Minnesota Birding Report: May 22, 2009
Common Loon
This is the Explore Minnesota Birding Report as of Friday, May 22, with information provided courtesy of the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union, and brought to you by Explore Minnesota Tourism.
In general, May is the best time to view warblers in full breeding plumage as they travel to summer destinations. Look for stunning indigo bunting, scarlet tanager and rose-breasted grosbeak. And birders will want to take advantage of the many birding tours and field trips that are offered this time of year.
The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
In Dakota County, a female Ruff was seen on May 18 at the western end of Lake Byllesby.
On May 19, an adult Mississippi Kite was reported roughly three miles south of the town of Pipestone, in Pipestone County, just north of the intersection of 61st Street and 70th Avenue.
A Yellow-Throated Warbler has been in Duluth since May 18 at 6177 Church Road. A Worm-Eating Warbler was reported from Minneapolis on the 15th at Veteran’s Park. It was seen along the bike trail on the east side of the park where the park adjoins a series of houses.
In Clay County, a Male Painted Bunting has been seen daily at a backyard feeder since May 19 at a house on the 400 block of Birch Lane in the town of Moorhead. To view this bird, head south on Main Avenue, turn east at Oak Way by the hockey arena, and take the first left onto Birch Lane.
On May 18, an Ibis was reported from Brown County at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds.
In Houston County, a White-Eyed Vireo was at the far end of the Beaver Creek Trail at Beaver Creek State Park on May 19. To locate this bird, follow the trail through the meadow and when the trail splits, head right and cross the bridge. The bird was roughly 150 yards beyond the bridge.
On May 19, a Northern Mockingbird was seen along the fence line at Longfellow Avenue and 77th Street near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Two mockingbirds were reported on the same day in the Bryn Mawr Meadows Park area near I-394 and Penn Avenue. The birds were on the southeast side of the park near the railroad tracks in dense cover.
In Carver County, a Summer Tanager was seen on May 17 at the Kelly Lakes Unit of the Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area. Check the swampy area located roughly 75 yards from County Road 40. Another has been at Bert’s Cabins on Wilderness Drive at Itasca State Park, in Clearwater County, since the 12th.
And last, there was an unusual report of a Blue Grosbeak seen at a feeder at a home along the 1300 block of Stoney Point Drive located just northeast of Duluth on May 20.
Information in this statewide birding report is provided by and financially supported by the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union (MOU), Minnesota’s oldest and largest bird club. The report is composed from reports submitted by MOU members and other birders throughout the state. You can support this weekly birding update by submitting your bird reports to Anthony Hertzel at axhertzel@sihope.com or by calling the hotline directly at 763-780-8890 and leaving a detailed message. MOU members receive the organization’s quarterly journal “The Loon,” and the bi-monthly magazine, “Minnesota Birding.” For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at membership@moumn.org
“The information in this report is provided courtesy of the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union and Explore Minnesota Tourism.”
