Explore Minnesota Birding Report Update November 14, 2011
This is a great time to travel Hwy. 61 along the Mississippi River to view amazing numbers of waterfowl, including large numbers of tundra swans. Weaver Bottoms in the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge is an excellent place to view a variety of species. And thousands of Sandhill Cranes are making their way through Minnesota. Many of these birds stage at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge for several weeks to put on weight before the remainder of their trip south.
The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
Paul Johnson photographed a Carolina Wren on November 6th at his feeder in Pine City in Pine County.
Jim Lind found the first Townsend's Solitaire of the fall season on November 9th. It was in Duluth Township along West Knife River Road, roughly one-third of a mile west of Homestead Road.
More than 5800 Sandhill Cranes were still at the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge in Sherburne County on the 10th. And two very late Tree Swallows were seen near the refuge headquarters on the 8th.
A Field Sparrow was lingering at Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington on November 7th.
And Doug Kieser reports that he found Black Scoter, White-Winged Scoter, and Surf Scoter at Taconite Harbor in Cook County on November 7th.
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.
