Explore Minnesota Birding Report 7.27.11
The fall migration actually begins in July, with the first shorebirds gathering to fly south. Look for them on shallow wetlands and mudflats. Birders will also want to consider a trip to the Minnesota River dam in Granite Falls, the dam near Watson, and the Spillway on Marsh Lake in Appleton to view the many American white pelicans.
The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
There was an unusual sighting of a Red-Throated Loon on Lake Superior near 40th Street at Park Point in Duluth on July 3rd.
On the 17th, Chad Heins found a pair of Blue Grosbeaks in Blue Earth County. To view these birds, begin at the junction of State Highways 60 and 68 near Mankato, travel west along State Highway 68, and turn left onto 216th Street. Look for the eastern red cedars to the south and the gravel quarry to the north. Park near the sign for eastbound traffic and look to the west, checking especially the boxelder tree on the southwest corner of the quarry. Another pair of grosbeaks has been seen for the past two weeks in Dakota County along 140th Street, roughly one and one-quarter miles east of U.S. Highway 52.
A few southbound shorebirds have been recently reported, including Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, and Pectoral Sandpiper.
And there was a very unusual secondhand report of a Steller's Jay from Carver County. The bird was seen in the afternoon of July 13th along Creek Road between County Roads 61 and 10.
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 the MOU birding report compiler at rba@moumn.org.
