April 29, 2011 Explore Minnesota Birding Report
The first half of May is often the best time to view warblers in their full breeding plumage. Just some of the stunning birds to watch for include indigo bunting, scarlet tanager, and rose-breasted grosbeak. In the far northeast corner of the state, these colorful birds are generally most prevalent the last few days of May. To view pictures of the many warblers previously seen in Minnesota, check out the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union Photo Gallery. To hear some of these magnificent birds, check out the Pines to Prairie Birding Trail website.
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:
On April 28, a Laughing Gull was found by Jan Kraemer along Park Point in Duluth. It was most recently seen on the sandbar on the harbor side of Hearding Island, which is located at 19th Street South.
Craig Mandel reported Two White-Faced Ibis on the 28th. They were north of Clayton Lake in Martin County, on the north side of 50th Street, one-tenth of a mile east of 154th Avenue.
On April 25, 18 American Avocets were in a field flooded by the Vermillion River at the north end of Prairie Island in Winona County. This location is about one-quarter of a mile east of the bridge at Dakota County Road 68 along Goodhue County Road 18. On the same day, 33 American Avocets were at the Bass Ponds in Bloomington in Hennepin County near State Highway 77. Sixteen more were in the shallows of the Mississippi River near Grey Cloud Island in Washington County.
John Cyrus reported a Yellow Rail on the 22nd at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Carver County.
On the 24th, Dave McIntosh photographed an early female Summer Tanager along the northwest shore of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.
On April 25th, four Willets were seen at Lake Ida northeast of Amboy in Blue Earth County. On the 22nd, an early Whimbrel was in Duluth at the Park Point ballfields. Other arrivals recently reported include Common Moorhen, Virginia Rail, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Forster's Tern, Caspian Tern, Cliff Swallow, House Wren, Smith's Longspur, Spotted Towhee, Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, and Le Conte's Sparrow.
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.
