Explore Minnesota Birding Report Update November 17, 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 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 Summer Tanager has been at the Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings in Washington County since November 14. The nature center is located at 12805 Saint Croix Trail. Another Summer Tanager was reported at the home of Andrew Pieper in Lakeville in Dakota County on the 13th.
Bob Williams reported a Long-Tailed Duck on November 13th at Lake Henry in Le Sueur County. The bird was seen from the public boat ramp at the south end of the lake. On the 12th, Bruce Fall reported a White-Winged Scoter near the observation platform at the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge in Bloomington. On the same day, three Surf Scoters were seen by Dedrick Benz on the Mississippi River in Winona in Winona County.
On the 14th, Chad Heins reported that a few shorebirds were still present west of Mankato in Blue Earth County. Shorebirds reported were American Golden-Plover, Killdeer, Pectoral Sandpiper, and Greater Yellowlegs. They were found along 535th Avenue south of State Highway 60.
On the 15th, a Snowy Owl was seen at the public access to Laura Lake in Cass County. Three were reported by Heidi Hughes in southern Marshall County. One was near the town of Viking at 240th Street northwest and 145th Avenue northwest. And two were near Warren--one at the junction of 240th Street and 350th Avenue, and one at the junction of 230th Avenue and 190th Street northwest. And on November 11th, Cindy Risen found a snowy owl roughly one mile east of McGregor in Aitkin County.
Marshall Howe reported a Varied Thrush in Park Rapids in Hubbard County on the 12th. A Townsend's Solitaire was just north of Grand Marais in Cook County on the 13th. And Matt Schutt had a late Gray Catbird visit his yard in Golden Valley on November 13th.
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.
