[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, July 25, 2003

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, July 25, 2003
sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may
also hear this report by calling (218) 847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888.

There are some interesting sightings to report this week from around the
region. The big news of course is shorebird southward migration.
Several locations are reported to have good habitat and good numbers of
shorebirds. One of these is in Grant County, along Highway 79 one mile
east of Elbow Lake where there were about 500 birds of 8 species.
Another is Spink WMA about 9 miles south of Elbow Lake on Highway 54,
west on CR 34 six-tenths of a mile. Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge
continues to attract a growing number of shorebirds- last weekend's
count was 2134 birds of  17 species.

A SNOW GOOSE was found on Sunday, July 20th at the Warren wastewater
treatment ponds. This is an unusual summer sighting, but the bird
appeared to be in good health although we did not see it fly. Also in
Marshall County,  a TUNDRA SWAN was found on Thief Bay Pool at Agassiz
National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, July 19th.=20

Many people reported interesting birds from Grant County this week. 27
CATTLE EGRETS were found in a cow pasture. Directions from Douglas
County Road 19 are to turn west on Grant County Road 54 for one mile
then turn north on Ashby Estates Road E for about a mile.=20

A juvenile LITTLE BLUE HERON was reported by several people in Douglas
County. Directions from Ashby in northeastern Grant County are to go
southwest on County Road 82 to Douglas County Road 19. Take that road
south until you reach a four-way intersection with a large sign
announcing Bah Lakes WPA. Turn left on Whisper Lane, a dead end road
going east, going about 0.4 miles to the wetland on the north side of
the road. Since the bird was first discovered, a second Little Blue
Heron has been seen there, this time an adult. Dennis Martin found a
SNOWY EGRET in a small wetland along County Road 19 which can be reached
by continuing south along County Road 19  about 0.5 miles instead of
turning onto Whisper Lane.

Wilkin County birds reported by Craig Mandel included AMERICAN BITTERN
in the cattails next to the road that runs north and south at the
Rothsay WMA. A NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW  was found singing on the
north side of the road near the main Prairie-chicken Lek there. ORCHARD
ORIOLES and LECONTE'S SPARROWS were observed in several counties in that
region.

Mel and Elaine Bennefeld found a pair of UPLAND SANDPIPERS with two
young behind the clubhouse at the Ponderosa Golf Club in Clay County
east of Buffalo River State Park. Please check with the clubhouse
personnel before observing. Craig Mandel was also birding in Clay County
on the weekend, and reported GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS, LOGGERHEAD
SHRIKE, and CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR at Felton Prairie .

At least one of the COMMON MOORHENS is still at Hamden Slough National
Wildlife Refuge as of last weekend. It was observed by several
individuals.

Shelley Steva reported from Red Lake County on a few shorebirds seen
there. Near Huot along the river, she found SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER,
LEAST SANDPIPER, KILLDEER, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and SPOTTED SANDPIPER. A
KINGFISHER was seen about four miles northeast of Plummer.

In Pennington County, two BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS were identified here in
our yard in rural Pennington County on Monday, July 21st. On Wednesday
morning I saw three of them, a male, a female , and one bird which was
begging and getting fed by one of the others, leading one to think that
they may have nested nearby. The Eurasian Collared Dove has not been
seen this week, due mostly to not looking for it, but I did hear the
bird one day in the area of 5th Street and State Ave, in Thief River
Falls. If anyone wants to look for the bird, it requires much driving
around that area. The best way to locate it is to listen for the unusual
call, a series of coo's with the first being staccato, followed by two
more longer coo's, repeated quickly in a set of eight or ten repeats.

>From Marshall County, Lori Becker reported six SHORT-EARED OWLS, a
family group that nested and raised young in a field near the Wetlands,
Pines, and Prairies Audubon Sanctuary. An unusual number of MOURNING
DOVES was seen at the Warren grain elevators- about 200. The nesting
MERLINS in a yard near Newfolden have produced at least three young all
of which were seen with the adult birds on Sunday.The rest of the news
from Marshall County is about shorebirds. Several species were found at
the Warren wastewater treatment ponds with a substantial number of
LEAST SANDPIPERS, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, and WILSON'S PHALAROPES in
the mix. The shorebird survey conducted at Agassiz NWR on Saturday
revealed that numbers are increasing there. 11 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 33
MARBLED GODWITS, 90 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 93 STILT SANDPIPERS, 113
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS,and 64 WILSON'S PHALAROPES were among the birds
tallied. On Sunday one RUDDY TURNSTONE and a SANDERLING were also seen
there on Thief Bay Pool.

Thanks to Craig Mandel, Lori Becker, Shelley Steva, and Mel and Elaine
Bennefeld for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than
Thursday each week, at ajjoppru@wiktel.com OR call the Detroit Lakes
Chamber's toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders
please call 847-9202. Please include the county where the sighting took
place. When reporting by email please put "NW Bird Report" in the
subject line of your message. The next scheduled update of this report
is Friday, August 1, 2003.