Explore Minnesota Birding Update Dec. 6, 2013
This is a great time to take a trip along the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota to view hundreds of Tundra Swans. The backwaters of the Mississippi River offer the swans an ideal resting and feeding site before their long journey south. The best places to see and hear these amazing birds are Weaver Bottoms off Hwy 61, 1.75 miles past the Hwy 74 junction, and just below Brownsville off Minnesota Highway 26. Along the way, watch for the many majestic Bald Eagles which over-winter in this stretch of the Mississippi River. The National Eagle Center in Wabasha can provide additional information on birding in this area.
Information in this report 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:
The Lewis's Woodpecker is still being seen at the feeders of Janet Anderson in the town of Roosevelt. This location is along Roseau County Road 17, just north of Highway 11. It is the first house on the left after passing over railroad tracks. Please do not call or bother the Andersons in the evenings, and note that the bird also visits the house directly to the east in Lake of the Woods County.
On November 30th, a Black Scoter and two White-Winged Scoters were on the Mississippi River several miles downriver from Lake City in Wabasha County. Check along Highway 61 at the sign for Maple Springs. And both Black Scoter and a Long-Tailed Duck were at Point Douglas Park in Washington County on December 1st. Another Long-Tailed Duck was on Vadnais Lake in Ramsey County on the same day.
A Lesser Black-Backed Gull was on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis on December 3rd.
A few Snowy Owls have been reported recently. One was seen on the 3rd along Meeker County Road 11, just over one mile east of County Road 31. Another was at Park Point in Duluth on November 29th. And on November 26th, Warren Nelson found a Northern Hawk Owl in Aitkin County at the junction of County Road 1 and 430th Lane.
And a late Field Sparrow was reported on December 6th by Ben Wieland at the Portage Learning Center in Cass County.
Information in this statewide birding report is provided by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU), Minnesota's oldest and largest bird club. View photographs of recent sightings at the MOU website. To submit a bird sighting, email the MOU birding report compiler at rba@moumn.org.
