Explore Minnesota Birding Report Update April 4, 2013
Birders are already planning for the Salt Lake Birding Weekend offered April 27 & 28. Meet Saturday at 7:00 a.m. at the Marietta American Legion for coffee & sweet rolls then head out in guided caravans for field trips to Salt Lake, Big Stone Refuge, and other surrounding areas. Meet back in Marietta for lunch then head back out in the afternoon. On Saturday evening, enjoy a chicken dinner at the Sons of Norway Hall along with a short program and a discussion and tally of the day's sightings. Self-guided birding tours are planned for Sunday. Lodging is available in Madison, Montevideo, Dawson, Appleton or Canby. To learn of other birding weekends, visit the Minnesota Birding Weekends site.
Information in this report has been provided courtesy of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union and their affiliates. This report is brought to you by ExploreMinnesota.com.
Click here to find local lodging establishments where you plan to travel. Subscribe here to receive any or all of our reports by email or RSS/news feed.
The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
Karl Bardon found a pair of Barrow's Goldeneye at Canal Park in Duluth on March 25th.
A Snowy Owl was reported from Two Harbors in Lake County on March 31st, and it was seen again on April 3rd.
On March 29th, Jeff Stephenson and Jerry Pruett found a Carolina Wren along the Elba Township 16 road in Winona County, just south and west of the Fairwater Cemetery.
Jen Vieth reported the spring's first American Pipit in Dakota County on the 30th. A sampling of other spring arrivals includes Ross's Goose, Hooded Merganser, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Double-Crested Cormorant, Black-Crowned Night-Heron, Red-Necked Grebe, Greater Yellowlegs, Franklin's Gull, Eastern Phoebe, Purple Martin, Winter Wren, Clay-Colored Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, and Brown-Headed Cowbird.
Species already reported nesting in the state include Bald Eagle, Red-Tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Gray Jay, Black-Billed Magpie, American Crow, Common Raven, and House Finch.
Information in this statewide birding report is provided by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU), Minnesota's oldest and largest bird club. View photographs of recent sightings at the MOU website. To submit a bird sighting, email the MOU birding report compiler at rba@moumn.org.
