Minnesota Statewide RBA

Statewide RBA phone number: 763-780-8890 or 1-800-657-3700

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-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*August 15, 2002
*MNST0208.15

-Birds mentioned
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: August 15, 2002
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) http://biosci.umn.edu/~mou/
Reports: (763) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (ahertzel@uswest.net)

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, August 15th, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

On August 11th, a SWALLOW-TAILED KITE was reported along Scott County Road 46 just north of County Road 2. Though the bird could not be relocated on subsequent searches, it was rediscovered in Dakota County by Louis Claeson later in the day. He found it along U.S. highway 52 at mile post 109 just north of the town of Hampton.

On August 10th at Big Stone NWR in Lac Qui Parle County, Kim Eckert found a PIPING PLOVER in the mud flats near the end of the Duck Banding Road. This is the gated drive which turns east off County Road 15 at the County Road 40 junction, two miles south of refuge headquarters. On the same day he also reported two HENSLOW'S SPARROWS along the north side of the Duck Banding Road, 0.8 mile east of the gate.

On the 11th Barb and Denny Martin found a new nesting colony of GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES on the west side of Bat Lake in Cottonwood County. The location is two miles east of U.S. highway 71 on County Road 3, then a quarter mile south.

On the 13th, the EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were still in Caledonia, Houston County at the city park on the corner of Lincoln and Pine Streets.

On August 10th a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was reported from Chester Woods Park in Olmsted County. It was seen the bridge on the west side of the boat ramp parking area.

At the Nature Conservancy's Lindgren-Trauger Bird Sanctuary land in Jackson County, the following shorebirds were reported on August 10th: AMERICAN AVOCET, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, SANDERLING, BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER, and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.

An American Avocet was seen by Bob Russell at the first pond at the Albany Sewage Ponds in Stearns County on the 9th. And at Mud Lake in Traverse County there were six American Avocets on the 12th.

On the 9th, Jim Mattsson estimated that as many as 250 Buff-breasted Sandpipers were at the Wagner sod farms near Castle Rock in Dakota County. And thirty-six BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS were counted in Dakota County on the 10th, about a mile south of 280th Street on the west side of state highway 3. Also present were two AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER.

On the 11th, Bruce Baer heard a CAROLINA WREN singing in the ravine below his home in Hennepin County. He suggests it may be possible to hear it from the bluff trail that runs west of the parking lot at the Old Cedar Avenue bridge.

And finally, the BAIRD'S SPARROW is still present in Polk County. Drive three and a half miles west on U.S. highway 2 from its junction with state highway 32, then turn south and follow the main road that goes southeast for about a mile. Turn west on the intersecting gravel road for about 1/4 mile and look for the bird in the field to the north. It was seen as recently as August 10th.

This state-wide birding report is brought to you and financially supported by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU). The MOU is Minnesota's oldest and largest bird club.

The report is composed from observations generously submitted by MOU members and other birders throughout the state. You can support this weekly birding update by submitting your bird reports to Anthony Hertzel at axhertzel@sihope.com or by calling the hotline directly at 763-780-8890 and leaving a detailed message.

MOU members receive this report directly on MOU-net, the club's free e-mail listservice, which is available to anyone interested. For information contact Paul Budde at pbudde@aol.com.

MOU members receive the organization's quarterly journal "The Loon" and the bi-monthly magazine, "Minnesota Birding". For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at moumembers@yahoo.com.

The MOU is pleased to offer this service. Thank you, and good birding.

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, August 22nd. -- Anthony Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com

Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MOU-net@biosci.umn.edu. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info mou-net) to majordomo@biosci.umn.edu.




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