Explore Minnesota Birding Report 4.15.11
During the month of April, watch for breeding displays by ducks, greater prairie-chickens and sharp-tailed grouse on their breeding grounds. This is also a great time to view shorebird migration to shallow wetlands and mudflats throughout the state. And all loon-lovers should check out the Common Loon migration page. Click on Loon #55480 to view Saint John's Abbey's summer resident loon "Big John" to see his amazing journey from the waters at St. John's University to the Gulf of Mexico and back again - he's nearly home!
The following information has been provided courtesy of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. This report is brought to you by ExploreMinnesota.com.
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The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
In Grant County, Bob Dunlap, Shawn Conrad, and Dedrick Benz found a Brant on April 9, about one-quarter of a mile west of County Road 7 on the north side of 120th Street. They also found a Cinnamon Teal on the west side of County Road 11, roughly four miles north of Herman and about a hundred yards south of County Road 8.
On April 8, a Barrow's Goldeneye was seen by Peder Svingen in Duluth on the harbor side of the Park Point Recreation Area.
On the 14th, Bill Unzen reported a California Gull at Clear Lake, southwest of the town of Alberta in Stevens County.
Two White-Winged Scoters were seen by Dan Guynn on the 12th on Shakopee Lake in northcentral Chippewa County.
Two Harlequin Ducks were still present on April 13 at Silver Bay in Lake County. They were being seen from the beach just east of the Northshore Mining plant.
Chris Benson heard a singing Tufted Titmouse at corner of Sunset Avenue Southeast and 15th Street Southeast in Rochester in Olmsted County on the 11th.
On April 10, Kim Eckert found a male Mountain Bluebird along Stevens County Road 1, one-quarter of a mile south of State Highway 28. It was with a female Eastern Bluebird at the south end of a small grove of trees. Kim also reported an early Cattle Egret near the town of Herman along Grant County Road 7, a mile and one-quarter south of Highway 27.
Bob Dunlap found a Smith's Longspur in Nicollet County on the 12th, at the Coneflower Prairie on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus. This is on the western side of the college's Linnaeus Arboretum.
There have also been recent reports of American Bittern, Green Heron, Swainson's Hawk, American Golden-Plover, American Avocet, Marbled Godwit, Pectoral Sandpiper, Franklin's Gull, Savannah Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, and Brewer's Blackbird.
Information in this statewide birding report is provided by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU), Minnesota's oldest and largest bird club. To submit a bird sighting, email Anthony Hertzel at axhertzel@gmail.com.
