Re: [mou-net] Morrison County Varied Thrush
Very cool!! Love that bird Cathy Gagliardi > On October 22, 2018 at 8:54 AM Kimberly Emerson > wrote: > > > My dad just had a varied thrush bathing in his water feature. It took off > with a flock of robins towards some crabapple trees. He is going to try and > relocate it. People are welcome to look for it. Email me for his cell > number. > > Kimberly Emerson > Windom, MN > > > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Morrison County Varied Thrush
My dad just had a varied thrush bathing in his water feature. It took off with a flock of robins towards some crabapple trees. He is going to try and relocate it. People are welcome to look for it. Email me for his cell number. Kimberly Emerson Windom, MN Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
[mou-net] Morrison County
Things are starting to wake up in Morrison County. I had a flock of 50 Redwing Blackbirds South of Bowlus and more and more Geese and Swans are showing up South of the Little Falls Dam. The water North of the dam is starting to break up which usually results in a large amount of water fowl. I am seeing a few Kestrels and more and more Red Tailed Hawks and less Rough Legged. My Cardinals are calling a lot and I have been seeing the Eurasian Collared Doves in the area near Pine Grove Park. There are not to many pot holes around because it seems the melt off went right down into the ground. Should be easier to find shore birds and water fowl. Maybe its the good weather getting me going but I am sure excited about what is going to happen soon. 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] Morrison County
Seeing more Horned Larks showing up and less Snow Buntings and Redpolls. I did have my first nice flock of Pine Siskins come into my feeder today. Otherwise, only a few Juncos, Cardinals, and the other common birds showing up. I am still seeing occasional Rough Legged Hawks and more Red Tails. 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] Morrison County
I tried to attach a photo of the Varied Thrush but it was rejected. Other news: Morrison County still has a number of Redpolls and Snow Buntings about. Just North of Randall (on 1) I found about 50 Bohemian Waxwings and 1 Redwing Blackbird. There are still a large number of Eagles hanging out about 3 miles East of Crane Meadows. While you drive around you will find Red Tailed and Rough Legged Hawks, a few Kestrels and I did hear a Red Shouldered Hawk. In the evenings the Great Horned and Barred Owls are making a lot of noise. heard rumors of a Black Billed Magpie but have not been able to relocate. 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] Morrison County Youth Bird Outing. May 7th
On May 7th, Milt Blomberg, Gerald Yourczek and I (Frank Gosiak) are taking 40 High School Students on a bird/photography outing to Lindbergh State Park, Schoessling Edition, and Camp Ripley. We will be at Lindbergh’s entrance at 8:30 where we will spend an hour and a half in the park. Then we will go to Camp Ripley for 2 hours (DeParcque Woods and Skoglund Environmental Center) and end at Schoessling for an hour and a half. If anyone would like to join us and mentor some of these students with bird identification and nature photography tips we would appreciate your help. Contact Milt at 320-828-1171 or Frank 320-267-1667. You can also respond to this message. I think it will be a good day to build up your lists for Morrison County, or the year, and to influence some new bird enthusiasts. Thanks for your time. Frank 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] Morrison County - Crane Meadows NWR
We spent most of yesterday afternoon with Jerry and Carol Dirks walking the Platte River Trail at Crane Meadows NWR near Little Falls. The walk produced 24 species, about half of which were first of the year birds for us. Sightings included a resting flock of about 300 greater white-fronted geese as well as about 75 swan scattered in smaller groups (including mostly trumpeters and some tundras), all near the observation deck on Rice Lake. Scattered across the far side of Rice Lake were at least a dozen bald eagles, apparently resting and/or scavenging on the clumps of mud and vegetation. Other birds of interest were a few northern pintail, bufflehead and lesser scaup; as well as an eastern phoebe, pied billed grebe, northern harrier, brown creeper, turkey vulture and an over flight of about 50 snow geese. It was nice to see the migration ramping up with so much more to come! Scott and Connie Jo Dirks Scott M. Dirks 320-732-8008 (home) 612-600-1795 (cell) 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] Morrison County Snowy Owl
The Snowy Owl is still present this evening near Royalton. The bird moves around a lot near the Royal Farms complex. Sometimes it moves South to the irrigation pipes. The road is very busy so be careful. Also, the bird is flighty and when one car approached to closely, it almost ended up in a pickups grill when it fled. 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] Morrison County Snowy Owl
I found a snowy owl near the intersection of Morrison County Road 27 (Nature Road) and 160th Ave this afternoon. This is about one mile west of the town of Royalton - CR 27 goes west from the only light on Hwy. 10 in Royalton. It was still in the same area at 4:30 p.m. This is the same spot Frank Gosiak found a snowy - I think winter before last. Betsy Beneke St. Cloud 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] Morrison County Evening Grossbeaks.
Finally, found Evening Grossbeaks in Morrison County. Coming in to a feeder W of the Cushing Church North of Little Falls on Hwy10. The owner will call back if he sees them again. He has seen them 3 times before . 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] Morrison County Spring bird count.
Colder day than normal (42-53 degrees) but we came up with 123 species. Still very low with the warblers (7 kinds) and didn't get any Red Shouldered hawks from the 4 usual sites. Worked real hard to get shore birds with the most in the Upsala sewage ponds. Bowlus and Upsala ponds were overflowing with Yellow Rumps and a few Yellow and Palm Warblers. Most waterfall came from the Mississippi and the Bowlus, Sobieski, Flensburg, and Upsala sewage ponds with only 13 regular species. All the regular Thrushes were found with many Swainsons, less Gray Cheeked, 1 Hermit, 2 Wood, 1 Veery,good amount of Blue Birds and tons of Robins. Heard 1 Woodcock and saw 2 Wilsons Snipe (not sounding any more). White Throat Sparrows were coming through in large amounts and picked up on some White Crowned and Harris Sparrows. The other regular sparrows were in many places but no irregulars. A few Sedge Wrens were calling with only 1 Marsh Wren reported. Got my first Indigo Bunting, Black and White Warbler, and Rose Breasted Grossbeak of the year plus a few Catbirds. Many Brown Thrashers have been showing up. Still waiting for the Warblers. Soras are calling in many low lands and got 1 American Bittern. 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] Morrison County and Albany.
This Week. Many Yellow Rumped Warblers and Hermit Thrush. Wilson Snipe flying in the lowlands (saw 9) in many places. Have come across 2 Great Horned Owls and 2 Coopers Hawks. The Mississippi just north of Little Falls has Greater (a fair number) and Lesser Scaup along with a large number of Red Heads. The Common Merganser have moved on but Buffllehead, Hooded Merganser, Common Goldeneye, Canvasback, Pied billed Grebe, Horned Grebe are still plentiful along with many Coot. Saw 1 Winter Wren in Lindbergh State Park and a Peewee. A lot of Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers are around with Flickers. The Osprey pair has been back at the tower by the dam in Little Falls for the last 2 weeks. Shorebird numbers are still low and the only other Warblers I have found are a few Pine Warblers that I heard. Looking forward to the warbler migration and more shorebirds. At the Albany Sewage Ponds there are many Scaup, a few Ringnecks, Canvasbacks, RedHeads, Ruddy Ducks, and Buffleheads. Many Bonapart Gulls were also present. Water level very high and no shorebirds are present. 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] Morrison County
Groups of Redpolls are still hanging out in the area. Some look like Hoary (but aren't) and are light colored from feather loss (Redpolls have very tight feathers for insulation and when they get into warmer weather they pick off some to cool down which make them look lighter). Larkspurs are showing up along with many raptors especially Red Tails. Harriers are gliding everywhere and I saw one Rough Legged this week. More and more Juncos are showing up and less Horned Larks. The Eagles are sitting on their nests and the Blue Birds are everywhere. The Mississippi is low on action because it is flooding in some areas and the water is moving very fast. I have seen Common Golden Eyes, Buffel Heads, many Trumpeters, Canadian Geese in larger numbers and a few Hooded and Common Merganzers. Tree Sparrows are showing up and many, many Red Winged Blackbirds along with Grackles. Things are becoming more active with birds calling in the morning. I think my Red Shouldered Hawk is back because I heard a call but it could be the pesky Blue Jay that uses this call to scare the birds out of the feeder. Anyway things are becoming more active. SAND HILLS, BLUE HERONS AND KILLDEER ARE HERE BUT NO OTHER SHORE BIRDS. Like other counties there is standing water everywhere. 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] Morrison County
Average groups of Common Redpolls are found in many places along with more groups of Dark Eyed Juncos. Along the road edges there are small groups of Horned Larks arriving mixing with those that over wintered. Have also come across Great Horned and Barred Owls in various locations which were calling. Came across a Northern Harrier and more Red Tailed hawks are moving about. The Bald Eagles are moving in in larger numbers and a friend did see 1 Rough Legged Hawk. Also, Have checked out more Larch stands and did find stripped trees but did not see any Black Backed or American Three Toed. Beyond this a few Kestrels have been reported and a couple of Red Headed Woodpeckers are at a feeder near Little Elk W.M.A. White Winged Crossbills are still around but it is getting harder to find them. I heard the Sax-Zim festival was very good and I wished I could have made it. Hopefully next year. 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] Morrison County
Minnesota friends: After receiving a call from Pat Dunn of EROS that he had found a field with dozens of Bald Eagles one mile south of Valley Spring SD, just across the border from Minnesota, Doug Chapman and I made a quick run to check it out. We found a total of 12 adult Bald Eagles, two immature Bald Eagles, and one RL Hawk in the fields indicated by Pat. The group of 14-20 eagles seen today by birders has to be a Minnehaha County record for one spot. Pat indicated the farmer had placed chicken innards for fertilized in his fields, and somehow the eagles spotted it. The eagles were too far out for a great photo, but one distant one is found below. http://www.leifericson.org/sfbc/id33.html We also discovered that in the few warm days last week there was flooding and massive ice breakup. Flocks of Horned Larks were on the roadsides On the way we saw Juncos and Downy WP at the Perry Nature Park near Sioux Falls feeders, and Many House Finch, Downys, and WB Nuthatches at Schmidtbauer Nature Preserve south of Brandon. The eagles were no doubt migrants, and will probably hang around a few days. The site is one mile south of Valley Springs on the west side of the highway. Mick Zerr Sioux Falls Bird Club 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] Morrison County report: Black Backed Woodpeckers
As winter lingers and we scramble about looking for the few species we can find, the terms ethics and correct identification seem to come up to fill our spare time. I've enjoyed reading the articles (not reports) by Mike, David, Sparky and Shawn which all seem valid. It causes me to reflect on my own personal approach to birding. As Shawn wrote it is not uncommon to see the Hoary Redpoll in North Central Minnesota and he doesn't look at the bird as a rare sighting and he recognizes the markings better from his experiences. Others who are not as familiar with the bird might mess up a little when they report a sighting , but, they should report it never the less. How else can they become experienced unless they make a few mistakes? Anyway let the Rare Bird committee sort it out. They have paid their dues and have worked through their mistakes. Before I write my report I would like to say this is still one of the best sites for info about birding in Minnesota. Its not perfect but it sure has its advantages. This winter has been good to me in Morrison County where I live. I got a Varied Thrush, Long Tailed Duck, Golden Eagle and recently I found a Hoary Redpoll ( I know what they are I saw a few in Koochiching when I lived there) and 3 Black Backed Woodpeckers (all new county birds). Also reported by others in the county were another Longtailed Duck, White Winged Scoter (Rice Lake by Crane Meodows National Wildlife Refuge) and a Harlequin Duck (Lake Alexander) but they were all killed by hunters. The birds are here but it takes work and more birders to find them. As far as the Black Backed Woodpeckers, Milt Blomberg and I found 1 just West of Cushing in the Tamaracks. This spot is easy to get to because you can follow the snowmobile trail back. The other spot is on 200th street and County Road 11 in N.W Morrison by the Little Elk W.M.A. Milt went back to find a nice male and female but it is a very hard place to get to. You have to walk back to the bog 1 mile down the river opening and then the work begins as you walk another mile in the Larch Trees before you get to the site.. Milt used snowshoes and I follow him back using boots. I was spent when I got to the site. We took an alternate route back only to get tangled up and taking an additional 3.5 hours to find our way out. We were totally shot when whe got out which was not very wise.Stick to the trail Milt went in on and follow the same way back. Call for info if you are brave hearted and foolish enough. Milts on a roll. He has found Black Backs in Stearns and now in Morrison. They are in these counties but it takes a lot of work to cover these out of the way places. I've been calling Milt: Black Back Blomberg, because of his ability to find them. The D.N.R reported 9 good Larch stands in Morrison to Denny Martin. They also said they saw a Hawk Owl by the Little Elk area. I haven't been able to locate it but if someone else is in the area and they find it. Please report it to me. Have good birding experiences and above all remain safe. Frank Gosiak fgos...@gmail.com 1-320-267-1667 Little Falls Minnesota. Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
