[mou-net] An avian send-off
There's been a Pine Warbler singing all day in my neighborhood, mostly from the pine tree at 31st Ave E 25th Street in south Minneapolis. It's only my second for the yard in six years of living here. I've been hearing it as I take boxes out of the house, packing up to leave tomorrow for Seattle. It feels like an appropriate send-off, a sign of the midwestern spring that I'll miss for the first time since 2008. My yard list stands at exactly 100, thanks to flyover Trumpeter Swans earlier this spring. Migration is good for yard birds; I've had many surprises over the years. I'll miss the big seasonal swings we have here (in birds and in weather), something that's distinctly lacking in the Pacific Northwest. And I'll miss you all, even those I only know through typed words. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis (for one more day). Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Dyed Loon?
My guess is that the bird was naturally stained, rather than dyed by people. It's fairly common for birds' feathers to get stained by coloration in water or soil. I've seen this most frequently in Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, and swans. Usually it's a rusty color like what you describe, presumably from tannins or iron-rich soils. I've never seen a loon with that kind of staining, but there's a bird at this link that fits: http://www.whatbird.com/forum/index.php?/topic/102917-golden-loon/. I think it's much more likely that this bird had its feathers naturally stained, than that someone caught it and dyed it. I believe loons that are caught and marked are typically tagged with colored leg bands, like the ones shown here: http://www.briloon.org/about-bri/support-bri/adopt-a-loon. Loons bring their feet out of the water often enough, especially when preening, that these aren't too hard to get a look at. Hope that helps! Matt Dufort Minneapolis On Mon, Sep 1, 2014 at 11:21 PM, Wise, Paul paul.w...@graybar.com wrote: Saw a common loon on a little lake in Crow Wing county today that looked like it had been dipped in a rust/orange dye. Is that done? If so, is there any way to find out who did it and why? Just curious. Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Mpls. Oak Savanna Birds and a Goose Question
Peter et al., The softer honking you're hearing at night is likely Tundra Swans. Snow Geese have a sort of yelping honk, while Tundra Swans give a soft honk that sounds a lot like a goose. The swans are moving through in big numbers right now, and they often fly in noisy small flocks at night. I've heard them the last three nights over my house, which is also in south Minneapolis. Matt Dufort Minneapolis On Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 12:53 PM, peter schmidt peterschmidtphotogra...@yahoo.com wrote: At noon, Mpls. Mississippi River Oak Savanna (West River Road and 36Th Avenue). Very windy, did not see much. Eastern Blue Bird, yea! Phoebe Brown Creeper Common Grackle Juncos, flocks of them all week. Unfortunately a Coopers thinned the Junco flock by one in my yard this morning. Unfortunately it prefers Juncos to the ever present European House Sparrows. Has anyone else heard geese late at night coming through the Mississippi flyway the last 2 nights? Snow geese? We were unable to I.D. them. Softer sound definitely not the Canadian honkers. Peter Schmidt, South Mpls Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Bird-themed art show at MIA
A friend asked me to pass this along, as it seems of interest to list members. The Minneapolis Institute of the Arts (MIA) has a show opening this weekend that features paintings of nature, many of them of birds. The title of the show is Imperial Nature: Flora, Fauna, and Colonialism in India. It runs through April. You can find more details here: http://new.artsmia.org/exhibition/imperial-nature-flora-fauna-and-colonialism-in-india/ I have no connection to the MIA. Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Ross's Gull in Iowa
Minnesota birders, A Ross's Gull has been seen both yesterday and today on Lake Red Rock, southeast of Des Moines. Thought some folks on here might want to know. Looks like about a 4-hour drive from the Twin Cities. If I had the time, I'd make the trip myself. You can find details and recent sightings on the Iowa Birds listserv (archive at http://birding.aba.org/mobiledigest/IA). Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] [mou-rba] [mou-net] Ross's Gull in Iowa
A quick correction: the Ross's Gull was first reported on Sunday. Matt Dufort Minneapolis On Tue, Dec 3, 2013 at 9:34 AM, Matt Dufort r...@moumn.org wrote: Minnesota birders, A Ross's Gull has been seen both yesterday and today on Lake Red Rock, southeast of Des Moines. Thought some folks on here might want to know. Looks like about a 4-hour drive from the Twin Cities. If I had the time, I'd make the trip myself. You can find details and recent sightings on the Iowa Birds listserv (archive at http://birding.aba.org/mobiledigest/IA). Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] BioBlitz tonight tomorrow at Coldwater Spring in south MInneapolis
Sorry for the late notice, but I just realized this hadn't made it onto these lists yet. Minnesota BioBlitz 2013 is this evening through tomorrow (Saturday, June 14), at Coldwater Spring in south Minneapolis. Details can be found here: http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/ResearchandTeaching/BioBlitz/. If you're coming, please see the note about parking! From the website: BioBlitz is a 24-hour survey in which the public helps scientists find all the plants and animals at a specific location. It officially runs from 5:00 pm today through 5:00 pm tomorrow. There are a bunch of events scheduled, focusing on birds, mammals, fish, insects, plants, fungi, etc. Check the schedule on the website for details. All events are free and open to the public, but some will have limited space. Hope to see you out there! Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Minneapolis City Council looking at trap release of feral cats
Thank you for raising this. Mr. Gordon is my city councilman, and I will be contacting him about this issue. On a related note, the lead author of the recent study on cat impacts on wildlife, which got so much press, was Dr. Scott Loss. Dr. Loss received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota just a few years ago, and was for several years an active member of this listserv. Matt Dufort Minneapolis On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 11:33 PM, Stephen Greenfield tapac...@q.com wrote: In spite of the recent release of a comprehensive analysis of the destruction of birds and other wildlife by cats, City Council member Cam Gordon has proposed ending Minneapolis' program for trapping and euthanizing feral cats [http://m.startribune.com/news/?id=196232891]. The study by US Fish Wildlife and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute conservatively estimates the annual loss in the billions of birds and mammals, mostly by un-owned feral cats, and summarizes that free-ranging cats cause substantially greater wildlife mortality than previously thought and are likely the single greatest source of anthropogenic mortality for US birds and mammals [http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n1/full/ncomms2380.html]. The alternative policy of trap, neuter, and release makes people feel more humane, but just encourages people to release and foster feral cats and extend the damage. City Council members need to hear from constituents who care about birds and other wildlife. (Of course you may want to encourage programs for adoption or shelter of these animals instead.) The only site where I can find their e-mail addresses is the following: http://www.mpls.dfl.org/elected-officials. Cam Gordon's is missing, but I believe it is cam.gor...@minneapolismn.gov. You can also find other ways to contact individual members at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/index.htm. Yours, A cat owner Stephen Greenfield Minneapolis tapac...@q.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Finches
I find these regional and local movements of finches fascinating. The hard part is that the tools we have to track those movements don't work well for these species. To figure out what they're really doing, we need to be able to follow individual birds, and that's nearly impossible for small, nomadic bids. Satellite transmitters are too big for most of the finches, and these new geolocators that are illuminating lots of bird movements require recapturing the birds to get the data. We could track them with radio transmitters, but those have limited range. Banding recoveries are probably our best bet, but they're rare enough that we don't get a very complete picture. So it may be a while before we get a thorough understanding of finch movements. Dan, did you ever recapture birds from previous years? I'm really curious how often birds come back to the same wintering areas. We know that many finches move around based on regional availability of food, to the point that there's an annual forecast of those movements for the northeast (http://1birds.com/winter-finch-forecast-for-2012-2013.htm). I think this food-based nomadic movement is very true for siskins and redpolls, and might be true on a smaller scale for goldfinches. Several years ago, siskins completely disappeared from Washington state for close to a year. People started worrying that there had been a big die-off. Then, they reappeared as mysteriously as they'd gone, and I'm not sure if anyone knows where they went during that time. As a final note, there are a ton of bird species in Australia that wander around from season to season and year to year, depending on where water and food are available. There are a few groups of birds that we know do that in North America (owls, finches), but I wonder how much of it occurs with other species (diurnal raptors, for example). So much we still have to learn. Matt Dufort Minneapolis On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 2:15 PM, Steve Weston swest...@comcast.net wrote: We have about six to twelve Goldfinches regularly coming to the sunflower feeders, along with about the same number of House Finches. Pine Siskins come in for short periods of time, but I can often hear them in the tree tops. It has seemed like only two to four were around most of the winter, but numbers appear to be higher now with about six at the bird bath and feeder yesterday at a time. Greater numbers of finches are in the treetops and may be coming to neighboring feeders. Redpolls have enjoyed my neighbor's feeder much more than mine. Nobody has interest in my thistle seed. On Sat, Mar 9, 2013 at 12:01 PM, danerika daner...@gmail.com wrote: Betsy and All-- I banded great numbers of goldfinches, redpolls, and siskins for almost 30 years in South Dakota. At first it appeared that goldfinches were replaced by siskins, which in turn were replaced by redpolls--depending on the winter. As time passed, however, I came to agree with Betsy Beneke. I concluded that these winter finch cycles are random and unpredictable. Some winters I banded numbers of all three species. This winter, here in Minnesota, we have many siskins and redpolls but very few goldfinches. dan On Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 7:23 AM, Betsy Beneke birderbe...@yahoo.com wrote: I'm still feeding anywhere from 50 to 125 common redpo Erika, and all, I'm still feeding anywhere from 50 to 125 common redpolls at my house east of St. Cloud every day. No pine siskins or goldfinches all winter. At Sherburne Refuge, I've had scattered goldfinches all winter - no regulars - there are 2-6 birds one or two days a week. No siskins. Still seeing a couple of large flocks of redpolls on the east side of the refuge, but I haven't had a single one at my bird feeder at HQ all winter. Guess they just never found me. I've found in my many years of feeding birds in MN that goldfinches and pine siskins are always roaming, you can never count on them from one year or even season to the next. Betsy Beneke Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Dan or Erika Tallman Northfield, Minnesota daner...@gmail.com http://sites.google.com/site/tallmanorum http://dantallmansbirdblog.blogspot.com http://picasaweb.google.com/danerika The White Album: Portraits of Minnesota Birds http://www.blurb.com/b/3992062-the-white-album-portraits-of-minnesota-birds-dan-t Two Years Among the Odonates http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3467428 the best shod travel with wet feet...Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes ”—H. D. Thoreau; Back off, man. I'm a scientist.—Dr. Peter Venkman Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Steve Weston On Quigley
Re: [mou-net] Owl locations
He did share his locations - Dakota County, No, that's not an exact spot that you can just drive up to, but it tells you that these birds are out and about, and calling, in that part of the state. This is the same reason for posting the presence of rarities when those species are not accessible (such as on private land). It tells you that they're around, even if you can't easily go and find those individual birds. Posting as Steve did provides that information, without subjecting individual owls to the excessive attention that they might get if precise locations were posted. Birder ethics vary, and anyone (not just birders) can read posts to MOU-net. I, for one, appreciate such posts, and understand the reasons for keeping exact locations private. Matt Dufort On Sun, Mar 3, 2013 at 2:08 PM, Crownhart, Rachel rcrownh...@hastings.k12.mn.us wrote: I will second this. And if you aren't going to share your locations what is the point in posting. Keep it to your self. Rachel Crownhart Sent from my iPhone On Mar 3, 2013, at 1:06 PM, Sandy Kuder sandy.ku...@yahoo.com wrote: Because I use calls and others use tapes to get the owls to respond, I want to minimize their exposure to disturbance. And using artificial calls of any kind is not a disturbance? As it was, we exposed the Screech Owl to predation by a Great-horned. I'm always amazed at how much credit people give themselves. I'm sorry, but this is extremely irritating. If I'm not mistaken, the MOU-listserve is about sharing information. Call me naive, but I believe mostbirders understand and have some ethics. It is a past-time or passion that is near and dear to a lot of heartsand no one I've ever met birding, would ever jeopardize their well-being. Just my two cents worth. SandyKuder, Anoka County From: Steve Weston swest...@comcast.net To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Sent: Sunday, March 3, 2013 11:54 AM Subject: [mou-net] Owl locations Because I use calls and others use tapes to get the owls to respond, I want to minimize their exposure to disturbance. I am sorry, but will not be sharing my locations. As it was, we exposed the Screech Owl to predation by a Great-horned. I will share locations of the large owls that are visible by day. -- Steve Weston On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN swest...@comcast.net Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Smartphone entry of sightings
The kinds of data that Paul says eBird is not interested in (birds seen throughout a county in a day, partial lists, etc.) are accepted and easy to submit. It's true, they're not as useful as data with complete species lists, or more specific locations, but they're easy to enter. I find that eBird strikes a balance between being useful to the producers of the data (birders) and the consumers of the data (primarily biologists). There are many types of data that aren't very useful to anyone analyzing the data, but are very important for birders (for example, in keeping track of their historical lists), that can be included in eBird. But the really crucial thing is that the system has ways of keeping track of the details of how the data were collected. If a set of sightings is only a partial list of species at that site, you know that it's only a partial list (and that's the really important thing). The simple facts are that the data that MOU collects is far less useful for biological research than the data that eBird collects, and eBird is a global system. For those reasons alone, I use eBird. Because I don't have time to do both, I no longer use the MOU sightings system. Matt Dufort Minneapolis On 2/6/13 2:51 PM, Paul Budde wrote: The answer to David's last question is yes. The MOU offered its data to eBird in the early days of eBird, but they were not interested in it. We had a long conversation with them last year about the same topic. Again, eBird was not interested. Undoubtedly, there are good reasons why eBird is not able to use MOU data (the MOU typically doesn't track precise location - just to the county level; we don't track user effort in the field; we don't ask whether a checklist is complete or partial), so this is not in any way meant to be critical of their decision. On the other hand, the MOU has data that eBird does not collect or is less interested in, such as a census of birds seen throughout a county in a day, or partial lists of species and counts at a location. All of this data, along with more complete censuses of specific locations, are distilled to create the seasonal reports that are published in each issue of The Loon. Paul Paul Budde MOU Seasonal Reports Editor Minneapolis, MN pbu...@earthlink.net -Original Message- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU] On Behalf Of David La Puma Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2013 2:33 PM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: Re: [mou-net] Smartphone entry of sightings Carl et al, First off, I apologize for those on the MOU list trying to find out about birds and not caring one bit about this discussion. Feel free to delete this post now. I understand the desire to stay relevant, and it sounds like the MOU (hence the 'et al') has decided that managing these records is somehow key to maintaining themselves. I do get it. As a scientist though eBird is now the data source for researching phenomena like climate effects on bird populations, migration timing, etc. from local to the national (and soon global) scales. I would love to see MN's records included because otherwise they're a glaring hole in the dataset which does little to harm the research but does a great disservice to those trying to manage bird populations across the Upper Midwest. I'm sure the data you're collecting is extremely valuable and far exceeds the depth of data that eBird is able to handle. There are many ways to make your database/application/etc. function so that the pertinent data can be exported into eBird and there are going to be many records going into eBird from many people not affiliated with MOU that I'm sure you're going to want. Just because the MOU didn't say it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. So while I can understand your not wanting to adopt eBird (even if I disagree with it), I'm not going to let you discount my post (which was actually just an addition to Laura's post, noting the virtual-give-away of the application) as a 'violation of terms' when in actuality your reasoning was that you feel threatened by Minnesotans using eBird. I'm happy to share all of my Minnesota observations with the MOU; I can simply export my eBird data and send it to you... can your app do that? Good Birding David David A. La Puma Postdoctoral Research Associate SILVIS Lab (http://silvis.forest.wisc.edu/) University of Wisconsin, Madison Teaching/Research Profile: http://www.woodcreeper.com/teaching Websites: http://www.woodcreeper.com http://badbirdz2.wordpress.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Dodge Co. Snowy Owls; Titmouse near Red Wing
I spent much of today visiting various spots in southeast Minnesota, in search of birds and some slightly warmer weather. I saw two Snowy Owls in southwestern Dodge County this afternoon, in the same area where they've been reported previously. Both were sitting out in the fields, and both within about 1/2 mile of the intersection of 690th St and 120th Ave intersection. The heavily marked owl was east of 120th Ave, about 1/2 mile south of 690th St. The very lightly marked owl was north of 690th St, about 1/2 mile east of 120th Ave. They were present around 3:00, and still present at 3:30 when I left. Snowy Owl has been a serious jinx bird for me in Minnesota, so I was thrilled to see two in the span of 10 minutes! Earlier, I found 2-3 Tufted Titmice along Hay Creek Trail south of Red Wing. Near the south end of the road, maybe 1/4 mile from where it meets Hwy 58, there's a feeding station. It's up the slope, right at the driveway for house number 31365 (IIRC). It was being frequented by lots of chickadees and the usual suspects, plus several titmice. I also heard, but didn't see, a Carolina Wren along 4th Street in Hastings. This neighborhood was really birdy, with lots of feeders being visited by a ton of birds. A short ways down the road to the east, there's a pull-off where a number of deer carcasses have been dumped. They were also attracting birds, including a flicker. I was pleased with the diversity of birds for the middle of winter, even with bad luck on waterbirds. The wind and cold were creating lots of steam over the water, making it nearly impossible to see birds except at the edges. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Duluth Audubon Walk this morning (interesting shorebird), and photos from the past week
I agree that the primary projection on this bird doesn't fit Pacific Golden-Plover. But just to cover all possibilities, what about the other golden-plover species (European)? I have no experience separating it from American. I'm not saying this bird is a European G-P, just asking how one would tell if it were. Matt Dufort Minneapolis On 10/3/12 8:52 AM, Kim R Eckert wrote: Erik et al. - I would agree with Christian Artuso that the bird is an American Golden-Plover based on the long primary extension with 4 primary tips clearly visible beyond the tertials in at least one of the photos. A Pacific Golden-Plover should only show 2-3 visible primary tips. -Kim Kim R Eckert ecker...@gmail.com http://www.mbwbirds.com On Oct 3, 2012, at 1:33 AM, Erik Bruhnke wrote: This morning's Duluth Audubon bird hike was a lot of fun! We had both American Golden Plovers and Black-bellied Plovers on the beach of Park Point this morning, with American Black Ducks, Palm Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, fly-over American Pipits and more on the bay-side of Park Point. While scanning through the small group of American Golden Plovers, we came across a golden-orange faced, smaller-billed, and yellow-speckled (on the back) plover. We left this bird as unidentified in the field, and based on abundance of the mid-sized plovers, would most likely be an American Golden-Plover. I am thrown off by some of the field marks. This first set of pictures is from this morning's walk along Park Point. Here is that tricky plover from this morning - note the relatively short bill, soft-orange blotch near the front of the face, gold mottling throughout the backside. http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/146446320 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/146446321 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/146446322 http://www.pbase.com/birdfedr/image/146446323 Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Red crossbill recordings wanted
Hello all, I wanted to echo Jesse's comments on getting recordings of these Red Crossbills. Many of the Red Crossbill call types are identifiable, if not always in the field, at least from analysis of recordings. Recordings of any of these birds would be massively helpful in figuring out what call type the irrupting birds are, and where they might coming from. One important note from the message below: even fairly low-quality recordings (like those made with a cell phone or digital camera) can be useful and identifiable. Matt Dufort Minneapolis, MN On 8/22/12 11:49 AM, Jesse Ellis wrote: Hey all- If you can get a recording (any kind of recording) of the irrupting Red Crossbills (or those that might not be irrupting, like those in the north country) it would be helpful for understanding what is going on with this species complex! See the request for recordings from Cornell Researcher Matt Young below. Also, I want to point out an error in my other message about the crossbills. I was unaware that there is an Appalachian population of these birds, and the ones seen in TN and NC are locals, not irrupting birds! I learn something new every day. Jesse Ellis, Madison, WI -- Forwarded message -- From: Nick Anich nick...@yahoo.com Date: Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 11:15 AM Subject: [wisb] Red crossbill recordings wanted To: wisbirdn wisbi...@freelists.org I got a note from Matt Young m...@cornell.edu at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology asking about Red Crossbill audio recordings, and he wanted me to forward this to the list. Please reply directly to him. I've sent him a couple recordings in the past and he was able to type them for me. (You can check eBird to see which types they were). Nick Anich Ashland, WI Recordings for this species are sorely needed from the upper Midwest and Great Lakes Region. There’s a significant influx of birds currently taking place in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin (Kansas too and few in Iowa as well). If you don't know, the Red Crossbill complex is made up of 10 different North American call types. On-going research may prove that some of these call types are even separate species. Getting audio-recordings is essential to solving the crossbill riddle. When you get a crossbill recording you (or I) can run an audiospectrographic analysis to get a signature of the birds voice, which then can be used to identify the individual (or flock) to call type. These recordings will help us understand their ecology and distribution better. Birds can be recorded by video camrecorders with audio, expensive recording equipment, and even most cell phones now. I can usually make a spectrogram of even pretty bad cell phone recordings. I recently was able to easily identify a Type 1 in Tennessee that was recorded via cell phone. Pretty amazing. If you have been finding Red Crossbills currently or recently, please let me know. I’d love to run the analysis on anyone’s recordings! For a summary of information about Red Crossbill forms, see http://research.amnh.org/vz/ornithology/crossbills/diagnosis.html Also look here for differences in some of the crossbill Types: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/introduction-to%20crossbill-vocalizations http://madriverbio.com/wildlife/redcrossbill/ Information for your area: As for Types that are most common in the Upper Great Lakes, they are Types 2, 3, and 10. Types 3 and 10 (these are both smallish-billed with Type 3 being smallest billed in NA and Type 10 being the next smallest-billed) are most common in the Pacific Northwest, with Type 3 most associated with Western Hemlock and Type 10 most associated with Sitka spruce. However, Type 10 is also the most frequently occurring Type in the Northeast from Adirondacks of NY to northern Maine and likely southern Maritimes (often using red and white spruce which isn’t that different than Sitka spruce). Type 3 is highly irruptive in the east and often uses spruce and Eastern hemlock. Dietary overlap can be great in the east, especially when you have very hungry irruptive birds, and it’s not uncommon to find all types in spruce or even occasionally white pine. With that said, Robert Payne studied crossbills (1987) in the UP Michigan and found a small billed bird to be relatively resident in the Marquette County Highlands. It would be great to get more information on these birds since it’s unknown at this time whether Payne’s work involved Type 3 or Type 10 (I hope to get up there this year to get some recordings). As for the large-billed Type 2, it is the most widespread type in NA, and can be fairly common at times in the east (often in red pine and perhaps even Jack Pine or pitch pine), but is most common in areas of Ponderosa pine in the west. Of the recent recordings I’ve received so far, I’ve identified Type 3 and 10 from Wisconsin, and Type 2 in Kansas. Thanks in advance for any help, Matthew A. Young You received this email because you
[mou-net] Minnesota BioBlitz this Saturday at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve
Hi all, It just occurred to me that this hasn't been advertised on here, so I wanted to let folks know. The Minnesota BioBlitz is this Saturday at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. There are actually a few events on Friday evening, although none of them are bird-focused. If you're not familiar with the site, it's a big biological research site, managed by the University of Minnesota, about 45 minutes north of the twin cities. The Minnesota BioBlitz is an annual 24-hour event where scientists and anyone who wants to help survey an area for all sorts of living things (not just birds, but mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, plants, fungi, even microbes). Most of the Reserve is generally not open to the public, as it's managed for research purposes. It has a great mix of habitats, from open fields to savannah to marshes and bogs. It's also home to a large breeding population of Red-headed Woodpeckers, probably the closest such population to the Twin Cities. This is a great opportunity to check it out! Planned bird-related events include banding demonstrations, an early morning bird walk, and several Red-headed Woodpecker walks. But there's lots of other stuff going on, from a snake walk, to a sedge walk, to a dragonfly survey. More information and a schedule of events can be found here: http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/ResearchandTeaching/BioBlitz/. All events are based at the main office; directions here: http://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/about/directions/. There was also a blurb about it in the StarTrib, which gives some more information on what to expect: http://www.startribune.com/local/north/157022915.html All of the events are open to the public and completely FREE! I hope to see some folks out there. Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Hooded Warbler pair, Lebanon Hills Regional Park
Hi all, This morning I took a short walk at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Dakota County, starting at the Visitor's Center on Cliff Rd, and circling Schulze Lake. I heard the singing male Hooded Warbler reported previously, along the trail that leads south from Schulze Lake towards Portage Lake. In this same area, constant chipping led me to an actively foraging adult female Hooded Warbler. I didn't get to see the two birds interacting, or see any signs of nesting. But for folks visiting this area, please keep an eye out for any evidence of nesting activity. Also in the area - lots of Eastern Towhees, a singing Scarlet Tanager, and many other more common woodland birds. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Winter Wren (Washington)
I visited this same SNA on Monday, and was amazed by the mix of northern and southern species. I heard what I assume was the same Winter Wren, and saw all the species listed below, as well as Cerulean Warbler (on the north side of the upper part of the ravine) and Red-breasted Nuthatch (in the extensive pines south of the ravine). This site seems to overlap the northern range edge for some species in Minnesota, and the southern edge for others - very cool. The Acadian Flycatchers and Louisiana Waterthrushes were very obliging, right where the main trail crosses the stream. There's a little log bridge over the stream that marks this spot. From the southern parking lot (for the City Nature Park), stay to the left, taking the trail that switchbacks down into the ravine. From the northern parking lot (for the SNA), stay to the right and follow the creek down. When I was there, there were also quite a few Least Flycatchers in the forest, so don't automatically assume that any Empid you see is an Acadian. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis On 5/27/12 5:52 PM, Milton Blomberg wrote: Perhaps of interest, a continuously singing Winter Wren in the Fall Creek SNA (south flank of the ravine between the two downward footpaths of erosion-control log steps). Also, beautifully present the Acadian Flycatchers, Louisiana Waterthrushes, Wood Thrushes, Pine Warblers...etc on this quietude saunter at 6AM. Thanks to the SNA program for preserving it! Blue-winged Warblers up top along the Box Elders down from the parking. mjb Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Harris's Sparrows and gambelii White-crowned Sparrows
Hi all, Has anyone else noticed a glut of Harris's Sparrows in southeastern Minnesota this spring? In previous years, I've felt lucky to find 1 or 2 in a season. This year, I'm seeing them everywhere. Out of the last 6 days, I've seen small groups of them on 4 days, all in different locations, including this evening right outside my house in south Minneapolis. A friend of mine noted that he'd been seeing a lot of them as well, in areas where he usually doesn't. He also pointed out that there are a lot of white-lored White-crowned Sparrows around (presumably the western subspecies /gambelii/). I don't know the normal frequency of white-lored (mostly /gambelii/) vs. dark-lored (mostly /leucophrys/) White-crowns in Minnesota, but it does make intuitive sense that Harris's would more frequently hang out with the western ones. As one small anecdote, the one flock I got a good look at on Sunday had 3 Harris's and 2 white-lored White-crowns. Good birding, Matt Dufort Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Bloomington Cattle Egret not refound; early Bell's Vireo at Black Dog
Hi all, I and several other birders were at Marsh Lake Park behind the Bloomington Ice Gardens this morning. As far as I know, no one saw a Cattle Egret. The place was full of birds, though, with some highlights including calling American Bittern, Philadelphia Vireo, 13 warblers including Wilson's and Parula, Sedge Wren, and several Lincoln's Sparrows. I also stopped by the Cliff Fen Park access to the Black Dog unit of Minnesota Valley NWR. Biggest surprise was an early Bell's Vireo, actively singing and apparently on territory. Plenty of migrants there, too, including a nice flock of White-throated, White-crowned, and Harris's Sparrows. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Geese and others in the Twin Cities
Shooting off a quick email, as I want to be out in my backyard watching for migrants. I spent the morning at Old Cedar Ave. Thousands of geese flying over, with a large portion of them being Greater White-fronted. Haven't added up my numbers, but somewhere between 1500-2000 white-fronts over an hour or so. Smaller numbers of Canadas, between 500 and 1000. Also around 100 Snow Geese mixed in, and a few Cackling Geese. Others reported flyover Sandhill Cranes and American White Pelicans, and a Goshawk at the Bass Ponds. There was good duck diversity on Long Meadow Lake, around 12 species, including lots of pintail. The overhead flocks of Mallards also had a lot of pintail mixed in (probably 80+ over the course of an hour). Other migrants included a few flyover Horned Larks, a longspur or two, flocks of blackbirds, and plenty of Killdeer. This afternoon, from my backyard in south Minneapolis, I spotted a big goose flock flying over. It turned out to have all 5 regular species in it: ~300 Greater White-fronted, 40 Canada, 35 Snow, 5 Cackling, and 1 Ross'. Some Mallards and Pintail moving with them as well. Very exciting additions to my yard list. Many people I've talked to have pointed out that the numbers of several species of geese, especially Greater White-fronteds, in southeastern Minnesota this year are nearly unprecedented. So I encourage you to get out there and see them! Good birding, Matt Dufort Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Minneapolis lakes this AM
Hi all, I spent some time this morning checking out Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet in west Minneapolis, from about 8:00 until 10:00. Ran into Raymond Tervo and Bruce Fall at several spots. Few gulls, with less diversity than reported yesterday afternoon (when Lesser Black-backed, Glaucous, and Franklin's were all present). Lots of ducks, though, including some surprises. Highlights Thayer's Gull - one adult flying over Lake Calhoun (the only gull other than Herring and Ring-billed) Long-tailed Duck - on the west side of Lake Calhoun with hundreds of goldeneye and mergansers. Spotted by Bruce Fall. A very dark bird, probably a first-year female. Kept picking up and flying around the lake, but returning to the same general area. The big mallard flock at the south end of Lake Harriet included quite a few Shoveler, a Wigeon, Pied-billed Grebe, Lesser Scaup, Ruddies, Hooded Merg. Nice mix to find right in the cities this late in the year. Good birding, Matt Dufort Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] plain-tailed wren duet research--- from Science Now
Thanks, Gordon, for forwarding that. It's an interesting read. Duetting is actually quite common in other parts of the world, especially tropical areas. Africa, Central and South America, Australia, and other places have lots of species that duet. Plain-tailed Wrens, which this study focused on, are masters of it. Something this article didn't mention is that this species sometimes lives in large cooperative groups, and those groups sing in chorus. Multiple males singing the male part together, and multiple females singing the female part together. Some great examples of this are here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/37014 and here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/184 Compared to the rest of the world, duet singing is unusually uncommon in the US and Canada. The only species here that comes to mind is Northern Cardinal, though I suspect there are others. Matt Dufort Minneapolis On 11/8/11 9:50 PM, G Andersson wrote: This article reports research on the duet singing of this wren species from Ecuador. Given its name, could this be the only wren species without a barred tail? Anyway there are links in the text to listen to the duet and the single song.. also a link to the original journal article for those who like neurology. I don't think there are any duetting bird species in N America, but there are in Africa. I would guess their finding apply to all such species worldwide, but who knows? Gordon Andersson St Paul http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/11/wrens-brains-are-wired-for-due ts.html?ref=hp Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Warblers and thrushes feeding on the streets in Ramsey Co
Scott et al., I've also noticed way more Cape May Warblers than usual this year (seems like I'm seeing them everywhere in 1s and 2s). But I've yet to see or hear a Bay-breasted. As for birds feeding on the ground, I've been seeing a similar thing near my house. But rather than feeding on the ground, they've been foraging on the roof of my neighbor's house, under a large elm tree. My max counts this afternoon in about 20 minutes of watching (all on the neighbor's roof, most of these at the same time): 26(!) Tennessee Warblers 2 Cape May 1 Yellow 2 Blackburnian 2 Chestnut-sided 2 Palm 7 Blackpoll 4 Nashville 1 Black-and-white 5 Yellow-rumped 2 Orange-crowned 1 Redstart 4 Swainson's Thrushes 1 Gray Catbird 2 White-throated Sparrows 3 Chipping Sparrow The sight of 40+ warblers of ~10 species all foraging together on the roof of a house, is one of the most amazing experiences I've had in 15 years of birding. In the past few days, my very suburban yard has also hosted orioles, grosbeaks, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Lincoln's Sparrow, Golden-winged and Magnolia Warblers, Ovenbird, and Gray-cheeked Thrush. I've found this to be a fantastic spring for seeing migrant passerines. Get out and enjoy the migration! Matt Dufort Minneapolis, MN On 5/13/11 9:29 PM, Scott Loss wrote: I have also been seeing the street-feeding mixed flocks under elms, with one especially diverse flock located a block north from the north end of Lake Como. Yesterday, it included: Indigo Bunting, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, House Sparrow, Swainson's Thrush, Bay-breasted Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler. My friend Gopi Sundar reported the same at the U of M student housing in St. Paul, with additional species including Magnolia, Cape May, and Nashville Warblers, plus Robin, and Cowbird. On a related note, is it just me, or are Bay-breasted and Cape May Warblers particularly abundant this year? Typically, these are the hardest common warblers for me to find, as I see 1 or 2 a spring, and I sometimes completely miss one or the other over the course of an entire season. This year, I have seen 3+ of each every time out... and not just on the ground (which would suggest increased ease of detectability over previous years), but also feeding in tree canopies. Was there a spruce budworm outbreak in the boreal forest last year? Scott Loss St. Paul Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Migrants at Minnesota Valley NWR
Hi all, I spent a couple hours this morning at the Minnesota Valley NWR visitor's center area (off State Hwy 5 near the MSP airport). It was hopping with birds, and I found a really nice diversity of migrants, especially sparrows and warblers. This was all in the area around the parking lot and on the trails that go down the hill from the visitor's center. Highlights: - 15 species of warblers, including Blackburnian, Parula, Black-throated Green, Blackpoll, Chestnut-sided, Redstart, Tennessee, Ovenbird, Orange-crowned, Nashville (many), Black-and-white, Yellow, and Palm (many). - Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrush - tons of sparrows feeding in recently-burned areas near the parking lot, with a couple Lincoln's, a couple Clay-colored, and a large flock of Zonotrichias that included about 5 White-crowned and 1 Harris's Sparrow. There was some hefty restoration work going on when I left, so there might now be a lot less cover at the edges of this habitat than there was this morning. Very few vireos so far this year. I've seen one Blue-headed, and that's it. Migration seems to be coming very late, but it is really picking up. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] 180th Street Marsh, Dakota County
I was in Lakeville this evening, so I took a quick spin over to the area around Vermillion. The highlight was a 180th Street marsh packed with birds. With ducks flying over constantly, blackbirds singing from the reedbeds, and a cacophony of birds all around, I was able to see or hear the following shorebirds as the light fell. They all appeared to be settling in for the night. 24 Willet (tough to get an accurate count in the low light) 10 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 Greater Yellowlegs 1 Snipe 1 Wilson's Phalarope 1 Solitary Sandpiper Ducks were abundant, with large numbers of Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, and Mallard, and smaller numbers of Shoveler and Lesser Scaup. Loads of coots as well, and calling Pied-billed Grebe. Over the din of the Red-winged Blackbirds, I could hear a number of Yellow-headed Blackbirds singing, but couldn't see any of them. I was amazed by how active the marsh was, and wished I had more light and time to look over the birds. The habitat there right now is fantastic, and a daytime visit with a scope would probably yield greater diversity. Good birding, Matt Dufort Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Green Heron and others in Minneapolis
Hi all, I took a walk along the swollen Mississippi River today, along portions of the path that parallels E. River Parkway between Franklin Ave and Lake Street. Much of this path is flooded, as are many of the access points. I was surprised to see an early Green Heron in a little backwater. In the same area were Blue-winged Teal and Pied-billed Grebe. And the nearby woods held a flock of about 12 Fox Sparrows, plus Phoebe, Siskin, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warblers, singing Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and 5 species of woodpeckers (no Sapsucker). I also heard a single sparrow song that sounded a whole lot like White-crowned, but it didn't sing again, and I couldn't find the bird. Nice to see some decent diversity! This was my first day in the city this year that really felt like spring. Good birding, Matt Dufort Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] FYI: (out of state) Ross's Gull at Keweenaw Bay in Michigan's U.P.
With all these Ross's Gulls showing up in states to the west (and now east) of Minnesota, it's very likely that there's one somewhere in the state. I hope everyone is checking any large lakes, rivers, and dam outflows that still have open water, with an eye tuned for Ross's. I visited Mississippi Lock and Dam #2 in Hastings about a week ago, but the only gulls were Ring-billed and Herring. I'm hoping to get back there, and perhaps to Black Dog, later this week. With all the CBCs happening this weekend, the state should be getting better coverage than it does any other time of the winter, so perhaps one will turn up! Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis On 12/14/10 10:24 AM, Chris West wrote: Hey everyone, Thought that birders in Northeastern MN might want to know about this. This was posted on the MI-listers listserve at 0830 this morning: All- Joe Kaplan just called and is looking at an adult Ross's Gull in Keweenaw Bay. He is standing at the first overlook down from L'Anse overlooking the bay, and the bird is at fair distance. He also mentioned that some of the folks participating (in the Keweenaw Bay CBC) feel there is a 2nd Ross's Gull present with the first bird, but from what I could gather it may not yet be confirmed. The identity of the first bird, Joe said, is not in doubt. It had pink underparts, gray underwing, wedge-shaped tail, etc. Good Birding, Caleb Putnam Caleb G Putnam Sparta, MI larus10 AT hotmail.com Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Afton State Park - Henslow's Sparrows
Hello all, I spent a few hours yesterday evening at Afton State Park. Most interesting find was about 4-6 Henslow's Sparrows singing in the prairie restoration near the visitor center. I know Henslow's have been present at Afton both this year and last, but I think they've mostly been in the prairie area in the northwest part of the park. The birds I heard and saw yesterday were in the southeast part of the park, easily accessed from the trail by the visitor center. Several were audible from the park road and the first parking lot. Other birds in the park included a Black-billed Cuckoo, many Towhees, Clay-colored Sparrow, Sedge Wren, Wood Thrush, etc. While at Afton a week ago on a walk (without binoculars), I heard several interesting but odd songs. One sounded most like an odd Magnolia Warbler, and the other sounded a lot like a Prothonotary. However, I was not able to see either bird that day, and I wasn't able to locate either of them yesterday. I raise this mostly because I think Afton has a lot of potential for interesting breeding birds (as evidenced by the Chat and Summer Tanager present last summer). Good birding, Matt Dufort Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] MOU trip report - South metro area
Hello all, Eight hardy birders joined me Saturday morning for a long jaunt through the southern Twin Cities suburbs down into southern Dakota County in search of interesting breeding birds. Despite rain off and on throughout the day, we had a fantastic day, with most of our target species being very cooperative. The forest areas at Murphy-Hanrehan were quiet in the heavy rain. Big surprises were American Bittern at Old Cedar Ave, Black-billed Cuckoo out in the shrubby grassland at Black Dog Preserve, and a singing Alder Flycatcher at Murphy-Hanrehan. Here are some of the highlights: Old Cedar Ave. Wood Duck - tons; I counted 303 from the boardwalk Gadwall - one male out on the marsh before the trip started American Bittern - one dropped into the marsh along just north of the parking lot cuckoo sp. - one flyby in the parking lot Black Dog Preserve Bell's Vireo - at least 3 males singing in the willow/sumac treeline Black-billed Cuckoo - one very cooperative bird in brushy areas Willow Flycatcher - 3-4 singing Murphy-Hanrehan Alder Flycatcher - one singing near the Horse Camp parking lot Blue-winged Warbler - several singing west of Horse Camp parking lot Henslow's Sparrow - one seen well, and ~5 singing, in the grasslands in the southwest part of the park (Matthew Schaut, one of the trip participants, recently heard some 15-20 Henslow's in this area) UMore Park area at 155th St Akron Ave in Dakota County Dickcissel - many Eastern Meadowlark Randolph Industrial Park Dickcissel - many, sitting up and singing Bobolink Grasshopper Sparrow - many, easily seen Eastern Western Meadowlark - both present, singing, in same binocular field Other miscellaneous things Loggerhead Shrike - pair with 3 fledglings along Fischer Ave near the start of the pavement (south of 180th St) Bobolink - many at Laigle Ave in SW Dakota County Sedge Wren - many, singing at most grassland sites Clay-colored Sparrow - several sites, adults carrying food to nests Savannah Sparrow - several sites, adults carrying food (caterpillars) to nests Brewer's Blackbird - one male at 180th St marsh, only one seen all day Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] bird biology text?
The standard text is Frank Gill's /Ornithology/, which has a new edition out in the last couple years (meaning you can either use the new edition, with updated info, or get the old edition for relatively cheap). It is a thorough survey of most aspects of bird biology, though there's little in it about identification. I think it's pretty darn good. It's used in the U of M's undergrad ornithology class. Matt Dufort Minneapolis danerika wrote: Rick-- I used Thayer Birding Software's Birds of North America DVD when I taught. It has a textbook of sorts embedded in it. The textbook is OK, but not well illustrated. On the other hand, the DVD is full of wonderful photographs, bird calls and range maps. I used the quiz module to build quizzes of the birds seen each semester by my students. Every week we reviewed the birds on the quiz, and the students wondered why they did so well in my class! (Studying will do it for you every time...) (Furthermore, using computer technology resulted in my Dean thinking I was wonderful by using technology in the classroom.) The DVD comes in a Mac and a PC version. You are welcome to use my ornithology class--there is a link on my website at http://dantallmansbirdblog.blogspot.com . You can use it either for personal inspiration or for your class. If you wanted your students to produce illustrations or photos for my web course, that would be wonderful. I have always meant to get around to producing, for example, graphs in the island biogeography and also in the extinction lectures. have fun... dan tallman On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 9:06 AM, Rick fholbr...@cableone.net wrote: You might have a look at Manual of Ornithology, Avian Structure and Function Noble S. Proctor and Patrick J. Lynch Yale University Press, 1993 ISBN 0-300-05746-6 (cloth) ISBN 0-300-07619-3 (pbk) I do not know of any really good small textbooks. The above book is really good and is basically lab oriented but, covers a great deal and has very good illustrations. On 5/28/2010 8:50 AM, Milton Blomberg wrote: Wondering, and since I have the opportunity to teach a High School Ornithology class next year as an advanced Science elective, any suggestions for a nice, compact, illustrated, even lab oriented textbook? Aside from using a field guide as a primary text? Syallbus topics to include anatomy, taxonomy, migration behavior, field biology, etc., and of course identification. mjb Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html -- Rick Holbrook Fargo, ND N 46°53'251 W 096°48'279 Remember the USS Liberty http://www.ussliberty.org/ Reply to: fholbrookatcableone.net Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Musings on migration in Minneapolis
Like many other observers, I've been surprised by the low visibility of songbird migration this spring. I've hit a few waves of migrants over the last couple weeks, but they've been clustered between long periods of unfavorable weather. I wonder how many birds have simply flown over us due to the small number of nights suitable for long-distance flight, leading them to make fewer, longer, night flights. On several nights, I've heard numbers of birds flying overhead, which weren't evident on the ground the following day. Most of these night detections have been Swainson's Thrushes and Veeries, but that's probably because their calls are the only ones loud enough to hear over city noise. All of this makes me think that birds are moving, but may be moving in distinct bursts and possibly overflying us on their way to breeding areas. That said, there are clearly many birds still to come through. I haven't yet seen many female warblers, which tend to migrate after the males. Flycatchers have been particularly scarce, especially empids other than Least. A quick look at the migration counts on moumn.org confirmed that the numbers of reports of most warbler species and many other migrants are well below the levels for the same dates last year (though observer effort could be contributing to that, or people may not have input their sightings to the database yet). This morning a Magnolia Warbler singing in my yard (in south Minneapolis) drew me out to investigate what else might be around. Good numbers of Tennessee Warblers singing, plus a Blackpoll and a Blackburnian, several Swainson's Thrushes, a Veery, and a Gray-cheeked Thrush. This is in a residential neighborhood with only a few large trees, so I imagine other areas should have had plenty of birds as well. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to any good migrant spots before a big thunderstorm hit, making the birding tough. To sum up my perspective: birds are still moving, many have probably passed by without detection, and decent numbers are probably still on the way. My impression is that this is all mostly a function of stormy and windy weather that is unsuitable for nocturnal migration. I'd be curious to hear others' thoughts on this. I'll also be very curious if the numbers of migrant reports eventually come up to last year's levels, but later (indicating a late migration), or plateau at a lower total number (indicating fewer or less visible migrants present). Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Twin Cities migrants, Prothonotary at Crosby Farm Park
Hi all, This morning was the first this year where I really felt like spring had arrived. 16 warbler species, plus lots of new arrivals, and much bigger numbers of many migrants than I'd been seeing prior to today. I also relocated the Prothonotary Warbler at Crosby Farm Park that Scott Loss reported last week. I started out birding my way down the Mississippi through south Minneapolis, stopping at a number of little sites along West River Parkway between Franklin Ave and 46th St. I usually bypass it better-known migrant spots, but this morning I was rewarded with lots of new arrivals. In addition to the main paved path along West River Pkwy, the area has tons of little trails running along the top of the bluff and down the slope. In many areas, the steep slope down to the river puts the treetops right at eye level - ideal for watching migrating warblers. Highlights and new arrivals (for me) in this area this morning included: Gray-cheeked Thrush (1) Veery (1) Red-eyed Vireo (1) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (5-10, surprising numbers for this late in spring) Cape May Warbler (several) Chestnut-side Warbler (1) Blackpoll Warbler (several) Northern Waterthrush (many) Redstart (3) Rose-breasted Grosbeak (many, in groups of 2-3) Catbird (my FOY) Probably the oddest thing I saw all day was a lone Ruddy Duck out in the middle of the Mississippi River, swimming erratically and feeding on the surface like a phalarope. I then headed over to Crosby Farm Park in St. Paul. I made my way down into the far southeast corner, where I heard and caught a few distant glimpses of a Prothonotary Warbler (most likely the same one reported by Scott Loss on Friday). This is along the dirt trail that goes south from the main paved trail near the east entrance to the park. There's an area of flooded forest where the Prothonotary was singing constantly. Other birds at Crosby: Tennessee Warbler (many) Golden-winged Warbler (1) Blue-winged Warbler (1) Blackpoll Warbler (1) Northern Waterthrush (15+, all over the place) Ovenbird (5+) Redstart (tons, and they weren't there on Saturday) Baltimore Oriole (ditto) Yellow-throated Vireo (1) Warbling Vireo (many, on territory) I've yet to see or hear an Orange-crowned Warbler this spring. Where are they? And where are the flycatchers? I've only found Phoebe and Great Crested so far. Hooray, spring! Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Cinnamon Teal and shorebirds, Carver Co.
Hi all, The Cinnamon Teal was still in the drainage ditch along Salem Ave this afternoon at 5:00. There are quite a few flooded fields in the area, with a few ducks and a lot of shorebirds. Solitary Sandpiper and Snipe were in the flooded corn field near where the teal was hanging out. Further south on Salem Ave, a field on the east side of the road, just north of County Road 50, had at least 80 Greater Yellowlegs, 30 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 60 Pectoral Sandpipers. Another flooded area, on the south side of CR 50 just west of CR 41, had 40+ Pectoral Sandpipers. Both of these spots looked very promising for other shorebird species, but I was in a hurry and didn't have much time to scrutinize them. Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Woodcock show at Black Dog Preserve
Hello all, My wife and I went down to Black Dog Preserve, in Dakota County, this evening to look for woodcocks. We were not disappointed, with birds calling and displaying all around us. We heard some 10-15 woodcocks and saw a similar number. One called 20 feet from us and displayed directly overhead, while several others flushed from our feet, and one simply ran 10 feet away, remaining in view. The majority of these were between 1/2 mile and 1 mile from the trailhead, right along the trail. This site is accessed from the parking lot on Cliff Rd, about a mile east of I-35W. Woodcocks started calling around 8:10, and we were able to see several of them quite well while the light was still good. Other birds in the area included Snipe, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Rough-winged Swallow, and Brown Thrasher. As light fell, a number of Soras were calling from the marshes to the north. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] corrections to migration article
Hi Gordon and others, I appreciate you sending this, even if the photo doesn't match up (I agree that it's not a Blackcap). Please keep sending the little science notes! I think this story is a bit different from the news about Blackcap migration that came out a few months ago. This one is about populations of Blackcaps migrating shorter and shorter distances, until they might stop migrating entirely and become resident. The story that came out several months ago was about a split in one breeding population, where some birds migrated to Spain in the fall, and others migrated to the British Isles. One of the reasons there are a lot of papers on migration that involve Blackcaps is that Blackcaps are one of the very few species where the evolution of migration has been studied experimentally. Peter Berthold, one of the authors on this recent paper, has done experiments with captive populations of Blackcaps in the lab. By selectively breeding individuals that had strong or weak migratory tendencies, he showed that individual variation in migratory behavior is inherited (at least partially) - when he picked birds that migrated less and mated them, their offspring migrated less. He also showed that migration and lack of migration can evolve very quickly (at least in this species). Matt Dufort Minneapolis Gordon wrote: First the migration article is about blackcaps in Europe, not blackpolls. I should have looked at the article again. (I may be thinking of blackpolls at this time.) Second, the photo appears to be a Nashville warbler. It is not a blackcap. Even right clicking the image for properties says blackcap. There is careless journalism and better journalism. wiredscience doesn't not seem reliable re bird study. I think sciencenews or sciencedaily ran this summary story several months ago re change in blackcap migration (sorry to consume your electrons and your time). _ From: Gordon [mailto:gpanders...@msn.com] Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2010 8:41 PM To: 'MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU' Subject: a couple articles about bird migration (blackpolls in Europe) and pigeon navigation http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/04/migration-adaptation/ http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/57997/title/Pigeons_usually_let_b est_navigator_take_the_lead Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Black Dog gull viewing yesterday
Hello all, I and 5 other birders were at the Black Dog Lake gull viewing site yesterday afternoon, Wednesday. Most of the gulls were roosting on the rock piles east of the power plant, until about 4:45 when they started moving over to the lake (unfortunately by that time we had all exited the plant to look for the roosting flock). Some of these birds were visible from Black Dog Road, but many were hidden on the back side of the rock piles, and were only visible when they took to the air. Herring Gull - 500+ Ring-billed Gull - a few Thayer's Gull - 1 adult Franklin's Gull - 1 lingering adult, which has been seen a few times over the past couple weeks. I'll be curious to see how long it sticks around - what's the record late occurrence for Franklin's? There may have been other species present, as we were never able to see the bulk of the flock, except briefly in flight. Other than gulls: 1 Peregrine Falcon, a couple Black Ducks, 10 Trumpeter Swans, a single Hooded Merganser. And of course, lots of eagles, tons of Mallards, Canada Geese, and Common Mergansers. And a river otter! Many thanks to the Xcel Energy staff for graciously providing access to the site (especially Tom Fallgren, the plant director), and to Jim Mattson for coordinating with Xcel and arranging these visits! Good birding, Matt Dufort Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] Turtle L., Ramsey County
Hello all, I wanted to post a response to these questions, as I haven't seen much discussion on the list about the two birds photographed. The bird photographed by Gail Wieberdink is, to my eye, clearly a winter-plumage Horned Grebe. The relevant marks are most visible in this photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gailw/4083957590/. Note especially the short bill (for a grebe), the relatively short neck, and the clear line dividing the dark cap from the light cheek and front of the neck. Western/Clark's Grebes would have a much longer bill, a blockier head, and a proportionately longer neck. These species (Horned and Western/Clark's) can look very similar, except for the shape of the head and neck, and the shape and color of the bill. Here's a photo of a Western Grebe in a similar posture to the photo above: http://www.badbirder.com/images/new/may5n6/wegr.jpg. The pattern and shape of the head and neck on Gail's bird also rule out Red-necked and Eared Grebes. The bird photographed by Erik Collins isn't conclusively identifiable from the photos. To my eye, it looks more like a Western/Clark's Grebe than anything else - note the very long neck and the bulky look of the head in this photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikcollins/4081166725/. But unfortunately, since the bird didn't stick around, we'll never know. Lastly, telling Western from Clark's grebes in winter is an underappreciated ID problem. In Washington state, where I used to live, and where both species are regular in winter (though Clark's is uncommon to rare), it causes a lot of controversy. The most extreme Clark's are obvious (white on the face extending above the eye, and bright orange bill), as are the most extreme Westerns (dusky face and dingy yellowish-green bill), but there are a decent number of intermediate birds that can't be solidly identified in winter. Thanks to both Gail and Erik for posting their photos! Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Gail Wieberdink wrote: I wonder if this might be the same bird seen by Erik yesterday on Turtle Lake. We saw this bird on Lake Gervais in Little Canada around 1:15 this afternoon. I'm afraid my photo attempts are not much better than Erik's, but I've posted what I got on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gailw/sets/72157622755132040/ Take a look. Gail I - Erik Collins suee...@msn.com wrote: | This afternoon I found an interesting, very distant bird on Turtle Lake in Ramsey County. Its long white neck and dark back made me think it was perhaps a Western Grebe, but the bird was so far away they were the only details I could see. I wish there had been a nearby duck or gull to get a better estimate of its size. | | | | I attempted to take some pictures by holding a digital camera up to my scope. Here are two crops of the same photo. They're pretty bad. | | | | http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikcollins/4081166725/ | | | | http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikcollins/4081921884/ | | | | I hesitated posting with such little information and poor pictures, especially because it will probably turn out to be something not that exciting, but I thought it might be interesting to see what others thought. | | | | Erik Collins | | Shoreview | | _ | Find the right PC with Windows 7 and Windows Live. | http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/pc-scout/laptop-set-criteria.aspx?cbid=wlfilt=200,2400,10,19,1,3,1,7,50,650,2,12,0,1000cat=1,2,3,4,5,6brands=5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16addf=4,5,9ocid=PID24727::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WWL_WIN_evergreen2:112009 | Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Sherburne Mille Lacs areas - Black Scoter
While lots of other folks went chasing the Black Guillemot today, I made my way up through Sherburne to Lake Mille Lacs. The large number of hunters made me favor the roadside birding of Mille Lacs over the bush-beating of Sherburne. I found two Townsend's Solitaires, singing, calling, and chasing each other aggressively, in the field west of the Ann Lake campground near Sherburne NWR (directions posted recently by Al Schirmacher). A few other birds around, but nothing notable. Along the west side of Lake Mille Lacs, I looked at several hundred each of Common Loons, Common Goldeneye, Bonaparte's and Ring-billed Gulls, but couldn't find any unusual species among them. While scanning the lake from the big fish pulloff in Garrison, I ran into Tanya Beyer. After a few minutes an adult male Black Scoter flew in, landed, dove once, and apparently didn't like what it found. It then flew out and up, headed south high above the lake. It looked like it was headed for Iowa, but it may have stopped somewhere further south along the lakeshore. Lastly, while driving down Highway 65 in Kanabec County, just south of Brunswick, I had a medium-sized gamebird fly across the road in front of me. It looked an awful lot like a Gray Partridge, but it's tough to be sure at 60 mph. The habitat in the area was a mix of fields and treelines, and looked decent for partridges. The MOU website doesn't list them as occurring in the county, but I'm curious if anyone's seen them there (even if it was released birds). Thanks, and good birding. Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Late migrants, Minnehaha Park, Minneapolis
On a short walk through Minnehaha Park in southeast Minneapolis today, I came across a nice little group of migrants, including some lingering species I wasn't expecting to see. In addition to the numerous Yellow-rumped Warblers, Fox and White-throated Sparrows, kinglets, creepers, robins, and waxwings, were the following: 25 Orange-crowned Warblers - a really nice concentration to find this late in the fall 1 Nashville Warbler hanging out with the Orange-crowns 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak - a young male with a bit of pink on the breast and nice pink underwings Most of these birds were feeding in the weedy area along the power-line cut in the off-leash dog area. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Re: [mou-net] [mou-rba] [mou-net] LITTLE BLUE HERON-RAMSEY COUNTY
As Jim said, we were able to see the bird well and to confirm that it's an immature Little Blue Heron (though see note below on the color of the lores). The bird flew in, apparently from the northeast part of the lake, to the beach area at Turtle Lake County Park around 11:15, and was still there when I left at noon. It spent most of its time roosting on nearby docks and boats. According to a local resident, it may have been around for much of the summer. Notable features: white overall, dusky tips to the outer primaries, yellow-green legs, and a stout, bicolored bill. Note that it appears to have yellowish lores, which are more typical of Snowy Egret. If you see this bird, please take notes and/or photos, so that the possibility of a hybrid x Snowy Egret can be evaluated. A few grainy photos are up on the recently seen section of the MOU website. Other birds at the lake included a few shorebirds on the grassy island, including several Baird's Sandpipers, and a few Caspian Terns. There was also at least one Great Egret around. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis On Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 2:40 PM, james otto r...@moumn.org wrote: The interesting wading bird in Ramsey County at Turtle Lake, found by Erik Collins, turns out to be a juvenile Little Blue Heron. Observed today at 11;15 am by the following birders Bill Litkey, Linda Sparling, Conny Brunell, Mark Junghans, Matt Dufort and myself. Observed from Turtle Lake State Park off of County road 49. James Otto _ Windows Live: Keep your friends up to date with what you do online. http://windowslive.com/Campaign/SocialNetworking?ocid=PID23285::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:SI_SB_online:082009 Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Bass Ponds shorebirds
I spent this morning at the Bass Ponds in Bloomington, Hennepin County. There's been a ton of shorebird habitat there for the last few weeks, and it finally paid off with large numbers and diversity of birds this morning. Between 7:30 and 10:00 I saw 16 species of shorebirds, including the following (along with larger numbers of Least Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, and Lesser Yellowlegs): 1 Black-bellied Plover 1 Marbled Godwit 1 Ruddy Turnstone 3 Sanderling 35 Dunlin 1 Baird's Sandpiper 2 White-rumped Sandpiper 5 Pectoral Sandpiper 9 Short-billed Dowitcher 1 Wilson's Phalarope All of these birds were out on Long Meadow Lake, viewed from the Hogback Ridge Trail. The mudflats stretch all the way across the lake, so a scope is essential. Many birds were coming and going, and few of them stayed long. When I passed by later in the day, I could only find a few peeps. Also around at the Bass Ponds were Bay-breasted Warbler, Gray-cheeked Thrush, late Ruby-crowned Kinglet Lincoln's Sparrow, and two Black Terns. Nesting activity is picking up as well - I saw several species with fledglings and several others in the process of building nests. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Hudsonian Godwit at Bass Ponds (Hennepin Co.)
This morning there was a Hudsonian Godwit on Long Meadow Lake at the Bass Ponds in Bloomington, Hennepin County. It was present from at least 7:30 to 9:00 when I left. I first saw it flying around the lake, then feeding in fairly deep water on the far side of the lake. It was sometimes out in the deep water among the dabbling ducks, well away from any other shorebirds. This was looking out across the water from the main dike trail. There is tons of mud, and there were plenty of other shorebirds - about 150 yellowlegs (almost all Lesser), 2 Solitary Sandpipers, and 3 very distant dowitchers. Landbird migration was slow - lots of Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers, but not much else. I also flushed 5 Black-crowned Night-Herons out of the cattail marshes, and heard my first Sora of the year. After seeing so many shorebirds at the Bass Ponds, I decided to check out other shorebird spots around the area. I turned up the following: 180th Street Marsh, north of Vermillion 15 Pectoral Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Solitary Sandpipers (and a couple I ran into had seen a Baird's Sandpiper there as well) Also in the area were Brewer's Blackbirds, which I've had trouble finding this spring, and a Loggerhead Shrike along 180th just east of Emery Ave. Randolph Industrial Park 1 singing Grasshopper Sparrow, my first of the year (per others, there are also still a few Lapland Longspurs here) Lake Byllesby 11 Willets, 1 Greater and 40 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Dunlin, 1 Wilson's Phalarope Nicollet Sewage Ponds many Lesser and 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Wilson's Phalarope, 1 Least Sandpiper, 1 Baird's Sandpiper, 1 Long-billed Dowitcher, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, and a ton of Yellow-headed Blackbirds 12 shorebird species today! Pretty exciting for this part of the state. Good birding, Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Chestnut-collared Longspur in Dakota Co.
I spent the day birding from the twin cities area down to Lake Byllesby. Not surprisingly, there were lots of other birders out and about. The big highlight of the day was a Chestnut-collared Longspur, observed around 12:30 among a large flock (500+) of Lapland Longspurs at the Randolph industrial site in Dakota County. This site is just off MN Hwy 56 (Randolph Blvd) north of Randolph. From Hwy 56, turn west onto 284th St E. It's essentially a small network of roads that don't connect to anything, but run through some really nice grassland habitat. The longspur flock was moving around a lot, frequenting fields on the north and south sides of the road west of the first stop sign. The vegetation south of the road makes it impossible to see them when they're on the ground; the field north of the road is bare stubble, and they spent a lot of time feeding in it. The majority of the flock departed to the north around 1:00, but is probably still in the general area. At the time the Chestnut-collared appeared, I was with Steve Weston and another birder. The Chestnut-collared was seen only in flight - it made several passes by us, giving a unique flight call. I was able to follow it for 30-45 seconds and see the extensive black on the breast and sides contrasting with the pale face, as well as the white wedges in the tail, which were much more extensive and differently-shaped than the Laplands. Unfortunately we weren't ever able to find it on the ground to get longer looks. We also spent a long time looking for Smith's Longspurs in the flock, without success. Otherwise, birds were everywhere today, including many recent arrivals. Some notable things: Many places: Vesper Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Phoebe, Tree Barn Swallow, Wood Duck, Green-winged Blue-winged Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup Bass Ponds (with Alexis Powell several others) - loads of Hermit Thrushes, Ruddy Duck, Hooded Merganser, Horned Grebe Old Cedar Ave bridge area (with the same folks): - 1 Broad-winged Hawk, many calling Virginia Rails, Great Egret, Trumpeter Swan, White-throated Sparrows Randolph industrial site - Northern Harrier, both Eastern and Western Meadowlarks, Savannah Sparrow West end of Lake Byllesby (where I ran into Laura Coble) - Greater Lesser Yellowlegs, ~20 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 Sandhill Cranes, 5 Greater White-fronted Geese, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Redhead, Am. White Pelicans, 20 Bonaparte's Gulls, Lapland Longspur (fly-over) East end of Lake Byllesby - Field Sparrow (at the county park / boat launch), 3 Common Loons, 20 Pied-billed Grebes, Kestrels North of Vermillion, I found several Loggerhead Shrikes at the sites along Fischer and Emery Avenues described by Bill Stauffer. A quick note on these shrikes - I went by this morning and couldn't find them. Went back this afternoon and they were very cooperative. So it pays to try the same spot at different times of day. I'm sure I'm forgetting things... it was a wonderful day to be out! Matt Dufort Minneapolis Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Ramsey County Varied Thrush still present Monday 2/9
Hello all, The Varied Thrush was present at the same spot as previously reported in Roseville this morning. It made several brief visits to the fruiting trees on the corner of Merrill and C2 between 8:30 and 9:00. Each time it left it flew off to the southeast, but a search of that area of the neighborhood was unsuccessful. Matt Dufort Saint Paul, MN -Original Message- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:mou-...@lists.umn.edu] On Behalf Of Terence Brashear Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 4:07 PM To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU Subject: [mou-net] Ramsey County Varied Thrush present at 1PM 2/8/09 - photo The bird made an appearance in the previously mentioned trees at the corner of C2 and Merrill, but then flew to the NE to another fruiting tree north of C2 on Merrill. It was seen again at 3:30 and then I left. Not a great background on this image, but the bird shows nicely: http://naturepixels.com/varied_thrush_09.jpg Regards, Terry Terry Brashear Hennepin County, MN http://www.naturepixels.com birdnird AT yahoo.com Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.19/1939 - Release Date: 2/7/2009 1:39 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.19/1939 - Release Date: 2/7/2009 1:39 PM Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
