert, Duluth
 

Begin forwarded message:

From: Kimberly Emerson 
Subject: Re: [mou-net] LESSER GOLDFINCH - WARREN, MN - MARSHALL COUNTY
Date: December 10, 2019 at 10:34:16 AM CST
To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU
Reply-To: Kimberly Emerson 

More info from Heidi:
With the following caveats, we welcome people who want to see the bird.
It has not been spotted today.
It was first spotted late Sunday afternoon, and again off and on all day
Monday.

The bird has been spotted at 27499 190th St NW (East of Warren MN - 3 miles
south of Hwy 1 on 280th St NW, east on 190th St.)

Please, do NOT park at the former Wetlands Pines & Prairie site - 27351
190th St. NW
Park at the Northwest Minnesota Pollinator Garden at 27569 190 St. NW.
Please, do NOT drive down or block the driveway at 27499 190th St NW

Do NOT take the short cut by the yellow "Danger" sign near the Pollinator
Garden parking area.

Walk back to 190th St NW then go east to the driveway at 27499.
Walk south on the driveway until you see a line of cracked corn in the
driveway.

Please do NOT come any closer to the house, you will scare all the birds
away.

Thank you!

Heidi Hughes

On Tue, Dec 10, 2019 at 10:09 AM Kimberly Emerson <
kimberly.emerson...@gmail.com> wrote:

> A photo of a lesser goldfinch was posted on the Agassiz Audubon Society
> Facebook page about an hour ago.
> 
> The homeowner (Heidi Hughes) is allowing visitors. Please follow these
> rules:
> 
> 27499 – 190th street, Warren, MN
> 
> Coming to the feeders between the house and garage.
> 
> Park on 190th and walk down driveway. Do not pass the yellow cracked corn
> line or travel to the house or garage. Bird is very skittish. Watch ONLY
> from the driveway.
> 
> Per a comment by Becca Engdahl, the goldfinch has not been seen yet this
> morning and was not looking too healthy last night. The homeowner said she
> would let her know if it returns today.
> 
> Good luck!
> Kimberly Emerson
> Windom, MN
> 


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[mou-net] Roseau & Lake of the Woods

[Kim R Eckert]

For the 16th consecutive year, there was a MBW (Minnesota Birding Weekend) in 
NW Minn on Labor Day weekend. This year it was limited to Roseau and Lake of 
the Woods counties, and there were several highlights during this 3 1/2 day 
MBW, August 30 - September 2...

- Ross’s Goose: An unusually early individual with Canada Geese at the Warroad 
sewage ponds on 30 Aug; also seen later that day foraging in a field with 
Canadas on the edge of Warroad. 

- Cackling Goose: Also unusually early on 30 Aug, with Canada Geese in Warroad.

- Gray Partridge: A group of about 15 along Roseau CR 9, 2.7 mi S of Hwy 11, on 
31 Aug.

- Sharp-tailed Grouse: A lone individual seen by chance along Roseau CR 10 on 1 
Sept. 

- shorebirds: A disappointing total of only 13 species, with the Warroad sewage 
ponds the only site we found with a good variety; these included a juvenile 
Long-billed Dowitcher and Red-necked Phalarope on 30 Aug; Red-neckeds also seen 
on 1 Sept at the Badger sewage ponds.  

- Short-eared Owl: 2 hunting at dusk on 1 Sept, NE of Roseau along 350th St, 
1.2 mi E of 410th Ave. This area had been consistent for Short-eareds on this 
MBW through 2014, then none were found the following 4 years here as the fields 
were planted with soybeans and other crops, and this year most of the area was 
again hayfields and grasslands. 

- Red-bellied Woodpecker: At Roseau City Park on 1 Sept.

- Western Kingbird: 3 along Lake of the Woods CR 17 on 31 Aug. 

- Black-billed Magpie: More than usual seen, including a single flock of at 
least 50 on Roseau CR 119 on 1 Sept.

- Red Crossbill: At least 3 groups seen and heard on 31 Aug in Beltrami Island 
State Forest near Norris Camp, Lake of the Woods Co; recordings made of flight 
calls (probably Type 2 individuals - awaiting confirmation).

- Bobolink: A few late migrants still present, including a flock on 1 Sept at 
the Roseau sewage ponds.

- warblers: A total of 20 species found in all, although the overall number of 
individuals was modest and there were no real concentrations at any site. 


Kim Eckert
Duluth MN
http://www.mbwbirds.com






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Re: [mou-net] Black Vulture in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

The status of all Minnesota birds is on the MOU website at 
https://moumn.org/avian/gen2.php <https://moumn.org/avian/gen2.php>. There 
you’ll see there are only seven previous records in MN, and accordingly all 
sighting of this species would need to be documented to be included in the MOU 
database of bird records. For information on documenting unusual sightings, see 
https://moumn.org/cgi-bin/rqd.pl?op=new 
<https://moumn.org/cgi-bin/rqd.pl?op=new>.

By the way, mou-net subscribers are reminded that our guidelines ask that all 
postings are signed with a person’s first and last name. We would prefer to 
read postings from, and communicate with, a person rather than a place name or 
some other entity. Please see the mou-net guidelines at 
https://moumn.org/listservice.html <https://moumn.org/listservice.html>. Thanks!

Kim Eckert
Duluth MN

  

On Aug 19, 2019, at 10:02 AM, Lost Creek  wrote:

 Are black vultures rare in northern MN?

I've seen them occasionally all summer long in the Hinckley area. Usually just 
one alone, sometimes soaring with a group of turkey vultures. 

On Sun, Aug 18, 2019, 2:50 PM Kim R Eckert mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>> wrote:
Seen by John Richardson a short time ago at Hawk Ridge as it flew north and out 
of sight. (His post to mou-net did not go through, so he asked me to repost 
it.) Note that the first state record in August 2001 was also spotted at Hawk 
Ridge as it flew north, but later that day it was seen again at the ridge after 
it had turned around and headed back south. So maybe this one will do the same 
thing?

Kim Eckert, Duluth 

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[mou-net] Black Vulture in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

Seen by John Richardson a short time ago at Hawk Ridge as it flew north and out 
of sight. (His post to mou-net did not go through, so he asked me to repost 
it.) Note that the first state record in August 2001 was also spotted at Hawk 
Ridge as it flew north, but later that day it was seen again at the ridge after 
it had turned around and headed back south. So maybe this one will do the same 
thing?

Kim Eckert, Duluth 

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[mou-net] AOS changes to MN checklist

[Kim R Eckert]

The annual supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s (AOS) Check-list 
of North American Birds has been published for 2019, and the American Birding 
Association (ABA) has a helpful and easier-to-read summary of it on their blog 
(http://blog.aba.org/2019/06/aos2019.html 
). 

According to the ABA’s summary, there are no lumps or splits affecting the 
Minnesota checklist. (Although there was a three-way split in White-winged 
Scoter, the only one which normally occurs in Minnesota and most of North 
America is still the White-winged.) And only one English name was changed: 
Common Ground-Dove loses its hyphen to become Common Ground Dove.

But there are now changes in the sequence of some species groups on the 
Minnesota list: 

• Groove-billed Ani now precedes Yellow-billed and Black-billed cuckoos;

• The sequence of plovers becomes Black-bellied, American Golden-, Killdeer, 
Semipalmated, Piping, Wilson’s, and Snowy;

• The swallows sequence becomes Bank, Tree, Violet-green, Northern 
Rough-winged, Purple Martin, Barn, and Cliff;

• And the sparrows sequence changes to Grasshopper, Black-throated, Lark, Lark 
Bunting, Chipping, Clay-colored, Field, Brewer’s, Fox, American Tree, Dark-eyed 
Junco, White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Harris’s, White-throated, Vesper, 
LeConte’s, Nelson’s, Baird’s, Henslow’s, Savannah, Song, Lincoln’s, Swamp, 
Green-tailed Towhee, Spotted Towhee, and Eastern Towhee.

In addition, Tennessee, Orange-crowned, and Nashville warblers have been moved 
from the genus Oreothlypis to the new genus Leiothlypis. 


Kim Eckert
Duluth MN

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[mou-net] Summering Whimbrel continues in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

The Whimbrel which has been present at the Park Point Recreation Area since at 
least late June was seen again today, July 15. It was in long, unmown grass in 
the NW part of the recreation area, on the N side of the road, on the SW edge 
of the boat ramp parking area. But to clarify earlier reports, I’m told it 
spends much of the time near the far W end of the main recreation area parking 
lot, where it forages in the mown areas near the planted crabapple trees. This 
is just across the road from where we saw it today, and that’s where I’d 
suggest you start looking. As others have noted, it appears healthy, seems to 
fly normally, and it calls loudly in flight, but it can be difficult to find 
since most of the park is not being mown this year, and long 
"taller-than-a-Whimbrel" grass covers much of the park. 

During the brief look I had today, it appears to be of the expected hudsonicus 
subspecies with relatively uniform brownish plumage. Whimbrels breed in the 
tundra of Alaska and northern Canada, and late-lingering spring migrants are 
sometimes seen here in early June. There have also been a few late July 
sightings over the years of presumed post-breeding visitants, and even fewer 
one-day sightings of strays between mid-June and mid-July. But this continuing 
individual seems to represent the first record of a Whimbrel summering in 
Minnesota.

Kim Eckert, Duluth

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[mou-net] MBWeeks & Weekends

[Kim R Eckert]

Our 34th season of Minnesota Birding Weeks & Weekends (MBWs) begins this month 
with the Florida MBWeek and the Grant County-Rothsay MBWeekend. Accordingly, 
the MBW website (http://mbwbirds.com <http://mbwbirds.com/>) was updated today, 
April 3, with the current registration status of all the MBWs for the upcoming 
2019-2020 season. 

Note especially that, for the first time since MBWs began in 1986, on-line 
payments will now be accepted for deposits and fees. Please be sure to see 
http://www.mbwbirds.com/mbw-registration.html 
<http://www.mbwbirds.com/mbw-registration.html> with additional information on 
this convenient option. (As before, checks can still be sent by U.S. mail by 
those who prefer the usual method of payments we’ve used for the past 33 
years.)  

As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.


Kim R Eckert
218 349 5953
ecker...@gmail.com <mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>
http://www.mbwbirds.com <http://www.mbwbirds.com/> 


Please note: MBWs are offered in association with the MOU; we were originally 
known as MOU Birding Weekends when we started in 1986. MBW participants are 
still expected to be members of MOU (see http://moumn.org/signup.html 
<http://moumn.org/signup.html>), which receives a portion of MBW receipts in 
return for these updates on mou-net and in the newsletter.

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[mou-net] Duluth King Eider at a new location

[Kim R Eckert]

Since there have not been any other postings about this today on mou-net…

At about noon today, there was a report from a local resident/birder of a King 
Eider on the lake close to shore by his residence at 2926 E Water St. This is 
presumably the same eider which had been seen recently at Brighton Beach, about 
4 miles NE of this new location.

Kim Eckert, Duluth  

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[mou-net] King Eider, Tufted Duck updates

[Kim R Eckert]

Just received word from others that the King Eider found yesterday at the mouth 
of the Lester R in Duluth is still present now (around noon) a bit E of there 
along Brighton Beach Rd. Also a second-hand message that the Tufted Duck was 
relocated this morning in the harbor behind the Pier B Hotel at 8th Ave West 
off Railroad Street (time not given).

Kim Eckert, Duluth

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[mou-net] Update: Tufted Duck ID confirmed

[Kim R Eckert]

The female/juvenile Tufted Duck reported earlier at Canal Park in Duluth has 
now reappeared there after flying off ~10 minutes after I first saw it around 
11:00 am. Don Kienholz and John Richardson relocated it and had better looks 
than I did; John is now getting photos. He is very familiar with the species 
having seen it in the UK and concurs with my somewhat tentative ID earlier.  
-Kim Eckert  

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[mou-net] Minn Birding Weeks & Weekends

[Kim R Eckert]

The MBW website (http://mbwbirds.com <http://mbwbirds.com/>) was updated today, 
December 3, with the registration status of all the Minnesota Birding Weeks & 
Weekends (MBWs) for the upcoming 2019-2020 season. (The new schedule and 
complete descriptions of these MBWs were published on November 25.)

Although most MBWs filled during the first week of registrations, please note 
that it may be possible to schedule additional leaders or extra MBWs to 
accommodate extra persons for some of the MBWs which are currently filled with 
long waiting lists. These additions will be posted in future updates of this 
website as they occur.

As of December 1, also note that the e-mailed registrations are now accepted at 
any time of day (from Nov. 26 through Nov. 30, they were not accepted until 
12:00 noon); the limit of one registration per person per day continues. See 
http://www.mbwbirds.com/mbw-registration.html 
<http://www.mbwbirds.com/mbw-registration.html> for additional information on 
the MBW registration procedure. 

As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.


Kim R Eckert
218 349 5953
ecker...@gmail.com <mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>
http://www.mbwbirds.com <http://www.mbwbirds.com/> 


Please note: MBWs are offered in association with the MOU; we were originally 
known as MOU Birding Weekends when we started in 1986. MBW participants are 
still expected to be members of MOU (see http://moumn.org/signup.html 
<http://moumn.org/signup.html>), which receives a portion of MBW receipts in 
return for these updates on mou-net and in the newsletter.



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[mou-net] NO Slaty-backed Gull today

[Kim R Eckert]

A Craig Mandel-led MBW group went to Grand Portage today but did not see the 
Slaty-backed Gull. It was found there on October 28, relocated by a few others 
on the 29th, and was reportedly last seen October 31 by local fishermen. Of 
course, it may still be present somewhere in the area, but it doesn’t sound 
like it would be worth the trip if anyone was considering it.


Kim Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com






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[mou-net] North Shore weekend summary

[Kim R Eckert]

An estimated 50-60 birders in two groups were birding this weekend, October 
27-28, along the North Shore of Lake Superior. I’m aware of at least 90 species 
being seen in all, and some of the highlights follow. (Please note that a 
variety of observers deserve the credit for finding these birds, and that other 
species of note were probably found which I am not aware of and are not listed 
below.)

- Cackling Goose: Two Harbors cemetery

- all 3 scoters: including Black and White-winged in the Grand Marais harbor
  
- Long-tailed Duck: including around 40 near Five Mile Rock, Cook Co 

- Eurasian Collared-Dove: today by the Outpost Motel, 2935 Highway 61, ~9 mi E 
of Grand Marais (second Cook Co record)

- late Dunlin and White-rumped Sandpiper: Castle Danger sewage ponds

- late Spotted Sandpiper: Grand Marais inner harbor

- Slaty-backed Gull: in near-adult plumage in Grand Portage at the boat dock 
behind the hotel/casino; found around 1:30 today and still present later this 
afternoon (photos to be posted on the Recently Seen page on moumn.org 
) 

- Iceland Gull: Grand Marais inner harbor

- Glaucous Gull: early individual in first-winter plumage standing on rocks 
just E of Iona’s Beach SNA, Lake Co 

- Cattle Egret: found this afternoon by the Satellite Country Inn on Hwy 61, ~5 
mi SW of Taconite Harbor, Cook Co

 - 2 Peregrine Falcons: at the ore docks in Two Harbors that attacked and 
eventually subdued a fly-by Pileated Woodpecker (!)

- Northern Shrike: Castle Danger sewage ponds

- Boreal Chickadee: several migrants on Saturday, especially between Stoney 
Point and Two Harbors 

- Townsend’s Solitaire: 2 found this afternoon in Beaver Bay by the Lemon Wolf 
Cafe

- late Veery in Grand Marais and late Swainson’s Thrush in Two Harbors

- Bohemian Waxwing: especially in the Grand Marais campground, along with Pine 
Grosbeaks and 1 Common Redpoll

- Red Crossbill: at Stoney Point and Knife River 

- late Magnolia Warbler: corner of 8th St and 2nd Ave in Two Harbors

- Summer Tanager: found this morning in the Grand Marais campground


Kim Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com







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[mou-net] Lark Bunting in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

Yesterday, Dudley Edmundson found what he tentatively identified as a Lark 
Bunting, and this morning it was still present and its ID was confirmed by 
photos. It was at Park Point along the trail and fence by the Sky Harbor 
Airport buildings.

Kim Eckert, Duluth

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[mou-net] Duluth MBW summary

[Kim R Eckert]

A 3-day Minnesota Birding Weekdays trip, October 10-11-12, based in Duluth 
surprisingly came up with a total of 96 species despite – or perhaps because of 
– the challenging weather. Gale-force NE winds off Lake Superior along with 
steady light rain on Oct 10 made the birding difficult at best, and overnight 
the winds shifted to 20+ mph from the NW and brought in some snow, “high” 
temperatures in the 30s, and frigid wind-chills on Oct 11. It wasn’t any warmer 
yesterday but at least the winds finally moderated.

In addition to the adult Sabine’s Gull huddled on the Park Point ballfields 
among other gulls and previously reported to mou-net on Oct 10, some of our 
other highlights were:

- Surf and White-winged scoters on the bayside of Park Point between 40th St 
and the Recreation Area

- 3 Ruddy Ducks (a rarity in NE Minn) on the bayside just S of the Recreation 
Area

- 8 shorebird species: Black-bellied and Am Golden-Plovers (especially on the 
Park Point ballfields yesterday), Sanderling, Dunlin and Pectorals (among the 
plovers), Wilson’s Snipe, a late Spotted Sandpiper in Knife River, and Greater 
Yellowlegs

- 9 raptor species, incl a late Broad-winged Hawk, and Merlins almost 
everywhere we stopped

- Red-bellied Woodpecker (uncommon-rare on the North Shore)

- Late Blue-headed Vireo and Gray-cheeked Thrush in Two Harbors

- Non-stop Am Robins by the 100s migrating down the N Shore on Oct 11-12, along 
with good numbers of Blue Jays, both kinglets, thrushes, sparrows (12 species 
total), Rusty Blackbirds, and Yellow-rumped Warblers

- A few Bohemian Waxwings along Skiff Landing Rd in Knife River

- Fly-by Snow Buntings at the McQuade Rd public access on L Superior

- 6 warbler species (all desperate to find insects in the cold): 
Orange-crowned, Nashville, American Redstart, a late Cape May in Two Harbors, 
Palm, and Yellow-rumpeds; most impressive yesterday were the dozens of 
Yellow-rumpeds foraging on the edge of the standing water on the Park Point 
ballfields

My thanks especially to Judy Johnson who first spotted the Sabine’s Gull and to 
MBW co-leader Dave Benson.


Kim Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com






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[mou-net] Lewis's Woodpecker in Becker Co

[Kim R Eckert]

It looks like my earlier message did not go through. Here are the details…

Nancy Henke texted me earlier this afternoon that a Lewis’s Woodpecker was seen 
today at a friend’s feeder near Tamarac NWR in Becker Co. Its ID has been 
confirmed by photos. The address is 21958 West Height of Land Drive, and Nancy 
reports that the homeowner said it’s OK to look for the bird with these 
conditions:

- Park along the road near their driveway, making sure you do not block their 
driveway or any others. Do not drive into their driveway or park there.

- Birders need to stay along the road and watch for the bird from there; do not 
walk into the yard. (They have dogs described as “very anxious”.)

If you have any questions, contact Nancy at mailto:wchen...@gmail.com>>.


Kim Eckert, Duluth 


 

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Re: [mou-net] eBird report: Least Tern (St. Louis Co.)

[Kim R Eckert]

Alyssa, 

By all means, your news of rarities forwarded to mou-net from eBird are 
appreciated, so please keep them coming. There are several active Minnesota 
birders who report to the MOU database and keep track of sightings there, and 
they may not know when something of note appears on eBird. And the same applies 
to group or personal Facebook pages, texting groups, or other forums. There are 
dozens of these (or 100s, if you include every birder with a Facebook page), 
all with the potential of significant birding news that most birders might 
never hear about. It’s simply not possible to become a Facebook friend with 
every birder out there who might have news of a rarity. It sure would be nice 
if it were possible to have one central site where notable species are reported 
– whether it’s eBird, a Facebook page, texting group, this listserv, or 
whatever forum we could all agree on. It used to be hard enough just to find 
the rarity that is reported. Now it’s often harder just to find the report of 
it in the first place.

Kim Eckert, Duluth





On Oct 2, 2018, at 9:48 AM, Alyssa DeRubeis  wrote:

There’s a Least Tern being seen in the Superior Bay between Minnesota and 
Wisconsin as of yesterday. Read the report below. As an aside, I’m curious to 
know if these emails to MOU-net regarding rare eBird reports have any value. 
It’s my understanding that a lot of folks are already subscribed to receive 
such notifications from eBird, since no one else really seems to re-post them 
to this group. I am happy to keep passing them along or I can stop. I assume 
some folks do not or refuse to subscribe to eBird, but I’m wondering how many. 
If it’s a small minority, then these emails would mostly be repeats of what 
most birders already know. I would like to hear your opinion, so please reply 
PRIVATELY (as in do NOT have mou-net in your recipient field). Thanks for your 
polite and civil responses.

Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) (1)
- Reported Oct 01, 2018 15:00 by Clinton Nienhaus
- Superior Harbor (between Pump House and Chanel Markers), St. Louis, Minnesota
- Map: 
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8=p=13=46.7129582,-92.0364198=46.7129582,-92.0364198
- Checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48877234 



Alyssa DeRubeis

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[mou-net] MOU awards

[Kim R Eckert]

It's again that time of year when the MOU Awards & Recognitions Committee is 
beginning to look for nominees to be recognized for their contributions to the 
Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. This annual tradition of recognition takes the 
form of presenting the Thomas S. Roberts, Brother Theodore Voelker, and Young 
Birder awards at the MOU Papers Session on December 1, 2018.

- Since 1963, the Thomas S. Roberts Award has traditionally been our lifetime 
achievement award: "For Outstanding Contributions to Minnesota Ornithology and 
Birding", as stated on the plaque. Previous recipients have contributed to the 
MOU in many different ways, which in some years were not necessarily related 
directly to ornithology or birding. (Also note that our policy has always been 
that a person would only receive this award once.) 

- The Brother Theodore Voelker Award is "For Special Achievement in Field 
Ornithology" during the past year, which would be from November 2017 through 
October 2018. The original intent in 1988 was that this recipient's achievement 
would be related to field ornithology in one of three categories: significant 
bird sighting(s), something written (e.g., journal article, book, or technical 
paper), or a field research project. (In some years, involvements in special 
events, conservation, mentoring, and education have also been included in the 
criteria for this award.)

- The Young Birder Award is for someone under 25 years old contributing to 
knowledge of Minnesota birds or to the MOU; as it reads on the plaque: "For 
Contributions to Birding in Minnesota". This is our newest award, presented for 
the first time in 2005.

Note that the names of all previous recipients of these awards can be found on 
the MOU website (http://moumn.org/awards.html <http://moumn.org/awards.html>), 
so you might want to check to see if the person you have in mind for an award 
has already received it. 

Accordingly, please contact me or one of the committee members (Paul Egeland, 
Barb Martin, Bonnie Mulligan, or Linda Sparling) if you have someone in mind 
you’d like to nominate for any of these awards, and include his or her 
qualifications and contributions which you feel would make your nominee a 
worthy recipient. We would like to receive all nominations no later than 
October 25, and the committee thanks you in advance for your interest and input 
in these awards.

Kim R Eckert, Chairman
MOU Awards and Recognition Committee
ecker...@gmail.com <mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>
1921 W Kent Rd
Duluth MN 55812
(218) 349 5953

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[mou-net] Townsend's Warbler, Freeborn Co

[Kim R Eckert]

Since nothing about this has been posted on mou-net, I thought I’d pass on this 
eBird report which I just saw. The problems are that the bird was photographed 
yesterday so it may be gone today; an Albert Lea street name is stated and 
mapped, but there is no exact address; and the bird looks like it was at a 
private residence so there may be no access. (Of course, it goes without saying 
that birders should not enter private property without permission from the 
residents or the observer.)

Kim Eckert, Duluth
 

Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) (1)
- Reported Sep 05, 2018 11:40 by Paul Prappas
- Albert Lea--Oakwood Drive, Freeborn, Minnesota
- Map: 
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8=p=13=43.6615811,-93.3891281=43.6615811,-93.3891281
 

- Checklist: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48317351 

- Media: 1 Photo
- Comments: "Male with bold yellow and black striped head, wing bars and white 
lower flanks. Photo included. For the record, I live in British Columbia and am 
visiting friends in SE Minnesota, so I am very familiar with this Western 
Warbler. It has been suggested that all the western coniferous forest fires 
might have driven this bird eastward..."

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[mou-net] Mahnomen & Polk counties

[Kim R Eckert]

There was a Minnesota Birding Weekend (MBW) from August 31 to September 3 in 
Mahnomen and western Polk Co's, plus a bit into Marshall Co. Although nothing 
particularly unusual was found among the 160 species we found, there were some 
interesting highlights:

- Red-necked, Eared, Western, and possibly Horned grebes at the Agassiz 
impoundment on the Marshall-Polk county line; Horned and Eared grebes also seen 
elsewhere.

- Eur. Collared-Doves in Waubun (Mahnomen Co, where there are only a handful of 
county records); also seen in Fertile (Polk Co).

- Total of 17 shorebird species: incl. Black-bellied Plover, 6 Buff-breasted 
Sandpipers (Agassiz impoundment), Short-billed Dowitcher, and both phalaropes. 
The best sites were the Crookston sewage ponds (entry with advance permission) 
and the Agassiz impoundment; the only shorebird place we found in Mahnomen Co. 
was the Mahnomen sewage ponds (entry with advance permission).

- Possible juvenile N. Goshawk in flight over Polk CR 44.

- Peregrine Falcon on 2 days at the Crookston sewage ponds.

- Red-breasted Nuthatches at several locations in all 3 counties.

- Several dozen Bobolinks (possibly 100 or more!) at the Parnell impoundment 
(Polk Co.); also present with them was a late Dickcissel (possibly 2). 
  
- Total of 20 warbler species, incl. Golden-wingeds, an early Orange-crowned, 
and several Bay-breasteds. Probably the best sites were Mahnomen municipal park 
on CR 10, along Pine Bend Rd. (NE Mahnomen Co.), the stands of trees at the 
Crookston sewage ponds, Red River Valley Natural History Area in Crookston, and 
Island Park in Warren (Marshall Co.).

Of final note is that we found no magpies anywhere during this 4-day MBW.


Kim Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com






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[mou-net] AOS / ABA checklist

[Kim R Eckert]

The 2018 supplement of the American Ornitholological Society (formerly the 
American Ornithologists’ Union, or AOU) checklist has now been published. This 
year there are no lumps or splits affecting the checklists of Minnesota or the 
American Birding Association (ABA) area, and the only English name change is 
that Gray Jay is now Canada Jay (which is what this species used to be named 
until 1957). There are also some changes in scientific names and/or sequence 
involving some sparrows, woodpeckers, and hawks which affect the MN checklist.

Following is a link to the ABA blog that summarizes everything: 

http://blog.aba.org/2018/06/aos2018.html 



Kim Eckert, Duluth

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[mou-net] Clearwater & Beltrami MBW

[Kim R Eckert]

The June 15-16-17 Minnesota Birding Weekend (MBW) in Clearwater and Beltrami 
counties managed to come up with a surprising total of 149 species despite some 
delays due to rain. Friday’s list of 128 species in Clearwater Co included 2 
American Avocets, 20+ White-rumped Sandpipers, 4-5 juvenile Marbled Godwits, 2 
Wilson’s Phalaropes, plus some American Black Ducks, all at the Skoe rice 
paddies located E of CR 5 @540th St. Earlier in the day at Upper Rice Lake we 
counted 105 Trumpeter Swans and 69 Red-necked Grebes.

On Saturday in Beltrami Co at the Big Bog S.R.A. boardwalk, there were a 
Black-backed Woodpecker, Connecticut Warbler, Olive-sided and Yellow-bellied 
flycatchers, plus 2 fly-over Red Crossbills at the parking lot. And today there 
were at least 4 Dickcissels along Sunnyside Rd, @1/4 and 3/4 mi S of Power Dam 
Rd.


Kim Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com






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[mou-net] Northwest Minn MBW summary

[Kim R Eckert]

The Minnesota Birding Weekends (MBW) trip this weekend, May 25-26-27-28, 
included parts of Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, Red Lake (and a bit of Polk) 
counties. Despite the heat (mid 80s to low 90s each day) and the relative 
absence of passerine migration (only 14 warbler species in all), our four-day 
composite species total was 181, just a bit below average for this MBW. Among 
the highlights…

- Snow Goose: late-lingering birds 25 May in Red Lake Co and 26 May in Kittson 
Co.

- Cinnamon Teal, 28 May, on both the Marshall & Polk sides of the Agassiz 
impoundment, along the 280th Ave levee road (found 27 May by Hollie Chesney). 

- Greater Prairie-Chicken: 6-7 males displaying on 25 May in SW Red Lake Co, at 
the corner of 120th Ave & 260th St (the only known lek in the county?); plus 
Sharp-tailed Grouse at various locations in Marshall and Polk counties. 

- Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 25 May, Old Crossing Treaty Wayside, along Red Lake CR 
104; plus a few Black-billeds at various locations.

- 23 shorebird species total: including American Avocet, Hudsonian Godwit, 
Willet, and 14 other species on 25 May at the rice paddies along 350th Ave, 
just N of 150th St, in the extreme NE corner of Red Lake Co; also seen were 
Whimbrels on 27 May at the large gravel pit ponds at the corner of 110th Ave & 
270th St in SW Red Lake Co (found by Barb & Denny Martin).   

- Peregrine Falcon, 28 May, Warren sewage ponds (Marshall Co). 

- Nelson’s Sparrow, 27 May, Agassiz NWR (Marshall Co): singing male along 200th 
Ave, 0.6 mi N of 320th St, on the W edge of Pool 8; also several LeConte’s at 
various locations.  


Kim Eckert, Duluth MN
http://www.mbwbirds.com






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[mou-net] MOU Certificates of Appreciation

[Kim R Eckert]

Many MOU members are probably unaware that the MOU Awards and Recognition 
Committee does more than decide on the recipients of each year's Thomas S. 
Roberts, Bro. Theodore Voelker, and Young Birder awards. We also present MOU 
Certificates of Appreciation to those who welcome visiting birders to see a 
rare bird on their property – e.g., homeowners who have something of interest 
at their bird feeders. 

The criteria for these certificates can involve several factors; some of these 
considerations might include how unusual the species is, the number of visitors 
who came to see it, how accommodating the property owners were to visitors, 
etc. Besides a certificate, recipients who are non-MOU members receive a 
complimentary one-year membership.

Those who have received certificates in recent years include:

- Janet Anderson (Lewis's Woodpecker in Roosevelt MN, 2014)
- City of Herman (Black-necked Stilts at the wastewater treatment ponds, 2014)  
- Jason Olson (Wood Stork in Faribault County, 2014) 
- Mary & Steve Nesgoda (Rufous Hummingbird in Le Sueur County, 2014)
- Cynthia & Steve Broste (Western Tanager in Champlin MN, 2014)
- Elijah Parker (King Rail in Zumbrota MN, 2014) 
- Jeff Newman (Golden-crowned Sparrow in Duluth MN, 2015) 
- Jeff & Jean Reed (Eurasian Tree Sparrow in Hastings MN, 2015)
- Gerald & Jill Binstock (Varied Thrush in Good Thunder MN, 2015)
- Steve & Patrice Roberts (Vermilion Flycatcher in Becker County, 2015)
- Jacqui Baker (Rufous Hummingbird in Isanti MN, 2016)
- Bev & Mark Junghans (White-winged Dove in Ramsey MN, 2016)
- Pat McHale (continuing Kapper’s Ponds access in Fillmore County, 2017)

Accordingly, if you know of any property owners who you also think deserve 
recognition for their hospitality to visiting birders, the Awards and 
Recognition Committee would like to hear about them. Contact me or anyone on 
the committee (see below) with their names, mailing address (so they can be 
sent a certificate), the species and when it was present, and any information 
relevant to their hospitality. Currently, the members of this committee are:

Kim Eckert  (chairman) 
Paul Egeland 
Barb Martin 
Bonnie Mulligan 
Linda Sparling 

And please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions about these 
certificates. Thank you.  – Kim Eckert







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[mou-net] Lac Qui Parle-Yellow Medicine MBW

[Kim R Eckert]

A 5-day Minnesota Birding Weekend started on May 10 and ended this afternoon, 
May 14, after covering Yellow Medicine and Lac Qui Parle counties, plus parts 
of Big Stone, Swift, Chippewa, and Lyon counties. Following are some of the 
highlights on our composite list of 168 species:

- Greater White-fronted Goose: 2 late-lingering individuals on May 11 at Lone 
Tree Lake, Lyon Co

- Cinnamon Teal: a male on May 13 along Big Stone CR 67, 3/4 mi W of CR 21 
(thanks to a tip from Garrett Wee) 

- Common Gallinule: spotted by Kathrynne Baumtrog on May 12 in Chippewa Co, 
along 30th Street, 1.5 mi W of Hwys 7 / 59   

- 21 shorebird species, including American Avocets (a possible nesting pair) on 
May 11-12 just S of Louisburg on Lac Qui Parle CR 18, and Hudsonian Godwits at 
2 locations; besides Lone Tree Lake on the Yellow Medicine - Lyon county line 
(which has been productive for several days), the best shorebird sites were on 
Lac Qui Parle CR 13 just S of Haydenville, and 3/4 mi S of Yellow Medicine CR 
18 on 470th Street   

- Black Tern concentration: minimum of 1,100 individuals on May 13 (may well 
have been 1,500 or more) along the Big Stone NWR auto tour (Lac Qui Parle Co)   

- Snowy Egret: May 10 along Lac Qui Parle CR 12 just E of CR 9 (not relocated 
on May 13) 

- Cattle Egret: May 11-12 just W of Rosen on Lac Qui Parle CR 36 (found by Al & 
Kimberle Loken on May 10) 

- White-faced Ibis at 2 locations: May 13 along Lac Qui Parle CR 14, 2 mi E of 
CR 7 (thanks to a tip from Ken Larson); and May 14 at Lone Tree Lake (Lyon Co) 

- Red-breasted Nuthatch: late-lingering bird found May 13 by Dee Kuder in Lac 
Qui Parle Co 

- LeConte’s Sparrow: May 11 & 14 along 306th Ave W of Granite Falls (Yellow 
Medicine Co)

- 2 surprising singing male Eastern Meadowlarks: 1 along 306th Ave on May 11 & 
14; another May 13 along Lac Qui Parle CR 12, ~4 mi W of Hwy 75

- 15 warbler species: a somewhat disappointing showing, with no significant 
concentrations found anywhere


Kim Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com






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[mou-net] Eurasian Tree Sparrow in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

Found mid-day yesterday by Jim Lind in the garden area of the Essentia clinic 
at the SE corner of 4th Ave East & 1st Street; it was then relocated later in 
the day in the alley between 3rd & 4th Avenues E and between 1st & 2nd Streets. 
I then saw it this morning, May 9, between 9:30 and 10:00 at both sites. It 
didn’t seem to be associating with any other sparrows although there were both 
White-throateds and House Sparrows nearby. 

Kim R Eckert
http://www.mbwbirds.com






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[mou-net] MOU Awards

[Kim R Eckert]

It's again that time of year when the MOU Awards & Recognitions Committee is 
considering nominees to be recognized for their contributions to the Minnesota 
Ornithologists' Union. This annual tradition of recognition takes the form of 
presenting the Thomas S. Roberts, Brother Theodore Voelker, and Young Birder 
awards at the MOU Papers Session on December 3, 2016.

- Since 1963, the Thomas S. Roberts Award has traditionally been our lifetime 
achievement award: "For Outstanding Contributions to Minnesota Ornithology and 
Birding", as stated on the plaque. Previous recipients have contributed to the 
MOU in many different ways, which were sometimes not directly related to 
ornithology or birding. (Also note that our unofficial policy has been that a 
person would only receive the Roberts Award once, so please check the link 
below to see if the person you have in mind is a previous recipient.) 

- The Bro. Theodore Voelker Award is "For Special Achievement in Field 
Ornithology" during this year. The original intent in 1988 was that this 
recipient's achievement would be related to field ornithology in one of three 
categories: significant bird sighting(s), something written (e.g., journal 
article, book, or technical paper), or a field research project. (In some 
years, involvements in special events, conservation, mentoring, and education 
have also been included in the criteria for this award, and note that a person 
can receive the Voelker Award more than once.)

- The Young Birder Award is for someone under 25 years old contributing to 
knowledge of Minnesota birds or to the MOU; as it reads on the plaque: "For 
Contributions to Birding in Minnesota". This is our newest award, presented for 
the first time in 2005.

The names of all previous recipients of these awards can be found on the MOU 
website: http://moumn.org/awards.html . 
Accordingly, please contact me if you have someone in mind for any of these 
awards, and include his or her qualifications and contributions which you feel 
would qualify your nominee as one of our recipients. If possible, I would like 
to receive all nominations no later than September 25, and the committee thanks 
you in advance for your interest and input in these awards.  -Kim


Kim Richard Eckert, Chairman
MOU Awards and Recognition Committee
1921 W Kent Rd
Duluth MN 55812
ecker...@gmail.com 



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[mou-net] MBW update

[Kim R Eckert]

The MBWbirds website (http://mbwbirds.com <http://mbwbirds.com/>) was updated 
today, and it includes a date change for the Morris-based MBWeekend and 
pre-MBW: these have been rescheduled for August 19-20-21 (formerly August 
12-13-14). 

As usual, today’s update also includes the summaries of this season’s completed 
Minnesota Birds Weekends and Weeks, as well as the current registration status 
of this season’s remaining MBWs: while all but one of the MBWeeks are already 
filled, note that vacancies still remain on most MBWeekends. 

As always, please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
ecker...@gmail.com <mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>
http://www.mbwbirds.com <http://www.mbwbirds.com/>

(Please note: MBWs are offered in association with the MOU; we were originally 
known as MOU Birding Weekends when we started in 1986. MBW participants are 
still expected to be members of MOU, which receives a portion of MBW receipts 
in return for these updates on mou-net and in the newsletter.)

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[mou-net] Calliope Hummingbird in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

An adult male is present now at Park Point along the trail between the parking 
lot on the south side of the ballfields and the beach. It was photographed this 
morning by Linda Atella of Two Harbors, who forwarded her photo to Jim Lind 
this afternoon, and it was relocated just minutes ago by Don Kienholz.

Kim Eckert, Duluth 

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[mou-net] Southwestern MN summary

[Kim R Eckert]

Besides the 8 Cattle Egrets in Nobles County posted on mou-net last Friday, the 
May 27-28-29-30 Minn Birding Weekend in Nobles, Rock, and Pipestone counties 
turned up a few other species of note:

Gr White-fronted Goose - 2 late-lingering and apparently healthy individuals 
May 27 at the old Worthington sewage ponds, Nobles Co. 

Snow Goose - also unusually late: a blue-morph May 27 at the new Worthington 
sewage treatment plant; an injured white-morph May 27 just S of Worthington.   

Common Loon - May 28 at the large gravel pit ponds just S of Blue Mounds State 
Park, Rock Co.

shorebirds - a few migrants still passing through, primarily White-rumped and 
Semipalmated sandpipers; also seen: Black-bellied Plover, Pectoral Sandpiper, 
and Red-necked Phalarope. 

Lark Sparrow - May 29 in Luverne, Rock Co (just E of the Quality Inn). 

Blue Grosbeak - best views by the parking lot on the S side of Blue Mounds, and 
at Pipestone National Monument S of the visitors center. 

Eastern Meadowlark - singing males unexpectedly found at 2 sites (thanks to 
Brian Smith’s excellent hearing): May 27 in Adrian, Nobles Co (just E of the 
truck stop); May 29 at Pipestone National Monument (near the entrance gate).

migrant passerines - several species still present, but only in low numbers; 
e.g., Olive-sided, Yellow-bellied and Alder flycatchers, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 
Swainson’s and Gray-cheeked thrushes, Tennessee, Mourning, Magnolia and Canada 
warblers, Lincoln’s and White-crowned sparrows. 



Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] MBW update

[Kim R Eckert]

The MBWbirds website (http://mbwbirds.com <http://mbwbirds.com/>) was updated 
earlier today, March 10, and it includes the summaries of the 
recently-completed South Florida (with Cuban Vireo on the list) and High 
Island-Hill Country MBWeeks, as well as early April’s Colorado MBW. And, as 
usual, today’s update includes the current registration status of this season’s 
remaining Minnesota Birds Weekends and Weeks. While all but one of the MBWeeks 
are already filled, vacancies still remain on several MBWeekends, including 
those during the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.

As a few persons have recently reported to me, the MBWbirds website seems to 
have been hacked, with Google and perhaps other search engines taking some 
persons to a pharmaceuticals company instead. Refreshing your browser or 
clearing the cache may help, and I would appreciate hearing if anyone else is 
having problems or has other remedies.  

As always, please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
ecker...@gmail.com <mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>
http://www.mbwbirds.com <http://www.mbwbirds.com/>

(Please note: MBWs are offered in association with the MOU; we were originally 
known as MOU Birding Weekends when we started in 1986. MBW participants are 
still expected to be members of MOU, which receives a portion of MBW receipts 
in return for these updates on mou-net and in the newsletter.)

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[mou-net] Baird's Sandpipers, both shrikes: Yellow Medicine/Lac Qui Parle & vicinity

[Kim R Eckert]

As reported last Friday, the highlight of the Yellow Medicine Co portion of the 
Minn Birding Weekend (MBW) was the waterfowl concentration at Miedd Lake. Part 
of the MBW group also rechecked the lake Sunday afternoon, and the Ross’s 
Geese, Tundra Swans, and other waterfowl were still mostly present, although it 
appeared that more than half of Friday’s estimated 2,800 Gr White-fronted Geese 
had departed. (Several flocks of Gr White-fronteds were seen migrating the next 
two days north of here, especially over Salt Lake in Lac Qui Parle Co on Sunday 
morning.) The highlight at Miedd Lake on Sunday was the group of 5 Baird’s 
Sandpipers at the SE corner of the lake.

Other highlights from this past weekend….

- Both shrike species on Saturday afternoon: the Loggerhead along Swift Co Rd 
51, 1.5 mi W of Appleton (this species has nested in this area in recent 
years); the Northern in Lac Qui Parle Co along 330th St just E of Hwy 119. (I 
can remember seeing both shrikes on the same day only once or twice before.)

- Sunday's concentration of an estimated 2,200 Canvasbacks on Bolland Slough in 
SW Lac Qui Parle Co (located on CR 12, 1/2 mi W of CR 9).

- An early Yellow-headed Blackbird on Sunday just W of the Dawson sewage ponds, 
Lac Qui Parle Co.


Kim Eckert, Duluth
MBWbirds.com 




 

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[mou-net] Listservice guidelines

[Kim R Eckert]

Hi all,

With spring migration now underway and postings to this listservice on the 
increase, the MOU Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) would like to 
remind subscribers to review the guidelines for mou-net. These can be found at: 
http://moumn.org/listservice.html <http://moumn.org/listservice.html>.

Note especially the parts in the Courtesy section on considering reports of 
rarities and other birds seen out of range or season (not all are confirmed or 
documented), and on advertising of products and services (generally 
inappropriate on mou-net). And, although this is not directly mentioned in our 
guidelines, please observe the courtesy of always including your name with your 
postings so we know who is communicating the message. It’s also recommended 
that you include the city or county where you live, and, if you wish, your 
membership or connection with an organization or website can also be added, 
especially if relevant to your posting.   

Thanks for your interest and participation in mou-net, and feel free to contact 
myself, any committee member, or ECC chairman Dave Cahlander 
(da...@cahlander.com) if you have any questions or comments.

Kim R Eckert, ECC member
Duluth, Minn.



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[mou-net] MBW update

[Kim R Eckert]

The MBWbirds website (http://mbwbirds.com <http://mbwbirds.com/>) was updated 
yesterday, March 7, and it includes the summary of the recently-completed (and 
rarity-filled) MBWeeks in South Texas – the final MBWs of our 30th season. The 
2016-17 season of Minnesota Birding Weekends and Weeks (our 31st) begins later 
this month, and yesterday’s update also includes the registration status of 
each of these. While all but one of the MBWeeks are already filled, note that 
vacancies still remain on most of the MBWeekends.

As always, please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
ecker...@gmail.com <mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>
http://www.mbwbirds.com <http://www.mbwbirds.com/>

(Please note: MBWs are offered in association with the MOU; we were originally 
known as MOU Birding Weekends when we started in 1986. MBW participants are 
still expected to be members of MOU, which receives a portion of MBW receipts 
in return for these updates on mou-net and in the newsletter.)

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[mou-net] Gyrfalcon in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

Of interest to Minnesota listers, John Richardson and Lars Benson saw a 
Gyrfalcon on the Duluth side of the harbor this afternoon. It was first seen 
flying over I-535 and later spotted on elevator A just east of Garfield Avenue 
in the Port Terminal area. Whether or not this Gyr is one of the individuals 
frequenting the Peavey grain elevator is not known at this time, but it is the 
first time this season that there has been a Gyr reported on the Minnesota side 
of the harbor.

Kim Eckert, Duluth

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[mou-net] Red Phalarope update, Faribault Co

[Kim R Eckert]

The Red Phalarope at the Wells sewage ponds in Faribault Co has been seen again 
as recently as Friday afternoon, Nov 27, although nothing about this has been 
reported to mou-net since it was first posted by Wayne Feder on Nov 25. 

He first found it that morning at "the eastern-most of the two ponds located on 
the north side of the highway” and assumed it was a Red-necked Phalarope. After 
reading Wayne's report and suspecting it might have been a Red Phalarope this 
late in the season, I contacted him and he kindly e-mailed a nice photo of the 
bird showing that it was indeed a Red Phalarope. He then corrected his ID on 
mou-net that evening. 

Hopefully, one of the observers can provide an image of this bird to the 
Recently Seen page on the MOU’s website, and that updates on its presence will 
be posted here. Nice find, Wayne!


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] MBW update

[Kim R Eckert]

The MBWbirds website (http://mbwbirds.com <http://mbwbirds.com/>) was updated 
this evening, and it includes the registration status of the 2016-17 Minnesota 
Birding Weekends and Weeks. Several MBWs already filled up on the opening day 
of registrations, November 16, when nearly 400 registrations were submitted. 
Three MBWs had particularly long waiting lists, and either an additional leader 
or extra MBWs will be scheduled to accommodate additional registrations. See 
the website for more information on these.

As always, please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
ecker...@gmail.com <mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>
http://www.mbwbirds.com <http://www.mbwbirds.com/>

(Please note: MBWs are offered in association with the MOU; we were originally 
known as MOU Birding Weekends when we started in 1986. MBW participants are 
still expected to be members of MOU, which receives a portion of MBW receipts 
in return for these updates on mou-net and in the newsletter.)

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[mou-net] Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Lake Co

[Kim R Eckert]

Since nothing has been reported to mou-net about this, here’s yesterday’s 
e-bird report:

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis) (1)
- Reported Nov 14, 2015 15:52 by Tim Walker
- Iona's Beach SNA, Lake, Minnesota
- Map: 
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8=p=13=47.1682338,-91.4222403=47.1682338,-91.4222403
 

- Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25835567 

- Media: 1 Photo
- Comments: "Found in the boat launch parking lot at the Iona's Beach SNA.”

However, the bird may no longer be present since Jim Lind just told me he spent 
30 minutes this morning try to relocate the rosy-finch without success. 


Kim Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] MBW update

[Kim R Eckert]

The MBWbirds website (http://mbwbirds.com <http://mbwbirds.com/>) was just 
updated this evening, and it includes the complete descriptions of all the 
Minnesota Birding Weekends and Weeks of the 2016-17 season. The opening day of 
registrations is on Monday, November 16, on a first-come-first-served basis 
based on U.S. mail postmarks. (The confirmations of any registrations submitted 
before before the 16th will be delayed.)

The basic MBW schedule was already included in the recent November-December 
issue of the MOU newsletter, which was published on the MOU website 
(http://moumn.org <http://moumn.org/> - see MOU Publications / MN BIrding 
Newsletter). However, most MOU members were probably unaware of this unless 
they subscribe to the mou-net listservice, where an announcement of this was 
posted. If you know some MOU members who don’t subscribe to mou-net, you might 
want to let them know that the newsletter (and the MBW schedule) is now 
available.

As always, please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
ecker...@gmail.com <mailto:ecker...@gmail.com>
http://www.mbwbirds.com <http://www.mbwbirds.com/>

(Please note: MBWs are offered in association with the MOU; we were originally 
known as MOU Birding Weekends. MBW participants are still expected to be 
members of MOU, which receives a portion of MBW receipts in return for these 
updates on mou-net and in the newsletter.)

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[mou-net] North Shore weekend summary

[Kim R Eckert]

Besides the White-eyed Vireo that the Minn Birding Weekends (MBW) group found 
Sunday morning in Grand Marais and reported to mou-net (see below), we had 
several other species of note along the North Shore between Duluth and the 
Grand Marais area this past weekend, Nov 7-8:

- Snow Goose: immature (possibly injured) in the Grand Marais harbor.
- Cackling Goose: 4 with Canadas at the golf course in Two Harbors.
- Surf Scoter: Grand Marais harbor.
- White-winged Scoter: Burlington Bay in Two Harbors, Taconite Harbor, Good 
Harbor Bay, and Grand Marais harbor.
- Black Scoter: East Bay side of Grand Marais.
- Long-tailed Duck: Burlington Bay in Two Harbors, and Good Harbor Bay.
- Double-crested Cormorant: Agate Bay in Two Harbors.
- Red-bellied Woodpecker: 3rd Ave & 2nd St in Two Harbors.

- White-eyed Vireo: first spotted around 7:30am near the E tip of Artists Pt by 
Suzanne Swanson and photographed by Dee Kuder and others (see the MOU’s 
Recently Seen page); after other birders not in the MBW group were alerted, it 
was relocated closer to the W side of Artists Pt later that morning (and into 
the afternoon?). To my knowledge, this represents only the second record ever 
in the NE quarter of Minnesota, with the previous record in October 2001 in 
Cook Co.

- Boreal Chickadee: Slater Dr in Beaver Bay. 
- Gray Catbird: at the waxwing site in Beaver Bay (see below).
- Brown Thrasher: by the Edna G tugboat in Two Harbors, and 8th Ave W & 1st St 
in Grand Marais.
- Bohemian Waxwing: small numbers at various sites, with the largest flock in 
Beaver Bay on the E side of the Beaver River.
- Yellow-rumped Warbler: former MN DOT garage between Silver Bay and 
Tettegouche State Park.
- Harris’s Sparrow: behind the American Legion in Two Harbors.
- N Cardinal: 8th Ave W & 1st St in Grand Marais.
- meadowlark, sp (probably Western): Lake Co (sorry, can’t remember the exact 
location). 
- Rusty Blackbird: Beaver Bay sewage ponds.
- Red Crossbill: near Emily’s restaurant in Knife River

Some of these species were also seen at other locations by birders not with the 
MBW group, and some additional species (e.g., Spruce Grouse on Lima Mt Rd in 
Cook Co, N Mockingbird in Two Harbors, Hoary Redpoll at Stoney Pt, etc) were 
also reported by others. In addition, note that Jeff Newman reports that the 
Golden-crowned Sparrow was still at his feeder this weekend at 44th Ave E & 
Regent St in Duluth, with its most consistent appearances between 6:30 and 7:00 
am (please stay on the sidewalk and don’t venture into the yard).


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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Re: [mou-net] Possible Gyrfalcon--Kandiyohi County

[Kim R Eckert]

Josh - My first impression was a juvenile gray-morph Gyrfalcon, so I asked 
Frank Nicoletti (Hawk Ridge bander & former counter, and one of MN’s foremost 
raptor experts) his opinion. Without hesitation, he confirmed the ID as a juv 
Gyr. Hope this helps, and nice find!

Kim Eckert, Duluth
  

On Nov 2, 2015, at 9:12 PM, Josh Wallestad  wrote:

Today, 2 November, as I traveled west on Kandiyohi CR 19, there was a large
raptor perched on a pole.  Initially I thought it was just one of the
ubiquitous Red-tailed Hawks in the area, but as I drove by, the GISS for
Red-tail was off, way off.  I stopped to take a look.  I was struck by the
heavy streaking on the breast.  Coupled with the bird's large size, I
thought I might be dealing with a juvenile Northern Goshawk, so I proceeded
to take lots of photos.  I looked at my photos and compared them to photos
of juvenile Goshawks, and they weren't a match.  Then it dawned on me that
the face looked kind of like a Peregrine Falcon.  I just assumed it was a
juvenile Peregrine (the most probable) and posted it as such in the Facbook
Group, MN Heartland Birding+.  Bob Dunlap questioned me on the bird's size
because he was not getting a Peregrine impression and said the gray cheek
and weak mustache was leading him toward the Gyrfalcon.

I posted all of my uncropped photos on a separate page on my blog, A Boy
Who Cried Heron.  You can access that page and the photos by clicking this
direct link:

http://www.aboywhocriedheron.com/falcon-photos/

Gyr had not even entered my mind as a remote possibility.  If it had, I
would have worked for more photos and better photos.  Regarding the
behavior of the bird, it never flushed during the three or four times I
drove by it and stopped to take pictures.  I came back out about 45 minutes
later, and the bird was not there.  This was about 3 miles east of US 71,
just SE of Willmar.

I'd love for some experts to weigh in on this.

Josh Wallestad


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[mou-net] Injured Purple Gallinule update

[Kim R Eckert]

Earlier today, Laura Erickson went to the Wildwoods rehab center in Duluth and 
found out some additional information about the juvenile Purple Gallinule 
posted on mou-net this morning. It apparently hit a large window on October 23 
at a building on Waseca Street in West Duluth, which is by the St Louis River 
between Indian Point and Grassy Point. The staff at Wildwoods said the bird had 
no visible injuries and is eating well, and arrangements are underway to 
transport the bird south in the coming days, probably to Florida. 

There have been only three previous Minnesota records: November 1963, found 
dead near Toivola, St Louis Co (specimen now at the Bell Museum of Natural 
History); June 1967, found dead in Sheldon Twp, Houston Co (specimen also at 
the Bell Museum); and September 1970, photographed at Oakleaf Lake, Nicollet 
Co.  

Thanks to Laura for following up on this record; also see her photo from 
Wildwoods on the MOU website’s Recently Seen page.


Kim Eckert, Duluth


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[mou-net] Smith's Longspurs, Le Conte's Sparrow, etc in Wilkin Co

[Kim R Eckert]

The Minn Birding Weekends group found several species of interest this weekend 
(October 16-17-18) in Norman, Clay, Wilkin, and Otter Tail counties:

- At least 3 Smith’s Longspurs among a flock of Laplands coming to a pond on 
230th St just W of MN Hwy 9 in Wilkin Co.

- Le Conte’s Sparrow at the NW corner of the water impoundment along the E side 
of 290th Ave, 1.5 mi S of Wilkin CR 26.

- A minimum of 2,000 Brewer’s Blackbirds in a pasture on the Wilkin Co side of 
the Otter Tail Co line, 4 mi S of Rothsay; this blackbird flock was virtually 
100% Brewer’s, with just a few starlings and Red-wingeds among them, and 2000+ 
is by far the most Brewer’s I’ve ever seen in MN, and it apparently represents 
a record high number for this species in MN.

- Late Semipalmated Plover and Am Golden-Plover in Otter Tail Co in a large 
wetland along the W side of CR 88 at 320th St.

- Short-eared Owl after sunset along Wilkin CR 26, ~3 mi W of Rothsay. 

Also seen this weekend were: Gr Prairie-Chickens at Felton Prairie (Clay Co) 
and at Rothsay WMA and Town Hall Prairie SNA (Wilkin Co), Rough-legged Hawk on 
MN Hwy 9 just S of the Norman-Clay county line, Eur Collared-Dove in Rothsay 
(Wilkin Co), N Shrikes in Wilkin Co at Rothsay WMA and just E of Town Hall 
Prairie, Black-billed Magpie in Clay Co at Felton Prairie, and a few Com 
Redpolls in Norman Co at Ada and Twin Valley.   


Kim Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] NW Minnesota update

[Kim R Eckert]

Recent mou-net posts reported on a juv Little Gull at the Warroad sewage ponds, 
which was still present today, and the 6 Black-backed Woodpeckers along the 
Thompson Forest Road on Saturday. In addition to these, there were a few other 
birds of note found by the Minn Birding Weekends group in Lake of the Woods and 
Roseau counties during this weekend, September 4-7:

- A late Swainson’s Hawk today along Hwy 313 N of Warroad 

- 16 shorebird species: we found no flooded fields or any lakes/wetlands with 
low water levels and mudflats, but the Baudette, Warrroad, Roseau, and 
Greenbush sewage ponds were all productive. The most interesting sighting was 
the concentration of 60+ Wilson’s Snipes at Greenbush.

- A late Western Kingbird in Warroad on Saturday.

- 20 warbler species, although we found no significant waves or concentrations 
anywhere; there were just 1-2 individuals of several species.

- Le Conte’s Sparrows at 2 Roseau Co locations on Sunday.

- 1-2 late Bobolinks at the Roseau sewage ponds on Sunday.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] MBW update

[Kim R Eckert]

Because of some computer problems, I have been unable to update the MBWbirds 
website (http://mbwbirds.com http://mbwbirds.com/) since July 25. All of the 
website’s pages are still accessible, but the registration numbers of this 
season’s remaining MBWeekends and MBWeeks are outdated. Following is each MBW’s 
actual status as of today, August 25….

Minnesota Birding Weekends:

Lake of the Woods pre-MBW / Sept 4 - 1 vacancy
Northwestern Minnesota / Sept 5-6-7 - 8 vacancies
North Shore pre-MBW / Oct 2 - 2 vacancies
Fall Duluth MBW / Oct 3-4 - 2 vacancies
Rothsay MBW / Oct 17-18 - Filled (5 on waiting list)
North Shore I / Nov 5-6 - Filled (2 on waiting list)
North Shore II / Nov 6-7 - Filled (3 on waiting list)
Winter Duluth I / Jan 9-10, 2016 - Filled (1 on waiting list)
Winter Duluth II / Jan 16-17, 2016 - 2 vacancies

Minnesota Birding Weeks:

Washington  Br. Columbia / September 10-20, 2015 - Filled (5 on waiting list)
Southern California / January 16-24, 2016 - Filled (1 on waiting list)
South Texas II / February 13-24, 2016 - Filled (2 on waiting list) (Note: S 
Texas I has been removed from the MBW schedule and tentatively replaced with a 
“private” tour; contact me for further information.)

It currently appears that the website will not be updated until around Sept 1. 
In addition to the current MBW registration totals, the summaries of the recent 
Arizona MBWeek and Stevens-Big Stone MBWeekend will be added at that time, 
along with an updated MBW composite list (which now stands at 699 species!).

Thanks for your patience, and please be sure to ask if you have any questions.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
ecker...@gmail.com mailto:ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com http://www.mbwbirds.com/

(Please note: MBWs are offered in association with the MOU; we were originally 
known as MOU Birding Weekends. MBW participants are still expected to be 
members of MOU, which receives a portion of MBW receipts in return for these 
updates on mou-net and in the newsletter.)

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Re: [mou-net] Chestnut-Collared Longspur, Clay Co.

[Kim R Eckert]

Another reference point is a large rock pile by the fence along the W side of 
the road. Use care when walking though this area, however, since yesterday I 
chanced upon a female Chestnut-collared on a nest with 4 eggs hidden in the 
grass. This could be the only nest of this species in MN this year, since I was 
there twice with 2 MBW groups (June 5 and June 10) and the pair here was the 
only one we could find along Felton Prairie's 2-mile-long Longspur Road. In 
former years this species was more numerous here, and it now seems only a 
matter of time before it is extirpated as a breeding species in the state.  

Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com


On Jun 11, 2015, at 1:02 PM, Tony Lau wrote:

Curt Rawn and I refound the Chestnut-Collared Longspur at Felton Prairie.
It's about 2 1/2 miles north of 26 straight east of a large puddle in the
road


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[mou-net] Clarification Re: [mou-net] PIPING PLOVER, Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

Just to clarify John's directions: the bird is on the beach on the lake side of 
Park Point by the Sky Harbor airport buildings just south of the Recreation 
Area.

- Kim Eckert, Duluth


On May 5, 2015, at 2:11 PM, Peter Nichols wrote:

John Richardson has photographed and reported a PIPING PLOVER at Park Point
in Duluth (St. Louis Co): Superior side beach just west of airport.
Unbanded.  He said it flushed briefly and then returned 10 minutes ago
(about 2 pm).

Peter Nichols
Cottage Grove
Washington Co.


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[mou-net] Minnesota sewage ponds

[Kim R Eckert]

Now that spring migration is almost here, the thoughts of many Minnesota 
birders turn to sewage ponds (where else?!). Many of this state's municipal 
sewage ponds (or sewage lagoons or wastewater treatment ponds, if you prefer) 
are excellent birding locations, although birders are also well aware that 
these sites are almost always posted and technically off-limits. (There are a 
few exceptions where access may be tolerated or possible to arrange, although 
such access is unavailable or unknown to most birders and still involves making 
special arrangements.)   

The following item is from the March 2015 Birding Community E-bulletin, a 
monthly on-line newsletter authored by Paul Baicich and Wayne Peterson which is 
archived by the National Wildlife Refuge Association 
(http://refugeassociation.org/news/birding-bulletin)

ACCESS MATTERS: MUSKEGON CO. WASTEWATER RECOGNIZED

In western Michigan, the 11,000-acre Muskegon County Wastewater Management 
System (MCWMS) is large enough with its imposing aeration and settling basins, 
storage lagoons, and irrigated croplands to be identified by orbiting NASA 
astronauts. It is also one of the best spots in western Michigan for birds and 
birding.

We neglected last year to point out that MCWMS had been recognized by the 
Wildlife Habitat Council's Rookie of the Year award at its annual symposium 
in November. The award is presented annually to a newly certified Wildlife at 
Work program which is designed to highlight work on creating, conserving, and 
restoring wildlife habitats on corporate lands. You can find the news on last 
November's award, here:
www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2014/11/muskegon_county_wastewater_man_1.html

The Muskegon County Wastewater Management System is impressive enough that it 
has already been designated s an Important Bird Area (IBA). See details here:
http://netapp.audubon.org/IBA/Site/2144

The location of the MCWMS makes it especially attractive during migration to 
waterfowl, long-legged waders, and shorebirds. The concentrations of 
Semipalmated Sandpipers can be particularly notable. The raptors regularly 
recorded at MCWMS can include Rough-legged Hawks, Golden Eagles, Short-eared 
Owls, and, in winter, Snowy Owls.

MCWMS not only protects and enhances habitat for birds and other wildlife, but 
it also allows welcoming access to birders. In fact, birders have had a good 
working relationship with MCWMS management for years. Visitors need only stop 
by the MCWMS office to pick up an entry permit, good for two years, to display 
on their vehicle's dashboard.

This is another fine example of a wastewater facility where birder access, and 
public access, can mean a great deal... and is a benefit to all parties. Last 
year's award to MCWMS is living proof.




Muskegon County is just one of many examples of wastewater management 
facilities in other states that welcome birders. Among those I am familiar with 
that annually cater to hundreds (if not thousands) of visiting birders are in 
Gilbert, Sierra Vista, Tucson, and Willcox (Arizona); in Austin, Corpus 
Christi, Edinburg, Port Aransas, San Antonio, and Uvalde (Texas); in Hoaquim 
and Ocean Shores (Washington); and in Vancouver, B.C. Some of these even 
include informational kiosks, trail maps, and bird lists.

Meanwhile, by my count there are nearly 370 municipal sewage ponds here in 
Minnesota, and not one of them that I know of has a policy of welcoming 
visiting birders. I wonder if someone could be contacted at the Minnesota 
Pollution Control Agency, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, some 
other state agency, or the individual cities themselves to see if Minnesota can 
change its way of thinking. If sewage ponds in other states are open and even 
welcoming to visiting birders, is there a reason why the same is not possible 
here?   


- Kim Eckert, Duluth  
http://mbwbirds.com


  

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[mou-net] Am 3-toed Woodpecker, Harlequin Duck relocated

[Kim R Eckert]

I just received a call from Barb  Denny Martin who mentioned that on 
Wednesday, Feb 4, they were able to relocate the American Three-toed Woodpecker 
found by Sparky Stensaas along Three Lakes Rd north of Duluth on Tuesday. 
Again, here are his directions as posted on mou-net: 
A male American Three-toed Woodpecker was working a large dead White Spruce 
about 30 yards off the road. Three Lakes Road about 0.2 mi E of Fire #5144 on N 
side. Top of a rise. Mixed decid/coniferous. Private Property. Tree visible 
with scope from road. Go North on CR4 past Island Lake. Continue north to CR49 
(Three Lakes Road) and go W. This is also a cut-across to the Sax-Zim Bog.

Also on Wednesday, the Martins relocated the Harlequin Duck in Two Harbors 
reported on mou-net by Al Loken on February 1. It was with a Bufflehead by the 
ore docks all the way across Agate Bay, and they only saw it after some 
trial-and-error in the main parking lot to find the best vantage point.

Although this information is now a couple of days old, I thought it was worth 
passing along, since there haven't been any mou-net updates on these birds, and 
it is assumed there will be some birders this weekend interested in looking for 
them.

Kim Eckert, Duluth   
ecker...@gmail.com 

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[mou-net] NE Minnesota update

[Kim R Eckert]

Since the December 29 Duluth RBA, there have been few postings on mou-net about 
the winter specialties of Duluth and elsewhere in NE Minnesota. True, there may 
be birding information on various Facebook pages, private text messages, and 
other means, but such reports (which often omit specific locations) may be 
difficult or unavailable for many birders to access. 

Accordingly, here's what I've been aware of through this past weekend, but 
please note that other birders deserve credit for finding most of these, are 
probably more informed about some of these species than I am, and any 
corrections/updates they can provide to this summary would be welcome. Keep in 
mind as well that the strong cold front that blew in last Saturday and is still 
with us may change the status of some species. Hope this helps

Harlequin Duck - no recent reports (last reported in Duluth Dec 9)

Common Eider - still present at Canal Park in Duluth, at least as of Jan 3; a 
few wintering N Pintails and a hybrid Com Goldeneye x Hooded Merganser are also 
here  

Spruce Grouse - no reports from usual Lake Co sites since Dec 11

Sharp-tailed Grouse - inconsistent sightings at a few locations in Sax-Zim Bog, 
most notably 9 individuals on Jan 2 at a feeder (!) on CR 29, 2.2 mi N of CR 133

N Goshawk - a few sightings at random locations in Sax-Zim Bog (and elsewhere)

gulls - Thayer's and Glaucous still present at Canal Park in Duluth; Iceland 
(last reported Dec 28) and Great Black-backed (reported Jan 4  6 after a 
4-week absence) also possible 

Snowy Owl - only sporadically on the Duluth side of the Duluth-Superior, and 
best looked for in Superior, WI (along 28th St by the high school, along 
Hammond Ave S of 28th St by the Middle School, and along Tower Ave from the 
airport N to 28th St); none apparently reported elsewhere in NE Minn

N Hawk Owl - as others have reported, 2 individuals present as of last weekend 
along Jean Duluth Rd just NE of Duluth: 1 just S of Beyer Rd (4 mi N of 
Glenwood St), and 1 just N of Kelly J's Sewing (4.3 mi N of Beyer Rd); only 
recent sighting in Sax-Zim area was last week along Hwy 53, ~3 mi S of CR 133

Great Gray Owl - only recent reports from Sax-Zim, especially along McDavitt Rd 
(2.5 - 3.5 mi N of Sax Rd) and Admiral Rd (3 - 5 mi N of Sax Rd); hardly any 
reports elsewhere

Boreal Owl - no reports all season (which is normal)

Am Three-toed Woodpecker - ditto

Black-backed Woodpecker - seen last weekend in Sax-Zim along McDavitt Rd (2.5 - 
3.0 mi N of Sax Rd) and Admiral Rd (3.7 mi N of Sax Rd); hardly any reports 
elsewhere, except 4 on Jan 3 Isabella CBC

Peregrine Falcon - sporadically in the Port Terminal area of Duluth, most 
recently Jan 3 (and no Gyrfalcon reports all season, which is normal) 

Northern Shrike, Gray Jay, Black-billed Magpie - usual few at random locations 
in Sax-Zim (and elsewhere, except for magpies) 

Boreal Chickadee - as in past winters, most consistent at Admiral Rd suet 
feeders in Sax-Zim (3.9 mi N of Sax Rd), especially if peanut butter is 
available (OK to bring your own); also a record number (43) on Jan 3 Isabella 
CBC  

Townsend's Solitaire and Varied Thrush - no recent reports

Bohemian Waxwing - almost non-existent in NE Minn; only recent report from NE 
of Duluth along W Knife River Rd (from Hwy 61, go 5.5 mi N on Homestead Rd to 
the T, then ~1 mi W)

Snow Bunting - inconsistent along CR 7 in Sax-Zim; few reports elsewhere

Golden-crowned Sparrow - still present at 4401 Regent St in Duluth, at least as 
of Jan 4, and probably most consistent at dawn (~7:30-7:45 am); as others have 
reported, please watch the feeder from the sidewalk or no closer than the 
corner of the front porch

Pine Grosbeak - only a few reports from random locations, except more common in 
central Lake Co (~100 on Jan 3 Isabella CBC)  

Red and White-winged crossbills - even fewer reports from random locations and 
easily missed

Common and Hoary redpolls - good redpoll numbers this winter; recent Hoary 
sites include Loretta's feeders in Sax-Zim Bog (0.5 mi E of CR 7 on 
Kelsey-Whiteface Rd), and the waxwing area on W Knife River Rd (see above)   

Evening Grosbeak - as others have reported, best looked for in Sax-Zim at Mary 
Jo's feeders on CR 444 (1 mi W  1/2 mi N of jct of CRs 27 and 5), and the 
Morse feeders on Blue Spruce Rd (1 mi N from CR 133); few reports elsewhere


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Warren Nelson

[Kim R Eckert]

Butch Ukura called me today with the information that funeral services for 
Warren Nelson will be at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, January 6, at First Lutheran 
Church in Aitkin, 107 Second Street SE. There will also be a visitation from 
6:00 to 8:00 pm on Monday, January 5, at Sorensen-Root-Thompson Funeral Home in 
Aitkin, 31 Minnesota Avenue S.

As posted recently by Pam Perry on mou-net, Warren died this past Tuesday, 
December 30. And as I previously posted in November, Warren had been one of the 
birding pioneers of Aitkin County and vicinity since the 1970s. Along with 
Terry Savaloja and Jo  Steve Blanich, he had especially studied the Yellow 
Rails of McGregor Marsh and the Great Gray Owls of Pietz's Road / County Road 
18, and over the years countless numbers of birders were able to see these and 
other sought-after specialties with Warren's guidance and the information he 
provided. He was presented with the MOU's Thomas S. Roberts Award in 1990.


Kim Eckert
Duluth, MN

 

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[mou-net] Warren Nelson

[Kim R Eckert]

Sorry to bring some sad news to those of you who know Warren Nelson of Aitkin, 
but I recently learned that he is seriously ill and now in a Minneapolis 
hospital. Accordingly, those who know him might have some extra time on this 
holiday weekend to visit, call, or write him, which I'm now told he would 
greatly appreciate. (When Warren first told me and a few others about his 
developing health problems a month ago, he did not want to tell birders in 
general so they wouldn't have to be concerned in case things improved.)  

For the next few weeks he will be at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, 800 E 28th 
Street, Minneapolis MN 55407. His
room number is currently E 4135, and that room phone is 612 863 2444. (I do not 
think he has a cell phone, but his e-mail address has been 
wenel...@mlecmn.net.)

The best time to visit seems to be before 8:00 pm; for additional information 
on visitations, see 

http://www.allinahealth.org/ahs/anw.nsf/page/visitingus#visiting_hours

Warren has been exploring and birding Aitkin County and vicinity since the 
1970s, when I first met him along with Terry Savaloja (deceased) and Jo  Steve 
Blanich. Along with them he had studied species like the Yellow Rails of 
McGregor Marsh and the Great Gray Owls of Pietz's Road / County Road 18, and 
over the years countless numbers of birders were able to see these and other 
sought-after specialties with Warren's guidance and the information he 
provided. Warren was presented with the MOU's Thomas S Roberts Award in 1990.   
 

(And speaking of the Blaniches, I also learned that Jo and Steve have recently 
moved into the Heartwood assisted living facility in Crosby: 500 Heartwood Dr, 
Crosby MN 56441. Their phone number is 218 545 8688, and their e-mail address 
is, or at least recently was: sjblan...@gmail.com.) 

I thank Diane and Steve Millard for providing me with this information, 
although it is unfortunate the news is bad and is being passed on to you on 
Thanksgiving. Perhaps they, Butch Ukura, or Cindy  Kim Risen will also be able 
to provide any updates on Warren's condition or his contact information.


Kim Eckert, Duluth




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[mou-net] Common Eiders still present

[Kim R Eckert]

Cindy and Vern Krienke (spelling?) just called to report that the eiders are 
still present in Duluth just west of the Beacon Pointe condos on Water St, 
accessed via 21st Ave East.

Kim Eckert, Duluth  

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[mou-net] Common Eiders still present

[Kim R Eckert]

Bob Janssen just called to report that the two eiders are on the lake now 
(845am) out from the parking lot at Glensheen Mansion, 3300 London Rd.

Kim Eckert

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Re: [mou-net] C. Eiders

[Kim R Eckert]

Since some of you may be uncertain where this is, Cindy  Kim Risen relocated 
them on the lake at 23rd Ave East: from either I-35 northbound (no exit 
southbound) or London Rd, follow 21st Ave East as it curves down the hill to 
the lake and becomes 23rd Ave East.  -Kim Eckert



On Nov 12, 2014, at 1:20 PM, cindy risen wrote:

Seen at 1:20 near 23rd  and Water St.


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[mou-net] negative eider update

[Kim R Eckert]

Just talked to Bob Dunlap who is out looking for the 2 Common Eiders in Duluth 
along with several other birders, and no one has apparently seen (or at least 
reported seeing) them since 8:40 am when Al  Kimberle Loken, Lars Benson, and 
I last saw them on the lake out from 18th Ave East. I got the impression that 
everyone is mostly looking between Glensheen Mansion (32th Ave East) and Leif 
Erikson Park (10th Ave East), so the best place to search now might be in the 
Canal Park/Park Point area (including the bay side) and Lester River/Brighton 
Beach (where they were first found yesterday).

Kim Eckert, Duluth

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[mou-net] eiders relocated

[Kim R Eckert]

After an absence of reports for about 4 hours, the 2 Common Eiders in Duluth 
are now (1:00 pm) being seen on the lake behind 4340 London Rd. You'll need to 
park on London Rd, but the homeowners at 4340 gave birders permission to walk 
through their yard to the lake. This area is about 25 blocks east of where the 
eiders were last seen this morning. Along this stretch of the lake between 26th 
Ave E and 60th Ave E there is almost no public access, so it took awhile before 
J G Bennett of Duluth was able to relocate them.

Kim Eckert, Duluth

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[mou-net] eider update

[Kim R Eckert]

The 2 Common Eiders are now (at 2:45 pm) near the mouth of the Lester River, 
just east of 60th Ave East.

- Kim Eckert, Duluth

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[mou-net] Rufous Hummingbird still present; slow birding in SW Minn

[Kim R Eckert]

Because there have been no mou-net reports of the Le Sueur Co Rufous 
Hummingbird for 3 weeks, I think it's worth reporting that the bird is still 
visiting Mary  Steve Nesgoda's feeders at 30627 Pumpkin Hill Rd just N of Le 
Sueur. A Minn Birding Weekends group stopped by to see it yesterday afternoon, 
at which time the Nesgodas were also presented with a MOU Certificate of 
Appreciation. Three previous certificates this year have been presented to 
those who hosted visiting birders: Janet Anderson (Lewis's Woodpecker), the 
City of Herman (Black-necked Stilt nesting pair), and Jason Olson (Wood Stork).

Otherwise, the MBW found the birding to be generally slow in 
Murray-Pipestone-Rock counties this past weekend, Oct 17-18-19, with hardly any 
migration in evidence. About the only birds of note were: Cackling Geese at 2 
locations, a lone Gray Partridge (just W of L Shetek, Murray Co), Red-bellied 
Woodpecker (Edgerton, Pipestone Co), Northern Shrike (Blue Mounds State Park), 
and some large Com Grackle numbers (one Rock Co flock was estimated to have 
10,000+ individuals). 

But especially conspicuous by their absence were ducks (only 10 species), 
raptors (4 species), shorebirds (5 species), and no sightings of any swallows, 
wrens, thrushes (except a few bluebirds and robins), longspurs, or warblers 
(not even a Yellow-rumped!).  


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] 2014 MOU awards nominees

[Kim R Eckert]

It's again that time of year when the MOU Awards  Recognitions Committee is 
beginning to look for nominees to be recognized for their contributions to the 
Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. This annual tradition of recognition takes the 
form of presenting the Thomas S. Roberts, Brother Theodore Voelker, and Young 
Birder awards at the MOU Papers Session on December 6, 2014.

- Since 1963, the Thomas S. Roberts Award has traditionally been our lifetime 
achievement award: For Outstanding Contributions to Minnesota Ornithology and 
Birding, as stated on the plaque. Previous recipients have contributed to the 
MOU in many different ways, which were sometimes not directly related to 
ornithology or birding. (Also note that the policy has been that a person would 
only receive this award once, although apparently nothing specifically has ever 
stated this.) 

- The Brother Theodore Voelker Award is For Special Achievement in Field 
Ornithology during the past year, which would be from November 2013 through 
October 2014. The original intent in 1988 was that this recipient's achievement 
would be related to field ornithology in one of three categories: significant 
bird sighting(s), something written (e.g., journal article, book, or technical 
paper), or a field research project. (In some years, involvements in special 
events, conservation, mentoring, and education have also been included in the 
criteria for this award.)

- The Young Birder Award is for someone under 25 years old contributing to 
knowledge of Minnesota birds or to the MOU; as it reads on the plaque: For 
Contributions to Birding in Minnesota. This is our newest award, presented for 
the first time in 2005.

Note that the names of all previous recipients of these awards can be found on 
the MOU website: http://moumn.org/awards.html. Accordingly, please contact me 
if you have someone in mind for any of these awards, and include his or her 
qualifications and contributions which you feel would make your nominee a 
worthy recipient. I would like to receive all nominations no later than October 
20, and the committee thanks you in advance for your interest and input in 
these awards.

Kim R Eckert, Chairman
MOU Awards and Recognition Committee
ecker...@gmail.com
1921 W Kent Rd
Duluth MN 55812
(218) 349 5953

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[mou-net] Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Short-eared Owls in NW Minn

[Kim R Eckert]

The annual Minn Birding Weekends trip to NW Minn over Labor Day weekend (Aug 
29-30-31-Sept 1) turned up a few birds of note in Beltrami, Lake of the Woods, 
and Roseau counties, including 15 shorebird species (including Buff-breasteds 
and Red-necked Phalaropes), several Short-eared Owls, a few Western Kingbirds, 
20 warbler species, late Bobolinks, and Pine Siskins:

- There were 2 Buff-breasteds in a flooded field 1 mile S of Arnesen in Lake of 
the Woods Co, just W of the jct of County Roads 17 and 9; these were among the 
12 shorebird species here, which also included Black-bellied Plover, Stilt and 
Baird's sandpipers. The Red-necked Phalaropes were at the Warroad sewage ponds 
in Roseau Co, which had 11 shorebird species. (And note these were the only two 
sites we came across in 4 days which had any significant number and variety of 
shorebirds.)

- There was a concentration of at least 8 Short-eared Owls (possibly 9 or 10) 
in Roseau Co along 440th Ave, 5 mi E and 2-3 mi N of Roseau. They were hunting 
at dusk in the same area we have seen them in several previous years on this 
MBWeekend.

- Western Kingbirds were present at two sites just N of Warroad in Roseau Co: 
near the jct of MN Hwy 313 and Springsteel Island Rd, and on Springsteel Island 
by the first stop sign.

- Our total of 20 warbler species was made possible by the off-and-on rainy 
weather, and the best waves were along the shore of Lake Bemidji in Beltrami Co 
(between Diamond Point Park and the Gould St access to the lake) on Friday, at 
Springsteel Island on Saturday, and at Arnesen on Sunday; the only expected 
species missed were Ovenbird and Mourning.

- A few migrant Bobolinks were noted at 2 sites in Roseau Co. And Pine Siskins 
were seen at Springsteel Island and Arnesen (this species has been unusually 
scarce to almost non-existent in Minn for the past 12 months or so).


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] nighthawk flight in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

There was a modest flight of 540 Com Nighthawks migrating along the North Shore 
in Duluth this evening between 6:40 and 7:35 pm. They were mostly flying above 
E Superior Street in a 7-block stretch between the Fitgers Bldg (600 block) and 
the Rose Garden (1300 block). It will be interesting to see if any counts were 
made by others elsewhere in Duluth today before 6:40. So far this month in 
Duluth the largest one-day nighthawk total was 3,100 on 24 August, as reported 
on the Hawk Ridge website 
(http://www.hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?rsite=288).


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Brewster's Warbler(s) in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

Thanks to a tip from Jan  Larry Kraemer, I was able to relocate a 
Brewster's-type warbler late this morning among a small wave of warblers by 
the 43rd Street bus turn-around on Park Point. This individual generally 
resembled a normal Blue-winged Warbler with a black line through the eye, 
except that its yellow underparts were somewhat washed out, not as solidly 
colored and partially mixed with white, while the wing-bars were clearly broad 
and yellow like a Golden-winged. 

In addition, I found another possible Brewster's-type hybrid this morning among 
a small group of warblers on the bay side of Park Point at 15th Street. This 
individual initially looked like a normal male Golden-winged Warbler, except 
that it appeared to have a narrower Blue-winged Warbler-like black line through 
the eye rather than a broader black mask. However, I was unable to clearly see 
the extent of black on its throat or to see if there was any yellow on the 
underparts.

There were at least 11 warbler species in these two limited areas at Park Point 
today, after 2+ days of fog/drizzle/low overcast, and it is likely that the 
Kraemers or others saw some additional species to add to this total.   


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] North Ottawa impoundment, Grant Co

[Kim R Eckert]

A total of 17 shorebird species were seen here today by the Minn Birding 
Weekends group. Among these were American Avocet, Upland Sandpiper, Marbled 
Godwit, Sanderling, and Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Most of these were along the 
flooded east-west road that goes E from the Traverse Co line, and along the N 
side of the impoundment 1/2 mile E of the county line. There were virtually no 
other shorebirds or mudflats that we found elsewhere in western Grant and 
Traverse counties, although there were 1 Red necked and 3 Wilson's phalaropes 
at the Graceville sewage ponds in Big Stone Co, bringing our day's shorebird 
total to 19 species.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Acadian Flycatcher again in Otter Tail Co

[Kim R Eckert]

My apologies for this delayed post, but Brian Gibbons and others in his tour 
group had an Acadian Flycatcher last Monday, 9 June, at Maplewood State Park. 
it was singing along the main park entrance road 1/4 mile beyond the contact 
station, and this is now the third consecutive year that Brian has found this 
bird at this location.  


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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Re: [mou-net] Rail sighting (photos) in Zumbrota (Goodhue County)

[Kim R Eckert]

Hi all -

The bird in Elijah's yard in Zumbrota is not a Virginia Rail, unless the images 
are completely misleading. Among other things, the bill appears too large and 
is not red enough, the amount of gray in the cheeks is too limited, and the 
legs too dull. What I cannot necessarily rule out, however, is the possibility 
of this being a Gulf Coast Clapper Rail, which closely resembles a King Rail 
and has been recorded at least as far north as Nebraska. King Rail, of course, 
would be more likely in MN since it formerly bred in the state, although the 
most recent confirmed record was over 20 years ago. This rail should definitely 
be checked out and documented by others, and my compliments to Elijah and his 
wife for their nice images and for getting the news out so promptly.   

 
Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



On May 27, 2014, at 1:48 PM, Elijah Parker wrote:

Several people have suggested that it's a Virginia Rail, which I really
should more seriously considered earlier (I had originally dismissed it due
to the coloring -- most depictions of the Virginia Rail have significantly
stronger coloring on the bill and eye, the the part where the wing overlaps
the tail seems different).

Upon further research, the main difference seems to be the size.  As for
size, this bird is definitely bigger than a Blue Jay, but necessarily as
large as a Crow.

I don't want to mislead anyone into thinking it's something it's not -- so
please keep in mind I am not familiar with Rails and didn't realize how
significant a King Rail would be.

Still, to me, a King Rail seems most likely (when the significance is not
considered).

It's still here if anyone wants to check it out. 385 W 3rd St, Zumbrota, MN
55992.  Call my cell for updates if you're heading this way: 612-492-1010.

Any other advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Elijah






On Tue, May 27, 2014 at 1:36 PM, Hoeger-Lerdal p...@mchsi.com wrote:

 how big was it? Virginia Rail is the default rail like this in MN---but
 they are much smaller, more like blue jay size.
 King Rail is like Crow size?
 
 
 
 On May 27, 2014, at 1:04 PM, Elijah Parker wrote:
 
 My wife just spotted it in our garden!  Here are some photos:
 
 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152109521456074.1073741826.728076073type=1l=f165b92d5a
 
 It was seen at 11:30am in our yard in Zumbrota at the corner of West 3rd
 Street and Mill
 
 I'm assuming it would be a King Rail, but in some ways it looks a little
 more like a Gulf Coast Clapper Rail.  Can anyone confirm?
 
 Thanks!
 
 Elijah Parker
 
 
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[mou-net] Snowy Egret, Red Knot, nesting Great Gray Owl in NW Minn

[Kim R Eckert]

The May 23-24-25-26 MBW in NW Minnesota (mostly in Kittson, western Roseau, and 
western Polk Co's) turned up a surprisingly good number of species (186 in 
all), highlighted especially by:

Snowy Egret - May 26 at the Agassiz impoundment (along 280th Ave on the 
Marshall-Polk Co line); small unidentified white egret near several distant 
Great Egrets first spotted by Denny Martin and eventually identified as it flew 
closer.

Red Knot (still in basic plumage) - May 25 along Roseau CR 3 in flooded field 
near 340th St (7.5 mi N of Badger); also distant, initially unidentified, and 
first spotted by Denny; positive ID then made after careful study despite poor 
light conditions.

Great Gray Owl adult on nest - May 24 in NE Kittson Co aspen grove; unknown 
raptor nest spotted by Herb Dingmann which was then scoped and proved to be a 
Great Gray's, with a presumed adult female apparently incubating eggs or 
possibly attending to unseen hatchlings; this may represent a first county 
nesting record. 

Other birds of note included:

Snow Goose - blue-morph adult May 26 at Hallock sewage ponds, Kittson Co.

Tundra Swan - late-lingering pair May 25 at Red Knot site.

Gray Partridge - May 26 in Warren, Marshall Co and Crookston sewage ponds, Polk 
Co.

Greater Prairie-Chicken - 2 probable sightings N of their normal range on May 
25: along Kittson CR 8 and Roseau CR 4.

Wild(?) Turkey - male displaying to 2 females May 25 at western end of Roseau 
River WMA.

Least Bittern - 2 or 3 on May 25 at Twin Lakes WMA, Kittson Co.

total of 25 shorebird species - besides the Red Knot, highlights included 
Hudsonian Godwits (several at multiple locations), Ruddy Turnstones, 
Sanderlings (~20 at Red Knot site), hundreds of White-rumped Sandpipers, 
Red-necked Phalaropes (several at multiple locations); best locations were the 
numerous flooded fields May 25 near the Roseau River between CR 3 and CR 28, 
and the Crookston sewage ponds May 23 and 26 (entry with advance permission 
only).

Yellow-bellied, Alder, Willow  Least flycatchers - all together and vocalizing 
May 26 in a single thicket at the Agassiz impoundment, Polk Co.

total of 22 warbler species - including Golden-winged, Mourning, Cape May, 
Bay-breasted, and Canada; best locations were Lake Bronson State Park May 24 
and Roseau City Park/Campground May 25.
  

Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Piping Plover in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

Local residents reported today seeing a Piping Plover a couple of days ago on 
the beach at about the 3300 block of Park Point, and late this morning it was 
still present. It was found after about a 10-minute walk south from the 31st 
Street/Lafayette Square access, and it had a yellow band with black lettering 
on its left leg: N86.

As noted on the May 16 Duluth RBA, the birding has been interesting at Park 
Point, with some of the species mentioned (Red-throated Loon, N Mockingbird, 
Eastern Towhee) plus a few others (Western Grebe, Willet, Snowy Owl) reported 
yesterday or today by various observers (and note that I did not discover any 
of them). About the only thing negative to report is the relative lack of 
warblers: e.g., despite ideal fallout conditions in the fog this morning after 
yesterday's rain, I'm aware of only 14 warbler species (with just a few 
individuals of each) being seen at Park Point. Hopefully, birders there this 
afternoon might have some additional sightings of note.  
   

Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Brown Co vicinity migration

[Kim R Eckert]

In addition to the previously-posted Summer Tanager in Blue Earth Co (first 
found by George Lahr), the Minn Birding Weekends group found a few other 
species of note this weekend, May 10-11. We were mostly along the Minnesota 
River Valley in Brown Co, with some time spent in parts of Renville, Nicollet, 
Blue Earth, and Sibley Co's, and turned up a surprising total of 143 species in 
all.

- Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, and White-rumped Sandpiper were among the 14 
shorebird species seen this afternoon at Sand Lake in Sibley Co, which is along 
the W side of Hwy 15 at 310th St (3 mi N of the Nicollet Co line or 3 mi S of 
Winthrop). This was the only shorebird site of particular note that we found 
(Linda Sparling had briefly scouted it out on Friday en route to the MBW), 
although of interest as well were the 290 Wilson's Phalaropes at the Sleepy Eye 
sewage ponds yesterday.

- Also at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds was an unexpected adult Common Tern.

- We found 17 warbler species in all (the same as our shorebird total), with 
Golden-winged and Cape May probably the best ones on the list. However, there 
were no significant waves or concentrations of warblers or other passerines 
anywhere, so that most of the warbler species were only represented by a few 
individuals.


Kim Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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Re: [mou-net] Spring sightings in the snow-covered North (incl. Sax-Zim)

[Kim R Eckert]

In addition to the migrants mentioned by Sparky, there was also an early 
Greater Yellowlegs today (9 April) in the open water behind the WLSSD plant at 
27th Ave West in Duluth. Also several Hooded Mergansers there and at the Hwy 23 
bridge in Fond du Lac. 

Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com


On Apr 9, 2014, at 8:42 AM, sparky stensaas wrote:

Sax-Zim Bog 4-8-14
2 Turkey Vultures (FOY)
1 Red-tailed Hawk
1 American Kestrel (FOY)
2 N Harriers (FOY)
5 Bald Eagles over Stone Lake
Mallards  Canada Geese on patch of open water on Stone Lake
Northern Shrike on Stone Lk Rd
Ruffed Grouse in several spots
2 Black-backed Woodpeckers (deep in the bog...BTW terrible snowshoeing now! 
Snow too deep and too mushy)
Moose tracks
p.s. I took down the feeders at the Welcome Center on Owl Ave because the bears 
are waking up.

Duluth  4-7-14
Wood Ducks-(FOY) Fond du Lac bridge over St. Louis River
Common Grackles-(FOY) Fond du Lac neighborhood

Carlton County 4-9-14
Killdeer (FOY)

Carlton County 4-8-14
Mourning Doves singing

Sparky Stensaas 
2515 Garthus Road 
Wrenshall, MN 55797 
218.341.3350 cell 

sparkystens...@hotmail.com

www.ThePhotoNaturalist.com
www.SaxZim.org

www.KollathStensaas.com
 
  

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[mou-net] Nobles Jackson counties

[Kim R Eckert]

Yesterday and today (April 5  6), there was a Minn Birding Weekends trip to 
Nobles and Jackson Co's, highlighted by a pair of Great-tailed Grackles in 
Worthington. This is apparently the first Nobles County record of this species, 
although its occurrence here is not surprising given that it has been recored 
in each of the 5 counties which are adjacent to Nobles. A singing male was 
first found Saturday morning along the shore of Lake Okabena at Ehler's Park on 
South Shore Dr, and it was joined later by a female a few blocks away to the SE 
at the south end of Lake Street just before it dead-ends.

Also of note this weekend in these 2 counties:

- There were only modest numbers of migrating geese, which presumably have 
already gone through for the most part: only 1 Ross's Goose was observed 
(flying NW over Worthington this morning), just a handful of Cackling Geese 
were seen, a few small Snow Goose flocks and some larger numbers of Gr 
White-fronted Geese were still passing through. Good numbers of ducks (18 
species) were found at several locations with open water.

- Greater Yellowlegs at Indian Lake (Nobles Co) and Baird's Sandpipers at the S 
end of South Heron Lake.

- Lone Franklin's Gulls flying north over Worthington and Heron Lake.

- Other early migrants were Tree Swallow, Anerican Pipit, and Yellow-headed 
Blackbird.



Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Lake Co Spruce Grouse and probable solitaire

[Kim R Eckert]

Katherine Higgins and Jim Guyton, visiting birders from NC, saw 12 Spruce 
Grouse Saturday morning on Lake Co Rd 2 in the traditional area about 1-2 miles 
N of the Sand River (they did not provide me with the exact mileage; this is 
about 43 mi N of Two Harbors). Use caution when identifying grouse here since 
there was a Ruffed Grouse at this location on Friday.

They also had 2 more Spruce Grouse on Hwy 1 between mile markers 300 and 299, 
and in Ely they had a brief view of a probable Townsend's Solitaire on 
Washington St. This was on or near the 300 block of Washington (where there 
were Bohemian Waxwings on Friday) although they did not note the exact address. 
 


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Duluth, Sax-Zim, Two Harbors CBCs

[Kim R Eckert]

Because nothing has been posted yet about what species of note were seen on 
these 3 CBCs, and because visiting birders might be interested in looking for 
them, here's a brief summary for some of these (and please note I did not see 
many of them). Although I went on all 3 CBCs, there may have been some other 
reports that came in later in the day I'm unaware of; for these, compilers Jim 
Lind and Sparky Stensaas might update the following or eventually provide a 
more complete summary of their CBCs

Duluth CBC, Dec 14:

King Eider - the female found Dec 12 was still present Dec 14 but not reported 
since
White-winged Scoter - the pair found Dec 12 was still present (the female 
Barrow's Goldeneye seen Dec 12-13 was not found on the CBC) 
Long-tailed Duck - 7800 block of Scenic 61
Thayer's and Great Black-backed gulls - a few at Canal Park
Glaucous Gull - only 1 at Canal Park (but no Icelands) 
Snowy Owl - Port Terminal at dawn (but no other northern owls)
(Bohemian Waxwing - 0)
Pine Grosbeak - only 1 (and no Evening Grosbeaks)
crossbill, sp. - only 2 or 3 isolated fly-bys (but no redpolls - first time 
missed since 1992)

Sax-Zim Bog CBC, Dec 20:

Sharp-tailed Grouse - Stickney Rd, just N of Arkola Rd
Northern Hawk Owl - McDavitt Rd, 3.7 mi N of Sax Rd; and Owl Ave, 1 mi S of 
Arkola
Great Gray Owl - McDavitt Rd, 3.3 mi N of Sax Rd
Black-backed Woodpecker - McDavitt Rd, 2.5 N of Sax Rd
Boreal Chickadee - 5 on McDavitt Rd, 3.3 mi N of Sax Rd; also 3 at Admiral Rd 
feeders
(Bohemian Waxwing - 0)
Pine Grosbeak - only 1 near Cotton
mixed crossbill flock - Poplar Rd, ? S of Arkola (but no redpolls)
Evening Grosbeak - feeder on Nichols Lake Rd, 2.3 mi W of Hwy 53

Two Harbors CBC, Dec 21:

Long-tailed Duck - 2 at Agate Bay, and 2 at Stoney Pt
Northern Hawk Owl - CR 2, ~1/2 mi N of Hwy 61; and Stanley Rd, just E of St 
Louis-Lake Co line
Great Gray Owl - Stanley Rd, just E of St Louis-Lake Co line
(Bohemian Waxwing - 0)
Pine Grosbeak - a few at feeders (but no crossbills or redpolls)
Evening Grosbeak - feeder on Holm Rd, NW of Two Harbors off CR 12 (don't know 
location of feeder)


Hope this helps.  -Kim
 

Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] King Eider still present

[Kim R Eckert]

Craig Mandel just called at 9:30 am today (Friday) to report that he and others 
are looking at the female King Eider. It is now just E of 23rd Ave East, but 
there is a path leading E from the end of 23rd along the lakeshore which 
currently provides the best viewing. Craig says at least one of the White-w 
Scoters is still there, but the female Barrow's Goldeneye is not being seen at 
this time.  

Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] another eider update

[Kim R Eckert]

The female King Eider in Duluth was first found by Greg Garmer around 2:00 pm 
on L Superior out from his residence at Beacon Pointe on Water St near the 21st 
Ave East access. He contacted Karl Bardon who then saw the bird and notified 
other Duluth birders. When I arrived around 2:45 the eider had moved east a bit 
and was out from 23rd Ave East, which is what 21st Ave E becomes after it 
curves down the hill from I-35 to the lake. (If the eider is here tomorrow, 
it's best to park on Water St by the stop sign at 23rd Ave E and walk the short 
block down to the lake.)

As Karl first noticed, the eider was with a female White-winged Scoter, and 
around 3:15 Erik Bruhnke spotted a female Barrow's Goldeneye at this same 
location, and after I returned there I noticed a male White-winged Scoter swim 
into view! Over the next half hour or so, several other birders arrived, and 
all 4 birds – the female eider, the female Barrow's, and the pair of scoters – 
were visible simultaneously from the end of 23rd Ave E until dusk.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] North Shore Oct 26-27

[Kim R Eckert]

This weekend was the so-called Muffin Run birding trip from Duluth to the 
Grand Marais area, and there were several noteworthy birds seen by our group (a 
few of which were first found by other birders). These included

- Ross's Goose: the imm present for several days in Two Harbors was relocated 
at the golf course 

- Harlequin Duck: seen by Andy Forbes and Bob Russell at Taconite Harbor

- White-winged Scoter: Knife River and Paradise Beach

- Black Scoter: Bayside Park in Silver Bay, Grand Marais, and Hovland 

- Long-tailed Duck: Good Harbor Bay and Hovland

- Golden Eagle: migrating past McQuade Rd, Duluth   

- Pectoral Sandpiper and Dunlin: Lutsen sewage ponds

- Red-headed and Red-bellied woodpeckers: both near 4th Ave  3rd St in Two 
Harbors

- Blue-headed Vireo: along trail leading W from Grand Marais campground

- Boreal Chickadee and Bohemian Waxwing: both in low numbers at a few locations

- possible Townsend's Solitaire: brief view with robins in Knife River, a block 
N of Emily's

- Cape May and Blackpoll warblers: both found by Paul Egeland at same location 
as the vireo

- Black-throated Blue Warbler: surprising female first spotted by Jim Lind at 
Croftville, just E of Grand Marais

- meadowlark, sp: Grand Marais campground

- Pine Grosbeak: lone female in Knife River

There were also other species we did not see reported by other birders we were 
in communication with, and among these were Am Golden-Plover (Castle Danger 
sewage ponds), Mountain Bluebird (near mouth of Lester River in Duluth), 
Tennessee Warbler and Field Sparrow (both in Two Harbors). In all, I'm aware of 
over 90 species being seen this weekend along the North Shore.


Kim R Eckert, Duluth
http://www.mbwbirds.com




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[mou-net] Cottonwood and Jackson Co's, Oct 18-19-20

[Kim R Eckert]

There were several interesting sightings during the October 18-19-20 Minn 
Birding Weekend in Cottonwood and Jackson Co's (and en route to and from the 
MBW). As already reported to mou-net, we had a Mute Swan Oct 17 in Nicollet Co, 
4 mi N of Nicollet (first seen N of here along Hwy 22 in Sibley Co on Oct 13 
and again Oct 20); a Surf Scoter Oct 18 at the Mountain Lake sewage ponds, 
Cottonwood Co (still present Oct 20); and a Sprague's Pipit Oct 18 at Rock 
Ridge Prairie SNA, Cottonwood Co (and relocated there Oct 19).

In addition, the following birds were also of note:

- Gr White-fronted Goose: 2 on Oct 19 at Illinois L, Jackson Co

- 9 shorebird species: including both yellowlegs, Least, Baird's and Pectoral 
sandpipers, and Long-billed Dowitchers on Oct 19 at Plum L, Jackson Co; 
Long-billed Dowitchers also Oct 18 at Rat Lake WMA, Cottonwood Co

- Barn Swallow: Oct 19 in Jackson Co

- Le Conte's Sparrow: 3 on Oct 18 at Wolf Lake WPA, Cottonwood Co

- Common Grackle: conservative estimate of 60,000 migrants in 10 minutes on Oct 
20 along the Des Moines River near Kilen Woods State Park, Jackson Co

- Great-tailed Grackle: 3 on Oct 19 along Hwy 86, Jackson Co, 3 mi N of Iowa 
border 


Kim R Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] 2,000+ juncos on the North Shore

[Kim R Eckert]

From about 8:00 until noon this morning, a total of 2,070 Dark-eyed Juncos were 
counted along the North Shore of L Superior in St Louis Co. These were counted 
by tens as they foraged along roadsides on a route starting where Scenic Hwy 61 
turns off U S Hwy 61 just beyond the Lester R, and ending at the Lake Co line 
just SW of Knife River. Aside from a few detours, this route basically followed 
Superior St / Old North Shore Rd parallel to the lakeshore, and it covered 
about 14 miles total. All of the juncos were along roads with relatively little 
traffic, so that the flocks were not flushed away from the roads very often and 
mostly stayed in view to be counted. None of the birds seemed to be actively 
migrating at the time, since none were seen flying SW along the lakeshore. 

This count of 2,070 juncos represents an average of nearly 150 individuals per 
mile and was definitely on the low/conservative side. Although the flocks may 
have included a handful of sparrows (e.g., a few American Trees, 
White-throateds, and White-crowneds), these sparrow numbers were negligible.

Also seen this morning were good numbers of birds migrating down the North 
Shore, including Blue Jays, Am Crows, E Bluebirds, Am Robins, Lapland 
Longspurs, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Rusty Blackbirds, and others, so it will be 
interesting to see what the totals are from today's non-raptor count by Karl 
Bardon and others.


Kim R Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Duluth-North Shore MBW

[Kim R Eckert]

Given this past weekend's extreme weather, it had been hoped that some 
significant rarities would appear in Duluth and vicinity, either blown in by 
gale-force NE winds on Lake Superior or displaced by the blizzard in the 
Dakotas. Although some interesting birds were found by my Minn Birding Weekends 
group, it was somewhat disappointing that more did not turn up here. Among the 
highlights found during often-difficult birding conditions on the 3-day MBW 
October 4-5-6:

- 2 Surf Scoters and Long-tailed Duck late Sunday on both the MN and WI sides 
of the Superior Entry
- 6 Am White Pelicans on Friday over Hwy 61 near Beaver Bay, Lake Co
- Thayer's Gulls (1 ad + 1 juv) on both sides of the Superior Entry on Sunday
- distant, unidentified jaeger late Sunday on both sides of the Superior Entry; 
it gave the impression of being a possible Pomarine, but positive ID was not 
possible
- 2 late N Parulas on Sunday (McQuade Rd public access, Stony Point)
- Vesper Sparrow on Friday in Grand Marais, Cook Co
- late Scarlet Tanager on Sunday in Knife River, Lake Co

Also of note reported by other observers were Red-throated Loon and 
Black-billed Cuckoo on Sunday at Park Point (Jim Lind), and Black Tern at Park 
Point on Saturday (Mike Hendrickson).


Kim Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] MOU awards nominees

[Kim R Eckert]

It's again that time of year when the MOU Awards  Recognitions Committee is 
beginning to look for nominees to be recognized for their contributions to the 
Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. This annual tradition of recognition takes the 
form of presenting the Thomas S. Roberts, Brother Theodore Voelker, and Young 
Birder awards to the recipients at the MOU Papers Session on December 7, 2013.

- Since 1963, the Thomas S. Roberts Award has traditionally been our lifetime 
achievement award: For Outstanding Contributions to Minnesota Ornithology or 
Birding, as stated on the plaque. Previous recipients have contributed to the 
MOU in many different ways, which were sometimes not directly related to 
ornithology or birding. (Also note that the policy has been that a person would 
only receive this award once, although apparently nothing specifically has ever 
stated this.) 

- The Brother Theodore Voelker Award is For Special Achievement in Field 
Ornithology during the past year, which would be from November 2012 through 
October 2013. The original intent in 1988 was that this recipient's achievement 
would be related to field ornithology in one of three categories: significant 
bird sighting(s); something written (e.g., journal article, book, or technical 
paper); or a field research project. In more recent years, involvements in 
special events, conservation, mentoring, and education have also been included 
in the criteria for this award.

- The Young Birder Award is for someone under 25 years old contributing to 
knowledge of Minnesota birds or to the MOU; as it reads on the plaque: For 
Contributions to Birding in Minnesota. This is our newest award, presented for 
the first time in 2005.

Please contact me ASAP if you have someone in mind for any of these awards, and 
include his or her qualifications and contributions which you feel would make 
your nominee a worthy recipient. I would like to receive all nominations no 
later than October 25, and the committee thanks you in advance for your 
interest and input in these awards.

Kim R Eckert, Chairman
MOU Awards and Recognition Committee
ecker...@gmail.com
218 349 5953

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[mou-net] Aug 21 nighthawk migration

[Kim R Eckert]

Other than the mention of it on yesterday's Duluth RBA, nothing has been posted 
on mou-net about the very strong movement of Common Nighthawks through Duluth 
on 21 August. As mentioned on the RBA, the day's total was over 30,800, and I 
understand the exact total was 30,874. These were all counted by Karl Bardon 
from sunrise to sunset (despite an afternoon high of 88 degrees) from two 
sites: the main overlook at Hawk Ridge and the corner of 60th Ave East  
Superior St.

There was also a total of 5,176 nighthawks counted the same day during 1.5 
hours (5:40-6:10 pm and 7:15-8:15 pm) from the pedestrian bridge over I-35 
behind the London Rd Perkins restaurant at 25th Ave East. However, it is 
presumed that most or perhaps all of these would be individuals seen by Karl 
and included in his total.   

This represents the second-highest total of Com Nighthawks ever documented in 
Minnesota. The largest flight recorded was 43,690 individuals counted on 26 
August 1990 from the Lakewood Pumping Station in Duluth (see The Loon 
63:68-69). Note, however, that this count was only during a 2.75-hour period, 
from 5:35 to 8:20 pm, and it is not known how many hundreds or thousands more 
had passed through earlier that day.

All these numbers and comparisons aside, though, Karl is certainly to be 
commended for enduring the nearly 90-degree heat on the 21st to document this 
significant flight! 


Kim R Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Stevens-Big Stone-Traverse Co's and vicinity

[Kim R Eckert]

There was a Minn Birding Weekend (MBW) on August 16-17-18 based in Morris which 
covered parts of Stevens, Big Stone, and Traverse Co's, plus a bit into Grant 
and Lac Qui Parle Co's. Nothing particularly unusual was found, and most 
passerines and other land birds were quite conspicuous by their absence, but 
there were some highlights worth noting:

- Leucistic Canada Goose (Lac Qui Parle CR 7): most of its plumage uniformly 
creamy white with a washed-out trace of its face pattern.

- Western Grebes (Thielke Lake, Big Stone Co); a few dozen present, but no sign 
of any Clark's.

- Only 1 Swainson's Hawk (Stevens Co).

- 17 shorebird species, including 2 Black-belllied Plovers (North Ottawa 
impoundment in Grant Co; Salt Lake in Lac Qui Parle Co), 1 Upland Sandpiper 
(near Wheaton sewage ponds, Traverse Co), and both Wilson's and Red-necked 
phalaropes (several locations). This variety was despite high water levels in 
almost all the wetlands; the best locations were N Ottawa impoundment (14 
species), jct of Big Stone CRs 25 and 10, and Lac Qui Parle CR 7 near Rosen.
 

- Bonaparte's Gull (Hancock sewage ponds, Stevens Co).

- Caspian Tern (Big Stone Lake in Ortonville).

- Peregrine Falcon (adult chasing shorebirds and gulls at Hancock sewage ponds).

- Only 1 Western Kingbird (Lac Qui Parle Co).

- Mourning Warbler (Morris municipal campground, Stevens Co); this was our only 
land bird migrant (i.e., not breeding in this part of Minn).

- Le Conte's Sparrow (adjacent to Miller Prairie West, Traverse Co): in a 
cornfield!

- Dickcissel (Traverse Co wheat field).

- Only 1 Orchard Oriole sighting (family group of 5 at a Stevens Co feeder).

Besides our decent list of shorebirds, probably the most interesting aspect of 
this MBW was the generally and somewhat alarming scarcity of land birds. Some 
examples of our totals after 3 days of birding: 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 3 N 
Flickers, 2 Am Kestrels, 5 flycatcher individuals (besides E Kingbirds), 1 
vireo individual (Warbling), 4-5 Blue Jays, 10 each of Black-capped Chickadees 
and White-breasted Nuthatches, 1 House Wren, 1 E Bluebird, 20 Am Robins, 5 
Com Yellowthroats, 1 Am Redstart, 4-5 Yellow Warblers, 0 Vesper Sparrows, 2 
Savannah Sparrows, 10 Song Sparrows, and 5-6 House Finches.


Kim Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] MBW schedule update

[Kim R Eckert]

Quite unexpectedly, there are now 3 vacancies on the September 5-13, 2013 
Washington - B.C. Minnesota Birding Week – see 
http://mbwbirds.com/MBWeeks.html. And even more unexpectedly, no one on the 
formerly long waiting list is now interested in filling these openings. 
Accordingly, please contact me ASAP if you might be interested in registering. 
Thanks.  Kim


Kim R Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com

(Note: This is the 28th season of MBWs, which are offered in association with 
the MOU – we were originally known as MOU Birding Weekends. The MOU annually 
receives a portion of MBW receipts in return for these schedule and 
registration updates on mou-net and in the MOU newsletter.)

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[mou-net] MOU-net guidelines

[Kim R Eckert]

Hi all - 

From time to time, it is a good idea to remind those who subscribe to this 
listservice of its guidelines, so everyone is aware of what types of postings 
are appropriate. These guidelines can be found at 
http://moumn.org/listservice.html, and I call your attention especially to the 
following section:

MOU-net is not the place for advertising products or services (unless 
sponsored or endorsed by the MOU or its affiliates), birding trip reports 
outside of Minnesota, limited debates between just a few individuals, personal 
musings and monologues, or surveys about personal experiences. 

Note especially that subscribers are asked to refrain from postings which 
include advertising products or services and surveys about personal 
experiences. As the guidelines go on to say: If these lists lose focus, then 
they also lose their value. There are other mailing lists available for people 
interested in other issues.

Thanks for your support and your continued participation in MOU-net, and please 
don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions or concerns about our policies.


- Kim Eckert, on behalf of the MOU Electronic Communications Committee (David 
Cahlander, chair)



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[mou-net] Otter Tail Co Acadian Flycatcher

[Kim R Eckert]

Yesterday, June 10, Brian Gibbons and his tour group relocated an Acadian 
Flycatcher at Maplewood State Park. It was singing on the right side of the 
main entrance road in a low wooded area, 0.2 mi beyond the contact station. 
This is probably the same bird found at this location by Brian and his group in 
2012.  -Kim 


Kim R Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Lazuli Bunting in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

A Lazuli Bunting was reported to Jim Lind via the Duluth RBA late yesterday by 
Peggy  Kevin Donahue, 3424 Allendale Ave, and it was still present late this 
morning. It is an adult male, and to my eye it appeared to be in typical 
plumage with no anomalous features to suggest a hybrid. It gave its Indigo 
Bunting-like song several times before being spotted in a tree behind the 
garage. (It had been visiting the back yard feeders, but it did not do so 
during the 45 minutes we were there.)

The residents have given permission for birders to visit their yard: from 
Arrowhead Rd  Woodland Ave, go N on Woodland for 1.5 mi to Anoka St, turn 
right (east) on Anoka for 1 block to Allendale Ave, then left (north) on 
Allendale for 1 block to 3424 on the right side of street. Park on Allendale 
(please do not block any driveways), and walk up the driveway to the back 
corner of the house / front corner of the garage from where the feeders and 
back yard can be viewed. There is no need to phone in advance before visiting, 
and please do not venture beyond the garage at the end of the driveway. Good 
luck!  Kim   


Kim R Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Duluth, Sax-Zim Bog, Lake Co updates

[Kim R Eckert]

In addition to some recent mou-net postings from NE Minnesota, here are some 
additional specifics from the past few days that may be useful to visiting 
birders….

Park Point

- At least 1 Red-throated Loon still present 5 June: on L Superior side @ 31st 
Street/Lafayette Square. 

- Still a few shorebirds present, but I don't think Tom Auer's Piping Plover or 
Mike Furtman's Red Knot have been seen since June 1. A few migrant warblers 
still lingering in the rain/fog/cold, but far fewer than last week after the 
weather cleared on June 2-3. 

Sax-Zim Bog

- At least 5 Great Gray Owls (and probably more) present, with the most recent 
sightings I've heard of on 4 June: Admiral Rd, ~3 mi N of Sax Rd (Brian 
Gibbons); and CR 7, ~2.5 mi N of Sax Rd (Dave Larson  Dave Weaver). 

- Black-backed Woodpecker best looked for recently on McDavitt Rd: seen by 
Gibbons ~3 mi N of Sax Rd (4 June).

- Boreal Chickadees consistently present the past few weeks (incl 4 June) on 
Arkola Rd, 1 mi E of Owl Ave or 1.5 mi W of Stickney Rd.

- Connecticut Warbler: at least 5 recent locations, incl a cooperative singing 
male at the Oxbow Rd jct with CR 25, 0.7 mi N of Zim Rd (4 June, Gibbons).

Lake County

- Great Gray Owl on Whyte Rd, 0.4 mi E of Stony River Forest Rd (2 June).

- Boreal Chickadees unusually numerous this summer, with birds at 5 locations 
on 2 June: on Stoney River Forest Rd between Forest Rd 11 and Whyte Rd, and on 
Whyte Rd E of Stony River Forest Rd.

- As others have noted, warblers and other passerines have been relatively 
quiet in NE Minn; however, 18 warbler species were found on territory on 2 June 
along the Stony River  Whyte roads and Forest Rd 102, most notably 2 singing 
Bay-breasteds (Forest Rd 102, @ 1.8 N and 6.1 mi N of Whyte Rd).   

Hope this helps. I assume other birders who have been out this week have some 
additional sightings of note that I'm unaware of. 


Kim R Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] Piping Plover in Duluth

[Kim R Eckert]

I was asked to pass on a message that Tom Auer found a Piping Plover earlier 
this morning on the L Superior side of Park Point between the Recreation Area 
and Sky Harbor airport. I don't know if it's still present.   


Kim R Eckert
ecker...@gmail.com
http://www.mbwbirds.com



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[mou-net] no White-winged Tern

[Kim R Eckert]

I just to talked to Paul Egeland who was unable to relocate the possible 
White-winged Tern photographed yesterday by Garrett Wee in Lyon County. Paul 
checked Lone Tree Lake and several other wetlands in the Cottonwood area from 
about 7am until noon without success.  Kim Eckert

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