December 27, 2011 Explore Minnesota Birding Report Update
Explore Minnesota
Explore Minnesota Birding Report Update December 27, 2011
This is a great time to travel Hwy. 61 along the Mississippi River to view large numbers of overwintering bald and golden eagles. Be sure to stop at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha to learn all about these birds. And don't miss the upcoming Golden Eagle Project Field Trips offered by the National Eagle Center January 7th, January 13th and February 4th--all field trips begin at 1:00 p.m. with a brief classroom session teaching how to identify golden eagles, followed by a caravan to a field site to view golden eagles in the wild. To reserve your spot, contact Scott Mehus at 651/565-4989 or scott@nationaleaglecenter.org
The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
In Duluth, Karl Bardon reports that a probable Glaucous-Winged Gull is being seen at Canal Park, along with at least four Great Black-Backed Gulls, five Iceland Gulls, eighteen Thayer's Gulls, and fourteen Glaucous Gulls. A male Barrow's Goldeneye was still present here on the 21st. Betsy Beneke reported a Barrow's Goldeneye on the 21st from the boat ramp at the Municipal Park in Sauk Rapids in Benton County.
On December 23rd, a Snowy Owl was reported by Alex Cruz in Minneapolis near the junction of Glenwood Avenue and I-394.
A Carolina Wren was still at the feeders at the Visitor Center at Wild River State Park in Chisago County on the 20th.
A Townsend's Solitaire was found on the 17th along the 2300 block of East 5th Street in Duluth, and another was along the 4200 block of McCulloch Street in the Lakeside neighborhood of Duluth on the 18th. A Townsend's Solitaire was in Sherburne County on the 17th, along Sherburne County Road 5, about four and one-half miles south of the Prairie's Edge Wildlife Drive.
And in Minneapolis, a Yellow-Rumped Warbler was seen on the 19th feeding on cedar berries on the south side of Lake Nokomis.
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.
