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:
A possible Phainopepla was reported May 18th at the Coon Rapids train station in southern Anoka County. It was feeding in the ornamental apple trees to the east of the main platform, which is along Northdale Boulevard just southwest of US Highway 10 and just south of Main Street Northwest.
On May 14th, Chad Heins flushed two Black-Bellied Whistling-Ducks from a wetland in Madelia in Watonwan County near the grain elevators off Highway 15. Later in the day they were seen at the wetland at the intersection of State Highways 60 and 15.
On May 9th, a Glossy Ibis was in Fillmore County at a farm pond three and a half miles south and one mile east of the town of Preston.
On the afternoon of May 11th, a Black Vulture was photographed by Tom Nelson in North Oaks in Ramsey County as it was feeding on roadkill. Then on the 15th, Bob Williams reported a Black Vulture over the Parley Lake parking area in Carver County.
On May 5th, a King Eider was in Duluth near the Sky Harbor Airport on the bay side of Park Point, and later in the day it was seen near Hearding Island. Also on the 5th, a Little Blue Heron was in Rice County near Lake Sakatah, west of Faribault on Kent Avenue north of Highway 60. A Snowy Egret was in Otter Tail County on the 8th on the west side of Interstate 94 just north of the Douglas County line. Another was seen on May 16th at Buffalo Lake in northeastern Murray County.
A Red-Throated Loon was in Isanti County on May 7th, at the north end of South Stanchfield Lake. On May 5th, Bill Unzen reported a Pacific Loon on the east pool of Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge near the U.S. Highway 75 Dam. He also saw a Sprague's Pipit at the recently burned area near the junction of Lac qui Parle County Roads 40 and 15. Another Sprague's Pipit was reported on the 17th along 191st Avenue about one-quarter mile south of Lac qui Parle County Road 15.
There was an unusual sighting of a Ferruginous Hawk reported May 15th at Carver Park in Carver County along a horse trail that runs east/west from the dirt road north of King Blind to Grimm Road.
A Northern Mockingbird was in Hubbard County on May 6th, along the Heartland Trail on the east side of Park Rapids, between County Roads 1 and 4 where the trail passes a golf course. Another was in Duluth on the 9th, along the 9400 block of Congdon Boulevard, and on the 11th it had moved down the Lake Superior shore to Leif Erickson Park. Another Northern Mockingbird was seen on the 14th just north of Grand Marais in Cook County along State Highway 61, north of town near a small apartment complex.
On May 8th, a Kentucky Warbler was at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield in Hennepin County, west of the nature center and just beyond the first path that runs left.
Several Summer Tanagers were recently reported, although some were without specific locations. One was in Winona in Winona County on the 5th, and another was in Rochester in Olmsted County on the 6th. On the 8th, a Summer Tanager was at Randy Frederickson's feeder in Willmar in Kandiyohi County, and on the same day one was seen southeast of Kasota in the south central area of Lake Washington County Park in Le Sueur County. In Kanabec County, a Summer Tanager was seen on the 10th west of Ogilvie on the south side of 180th Avenue just past Fire Call #1045. Another was in Hartland in Freeborn County on the 11th, and on the 12th, one was photographed at Powderhorn Park in south Minneapolis and it was still there on the 13th. A Summer Tanager was seen on the 12th in the Lakeside neighborhood of Duluth, and another was photographed earlier in the week near the UMD campus.
At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in Marshall County, a Western Tanager was seen at the headquarters feeders on May 11th. Another has been seen for several weeks in Becker County at the feeders of an apartment complex along East Shore Drive in Detroit Lakes.
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.
