Explore Minnesota Birding Report Update May 23, 2012
Warblers in full breeding plumage will add vivid color and beautiful sound to our northern forests and landscapes from the end of May through early June. Consider attending the Boreal Birding Festival events at Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center located up the Gunflint Trail on Saturday, June 2, and enjoy a Warbler Wander, Common Loon presentation, Minnoesta Breeding Bird Atlas presentation, and area hike. Birders will also be interested in the many Boreal Birding & Northern Landscapes Festival events at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, May 31-June 3. Come discover the birds, wildflowers, and geology of this rich northern landscape through a series of inter-related, field-focused courses, complimented by featured presentations and programs.
The following information has been provided courtesy of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union and their affiliates. This report is brought to you by ExploreMinnesota.com.
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The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
On May 20th, Milt Blomberg reported a Tricolored Heron at the Succonix Wildlife Management Area near Clearwater in Wright County. To view this bird, travel four miles south of Clearwater along State Highway 24, then turn left on 140th Street NW. Turn south onto Ireland Avenue, then east on 132 Street NW. At the corner, turn south to the green gate on the right and park. Walk the two-track trail along side of the field to the turn-around and check the marsh here as well as the marshes and ponds to the northeast.
On May 19th, Brian Smith found a Black-Necked Stilt at the Sleepy Eye wastewater treatment ponds in Brown County. It was along the shoreline in the northwest corner of the north pond.
Also in Wright County, Bart Bly reported two Snowy Egrets on Lake Henry on the Albion Wildlife Management Area near Annandale on May 18th. Another was at Veteran's Park in Richfield in Hennepin County on the 20th.
On the 21st, Sharon Lind found an out-of-range and first county record Eurasian Collared-Dove in her yard along 2nd Avenue in Two Harbors in Lake County. A pair of Long-Tailed Ducks was up the shore at Taconite Harbor, Lake County, on the 19th, while a flock of about 30 was at the mouth of the Cascade River in Cook County on the same day.
Bob Dunlap reported a Northern Mockingbird in the southeast corner of Murray County on the 15th. It was on the west side of 290th Avenue just south of County Road 3. A Mountain Bluebird was at Fort Snelling State Park on the 21st. It was seen at the southeastern portion of the Fort Snelling State Trail.
And on the 21st, Roger Everhart reported a Hooded Warbler at the Lebanon Hills Regional Park Visitors Center in Eagan, Dakota County.
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.
