[mou-net] Pope County birds
This report is late because I live in what my neighbor affectionately terms “third world Plymouth”. We have been “off the grid” since Thursday night/Friday morning and we just got internet back last evening - but still no actual power. There are at least 7 generators humming on our block including my own. You have to shout to communicate with your neighbor. I am considering a petition to the City of Plymouth for a wind farm in my back yard. However, none of this is unexpected because we are always the last neighborhood to have power restored – which is why I have had a generator for 10 years. We spent the week of June 16 – 21 in Pope County, 18 – 21 doing MBBA surveys, between rain showers. I spent most of the night of June 20 helping the staff evacuate residents of the assisted living facility my mom lives in (in Glenwood). There were some 40 folks that needed help moving to the basement after the tornado siren went off. About a third of the residents were connected to some device; oxygen, CPAP, whatever. So I developed quite a respect for the 20 something young woman charged with this responsibility – it is a very big job. I am sure most of us do not appreciate what these people do. There was literally water everywhere in Pope County on Friday. I had anecdotal reports of anywhere between 5 and 9 inches of rain at Starbuck. A small tornado was reported (but unconfirmed) near Swift Falls and Gilchrist. Once again, many trees were down and a small lake formed on the Pope County fairgrounds in Glenwood (not an uncommon occurrence). My 12 year old assistant and I covered all six of my MBBA blocks over 4 days. Amazingly, my assistant hung in with me on one 8 hour birding marathon. But the birds were interesting, nevertheless. Most interesting and surprising to me was the diversity we found in our most agricultural block, in Walden Township. Here is the list from that block: Marsh Wren – many calling from the wetland Swamp Sparrow – some calling but maybe not as many as last year Alder Flycatcher – quite surprising, calling from a brushy area in a WPA Warbling Vireo Black Tern – first one on a nest. She looked very uncomfortable in the rain on a nest only inches above the water in the wetland – hope she does not get “swamped”. Others circling and feeding. Common Yellowthroat – well, common Red-winged Blackbirds – ubiquitous Yellow-headed blackbirds – 15 Least Bittern – THE BIRD OF THE DAY! Ring-necked Ducks – 3 pair Red-headed Duck – 2 pair Canvasback Duck – 1 pair Hooded Merganser – 1 female Mallard – several males Red-necked Grebe – 1 male Common Loon – 1 bird landed in the WPA pond as we were observing Tree Swallow – 1 bird tending to a hole in a dead tree – assuming young Eastern Kingbird – several pair Song Sparrow – A dozen birds around the block Yellow Warbler – many Bobolinks – at least 2 males calling Barn Swallows – many Canada Goose – several pairs Blue-winged Teal – 3 pairs Wood ducks – 3 birds Ruddy Duck – 1 male bird on a small farm pond Killdeer – several birds flopping around American Robins – many Gray Catbird – 2 birds Mourning Doves – Everywhere we went we found them at the roads Elsewhere, in addition to above: Black Terns: 25 individual birds – 4 sitting on nests American Coot: One on a nest – eggs apparently hatching with baby birds peeking out from under the hen. Bobolinks: At least 15 birds – found in nearly every block. Least Bittern: LIFE BIRD FOR ME! Spotted by my sharp eyed assistant. Clay-Colored Sparrows – Pretty much as expected in most grassy areas Field Sparrows – A few of these around – mostly in Langhei Tsp. Vesper Sparrows - Savannah Sparrows - Pied-billed Grebes – 8 birds on various small ponds – no young yet Red-tailed Hawk 5 or 6 birds around Bald Eagle – 1 circling in Langhei, one pair with fledged young on the nest in Nora Tsp. Great Egrets – singles scattered around – many at one pond in Langhei Orchard Orioles – 3 or 4 birds scattered around Baltimore Orioles – scattered around Great-crested Flycatchers – scattered around Eastern Pewee – also scattered around American White Pelicans – some individuals on ponds – a bunch in White Bear Tsp – possible rookery House Wrens - Chipping sparrows – all over the place Am. goldfinches – scattered around Common Grackles American Robins - Least Flycatchers – a few Kingfisher House Finches Yellow-throated Vireo – one bird Cedar Waxwing – carrying nesting material Another Tree Swallow feeding young Wood Ducks – 13 birds in one pond Pied-billed Grebe - on nest Red-necked Grebes – 2 pair on the same lake as last summer Turkey Vultures – 2 pairs, 1 apparent pair in Nora and 1 in Ben Wade Eastern Bluebirds - Rose-breasted Grosbeak – male Ring-billed Gull – fly-over Ring-necked Pheasant – a few males seen, many calling. Flickers – many Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Blue Jay American Crow Northern Harrier Cliff Swallow Double-crested Cormorant – a few around We also
[mou-net] Pope County birds
Birded around Pope County from Friday to Tuesday, mostly in MBBA blocks. Changes over the weekend were almost instantaneous. Agriculture is finally off the ground – or should I say “into the ground”. On Friday only areas with light soils were worked or planted – By Monday everything was in play, even areas with heavier soils. The ice went off Lake Minnewaska on Saturday, May 11, smashing the previous late ice out record of May 7. However, only the truly tough braved the lake on the Walleye opener. I saw only one boat. Birds were mostly as reported by others. The only uncommon birds seen were a Le Conte’s Sparrow in Walden Township and a Common Tern in a very small pond along Highway 29, 10 miles south of Starbuck. Sparrows are back in force. They appeared already on territories or in the process of establishing one. The most common open country sparrows were: - Song – everywhere, calling - Chipping – also everywhere, calling like mad - Clay-colored – Many, in appropriated habitats, calling - Field – Fewer, perhaps more are coming. The ones there are in trees calling - Swamp – very few. Either they are not back yet or are not yet calling. - Le Conte’s – one bird in a plowed field giving us probably the best look I have ever had of one. I think he was “caught out in the open”. He kept very still probably depending on camo. As I slwly tried to fetch my camera, he made a break for the grass. - White-crowned – small groups of 3 to 6 birds in various places. - White-throated – a few birds in mixed flocks with White-crowned and Harris’s. - Harris’s – same as WTSP and WCSP – a few in the mixed flocks. First record of Harris’s on my farm. On Friday and Saturday, we saw only a few Savannah and Vesper Sparrows – By Monday, they were everywhere. I think they may nest at the NEW Lowry Sewage ponds. We found no Grasshopper Sparrows but, then again, I cannot hear them unless the weather is perfectly calm and we had no such calm weather this weekend. Waterfowl: - Canada Geese - Northern Shovellers - Wood Duck - Mallard - Redheads - Ring-necked - Blue-winged Teal - Pied-billed Grebe - Horned Grebe – first ever at the lake on my farm - Double-crested Cormorant – in a very small pond along highway 29 and 10 miles south of Starbuck - Scaup sp - Bufflehead - American Coot - Am White Pelicans - Forster’s Terns – on Lake Minnewaska and the above mentioned small pond - Common Tern – feeding in the small pond with Forster’s - Black Terns – also feeding in the small pond Ground birds: - Wild Turkey - Ring-necked Pheasant – many calling and “flapping” Shore birds; - Greater Yellowlegs – pair in a field along highway 29 - Killdeer – All over – making their presence known with quite a racket Raptors: - Bald Eagle – fly-over the Langhei tsp MBBA block - N. Harrier – several - Red-tailed Hawks – everywhere – 8 to 10 Commons: - Red-winged Blackbirds, Am. Crows, Mourning Doves, Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays Swallows, swifts, and martins: In general, they were active and seemed to be around in good numbers. We saw them hawking insects mainly over small ponds, sometimes snatching something directly from the water. - Tree swallows – lots around (one pair guarding a nest box) - Barn Swallows – seem to be doing fine, good numbers - Chimney Swifts – one flock of about 20 birds flew over while I was in line at the Dairy Queen in Glenwood - Purple Martins – Martins are at all the nest box sites I checked. It is difficult to know if the population is up or down but it seemed to us there were fewer birds. We shall see... Miscellaneous: - Brown thrasher – one singing - Sora – one or two in various wetlands - Yellow-rumped Warbler – many - Yellow Warbler – 15 or 20 birds in 5 or 6 locations - Palm Warbler – a few - Horned Larks – all over on about any road in the county - Common Grackle – all over - Am. Robins – all over – one observed nest building in Langhei Tshp - Brown-headed Cowbirds – Many birds around. We observed one mating pair. My wife was put off by the male bird’s “love ‘em and leave ‘em” behavior. I pointed out that the female is not much better. Quite the conversation for Mother’s Day. - Yellow-headed Blackbird – There is a very promising wetland in an agricultural area dominated by Yellow-headeds – nice to see. - Veery - Warbling Vireo – The bird was back in the same tree he has occupied for the last three years. I think it is the same bird – I recognize his Norwegian accent. Sid Stivland Pope County (and Plymouth, 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] Pope County birds
A very quick trip to Pope County. A day and a half in the snow, fog, and wind. Tundra Swans: Pretty good sized flock, maybe 200, on Larson Lake west of my farm. There was also a smattering of waterfowl but too far away to ID. Common Redpolls: Flock of 25 – 30 birds along the back roads south of Lowry. Lapland Longspurs: One pair on my farm. Others; Coots: Large rafts of 1000 or more on Lake Minnewaska Ring-billed Gulls: flocks on Lake Minnewaska and around the county. Juncos, a Red-tailed Hawk, and the usual suspects. Sid Stivland Plymouth, MN (and Pope County) 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] Pope County birds
A bit late but here it is: My wife and I took the alternate route to Pope County last Sunday on I-94 to look for the snowy in Stearns county. It was at the same location reported by Betsy Beneke and others off 390th and CR 26. It must have been within 100 yards of the location reported. It did fly maybe 200 yards east to another location on the ridge. Difficult to say if it is stressed or not. If strong flight is good – it may be in pretty good shape. Also had a second-hand report of a possible snowy in Glenwood last week. Reported by a retired DNR guy so might be fairly reliable. The sighting was at Barsness Park east of Lake Minnewaska, the soccer field area – not the wooded section. I scoured the area and checked the lake several times but saw no sign of it! Not much else of interest but, as others have reported, Horned Larks are everywhere. I had a flock of maybe 50 birds at my farm. Sid Stivland Plymouth, MN (and Pope County) 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] Pope county birds
My wife and I did a little birding around western Pope County this weekend – actually very little considering lousy, rainy, stormy weather and out of town visiting family with 4 under 3 years old. Fun but hard to get away to bird! We found pretty much the same good supply of birds as everyone else. I just wanted to post an observation. There are an unusually good number of Bobolinks around. I found Bobolinks in four locations, three within my Breeding Bird Atlas blocks and one within a quarter mile. All with very little effort and within a couple hours time. One was an apparent breeding pair in courtship-type behavior, and right across the road from my farm! I do not think I have ever seen a Bobolink there or anywhere near there. Thinking this must be a fluke or a reflection on my poor observation skills, I told a friend of mine, a retired MN DNR Fisheries guy, and he said he had not seen them in years. Went over to see my cousin and buy tomato plants and he volunteered that he had seen this bird on his postal rural route east of Glenwood. Then my cousin’s granddaughter (who, with her brother, has agreed to help me with my BBA block) said her school group saw 2 Bobolinks on a nature walk outside the school near Glenwood. She proudly told me she had spotted the birds and, when she pointed them out to the teacher, he got really excited. He said he had not seen them in awhile, either. So – although this is by no means a scientific report, at least for this year, it appears that west-central Minnesota has good Bobolink habitat. I plan to follow up for my BBA data. Other “good birds” around: Sora pair Sedge Wrens (lots) Sparrows (Clay-colored, Song, Vesper, and Chipping) (lots) Eastern Kingbirds (many) Bald Eagle pair (on nest) Least Flycatchers (several) Yellow-headed Blackbirds (several) Common Loon (on Lake Latoka) Black-billed Cuckoo calling up the shore of Lake Latoka Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats (all over the place) Orchard Oriole pair Baltimore Orioles (all over) Horned Larks singing There is water everywhere you look. Should be a good year for ducks (and muskrats). Whew – there are a lot of serious muskrat mounds around! Redheads on several larger ponds A few Canvasbacks Blue-winged Teal everywhere Pied-billed Grebes on many ponds No shorebirds except Killdeer Raptors, Many Northern Harriers and Red-tails Turkey Vultures (a few around) Not many Kestrals, though There were lots of migrating warblers and vireos. All-in-all not a bad few hours considering. Sid Stivland Plymouth, MN (and Pope County) 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] Pope County birds
Saturday and Sunday in Pope County. South of Starbuck, 275th and 215th. Eurasian Collared Dove Yellow-throated Vireos Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Belted Kingfisher Green Heron Yellow Warblers Am. Redstarts Baltimore Orioles singing all day long Clay-colored Sparrows Eastern Wood Pewee Red-eyed Vireos Song Sparrows Chipping Sparrows Am. White Pelicans Chimney Swifts Vesper Sparrows Gray Catbird Froland WPA south of Starbuck: 5 Locations around the pond for Marsh Wrens (breeding pairs?) Sedge Wrens Clay-colored Sparrows Rose-breasted Grosbeak Am Redstarts Yellow Warblers Cedar Waxwings Pied-billed Grebe with 4 young on the pond Blue-winged Teal on the pond Song, Chipping Sparrows Common Yellowthroats (many) Gray Catbird 240th and 275th south of Glenwood; Warbling Vireo Several Veerys Least Flycatcher Yellow Warbler Swamp Sparrow Song, Clay-colored Sparrows Barn, Tree Swallows Gray Catbird Hairy Woodpeckers Best of all - A very cooperative Black-billed cuckoo, a first for me! Pond on HWY 114 North of HWY 55 west of Lowry: Single Red-necked Grebe on the same pond I saw them last year. Maybe a pair - will keep checking. Sid Stivland Plymouth (and Pope County 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] Pope county birds
Birded around Pope County the past week. Most birds were regular or common for this area. I wanted to explore some of the newer WPA areas and CRP land around in addition to the typical areas. A couple highlights: There was a pair of Grasshopper sparrows in a WPA NW of Lowry (2 miles north of the Lutheran Church west of Lowry), likely a breeding pair. This WPA also had a number of Sedge Wrens and Clay-colored Sparrows. One area of particular interest to me was at 275th St and 240th Ave south of Glenwood, near Swift Falls. The road passes through a small wooded patch with mature Cottonwood trees, low shrubs, a wetland, and surrounded by private land, cultivated fields and pasture. Although the land is all private and posted No Trespassing, it is easy to bird from the road. As an aside, this area is not far from where a Say's Phoebe was reported earlier this spring. In this short stretch I saw a Veery pair, Warbling Vireos, Alder Flycatchers, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Sedge Wrens, a Swamp Sparrow, a Field Sparrow, a Song Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, a Gray Catbird, American Goldfinches, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Pheasants in addition to a bunch of regular birds. I thought I heard a Black-billed Cuckoo but it could have been wishful thinking. About a quarter mile east in another small wooded patch were Eastern Kingbirds, Least Flycatchers, American Redstarts, and Great-crested Flycatchers. Not far west of this location were Yellow-throated Vireos, Western Meadowlarks, and a Sora calling. Glacial Lakes State Park had all of the above and many Eastern Pewees, a Bobolink pair, a Brown Thrasher, Ovenbirds, Red-Eyed Vireos displaying, Eastern Bluebirds, and all resident sparrow species (many). We saw no Dickcissels but we did not bird very much of the non-burned areas so they may well be there. Lowry sewage ponds: One pair of Canvasbacks, 5 bachelor Redheads, one lonely Spotted Sandpiper - not much else. There was a pair of Red-necked Grebes in a pond between Glenwood and Starbuck. General observations: Sedge wrens seem to be doing well, they are singing from every patch of grass there is. Pheasant population is healthy, many adults and some young already. Sparrow species (Song, Swamp, Chipping, Clay-colored, Field) all over the place, Savannah and Vesper in the usual places. Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats are, well, common. In shorter supply (at least in the places I visited) were Bobolinks, Dickcissels, Western Meadowlarks. Sid Stivland Plymouth (and Pope County) Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
