Explore Minnesota Birding Update Jan. 3, 2014
This is a great time to take a trip along the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota to view over-wintering Bald Eagles. Watch for these majestic birds all along this stretch of the 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:
On Dec. 26th, an immature male King Eider was on Lake Superior out from Old Highway 61 in St. Louis County at Greenwood Road. This is a different individual than the female eider reported earlier in the month.
Except for several new observations of Snowy Owls, there is very little else to report. A Long-Tailed Duck continues to be seen on the Mississippi River out from Point Douglas Park in Dakota County. It was last reported on Dec. 28th. And on Dec. 30th, a Harlequin Duck was at Brighton Beach on the east side of Duluth.
On Dec. 21st, a Townsend's Solitaire was at the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park on the Anoka/Hennepin county line. The bird was on the western side of the Mississippi River feeding in a stand of cedars north of the dam's parking lot.
More than 90 Snowy Owls have been reported thus far this winter, and recent observations include:
Dec. 30th, two were seen north of Howard Lake on Wright County Road 6 at 30th Street.
Jay Hamernick reported one in the town of Ramsey on Jan. 2nd along U.S. Highway 10 Anoka County. On the same date, Bob Williams found one along Goodhue County Road 18 just north of Treasure Island.
Ron Sorvig found a Snowy on Dec. 27th, along Marshall County Road 20, four miles north and a mile and a half east of Alvarado.
In Meeker County there are recent reports from Litchfield, Grove City, Boon Lake, and Rosendale.
As many as seven Snowys have been seen in Dakota County near Vermillion, all clustered around 180th Street and East Goodwin Avenue.
There are dozens of additional reports, including from the counties of Aitkin, Benton, Big Stone, Carlton, Clay, Douglas, Fillmore, Hennepin, Kanabec, Lake, Martin, Morrison, Pine, Polk, Ramsey, Renville, Roseau, Stearns, Stevens, and Traverse. Please see Mike Hendrickson's summary at
http://tinyurl.com/kcfwa6lInformation 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.
