Minnesota Birding Report Update December 8, 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 is still being seen at the Carpenter Nature Center in Hastings, Washington County. It was most recently reported on December 2nd.
Steve Carlson found a Long-Tailed Duck on the east side of Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis on December 7th. This is a different bird than the one reported there on November 21st. Steve also reported a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet near the shelter at the Bass Ponds in Bloomington in Hennepin County on December 6th. Another Long-tailed Duck was seen on the 4th on Lake Waconia in Carver County. To view this bird, look from the pullout on the north side of the lake on North Shore Road, just east of the intersection with Brekke Boulevard.
On the 7th, Bill Litkey found a Great Black-Backed Gull at Lake Pepin in Wabasha County. It was near Roschen Park at the east end of Lake City. Also on the 7th, Conny Brunell reported a Lesser Black-Backed Gull on the west side of Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Hennepin County. Doug Kieser and Paul Budde found one on the 3rd on the west side of Pulaski Lake in Wright County.
On December 3rd, Steve Millard reported a Prairie Falcon in Western Township of Otter Tail County. He also saw a Snowy Owl there on the same day. Linda Sparling found a Snowy Owl in Stillwater in Washington County on the 4th. It was along 100th Street three-quarters of a mile west of Neal Avenue near North Twin Lake. On the same day, Frank Gosiak found a Snowy Owl in Morrison County along State Highway 27, roughly five miles east of Lastrup. Heidi Hughes reported numerous Snowy Owls on the 4th from northwestern Minnesota. Birds were seen near the towns of Warren, Thief River Falls, Sherack, Badger, Roseau, Warroad, Radium, Pequot Lakes, Karlstad, Euclid, and Crookston. One was in Duluth on the 4th, and one was near Aitkin in Aitkin County on the 2nd.
In Polk County, Sandy Aubol has had an Eastern Towhee feeding in her yard in East Grand Forks since November 1st--a Harris's Sparrow recently showed up as well.
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.
