Explore Minnesota Birding Report Update May 2, 2013
The Spring Warbler Weekend will be held May 10-12 at the beautiful Villa Maria Retreat Center in Frontenac. Join experienced birders who will help you find and identify warblers, owls, orioles, and many other birds. Groups will hike the many trails or travel by car through Frotenac State Park and nearby parks on the Mississippi River. Registration and further information is available through the St. Paul Audubon Society. And birders are already gearing up for the very popular Festival of Birds held May 16-19 in the Detroit Lakes vicinity--more than 250 species of birds live in the area since it is the heart of a transition zone of tall grass prairie, northern hardwood and coniferous ecosystems. Highlights include education on the effect of the Gulf oil spill on migrating birds such as the Common Loon, nature photography by Paul Sundberg, Raptor I.D. and Grassland Species workshops, field trips to favorite refuges and new locations, speakers, a silent auction, Birders' Bazaar, and evening socials. To learn of other birding weekends, visit the Minnesota Birding Weekends site.
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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.
The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
In Olmsted County, an apparent Glossy Ibis and a White-Faced Ibis were seen by Chuck Krulas on April 30th on the north side of the Silver Creek Reservoir near Rochester. Another probable Glossy was found on the 27th at the Root River canoe access along Houston County Road 26. A White-Faced Ibis has been in Nicollet County since April 28th on the northeast side of Swan Lake. This bird had been initially identified as a Glossy Ibis.
A Say's Phoebe was photographed in Polk County on April 30th. Emily Hutchins found it perched on a fence near the DNR office on State Highway 32, three miles south of U.S. Highway 2.
On April 1st, Betsy Beneke found a Cattle Egret at the intersection of State Highway 95 and Benton County Road 6. It was in a grassy area on the north side of the road. Two more were seen on April 28th by the grain elevators in Wendell, Grant County. Two Snowy Egrets were found on the 26th, along Houston County Road 7 about one mile west of Highway 27.
A Northern Mockingbird was in Duluth on April 29th. Dave Benson reported it from the Duluth Rowing Club of Park Point.
In Steele County, Gary Johnson found a Summer Tanager at the Forest Hills Cemetery in Owatonna on April 30th.
Spring migration is well underway, and a sampling of recent reports includes Black-Bellied Plover, Forster's Tern, Chimney Swift, Eastern Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Sedge Wren, Swainson's Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Smith's Longspur, Northern Waterthrush, Blackpoll Warbler, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Towhee, Le Conte's Sparrow, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, and Baltimore Oriole.
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.
