Woodlake Common Snipe

Spend most of the day birding in Kittson County today, but finished at=20= the Warren Sewage Ponds in Marshall County. Where I observed a single=20= Immature or female Surf Scoter. The Snow Geese are moving and were obs= erved in about a dozen locations and I began to encounter my first flocks of= Longspurs as well. I began my day with a very cooperative Sharp-= tailed Grouse along Hyw 59 at the intersection with Marshall County Road 5.<= /DIV>

Here are some of the sightings from my day of birding in Kittson C= ounty.

@ Snow Goose

@ Surf Scoter

@ Ruffed Grouse - Twin Lakes WMA

@ Spotted Sandpiper - Karlstad Sewage Ponds

@ American Golden Plover - 100+ at the Hallock Sewage Ponds

@ Red-headed Woodpecker

@ Bohemian Waxwing - observed in 3 locations around the town of Karlsta= d

@ American Pipit - small numbers observed at most of the sewage ponds I= visited

@ American Tree Sparrow - A single bird was observed at the Kennedy Cem= etery

Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN

-------------------------------1065621076-- From sharonks@mn.rr.com Wed Oct 8 15:18:23 2003 From: sharonks@mn.rr.com (sharonks@mn.rr.com) Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 10:18:23 -0400 Subject: [mou] Wild Bird Store Job Opportunities Message-ID: <265000-220031038141823945@M2W027.mail2web.com> Hi all,=20 =20 All Seasons Wild Bird Store has several jobs available,=20 including my job as manager of the Minnetonka store=2E I'm=20 moving to manage a store in Wayzata and have part time=20 positions available for those interested working with me=2E=20 Please see the information below or contact me if you have=20 any questions=2E=20 =20 On a personal note, Al and Dave Netten the owners of All=20 Seasons are hands down the nicest bosses I have ever had and=20 I cannot recommend them enough as great guys to work for=2E =20 Also, one of the perks of the Minnetonka store is a fabulous wetland to watch for great birds during your breaks=2E=20 =20 Sharon Stiteler=20 Uptown, Minneapolis=20 =20 The official bird lady of www=2Eneilgaiman=2Ecom=20 =20 See the mouse incident at www=2Ewildbirdstore=2Enet/kare11=20 =20 PART TIME POSITIONS Sales Associate=20 =20 JOB SUMMARY=20 Responsible for providing outstanding customer service in a=20 friendly manner on a day to day basis=2E Applicants should have not only a= n interest, but some back ground in feeding birds, love to talk, be able to lift 50 pounds, be able to use a computer, and perform tasks assigned by the manager=2E=20 =20 Contact Sharon at 952-935-5892 or sharonks@mn=2Err=2Ecom=20 =20 Home Delivery Service Provider=20 =20 JOB SUMMARY=20 Responsible for providing outstanding customer service in a friendly manne= r on a day to day basis=2E Applicants should have not only an interest, but some back ground in feeding birds, love to talk, be able to lift 50 pounds= , have a valid driver's liscence, and be able to=20 repair and clean a variety of bird feeders and houses=2E=20 =20 Contact Sharon at 952-935-5892 or sharonks@mn=2Err=2Ecom=20 =20 =20 =20 =20 FULL TIME POSITION=20 Store Manager, Minnetonka Wild Bird Store=20 =20 JOB SUMMARY=20 Responsible for the overall performance and day-to-day=20 operations of the Minnetonka Wild Bird Store=2E Many of our=20 customers require assistance with their seed purchases to=20 their car so job candidates must be able to lift 50 pound bags=2E=20 =20 DUTIES AND REPONSIBILITIES=20 =95 Provide quality customer service in a responsive and friendly manne= r=2E=20 =95 Recruit, hire, train, and schedule personnel to meet the=20 staffing requirements of the store operations=2E=20 =95 Provide work direction and supervision for all store=20 personnel=2E=20 =95 Conduct annual performance appraisals for all store personnel=2E=20 =95 Perform opening and closing operations=2E=20 =95 Perform all point-of-sale, inventory management and sales=20 management functions utilizing The Assistant Manager (TAM)=20 computer application=2E=20 =95 Operate all computer, telephone, fax, audio, and video=20 equipment=2E =95 Organize and manage stock room=2E=20 =95 Order, receive, price and stock merchandise=2E=20 =95 Creatively display merchandise=2E=20 =95 Keep the store clean, neat, orderly and secure=2E=20 =95 Maintain accurate inventory records and perform physical=20 inventory counts as required=2E=20 =95 Dress according to the company dress code guidelines=2E=20 =95 Acquire and stay current on product knowledge=2E=20 =95 Perform additional tasks as assigned by the Vice President=2E=20 COMPENSATION=20 This is a full-time position with a salary range of $25 =96 35k=2E=20 The work week is Tuesday through Saturday=2E=20 CONTACT=20 Al Netten=20 All Seasons Wild Bird Store, Inc=2E=20 816 West 98th Street=20 Bloomington, MN 55420=20 952=2E884=2E0744 (phone)=20 952=2E884=2E9663 (fax)=20 anetten@wildbirdstore=2Enet=20 =20 -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web=2Ecom/ =2E From two-jays@att.net Wed Oct 8 18:04:00 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 10:04:00 -0700 Subject: [mou] winter finch forecast Message-ID: An excellent commentary from Ron Pittaway in Ontario, about his expectations for winter finch movements in coming months. Forward from Birdchat by Jim Williams, Wayzata Hello Birdchatters, Many people have asked for my annual prediction on winter finches. This fall and winter I forecast a good flight of boreal winter finches to the south because of the failure of most tree seed crops, except White Spruce, over a large area of northern Ontario. I contacted sources in central and northern Ontario who are knowledgeable about tree seed crops. Based on their information and my own observations, here are my predictions for seeing winter finches in traditional spots such as Algonquin Park (one of the best places in the world to see them) and at bird feeders in southern Ontario. I also comment on a few other species, such as Red-breasted Nuthatch, which often move in association with winter finches. TREE SEED CROPS: (1) Conifers: Except for an excellent crop on spruces, most conifers have poor cone crops. There are local good cone crops on White Pine around North Bay and in the Upper Ottawa Valley. There is a good crop of cones on White Cedar, but it usually is not a key species for winter finches. Eastern Hemlock has retained cones from last year, which may hold some seeds. (2) Hardwoods/Deciduous: The White Birch seed crop is poor in most areas, but there are pockets with moderate crops. A large outbreak of Birch Leaf Skeletonizer has reduced seed quantity and quality over much of central Ontario and in northern Ontario from Lake Nipigon to the Quebec border. Good crops of American and Showy Mountain-ash berries are reported in northeastern Ontario, but there are poor crops in some northern areas. PINE GROSBEAK: Movements of Pine Grosbeaks are keyed to mountain-ash berries. They irrupt into southern Ontario when mountain-ash berries are in low supply in the boreal forest. Last year was an excellent year for mountain-ash berries and Pine Grosbeaks stayed in the north. This year the crop is good in some areas and poor in others so we can expect a moderate flight of Pine Grosbeaks into Algonquin Park and probably into southern Ontario. Watch for them on European Mountain-ash (rowan berries) in southern Ontario, which has a moderate crop of berries if the robins and starlings leave any. Pine Grosbeaks also feed on ornamental crab apple seeds, which are commonly planted in urban areas. At bird feeders, Pine Grosbeaks prefer sunflower seeds. PURPLE FINCH: Already a few have been seen migrating south through southern Ontario in September. I expect that most will migrate out of Ontario into the United States in October and November because tree seed crops are generally poor across most of northern Ontario. Don't expect to see Purple Finches in Algonquin Park this winter. A few may winter at feeders in southern Ontario. Purple Finches have declined in recent years. RED CROSSBILL: Two main forms occur in Ontario. One is adapted to hemlock and the other to pines. The hemlock form (sitkensis) has a small bill, even smaller than White-winged Crossbill. Hemlock cone crops are poor this year (some cones retained from last year) so sitkensis Red Crossbills are not expected this winter. In most areas, White Pine and Red Pine cone crops are poor. However, there are pockets of good cone crops on White Pine around North Bay and the Upper Ottawa Valley and in Simcoe County. Red Pine also has some locally good crops. Watch for a few Red Crossbills where there are pine cones. WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL: Currently there are no White-winged Crossbills in Algonquin Park. However, this winter they should be widespread in small numbers across the north and in Algonquin Park because of big cone crops on spruce. We also may see White-winged Crossbills in southern Ontario attracted to the big cone crops on spruces. Many ornamental spruces in Toronto are bending over with a heavy load of cones. COMMON and HOARY REDPOLLS: I expect a good flight of redpolls. In winter redpolls are keyed to birch seeds. The White Birch seed crop is poor in many northern areas. Watch for redpolls in weedy fields and at bird feeders. They love nyger (niger) seeds in silo feeders. Flocks of Common Redpolls always bring the chance of seeing Hoary Redpolls. PINE SISKIN: Expect to see many siskins migrating south out of Ontario in October and November because most conifers, except spruce, have poor cone crops. However, the excellent spruce cone crop should hold some siskins in places such as Algonquin Park for the winter. EVENING GROSBEAK: Recently this species has become more of a mystery bird. Once regular in winter at feeders in southern Ontario, its numbers seem to be declining. I saw only one pair this July in Haliburton County, where 10 - 20 years ago I often saw them in summer. Because seed crops are generally poor across the north, I expect a southward movement at the usual time in late November and early December. A few should winter in Algonquin Park and visit feeders in southern Ontario. AMERICAN GOLDFINCH: Large numbers are currently migrating in southern Ontario. This is another indication of poor seed crops in central and northern Ontario. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH: They are migrating south now. I expect some to stay north this winter because of heavy cone crops on spruce in central and northern Ontario. In Algonquin Park, there is a strong correlation in numbers (both high and low) between Red-breasted Nuthatches and White-winged Crossbills. Pine Siskin numbers are moderately correlated with numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches. BOHEMIAN WAXWING: Like Pine Grosbeaks, Bohemian Waxwings are keyed to mountain-ash berries in the boreal forest. Because the mountain-ash berry crop is poor in some areas, expect a small flight of Bohemians into traditional areas such as Ottawa and Peterborough and probably elsewhere. BLUE JAY: My sources tell me that there has been a widespread failure of Red Oak acorns and acorns on other oaks in the northeast. The large numbers of Blue Jays moving south in September along the shorelines of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie indicate that acorn, beechnut and many other seed crops are poor in Ontario. This is another indicator that a flight of winter finches is coming. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: For information on tree seed crops, I wish to thank Dennis Barry in Durham Region and Haliburton County, Al Foley (MNR) in Simcoe County, Peter Hynard (MNR) in Haliburton County, Fred Pinto (MNR) in Sudbury District, Taylor Scarr (MNR) in Sault Ste Marie, Ron Tozer in Algonquin Park, Mike Turner (MNR) in Haliburton County, and Mike Walsh (MNR) in Muskoka/Parry Sound. Happy winter finch watching, Ron Pittaway Minden and Toronto, Ontario E-mail: jeaniron@sympatico.ca BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html Listowners: mailto:birdchat-request@listserv.arizona.edu From dbmartin@skypoint.com Wed Oct 8 18:06:50 2003 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 12:06:50 -0500 Subject: [mou] North shore Message-ID: <000701c38dbe$98488ce0$7f9ec7c7@oemcomputer> Spent the last two days birding the north shore with Kim Eckert. Migration was not real hot but we did find a few birds. Red-throated Loon-Good Harbor Bay, winter plumage White-winged Crossbills-Grand Portage State Park Black-backed Woodpecker-Grand Portage State Park Black Scoter-Hoveland, 2 birds White-winged Scoter-Paradise Beach, 2 Surf Scoter-Good Harbor Bay (3), Hoveland(2), Paradise Beach(3) Dennis and Barbara Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com From two-jays@att.net Wed Oct 8 21:09:43 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 13:09:43 -0700 Subject: [mou] USFWS report on birders Message-ID: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Releases "Birding in the United States" Report A new federal economic report found that 46 million birdwatchers across America spent $32 billion in 2001 pursuing one of the Nation's most popular outdoor activities according to a report from the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The report, Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis Addendum to the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, is the first of its kind analyzing data from the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. "Nearly one in five Americans is a bird watcher," said Service Director Steve Williams. "This report recognizes what we always thought to be true. Birdwatching is very popular and contributes greatly to our economy, so it is important that we continue to work with our partners to restore and protect habitat to ensure healthy bird populations." Montana, Vermont and Wisconsin led the Nation in birding participation rates as a percent of total State population. California, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida had the most birders. Birders spent $32 billion on gear such as binoculars, travel, food and big ticket items such as canoes, cabins and off-road vehicles. This spending generated $85 billion in overall economic output and $13 billion in federal and state income taxes, and supported more than 863,000 jobs. To be considered a birdwatcher, an individual must take a trip a mile or more from home for the primary purpose of observing birds or must closely observe or try to identify birds around the home. Those who notice birds while mowing the lawn or picnicking at the beach were not counted as birders. Trips to zoos and observing captive birds also did not count as birdwatching. Watching birds around the home is the most common form of bird-watching. Taking trips away from home counted for 40 percent (18 million) of birders. The full report is available on-line at . Contact: Nicholas Throckmorton, 202/208-5636 ----- forward by Jim Williams, Wayzata From steff001@tc.umn.edu Wed Oct 8 19:16:57 2003 From: steff001@tc.umn.edu (Michael Steffes) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 13:16:57 -0500 Subject: [mou] Northern Queensland Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20031008131455.01b2be08@steff001.email.umn.edu> Hi I am going to northernmost Queensland and possibly New Guinea in February. I have been north or Cairns once, and I want to go further north. I have looked at some web-sites, but I would appreciate any first-hand experience. Thanks Mike Michael Steffes 3098 East Castle Danger Road Two Harbors MN 55616 From lisa.gelvin-innvaer@dnr.state.mn.us Wed Oct 8 19:23:52 2003 From: lisa.gelvin-innvaer@dnr.state.mn.us (Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 13:23:52 -0500 Subject: [mou] Birdscapes: good reading Message-ID: I wanted to pass on info about a a great publication! Birdscapes: News from International Habitat Conservation Partnerships is a full-color magazine published in cooperation with the Canadian Wildlife Service three times each year: Spring/Summer, Fall, and Winter. It's been around awhile but may not be well-known yet in birding circles. Excellent articles re: birds (I.D., bird facts, research & monitoring, volunteers, cooperative habitat conservation projects, special notices, etc.) To receive Birdscapes by mail send Jamie Coaster-Barrington (jamie_j_coaster-barringtonbutler@fws.gov) your name and physical mailing address.There is no subscription fee. (They don't have an electronic mailing list. but article text-- no photos/graphics-- are posted on their website http://library.fws.gov/Birdscapes/birdindex.htm Cheers, Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer It's All For the Birds From KONDR@mail.nwmissouri.edu Wed Oct 8 20:40:36 2003 From: KONDR@mail.nwmissouri.edu (Kondrashov,Peter) Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 14:40:36 -0500 Subject: [mou] Need birding help Message-ID: <147CF8DFB9C5D41187300001FA7EE3900B4B61D2@mail.nwmissouri.edu> Hi folks, I am a Missouri birder and I will be attending a meeting in St.Paul next week October, 14-19 (Tuesday-Sunday). I am going to drive and I will have some time to go birding while I'm in Minnesota. I have a wish list of birds I'd like to see (mostly northern specialties). I understand that it not the season yet, but If you could provide any advice on where I can find them I would greatly appreciate that. Any other advice on birding the Minneapolis area will be also very very appreciated. Here is the wishlist (primary): Great gray owl Northern hawk owl Boreal owl Black-backed woodpecker Gray jay Evening grosbeak Chestnut-collared longspur Secondary list: Tree-toed woodpecker Bohemian waxwing Common redpoll Thanks a lot Good birding Peter Peter Kondrashov, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biology Northwest Missouri State University From jtpbirder@yahoo.com Wed Oct 8 23:24:49 2003 From: jtpbirder@yahoo.com (Jeff Price) Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 15:24:49 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [mou] winter finch forecast In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20031008222449.8745.qmail@web14911.mail.yahoo.com> Maybe a harbringer? On October 4, my wife and I saw an adult female Common Redpoll at Zippel Bay State Park. It was feeding in the trees near the pond at the picnic area. Sorry for the dealy in reporting, we just got back. Jeff and Amy Price Boulder, CO jtpbirder@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From drbenson@cpinternet.com Thu Oct 9 03:11:29 2003 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David R. Benson) Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 21:11:29 -0500 Subject: [mou] Duluth RBA 10/8/03 Message-ID: This is the Duluth Birding Report for Wednesday, October 8. Laura Erickson reported an adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE from the Superior Entry between Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin on the 3rd. On the same day, Bob Dunlap reported a dark-morph PARASITIC JAEGER from Wisconsin Point. Two SURF SCOTERS were at Wigwam Bay on Mille Lacs Lake on the 6th. Jan Green had a FIELD SPARROW at her feeder on the 3rd. Jim Barrett found a SORA at 40th Ave West on the 4th. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, October 16. The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 728-5030, and callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of each tape. The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; or send an e-mail to mou@cbs.umn.edu; or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org. From smithville4@charter.net Thu Oct 9 03:37:02 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 21:37:02 -0500 Subject: [mou] Park Point Message-ID: <000c01c38e0e$3f5e8030$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C38DE4.4FA21CB0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable WOW what a warm day on the beach! I saw 2 Black-bellied Plovers on the beach and while heading back to the = truck I noticed 3 Tundra Swans flying over the bay. At my house I have a imm Harris Sparrow at my feeder. Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C38DE4.4FA21CB0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

WOW what a warm day on the = beach!

I saw 2 Black-bellied Plovers on the = beach and=20 while heading back to the truck I noticed 3 Tundra Swans flying over the = bay.

At my house I have a imm Harris Sparrow = at my=20 feeder.

Mike = Hendrickson

------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C38DE4.4FA21CB0-- From fieldfare21@hotmail.com Thu Oct 9 05:02:54 2003 From: fieldfare21@hotmail.com (Benjamin Fritchman) Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 23:02:54 -0500 Subject: [mou] Todd County Message-ID: I took a trip to Lake Osakis looking for Scoters, no luck, but I found 3 Western grebes still hanging around. Also there were well over 100 Pied-billed Grebes on the lake. Franklin's Gulls numbered in the hundreds and 6 Sandhill Cranes flew over. Most interesting though was a shrike I found on the way home. I stopped immediately and put up my scope. This time of year it might be either, alas, it turned out to be a Northern Shrike. First Northern Shrike of the fall around here. Ben Fritchman _________________________________________________________________ Instant message with integrated webcam using MSN Messenger 6.0. Try it now FREE! http://msnmessenger-download.com From EgretCMan@aol.com Thu Oct 9 15:04:24 2003 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 10:04:24 EDT Subject: [mou] Surf Scoter - Marshall County - 10/8/03 Message-ID: <126.322fa8d2.2cb6c4e8@aol.com> -------------------------------1065708264 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 10/8/03 Spent the day birding in Marshall County at Agassiz NWR and Old Mill State Park. Observed 74 species of birds with some of the following being my favorite sightings. I found my first Northern Shrike of the year, just East of the Farmes Pool at Agassiz NWR and there were two Surf Scoters on the South Pool along CR 7. I ended up the day in Pennington County at the Thief River Falls Sewage Lagoons. Seems there is a huge push of Northern Shovelers, with over 1000 birds counted in two of the 3 pools, before I ran out of light. There was also a very cooperative Le Conte's Sparrow in the weeds next to the entrance to the Thief River Falls Sewage Lagoons. Here were some of my sightings from the day. @ Red-necked, Eared and Western Grebes at the South Pool at Agassiz NWR. @ Surf Scoter - South Pool Agassiz NWR @ 9 species of Shorebirds including 3 immature Long-billed Dowitchers, Stilt & Semipalmated Sandpipers and both Yellowlegs. These were mostly observed along the North side of CR 77, East of the Agassiz NWR Headquarters. @ Herring Gull - Farmes Pool Agassiz NWR @ Black-billed Magpie - Seen in about 7 locations, just love those birds. @ Northern Shrike - Just East of the water control structure at the Farmes Pool. @ Winter Wren - One bird was observed along the walking trail near the Refuge Headquarters building. @ And rounded out the list with 10 species of Sparrow, with the Le Conte's being the most unusual. Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1065708264 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

10/8/03

Spent the day birding in Marshall County at Agassiz NWR and Old Mill St= ate Park. Observed 74 species of birds with some of the following bein= g my favorite sightings. I found my first Northern Shrike of the year, just=20= East of the Farmes Pool at Agassiz NWR and there were two Surf Scoters on th= e South Pool along CR 7. I ended up the day in Pennington County=20= at the Thief River Falls Sewage Lagoons. Seems there is a huge push of= Northern Shovelers, with over 1000 birds counted in two of the 3 pools, bef= ore I ran out of light. There was also a very cooperative Le Cont= e's Sparrow in the weeds next to the entrance to the Thief River Falls Sewag= e Lagoons. Here were some of my sightings from the day.

@ Red-necked, Eared and Western Grebes at the South Pool at Agassiz NWR= .

@ Surf Scoter - South Pool Agassiz NWR

@ 9 species of Shorebirds including 3 immature Long-billed Dowitchers,=20= Stilt & Semipalmated Sandpipers and both Yellowlegs. These were mo= stly observed along the North side of CR 77, East of the Agassiz NWR Headqua= rters.

@ Herring Gull - Farmes Pool Agassiz NWR

@ Black-billed Magpie - Seen in about 7 locations, just love those bird= s.

@ Northern Shrike - Just East of the water control structure at the Far= mes Pool.

@ Winter Wren - One bird was observed along the walking trail near the=20= Refuge Headquarters building.

@ And rounded out the list with 10 species of Sparrow, with the Le Cont= e's being the most unusual.

Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN

-------------------------------1065708264-- From Timmerman@southwestmsu.edu Thu Oct 9 15:12:54 2003 From: Timmerman@southwestmsu.edu (Timmerman, Janet) Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 09:12:54 -0500 Subject: [mou] Sparrows in Murray County Message-ID: <2E1A9B1AEF64D01198510000F82173A3038E995E@mail.southwest.msus.edu> We have been seeing many Harris and White-throated Sparrows in the yard this week and Red-tails, Swainsons, and Harriers in the fields hunting. Seems to be a good crop of Franklin gulls this year following the tractors again. Lovely golden autumn. Camden State Park was quiet with birds last night but bright with maples. Janet Timmerman Information Officer/Community Educator Center for Rural and Regional Studies, ST 201A Southwest Minnesota State University 1501 State Street Marshall, MN 56258 507-537-6288 From Cindy.Schneider@state.mn.us Thu Oct 9 20:21:05 2003 From: Cindy.Schneider@state.mn.us (Cindy Schneider) Date: Thu, 09 Oct 2003 14:21:05 -0500 Subject: [mou] Birding Festival Training Message-ID: Birding Festival and Event Training: The Minnesota Office of Tourism is planning a one-day workshop "How to Organize a Birding or Nature Festival" with nationally accredited trainer, Nancy Millar, executive director of the McAllen Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau, on Wednesday, November 19 at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing. This workshop will introduce you to the benefits of capturing the wildlife watching recreational market with a step-by-step organizational manual for promoting and implementing an event in your area. A seminar rate of $68 per person includes continental breakfast, lunch and workshop materials. Contact the Minnesota Office of Tourism at 800-657-3637 for more information, or e-mail Cindy Schneider at cindy.schneider@state.mn.us Lodging is available at the St. James Hotel for the special rate of $79; call 800-252-1875. From smithville4@charter.net Thu Oct 9 21:11:07 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 15:11:07 -0500 Subject: [mou] Parasetic Jaeger Message-ID: <002001c38ea1$7a04ce40$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001D_01C38E77.90B30690 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I was at Park Pt. from 1:15 to 2:15 and was scanning the lake and found = two small loons way out in the horzon when a dark morph P. Jaeger zipped = by. It made a quick flight at a Ring-billed Gull and then resumed = heading towards WI. Its funny to see the anxiety of the gulls as they = flushed off the water to let the jaeger go by! That is why I admire = these birds! hehehhe Other: Baird's Sandpiper Green-winged teals UnId Loons (3 of them in the haze) Horned Grebe ** Also the annoying Japanese Beetles that fly and crawl on you then nip = on your sin. If you shoo them away they squirt this awful musty smell. = If you are going to Park Pt, they are EVERY where!=20 Mike H. ------=_NextPart_000_001D_01C38E77.90B30690 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I was at Park Pt. from 1:15 = to 2:15 and was=20 scanning the lake and found two small loons way out in the horzon when a = dark=20 morph P. Jaeger zipped by. It made a quick flight at a Ring-billed Gull = and then=20 resumed heading towards WI. Its funny to see the anxiety of the = gulls as=20 they flushed off the water to let the jaeger go by! That is why I admire = these=20 birds! hehehhe

Other:

Baird's Sandpiper

Green-winged teals

UnId Loons (3 of them in the = haze)

Horned Grebe

** Also the annoying Japanese Beetles = that fly and=20 crawl on you then nip on your sin. If you shoo them away they squirt = this awful=20 musty smell. If you are going to Park Pt, they are EVERY where! =

Mike H.

------=_NextPart_000_001D_01C38E77.90B30690-- From smorton@mvtvwireless.com Fri Oct 10 00:54:25 2003 From: smorton@mvtvwireless.com (Steve and Sue Morton) Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 18:54:25 -0500 Subject: [mou] Possible Say's Phoebe Message-ID: <001201c38ec0$abc07e10$d4c41cd0@SteveMorton> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C38E96.C2B84280 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable A walk around Cottonwood Lake (Lyon County) on October 5 yielded nice = list of birds. Near the dam, I watched a flycatcher flit back and forth = from a low shrub. I was with in 10 feet of the bird with binocs. I = believe that it was a Say's Phoebe! I've gone back once, and will go = back tomorrow (with a camera!) to see if I can find it again. =20 Other species sighted that day were: purple finch double crested cormorant ring billed gull great blue heron ring necked pheasant killdeer mourning dove american robin downy woodpecker red bellied woodpecker blue jay least flycatcher American crow grackle starling red wing blackbird (among the grackles and starlings) house wren ruby crowned kinglet song sparrow house sparrow white throated sparrow dark eyed juncos belted kingfisher Today I had a yellow rumped warbler in the yard: yesterday...a redstart. = I live on said lake. Sue Morton Cottonwood Lake ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C38E96.C2B84280 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

A walk around Cottonwood Lake (Lyon = County) on=20 October 5 yielded nice list of birds. Near the dam, I watched a = flycatcher=20 flit back and forth from a low shrub. I was with in 10 = feet of=20 the bird with binocs. I believe that it was a Say's Phoebe! = I've gone=20 back once, and will go back tomorrow (with a camera!) to see if I can = find it=20 again.

Other species sighted that day = were:

purple finch

double crested cormorant

ring billed gull

great blue heron

ring necked pheasant

killdeer

mourning dove

american robin

downy woodpecker

red bellied woodpecker

blue jay

least flycatcher

American crow

grackle

starling

red wing blackbird (among the grackles = and=20 starlings)

house wren

ruby crowned kinglet

song sparrow

house sparrow

white throated sparrow

dark eyed juncos

belted kingfisher

Today I had a yellow rumped warbler in = the yard:=20 yesterday...a redstart. I live on said lake.

Sue Morton

Cottonwood Lake

------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C38E96.C2B84280-- From axhertzel@sihope.com Fri Oct 10 02:13:59 2003 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 20:13:59 -0500 Subject: [mou] MOU RBA 9 October 2003 Message-ID: --============_-1146374050==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday October 9th. Laura Erickson reported an adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE October 3rd at the Superior Entry of Wisconsin Point. It was in the shipping lane on the Minnesota side of the breakwater. All previous 31 records of kittiwake have been of immatures. Also in Duluth, a dark-morph PARASITIC JAEGER has been seen from various points along Park Point since the 7th, most recently having been seen on the 9th; a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE has been at main overlook at Hawk Ridge for the past several days; and a SMITH'S LONGSPUR was still at the south end of the main pool at 40th Avenue West on the 3rd. A RED-THROATED LOON was at Good Harbor Bay in Cook County on the 7th. BLACK SCOTER, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, and SURF SCOTER were all on Lake Superior in Cook County on the 8th. There seems to be an influx of Surf Scoters occurring in northern Minnesota. In Marshall County a single Surf Scoter was at the Warren sewage ponds on the 6th, and on the 8th two were at the South Pool of Agassiz NWR; two Surf Scoters were on Lake Bemidji in Beltrami County on the 4th, seen from the Paul Bunyan Bicycle Trail along the east side of the lake; and two more Surf Scoters were on Wigwam Bay of Mille Lacs Lake on the 6th - check near the breakwater by the intersection of county road 25 and U.S. highway 169. A SNOWY EGRET was at Rush Lake in Otter Tail County on the 5th. The October 4th survey of shorebirds at Agassiz NWR in Marshall County produced a state record 304 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS among the 12 species tallied. More than one hundred AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were in a field to the south of the Red Lake sewage ponds in Red Lake County on the 6th. And on October 4th, 172 American Golden-Plover were two miles west of Wilkin County Roads 15 and 30. Twelve CATTLE EGRETS were in a pasture in Grant County on the 5th. From Douglas County Road 19 turn west on Grant County Road 54 for one mile, then turn north on Ashby Estates Road East for about a mile. A record tying early COMMON REDPOLL was at Zippel Bay State Park in Lake of the Woods County on October 4th. Many people have reported migrant SNOW GEESE in the past few days, and I also have recent reports of DUNLIN, RUDDY TURNSTONE, NORTHERN SHRIKE, AMERICAN PIPIT, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, HARRIS'S SPARROW, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, RED CROSSBILL, and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL. 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 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 David Cahlander at . MOU members receive the organization's quarterly journal "The Loon" and the bimonthly magazine, "Minnesota Birding". For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at moumembers@yahoo.com. In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700. The MOU is pleased to offer this service. Thank you, and good birding. The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, October 15th. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com --============_-1146374050==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MOU RBA 9 October 2003

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday October 9th.

Laura Erickson reported an adult BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE October 3rd at the Superior Entry of Wisconsin Point. It was in the shipping lane on the Minnesota side of the breakwater. All previous 31 records of kittiwake have been of immatures.

Also in Duluth, a dark-morph PARASITIC JAEGER has been seen from various points along Park Point since the 7th, most recently having been seen on the 9th; a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE has been at main overlook at Hawk Ridge for the past several days; and a SMITH'S LONGSPUR was still at the south end of the main pool at 40th Avenue West on the 3rd.

A RED-THROATED LOON was at Good Harbor Bay in Cook County on the 7th.

BLACK SCOTER, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, and SURF SCOTER were all on Lake Superior in Cook County on the 8th. There seems to be an influx of Surf Scoters occurring in northern Minnesota. In Marshall County a single Surf Scoter was at the Warren sewage ponds on the 6th, and on the 8th two were at the South Pool of Agassiz NWR; two Surf Scoters were on Lake Bemidji in Beltrami County on the 4th, seen from the Paul Bunyan Bicycle Trail along the east side of the lake; and two more Surf Scoters were on Wigwam Bay of Mille Lacs Lake on the 6th - check near the breakwater by the intersection of county road 25 and U.S. highway 169.

A SNOWY EGRET was at Rush Lake in Otter Tail County on the 5th.

The October 4th survey of shorebirds at Agassiz NWR in Marshall County produced a state record 304 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS among the 12 species tallied. More than one hundred AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were in a field to the south of the Red Lake sewage ponds in Red Lake County on the 6th. And on October 4th, 172 American Golden-Plover were two miles west of Wilkin County Roads 15 and 30.

Twelve CATTLE EGRETS were in a pasture in Grant County on the 5th. From Douglas County Road 19 turn west on Grant County Road 54 for one mile, then turn north on Ashby Estates Road East for about a mile.

A record tying early COMMON REDPOLL was at Zippel Bay State Park in Lake of the Woods County on October 4th.

Many people have reported migrant SNOW GEESE in the past few days, and I also have recent reports of DUNLIN, RUDDY TURNSTONE, NORTHERN SHRIKE, AMERICAN PIPIT, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, HARRIS'S SPARROW, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, RED CROSSBILL, and WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL.

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 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 David Cahlander at <david@cahlander.com>.

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

In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700.

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

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, October 15th.

--

Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com

--============_-1146374050==_ma============-- From ajjoppru@wiktel.com Fri Oct 10 03:42:58 2003 From: ajjoppru@wiktel.com (Jeanie Joppru) Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 21:42:58 -0500 Subject: [mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, October 10, 2003 Message-ID: <001101c38ed8$3adf03c0$7892ddcc@main> This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, October 10, 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. What a beautiful week it has been in the northwest! After the very cold weekend that preceded it last weekend's weather was a very pleasant surprise. The fall colors are nearing peak here, and the migration is now bringing down new species every day. Even the unusual species are showing up in various places. Susan Wiste reported from Douglas County that the AMERICAN ROBINS were migrating through in large flocks on October 7th. I have reports of scoters from no less than four locations. Two SURF SCOTERS were reported by Doug Johnson off Diamond Point on Lake Bemidji, Beltrami County, on October 4th. Craig Mandel found an immature SURF SCOTER at the Warren wastewater treatment ponds in Marshall County on the 6th, two at Agassiz NWR this week, and one in Kittson County also on the 6th. A state record high count of 304 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS was recorded among the 734 shorebirds counted last weekend at Agassiz NWR in Marshall County. Benjamin Fritchman in Todd County reported 3 WESTERN GREBES, 100 PIED-BILLED GREBES, and many FRANKLIN'S GULLS on Lake Osakis, and the first NORTHERN SHRIKE of the season for the county. In Grant County, Craig Mandel found 12 CATTLE EGRETS in a cow pasture which can be reached from Douglas CR 19 by turning west on Grant CR 54 for one mile , then turning north on Ashby Estates Road for about a mile. Kim Eckert's Minnesota Birding Weekend birded in Otter Tail County on the 4th and 5th, and reported a dilute-plumaged WESTERN GREBE at the Orwell WMA, a SNOWY EGRET immature on Rush Lake, more than 100 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS at Otter Tail Prairie SNA, CAPE MAY WARBLER at Orwell WMA on the 5th, LE CONTE'S SPARROW , and NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW at Otter Tail Prairie WMA. A total of 16 sparrow species was found in Otter Tail County on the weekend. Wilkin County sightings by Kim's group included a HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWK , a RICHARDSON'S MERLIN , and LE CONTE'S SPARROW at the Rothsay WMA. Mary Wyatt reported from Becker County that she saw a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK fly through the yard on the 3rd, an INDIGO BUNTING on October 4th, and a FOX SPARROW on the 6th. On the 8th, she saw a BROWN CREEPER and an EASTERN TOWHEE. Donna and Leon Thoreson in Polk County reported BALD EAGLE, RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, FOX SPARROW, AND RUSTY BLACKBIRD on October 6th. The first Red Lake County record ROSS'S GOOSE was observed by Peder Svingen on October 4th. Red Lake County birds reported by Craig Mandel included 2 TRUMPETER SWANS, and 100 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS at the Red Lake Falls wastewater treatment ponds, and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER at Old Treaty Crossing State Wayside. Other sightings in Red Lake County were 325 SNOW GEESE, at least 3 OSPREY, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, both nuthatches, both kinglets, HERMIT THRUSH, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, BLACKPOLL, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD.=20 Sue Braastad observed a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER near Thief River Falls in Pennington County on October 8th. A covey of GRAY PARTRIDGE has been seen several times near the Thief River Falls wastewater treatment ponds, and the number of TUNDRA SWANS there has increased to 16. Craig Mandel counted over 1000 NORTHERN SHOVELERS there on the 8th. A LE CONTE'S SPARROW was near the entrance to the ponds. In Marshall County, Craig Mandel found a BROWN CREEPER and a WINTER WREN along the headquarters walking trail at Agassiz NWR on October 8th. Also on the refuge were most of the common species of migrant sparrows. Other reported birds at Agassiz include a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK and a GOLDEN PLOVER. Two GREAT EGRETS continued to feed at Agassiz on October 4th, and a MARSH WREN scolded from the cattails. On October 8th, Craig found a NORTHERN SHRIKE east of Farmes Pool, and two SURF SCOTERS along CR 7 east of Agassiz headquarters. He found SNOW GEESE, and LAPLAND LONGSPUR at the Warren wastewater treatment ponds, and SHARP-TAILED GROUSE along highway 59 at Marshall CR 5. Kittson County birds reported by Craig Mandel on October 6th include SNOW GOOSE, SURF SCOTER, RUFFED GROUSE, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, 100 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS at the Hallock wastewater treatment ponds, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, AMERICAN PIPIT, and AMERICAN TREE SPARROW. Lake of the Woods County birds reported from the Northwest Angle of Lake of the Woods included 3 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS and a NORTHERN SHRIKE on October 4th. Thanks to Craig Mandel, Doug Johnson, Sue Braastad, Peder Svingen, Benjamin Fritchman, Donna and Leon Thoreson, Sally Hausken, Susan Wiste, Mary Wyatt, and Maggie Anderson who reported sightings this week. 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, October 17, 2003. From JEBonkoski@aol.com Fri Oct 10 13:45:55 2003 From: JEBonkoski@aol.com (JEBonkoski@aol.com) Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 08:45:55 EDT Subject: [mou] Sibley, Brown & Cottonwood Co. birds Message-ID: <152.252c583d.2cb80403@aol.com> --part1_152.252c583d.2cb80403_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I birded my way down to St. James yesterday, 10,9. I found good numbers of American Pipits in Sibley (Gaylord Sewage Ponds) , Nicollet (Minnesota River Bottom), Brown (Sleepy Eye Sewage Ponds) and Cottonwood Co. There also were about 200 shorebirds at the Sleepy Eye Sewage Ponds, including about 50 Long-billed Dowitchers, more than 50 Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, a Ruddy Turnstone, 2 Sanderlings, several Pectoral Sandpipers and a couple of Least Sandpipers. I saw 22 Golden Plovers just south of the Red Rock Prairie Preserve in Cottonwood Co. along with Lapland Longspurs, Pipits and Horned Larks. I did not see any Smith's Longspurs on the Red Rock Prairie, but by the time I got to Cottonwood Co. the wind had increased to about 25 mph. --part1_152.252c583d.2cb80403_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I birded my way down to St. James yesterday, 10,9.&nbs= p; I found good numbers of American Pipits in Sibley (Gaylord Sewage Ponds)=20= , Nicollet (Minnesota River Bottom), Brown (Sleepy Eye Sewage Ponds) and Cot= tonwood Co. There also were about 200 shorebirds at the Sleepy Eye Sew= age Ponds, including about 50 Long-billed Dowitchers, more than 50 Greater &= amp; Lesser Yellowlegs, a Ruddy Turnstone, 2 Sanderlings, several Pectoral S= andpipers and a couple of Least Sandpipers.
I saw 22 Golden Plovers just south of the Red Rock Prairie Preserve in Cotto= nwood Co. along with Lapland Longspurs, Pipits and Horned Larks. I did= not see any Smith's Longspurs on the Red Rock Prairie, but by the time I go= t to Cottonwood Co. the wind had increased to about 25 mph. --part1_152.252c583d.2cb80403_boundary-- From matt@northernexposuregetaway.com Fri Oct 10 13:50:23 2003 From: matt@northernexposuregetaway.com (Mathias Schaust Jr.) Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 07:50:23 -0500 Subject: [mou] Bald Eagle chases Golden Eagle in MN Message-ID: <002501c38f2d$12b38100$2307d7aa@matt> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0022_01C38F03.28FD5230 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable It's been an exciting week with the warm weather (80's) and beautiful = autumn colors enticing us to wander and explore. Yesterday, at the crack of dawn, a Golden Eagle flew in and landed on = top of a Spruce tree in the yard, he sat and observed all of the = 'action' below as the sharp-shinned hawk 'carried on' harrassing the = Blue Jays and a flock of Robins that stopped by. We were fortunate = enough to catch some video footage of the Golden perching in the top of = the Spruce tree, then a Bald Eagle (about 1/2 to 1/3 his size) came in = and swooped into the Golden, chasing him out of his favorite perch. The = Golden flew away, the Bald perched in the other spruce tree, hovering = over his morning meal. We will be posting the video asap, for those of you who would like to = view it. http://www.northernexposuregetaway.com The beautiful weather has the frogs croaking again! It almost sounds = like spring! Happy Birding! Matt~Laurie ------=_NextPart_000_0022_01C38F03.28FD5230 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

It's been an exciting week with the warm weather (80's) and = beautiful=20 autumn colors enticing us to wander and explore.

Yesterday, at the crack of dawn, a Golden Eagle flew in and landed = on top=20 of a Spruce tree in the yard, he sat and observed all of the 'action' = below as=20 the sharp-shinned hawk 'carried on' harrassing the Blue Jays and a flock = of=20 Robins that stopped by. We were fortunate enough to catch some = video=20 footage of the Golden perching in the top of the Spruce tree, then a = Bald=20 Eagle (about 1/2 to 1/3 his size) came in and swooped into the = Golden,=20 chasing him out of his favorite perch. The Golden flew away, the Bald = perched in=20 the other spruce tree, hovering over his morning meal.

We will be posting the video asap, for those of you who would like = to view=20 it.

http://www.northernexposuregeta= way.com

The beautiful weather has the frogs croaking again! It almost = sounds like=20 spring!

Happy Birding! Matt~Laurie

------=_NextPart_000_0022_01C38F03.28FD5230-- From EgretCMan@aol.com Fri Oct 10 15:15:47 2003 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 10:15:47 EDT Subject: [mou] Surf Scoter - Pennington County - 10/9/03 Message-ID: <1a2.1b2af47d.2cb81913@aol.com> -------------------------------1065795347 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 10/9/03 Spent the day birding in Pennington and Polk County. Observed two Surf Scoters at the Thief River Sewage Ponds in Pennington County and found a single Ross's Goose in with 1000s of waterfowl at the East Grand Forks Sewage Ponds in Polk County. I also observed several small flocks Gray Partridge in Pennington County, one was at the Thief River Sewage Ponds and the other just South of Thief River Falls along Hyw 32. There were lots of Canada Geese and American Pipits at the Crookston Sewage Ponds and several 100 shorebirds at the American Crystal ponds which are next to the Crookston Ponds. You need to view through a fence, but the variety of shorebirds was nice. Still a strong push of Sparrows as well with nice numbers of Fox Sparrows observed in several locations. Here were some of the species seen today. @ Eared Grebe @ Snow Goose @ Ross's Goose - East Grand Forks Sewage Ponds @ Greater Scaup - Thief River Falls Sewage Ponds @ Surf Scoter - Thief River Falls Sewage Ponds @ Gray Partridge @ 12 Species of shorebirds at the American Crystal Ponds in Crookston. Including both Yellowlegs, Least, Baird's, Pectoral and Stilt Sandpipers, and American Golden, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers. @ Black-billed Magpie @ American Pipit - Seen at all the Sewage Ponds and also in severl wet fields. @ 10 species of Sparrow, with growing numbers of American Tree Sparrow being observed. @ Brewers Blackbirds in numerous locations, but no Rusty Blackbirds. Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1065795347 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

10/9/03

Spent the day birding in Pennington and Polk County. Observed two= Surf Scoters at the Thief River Sewage Ponds in Pennington County and found= a single Ross's Goose in with 1000s of waterfowl at the East Grand Forks Se= wage Ponds in Polk County. I also observed several small flo= cks Gray Partridge in Pennington County, one was at the Thief River Sew= age Ponds and the other just South of Thief River Falls along Hyw 32. =20= There were lots of Canada Geese and American Pipits at the Crookston Sewage=20= Ponds and several 100 shorebirds at the American Crystal ponds which are nex= t to the Crookston Ponds. You need to view through a fence, but the va= riety of shorebirds was nice. Still a strong push of Sparrows as well=20= with nice numbers of Fox Sparrows observed in several locations. Here=20= were some of the species seen today.

@ Eared Grebe

@ Snow Goose

@ Ross's Goose - East Grand Forks Sewage Ponds

@ Greater Scaup - Thief River Falls Sewage Ponds

@ Surf Scoter - Thief River Falls Sewage Ponds

@ Gray Partridge

@ 12 Species of shorebirds at the American Crystal Ponds in Crooks= ton. Including both Yellowlegs, Least, Baird's, Pectoral and Stil= t Sandpipers, and American Golden, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers.

@ Black-billed Magpie

@ American Pipit - Seen at all the Sewage Ponds and also in severl wet=20= fields.

@ 10 species of Sparrow, with growing numbers of American Tree Sparrow=20= being observed.

@ Brewers Blackbirds in numerous locations, but no Rusty Blackbirds.

Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN

-------------------------------1065795347-- From matt@northernexposuregetaway.com Fri Oct 10 16:12:59 2003 From: matt@northernexposuregetaway.com (Mathias Schaust Jr.) Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 10:12:59 -0500 Subject: [mou] 'Wild Birds of Your Region' Photo Contest/Call for Entries: Message-ID: <053801c38f40$feb2b770$2307d7aa@matt> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0535_01C38F17.1535C110 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 'Wild Birds of Your Region' Photo Contest/Call for Entries:=20 Photo Contest/ Current Theme: 'Wild Birds of Your Region' Northern Exposure Getaway, Inc. is hosting a monthly nature themed Photo = Contest: prizes/award certificates/recognition/promotion will be given = to Photographer's of winning photographs. Northern Exposure Getaway is dedicated to: 'Promoting a love of = nature/conservation through photography and fellowship'... We welcome all to participate! Spread the word! Join the fun! Contest Details: http://www.northernexposuregetaway.com ------=_NextPart_000_0535_01C38F17.1535C110 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

'Wild Birds of Your = Region' Photo=20 Contest/Call for Entries:
Photo Contest/ Current Theme: 'Wild Birds = of Your=20 Region'
Northern Exposure Getaway, Inc. is hosting a monthly nature = themed=20 Photo Contest: prizes/award certificates/recognition/promotion will be = given to=20 Photographer's of winning photographs.
Northern Exposure Getaway is = dedicated=20 to: 'Promoting a love of nature/conservation through photography and=20 fellowship'...
We welcome all to participate! Spread the word! Join = the=20 fun!
Contest Details: http://www.northernexposu= regetaway.com

------=_NextPart_000_0535_01C38F17.1535C110-- From lisa.gelvin-innvaer@dnr.state.mn.us Fri Oct 10 22:35:51 2003 From: lisa.gelvin-innvaer@dnr.state.mn.us (Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer) Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 16:35:51 -0500 Subject: [mou] Birdscapes subscription: email address problem & fix Message-ID: I've received a request to re-post the email address for subscribing to Birdscapes. I doubled checked: the email address that the USFWS listed was incorrect. However, if you navigate to the following web address, you will get to the email of Jamie Coaster-Barrington, who handles the publication's distribution http://birdhabitat.fws.gov/jamiecontact.htm Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer From EgretCMan@aol.com Sat Oct 11 05:56:09 2003 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 00:56:09 EDT Subject: [mou] Cattle Egret - Clay County - 10/10/03 Message-ID: <18c.20d5ad57.2cb8e769@aol.com> -------------------------------1065848169 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 10/10/03 Spent most of the day in Mahnomen County, where I observed a few interesting species. But the wind, made things a little more difficult. My highlight of the day, was finding an Immature Cattle Egret at the Barnesville Sewage Ponds, which are in Clay County. The bird was feeding in the grass next to the main gate of the ponds. There were also 6 Trumpeter Swans present on an unnamed lake in the NE corner of the intersection of Mahnomen County Road 3, 14 and 132. Tundra Swans and Snow Geese were present on several other lakes, but waterfowl was very limited in the county. There were also two Northern Shrikes observed in Mahnomen County. Here are some of the other sightings from the day. @ Trumpeter Swan @ Tundra Swan @ Great Egret - Wilkin County - CR 19, 1 mile south of CR 32. @ Cattle Egret @ Northern Shrike @ American Pipit @ Brewer's Blackbird @ Rusty Blackbird Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1065848169 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

10/10/03

Spent most of the day in Mahnomen County, where I observed a few intere= sting species. But the wind, made things a little more difficult. = ; My highlight of the day, was finding an Immature Cattle Egret at the Barne= sville Sewage Ponds, which are in Clay County. The bird was feedi= ng in the grass next to the main gate of the ponds. There were al= so 6 Trumpeter Swans present on an unnamed lake in the NE corner of the inte= rsection of Mahnomen County Road 3, 14 and 132. Tundra Swans and Snow G= eese were present on several other lakes, but waterfowl was very limited in=20= the county. There were also two Northern Shrikes observed in Mahn= omen County. Here are some of the other sightings from the day.

@ Trumpeter Swan

@ Tundra Swan

@ Great Egret - Wilkin County - CR 19, 1 mile south of CR 32.

@ Cattle Egret

@ Northern Shrike

@ American Pipit

@ Brewer's Blackbird

@ Rusty Blackbird

Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN

-------------------------------1065848169-- From lauraerickson@abac.com Sat Oct 11 15:36:30 2003 From: lauraerickson@abac.com (Laura Erickson) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 09:36:30 -0500 Subject: [mou] RFI--date for northern CBCs Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20031011093438.019a1960@mail1.abac.com> Can anyone tell me when the Duluth, Isabella, Two Harbors, Grand Marais, and Sax-Zim CBCs are scheduled this year? Now that the official dates no longer necessarily begin on a Saturday, some of the smaller CBCs may actually occur before the Duluth one does. Thanks!! Laura Erickson Duluth, MN Journey North Science Writer Producer, "For the Birds" radio program There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson From brsmith@sleepyeyetel.net Sat Oct 11 16:44:47 2003 From: brsmith@sleepyeyetel.net (Brian Smith) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 10:44:47 -0500 Subject: [mou] American Golden-Plover, Cottonwood County Message-ID: <002a01c3900e$9d2e3960$e38a2c42@S0026080567> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0027_01C38FE4.B0B19790 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello: The fall migration appears to be at a peak for American Golden-Plovers. = This morning I found a flock of two hundred five scattered over two = adjoining fields at Red Rock Prairie in northeast Cottonwood county. = There was a cold front approaching this area from the west at the time = and perhaps that had something to do with the large number of birds. Brian Smith Sleepy Eye ------=_NextPart_000_0027_01C38FE4.B0B19790 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello:

The fall migration appears to be at a = peak for=20 American Golden-Plovers. This morning I found a flock of two = hundred=20 five scattered over two adjoining fields at Red Rock Prairie in = northeast=20 Cottonwood county. There was a cold front approaching this area = from the=20 west at the time and perhaps that had something to do with the = large=20 number of birds.

Brian Smith

Sleepy Eye

------=_NextPart_000_0027_01C38FE4.B0B19790-- From jslind@frontiernet.net Sat Oct 11 17:54:59 2003 From: jslind@frontiernet.net (Jim Lind) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 11:54:59 -0500 Subject: [mou] Re: RFI--date for northern CBCs Message-ID: <3F87EF93.29357.2A71D19@localhost> The Duluth CBC will be held on Saturday, December 20th. People interested in participating should contact me by e-mail or phone (218- 834-3199). The date for the Two Harbors count will be determined soon. Thanks, Jim Lind **please note my new e-mail address: jslind@frontiernet.net > Can anyone tell me when the Duluth, Isabella, Two Harbors, Grand > Marais, and Sax-Zim CBCs are scheduled this year? Now that the > official dates no longer necessarily begin on a Saturday, some of the > smaller CBCs may actually occur before the Duluth one does. Thanks!! > > Laura Erickson > Duluth, MN From alongtin@worldnet.att.net Sat Oct 11 18:42:57 2003 From: alongtin@worldnet.att.net (Andrew Longtin) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 12:42:57 -0500 Subject: [mou] RFI--date for northern CBCs In-Reply-To: <5.2.1.1.2.20031011093438.019a1960@mail1.abac.com> Message-ID: <000401c3901f$1b9d5eb0$7142520c@computer> Laura, Roger usually has the schedule out soon.. http://www.rohair.com/CBC/cldr.html I'm ready for it too so I can plan my time, last year I did 8, I want to figure out which one to do this year.. Andrew -- Andrew Longtin Corcoran (Hennepin Co.) Minnesota Minnesota Ornithologists Union Member http://biosci.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/ Cornell Lab Member (PFW) http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw/ Hardness Zone 4 (climate zone) ALongtin *at worldnet *dot att *dot net See my WEB pages at http://home.att.net/~alongtin/Index.htm NO SPAM NEEDED HERE!!!! -----Original Message----- From: mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu [mailto:mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu]On Behalf Of Laura Erickson Sent: Saturday, October 11, 2003 9:37 AM To: Mou-net; mnbird Subject: [mou] RFI--date for northern CBCs Can anyone tell me when the Duluth, Isabella, Two Harbors, Grand Marais, and Sax-Zim CBCs are scheduled this year? Now that the official dates no longer necessarily begin on a Saturday, some of the smaller CBCs may actually occur before the Duluth one does. Thanks!! Laura Erickson Duluth, MN Journey North Science Writer Producer, "For the Birds" radio program There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net From tomtustison@hotmail.com Sat Oct 11 19:44:08 2003 From: tomtustison@hotmail.com (Tom Tustison) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 18:44:08 +0000 Subject: [mou] Interesting Morning at Roberts Message-ID: This a.m. at T.S. Roberts, I found a late Red-eyed Vireo, an Ovenbird, and a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. The Blue was most likely an immature based on the very inconspicuous "handkerchief". Tom Tustison Minneapolis, MN 55409 _________________________________________________________________ Instant message with integrated webcam using MSN Messenger 6.0. Try it now FREE! http://msnmessenger-download.com From ajjoppru@wiktel.com Sun Oct 12 03:41:46 2003 From: ajjoppru@wiktel.com (Jeanie Joppru) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 21:41:46 -0500 Subject: [mou] Avocets-Marshall County Message-ID: <000101c3906a$64831070$58d4aec6@main> 36 American Avocets were found on Parker Pool at Agassiz NWR this afternoon along the CR7. This is apparently the second highest count for American Avocets in Minnesota. In addition we refound the two Surf Scoters on headquarters pool . In the interior of the refuge we also found a single Ross's Goose. A total of 11 species of shore birds were counted today under difficult conditions of rain and muddy roads. Not all of the pools could be accessed today due to the condition of the roads. Jeanie Joppru Pennington County From EgretCMan@aol.com Sun Oct 12 03:53:34 2003 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 22:53:34 EDT Subject: [mou] Snowy Egret - Ottertail County - 10/11/03 Message-ID: <1c1.101dd517.2cba1c2e@aol.com> -------------------------------1065927214 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 10/11/03 While leading a trip to the Rothsay area are group relocated the Snowy Egret on the South side of Rush Lake in Ottertail County. We tried to relocate the Cattle Egret at the Barnesville Sewage Ponds but were unsuccessful with that bird. The afternoon highlight was watching about 50+ hawks migrate by while watching shorebirds at a small WMA west of Fergus Falls. While not numerous we did observe 15 species of Ducks, including nice looks at Greater Scaup in flight. Prairie Chickens were still present at the main Lek at the Rothsay WMA and also along Wilkin County Road 32, just East of CR 9. There was also a late Cliff Swallow near the Prairie Chicken spot on CR 32. Here are some of the species observed by our group. @ Red-necked Grebe - Barnesville Sewage Ponds @ Snowy Egret @ Greater Prairie Chicken @ Sora @ American Golden Plover @ Stilt Sandpiper @ Short-eared Owl - Wilkin County, 7:00pm at the intersection of CR 15 and CR 30. @ Cliff Swallow @ American Pipit @ Purple Finch Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1065927214 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

10/11/03

While leading a trip to the Rothsay area are group relocated the Snowy=20= Egret on the South side of Rush Lake in Ottertail County. We tried to=20= relocate the Cattle Egret at the Barnesville Sewage Ponds but were unsuccess= ful with that bird. The afternoon highlight was watching about 50= + hawks migrate by while watching shorebirds at a small WMA west of Fergus F= alls. While not numerous we did observe 15 species of Ducks, including= nice looks at Greater Scaup in flight. Prairie Chickens wer= e still present at the main Lek at the Rothsay WMA and also along Wilkin Cou= nty Road 32, just East of CR 9. There was also a late Cliff Swallow ne= ar the Prairie Chicken spot on CR 32. Here are some of the specie= s observed by our group.

@ Red-necked Grebe - Barnesville Sewage Ponds

@ Snowy Egret

@ Greater Prairie Chicken

@ Sora

@ American Golden Plover

@ Stilt Sandpiper

@ Short-eared Owl - Wilkin County, 7:00pm at the intersection of CR 15=20= and CR 30.

@ Cliff Swallow

@ American Pipit

@ Purple Finch

Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN

-------------------------------1065927214-- From ekblad@millcomm.com Sun Oct 12 20:30:27 2003 From: ekblad@millcomm.com (Bob Ekblad) Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 14:30:27 -0500 Subject: [mou] Le Conte's Sparrow and Hawks - Olmsted Co Message-ID: <3F89ABD3.1050906@millcomm.com> I went out looking for sparrows this morning since it was nice a calm. I walked in on the north side of the East Landfill Reservoir (west of Rochester) and found a few but didn't find the Le Conte's or Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows I was looking for (both have been seen some years in that area in the past). As I was leaving I noticed a shorebird on the mudflat and stopped to look and, while sitting there I heard a chip in the ditch right near the car. I imitated the chip and up popped a Le Conte's Sparrow. The Sharp-tailed is still on my wish list. A few minutes later I spotted a fairly early immature dark phase Rough-legged Hawk flying circles over the South Landfill Reservoir as it gradually moved southward. Yesterday I had a Kreider's Red-tailed Hawk fly up from the ditch just a short distance north of the east reservoir. It had such a white head and tail I first thought of Ferruginous. After it was up and flying around a bit I was able to pick out a tinge of rufous on the tail. It also had the bar on the leading edge of the underwing that helped confirm it was a red-tailed. -- Bob Ekblad Olmsted County in SE Minnesota http://home.rconnect.com/~ekblad/ From connyb@mycidco.com Sun Oct 12 15:41:27 2003 From: connyb@mycidco.com (Conny Brunell) Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 14:41:27 Subject: [mou] Vireo's still at Wood Lake, Hennepin Co. Message-ID: This morning Leslie Marcus, Linda Sparling and I birded at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield. The sun was out and the edges were active with a Blue-headed Vireo, and a singing Red-eyed Vireo. Both Golden-crowned, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were active throughout the park. There were Orange-crowned, and Nashville Warblers in good numbers, Palm, Yellow-rumped, and Common Yellowthroat. Besides the many Fox Sparrows, there was a Field Sparrow, White-throated, White-crowned, Swamp, Lincoln's, Song, and the numbers of Dark-eyed Junco's have shot up. Hermit Thrush, Northern Flickers, Eastern Phoebe, Red-bellied WP, Great Blue Heron, Great Egrets, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, and an adult Bald Eagle flew over the lake. Conny Brunell Richfield, Hennepin Cty connyb@mycidco.com From rmdbird@mn.rr.com Mon Oct 13 01:28:32 2003 From: rmdbird@mn.rr.com (Bob Dunlap) Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 19:28:32 -0500 Subject: [mou] Ferruginous Hawk, Lac Qui Parle County Message-ID: <006901c39120$ef2fbcd0$f6c31941@MainComputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0066_01C390F7.05E9B4F0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This weekend John Hockema and I, as well as Carol Schumacher on = Saturday, birded southwest MN. Saturday was terrible weather for = birding but today was better. The highlight of our excursion was = definitely the juvenile light-morph Ferruginous Hawk that John and I = found around noon today flying to the east of Salt Lake in Lac Qui Parle = County. We were totally in awe as the bird flew close overhead. We = followed it around some nearby county roads, getting awesome scope = looks. We last saw the bird flying southeast from Cnty. Rd. 15. Other = cool birds we found: -Black-headed Gull in Iowa- the Spirit Lake bird was present Sat. but = never flew into MN (dang!) -13 shorebird species at Heron Lake, Jackson Co. -100+ Am. Pipits at the Edgerton sewage ponds, Pipestone Co. While we couldn't find any Smith's Longspurs and missed on the BH Gull, = the Ferruginous Hawk definitely made it an outstanding trip. Good = birding! -Bob Dunlap, Carver County ------=_NextPart_000_0066_01C390F7.05E9B4F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This weekend John Hockema and I, as = well as Carol=20 Schumacher on Saturday, birded southwest MN. Saturday was terrible = weather=20 for birding but today was better. The highlight of our excursion = was=20 definitely the juvenile light-morph Ferruginous Hawk that John and = I found=20 around noon today flying to the east of Salt Lake in Lac Qui Parle = County. =20 We were totally in awe as the bird flew close overhead. We = followed=20 it around some nearby county roads, getting awesome scope looks. We = last=20 saw the bird flying southeast from Cnty. Rd. 15. Other cool birds = we=20 found:

-Black-headed Gull in Iowa- the Spirit = Lake bird=20 was present Sat. but never flew into MN (dang!)

-13 shorebird species at Heron Lake, = Jackson=20 Co.

-100+ Am. Pipits at the Edgerton sewage = ponds,=20 Pipestone Co.

While we couldn't find any Smith's = Longspurs and=20 missed on the BH Gull, the Ferruginous Hawk definitely made it an = outstanding=20 trip. Good birding!

-Bob Dunlap, Carver=20 County

------=_NextPart_000_0066_01C390F7.05E9B4F0-- From JulianSellers@msn.com Mon Oct 13 03:33:31 2003 From: JulianSellers@msn.com (Julian Sellers) Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 21:33:31 -0500 Subject: [mou] Black-throated Blue, Waseca County Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C39108.7B827920 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Saturday, 10/11, I was treated to close views of a male = Black-throated Blue Warbler in Courthouse Park, Waseca County. Other = birds of interest in the park on Saturday and/or Sunday were: 1 American Woodcock 2 Hermit Thrushes numerous Yellow-rumped Warblers a few Nashville Warblers 1 Orange-crowned Warbler 3 Purple Finches (one male and two female/immature) Fox Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow many White-Throated Sparrows Harris's Sparrows were at another location. At Mott Lake I found: 2 Semipalmated Plovers 3 Greater Yellowlegs 11 Long-billed Dowitchers 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers 1 American Pipit Julian Sellers St. Paul ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C39108.7B827920 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

On Saturday, 10/11, I was treated to close views = of a male=20 Black-throated Blue Warbler in Courthouse Park, Waseca County. = Other birds=20 of interest in the park on Saturday and/or Sunday were:

1 American Woodcock

2 Hermit Thrushes

numerous Yellow-rumped Warblers

a few Nashville Warblers

1 Orange-crowned Warbler

3 Purple Finches (one male and two=20 female/immature)

Fox Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

many White-Throated =20 Sparrows

Harris's Sparrows were at another=20 location.

At Mott Lake I found:

2 Semipalmated Plovers

3 Greater Yellowlegs

11 Long-billed Dowitchers

2 Semipalmated Sandpipers

1 American = Pipit

Julian Sellers

St. Paul

------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C39108.7B827920-- From jslind@frontiernet.net Mon Oct 13 03:36:01 2003 From: jslind@frontiernet.net (Jim Lind) Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 21:36:01 -0500 Subject: [mou] North Shore sightings Message-ID: <3F89C941.24983.18305FE@localhost> I birded the North Shore today from Two Harbors to Grand Marais and had the following birds: A Townsend's Solitaire at the Lutsen Sea Villas, near the condos on west side. This spot and Grand Marais seemed to be the only places with an abundance of Mountain Ash berries (both places had a few Bohemian Waxwings, too). A White-winged Scoter flyby at Lighthouse Point in Two Harbors, and a Surf Scoter at Good Harbor Bay in Cook Co. 15 sparrow species, including a Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow at the beaver pond west of the Flood Bay wayside on Hwy 61, and Vesper Sparrows at three locations (Illgen City highway dept. ponds, Lutsen Sea Villas, and Grand Marais campground). 9 warbler species, including a late Yellow Warbler in Silver Bay and a Bay-breasted Warbler at Lighthouse Point (plus a Red-eyed Vireo). Loons and grebes seem to be scarce this fall on the North Shore. I saw only one Common Loon and one Horned Grebe all day, although the lake was pretty wavy. Jim Lind Two Harbors From EgretCMan@aol.com Mon Oct 13 11:19:20 2003 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 06:19:20 EDT Subject: [mou] Ross's Goose - Ottertail County - 10/12/03 Message-ID: <146.1a6eb68d.2cbbd628@aol.com> -------------------------------1066040360 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 10/12/03 Ended my week of birding in Northwestern Minnesota, leading a group in Wilkin and Ottertail counties. Highlights were a close fly by of a Smith's Longspur 1 mile South of the Rothsay WMA in Wilkin County and 3 Ross's Geese 2 miles north of Hyw 210, on the West side of Ottertail County Road 21. @ Ross's Goose @ Smith's Longspur Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1066040360 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

10/12/03

Ended my week of birding in Northwestern Minnesota, leading a group in=20= Wilkin and Ottertail counties. Highlights were a close fly b= y of a Smith's Longspur 1 mile South of the Rothsay WMA in Wilkin County and= 3 Ross's Geese 2 miles north of Hyw 210, on the West side of Ottertail= County Road 21.

@ Ross's Goose

@ Smith's Longspur

Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN

-------------------------------1066040360-- From lauraerickson@abac.com Mon Oct 13 21:26:41 2003 From: lauraerickson@abac.com (Laura Erickson) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 15:26:41 -0500 Subject: [mou] Red-bellied Woodpecker in Duluth Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20031013152359.019d9dd8@mail1.abac.com> I have had a male Red-bellied Woodpecker at my feeder much of this afternoon (Monday, October 13). This is the first male I've had here in over 22 years at this house. I'm hoping he'll stick around, but there has been some serious hawk activity today. If you're leading a trip around here and looking for one, just email or call and I'll let you know if he's still hanging around. Laura Erickson Duluth, MN Journey North Science Writer Producer, "For the Birds" radio program There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson From chadaakre@hotmail.com Mon Oct 13 22:52:23 2003 From: chadaakre@hotmail.com (Chad Aakre) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 16:52:23 -0500 Subject: [mou] Black-throated Blue Warbler - Goodhue Message-ID: Hey all, This is a late report of a pair of Black- thoated Blue Warblers at Villa Maria Center near Frontenac in Goodhue County. The juvenile and adult female pair was observed on Wed. Oct 8th at about 11:30 AM. I was extremely happy to view these birds as I have only heard this warbler in the past on the breeding grounds. I had some stellar looks and took copious notes. The ID was made easy with a nice wing spot on the female. All other field marks fit in also. I was not able to get to a computer before this. Regards, Chad Aakre Winona County _________________________________________________________________ Concerned that messages may bounce because your Hotmail account has exceeded its 2MB storage limit? Get Hotmail Extra Storage! http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es From benzdedrick@hotmail.com Mon Oct 13 23:20:57 2003 From: benzdedrick@hotmail.com (Dedrick Benz) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 22:20:57 +0000 Subject: [mou] Tundra Swans, Winona Cty Message-ID: Had my first Tundra Swans (5 of 'em) of the fall Monday Evening at Weaver Bottoms. Also gobs of dabbling ducks - yet to see many divers down here in SE. A buzz through Whitewater turned up several bluebird flocks, lots of Kinglets, 1 Field Sparrow, and lots of White-throated Sparrows. Dedrick Benz Winona, MN _________________________________________________________________ Enjoy MSN 8 patented spam control and more with MSN 8 Dial-up Internet Service. Try it FREE for one month! http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup From JELLISBIRD@aol.com Tue Oct 14 03:17:27 2003 From: JELLISBIRD@aol.com (JELLISBIRD@aol.com) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 22:17:27 EDT Subject: [mou] Douglas County Raptors Message-ID: At the farm near Miltona MN (Douglas County) I saw many raptors moving S by SE on Sunday late AM and early PM, including a light phase Swainsons Hawk, a couple of Harriers, four bald eagles, one Cooper's Hawk, many Red-Tailed Hawks of various color variations and several Possibles. In the very early AM I heard two Red-Shouldered Hawks, two Barred Owls and a Great Horned Owl all of which I presumed were local birds. John Ellis, St. Paul From EgretCMan@aol.com Tue Oct 14 04:43:40 2003 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 23:43:40 EDT Subject: [mou] Surf Scoter - Brown County - 10/13/03 Message-ID: <1ec.1143fd1c.2cbccaec@aol.com> -------------------------------1066103020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 10/13/03 Spent the day birding in SW Minnesota today with Conny Brunell and Leslie Marcus and we experienced mixed results, with the birds we tried to observe. We started in Jackson County and from about 8:30 to 9:00am missed on the Black-headed Gull being observed at Spirit Lake. After lunch we spent an hour walking the Red Rock Prairie, searching for Longspurs. There were no birds of any kind present at the preserve during our visit. Later in the day we visited the Sleepy Eye Sewage ponds and there observed 3 Surf Scoter fly into the front pond around 4:00pm. The birds were still present at 5:30pm when we departed. Also present at the ponds were Baird's, Least and Pectoral sandpipers and Lesser & Greater Yellowlegs. There were also some American Pipits and Rusty & Brewers Blackbirds observed along the shore of the back pond. Were are some of the species observed: @ American White Pelican - Several 100 observed just East of the intersection of Jackson County Roads 4 & 2. @ Surf Scoter @ Hermit Thrush, Winter Wren, both Kinglets & Brown Creepers were observed at Mountain Lake Park in the Town of Mountain Lake in Cottonwood County. @ Harris's Sparrows were observed in many locations within Jackson and Cottonwood Counties. Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1066103020 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

10/13/03

Spent the day birding in SW Minnesota today with Conny Brunell and Lesl= ie Marcus and we experienced mixed results, with the birds we tried to=20= observe. We started in Jackson County and from about 8:30 to 9:00am mi= ssed on the Black-headed Gull being observed at Spirit Lake. Afte= r lunch we spent an hour walking the Red Rock Prairie, searching for Longspu= rs. There were no birds of any kind present at the preserve durin= g our visit. Later in the day we visited the Sleepy Eye Sewage ponds a= nd there observed 3 Surf Scoter fly into the front pond around 4:00pm. = The birds were still present at 5:30pm when we departed. Also present= at the ponds were Baird's, Least and Pectoral sandpipers and Lesser & G= reater Yellowlegs. There were also some American Pipits and Rusty &= Brewers Blackbirds observed along the shore of the back pond. We= re are some of the species observed:

@ American White Pelican - Several 100 observed just East of the inters= ection of Jackson County Roads 4 & 2.

@ Surf Scoter

@ Hermit Thrush, Winter Wren, both Kinglets & Brown Creepers were o= bserved at Mountain Lake Park in the Town of Mountain Lake in Cottonwood Cou= nty.

@ Harris's Sparrows were observed in many locations within Jackson and=20= Cottonwood Counties.

Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN

-------------------------------1066103020-- From two-jays@att.net Tue Oct 14 15:10:07 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 07:10:07 -0700 Subject: [mou] FW: [BIRDCHAT] The Birds of the Boreal (NPR) In-Reply-To: <3F8BE105.3010204@swarthmore.edu> Message-ID: forward by Jim Williams, Wayzata ---------- From: Glenn Stauffer Reply-To: Glenn Stauffer Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 07:41:57 -0400 To: BIRDCHAT@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [BIRDCHAT] The Birds of the Boreal (NPR) NPR is playing the Radio Expeditions program, "The Birds of the Boreal" today about birdlife in the Canadian Boreal Forest. Text of the program is at: http://www.npr.org/programs/re/archivesdate/2003/oct/boreal/index.html Audio will be available online after 10am EST. Some quotes from the program: "I'm amazed at the ecological illiteracy among birders. They don't seem to understand the equation. No habitat equals no birding and no birders." "Many of these birds have American names. So if you want to see the continuation of the Connecticut warbler, Tennessee warblers, Philadelphia vireos, you've got to care about Canada's Boreal forest," ...the United States is the single largest consumer of products from Canada's Boreal. "From that perspective there's both an opportunity and responsibility for Americans to lend their voices to Canadians interested in conserving this ecosystem." ---- Glenn Stauffer Lititz, PA BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html Listowners: mailto:birdchat-request@listserv.arizona.edu From matt@northernexposuregetaway.com Tue Oct 14 14:24:34 2003 From: matt@northernexposuregetaway.com (Mathias Schaust Jr.) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 08:24:34 -0500 Subject: [mou] Bald Eagle chasing Golden Eagle video posted Message-ID: <001101c39256$82bb94c0$7907d7aa@matt> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000E_01C3922C.993EC570 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello all! The bald eagle chasing the golden eagle out of the spruce tree has been = posted for those of you who would like to view it! We apologize for the = poor quality, as the camera we grabbed had to be transfered to vcr tape = and back, which caused some quality loss. =20 We saw a white hawk here, about the size of a 'cooper's hawk', the only = coloring we could see on it was a few (sparse) orange feathers on the = breast. Does anyone have any ideas of what it was? Albino maybe? We will keep = our eyes in the skies to see if we can capture some video of it.=20 We are located in the northern 1/3 of MN in the midst of the Solana = State Forest (for those of you who asked) Our location can be found on = the 'location' page, the eagle video go tho birds>eagle page. http://www.northernexposuregetaway.com Happy Birding! = Matt~Laurie ------=_NextPart_000_000E_01C3922C.993EC570 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello all!

The bald eagle chasing the golden eagle = out of the=20 spruce tree has been posted for those of you who would like to view it! = We=20 apologize for the poor quality, as the camera we grabbed had to be = transfered to=20 vcr tape and back, which caused some quality loss.

We saw a white hawk here, about the = size of a=20 'cooper's hawk', the only coloring we could see on it was a few (sparse) = orange=20 feathers on the breast.

Does anyone have any ideas of what it = was? Albino=20 maybe? We will keep our eyes in the skies to see if we can capture some = video of=20 it.

We are located in the northern 1/3 of = MN in the=20 midst of the Solana State Forest (for those of you who asked) Our = location can=20 be found on the 'location' page, the eagle video go tho birds>eagle=20 page.

http://www.northernexposu= regetaway.com

&nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; =20 Happy Birding! Matt~Laurie

------=_NextPart_000_000E_01C3922C.993EC570-- From two-jays@att.net Tue Oct 14 17:26:49 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 09:26:49 -0700 Subject: [mou] partners in flight newsletter Message-ID: forward from Tom Will, USFWS, by Jim Williams, Wayzata, Minnesota --- PARTNERS IN FLIGHT NEWSLETTER http://www.partnersinflight.org October 2003 =20 NATIONAL North American Landbird Conservation Plan The final draft of the Continental Plan is out for review and may be downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pifCapeMay/PIF_Final_Draft.pdf= . If this does not work well and you prefer a CD, contact Ken Rosenberg or me= . Snail-mail and e-mail comments should be sent by 31 October 2003 to both Terry and Ken. We are still seeking some funding to produce hard copies of the Plan but expect to have it on the streets before Christmas. Terry Rich Partners in Flight National Coordinator U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1387 S. Vinnell Way Boise, ID 83709 terry_rich@fws.gov=20 Ken Rosenberg Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, NY 14850 kvr2@cornell.edu=20 Partners In Flight National Committee Meetings The PIF Implementation Committee, Federal Agency Committee, State Agency Committee and Council met before or during the IAFWA annual conference in Baraboo and Madison, WI on 8-12 September 2003. Minutes, decisions and action items will be posted to the PIF web site and to the various listserves as they are finalized. Some key items from the PIF Council meeting include: Funding PIF needs to establish an annual operating budget to cover the costs of products and support that occur each year. We will be exploring mechanisms whereby partners can commit to a standard annual contribution that will be spent according to a budget approved by the PIF Council. This will eliminate the perennial need to pass the hat to fund every individual need that emerges. Continental Council Tabled Formation of a PIF Continental Council was suggested as a body to be "keepers of the plan," analogous to a similar council for NAWMP. The PIF Council decided to table the development of a Continental Council until suc= h a time as it might be deemed necessary. The current PIF Council, with representation from CA, US and MX, might be adequate to meet the identified need.=20 New Integration Working Group Formed The Council endorsed formation of the Integration Working Group as discusse= d and proposed by the Implementation Committee. This working group will be comprised of federal, state, NGO, and industry representatives with the purpose being to help assist partners in the integration of PIF landbird objectives into other plans. This was identified as the #1 short-term priority for PIF at the strategic planning session in Winston-Salem in Marc= h 2003. Chair of the committee is Eric Lawton of BLM. If you are interested in participating in this very important new working group, contact Eric at eric_lawton@blm.gov. Joint Ventures The PIF Council has defined its process for reviewing Joint Venture Implementation Plans. The PIF Council Chair will orchestrate the PIF review process and return comments to the appropriate parties. In a related action, the PIF National Coordinator will attend all future meetings of the Joint Venture Coordinators to continue to build communication links for JV delivery of all-bird conservation. Stepping Down and Stepping Up Landbird Objectives The North American Landbird Conservation Plan is providing estimates of continental population objectives for all Species of Continental Importance= . A critical next step is for states, BCRs, and other sub-continental units t= o examine these objectives and determine if these objectives are reasonably accurate AND achievable for their particular part of the continent. Dialogues and workshops have already been held in certain parts of the country to explore this arena and more are scheduled in the near future. For example, the Western Working Group will devote its Fall Workshop, 3-6 November, in Silver City, NM to this purpose (contact Carol_Beardmore@fws.gov). The Midwest Working Group (contact Tom_Will@fws.gov) has scheduled Advances in All-Bird Conservation Planning and Implementation in the Midwest: Stepping Down Regional Objectives to Local Scales to be held on Wednesday, 10 December, as part of the 64th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (http://www.midwest2003.com/index.htm)= . I emphasize that the initial population objectives provided in the Continental Plan are only a starting point and that everyone involved in preparing those estimates is eager to receive feedback and work toward more refined numbers that are ever more "real."=8BTerry Rich (terry_rich@fws.gov) Coordinated Bird Monitoring Also at the recent IAFWA meetings, PIF Monitoring Working Group Cochair, Jo= n Bart, made presentations at several key committee meetings to explain the vision, progress and needs of Coordinated Bird Monitoring. The CBM approac= h was developed by the Western Working Group of PIF during 1999-2002 and is being implemented there by the Westwide All-bird Monitoring and Assessment Program. The project to produce a North American CBM Plan was initiated by the US-NABCI Monitoring Working Group in May 2003 and was endorsed by the IAFWA Bird Conservation Committee in September 2003. A Plan will be prepared for coordinating the initiative-specific, bird monitoring plans and ensuring that results from individual States, Provinces, and regions can be combined to permit evaluation of bird conservation at the continental scale. The Plan will cover waterbirds, shorebirds, and landbirds; discussions are underway with the waterfowl and upland game bird groups to determine whether the initial draft will also cover these groups. The first version will include Canada and the United States; Mexico will be covered in a future version. For further details, contact Jon Bart (jon_bart@usgs.gov). USFWS Strategic Plan =AD Comments Sought The USFWS has prepared a draft Strategic Plan for the Migratory Bird Progra= m entitled, A Blueprint for the Future of Migratory Birds, in order to "=8Arecommit to its migratory bird trust responsibilities and set a course fo= r migratory bird conservation over the next decade." The Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals. The draft can be found at http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/mbstratplan/mbstratplan.htm. Comments can be submitted on line or in writing to: Migratory Bird Strategic Plan Steering Committee, USFWS, 4401 N. Fairfax Dr. ms-4075, Arlington, VA 22203. Due date is 10 October 2003. PLJV Creates New Tools for All-Bird Planning The PLJV is committed to biological planning for all birds, and has created unique and integrated tools to get the job done. Among these tools are the Species for Management Action (SMA) Database and PLJV Geographic Informatio= n System (GIS). The SMA Database is an integrated clearing house of information on birds that occur in the PLJV region. It includes information from national and continental bird plans and regional literature and experts, and identifies specific management actions appropriate for each species. The PLJV also will soon complete the first phase of a new GIS that identifies wetlands and other habitats in the region. The GIS will be made available to partners who will be able to use it to identify, categorize an= d prioritize areas of special significance to the JV's conservation mission and track projects on a spatially-explicit level. Find out more on the PLJV's new online section (http://www.pljv.org/conservation01.html) The PLJ= V is also launching a new electronic publication, the Science Circular, intended for resource managers, technicians and biologists involved or interested in PLJV biological planning. To subscribe, send an email to sciencecircular@pljv.org. Asilomar Proceedings Most of the approximately 200 manuscripts submitted for publication in the proceedings of the Asilomar conference are now final and in for copy-editin= g and layout. We continue to seek additional funds for publication and have asked all authors to contribute page charges at a rate comparable to ornithological journals. Contributions from PIF partners also are still needed.=8BTerry Rich (terry_rich@fws.gov) and C. J. Ralph (cjr2@humboldt.edu) Sustainable Coffee Gains Support As evidence of corporate America's new commitment to environmental and social responsibility, sustainably produced coffee certified by the Rainforest Alliance is hitting the mainstream. At select Citigroup headquarters around the nation, employees can savor 100% Rainforest Allianc= e Certified coffee. This cooperative effort was spearheaded by the global financial services company in cooperation with worldwide managed services provider ARAMARK and specialty coffee supplier Java City. This week, Millstone, a Procter & Gamble brand, introduced its new Rainforest Alliance Certified Signature Roast line, together with a Fair Trade and Cup of Excellence lines. Procter & Gamble is supporting the efforts of coffee farmers in Latin America to both care for their workers and for the rainforest environment in which they grow their coffee. The announcement follows a number of other recent developments: This summer, three of the world's largest coffee traders, Volcafe, Ecom and Neumann signed memorandums of understanding with the Rainforest Alliance to promote sustainably produced coffee. Kristen Earls (kearls@ra.org) 2003 American Wetlands Conference Proceedings Available Proceedings of the 2003 American Wetlands Conference are now available at http://www.iwla.org/SOS/awm/conference/2003_proceedings.html. This is a product of the American Wetlands Conference, a forum where volunteers, biologists, government agency representatives, policy makers, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and educators met to discuss the latest trends i= n wetland conservation. Some of the topics include: the status and ecologica= l importance of geographically isolated and ephemeral wetlands, a discussion of whether or not isolated wetlands need federal protection, wetland construction, monitoring and assessment, hands-on education, conservation development and land-use planning as wetland conservation tools, and public perceptions of wetlands. Landowner Incentive Program Grant Proposals Sought The USFWS is requesting proposals under the Landowner Incentive Program pending a Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Ac= t 2004 allocation of funds for conservation grants to States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa, and Tribes. These grants are available for conservation efforts to be carried out on private lands, to provide technical or financial assistance to private landowners for the purpose of benefiting Federally listed, proposed, or candidate species, or other at-risk species on private lands. Assistance must be to protect, restore, o= r manage habitat on private lands. For more information: http://www.cfda.gov/public/viewprog.asp?progid=3D1585 Deadline is 14 October. Wilson Bulletin Now On Line Following the lead of the Cooper Ornithological Society and The Condor, all issues of The Wilson Bulletin published before 2000 (1889-1999, vol. 1-111) are now accessible on a Univ. of New Mexico library web site. This is a fre= e site, so back issues of the journal are readily available to anyone in the world with internet access. The site is fully searchable, so you can search for all papers on a particular topic or species, or all publications by a particular author. Full-text reproductions of all papers (including illustrations) are available as either PDF or DjVu files. The DjVu files work quickly and smoothly - just download the DjVu program from Lizardtech. You can do this for free from the home page of the Wilson Bulletin site at the UNM library http://eLibrary.unm.edu/wilson/. Important Economic Reports Available New economic reports on wildlife viewing, hunting and fishing are now available free at www.southwickassociates.com. The latest reports posted include the 2001 Economic Benefits of Watchable Wildlife Recreation in Colorado, the 2001 Economic Contributions of Wildlife Watching in Florida, and the 2001 Economic Contributions of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Watching in Texas. Additional information will be available soon for Missouri and other states.=8BRob Southwick (rob@southwickassociates.com) A New Stamp (Birder=B9s World Editorial) The 2002 Federal Duck Stamp is available, and as usual, it's a beauty. It depicts a pair of Snow Geese flying past one of my favorite places: the lighthouse at Chincoteague, Virginia. A mainstay of the National Wildlife Refuge System for almost 70 years, the Duck Stamp has been called the most successful conservation program ever initiated. And no wonder: Since 1934 it's raised more than $600 million for the acquisition of over five million acres of wetland habitat. But the number of hunters who purchase the stamp is declining, and so is revenue, and the sad truth is that far more birds than just ducks, geese, and swans are in trouble. Indeed, a recent report listed no fewer than 131 "birds of conservation concern" that need immediate help. Some of the species rely on wetlands; many are in woodlands, deserts, or grasslands. The birds' plight looks gloomy, as does the stamp's, but there is a way we can help both: We can modernize the Duck Stamp. That is, with a little creative thinking, we can make the stamp work for all birds (including waterfowl), for more habitat than wetlands alone, for different aspects of bird conservation, and for a strengthened refuge system. And perhaps most important =AD for the birds as well as the Duck Stamp =AD we can expand participation in the program to include not just waterfowl hunters, but a broad coalition of hunters, birders, wildlife watchers, backyard wildlife enthusiasts, and eco-tourists. It's an idea whose time has come.=8BChuck Hagner, Editor Bachman=B9s Warbler Information Sought In 2002, the Charleston Ecological Services Office (USFWS) and the Atlanti= c Coast JV conducted a fairly intensive and extensive search at the Congaree Swamp National Monument for Bachman's Warbler. This effort was conducted a= s a result of some fairly reliable observations being made in 2001 (report available). We did not find any Bachman's warblers. However, I am trying to find out more information about Bachman's Warbler activities. Bachman's Warbler has been reported annually somewhere in the southeast US since 1962= , but has never been confirmed. I am trying to find out about any recent observations and any ongoing activities or upcoming activities. If you can help with any information, please let me know.=8BCraig Watson (craig_watson@fws.gov) Long-billed Curlew Survey Protocol Available The final Long-billed Curlew survey protocol is now available on the web at= : http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/birds/. We hope to begin work on sample selection soon, for implementation in 2004. I hope we can work with you to implement this survey in your area. Please contact me, Suzanne Fellows (Suzanne_Fellows@fws.gov), or Sue Thomas (Sue_Thomas@fws.gov) if you would like more information.=8BStephanie L. Jones (Stephanie_Jones@fws.gov) Mangrove Ecology, Management and Restoration Training Course The second Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration training Course will be taught at the Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park, Hollywood, FL, 23-26 February 2004. The Center is part of a very successfu= l 500-ha mangrove restoration project which will be used as a training site during the course. Cost of the course, not including transportation to Hollywood, Florida, and accommodations will be US$1,000. The course is bein= g taught in conjunction with the Mangrove Action Project MAP), and two qualified students will be allowed to attend at no charge. Further information can be obtained from SherryCapaz@aol.com. Other topics of the course can be found at www.mangroverestoration.com. New Atlantic Coast JV Web Site The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture website, housed in Region 5 of the USFWS, can be found at: http://acjv.org.--Craig Watson (craig_watson@fws.gov) Literature Review of Fuels Treatment in Ponderosa Pine This paper includes a summary of the results of more than 250 observations, case studies, models, and control/experimental studies. These results suggest that definitive studies remain to be done. http://www.theforesttrust.org/images/swcenter/pdf/WorkingPaper2.pdf MEETINGS Next National Partners in Flight Meetings The next National PIF Committee Meetings will be held prior to and during the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference on 15-18 March 2004, in Spokane, WA. As always, we are eager to have participation of anyone interested in contributing to the direction of Partners in Flight. Information on the North American can be found at http://www.wildlifemanagementinstitute.org/. Details on PIF Committee meetings will be delivered to the various listserves as the dates draw nearer. =8BTerry Rich (terry_rich@fws.gov) Conference on Longleaf Pine The Longleaf Alliance is hosting the subject conference on 15-17 October 2003 at Jacksonville State University, AL. The conference will consist of oral and poster presentations, as well as a tour of mountain longleaf habitats. For more information contact Dean Gjerstad (gjerstad@auburn.edu) or Rhett Johnson (johnsee@auburn.edu). Western Working Group Fall Workshop The WWG Fall Workshop will be held 3-6 November 3-6 in Silver City, NM. Christopher Rustay and Scott Norris are the local hosts. We will be at the Holiday Inn Express (505) 538-2525. The rooms are reserved under "Partners In" and the cutoff date for reservations is 20 October. You can fly into either Tucson or El Paso, they are both about 3 hours away. The shorebird and waterbird initiatives have been invited to join in this meeting. The focus is on stepping down continental population objectives (see note above). [Editor=B9s note: anyone involved in step-down anywhere in the country should consider attending].=8BCarol Beardmore (carol_beardmore@fws.gov) VII Congreso De La Sociedad Mesoamericana Para La Biolog=EDa Y La Conservaci=F3= n A nombre de la Sociedad Mesoamericana para la Biolog=EDa y la Conservaci=F3n (SMBC), es un placer invitar a toda la comunidad mesoamericana a participar activamente en el VII Congreso de la Sociedad Mesoamericana para la Biolog=ED= a y la Conservaci=F3n: Hacia la conservaci=F3n de la diversidad biol=F3gica y cultural de Mesoam=E9rica, a realizarse en la ciudad de Tuxtla Guti=E9rrez, Chiapas, M=E9xico, del 3 al 7 de noviembre de 2003. http://www.socmesoamericana.org/ev.php Second Annual Yucatan Bird Festival The Yucatan Bird Festival will be held 15=AD22 November 2003. This year the Secretary of Tourism of Yucatan has adopted the festival as one of its official events - thereby guaranteeing its foreseeable future. Pictures from last year's event are on the noted websites at the end of the program. Information on the upcoming festival is continually being posted. Ecoturismo Yucat=E1n will assist in making hotel reservations, if desired: Ecoturismo Yucat=E1n: (52-999-920-2772, fax: 52-999-925-9047, toh@ecoyuc.com= , http://www.ecoyuc.com/toh.html and http://www.yucatanbirds.org.mx or contac= t Barbara MacKinnon in M=E9rida, Yucat=E1n at barbaram@sureste.com. 2003 Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference The subject conference will be held in Kansas City at the Westin Crown Center on 7-10 December 2003. An important symposium arranged by Tom Will (tom_will@fws.gov) will be "Advances in All-Bird Conservation Planning and Implementation in the Midwest: Stepping Down Continental and Regional Objectives to Local Scales." This obviously is a critical link in all the PIF planning efforts and should be a day well worth your time. For conference details, see http://www.midwest2003.com/. Southeastern Working Group Annual Meeting 2004 The SWG will meet at Jekyll Island, GA, 4-6 March 2004. Mark your calendar= s and plan to join us on this beautiful barrier island. A perfect setting fo= r moving bird conservation forward by a gathering of dedicated bird people. Also, ideal for birding, Jekyll Island offers great birding for wintering shorebirds, rafting waterfowl, wading birds and others including some pelagics with many "hot spots" located 5-10 minutes from our conference headquarters at the Clarion Resort. Details will be forthcoming in the nex= t couple of months. If you would like to be on the Steering Committee with most planning accomplished through emails and conference calls, please let me know. If you have suggestions for the meeting format and/or content, please get those ideas to me as soon as possible.=8BE. J. Williams (ej_williams@dnr.state.ga.us) Waterbirds Around the World Conference The Waterbirds Around the World Conference will be held 3-8 April 2004 in Edinburgh, UK. The conference will focus on all major themes and developments related to the global conservation of waterbird flyways during their full annual cycle. It will address achievement of the last 40 years and formulate gaps and needs for initiatives to stimulate future conservation action. For details see www.wetlands.org. Other Meetings See meetings listed in the Ornithological Newsletter (http://birds.cornell.edu/OSNA/ornnewsl.htm). NEWS OF PEOPLE=20 New Migratory Bird Coordinator at IAFWA The International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is pleased to announce Deborah M. Hahn as our new migratory bird coordinator. Debbie replaces Rick Kearney who left a few months ago to take a position with USGS. She will coordinate IAFWA's all-bird workshops, PIF, Shorebird Conservation Plan, and Waterbird Conservation for the Americas. In particular, she will work with these bird initiatives to assist the State fish and wildlife agencies with their State Wildlife Conservation Plans related to the State Wildlife Grants. She also will provide staff assistanc= e for all related IAFWA committees/working groups and the NABCI Council. You can reach Debbie at dhahn@sso.org and 202-624-7890. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The next newsletter will be issued on 1 January 2004. Items are due 15 December 2003 to Terry Rich (terry_rich@fws.gov) by e-mail only. Please pu= t "Newsletter Item" in the subject line. From Holtz@csp.edu Tue Oct 14 17:17:38 2003 From: Holtz@csp.edu (Holtz, Robert E.*) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 11:17:38 -0500 Subject: [mou] Iraq field guide Message-ID: <984BEB851B69154E80FD4945C59082E8829988@noah.csp.edu> This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C3926E.AFB023C0 Content-Type: text/plain Good morning birders, I have an ex-student serving in Iraq. He is looking for a field guide for that area. Can anyone give me a recommendation? Thanks in advance. Bob Holtz If you're too busy to go birding, you're too busy. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C3926E.AFB023C0 Content-Type: text/html Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Good morning birders,

I have an ex-student serving in = Iraq. He is looking for a field guide for that area. Can anyone give me a = recommendation? Thanks in advance.

Bob Holtz

If you're too busy to go birding, = you're too busy.

------_=_NextPart_001_01C3926E.AFB023C0-- From Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com Tue Oct 14 19:18:33 2003 From: Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com (Alt, Mark) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 13:18:33 -0500 Subject: [mou] Interesting info on falcon speed Message-ID: <47784B75545C99469F1E590E3DD193A33765C2@ds63mail.na.bestbuy.com> Subject: peregrine speed From: Mark and Katie Booth Date: 4 Feb 2002 1:25pm Hi! In response to the comment Ron Weiss posted last week about the Animal = =3D Planet show with the skydiver and the peregrine, (filmed in England) =3D here is some of the info that I have.=3D20 In "The Stoop of a Falcon: how fast, how steep, how high", by Vance A. = =3D Tucker, Dept of Zoology, Duke University 1999, he writes,=3D20 "recently, two more studies using methods of known accuracy (radar, and =3D a computerized optical tracking device) have reported diving speeds of = =3D 114 mph in a peregrine (Peter and Kestenholtz, 1998), 130 mph in a =3D gyrfalcon trained for falconry, and in excess of 160 mph in peregrines = =3D (Tucker et al., 1998)." He also notes however that how fast they do fly =3D and how fast they can fly are two different things. In elaborate =3D studies involving a falconry gyrfalcon, they noted that the bird quickly =3D attained a speed of around 130 mph from a height of 1640 feet above the =3D ground, increased his drag (opened wings, etc.) to maintain that speed = =3D until he came closer to his target when he increased his drag again to = =3D slow down before impact. Remember, however, that this bird considered = =3D the prey offered as "easy" targets. Controlling his rate of descent and =3D angle of attack was more important that high speed. They don't just =3D "drop out of the sky" as fast as possible, they control their attacks = =3D quite carefully. In a related study, using a tiny accelerometer =3D attached to the birds, G-forces in excess of 25 were recorded during the =3D falcons aerial maneuverings. Apparently 5 Gs knocks fighter pilots out. In "Vertical Flight" by Ken Franklin they took several films of trained =3D peregrines flying with skydivers and recorded speeds in excess of 200 = =3D mph. He showed some very amazing photos of the falcons at different =3D speeds and how they align their bodies and wings to reduce drag. =3D Apparently, some of his footage has been picked up for viewing on =3D National Geographic this coming spring. On the other hand, as incredible as falcons are, I have personally seen =3D many falcon stoops that ended in a miss. I've seen racing homer pigeons =3D and pheasants outfly peregrines on a straight a way. So just like most =3D predators, they usually only catch the old, sick, weak and injured. Or =3D slower. =3D20 Good birding, Mark L. Booth Director, Take Flight! Wildlife Education Mark Alt Brooklyn Center, MN mark.alt@bestbuy.com "Birds and their songs are important to me, they add to my enjoyment of life"=20 From Paul.Budde@us.benfieldgroup.com Tue Oct 14 20:20:01 2003 From: Paul.Budde@us.benfieldgroup.com (Paul Budde) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 14:20:01 -0500 Subject: [mou] Thayer's x Iceland Gull Message-ID: This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C39288.2A452D10 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Probable Thayers x Iceland on L. Calhoun in Mpls Sunday evening. Much like an adult Thayer's except very reduced black in outermost primaries. In particular, P10 (outermost primary) had pure white tip and white leading edge to the outer web. Paul Budde Mpls ------_=_NextPart_001_01C39288.2A452D10 Content-Type: text/html Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thayer's x Iceland Gull

Probable Thayers x Iceland on L. = Calhoun in Mpls Sunday evening. Much like an adult Thayer's = except very reduced black in outermost primaries. In particular, = P10 (outermost primary) had pure white tip and white leading edge to = the outer web.

Paul Budde
Mpls

------_=_NextPart_001_01C39288.2A452D10-- From smithville4@charter.net Tue Oct 14 22:28:29 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 16:28:29 -0500 Subject: [mou] Park Pt. Message-ID: <000a01c3929a$21e1c950$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C39270.337B7FF0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Monday at Park Pt. Surf Scoter on Lake Superior seen from observation deck near the = airport. Tuesday at Park Pt. Long-tail Duck on Lake Superior seen from observation deck near the = airport. Other birds: Nashville Warbler at 40th Ave. W on Tuesday. Gadwall at 40th Ave. W on Tuesday. * I counted about 35 Bonaparte Gulls flying over Lake Superior. 2 Sanderlings along the beach near the bath house. Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C39270.337B7FF0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Monday at Park Pt.

Surf Scoter on Lake Superior seen from = observation=20 deck near the airport.

Tuesday at Park Pt.

Long-tail Duck on Lake Superior seen = from=20 observation deck near the airport.

Other birds:

Nashville Warbler at 40th Ave. W on=20 Tuesday.

Gadwall at 40th Ave. W on = Tuesday.

* I counted about 35 Bonaparte Gulls = flying over=20 Lake Superior.

2 Sanderlings along the beach near the = bath=20 house.

Mike = Hendrickson

------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C39270.337B7FF0-- From sparkystensaas@hotmail.com Wed Oct 15 00:00:26 2003 From: sparkystensaas@hotmail.com (sparky stensaas) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 23:00:26 +0000 Subject: [mou] Black-backed Wp/etc.-Duluth Message-ID: 10/14 (noon)-Female Black-backed Woodpecker-Hawk Ridge (Pine woods trail near Skyline Drive) (Sparky) 10/14-Townsend's Solitaire-Hawk Ridge below Main Overlook (Tim Smart and others...present for nearly a week) 10/14 & 10/10-Six-plus Bohemian Waxwings (Rock Pond/Bagley Nature Area on UMD campus) (Sparky) 10/13-Northern Shrike-Hawk Ridge (found by ??) And to add to Jim Lind's North Shore Vesper Sparrows, I had one on Park Point by the runway fence on 10/7 Sparky Stensaas _________________________________________________________________ Page a contact�s mobile phone with MSN Messenger 6.0. Download it now FREE! http://msnmessenger-download.com From sparkystensaas@hotmail.com Wed Oct 15 00:06:12 2003 From: sparkystensaas@hotmail.com (sparky stensaas) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 23:06:12 +0000 Subject: [mou] RFI--date for northern CBCs Message-ID: Sax-Zim CBC will be Monday December 15th Sparky Stensaas >From: Laura Erickson >To: "Mou-net" ,"mnbird" >Subject: [mou] RFI--date for northern CBCs >Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 09:36:30 -0500 > >Can anyone tell me when the Duluth, Isabella, Two Harbors, Grand Marais, >and Sax-Zim CBCs are scheduled this year? Now that the official dates no >longer necessarily begin on a Saturday, some of the smaller CBCs may >actually occur before the Duluth one does. Thanks!! > >Laura Erickson >Duluth, MN > >Journey North Science Writer > > >Producer, "For the Birds" radio program > > >There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. >There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of >nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the >winter. > > --Rachel Carson > > >_______________________________________________ >mou-net mailing list >mou-net@cbs.umn.edu >http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net _________________________________________________________________ Enjoy MSN 8 patented spam control and more with MSN 8 Dial-up Internet Service. Try it FREE for one month! http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup From psvingen@d.umn.edu Wed Oct 15 01:02:56 2003 From: psvingen@d.umn.edu (Peder Svingen) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 19:02:56 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [mou] Yellow-headed Blackbird in Duluth Message-ID: Shortly before 6:00 PM today, I spotted a male Yellow-headed Blackbird flying over my yard in Duluth. I was so astonished that I neglected to train my binoculars on two more blackbirds flying in the same direction, but they appeared to be about the same size and shape. This species is considered a rare fall migrant along the North Shore of Lake Superior. -- Peder H. Svingen - psvingen@d.umn.edu - Duluth, MN From ngescott@shaw.ca Wed Oct 15 02:53:50 2003 From: ngescott@shaw.ca (Nicholas G. Escott) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 21:53:50 -0400 Subject: [mou] Kentucky Warbler at Thunder Cape Ontario Message-ID: <003c01c392bf$2e790dc0$cc1a4e18@tb.shawcable.net> There was a huge fallout of passerines along the north shore of Lake Superior on Monday Oct 13 (Thanksgiving Day in Canada). The Thunder Cape Bird Observatory banded 416 birds, including a male Kentucky Warbler. A female Dickcissel was reported in Thunder Bay the same day. Nick Escott 650 Alice Avenue, RR #14 Thunder Bay Ontario P7B 5E5 Canada (807) 345-7122 From herbdingmann@astound.net Wed Oct 15 03:11:45 2003 From: herbdingmann@astound.net (Herb Dingmann) Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2003 21:11:45 -0500 Subject: [mou] Short-eared Owls - Benton County Message-ID: <000801c392c1$b1d7a8f0$43cb5340@D452T311> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C39297.C901A0F0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This evening I found two Short-eared Owls in Benton County about 4 miles north of Gilman. One of them gave me good lucks as it hunted the field right next to the road. The other one was farther off and was busy harassing what appeared to be a larger owl (I assumed it was a Great Horned, but it was too far away to be sure). The Short-eared would circle around the larger owl, which was sitting on top of a small tree, and would occasionally swoop down very close to the larger owl. I don't think it ever made contact, and the larger owl never moved from its spot during the time that I watched. When I left, the Short-eared was still trying to drive off the other owl. Herb Dingmann St. Cloud ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C39297.C901A0F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This evening I found two Short-eared Owls in = Benton = County about 4 miles north of Gilman. One = of them gave me good lucks as it hunted the field right next to the road. The other one was farther off = and was busy harassing what appeared to be a larger owl (I assumed it was a Great = Horned, but it was too far away to be sure). The Short-eared would circle = around the larger owl, which was sitting on top of a small tree, and would = occasionally swoop down very close to the larger owl. I don’t think it ever made contact, and the larger owl never moved = from its spot during the time that I watched. When I left, the Short-eared was still trying to drive off the = other owl.

Herb = Dingmann

St. = Cloud

------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C39297.C901A0F0-- From writers2@comcast.net Wed Oct 15 16:52:44 2003 From: writers2@comcast.net (Val/Roger) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 09:52:44 -0600 Subject: [mou] Quick question re: feather collecting Message-ID: Hey, folks: Is it illegal to keep ANY feather, or only the feathers of migratory birds? Thanks much, Val Cunningham St. Paul, Minn. From kess0010@umn.edu Wed Oct 15 16:07:12 2003 From: kess0010@umn.edu (Ann E Kessen) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 10:07:12 CDT Subject: [mou] Quick question re: feather collecting Message-ID: <200310151507.h9FF7CKt026380@trojan.software.umn.edu> Val, According to the law, it's illegal to keep any wild bird feather except those of the house sparrow, European starling, rock pigeon, or a game bird taken by a properly licensed hunter in season. Ann Kessen On 15 Oct 2003, Val/Roger wrote: > Hey, folks: > Is it illegal to keep ANY feather, or only the feathers of migratory birds? > > Thanks much, > Val Cunningham > St. Paul, Minn. > > _______________________________________________ > mou-net mailing list > mou-net@cbs.umn.edu > http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net > From rccarl@pacbell.net Wed Oct 15 16:51:44 2003 From: rccarl@pacbell.net (Richard Carlson) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 08:51:44 -0700 Subject: [mou] Quick question re: feather collecting References: <200310151507.h9FF7CKt026380@trojan.software.umn.edu> Message-ID: <0e7001c39334$3d2c4600$0f048841@pacbell.net> As I sit here filling out the ridiculously complex tax forms for my impoverished carpenter brother, I saw your e-mail. My thought is very simple: Welcome to the club. There are so many broad, sweeping, insanely complex and usually unenforced laws that we're all in violation of something. The bureaucracy and the politicians have us exactly where they want us -- helpless if they want to get us. No, I won't give up the Bald Eagle feather I picked up on an Alaskan beach while hiking with my 1 year old son. Richard C. Carlson Full Time Birder, Biker & Rotarian Part-time Economist Palo Alto & Lake Tahoe, CA & Tucson, AZ rccarl@pacbell.net Palo Alto: 650-949-9590 Tucson: 520-760-4935 Tahoe: 530-581-0624 From white067@tc.umn.edu Wed Oct 15 17:29:37 2003 From: white067@tc.umn.edu (Bruce M. White) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 11:29:37 -0500 Subject: [mou] Acacia Cemetery area (Dakota County) endagered by development Message-ID: <3F8D75F1.8030305@tc.umn.edu> Acacia Park Cemetery and its surroundings in Dakota County, located on a landform known as Pilot Knob, is often mentioned for sightings of rare and interesting birds. According to the cemetery itself "The Audubon Society recognized Acacia Park for its bird sanctuary which attracts thousands of birds each year." That status would be jeopardized by a current development proposal to place 156 units of high and medium density housing on the twenty five acres of land directly north and east of the developed portion of the cemetery, including most of the land north of Acacia Boulevard and east of Pilot Knob Road. This includes seventeen acres of open space owned and used by the cemetery since the 1930s. This area is also mentioned in reports of bird sitings. What would be the effect of this project on bird populations and on the experience of those who enjoy visiting the area? It is urgent those who have an opinion on the advisability of this project submit their comments to the Mendota Heights City Council. Those voicing opinions should provide specifics about why Pilot Knob and Acacia are important, including details about bird sightings and experiences involving the area. They should also note that the effect of the development on bird populations has not been considered by the developer and that a full Environmental Impact Statement or EIS should be done to examine such effects. Further, is it possible to mitigate against these and other adverse effects of the development proposal? During October the council is accepting comments as part of an Environmental Assessment Worksheet comment period that runs until October 29, 2003. Comments for the official record should be sent in writing before October 29, 2003, to: Cari Lindberg, City Administrator, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118, 651-452-1850 Fax 651-442-8940. E-mails can be sent to caril@mendota-heights.com. In addition to being an area known for its bird population, Pilot Knob is also important as a traditional cultural area for the Dakota people, as a geographical landmark of importance to the Fort Snelling landscape, and for its associations with the Treaty of 1851, the crucial treaty whereby the U.S. government obtained title to all of southern Minnesota. For more on these aspects of Pilot Knob read the following piece put out by the Pilot Knob Preservation Association. For additional information please contact me, Bruce White, at white067@tc.umn.edu. Save Pilot Knob Pilot Knob is the most historic site in Mendota Heights, a place of statewide and national importance. It should be preserved for present and future generations. The City of Mendota Heights web site describes it as �unusual in its broad scope of historical significance.� The historical and cultural integrity of Pilot Knob will be lost forever under the current plan to build 157 town homes on the north slope of the hill. Significance: The Dakota call it Oheyawahi, �a hill much visited�; for Indian People, the hill served as burial, meeting, and ceremonial space; it remains a sacred site. Pilot Knob overlooks the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, a uniquely historic area. The Dakota people call this location Mdote Minisota and think of it as the center of the world. The Treaty of 1851, a nationally-important event whereby Dakota people ceded 35,000,000 acres in southern Minnesota and surrounding states to the United States, took place on the slopes of Pilot Knob. The hill figures prominently in Minnesota�s landscape. Located opposite Fort Snelling, Pilot Knob was often mentioned by early traders, soldiers, and travelers, for its prominence, its use as a landmark, and its view. The view of undeveloped Pilot Knob is important to the Fort Snelling Historic Landmark District. Pilot Knob is a beautiful natural area, part of the larger Minnesota-Mississippi Valley ecosystem. It is known for its many bird species. Current Proposal: A proposal to build 157 town homes on 25 acres of Pilot Knob is pending before the Mendota Heights City Council. The developer and the city council have completed an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) which supports the cultural and historical importance of the site. The developer has offered to devote about one acre out of 25 to �ceremonial space� and an overlook. What You Can Do: The public has until October 29 to submit written comments about the construction of town homes on Pilot Knob and about whether to do a full investigation or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The city council must address each comment. Under EAW rules, comments should discuss the accuracy and completeness of the EAW, reversibility and mitigation of potential impacts, and reasons for a full EIS. You should explain why you think the effect of the development on this important natural, cultural, and historical resource should be studied more carefully. Are a ceremonial space and an overlook in the midst of a dense housing development adequate to address the effect of the development of this historic area? Copies of the EAW are available from: Linda Shipton at the City of Mendota Heights, 651-452-1850. Comments for the official record should be sent in writing before October 29, 2003, to: Cari Lindberg, City Administrator, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118, 651-452-1850 Fax 651-442-8940. E-mails can be sent to caril@mendota-heights.com. For More Information, contact: The Pilot Knob Preservation Association, P.O. Box 50823, Mendota, MN 55150-0823, James Rogers at 651-962-5662, or Bruce White, 651-310-0601 (white067@tc.umn.edu) From sluecke@smm.org Wed Oct 15 23:32:06 2003 From: sluecke@smm.org (Sara Luecke) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 17:32:06 -0500 Subject: [mou] photograph of bird flock Message-ID: I'm looking for a bird photograph to use in an exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota, I hope you don't mind my posting this request on the MOU list-serve. I'm looking for a photograph of a large flock of birds flying together. Species isn't particularly important, and since I'm not a birder I don't even know which species form the kind of flocks I have in mind. The kind of flock I'm looking for is made up of hundreds or maybe even thousands of small birds who form a large mass swooping and swerving together. I think I've most often seen them when driving on I-90 in Southwestern Minnesota. Hopefully this description gives you some idea of what I'm looking for. If you have a photograph of this kind of flock or know where I might be able to find one, I would really appreciate hearing back from you. Thanks! Sara From ECJ100@aol.com Wed Oct 15 17:24:47 2003 From: ECJ100@aol.com (ECJ100@aol.com) Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2003 12:24:47 EDT Subject: [mnbird] Re: [mou] Quick question re: feather collecting Message-ID: -------------------------------1066235087 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I think we have had this discussion recently, but of course the law is over broad. It was designed to be, and that is the only reason it was ever effective. It was written to be so broad for evidentiary reasons. The chances of a law enforcement official being able to tell, much less prove, how a feather was obtained are generally slim to none, so the law says don't worry about that, lets make all feather gathering (without a permit and with a few exceptions) illegal. It should also be remembered that the basic reason for the law was to help stem the killing of birds for the use of their feathers in the millinery business. Today there is probably little use of real feathers by milliners, but the law is still used, at least occasionally, to assist in prosecution of people who are (or ate least suspected of) poaching, harassing or killing wild animals. Technically, the law also prohibits people who find a feather on the street or lake side from keeping it, and some would say they shouldn't and that it is a good lesson in leaving nature as we find it. But as a practical matter, there is very little risk if they do. I have never heard of anybody getting prosecuted for that kind of innocent transgression, and I would be very surprised if they do. Many, if not most, of our laws are very capable of being applied overbroadly -- though perhaps not to this extent. We generally rely on the good common sense of law enforcement officials to enforce the law in the sense that it was intended and for the much greater part they do so. So unless one wants to abandon the law altogether, and weaken law enforcement against those who prey on wild animals, then it really is necessary to keep it overbroad. As for tax forms, I assume these are income tax forms, and alas, complexity is inherent in any income tax system. Its far easier to use one of the computer programs to do it. Eric Jeffrey Falls Church, VA -------------------------------1066235087 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I think we have had this discussion recently, but of course the law is=20= over broad. It was designed to be, and that is the only reason it was=20= ever effective. It was written to be so broad for evidentiary reasons.= The chances of a law enforcement official being able to tell, much le= ss prove, how a feather was obtained are generally slim to none, so the law=20= says don't worry about that, lets make all feather gathering (without a perm= it and with a few exceptions) illegal. It should also be remembered th= at the basic reason for the law was to help stem the killing of birds for th= e use of their feathers in the millinery business.

Today there is probably little use of real feathers by milliners, but t= he law is still used, at least occasionally, to assist in prosecution of peo= ple who are (or ate least suspected of) poaching, harassing or killing wild=20= animals. Technically, the law also prohibits people who find a feather= on the street or lake side from keeping it, and some would say they shouldn= 't and that it is a good lesson in leaving nature as we find it. But a= s a practical matter, there is very little risk if they do. I have nev= er heard of anybody getting prosecuted for that kind of innocent transgressi= on, and I would be very surprised if they do. Many, if not most, of ou= r laws are very capable of being applied overbroadly -- though perhaps not t= o this extent. We generally rely on the good common sense of law enfor= cement officials to enforce the law in the sense that it was intended and fo= r the much greater part they do so.

So unless one wants to abandon the law altogether, and weaken law enfor= cement against those who prey on wild animals, then it really is necessary t= o keep it overbroad.

As for tax forms, I assume these are income tax forms, and alas, comple= xity is inherent in any income tax system. Its far easier to use one o= f the computer programs to do it.

Eric Jeffrey

Falls Church, VA

-------------------------------1066235087-- From sharonks@mn.rr.com Thu Oct 16 15:12:07 2003 From: sharonks@mn.rr.com (Sharon Stiteler) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 09:12:07 -0500 Subject: [mou] Bob Janssen Book Signing Message-ID: Bob Janssen will be doing a book signing at All Seasons Wild Bird Store THIS Saturday from noon - 2pm. Bring your new or old books to be signed or just come out to harass him. All Seasons Wild Bird Store in the Westwind Plaza on the northeast corner of hwy 7 and 101 in Minnetonka 952-935-5892 -- Sharon Stiteler Uptown, Minneapolis the official bird lady of www.neilgaiman.com See the mouse incident at www.wildbirdstore.net/kare11.html From dbmartin@skypoint.com Thu Oct 16 16:24:47 2003 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 10:24:47 -0500 Subject: [mou] Neotropic Cormorants Message-ID: <000d01c393f9$a3ea7fe0$d99ec7c7@oemcomputer> Has anybody looked to see if these two birds are still around at the Big Stone NWR? I have been seeing a small number of cormarants migrating south but the numbers have seemed lower than normal. Of interest will be what the neotropics do. Leave with the others, stay later, or maybe they leave earlier and are already gone. Dennis Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com From sparkystensaas@hotmail.com Thu Oct 16 18:42:53 2003 From: sparkystensaas@hotmail.com (sparky stensaas) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 17:42:53 +0000 Subject: [mou] 2 Short-eared Owls, etc-Duluth Message-ID: About 10:40 am I flushed a Short-eared Owl from the tiny cattail marsh in the southeast corner of 40th Avenue West in Duluth. Two minutes later I scared up a second Short-eared Owl that was almost immediately stooped on by a male Northern Harrier. From my low vantage point I could not see where the owls landed but they did fly over the impoundment and not over the bay. They may be hunting 40th Avenue West at dusk tonight. Directions: Exit 35W at 40th Avenue West, go towards the harbor and park at the yellow gate, walk in the dirt road, cross the railroad tracks and go left and down the perimeter road. The owls were flushed from the cattail marsh in the impoundment at the far end where the road turns right. Park Point: Several 1st winter Snow Buntings in with a flock of several hundred Longspurs along the airport runways. (Had a flock of 8 Snow Buntings yesterday near Oliver Wisconsin) Also at 40th... 1 Nashville Warbler in breeding plumage 6-plus Harris's Sparrows (all 1st winter birds) (5-plus in the southwest corner and 1 along the road near the entrance gate) (Plus another Harris's at Park Point behind the airplane hangars) 2 Lincoln's Sparrows 20-plus White-crowned Sparrows 30-plus Savannah Sparrows 80-plus Juncos 1 White-throated Sparrow 3 Song Sparrows 2 Fox Sparrows 1 Swamp Sparrow 100-plus American Tree Sparrows 150-plus Lapland Longspurs 2 American Pipits 1 Gadwall 2 Northern Pintails 20-plus Green-winged Teal Sparky Stensaas _________________________________________________________________ Concerned that messages may bounce because your Hotmail account has exceeded its 2MB storage limit? Get Hotmail Extra Storage! http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es From cbc@rohair.com Thu Oct 16 21:29:53 2003 From: cbc@rohair.com (Roger Schroeder) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 15:29:53 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [mou] Minnesota CBCs Message-ID: <47320.156.99.90.178.1066336193.squirrel@battcave.com> www.rohair.com/CBC.html is the main page for MN CBC info including coordinator contacts, CBC dates, etc. As confirmed CBC dates are announced, they will be added to the Calendar of Events page. If you forward the date of your CBC to cbc@rohair.com I'll make sure it gets added to the list. Suggestions for improving the site are always welcome. Roger Schroeder From drbenson@cpinternet.com Fri Oct 17 01:11:47 2003 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David R. Benson) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 19:11:47 -0500 Subject: [mou] Duluth RBA 10/16/03 Message-ID: This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, October 16, 2003, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. SNOW BUNTINGS were reported from several locations this week. Don Kienholz found a male BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER at a dead spruce in the parking lot of the Lester Park Golf Course on the 14th. He also reported WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS from that area. Another BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, a female, has been seen recently in the pine woods at Hawk Ridge. I also have a second-hand report that a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE has been seen at Hawk Ridge for over a week. Deb Buria-Falkowski reported 4 NORTHERN SHRIKES from mines in Virginia over the weekend. Today Sparky Stensaas found two SHORT-EARED OWLS at 40th Ave West. He also found a NASHVILLE WARBLER in alternate plumage, eleven species of sparrows and over 20 GREEN-WINGED TEAL. A GADWALL was at 40th on Tuesday. Jim Lind found a COMMON TERN and a FORSTER'S TERN at Flood Bay near Two Harbors on Wednesday. Both birds are quite uncommon up the North Shore. There was also a LECONTE'S SPARROW at the wetland at Flood Bay on Wednesday. On Monday, Kim Eckert and others saw two GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, one at 92nd and Congdon Rd in Duluth, and the other near the train museum and tugboat in Two Harbors, where there was also a singing WESTERN MEADOWLARK. Farther up the North Shore on the 12th, Jim found a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at the Lutsen Sea Villas and nine species of warblers at various locations. Mike Hendrickson reported a SURF SCOTER on Lake Superior on Monday and a LONG-TAILED DUCK on Tuesday. Both birds were seen from the observation deck near the airport. Mike also reported a flock of 35 BONAPARTE'S GULLS on Tuesday. Peder Svingen reported a male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD over his yard in eastern Duluth on the 14th. Peg Robertsen saw a flock of 30 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS in Silver Bay over the weekend. Laura Erickson reported a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in her yard in Lakeside on Monday, and today, Kim Eckert found another near the entrance to Chester Bowl. To our north, researchers at Thunder Cape Bird Observatory banded a male KENTUCKY WARBLER on the 13th, and a DICKCISSEL was seen in Thunder Bay on the same day. Western Meadowlark (calling) and Vesper Sparrow in front of the historic trains in Two Harbors on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday there was also a Grasshopper Sparrow and a Marsh Wren in the same area. Kim had another Grasshopper Sparrow earlier on Monday along Congdon Blvd. at 92nd (I think). We had a Snow Bunting and Northern Shrike at the breakwall in TH and a flock of 24 Sandhill Cranes flyover on Monday, too. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Wednesday, October 22. The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 728-5030, and callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of each tape. The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; or send an e-mail to mou@cbs.umn.edu; or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org. From axhertzel@sihope.com Fri Oct 17 01:07:54 2003 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 19:07:54 -0500 Subject: [mou] MOU RBA 16 October 2003 Message-ID: --============_-1145773216==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday October 16th. A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE is still being seen at the main overlook of Hawk Ridge in Duluth, and a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER can be found in the pine plantation just up the road from there. Another solitaire was on the west side of the Lutsen Sea Villas in Cook County on the 12th. The SURF SCOTER influx into the state continues with sightings of a single bird at Park Point on Lake Superior in Duluth on the 14th, two at the Thief River Falls sewage ponds in Pennington County on the 9th, and three at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds in Brown County on the 13th. There have also been several reports of late BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS. On the 8th a pair was at Villa Maria Center near Frontenac in Goodhue County. A male was seen in Courthouse Park, Waseca County on the 11th, while a female was at Roberts Sanctuary in Minneapolis on the same day. On the 12th, three ROSS'S GEESE were reported two miles north of state highway 210, on the west side of Otter Tail County Road 21. Another was in a restricted area of Agassiz NWR in Marshall County on the 11th. And a Ross's Goose was at the East Grand Forks sewage ponds in Polk County on the 9th. On the 11th, a SNOWY EGRET was still on the south side of Rush Lake in Otter Tail County. And an immature CATTLE EGRET was at the Barnesville sewage ponds in Clay County on the 10th. Over two hundred AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER were at Red Rock Prairie in northeast Cottonwood County on the 11th. Unusual were the thirty-six AMERICAN AVOCETS on Parker Pool at Agassiz NWR on the 11th. This is the second highest count for this species ever recorded in Minnesota. On the 16th, two SHORT-EARED OWLS were flushed from the cattail marsh in the southeast corner of 40th Avenue west in Duluth. On the 14th, two more Short-eared Owls were found in Benton County about four miles north of the town of Gilman. And on the 11th a Short-eared Owl was seen at the junction Wilkin County Roads 15 and 30. SMITH'S LONGSPURS were in Wilkin County on the 12th. They were seen one mile south of the Rothsay WMA. And while there has been little else of note seen in the state, I continue to receive scattered reports of NORTHERN SHRIKE, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, SNOW BUNTING, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD. 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 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 David Cahlander at . MOU members receive the organization's quarterly journal "The Loon" and the bimonthly magazine, "Minnesota Birding". For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at moumembers@yahoo.com. In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700. The MOU is pleased to offer this service. Thank you, and good birding. The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, October 23rd. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com --============_-1145773216==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MOU RBA 16 October 2003

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday October 16th.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE is still being seen at the main overlook of Hawk Ridge in Duluth, and a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER can be found in the pine plantation just up the road from there. Another solitaire was on the west side of the Lutsen Sea Villas in Cook County on the 12th.

The SURF SCOTER influx into the state continues with sightings of a single bird at Park Point on Lake Superior in Duluth on the 14th, two at the Thief River Falls sewage ponds in Pennington County on the 9th, and three at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds in Brown County on the 13th.

There have also been several reports of late BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLERS. On the 8th a pair was at Villa Maria Center near Frontenac in Goodhue County. A male was seen in Courthouse Park, Waseca County on the 11th, while a female was at Roberts Sanctuary in Minneapolis on the same day.

On the 12th, three ROSS'S GEESE were reported two miles north of state highway 210, on the west side of Otter Tail County Road 21. Another was in a restricted area of Agassiz NWR in Marshall County on the 11th. And a Ross's Goose was at the East Grand Forks sewage ponds in Polk County on the 9th.

On the 11th, a SNOWY EGRET was still on the south side of Rush Lake in Otter Tail County. And an immature CATTLE EGRET was at the Barnesville sewage ponds in Clay County on the 10th.

Over two hundred AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER were at Red Rock Prairie in northeast Cottonwood County on the 11th.

Unusual were the thirty-six AMERICAN AVOCETS on Parker Pool at Agassiz NWR on the 11th. This is the second highest count for this species ever recorded in Minnesota.

On the 16th, two SHORT-EARED OWLS were flushed from the cattail marsh in the southeast corner of 40th Avenue west in Duluth. On the 14th, two more Short-eared Owls were found in Benton County about four miles north of the town of Gilman. And on the 11th a Short-eared Owl was seen at the junction Wilkin County Roads 15 and 30.

SMITH'S LONGSPURS were in Wilkin County on the 12th. They were seen one mile south of the Rothsay WMA. And while there has been little else of note seen in the state, I continue to receive scattered reports of NORTHERN SHRIKE, BOHEMIAN WAXWING, SNOW BUNTING, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD.

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 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 David Cahlander at <david@cahlander.com>.

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

In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700.

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

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, October 23rd.

--

Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com

--============_-1145773216==_ma============-- From drbenson@cpinternet.com Fri Oct 17 01:13:43 2003 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David R. Benson) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 19:13:43 -0500 Subject: [mou] Duluth RBA 10/16/03 (correction of repeated text) Message-ID: This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, October 16, 2003, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. SNOW BUNTINGS were reported from several locations this week. Don Kienholz found a male BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER at a dead spruce in the parking lot of the Lester Park Golf Course on the 14th. He also reported WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS from that area. Another BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, a female, has been seen recently in the pine woods at Hawk Ridge. I also have a second-hand report that a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE has been seen at Hawk Ridge for over a week. Deb Buria-Falkowski reported 4 NORTHERN SHRIKES from mines in Virginia over the weekend. Today Sparky Stensaas found two SHORT-EARED OWLS at 40th Ave West. He also found a NASHVILLE WARBLER in alternate plumage, eleven species of sparrows and over 20 GREEN-WINGED TEAL. A GADWALL was at 40th on Tuesday. Jim Lind found a COMMON TERN and a FORSTER'S TERN at Flood Bay near Two Harbors on Wednesday. Both birds are quite uncommon up the North Shore. There was also a LECONTE'S SPARROW at the wetland at Flood Bay on Wednesday. On Monday, Kim Eckert and others saw two GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS, one at 92nd and Congdon Rd in Duluth, and the other near the train museum and tugboat in Two Harbors, where there was also a singing WESTERN MEADOWLARK. Farther up the North Shore on the 12th, Jim found a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at the Lutsen Sea Villas and nine species of warblers at various locations. Mike Hendrickson reported a SURF SCOTER on Lake Superior on Monday and a LONG-TAILED DUCK on Tuesday. Both birds were seen from the observation deck near the airport. Mike also reported a flock of 35 BONAPARTE'S GULLS on Tuesday. Peder Svingen reported a male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD over his yard in eastern Duluth on the 14th. Peg Robertsen saw a flock of 30 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS in Silver Bay over the weekend. Laura Erickson reported a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in her yard in Lakeside on Monday, and today, Kim Eckert found another near the entrance to Chester Bowl. To our north, researchers at Thunder Cape Bird Observatory banded a male KENTUCKY WARBLER on the 13th, and a DICKCISSEL was seen in Thunder Bay on the same day. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Wednesday, October 22. The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 728-5030, and callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of each tape. The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; or send an e-mail to mou@cbs.umn.edu; or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org. From ajjoppru@wiktel.com Fri Oct 17 04:34:37 2003 From: ajjoppru@wiktel.com (Jeanie Joppru) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 22:34:37 -0500 Subject: [mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, October 17, 2003 Message-ID: <000101c3945f$9c001180$4eb391ce@main> This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, October 17, 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 is no doubt that it is indeed fall here now- the leaves came down all at once and lie in great drifts in all of our yards- all except those whose owners stayed at home last weekend to do the cleanup instead of going birding. Fortunately for this report, lots of birders chose not to do that! For the second week in a row, there are reports of SURF SCOTERS. On October 10th , Craig Mandel found two at the Thief River Falls wastewater treatment ponds in Pennington County; these were relocated on Sunday, October 12th. The two found last week at Agassiz NWR in Marshall County were seen again on Headquarters Pool on Saturday, October 11th.=20 A BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER was observed by Josh Watson in Roseau County on the 13th, 7 miles north and 10 miles west of Greenbush. This would put the location almost on the Kittson County line. Other species reported by Josh in Roseau County included COOPER'S HAWK, ROUGH-SLEGGED HAWK, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, BONAPARTE'S GULL, LONG-EARED OWL, GRAY JAY, MARSH WREN, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, and a single SNOW BUNTING! The weekend shorebird survey at Agassiz NWR included a surprising record high count for the refuge of 36 AMERICAN AVOCETS; the count of 312 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS set a new state record high count for the second week in a row. A total of 593 individuals of 12 species were counted . Two GREAT EGRETS were still there, a single ROSS'S GOOSE, and the two Surf Scoters were also noted at the refuge. Craig Mandel found two coveys of GRAY PARTRIDGE in Pennington County on October 10th- one near the Thief River Falls wastewater treatment ponds, one along highway 32 just south of Thief River Falls. GREATER SCAUP were among the ducks seen at the wastewater treatment ponds. Peder Svingen reported two GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS in Lake Pleasant township of Red Lake County on Monday, October 13th. He also spotted a COMMON LOON and an AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER near the Red Lake Falls wastewater treatment ponds the same day. Many SNOW GEESE were seen in the county on the 11th. A ROSS'S GOOSE was found by Craig Mandel at the East Grand Forks wastewater treatment ponds in Polk County on October 10th. Donna and Leon Thoreson reported AMERICAN PIPITS in a harvested sugar beet field on October 10th. Mahnomen County birds reported by Craig Mandel included 6 TRUMPETER SWANS, SNOW GEESE, and two NORTHERN SHRIKES. He also found RUSTY BLACKBIRD, and BREWER'S BLACKBIRD.=20 A CATTLE EGRET was at the Barnesville wastewater treatment ponds in Clay County on October 10th. On the 13th Rick Gjervold found a GREAT EGRET along CR 18 at the Buffalo River crossing . At Bicentennial Prairie east of Felton, he was startled by a MERLIN chasing a flock of sparrows as it passed about three feet away from him. Other birds seen there included GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, HARRIS'S SPARROW, and WESTERN MEADOWLARK. In Becker County, Mary Wyatt reported a BROWN CREEPER on October 12, a TREE SPARROW at Tamarac NWR on the 14th, and a FOX SPARROW on the 15th.Sally Hausken had four EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in her birdbath on the south shore of Detroit Lake on October 10th. A SMITH'S LONGSPUR was observed by Craig Mandel one mile south of the Rothsay WMA in Wilkin County on October 12th. A RED-NECKED GREBE was at the Barnesville wastewater treatment ponds, and a SHORT-EARED OWL was spotted at 7pm at the intersection of CR 15 and CR 30. In Otter Tail County, Craig found 3 ROSS'S GEESE 2 miles north of Highway 210 on the west side of Otter Tail County Road 21. The SNOWY EGRET was relocated on the south side of Rush Lake, and a late CLIFF SWALLOW was seen at the Rothsay WMA. Other species seen in the county included GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN, SORA, AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, and AMERICAN PIPIT. Alma Ronningen reported a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER at their feeder on the 11th. Nancy Jackson found four LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS at the corner of CR 150 and CR 50 on Wednesday, and a SNOW BUNTING at the Henning wastewater treatment ponds on October 16th. Thanks to Gretchen Mehmel, Josh Watson, Pat Rice, Craig Mandel, Donna and Leon Thoreson, Rick Gjervold, Peder Svingen, Sally Hausken, Nancy Jackson, Mary Wyatt, and Alma Ronningen 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, October 24, 2003. From two-jays@att.net Fri Oct 17 17:37:50 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 09:37:50 -0700 Subject: [mou] FW: [wisb] Fw: Raven observation In-Reply-To: Message-ID: An interesting observation of ravens on the Mississippi River south of Winona, made by Bob Russell, MOU member who works for the USFWS. He posted this to WisBirdNet. Forward by Jim Williams, Wayzata ---------- From: "John Idzikowski" Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 23:06:11 -0500 To: "Wisconsin Birding Network" Subject: [wisb] Fw: Raven observation This interesting observation from the Mississippi John I, Milwaukee ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2003 4:19 PM Subject: Raven observation > John: I'm not on the Wisconsin list server but I thought this observation > was of moderate interest to those folks. Last Friday I had 3 Common Ravens > flying over a wild rice marsh in the middle of the Mississippi River a few > miles south of Trempeleau. To reach the site take Hwy 35 north to the > southern side of Trempeleau (town) and look for a left turn to Dam No. 6, > cross the tracks and take a left fork towards a series of cabins and fish > camps. Continue on this road passing both private and federal property all > the way to the end (passable if not high water by passenger car) where > there is a boat launch. The birds were flying over the marsh together and > might still be in the area as dozens of coots in that marsh are turning up > dead from a nematode infestation and might be the reason the ravens are in > the area. First time I've seen ravens west of Camp McCoy but I know Fred > Lesher has heard rumors of Mississippi River birds in fall. Large size, > wedge-shaped tails, much soaring in direct comparison to crows. Bob > Russell, US Fish and Wildlife, Twin Cities > ############################## This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list . To UNSUBSCRIBE, E-mail to To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to Send administrative QUERIES, E-mail to From tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu Fri Oct 17 20:57:46 2003 From: tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu (Houghton, Timothy D. ) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 14:57:46 -0500 Subject: [mou] poem: "Advanced Birding" Message-ID: <22ECDF671FCD564398087D64CFCF46BDD5BADF@EXCHANGE.campus.stcloudstate.edu> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C394E8.EF386578 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I was having some fun playing around with this idea of a mean birding = leader, and I wrote this poem--meant to be funny, but I wouldn't = recommend such a teacher (who is the narrator of the poem), at least not = his/her sarcasm. So here it is for the heck of it: Advanced Birding These lenses deserve smarter eyes. How do you=20 expect to see?... the coverts, the under-tail coverts!... and know the Orange-Crowned from the Tennessee? What are you doing here? Did you catch that profile just now? Say "Cuckoo." Say it again. Pay attention. That flash--there!-- of yellow wingbars is the fall Chestnut and nothing else. These are binoculars. Understand the nature of focus. Listen, watch--teach your fingers. Be quick. Don't lose the bird. You're a gunfighter. Even when the wings keep going, you can still get it. Let me tell you something--you lose that bird ...you go home. Tim Houghton (Clear Lake) ------_=_NextPart_001_01C394E8.EF386578 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable poem: "Advanced Birding"

I was having some fun playing around with this idea of = a mean birding leader, and I wrote this poem--meant to be funny, but I = wouldn't recommend such a teacher (who is the narrator of the poem), at = least not his/her sarcasm.

So here it is for the heck of it:

Advanced Birding

These lenses deserve
smarter eyes.

How do you
expect to

see?... the coverts, the under-tail
coverts!...

and know the Orange-Crowned
from the Tennessee? What

are you doing
here?

Did you catch that profile
just now? Say

"Cuckoo." Say it again. Pay
attention. That flash--there!--

of yellow wingbars
is the fall Chestnut and

nothing else. These are binoculars.
Understand

the nature of focus. Listen, watch--teach
your fingers. Be

quick. Don't lose
the bird. You're a gunfighter.

Even when the wings keep going,
you can still

get it. Let me
tell you something--you lose that bird

...you go home.

Tim Houghton
(Clear Lake)

------_=_NextPart_001_01C394E8.EF386578-- From Hoeger75@aol.com Fri Oct 17 20:54:52 2003 From: Hoeger75@aol.com (Hoeger75@aol.com) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 15:54:52 EDT Subject: [mou] Hennepin Cty. Swans Message-ID: <47.3461f6bc.2cc1a30c@aol.com> --part1_47.3461f6bc.2cc1a30c_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Six adult swans (3 pair) 3/4 mile west of St Boniventure on Mn. Hwy. 7 (far western Hennepin Cty.) in the marshy pond on the south side of the highway (very busy traffic), today (Friday) around 11 am. I wanna say they are Trumpeters, but my swan ID skills aren't too great---@ the Sibley pics, these seem to have the straighter bill edge and longer bills, and "more evenly rounded" backs. No yellow lores. pete hoeger, hutchinson --part1_47.3461f6bc.2cc1a30c_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Six adult swans (3 pair)=20= 3/4 mile west of St Boniventure on Mn. Hwy. 7 (far western Hennepin Ct= y.) in the marshy pond on the south side of the highway (very busy traffic),= today (Friday) around 11 am. I wanna say they are Trumpeters, but my=20= swan ID skills aren't too great---@ the Sibley pics, these seem to have the=20= straighter bill edge and longer bills, and "more evenly rounded" backs. &nbs= p;No yellow lores.
pete hoeger, hutchinson --part1_47.3461f6bc.2cc1a30c_boundary-- From smithville4@charter.net Fri Oct 17 21:40:33 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 15:40:33 -0500 Subject: [mou] Park Pt./Misc. Message-ID: <000e01c394ee$ecfa9bc0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C394C5.00D47E60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Today at Park Pt. I saw a White-Wing Scoter flying with a small group of = Scaup species. The lake was rather calm and very very quiet! There were = some distance loons that looked like commons and that was it. Also for those that are going on the MOU trip this Sat and Sunday please = bring a flashlight and a folding chair. I just got a email from Bill = Lane and these two items will be handy to bring along. They are not = required but just handy to have. Hopefull Sunday night I'll have some interesting news to share about the = trip. Mike ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C394C5.00D47E60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Today at Park Pt. I saw a White-Wing = Scoter flying=20 with a small group of Scaup species. The lake was rather calm and very = very=20 quiet! There were some distance loons that looked like commons and that = was=20 it.

Also for those that are going on the = MOU trip this=20 Sat and Sunday please bring a flashlight and a folding chair. I just got = a email=20 from Bill Lane and these two items will be handy to bring along. They = are not=20 required but just handy to have.

Hopefull Sunday night I'll have some = interesting=20 news to share about the trip.

Mike

------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C394C5.00D47E60-- From jwbarrett10@msn.com Fri Oct 17 21:51:21 2003 From: jwbarrett10@msn.com (Jim Barrett) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 15:51:21 -0500 Subject: [mou] Red-bellied Woodpecker, Duluth: Late Post Message-ID: <001001c394f0$6c956da0$a2f40143@oemcomputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C394C6.8298E700 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable A female Red-bellied Woodpecker visited my window feeder twice yesterday = (Thurs.). This is only the second RBWO I've seen here in Morgan Park in = the last two years. =20 Now, if I can just introduce my female to Laura Erickson's male. . . . . = . . Jim Barrett Duluth ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C394C6.8298E700 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

A female Red-bellied Woodpecker visited = my window=20 feeder twice yesterday (Thurs.). This is only the second RBWO I've = seen=20 here in Morgan Park in the last two years.

Now, if I can just introduce my female = to=20 Laura Erickson's male. . . . . . = .

Jim Barrett

Duluth

------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C394C6.8298E700-- From two-jays@att.net Sat Oct 18 00:26:21 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 16:26:21 -0700 Subject: [mou] Vice-president resigns, part one of three Message-ID: Dear friends, My vision of what the MOU could become by moving forward does not match the desire of some other board members to stay firmly anchored where we are. I therefore have resigned as vice president of the organization. Perhaps I am impatient. I usually am. But, there is much work to be done fo= r birds and birders and bird conservation. And there are other places to do it, places where change is not resisted and new ideas are welcome. When I resigned earlier this week I had completed almost one year of the usual two years a vice president would serve before advancing to president. It had become apparent to me that my ideas for change in the way the MOU is managed had insufficient support among other board members. If I was to be president, I wanted to work in an atmosphere where new ideas could find a home. To continue under the present circumstances would have been frustrating for me and irritating for other board members. The recent year-long efforts of the task force organized by Bob Holtz to examine ways the MOU might better serve both birds and birders offered hope for an atmosphere conducive to new ideas. However, the changes I felt most significant and important failed to achieve the eight of 12 votes needed to pass as recommendations sent to the MOU board. The board itself, given a chance on Oct. 11 to take action of some of these recommendations, also rejected those ideas. And while yet another committee will be appointed by MOU President Jerry Bonkoski to study the issue I find critical -- reorganization of the board of directors -- there is little hope that the present board would accept an= y recommendation for change. The MOU board of directors is made up of five elected officers, 13 committe= e chairpersons, two editors, and 11 representatives from affiliated bird clubs. That makes 31 board members (with no limit on the top number should more committees be formed or more bird clubs affiliate). A new vice president comes to the board once every two years as the person holding tha= t position moves to the president=B9s chair. Thus, according to MOU bylaws, onl= y one new person need be added to the board every two years. While the other officers also serve terms of office, the usual practice is to re-elect the treasurer and the two secretaries if they will continue to serve. People in those positions can serve indefinitely if they wish. The board appoints the committee chairs and the editors. The board is self-perpetuating. It can ensure, if it wishes, that change is a remote possibility at best. That is my first point of disagreement with a majority of the present board= . I feel all board members should be elected, and that 31 board members is to= o many by 20 at least. There should be routine mandated change of command. Committee chairs should actually serve designated terms of office. One-year terms presently are specified, but reappointment is, essentially, automatic= . Changes are not made unless someone resigns or dies. Editors should serve designated terms of office, and that too would be new. Neither editors nor committee chairpersons should be board members. They should instead be subject to oversight by the board. The present bylaws specifically place editors outside any oversight. They are responsible to no one but themselves, not even the board. continued in message part two From two-jays@att.net Sat Oct 18 00:27:07 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 16:27:07 -0700 Subject: [mou] Vice-president resigns, part two of three Message-ID: This is part two of an explanation of the resignation of MOU vice-president Jim Williams.=20 ---- MOU membership is declining. Membership has gone up and down in small increments over the 11 years I have been on the board, but experienced a drop of about 15 percent last year. If the MOU were a bird, given its population fluctuation and last year=B9s sudden decline, and if it experience= d one more year of significant decline, similar to last year, it would go on the species watch list. It might even be considered a threatened species. I think that several MOU policies contribute to this problem. The MOU is not always a member-friendly place. We do not do enough to encourage broad participation in the organization by members. We restrict the content of MOU-net e-mail messages. We restrict participation in the listing supplement, and discriminate against many members by doing so. We have created new opportunities for people to serve the MOU in various ways, but then given those jobs to the same small cadre of people already holding one or more positions. We coerce listers into providing bird records by requiring certain of their records to be vetted by the records committee. We have committees that function without direction from the board or withou= t board oversight. Several committee chairpersons, members of the board by virtue of holding those positions, rarely attend board meetings. Yet, no-show committee chairs are routinely allowed to continue in their posts. I have made attempts to bring change by discussing these and other problems with committee chairs, with the listing supplement editor, and with board members. My concerns and suggestions have not been well received. Had I become president there are other issues I would have hoped to address= . Our mission statement says we foster the study of birds. Yet, the vast majority of scientific papers written by ornithological researchers in Minnesota are never published or republished by the MOU. Our members, arguably an important audience for this information, never see this work unless other journals are read. Our data collection efforts, basically our seasonal reports, are for the most part anecdotal accounts randomly gathered. While this information has value, because it is the only such information available, we do not adhere to any scientific method in its collection, limiting the data=B9s usefulness. Nor have we made any effort to take several decades of records and put them into a form that is readily accessible to and usable by the scientific community. And the MOU records committee has yet to find a way to conduct its business without offending many of its customers. Consequently, there are a number o= f active birders in the state who no longer contribute records that would hav= e to be routed through the committee. That is a loss to all of us. The record= s committee recently has begun to revisit our historic bird data. Records wit= h which present members disagree are being removed. I think this is presumptuous at best. continued in part three From two-jays@att.net Sat Oct 18 00:27:32 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 16:27:32 -0700 Subject: [mou] Vice-president resigns, part three Message-ID: This is part three of an explanation of the resignation of MOU vice-president Jim Williams. ------- There are two accomplishments in recent years for which individuals, for their presentation of the ideas, and the board, for its acceptance of the ideas, deserve high praise. Mark Alt, Tom Bell, and Robert Holtz, particularly Mr. Holtz, in creation and management of the Youth Mentorship Program, have given the MOU the most significant program in its history. The volunteers making this effort reality deserve praise as well. If you support any effort of the MOU, support this one. The recent institution of a field-trip program also is a wonderful boon to MOU members. Mike Hendrickson deserves credit for creating an attractive and interesting schedule of trips. The popularity of these trips speaks to the value of this effort. I hope it continues for years. Anthony Smith is as good a treasurer as the MOU could wish for. He makes significant contributions to the organization. And President Jerry Bonkoski has shown a willingness to work toward improved direction and coordination of MOU activities. He speaks of efforts to focus our various elements toward accomplishment of the goals implied in our mission statement. I wish him much success. I have had much fun during the past 11 years. Please understand that my terms of office were not all problems and frustrations. Your support of my efforts as editor of the MOU newsletter will always be remembered and appreciated. I took much pleasure from that assignment; I thank you all for the opportunity. This letter undoubtedly will disturb and anger some people. What I hope, though, is that it helps motivate others to work for the change I believe necessary if the organization is to have a meaningful future. The MOU can be a very positive force for birds and birders and bird conservation if it wishes to be so. But it must accept change if that is to happen. I respect the organization and its history. I also want it to have a future. If you take pleasure from birds you are honor bound to give them something in return. Shame on any of us who ignore the ever-increasing need for conservation action. To quote a friend: Birders -- all of us -- need to show up, speak up, and put up. Jim Williams Wayzata From writers2@comcast.net Sat Oct 18 00:01:51 2003 From: writers2@comcast.net (Val/Roger) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 17:01:51 -0600 Subject: [mou] Vice-president resigns, part one of three In-Reply-To: Message-ID: This is a sad day for members of the MOU who wished to see the organization join the 21st Century and begin to reflect the present realities of birds and birders. I was looking forward to an MOU with Jim Williams at the helm. Now the organization will have to function without his creativity, energy and ability to see the forest for the trees -- in short, we lose his vision= , a valuable resource for an organization that desperately needs to re-invent itself. Thanks to Jim for all the years he did put in, for editing a world-class newsletter (and creating an ad sales program that brings goodly sums to the organization) and for enduring years of frustration in order to advance a higher goal. To me, Jim Williams was the saving grace of this organization, and I'm very unhappy that we're losing him. Not much more needs to be said other than it's a sad time for this organization.=20 Val Cunningham St. Paul, Minn. on 10/17/03 5:26 PM, Jim Williams at two-jays@att.net wrote: > Dear friends, >=20 > My vision of what the MOU could become by moving forward does not match t= he > desire of some other board members to stay firmly anchored where we are. = I > therefore have resigned as vice president of the organization. >=20 > Perhaps I am impatient. I usually am. But, there is much work to be done = for > birds and birders and bird conservation. And there are other places to do > it, places where change is not resisted and new ideas are welcome. >=20 > When I resigned earlier this week I had completed almost one year of the > usual two years a vice president would serve before advancing to presiden= t. > It had become apparent to me that my ideas for change in the way the MOU = is > managed had insufficient support among other board members. >=20 > If I was to be president, I wanted to work in an atmosphere where new ide= as > could find a home. To continue under the present circumstances would have > been frustrating for me and irritating for other board members. >=20 > The recent year-long efforts of the task force organized by Bob Holtz to > examine ways the MOU might better serve both birds and birders offered ho= pe > for an atmosphere conducive to new ideas. However, the changes I felt mos= t > significant and important failed to achieve the eight of 12 votes needed = to > pass as recommendations sent to the MOU board. The board itself, given a > chance on Oct. 11 to take action of some of these recommendations, also > rejected those ideas. >=20 > And while yet another committee will be appointed by MOU President Jerry > Bonkoski to study the issue I find critical -- reorganization of the boar= d > of directors -- there is little hope that the present board would accept = any > recommendation for change. >=20 > The MOU board of directors is made up of five elected officers, 13 commit= tee > chairpersons, two editors, and 11 representatives from affiliated bird > clubs. That makes 31 board members (with no limit on the top number shoul= d > more committees be formed or more bird clubs affiliate). A new vice > president comes to the board once every two years as the person holding t= hat > position moves to the president=B9s chair. Thus, according to MOU bylaws, o= nly > one new person need be added to the board every two years. >=20 > While the other officers also serve terms of office, the usual practice i= s > to re-elect the treasurer and the two secretaries if they will continue t= o > serve. People in those positions can serve indefinitely if they wish. The > board appoints the committee chairs and the editors. The board is > self-perpetuating. It can ensure, if it wishes, that change is a remote > possibility at best. >=20 > That is my first point of disagreement with a majority of the present boa= rd.. > I feel all board members should be elected, and that 31 board members is = too > many by 20 at least. There should be routine mandated change of command. > Committee chairs should actually serve designated terms of office. One-ye= ar > terms presently are specified, but reappointment is, essentially, automat= ic.. > Changes are not made unless someone resigns or dies. Editors should serve > designated terms of office, and that too would be new. Neither editors no= r > committee chairpersons should be board members. They should instead be > subject to oversight by the board. The present bylaws specifically place > editors outside any oversight. They are responsible to no one but > themselves, not even the board. >=20 > continued in message part two >=20 >=20 >=20 > _______________________________________________ > mou-net mailing list > mou-net@cbs.umn.edu > http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net From jslind@frontiernet.net Fri Oct 17 23:45:58 2003 From: jslind@frontiernet.net (Jim Lind) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 17:45:58 -0500 Subject: [mou] Sage Thrasher Message-ID: <3F902AD6.25655.E5E367A@localhost> Kim Eckert's group found a Sage Thrasher today at about 5:00 p.m. at the Grand Marais Campground between the ballfield and the lake. Sharon Lind From lauraerickson@abac.com Sat Oct 18 00:04:04 2003 From: lauraerickson@abac.com (Laura Erickson) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 18:04:04 -0500 Subject: [mou] Vice-president resigns, part one of three In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20031017172304.00b3d278@mail1.abac.com> The divisiveness between factions of MOU is a terrible weakness in Minnesota birding. In some ways we have the most progressive birding atmosphere of just about any state, with a lot of space in prominent, large newspapers devoted to birds, regular radio and TV coverage about birds and birding issues, and an unusually informed citizenry. The fact that MOU is losing members in a state with so much genuine interest in birds is a telling one. Right now there is so much infighting, arrogance, factionalizing, and poisonous competitiveness within the Minnesota birding community--exemplified by the fact that we can't even function civilly with a single listserve for the state--and so much resistance to letting any but a fairly small group of individuals become part of some important "inner circles," that the birding atmosphere sometimes seems genuinely infected. I believe Jim Williams has identified some of the serious problems, and think he had some reasonable approaches to them. I'd quibble with him regarding vetting state records--one critical function of a state ornithological society such as MOU is to create and maintain a truly scientific and authoritative checklist, and although over the years I've had my share of MORC rejections, I've never felt that they've done anything less than a professional and fair job at this thankless task. But healthy debate to tease out the best resolutions to such issues is important, and that simply does not take place when a Board of Directors has no regular turnover and when members aren't given some say in who runs their organization and where it is heading. There will be some people who breathe a sigh of relief that Jim is resigning, so they don't need to listen to his warnings and suggestions anymore. They'll be like the bus driver who KNOWS it's his turn to go at an intersection, and even though the oncoming truck is clearly not going to stop, refuses to change his course, taking his passengers down with him, but dying with a smug, self-righteous smile. Laura Erickson Duluth, MN Journey North Science Writer Producer, "For the Birds" radio program There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson From axhertzel@sihope.com Sat Oct 18 00:41:09 2003 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 18:41:09 -0500 Subject: [mou] MOU RBA Update, 17 October 2003 Message-ID: --============_-1145688421==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Friday October 17th. This tape is being updated to report on the potential ninth state record SAGE THRASHER found today in Grand Marais, Cook County. The bird was initially in the campground between the ball field and the lake and was last seen in the vicinity of the pavilion on the southwest shore of the main harbor. 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 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 David Cahlander at . MOU members receive the organization's quarterly journal "The Loon" and the bimonthly magazine, "Minnesota Birding". For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at moumembers@yahoo.com. In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700. The MOU is pleased to offer this service. Thank you, and good birding. The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, October 23rd. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com --============_-1145688421==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MOU RBA Update, 17 October 2003

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Friday October 17th.

This tape is being updated to report on the potential ninth state record SAGE THRASHER found today in Grand Marais, Cook County. The bird was initially in the campground between the ball field and the lake and was last seen in the vicinity of the pavilion on the southwest shore of the main harbor.

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 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 David Cahlander at <david@cahlander.com>.

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

In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700.

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

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, October 23rd.

--

Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com

--============_-1145688421==_ma============-- From kreckert@cpinternet.com Sat Oct 18 03:54:42 2003 From: kreckert@cpinternet.com (Kim R. Eckert) Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 21:54:42 -0500 Subject: [mou] Sage Thrasher, etc. Message-ID: <200310180254.h9I2sr11005295@seagull.cpinternet.com> For those heading up to Grand Marias to look for the Sage Thrasher seen today in Grand Marais, also keep an eye open for the following birds found on the North Shore by the Minn Birding Weekends group: Red-throated Loon (juv) - Flood Bay, Lake Co Surf Scoter (3) - Good Harbor Bay, Cook Co White-winged Scoter - Flood Bay Long-tailed Duck (2) - mouth of Cascade R, Cook Co Thayer's Gull (juv/1st-winter) - Grand Marais harbor Black-backed Woodpecker (2) - Two Harbors Harbor Walk Field Sparrow - Lutsen Sea Villas (east side), Cook Co Vesper Sparrow - Two Harbors, along tracks N of Edna G tugboat Le Conte's Sparrow - Flood Bay, by foot bridge next to Superior Shores Northern Cardinal - Grand Marais, along 8th Ave West near the Sage Thrasher Western Meadowlark (2) - Two Harbors White-winged Crossbills - Lutsen Sea Villas Kim Eckert From Pmegeland@aol.com Sat Oct 18 05:07:41 2003 From: Pmegeland@aol.com (Pmegeland@aol.com) Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 00:07:41 EDT Subject: [mou] Ibis sp - Lyon county Message-ID: -------------------------------1066450061 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I had the pleasure of adding another bird to the Yard list at my Mothers in Cottonwood, Lyon county, this makes 231. I had just filled the bird feeders at my Mothers place at 7:45 this morning when I was surprised to have an Ibis fly by and fly to Sham Lake about 1/2 miles east of Cottonwood. I quickly drove down to Sham and was able to get a good binocular look and a short Scope look at the bird. Unfortunately a better look still only showed a dark Ibis. It appeared to be an adult bird with glossy plumage but the fact I could not see any white on the face still would not preclude a White-faced Ibis. After just a few minutes it again took flight and headed southeast and I was not able to follow it. -------------------------------1066450061 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I had the pleasure of adding another bird to the Yard list at my Mothers=20= in Cottonwood, Lyon county, this makes 231. I had just filled the bird feede= rs at my Mothers place at 7:45 this morning when I was surprised to have an=20= Ibis fly by and fly to Sham Lake about 1/2 miles east of Cottonwood. I quick= ly drove down to Sham and was able to get a good binocular look and a short=20= Scope look at the bird. Unfortunately a better look still only showed a= dark Ibis. It appeared to be an adult bird with glossy plumage but the fact= I could not see any white on the face still would not preclude a White= -faced Ibis. After just a few minutes it again took flight and headed southe= ast and I was not able to follow it. -------------------------------1066450061-- From JulianSellers@msn.com Sat Oct 18 19:03:52 2003 From: JulianSellers@msn.com (Julian Sellers) Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 13:03:52 -0500 Subject: [mou] Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Dakota County Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C39578.4784B740 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable St. Paul Audubon's "Sparrows Plus" field trip this morning to the Pine = Bend area along the Mississippi turned up a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher = near the entrance to Spring Lake Regional Park (Schaar's Bluff). We = found it at 10:15, hawking insects from the utility wires where Idell = Road turns west along the southern edge of the park. Idell goes north = from County Road 42 northwest of Hastings. When we left the park at = 11:30, the flycatcher had moved west, almost to the park entrance. I think the tail was shorter than an adult's (but very long and forked, = with white outer edges), and the belly and flanks were golden-yellow. Another plus was a fly-over by a dark-morph Rough-legged Hawk. We only = found five sparrow species, but those included Fox and Harris's. Julian Sellers St. Paul ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C39578.4784B740 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

St. Paul Audubon's "Sparrows Plus" field trip = this morning=20 to the Pine Bend area along the Mississippi turned up a Scissor-tailed=20 Flycatcher near the entrance to Spring Lake Regional Park (Schaar's=20 Bluff). We found it at 10:15, hawking insects from the utility = wires where=20 Idell Road turns west along the southern edge of the park. Idell = goes=20 north from County Road 42 northwest of Hastings. When we left the = park at=20 11:30, the flycatcher had moved west, almost to the park = entrance.

I think the tail was shorter than an adult's = (but very=20 long and forked, with white outer edges), and the belly and flanks were=20 golden-yellow.

Another plus was a fly-over by a dark-morph = Rough-legged=20 Hawk. We only found five sparrow species, but those included Fox = and=20 Harris's.

Julian Sellers

St. Paul

------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C39578.4784B740-- From dbmartin@skypoint.com Sun Oct 19 00:39:49 2003 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 18:39:49 -0500 Subject: [mou] Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Dakota County References: Message-ID: <001401c395d1$228bda00$7d2e56c7@oemcomputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C395A7.36023FE0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Looked for this bird this PM without success. It could be in the = immediate area or somewhere else in Dakote, Hennepin, or Washington = counties. If anybody finds it, please post. Dennis and Barbara Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com ------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C395A7.36023FE0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Looked for this bird this PM without success. = It could=20 be in the immediate area or somewhere else in Dakote, Hennepin, or = Washington=20 counties. If anybody finds it, please post.

Dennis and Barbara Martin
dbmartin@skypoint.com

------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C395A7.36023FE0-- From fieldfare21@hotmail.com Sun Oct 19 00:57:27 2003 From: fieldfare21@hotmail.com (Benjamin Fritchman) Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 18:57:27 -0500 Subject: [mou] 34 Smith's Longspurs Message-ID: Today I took a trip to look for longspurs and the Black-headed Gull. I pulled up to Red Rock Prairie at 11 in the morning. I'd never been here, so as I was contemplating on how to get over the barbed wire fence, when a flock of around 25 longspurs flew over the road toward the prairie and landed a little ways in. I took of for that area and after a little searching I flushed one. So I stood still scanning the grass, but I couldn't see anything, so I took another step, and a flock of 18 flew up, calling the entire time. Then I walked a little farther and flushed up 15 more. I couldn't relocate them so I looked for the Gull(no luck). On the way home I stopped back at the prairie(around 2P.M.) because I wanted to see if I could see them on the ground. I walked in and soon flushed one, so I stood still and pretty soon I could see one standing in the grass.....it was pretty neat, you could see the facial pattern and the buff chest and belly. It stood still for about 30 seconds then took off. So I only relocated 2 but I didn't search the prairie very extensively. They were mostly in the SE portion of the praire between the road and the little ravine. Ben Fritchman Long Prairie _________________________________________________________________ Want to check if your PC is virus-infected? Get a FREE computer virus scan online from McAfee. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 From rmdbird@mn.rr.com Sun Oct 19 00:58:14 2003 From: rmdbird@mn.rr.com (Bob Dunlap) Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 18:58:14 -0500 Subject: [mou] Black-headed Gull, Smith's Longspurs- SW MN Message-ID: <001501c395d3$b21710c0$f6c31941@MainComputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C395A9.C8D5C3D0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Today Rick Hoyme, John Hockema, Jeff Stephenson, and I birded Jackson = and Cottonwood Counties. At 8:30 this morning we were staked out along = the Iowa/Minnesota border at the north side of Spirit Lake in Jackson = County, waiting for the Black-headed Gull to fly into MN. We didn't = have long to wait, as the gull flew over the road and landed in MN = waters. It must have looked quite comical for the Iowa fishermen to see = us jumping and giving high fives after a gull crossed a road. This afternoon we birded the Red Rock Prairie in Cottonwood County in = hopes of finding Smith's Longspurs. We eventually began hearing the = twittering of longspurs, and low and behold, we found ourselves in the = midst of about 75-100 Smith's! As far as we could tell, there were no = Laplands mixed in. It was very interesting hearing the twittering of = the Smith's, quite different from the rattle of Laplands. =20 Get out and enjoy the birds! -Bob Dunlap, Carver County ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C395A9.C8D5C3D0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Today Rick Hoyme, John Hockema, Jeff = Stephenson,=20 and I birded Jackson and Cottonwood Counties. At 8:30 this = morning we=20 were staked out along the Iowa/Minnesota border at the north side of = Spirit Lake=20 in Jackson County, waiting for the Black-headed Gull to fly into = MN. We=20 didn't have long to wait, as the gull flew over the road and landed in = MN=20 waters. It must have looked quite comical for the Iowa fishermen = to see us=20 jumping and giving high fives after a gull crossed a road.

This afternoon we birded the Red Rock = Prairie in=20 Cottonwood County in hopes of finding Smith's Longspurs. We = eventually=20 began hearing the twittering of longspurs, and low and behold, we found=20 ourselves in the midst of about 75-100 Smith's! As far as we could = tell,=20 there were no Laplands mixed in. It was very interesting hearing = the=20 twittering of the Smith's, quite different from the rattle of = Laplands. =20

Get out and enjoy the = birds!

-Bob Dunlap, Carver=20 County

------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C395A9.C8D5C3D0-- From Drewbec@aol.com Sun Oct 19 17:07:06 2003 From: Drewbec@aol.com (Drewbec@aol.com) Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 12:07:06 EDT Subject: [mou] SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER --UPDATE SUNDAY Message-ID: <103.3835928e.2cc410aa@aol.com> My wife and I observered the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher this morning between (approx.) 9:45 -10:15am in the location descibed yesterday by Julian Sellers. For those interested, this is a first record for the county. I believe the bird is an immature, with the color of the belly varying in different light from the previously described yellow to a very pale orangy-pink or salmon. It's a beautiful bird. I was surprised that no other birders showed up the entire time we watched the bird...... Drew Smith Eagan, Dakota County From Steve Weston" 12:15 p.m. STFC refound at Schaar's Bluff 127th Street off Idell Avenue reported Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan sweston2@comcast.net From blanich@emily.net Sun Oct 19 21:29:44 2003 From: blanich@emily.net (Steve & Jo Blanich) Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 15:29:44 -0500 Subject: [mou] Aitkin Crow Wing counties Message-ID: <000101c39680$af47bb80$c94d5a40@hppav> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00A2_01C39655.D2A4AD20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 10/17 Aitkin CR1, 8 Snow Geese, 4 Trumpeter Swans, 150 Tundra Swans, = 100+ Rusty Blackbirds CR18, 18 Bohemian Waxwings, = Rough-legged Hawk = Sandhill Cranes, No. Harriers, Merlins, No. Shrikes, Eastern = Bluebirds, Snow Buntings, many robins, 7 sparrow species, seen in other = Aitkin County locations = Crow Wing County, Dean Lake, had a pair of = Trumpeter Swans, 100's Coots, Bald Eagle, & approx. 8-10 unidentified = shorebirds. = = = = 10/18 Rice Lake NWR 10+ Bald Eagles, No. Harriers, No. Shrikes, = thousands of ducks in lake, Horned Lark, meadowlark, Lapland Longspurs = = = =20 ------=_NextPart_000_00A2_01C39655.D2A4AD20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

10/17 Aitkin CR1, 8 Snow Geese, 4 = Trumpeter Swans,=20 150 Tundra Swans, 100+ Rusty Blackbirds = =20 CR18, 18 Bohemian Waxwings, = Rough-legged=20 Hawk = =20 = =20 = =20 = =20 Sandhill Cranes, No. Harriers, Merlins, No. Shrikes, = Eastern=20 Bluebirds, Snow Buntings, many robins, 7 sparrow species, seen in other = Aitkin=20 County locations = = =20 = =20 = =20 = =20 Crow Wing County, Dean Lake, had a pair of Trumpeter = Swans,=20 100's Coots, Bald Eagle, & approx. 8-10=20 unidentified shorebirds. &n= bsp; =20 = =20 = =20 =20 =20 &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; &nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; &nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; &nbs= p; =20 10/18 Rice Lake NWR 10+ Bald = Eagles,=20 No. Harriers, No. Shrikes, thousands of ducks in lake, Horned Lark, = meadowlark,=20 Lapland Longspurs

&nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; &nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; &nbs= p; = ; = &= nbsp; &n= bsp; &nb= sp; =20

------=_NextPart_000_00A2_01C39655.D2A4AD20-- From david@cahlander.com Mon Oct 20 02:27:05 2003 From: david@cahlander.com (David A. Cahlander) Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 20:27:05 -0500 Subject: [mou] Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - update of recently seen. References: <103.3835928e.2cc410aa@aol.com> Message-ID: <000f01c396a9$48917ec0$0200000a@pancho> The "Recently Seen" page of the MOU website has been updated: http://biosci.umn.edu/~mou/recent.html --- David Cahlander david@cahlander.com Burnsville, MN 952-894-5910 From Steve Weston" The Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC) will hold its October meeting on Thursday the 23rd. Speaker: Tom Ramsay & Bob Duerr The Program: A screening of the award winning video, �Reptiles and Flowers�, which was filmed and produced by MRVAC�s own Tom Ramsay and commissioned by the Minnesota Science Museum. After the film, which is about Minnesota's reptiles, there will be a question and answer session led by Tom and Bob Duerr, former zookeeper at the Como Zoo. Les Blacklock called this video, �the best nature film I ever saw.� This program will be of interest to all ages. It is an excellant intro for kids to the wonders of nature. Please, join us at 7:30 p.m. at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor�s Center in Bloomington. You may wish to come early for the social period with coffee, cookies and committee exhibits. There is no admission. All are welcome. For directions call me (612-978-3993), e-mail me or see our newsletter at: http://home.attbi.com/~mrvac/Nov2002.doc or you can visit our website: www.mrvac.org . Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan sweston2@comcast.net From smithville4@charter.net Mon Oct 20 15:14:09 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 09:14:09 -0500 Subject: [mou] MOU Northshore Trip Message-ID: <000b01c39714$729fa0f0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0008_01C396EA.854AEEA0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello Last weekend Kim Risen and myself led a group to Grand Marais. We met on = Saturday morning and stop at various birding places all along the = northshore till we ended at Grand Marais. Here we checked into motels = and ate together at Sven & Ole's Pizza. Later on we drove to Bill Lane's = residence to observe his banding of owls and learn about his research on = Boreal Owls. On Sunday we began at Hovlund and then turned around and = birded south along the northshore back to Duluth. Here's the highlights: We saw 83 species of birds in two days. There were 21 particapants. * RED THROATED LOON 10/19 Stoney Pt. Our first bird and a good way to = start the field trip. This was possibly the same loon that was seen in = Two Harbors on Friday. WHITE-WINGED SCOTER Paradise Beach BLACK SCOTER Hovlund Boat Launch LONG-TAILED DUCK Paradise Beach NORTHERN GOSHAWK Stoney Point. MERLIN "RICHARDSON RACE" Beaver Bay Sewage Ponds THAYER'S GULL (1st yr. juvenile) Same bird seen on Friday by Kim = Eckert/Jim Lind's Hawk Ridge group. SAW WHET OWLS!! Observed over 20 owls netted in a 1 1/2 hours at Bill = Lane's. We heard other Saw Whets singing and calling in woods around us. = Every MOU member was able to hold and release a owl. This was the = highlight of our trip as we were able to sit in leisure on our fold out = chairs near Bill as we watch him take owls from the nets and tell us the = difference between first year hatchlings and older birds. We also seen = the size difference of males and females Saw Whet Owls. Overall this was = very awarding for all of us to see and take part in this owl research by = Bill Lane. We thank Bill very much for letting us attend this and next = year I am scheduling 2 trips in the Fall season and we were granted = permission to visit Bill Lane on each of these field trips! Stay tune! BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER migrating bird in Hovlund BLUE-HEADED VIREO Two Harbors VESPER SPARROW Two Harbors WESTERN MEADOWLARK Two Harbors ** SAGE THRASHER Grand Marais=20 **** Like to thank Kim Eckert and Jim Lind for calling me and sharing = thier sightings to me and giving me great directions. These birds = include: Sage Thrasher, Vesper Sparrow, Western Meadowlark and Thayer's = Gull were all birds originally found by Kim/Jim's group on Friday. Thank = You. ** We even had 4 Wisconsin birders along for the trip! We just = tolerated them!! HAHA kidding! ** Next MOU Field Trip and last trip of the year (RATS!) is Mille Lacs = Lake on November 8th. We are meeting in Garrison at the McDonald's = restaurant parking lot at 8:00am. Garrison is on the western side of = Mille Lacs along highway 169. This is a one day field trip and we will = just concentrate birding along the lake shore looking for a variety of = birds. I will buy you one meal at McDonald's for anyone who finds a = Yellow-billed Loon! Now thats a deal! Email me at = Smithville4@charter.net to let me know if you are interested in = attending this field trip. Mike Hendrickson MOU Field Trip Chairman ------=_NextPart_000_0008_01C396EA.854AEEA0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello

Last weekend Kim Risen and myself led a = group to=20 Grand Marais. We met on Saturday morning and stop at various birding = places all=20 along the northshore till we ended at Grand Marais. Here we checked into = motels=20 and ate together at Sven & Ole's Pizza. Later on we drove to Bill = Lane's=20 residence to observe his banding of owls and learn about his research on = Boreal=20 Owls. On Sunday we began at Hovlund and then turned around and birded = south=20 along the northshore back to Duluth.

Here's the highlights:

We saw 83 species of birds in two=20 days.

There were 21 = particapants.

* RED THROATED LOON 10/19 Stoney = Pt. =20 Our first bird and a good way to start the field trip. This was possibly = the=20 same loon that was seen in Two Harbors on Friday.

WHITE-WINGED SCOTER Paradise=20 Beach

BLACK SCOTER Hovlund Boat=20 Launch

LONG-TAILED DUCK Paradise = Beach

NORTHERN GOSHAWK Stoney = Point.

MERLIN "RICHARDSON RACE" Beaver = Bay Sewage=20 Ponds

THAYER'S GULL (1st yr. juvenile) Same = bird seen on=20 Friday by Kim Eckert/Jim Lind's Hawk Ridge group.

SAW WHET = OWLS!! Observed=20 over 20 owls netted in a 1 1/2 hours at Bill Lane's. We heard other Saw = Whets=20 singing and calling in woods around us. Every MOU member was able to = hold and=20 release a owl. This was the highlight of our trip as we were able = to sit=20 in leisure on our fold out chairs near Bill as we watch him take owls = from the=20 nets and tell us the difference between first year hatchlings and older = birds.=20 We also seen the size difference of males and females Saw Whet Owls. = Overall=20 this was very awarding for all of us to see and take part in this owl = research=20 by Bill Lane. We thank Bill very much for letting us attend this and = next year I=20 am scheduling 2 trips in the Fall season and we were granted permission = to visit=20 Bill Lane on each of these field trips! Stay tune!

BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER migrating = bird in=20 Hovlund

BLUE-HEADED VIREO Two = Harbors

VESPER SPARROW Two Harbors

WESTERN MEADOWLARK Two = Harbors

** SAGE THRASHER Grand Marais =

**** Like to thank Kim Eckert and Jim = Lind for=20 calling me and sharing thier sightings to me and giving me great = directions.=20 These birds include: Sage Thrasher, Vesper Sparrow, Western Meadowlark = and=20 Thayer's Gull were all birds originally found by Kim/Jim's group on = Friday.=20 Thank You.

** We even had 4 Wisconsin birders = along for the=20 trip! We just tolerated them!! HAHA kidding!

** Next MOU Field Trip and last trip of = the year=20 (RATS!) is Mille Lacs Lake on November 8th. We are meeting in Garrison = at the=20 McDonald's restaurant parking lot at 8:00am. Garrison is on the western = side of=20 Mille Lacs along highway 169. This is a one day field trip and we = will=20 just concentrate birding along the lake shore looking for a variety of = birds. I=20 will buy you one meal at McDonald's for anyone who finds a Yellow-billed = Loon!=20 Now thats a deal! Email me at Smithville4@charter.net = to let=20 me know if you are interested in attending this field trip.

Mike Hendrickson

MOU Field Trip = Chairman

------=_NextPart_000_0008_01C396EA.854AEEA0-- From smithville4@charter.net Mon Oct 20 05:15:27 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 23:15:27 -0500 Subject: [mou] Sage Thrasher update Message-ID: <001e01c396c0$cdf77620$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001B_01C39696.E1DD8DC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The Sage Thrasher that was found by Jim Lind and Kim Eckert on last = Friday was refound by Tom Tustison on Saturday around 2 PM and later = found by Josh Watton (sp) of Grand Marais and the MOU Field Trip group = led by Kim Risen and I around 3:30pm. Today around 10am John Hockema and = Phillip Chu refound the bird and then later on around 2pm it was found = again by Cindy Butler. The places it was seen on Saturday and Sunday: Along the small creek near the pavillion and on the beach in front of = the pavillion and near the small boat launch. The thrasher was also seen = across the road from the pavillion along the creek that goes towards the = ball field and in and around the RV's that are parked across from the = pavillion. It was also seen in bushes at the base of the western = breakwall near the green power plant buiilding. So the bird is = basically along the western side of the harbor near the beach. Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_001B_01C39696.E1DD8DC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

The Sage Thrasher that was found by Jim = Lind and=20 Kim Eckert on last Friday was refound by Tom Tustison on Saturday around = 2 PM=20 and later found by Josh Watton (sp) of Grand Marais and the MOU Field = Trip group=20 led by Kim Risen and I around 3:30pm. Today around 10am John Hockema and = Phillip=20 Chu refound the bird and then later on around 2pm it was found again by = Cindy=20 Butler.

The places it was seen on Saturday and=20 Sunday:

Along the small creek near the = pavillion and on the=20 beach in front of the pavillion and near the small boat launch. The = thrasher was=20 also seen across the road from the pavillion along the creek that goes = towards=20 the ball field and in and around the RV's that are parked across from = the=20 pavillion. It was also seen in bushes at the base of the western = breakwall near=20 the green power plant buiilding. So the bird is basically along = the=20 western side of the harbor near the beach.

Mike Hendrickson

------=_NextPart_000_001B_01C39696.E1DD8DC0-- From Steve Weston" Message-ID: <002201c396d8$0c57f860$361e2942@spacestar.net> Hi Forest, Schaar's Bluff's formal name is: Spring Lake Park, Schaar's Bluff unit. Directions: Take the CR42 exit from Hwy 52 (this is technically in the city of Rosemount between Pine Bend and the community of Coates. Go east on CR 42. Follow CR42 east as it joins and then leaves Hwy 55. When you turn left from Hwy 55 to CR42 you will see the sign directing you to Spring Lake Park. Idell is the second left turn off of CR42. It is well marked with a sign pointing you toward Schaar's Bluff. The road makes a left turn (and becomes 127th Street, but I don't think this intersection is signed) The bird has been observed on the wires from this turn almost to the entrance to the park. It has also been observed on the tops of the trees along the road and on the next grove of trees to the north. It has also been seen across the field on the trees on the other side of the field. This bird is fairly activeand can be quite easy to spot, however it at times seems to vanish for extended time. Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan sweston2@comcast.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Forest Strnad" To: "Weston, Steve" Cc: "Strnad, Forest" Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2003 9:26 PM Subject: INFO REQUESTED ABOUT STFC > Hi Steve: > > I have looked at Twin Cities street map and I cannot locate > Schaar's Bluff nor Idell Avenue so that I might try for the > Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. > > Would you, please, give me more adequate directions. > > Rev. Forest Strnad > Faribault, MN. > > From Holtz@csp.edu Mon Oct 20 13:49:11 2003 From: Holtz@csp.edu (Holtz, Robert E.*) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 07:49:11 -0500 Subject: [mou] Loggerhead Shrike Message-ID: <984BEB851B69154E80FD4945C59082E88299A5@noah.csp.edu> This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C39708.8F081530 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Yesterday afternoon I observed a Loggerhead Shrike in Isanti County. = The area is west of #65. North of Cambridge is the small town of Grandy. Go another (about) mile and a half north to 281st and turn left. Go west = to Nyman Drive and turn north. The shrike was on an east/west running = fence about =BC mile north of 281st. =20 Bob Holtz =20 If you're too busy to go birding, you're too busy. =20 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C39708.8F081530 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Yesterday afternoon I observed a Loggerhead Shrike = in Isanti = County. The area is west of #65. North of Cambridge is the small town of = Grandy. Go another (about) mile and a half north to 281^st and turn left. Go = west to Nyman Drive and turn north. The = shrike was on an east/west running fence about ¼ mile north of 281^st.

Bob Holtz

If you're too busy to go birding, = you're too busy.

------_=_NextPart_001_01C39708.8F081530-- From smithville4@charter.net Mon Oct 20 15:18:58 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 09:18:58 -0500 Subject: [mou] Red Headed Woodpecker Message-ID: <001401c39715$24b8e3f0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C396EB.31414D30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable While gone leading a field trip for the MOU on Saturday my daughter = Rebecca called me on my cell phone to tell me she had a strange bird at = our feeders.=20 She told me the bird was a woodpecker with a all red head and black back = and when it flew she saw white in the wings. I then talked to Monica = who told me she saw it because Becca was all excited about it and she = repeated the same field mark back to me that she saw.=20 Of course I was bummed out because its a new yard bird for me and a good = one too!=20 Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C396EB.31414D30 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

While gone leading a field trip for the = MOU on=20 Saturday my daughter Rebecca called me on my cell phone to tell me she = had a=20 strange bird at our feeders.

She told me the bird was a woodpecker = with a all=20 red head and black back and when it flew she saw white in the = wings. I=20 then talked to Monica who told me she saw it because Becca was all = excited about=20 it and she repeated the same field mark back to me that she saw. =

Of course I was bummed out because its = a new yard=20 bird for me and a good one too!

Mike Hendrickson

------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C396EB.31414D30-- From writers2@comcast.net Mon Oct 20 18:40:41 2003 From: writers2@comcast.net (Val/Roger) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 11:40:41 -0600 Subject: [mou] Not-so-rare birds in Como Park Message-ID: Hello, fellow bird folk: Today (Oct. 20, 2003) I observed: golden-crowned kinglets in Como Park (4-5, western shore of Lake Como, evergreens) ruby-crowned kinglets in Como Park (several, West Picnic Area) cedar waxwings -- large flocks in several areas, even in my own backyard (near Como Park) -- taking baths in the bird bath and leaving a mess like starlings do! several yellow-rumped warblers still around, near Como Lake many white-throated sparrows, everywhere. Cheers, Val Cunningham northwest St. Paul, Minn., Ramsey County From blanich@emily.net Mon Oct 20 22:13:48 2003 From: blanich@emily.net (Steve & Jo Blanich) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 16:13:48 -0500 Subject: [mou] Evening Grosbeaks in Crow Wing county Message-ID: <003601c3974f$0e53f660$9d4d5a40@hppav> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0033_01C39725.251ABFC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Today 3 Evening Grosbeaks appeared at our feeders, Agate Lake between = Crosby & Deerwood ------=_NextPart_000_0033_01C39725.251ABFC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Today 3 Evening Grosbeaks appeared at = our feeders,=20 Agate Lake between Crosby & Deerwood

------=_NextPart_000_0033_01C39725.251ABFC0-- From cfagyal@avianphotos.org Mon Oct 20 23:35:53 2003 From: cfagyal@avianphotos.org (Chris Fagyal) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 17:35:53 -0500 Subject: [mou] More pics on my website... Message-ID: <000c01c3975a$89335780$ac12030a@direcway.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --Boundary_(ID_4zcADALvXxiRnrcvY4UcUg) Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Specifically Lapland longspur from this weekend (Snow Bunting later one, and the Sage Thrasher pic I took is on the mou latest seen page, I don't like it enough to put it on my personal website). Also stuff from Washington including Heerman's Gull, Black Turnstone, Harlequin Duck. Chris http://www.avianphotos.org --Boundary_(ID_4zcADALvXxiRnrcvY4UcUg) Content-type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

Specifically Lapland longspur from this weekend (Snow Bunting later one, and the Sage Thrasher pic I took is on the mou latest seen page, I don’t like it enough to put it on my personal website). Also stuff from Washington including Heerman’s Gull, Black Turnstone, Harlequin Duck.

Chris

http://www.avianphotos.org

--Boundary_(ID_4zcADALvXxiRnrcvY4UcUg)-- From drbenson@cpinternet.com Tue Oct 21 01:04:59 2003 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David R. Benson) Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 19:04:59 -0500 Subject: [mou] Sage Thrasher/Cook County Birds 10/20/03 Message-ID: The Sage Thrasher was still present in the Grand Marais campground today at 3:30. There was a Townsend's Solitaire at Grand Portage National Monument this morning by the stockade. Also a Boreal Chickadee and an immature Red-headed Woodpecker. Lots of migration this morning--mostly juncos and robins, quite a few Eastern Bluebirds. Dave Benson Duluth From Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com Tue Oct 21 21:48:53 2003 From: Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com (Alt, Mark) Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 15:48:53 -0500 Subject: [mou] North Shore Trip - 10-20-03 Message-ID: <47784B75545C99469F1E590E3DD193A30F914C@ds63mail.na.bestbuy.com> Rich Peet and I headed north to see what we could see, (or hear), as we were out to record calls of birds not found around the cities. Duluth was our destination until we found winds from the south and the harbor covered in deep fog. We zipped right up to Stony Point, where there were only a few birds passing overhead. A few Lapland Longspurs and 3 American Pipits came over. American Robins were ubiquitous this day wherever we went, flocking and fighting, mostly males. A small male Richardson's Merlin stalled its flight to drop between us and the truck in front of us, its blue back clearly seen. It dropped its legs and looked like a Kestrel until it got through the traffic, then took off like the dart that is designed to be. We made tracks for Grand Marais, stopping to look for sea ducks, loons and grebes along the way, but not a diver was seen all day. We arrived in Grand Marais around 10 AM. The first thing we see in the many fruit-ladened Mountain Ashes are about 60 male Robins and we heard the harsh grating calls of Bohemian Waxwings. Atop a nearby spruce, two Bohemian Waxwings sat, white striped wings and grey bellies clearly visible in the Leica scope. As we tried to get close to record their calls, they took flight, joined by 14 others from the surrounding low ash trees, and they soon disappeared off to the spruces on the ridge to the south. The consistency of the calls leads me to believe these were at least predominantly Bohemes, but we did find some Cedars around later, so it is difficult to be sure. As we walked towards the breakwater, we flushed a flock of 14 Snow Buntings. They alighted on some concrete block stacks and we were able to watch them and record them from about 25 feet for about a half hour. With the Leica's 32x eyepiece, I was able to watch them feed and walk slowly toward us, flushing from about 15 feet. I counted 5 males and 9 females. The beak has a needle point on the top mandible , dark, contrasting to the rest of the pinkish tan beak. The black forehead of the female is a stippling since it is only the feather tips, looks like a smudge and doesn't go as far back on the head as most pictures show. The legs on the bird seem large in comparison to sparrows. I have always marveled at how their calls carry on the wind. The tone shifts and modulates, giving the impression wind effects muffle it and move it. There was no wind at this point and we were a scant 20 feet away. The calls still had that windblown-open tundra-CBC-20-below-zero quality to them. It must be like conch shells still sounding of the sea, you can't take the tundra out of the bird, I guess. I walked to the stone shoreline and came across the boardwalk bridge to get the birds to flush towards Rich for recording purposes. They flew in a loose flock, fluttering slowly within 10 feet of him. They were making their normal clear "tundra chortles", plus another call I find difficult to describe. It was rather like the rapidly ascending buzz of a siskin, but only a short burst of a quarter second. Almost like a spring recoiling in a cartoon. I couldn't tell what birds made the call, male or female, but clearly only a couple of these calls were given from the 14 birds flying. There is always more to know, more to look for, more to listen for, with every bird, all the time. I am thankful for birding with Rich when he records, it slows me down so I can watch the birds, watch them interact with each other and their environment. I am thankful for birding with youths or children, for letting me share their joy and see the birds as they see them. My advice is slow down, actually watch the birds. I know I need to do more of it. Good birding. Mark Alt Brooklyn Center, MN mark.alt@bestbuy.com "Birds and their songs are important to me, they add to my enjoyment of life"=20 From Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com Tue Oct 21 22:28:33 2003 From: Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com (Alt, Mark) Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 16:28:33 -0500 Subject: [mou] October 20 north shore trip list - no Thrasher! Message-ID: <47784B75545C99469F1E590E3DD193A30F914D@ds63mail.na.bestbuy.com> 37 species seen/heard. Some good ones. We also found 6 mile creek, which flows into the Temperance, I believe, to have many whitewashed rocks in the middle of its flow. Out west, this means Dipper Stream. I trout fish a lot, and I never seen this much bird sign on stream boulders in this state. I am going to check it out next spring, maybe even this winter, John Muir says they don't migrate, that they can be heard singing in the dead of winter over the roar of the falls. Who knows? >From the cities north to Duluth: * Common Raven * American Crow * Canada Goose * Herring Gull * Rock Dove Stony Point: * Downy Woodpecker * Common Flicker * Dark-eyed Junco (Many seen all day, everywhere) * American Pipit (3 flying overhead calling) * Song Sparrow (only 1, call heard, not seen) * White-throated Sparrow (Many, but not as many as I would have expected) * Robins (Probably a thousand seen all day, everywhere, mostly male) Two Harbors: * Black-capped Chickadee * White-breasted Nuthatch Split Rock Lighthouse * Yellow-rumped Warbler Hwy 61 S of Grand Marais * 2 Bald Eagles Taconite Harbor * Cedar Waxwings (flock of 8) Hwy 61 S. of Tofte * Merlin (Richardson's male) Grand Marais campground * Bohemian Waxwings (flock of 16 in Mt Ash and spruce) * Lapland Longspurs (flyover of 2 calling while we were on the beach) * Snow Buntings (Flock of 14 in gravel parking area from ball field to beach) * Palm Warbler (3 feeding on ground and in low shrubs, not heard calling) * Mallard * Ring-billed Gull (At 1:30 pm, over 400 birds flew in from the west) * Horned Lark (9 in flock by office for campground - most have yellow faces and distinct masks) * Purple Finch (not many, seen as singles several times, heard singing around 11 am) * Mourning Dove (6 near boardwalk) * European Starling Hwy 61 1/4 mile S of Grand Marais(While stopped in construction) * Grey Jay (a first for me in Grand Marais) Sawbill Trail * Grey Jay (2 seen; 1 crossing the road, 4 mi. north of 61 and 1 on 6 mile creek road) * Red-breasted Nuthatch (in red pine and white pine plantation 8 mi north of 61, while trying for Crossbills) Hwy 61 north of Two Harbors * Rough-legged Hawk (seen with binos on good light over head - male light phase) * Red-tailed Hawks (2 seen just uphill from Rough-legged) Road Home * Blue Jay * Blackbird (Rusty? Flocks seen near Lindstrom area) * Common Grackle * Wild Turkey (3 in field east of 35 near Stacy) Mark Alt Manager of Project Management Best Buy Co., Inc. Logistics Mark.Alt@bestbuy.com (w) 612-291-6717 (Cell) 612.803.9085 From psvingen@d.umn.edu Wed Oct 22 03:28:33 2003 From: psvingen@d.umn.edu (Peder Svingen) Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 21:28:33 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [mou] Sage Thrasher update Message-ID: The Sage Thrasher was seen by several observers between 1:15 and 2:35 PM today (Tuesday) in the Grand Marais tourist campground. It lurked near the pavilion where previously reported, but also ranged as far as the parking lot next to the swimming pool and spent most of its time foraging around parked recreational vehicles west and north of the pavilion. Three Surf Scoters were on Good Harbor Bay just west of Grand Marais, White-winged Scoters were seen off Stoney Point in St. Louis County, and another White-winged was in the Grand Marais harbor. Congratulations to Jeff Stephenson, for whom the thrasher was species #300 in year 2003! -- Peder H. Svingen - psvingen@d.umn.edu - Duluth, MN From Steve Weston" Passing by Schaar's Bluff on Monday at about 6pm. I did not see the STFC. I have heard that others were out there on Monday earlier and have heard through a couple of people that no one saw the bird. Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan sweston2@comcast.net From drbenson@cpinternet.com Wed Oct 22 13:54:57 2003 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David R. Benson) Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 07:54:57 -0500 Subject: [mou] Duluth RBA 10/22/03 Message-ID: This is the Duluth Birding Report for Wednesday, October 22, 2003, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. A SAGE THRASHER found by Kim Eckert on Friday the 17th was still being seen in the Grand Marais campground as of Tuesday afternoon. The bird has been in the area between the picnic shelter on the lake and the swimming pool parking lot. Other Cook County birds this week included a first-winter THAYER'S GULL in Grand Marais, 2 LONG-TAILED DUCKS at the mouth of the Cascade River, a FIELD SPARROW at the Lutsen Sea Villas, and a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER at Grand Portage National Monument. Jonas Benson and I saw a very late PHILADELPHIA VIREO at Grand Portage on the 20th, and Mike Hendrickson reported a BLUE-HEADED VIREO from Hovlund on the 19th. Basic plumage RED-THROATED LOONS were reported from Flood Bay on the 18th and Stoney Point on the 19th. Keith Pulles reported a BLACK SCOTER from Park Point on the 18th, and another was at Paradise Beach on the 19th. Kim Eckert reported three SURF SCOTERS from Good Harbor Bay on the 18th, and three were still there on the 21st. WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS were seen this week at several locations between Duluth and the Canadian border. In Two Harbors, a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was at the lake walk on the 18th, a VESPER SPARROW was near the tugboat, and a LECONTE'S SPARROW and two WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were reported. Jim Barrett reported a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER in Morgan Park on the 16th. Gordy Martinson had a NORTHERN CARDINAL at his feeder in Lakewood Township this week. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday,October 30th. The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 728-5030, and callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of each tape. The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; or send an e-mail to mou@cbs.umn.edu; or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org. From jtpbirder@yahoo.com Wed Oct 22 17:26:14 2003 From: jtpbirder@yahoo.com (Jeff Price) Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 09:26:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [mou] Ghost gull of Grand Marais Message-ID: <20031022162614.43005.qmail@web14913.mail.yahoo.com> With Halloween approaching and in the spirit of the season I offer you this story - The ghost gull of Grand Marais Jeff Price, copyright 2003 all rights reserved The day of the annual Grand Marais Christmas Bird Count dawned cold and still. Since this was Paula�s first count she was given the lakefront plot - the lake had frozen early this year and the compiler thought there probably wouldn�t be much there. If Paula saw something she couldn�t identify, like an immature gull, she was supposed to call the compiler who would come down to help. Eager to prove herself, Paula set up her scope and began scanning the ice. On her first pass she didn�t see anything. As she took a break and poured some coffee from her thermos a few Snow Buntings flew by. She dutifully marked those down on her tally sheet and returned to her scope. On the second pass a slight movement caught her eye. She stopped scanning and focused carefully on the bird perched out on the ice. It was about the size of a Ring-billed Gull but it was snow white - no wonder she had trouble seeing it earlier, it looked like a ghost it matched the ice so well. Zooming in she could just make out the dark legs and bill. Not recognizing the bird she grabbed her field guide and started flipping through the pages. There it was, an Ivory Gull. She couldn�t believe it and pulled out her cell phone to call the compiler. Sara had real mixed feelings about the call. On the one hand, she almost hoped Paula was wrong. This sighting was bound to mess up the count. On the other hand, it was an Ivory Gull, that nearly mythical ghost bird of the Arctic. Sara pulled into the parking lot and walked over to look through Paula�s scope. Her breath caught in her throat and she studied the magnificent bird. All she could say was �Wow, nice find Paula.� Regaining her composure she started making calls. This might mess up the count but she couldn�t keep the bird a secret, not even for a day. She only hoped word got out to the counters in the field so they could swing by the lakefront - then go back to counting. She also made sure that someone posted the information to the Internet before they headed out. To: Undisclosed list From: MOU-NET Subject: Ivory Gull An adult Ivory Gull was located on the ice off of the Grand Marais lakefront this morning. The electrifying news went out and within minutes birders from around the region were calling in sick and heading for Grand Marais. Within hours, birders had set up their scopes and were carefully studying the bird. A reporter from the local paper even came out, took some pictures of the birders and headed back to prepare his story for next week�s paper. A storm moving into the Cities made Jack late for work. He knew he didn�t really have time but still he checked his E-mail before he was to head to an all-day, all-office meeting. He shouldn�t have. An Ivory Gull! This bird had been a nemesis of Jack�s for years. He checked his watch and looked out the window at the falling snow - he might be able to make it to Grand Marais before dark if he left now. Feeling an exceptionally bad case of avian flu coming on, Jack decided to deal with his boss later, mumbled excuses to his secretary and dashed out the door. Driving faster than he should given the snowy conditions, Jack actually made it to the harbor with a little time to spare. He became concerned by the lack of birders and sure enough, the bird was nowhere to be seen, at least not through binoculars. Mounting his scope on his car�s window he scanned the ice - nothing. Driving along the harbor he kept stopping and scanning - still no gull. Moving along the lakefront he stopped and scanned again. Finally, some movement caught his eye. Cranking the scope up to 60x, maximum power, he saw it, barely making it out against the ice. This bird had eluded Jack for so long he really wanted a better look. The weather had been unusually cold for most of late fall and early winter and Jack hoped that maybe, just maybe, the ice had frozen enough to let him walk out on it. Cautiously at first, then moving ever faster, Jack walked out on the ice toward the bird, gradually getting farther and farther from shore. The light was fading fast when Jack finally got close enough to really see and appreciate the bird. It was then that he noticed that the bird was sitting on a floe � Jack was at the edge of the ice. By now other birders from the Cities had arrived. Seeing Jack�s car parked along the lakeshore they pulled up behind it. An offshore wind had kicked up and it was brutally cold. It didn�t matter what the conditions were; this was an Ivory Gull. Quickly, they pulled their scopes out of the car and started scanning. They saw Jack out on the ice and watched him through their scopes as he turned and carefully started back toward shore - watching in disbelief as a crack formed between Jack and the shore. Jack became concerned when the wind picked up and grew more concerned when he heard a sort of grinding sound. Looking toward shore he stared in horror at the black line forming between him and safety. Sprinting forward he quickly stopped when he realized he couldn�t possibly jump across the rapidly growing patch of icy open water between him and the shore. The wind had fractured the ice and Jack was now on a floe drifting out into Lake Superior. Grabbing their cell phones the birders quickly got through to the Coast Guard. A helicopter was dispatched and the birders told to stay where they were to help guide it into place. By this time all the birders could see was the faint outline of Jack and his frantically waving a flashlight back and forth toward shore. The Coast Guard searched for hours until the helicopter was grounded by the wind. At dawn the next morning the birders were back along the lakeshore and the Coast Guard continued their search � but neither Jack, nor the Ivory Gull was ever seen again. The ghost gull of the Arctic had moved on. Every winter, birders in Grand Marais report seeing a ghostly figure way out on the ice, looking through a spotting scope. Sometimes, looking toward the lake on a clear night you may even see a small light waving frantically back and forth. And whenever a visiting birder reports seeing a white bird out on the ice - local birders know not to get too excited - it�s only a ghost. ===== Jeff Price Boulder, CO jtpbirder@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From matt@northernexposuregetaway.com Wed Oct 22 21:11:25 2003 From: matt@northernexposuregetaway.com (Mathias Schaust Jr.) Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2003 15:11:25 -0500 Subject: [mou] First Cardinal sighting/Bald Eagle photos/videos Message-ID: <000c01c398d8$aeca7e90$a707d7aa@matt> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C398AE.C2E40240 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Yesterday was exciting, we spotted our first cardinal of the season, = eating seeds in the lawn. We got a 'snapshot' of him, although it's not = a quality picture, we can definately identify it as a male cardinal! He = is more than a welcome sighting! =20 The eagles have been hanging around as well as the sharp-shinned hawks, = entertaining us with their beauty and graceful flight and antics! Today we got the pleasure of videotaping/photographing 3 mature bald = eagles perched in the same tree. We will post photos and videotape for = your viewing pleasure a.s.a.p. The photos reveal a crow perched either = in the clutch of an eagle, or on the same branch next to the eagle which = makes for some interesting pictures! =20 May you be blessed with an abundance of birds! Matt~Laurie ------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C398AE.C2E40240 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Yesterday was exciting, we = spotted our first=20 cardinal of the season, eating seeds in the lawn. We got a 'snapshot' of = him,=20 although it's not a quality picture, we can definately identify it as a = male=20 cardinal! He is more than a welcome sighting!

The eagles have been hanging around as = well as the=20 sharp-shinned hawks, entertaining us with their beauty and graceful = flight and=20 antics!

Today we got the pleasure of=20 videotaping/photographing 3 mature bald eagles perched in the same tree. = We will=20 post photos and videotape for your viewing pleasure=20 a.s.a.p. The photos reveal a crow perched either in the = clutch=20 of an eagle, or on the same branch next to the eagle = which makes=20 for some interesting pictures! =

May you be blessed with an abundance of = birds! Matt~Laurie

------=_NextPart_000_0009_01C398AE.C2E40240-- From two-jays@att.net Thu Oct 23 18:50:28 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 10:50:28 -0700 Subject: [mou] fall birding festival Nov. 7-9 Message-ID: The 2nd Annual Rivers & Bluffs Fall Birding Festival November, 7-9, 2003....Check it out this year! =A0 Co-sponsored by - - - 12 organizations, corporations and agencies. =A0 Only=A04 clicks of=A0your mouse are necessary=A0to obtain=A0online information=A0needed to=A0appreciate and register for=A0this=A0fun-packed event=A0wit= h field trips in Minnesota, Wisconsin,=A0and Iowa=A0for=A0close up views of thousands of elegant Tundra Swans, and literally hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese.=20 =A0 First, click=A0=A0http://www.lansingiowa.com . At the top of=A0this homepage, click on "Upcoming Events."=A0Then=A0click "Rivers & Bluffs Fall Birding Festival." Clicking our ad takes you to=A0a=A0brochure=A0showing=A0our fun-filled agenda, other festival details, and the registration form to print out and return. It couldn't be much=A0easier. =A0 The Nov. 7-9=A0Rivers & Bluffs Fall Birding Festival=A0emphasizes FUN TIMES learning to "Identify, Enjoy and Understand All Birds Around Us." =A0 Explore one of Mother Nature's best kept secrets -=A0beautiful and=A0majestic Bluff Overlooks, and the biologically rich Mississippi River ecosystem - from festival headquarters at Lansing, Iowa, a quite, picturesque, and enjoyable community, located just 11 miles south of the Minnesota border. =A0 This year we have more to offer and are better organized than in our inaugural year when 175 participants from 39 cities in 4 states enjoyed our river town hospitality. There will definitely be good diversity and extremely large numbers of birds to enjoy. Indoor introductory bird program= s are stronger, and our community will again "roll out the red carpet" with fine field trip leaders, excellent food, numerous door prizes, live music, tours of our Museum of River History and Big River Forge, etc. Linda Thomas, Wild Birds Unlimited, Ames, IA, will present two programs on how to create a backyard paradise for birds and other wildlife.=A0A new addition this year will be=A0boat tours to see waterfowl up close and personal. The 20-passenger Mississippi Explorer will take up to 3 trips on Saturday P.M. and another 3 trips on Sunday A.M. if there is sufficient interest. =A0 A=A0$5 registration fee makes our festival the best bargain among birding festivals. PLEASE REGISTER EARLY. Importantly, when seating capacity is reached at our Community Center, we=A0won't be able to allow anyone else to attend. We=A0also must know how many people to expect for the great meals we will=A0enjoy together at our best restaurants; and how we can allocate time for our boat tours. (Boat tours are a cost that cannot be covered by the minimal registration fee.) =A0 In addition to the information shown on=A0our brochure, we will also have numerous door prizes, a silent auction for a number of donated items, and a quick live auction Saturday evening between our meal together and special live music by Jon Stravers and the Big Blue Sky Band. Funds raise=A0at the auction will go to a wetland conservation project to benefit birds and all wildlife. =A0 Be sure to bring family and friends with you to enjoy=A0a weekend=A0of fun together in an unspoiled area filled with Tundra Swans, Bald Eagles, and many other species. =A0 Please FORWARD=A0this message=A0via email, snail mail, or smoke signal, to birdwatchers and other nature lovers=A0that you know,=A0who=A0may wish to attend. =A0 If you have questions that we haven't covered here, please don't hesitate t= o email me. =A0 Thank you for your interest. =A0 Ric =A0 Ric Zarwell Important Bird Areas (IBA) Coordinator Audubon Iowa P.O. Box 299 Lansing, Iowa 52151 zarxzar@salamander.com =A0 Iowa IBA Website: www.iowabirds.org/IBA =A0 Mission: "To bring MORE people to nature through birding; and especially, to move MORE birders to effective conservation action." =A0 SHOW UP.... SPEAK UP.... ANTE UP.... For Birds and Habitats ------------------------------------------------------------------------ forward by Jim Williams, Wayzata From BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM Thu Oct 23 20:08:46 2003 From: BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM (Williams, Bob) Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 14:08:46 -0500 Subject: [mou] Pet Trails, Murphy-Hanrehan, Scott County Message-ID: <954398EF1F830749868583446DBCE7EB12901600@min-nrt-exch1.min.nrtinc.nrt> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPartTM-000-e0574862-53a0-4987-9950-5a55e65bf876 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----_=_NextPart_001_01C39999.15704EF0" ------_=_NextPart_001_01C39999.15704EF0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Had a couple of highlights on my morning walk today: Eastern Towhee???-Heard a call more than once that sounded just like one. Northern Shrike-Very close looks near marker #41. Purple Finch-Loose flock of about 15. Red-tailed Hawks-Several including a dark phase one Hooded Merganser-One female Still able to find 41 species(not including the possible towhee) Bob Williams, Bloomington ------_=_NextPart_001_01C39999.15704EF0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

= ; Had a couple of highlights on my morning walk today:

= ; Eastern Towhee???-Heard a call more than once that = sounded just like one.

= ; Northern Shrike-Very close looks near marker = #41.

= ; Purple Finch-Loose flock of about 15.

= ; Red-tailed Hawks-Several including a dark phase one

= ; Hooded Merganser-One female

= ; Still able to find 41 species(not including the = possible towhee)

= ; Bob Williams, Bloomington

=00 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C39999.15704EF0-- ------=_NextPartTM-000-e0574862-53a0-4987-9950-5a55e65bf876-- From Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com Thu Oct 23 21:23:55 2003 From: Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com (Alt, Mark) Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 15:23:55 -0500 Subject: [mou] Transportation needed for Boreal owl Boxes Message-ID: <47784B75545C99469F1E590E3DD193A337661A@ds63mail.na.bestbuy.com> There is an opportunity to help Boreal owls that can be solved with a pickup truck. Al Batt, from down near Albert Lea, has generously offered 30 boxes built to the specs for Boreal Owl habitation. The cost is free. The problem is, the place to put them up is in Northern Lake and Cook Counties. I have people who will help us put them up and in the right habitat, marked on a GPS, but I need to get them moved. I don't have a truck and neither does Al Batt anymore. If anyone finds they can move these for us, either to the cities or to Duluth, we will take it from there. Please contact me if you think you can swing it and I will put you into contact with Al. If we get an influx of Boreals it would be interesting to see what % would choose natural over man-made cavities. Please think it over truck/trailer owners. Mark Alt Brooklyn Center, MN mark.alt@bestbuy.com "Birds and their songs are important to me, they add to my enjoyment of life"=20 From axhertzel@sihope.com Fri Oct 24 01:09:21 2003 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 19:09:21 -0500 Subject: [mou] MOU RBA 23 October 2003 Message-ID: --============_-1145168330==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday October 23rd. As reported on last Monday's update of this tape, a potential ninth state record SAGE THRASHER was found in Grand Marais, Cook County and the bird was still present today. It is being seen primarily in the campground between the ball field and the lake, and has also been found across the road from the pavilion, along the creek that runs toward the ball field, and in the bushes at the base of the western break wall near the green power plant. And on the 18th, Julian Sellers found a SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER near the entrance to the Schaar's Bluff area of Spring Lake Regional Park in Dakota County. It was hawking insects from the utility wires along Idell Road which runs west along the southern edge of the park. Idell Road goes north from County Road 42 northwest of Hastings. Thanks to Steve Weston for the following directions: Go east on Dakota County Road 42 from U.S. Highway 52. After passing state highway 55, look for the sign to Spring Lake Park. Idell Road is the second left turn off of County Road 42. On the north side of Spirit Lake in Jackson County, a BLACK-HEADED GULL was reported on the 18th. It frequents the marshes on the north side of Jackson County Road 2. An unidentified IBIS made a quick appearance in Cottonwood, Lyon County on the 18th. It was seen briefly at Sham Lake, but departed shortly after being found and has not returned. A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was at Grand Portage National Monument in Cook County on the 20th. Basic-plumage RED-THROATED LOONS were reported on Lake Superior; one from Flood Bay in Lake County on the 18th and another at Stoney Point in St. Louis County on the 19th. A BLACK SCOTER was seen from Park Point in Duluth on the 18th, and another was at Paradise Beach in Cook County on the 19th. Three SURF SCOTERS were in Good Harbor Bay in Cook County on the 21st. Numerous SMITH'S LONGSPURS were at the Red Rock Prairie in Cottonwood County on the 18th. 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 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 David Cahlander at . MOU members receive the organization's quarterly journal "The Loon" and the bimonthly magazine, "Minnesota Birding". For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at moumembers@yahoo.com. In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700. The MOU is pleased to offer this service. Thank you, and good birding. The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, October 30th. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com --============_-1145168330==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MOU RBA 23 October 2003

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday October 23rd.

As reported on last Monday's update of this tape, a potential ninth state record SAGE THRASHER was found in Grand Marais, Cook County and the bird was still present today. It is being seen primarily in the campground between the ball field and the lake, and has also been found across the road from the pavilion, along the creek that runs toward the ball field, and in the bushes at the base of the western break wall near the green power plant.

And on the 18th, Julian Sellers found a SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER near the entrance to the Schaar's Bluff area of Spring Lake Regional Park in Dakota County. It was hawking insects from the utility wires along Idell Road which runs west along the southern edge of the park. Idell Road goes north from County Road 42 northwest of Hastings. Thanks to Steve Weston for the following directions: Go east on Dakota County Road 42 from U.S. Highway 52. After passing state highway 55, look for the sign to Spring Lake Park. Idell Road is the second left turn off of County Road 42.

On the north side of Spirit Lake in Jackson County, a BLACK-HEADED GULL was reported on the 18th. It frequents the marshes on the north side of Jackson County Road 2.

An unidentified IBIS made a quick appearance in Cottonwood, Lyon County on the 18th. It was seen briefly at Sham Lake, but departed shortly after being found and has not returned.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was at Grand Portage National Monument in Cook County on the 20th.

Basic-plumage RED-THROATED LOONS were reported on Lake Superior; one from Flood Bay in Lake County on the 18th and another at Stoney Point in St. Louis County on the 19th.

A BLACK SCOTER was seen from Park Point in Duluth on the 18th, and another was at Paradise Beach in Cook County on the 19th. Three SURF SCOTERS were in Good Harbor Bay in Cook County on the 21st.

Numerous SMITH'S LONGSPURS were at the Red Rock Prairie in Cottonwood County on the 18th.

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, October 30th.

--

Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com

--============_-1145168330==_ma============-- From jslind@frontiernet.net Fri Oct 24 01:47:35 2003 From: jslind@frontiernet.net (Jim Lind) Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 19:47:35 -0500 Subject: [mou] Red-bellied Woodpecker - Two Harbors, Lake Co. Message-ID: <3F983057.5491.48C4742@localhost> This morning there was a Red-bellied Woodpecker seen in downtown Two Harbors, in the park at 3rd Ave and 1st Street. It was initially seen west of here in a crab-apple tree in the alley between 1st and 2nd Ave on the 200 block. There was also a Veery in the same yard. The latest north date I could find in The Loon was October 18, 1994 (there is an October 22 south date in Janssen's book). At Burlington Bay there were 2 Long-tailed Ducks and two Red-necked Grebes. Jim Lind Two Harbors From ajjoppru@wiktel.com Fri Oct 24 03:50:36 2003 From: ajjoppru@wiktel.com (Jeanie Joppru) Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 21:50:36 -0500 Subject: [mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, October 24, 2003 Message-ID: <000c01c399d9$9d9d98d0$19d5aec6@main> This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, October 24, 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. Birds are still moving through the area this week during the lovely fall weather, but the temperature is forecast to drop this weekend and we can expect the conditions to get much more like late fall. Birding this week has been spotty with the numbers of migrants dropping off rapidly as the migration comes to a close. Roland Jordahl reported from Otter Tail County that the migration is proceeding there with sightings of COMMON LOONS, AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, HARRIS'S SPARROWS, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS among others. Also in Otter Tail County, Alma Ronningen reported seeing kinglets. In Wilkin County Alma Ronningen reported AMERICAN BITTERN, SANDHILL CRANE, and LAPLAND LONGSPURS near the Rothsay WMA. Mary Wyatt saw a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK near Detroit Lakes in Becker County on October 22nd. Other birds that she reported included RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, PILEATED WOODPECKER, FOX SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, and PURPLE FINCH. In Norman County on October 17th, Carol Schumacher observed TRUMPETER SWANS at the Twin Valley wastewater treatment ponds; also AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, and LAPLAND LONGSPURS in that county. On the 18th in Norman County, she saw GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN, SANDHILL CRANES, and HARRIS'S SPARROW, and on the 19th there was a SMITH'S LONGSPUR at the Ada wastewater treatment ponds. In Polk County, Shelley Steva saw 6 GRAY PARTRIDGE four miles west of the Pembina WMA near the border of Pennington and Polk Counties. A ROSS'S GOOSE was found by Peder Svingen near Fosston on October 18th, and 299 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS were seen at the Crookston wastewater treatment ponds. On the 20th, we found a WILD TURKEY wandering along the Crookston Highway 75 bypass- this is undoubtedly an escapee from captivity but fun to see none-the- less. Thursday, October 23rd, Peder Svingen found a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and 30 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS in Gentilly township. Carol Schumacher birded in Red Lake County on the 19th and reported SNOW GEESE, TUNDRA SWANS, and both LAPLAND LONGSPURS and SMITH'S LONGSPURS. A MERLIN and 19 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS were seen in Red Lake County on Monday. An adult GOLDEN EAGLE was observed by Peder Svingen soaring over the Red Lake River near the Red Lake Falls wastewater treatment ponds on October 23rd. A RING-NECKED PHEASANT was seen 2 miles west of Plummer, a MERLIN at Oak Grove Cemetery, and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK one mile southwest of Red Lake Falls. Beltrami County sightings reported this week included an immature RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER seen by Pat Rice in Bemidji on Monday, and a small flock of RED CROSSBILLS spotted by two birders in Blackduck on the 19th. A scoter of unknown species was seen far out on Lake Winnibigoshish in Cass County on October 19th. In Marshall County, the two SURF SCOTERS reported last week were found to be still at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge on the 20th. Most interesting sighting at Agassiz on Monday was an immature GOLDEN EAGLE seen over Northwest Pool, causing thousands of waterfowl including SNOW GEESE both white and blue morph, CANADA GEESE, ducks of several species, and SANDHILL CRANES to rise up at once from the marsh in a swirling mass of birds, all calling together. Late in the afternoon, a NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen on the eastern boundary of the refuge. The weekly shorebird survey revealed that numbers were down again from last week with 302 birds of 8 species being tallied. Thanks to Shelley Steva, Carol Schumacher, Peder Svingen, Alma Ronningen, Mary Wyatt, Roland Jordahl, and Pat Rice 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, October 31, 2003. From pablo@drtel.net Fri Oct 24 04:58:03 2003 From: pablo@drtel.net (Paul Konrad) Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 22:58:03 -0500 Subject: [mou] New Birding Drives Message-ID: <035501c399e3$06b0c5a0$dfb14440@yourze8cxvr8tt> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0352_01C399B9.1D257760 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ( I thought you would be interested in learning more about the newest = birding adventures in America:) New Birding Drives Offer Exciting Wildlife Adventures =20 Last weekend, birders from North America and Europe marveled at the = opportunity to observe some of the rarest birds in the world - a pair of = Whooping Cranes - along the new Bismarck-Mandan Birding Drive. This new = Birding Drive offers birding adventures along the historic Lewis and = Clark Trail.=20 =20 Similarly, along the Central Dakota Birding Drive, other birders and = nature enthusiasts witnessed one of the greatest of migration episodes, = with huge feeding concentrations of geese - Snow Geese, Ross', = White-fronts, and Arctic-nesting Canada Geese - flying in a seemingly = endless parade to a field where circled and spiraled down, flock after = flock, where they mixed and fed amid a chorus of "goose music."=20 Two new free booklets describe, illustrate, and map the Central Dakota = and Bismarck-Mandan Birding Drives, each of which are composed of three = easy-to-follow routes. Simple maps help users navigate along the routes, = and provide information about where to go, how to get there, and what = birds you can expect to see in season.=20 =20 For a free copy of the Central Dakota Birding Drive booklet, telephone = 701-465-3825, e-mail birding@centraldakotabirdingdrive.com or write the = Quad County Economic Development Corporation at P.O. Box 175, Drake, ND = 58736. =20 For a free copy of Bismarck-Mandan Birding Drive booklet, telephone = 800-767-3555, e-mail visitnd@bismarckmandancvb.com or write the Visitors = Center at 1600 Burnt Boat Drive, Bismarck, ND 58503. =20 Central North Dakota has already received national attention as one of = the Top 10 Birding Hotspots in North America due to the abundance and = diversity of birds found in the mosaic of prairies, wetlands, woods, and = riverine habitats in our region. Come see why people describe this = region as one of the best Great Plains birding destinations with = unforgettable outdoor experiences. =20 Best Wishes, Paul ------=_NextPart_000_0352_01C399B9.1D257760 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

( I thought you would be interested in = learning more=20 about the newest birding adventures in=20 America:)

New = Birding=20 Drives Offer Exciting=20 Wildlife Adventures

Last weekend,=20 birders from North America and=20 Europe marveled at the opportunity to observe = some of the=20 rarest birds in the world - a pair of Whooping Cranes - along = the new=20 Bismarck-Mandan Birding=20 Drive. This new = Birding=20 Drive offers birding adventures along the = historic=20 Lewis and Clark Trail.

Similarly, along=20 the Central Dakota Birding Drive, other birders and nature enthusiasts = witnessed=20 one of the greatest of migration episodes, with huge = feeding=20 concentrations of geese =96 Snow Geese, Ross=92, White-fronts, and = Arctic-nesting=20 Canada Geese =96 flying in a seemingly endless parade to a field where = circled and=20 spiraled down, flock after flock, where they mixed and fed amid a chorus = of=20 =93goose music.=94

Two = new free=20 booklets describe, illustrate, and map the Central Dakota and Bismarck-Mandan Birding = Drives, each=20 of which are composed of three easy-to-follow routes. Simple maps help = users=20 navigate along the routes, and provide information about where to go, = how to get=20 there, and what birds you can expect to see in season.

For a=20 free copy of the Central Dakota Birding=20 Drive booklet, telephone 701-465-3825, e-mail = birding@centraldakotabirdingdrive.com or write the Quad County Economic Development Corporation at=20 P.O. Box 175, = Drake,=20 ND=20 58736.

For a=20 free copy of Bismarck-Mandan Birding=20 Drive booklet, telephone 800-767-3555, e-mail = visitnd@bismarckmandancvb.com= or write the = Visitors=20 Center at=20 1600 Burnt Boat Drive,=20 Bismarck, ND=20 58503.

Central = North Dakota=20 has already received national attention as one of the Top 10 Birding = Hotspots in=20 North America due to the abundance and diversity of birds found in the = mosaic of=20 prairies, wetlands, woods, and riverine habitats in our region. Come see = why=20 people describe this region as one of the best Great=20 Plains birding destinations with unforgettable outdoor=20 experiences.

&n= bsp;

Best Wishes,=20 Paul

= ------=_NextPart_000_0352_01C399B9.1D257760-- From kreckert@cpinternet.com Fri Oct 24 22:30:06 2003 From: kreckert@cpinternet.com (Kim R. Eckert) Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 16:30:06 -0500 Subject: [mou] Sage Thrasher update Message-ID: <200310242130.h9OLUNSi003861@seagull.cpinternet.com> The Sage Thrasher, first spotted by Jim Lind Oct 17 in Grand Marais during the Minn Birding Weekend, was still present today, Oct 24. As far as I know, all the sightings this week have been between the W side of the harbor and 8th Ave W in the vicinity of the power plant. No other rarities reported in Cook Co yesterday or today. - Kim Eckert From jtpbirder@yahoo.com Sat Oct 25 00:56:09 2003 From: jtpbirder@yahoo.com (Jeff Price) Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 16:56:09 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [mou] A Halloween Treat (essay) Message-ID: <20031024235609.75564.qmail@web14911.mail.yahoo.com> In the spirit of the season I wrote this story. Maybe a little something to liven up the down time with no birds around, enjoy. Peterson�s Guiding Hand Jeff Price, copyright 2003, all rights reserved Annie focused her binoculars on the bird foraging in the tree overhead. It was smallish, yellow but not bright yellow and had a small pointed bill - a bird that should be easy to identify. Sitting on a rock, she pulled out her field guide. Turning to the pages with the yellow birds, she started looking through the photos - not that one, nope, that one�s not right, that�s not it either. Pretty soon she came to the end of the section and the bird she saw was just not there - none of the birds looked right. Frustrated, she threw the book down. It skittered across the trail and down a small slope, disappearing from sight. �Serves you right,� she muttered. Annie really wanted to learn the names of the birds she was seeing. Noting her interest in birds, her parents had given her binoculars and the field guide for her birthday. It took a while to learn to use the binoculars but she could mostly find the birds and focus on them now. Identifying them was another story. She thought it would be easy - the photographs were so good, surely she could identify these birds. Instead it had been frustrating; most of the birds she saw didn�t look quite like the birds in the photos. Other times, she�d spend so much time trying to find the bird in the book that when she looked back up to check a field mark the bird would be gone. She couldn�t help saying to herself, �I wish there was someone who could help me.� Sighing, she stood up and walked across the trail to look for her field guide. It hadn�t fallen very far so she was able to reach down and pick it up. It was then that she noticed there was another book a little farther down, under a bush. Scrambling down the hillside she picked up this book and looked it over. The green cover was very worn and looked like it had been well used. Turning it over she read the text �A Field Guide to the Birds� with the word �Peterson� and a drawing of a bird underneath. Annie flipped through the pages. There were paintings of birds, not photographs, and only some of the pictures were in color. That�s odd she thought, how could anyone identify a bird from these pictures? Wanting to reunite the book with its owner she looked at the front to see if they had written their name inside. There was a signature on the title page - Roger Tory Peterson. Annie decided to see if she could find her bird in this book. She started flipping the pages and a strange thing happened - a bunch of pages turned at once and she was looking at a picture near the back of the book. Most of the other birds on the page were indistinct, but the bird she saw, a female American Goldfinch, was much brighter and had little arrows pointing out the things she should be looking for. She sat on the ground and picked up her field guide. Looking up American Goldfinch in the index she turned to the page - that didn�t look anything at all like what she saw! Looking at the text she read that the photo was a male and the text said �females are duller�. A lot of good that does - why don�t they show both birds? Annie headed home idly thumbing through the pages of the Peterson field guide. She could see the benefit of having both males and females marked, they often looked so different. She also began to appreciate how the little arrows might make it easier to identify the birds. The next day, Annie started out early to see how many birds she could identify. At first she used �her� field guide. Time after time she had trouble finding a photo that looked like the bird she was seeing. Placing her field guide in her pack she took out the Peterson instead. Every time she found a bird she�d open the book and it would be right there. No matter what she did, the only pages that would open would be the one that had a picture of the bird she was seeing on it. Not only that, the features of the bird would be highlighted. It was like Mr. Peterson himself was helping her learn how to identify the birds. After a few weeks of using Peterson�s field guide, Annie noticed that the pages weren�t stuck together as much. True, the book would open to a bird that looked like what she was seeing but sometimes it would also open to other birds that looked like that too. She quickly learned how to look at these similar birds and determine how they differed and what the correct identification was. She had even started to learn how to tell the different groups of birds apart. Over time, Annie got better and better at identifying the birds. She didn�t even need to look up many of them; she had already memorized what they looked like and what their names were. As her ability to identify the birds grew so did her appreciation of their beauty and of the nature around her. Then one day Annie found a bird she didn�t recognize. Pulling out her Peterson field guide, it didn�t open to the species, or even to a group of species - all of the pages turned just like they would in a normal book. Still, she was quickly able to turn to the right page in the book and identify the species. She knew that she had finally learned how to identify the birds. Smiling, she put the field guide back in her pack and headed home. When she got there she discovered that the book was gone. Annie went back and searched all the places it could possibly have fallen out but the book was nowhere to be found. Sad at first, she turned and headed back. As she walked she grew very appreciative of all the things Mr. Peterson had taught her - not only how to identify the birds but also how to appreciate the natural world around her. Annie could always buy another field guide, but she would miss her �personal� guide to the bird life. If you�re a beginning birder, frustrated over not being able to identify the birds you�re seeing, cheer up and start looking around you. Maybe you can find Annie�s lost field guide and have Mr. Peterson introduce you to the wonders of nature. ===== Jeff Price Boulder, CO jtpbirder@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com From smithville4@charter.net Sat Oct 25 05:25:22 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 23:25:22 -0500 Subject: [mou] Scoters in Duluth Message-ID: <000801c39ab0$01948ca0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C39A86.187FCDF0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Birded along Brighton Beach near the Lester River I saw a small raft of = scoters which included 4 Surf Scoters and 1 White-wing Scoter. Knife River at the ball field produced a Western Meadowlark. This bird = was calling quite a bit which helped a lot to ID the bird from the = Eastern Meadowlark. ** I been birding almost everyday either at Park Pt. or along the shore = to Knife River and I still haven't found one Pacific Loon yet. This fall = season other than the Sage thrasher found by Jim Lind has been extemely = inactive as far as casuals strays along the north shore or the rest of = the state. I am hoping November will be more active and exciting. What Lake = Superior needs is a good ol fashion east gale storm or a nasty storm = from the northwest to shake things up some. Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C39A86.187FCDF0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Birded along Brighton Beach near the = Lester=20 River I saw a small raft of scoters which included 4 Surf Scoters = and 1=20 White-wing Scoter.

Knife River at the ball = field produced a=20 Western Meadowlark. This bird was calling quite a bit which helped a lot = to ID=20 the bird from the Eastern Meadowlark.

** I been birding almost everyday = either at Park=20 Pt. or along the shore to Knife River and I still haven't found one = Pacific Loon=20 yet. This fall season other than the Sage thrasher found by Jim Lind has = been=20 extemely inactive as far as casuals strays along the north shore or the = rest of=20 the state.

I am hoping November will be more = active and=20 exciting. What Lake Superior needs is a good ol fashion east gale storm = or a=20 nasty storm from the northwest to shake things up some.

Mike = Hendrickson

------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C39A86.187FCDF0-- From smithville4@charter.net Sun Oct 26 18:56:59 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 12:56:59 -0600 Subject: [mou] Lazuli bunting report Message-ID: <000e01c39bf2$ef7f8ad0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C39BC0.A4B11280 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I got a call from Peder Svongen inwhich he got a cal from birders that a = female Lazuli Bunting was found in Cook County at mile post 121. This is = where a dead end pull out is located which is south of Paradise Beach. = The bird was found around noon today. Just passing a report. Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C39BC0.A4B11280 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I got a call from Peder Svongen inwhich = he got a=20 cal from birders that a female Lazuli Bunting was found in Cook County = at mile=20 post 121. This is where a dead end pull out is located which is south of = Paradise Beach. The bird was found around noon today.

Just passing a report.

Mike = Hendrickson

------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C39BC0.A4B11280-- From smithville4@charter.net Sun Oct 26 21:11:02 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 15:11:02 -0600 Subject: [mou] Lazuli Bunting Message-ID: <000e01c39c05$a96fecc0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C39BD3.5E85FD30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I am sending this a second time as I noticed it didn't go thru the first = time back around noon. A female Lazuli Bunting was reported to me thru second hand report. The = bunting was found in Cook Co. at mile marker 121 which is just south of = Paradise Beach at a dead end pull out. The bird was seen either slightly = before noon or around noon. Not sure. The bird was found today. Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C39BD3.5E85FD30 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I am sending this a second time as I = noticed it=20 didn't go thru the first time back around noon.

A female Lazuli Bunting was reported to = me thru=20 second hand report. The bunting was found in Cook Co. at mile marker 121 = which=20 is just south of Paradise Beach at a dead end pull out. The bird was = seen either=20 slightly before noon or around noon. Not sure. The bird was found=20 today.

Mike = Hendrickson

------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C39BD3.5E85FD30-- From prh@hutchtel.net Sun Oct 26 04:16:58 2003 From: prh@hutchtel.net (Hoeger-Lerdal) Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 23:16:58 -0500 Subject: [mou] Whooper Swan? Message-ID: <001a01c39b77$fff70c60$580410ac@default> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C39B4E.16CD1800 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable How common are (presumably) escaped Whooper Swans?=20 A single adult, associating w/ several hundred Canada Geese on Campbell = Lake, 1/2 mile west of Hutchinson on Hwy. 7, McLeod Cty., south side of = the hwy. across from the regional DNR building. This morning (Sat., = 10-25) 10. am. Very extensive yellow on very long, straight bill, just like the picture = in Sibley. Had very good looks with my scope from less than 200 yards. unfortunately 45 min.later the swan was gone and not refound later this = morning. Pete Hoeger, Hutchinson ------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C39B4E.16CD1800 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

How common are (presumably) escaped = Whooper Swans?=20

A single adult, associating w/ several = hundred=20 Canada Geese on Campbell Lake, 1/2 mile west of Hutchinson on Hwy. 7, = McLeod=20 Cty., south side of the hwy. across from the regional DNR building. = This=20 morning (Sat., 10-25) 10. am.

Very extensive yellow on very long,=20 straight bill, just like the picture in Sibley. Had very good = looks=20 with my scope from less than 200 yards.

unfortunately 45 min.later the swan was gone and not refound later = this=20 morning.

Pete Hoeger, Hutchinson

------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C39B4E.16CD1800-- From prh@hutchtel.net Sat Oct 25 16:33:00 2003 From: prh@hutchtel.net (Hoeger-Lerdal) Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 10:33:00 -0500 Subject: [mou] whooper swan? Message-ID: <001801c39b0d$4604b6a0$580410ac@default> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0015_01C39AE3.5CDAC240 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable How common are (presumably?) escaped Whooper Swans?=20 A single adult, associating w/ Canada Geese on Campbell Lake, 3/4 mile = west of Hutchinson on Hwy. 7, McLeod Cty., south side of the hwy. across = from the regional DNR building. Extensive yellow on very long bill, just like the picture in Sibley. = This morning (Sat.) 10. am. Pete Hoeger, Hutchinson ------=_NextPart_000_0015_01C39AE3.5CDAC240 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

How common are (presumably?) escaped = Whooper Swans?=20

A single adult, associating w/ Canada = Geese on=20 Campbell Lake, 3/4 mile west of Hutchinson on Hwy. 7, McLeod Cty., south = side of=20 the hwy. across from the regional DNR building.

Extensive yellow on very long bill, = just like the=20 picture in Sibley. This morning (Sat.) 10. am.

Pete Hoeger, Hutchinson

------=_NextPart_000_0015_01C39AE3.5CDAC240-- From drbenson@cpinternet.com Sun Oct 26 02:01:30 2003 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David R. Benson) Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 21:01:30 -0500 Subject: [mou] Sage Thrasher Still Present 10/20/03 Message-ID: The Sage Thrasher was seen again in Grand Marais this morning and afternoon. Dave Benson Duluth From alongtin@worldnet.att.net Sun Oct 26 18:49:16 2003 From: alongtin@worldnet.att.net (Andrew Longtin) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 12:49:16 -0600 Subject: [mou] Hennepin Co. Wild Turkey Message-ID: <000001c39bf1$db1e5e50$f478490c@computer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C39BBF.9083EE50 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This morning on my way to work I took Hackamore(Co. Rd 47 more or less) over to Co. Rd 101 to go south to Hwy 55 east about 06:50, I saw a Wild Turkey standing about 20 feet up in a tree on the east side of the road in the low area just south of property with the big horse coral and north of the golf course.. They are really starting to fill this area with houses now so I don't know where all the turkeys are going to find homes, on the west side of 101 was always a great spot to see them but with all the development going on I fear they have little time.. Andrew -- Andrew Longtin Corcoran (Hennepin Co.) Minnesota Minnesota Ornithologists Union Member http://biosci.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/ Cornell Lab Member (PFW) http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw/ Hardness Zone 4 (climate zone) ALongtin *at worldnet *dot att *dot net See my WEB pages at http://home.att.net/~alongtin/Index.htm NO SPAM NEEDED HERE!!!! ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C39BBF.9083EE50 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

This=20 morning on my way to work I took Hackamore(Co. Rd 47 more or = less) over to=20 Co. Rd 101 to go south to Hwy 55 east about 06:50, I saw a Wild = Turkey=20 standing about 20 feet up in a tree on the east side of the road in the = low area=20 just south of property with the big horse coral and north of the golf=20 course.. They are really starting to fill this area with houses = now so I=20 don't know where all the turkeys are going to find homes, on the west = side of=20 101 was always a great spot to see them but with all the development = going on I=20 fear they have little time..

Andrew

--
Andrew Longtin
Corcoran (Hennepin Co.) = Minnesota
Minnesota=20 Ornithologists Union Member
http://biosci.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/
Cornell Lab Member (PFW)
http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw/
Hardness Zone 4 (climate zone)
ALongtin *at worldnet *dot = att *dot=20 net

See my WEB pages at http://home.att.net/~alongtin/Index.htm

NO SPAM NEEDED HERE!!!!

------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C39BBF.9083EE50-- From robert.oconnor@ndsu.nodak.edu Sat Oct 25 22:56:03 2003 From: robert.oconnor@ndsu.nodak.edu (robert.oconnor@ndsu.nodak.edu) Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 16:56:03 -0500 (CDT) Subject: [mou] lapland longspurs etc. Message-ID: <49186.24.117.132.131.1067118963.squirrel@webmail.ndsu.nodak.edu> Hi. As the cold front moved through the Moorhead area today, thousands of Lapland Longspurs, plus a lone Snow Bunting, appeared over the stubble fields north of town. I watched a Merlin beginning a longspur meal just after a temporary scattering of the flocks and had one additional Merlin a few blocks from the Red River in S. Moorhead. Bob O'Connor From kreckert@cpinternet.com Mon Oct 27 00:44:14 2003 From: kreckert@cpinternet.com (Kim R. Eckert) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 18:44:14 -0600 Subject: [mou] Lazuli Bunting in Cook Co Message-ID: <200310270044.h9R0iZDk016260@seagull.cpinternet.com> A female-plumaged Lazuli Bunting was found about noon today, 26 Oct, in Cook Co along U S Hwy 61 at mile marker 121, which is about 11 mi E of Grand Marais, or 2 mi W of Paradise Beach. I first spotted it while with 10 other birders, and it was in view for a total of a couple minutes before flying W along the lake shore and out of sight. Denny Martin managed to take some photos of it, but it is not yet known how they will turn out. Female-plumaged Lazuli / Indigo Buntings can be tricky to identify, so our documentation will have to be reviewed by the MOU Records Committee before this record is confirmed. Other significant species up the North Shore which our group heard about or saw this weekend; note that some of this is second-hand information, and there were probably other sightings of interest I did not hear about: Pacific Loon / 25 Oct, Paradise Beach and Grand Marais (same individual?) Harlequin Duck (3) / 25-26 Oct, Paradise Beach Long-eared Owl / 26 Oct, Artists Point, Grand Marais Red-bellied Woodpecker / 25 Oct, still in Two Harbors, and another at Molly & Ken Hoffman's feeder ner Grand Marais Townsend's Solitaire / 26 Oct, near campground office, Grand Marais Veery (late) / 25 Oct, Two Harbors Sage Thrasher / 26 Oct, still present at same Grand Marais location Nashville W, N Parula, Cape May W, Blackpoll W, and Am Redstart (all late) / 25 Oct, Two Harbors Kim Eckert From mattjim@earthlink.net Sat Oct 25 21:10:59 2003 From: mattjim@earthlink.net (Jim Mattsson) Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 15:10:59 -0500 Subject: [mou] Byllesby shorebirds Message-ID: <047101c39b34$1e6b2990$6df8f7a5@DDQP0431> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_046E_01C39B0A.32446FF0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable After a long summer and fall of high water, mud flats (and a few = shorebirds) are once again present at Lake Byllesby in Dakota Co. Today = I found 6 species: Sanderling - 1 Dunlin - 6 Pectoral Sp. - 1 Am. Golden Plover - 2 Killdeer - 10 Wilson's Snipe - 1 I plan to meet with the Dakota County folks who manage the water levels = at Lake Byllesby to find out why the lake was so high all year (perhaps = because of the drought) and, hopefully, to work with them to manage the = lake levels more favorably for shorebirds in the future. =20 Jim Mattsson Eagan Dakota County ------=_NextPart_000_046E_01C39B0A.32446FF0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

After a long summer and fall of high = water, mud=20 flats (and a few shorebirds) are once again present at Lake = Byllesby in=20 Dakota Co. Today I found 6 species:

Sanderling - 1

Dunlin - 6

Pectoral Sp. - 1

Am. Golden Plover - 2

Killdeer - 10

Wilson's Snipe - 1

I plan to meet with the Dakota County = folks who=20 manage the water levels at Lake Byllesby to find out why the lake was so = high=20 all year (perhaps because of the drought) and, hopefully, to work with = them to=20 manage the lake levels more favorably for shorebirds in the = future. =20

Jim Mattsson

Eagan

Dakota = County

------=_NextPart_000_046E_01C39B0A.32446FF0-- From markpalas@earthlink.net Sun Oct 26 18:48:25 2003 From: markpalas@earthlink.net (Mark Palas) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 12:48:25 -0600 Subject: [mou] Squirrel encounter Message-ID: The base of my small tube feeder, had about a half dozen english sparrows and house finches on it this morning. A gray squirrel approached the feeder, and jumped from the rail of my back steps to the feeder. In the process, landing on a female house sparrow. He promptly bit the back of her neck, and killed her. He then ran off with her in his mouth, and ate her in my neighbors maple tree. Opportunistic feeder, or predatory gray squirrel? It really surprised me. From jslind@frontiernet.net Mon Oct 27 01:27:58 2003 From: jslind@frontiernet.net (Jim Lind) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 19:27:58 -0600 Subject: [mou] Varied Thrush - Silver Bay, Lake Co. Message-ID: <3F9C203E.22718.2936B9@localhost> This afternoon I got a brief look at a Varied Thrush in a flock of about 200 foraging robins just east of Silver Bay. If you're coming from the south on Highway 61, take a right on the road to the Ready Mix cement plant, about two blocks past the stoplight in Silver Bay. This dirt road comes to a T near the lake, and taking another right leads you to a water treatment plant (at the east boundary of the Northshore Mining property). The robin flock was in the birch/spruce woods south of the road. There were also about 75 Bohemian Waxwings in the same spot. Jim Lind Two Harbors From smithville4@charter.net Mon Oct 27 02:25:07 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 20:25:07 -0600 Subject: [mou] MOU Trips 2003 Message-ID: <001501c39c31$8a0dda00$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C39BFF.3F3F61B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello Its almost the end of the 2003 MOU field trips. I had a lot of fun and = met a lot of new people. I don't have exact numbers but there were at = least 125 particapants and of them 30 were new to the MOU organization. = We saw approximately 230 species for 2003 season.=20 Here's some of the highlights of what we saw: Red-throated Loon October trip Thayer's Gulls Febuary trip Iceland Gull Febuary trip Glaucous Gull Febuary trip Great Grey Owl Febuary trip Saw Whet Owl Febuary trip Black-backed Woodpecker (7)!! Febuary trip Boreal Chickadee Febuary trip Sage Thrasher October trip=20 Kentucky Warbler May trip in the Twin Cities Hooded Warbler May trip in the Twin Cities Summer Tanager May trip in the Twin Cities Great-tailed Grackle April trip=20 I like to Thank my co leader on most of the MOU trips Kim Risen. Kim = helped me tremendously with keeping the group together, spotting birds = and explaining the identification of the many birds we spotted. Thank = you Kim! Others who co led trips with me were Mark Ochs & Deanne Endrizzi on the = May trip around the Twin Cities. If it wasn' t for Mark's cell phone we = would of missed the KY Warbler and the Summer Tanager. Thank You both! = I also want to thank Chet Meyer who went out and scouted New Germany = area and places in Dakota Co. looking for shorebirds for the MOU August = trip. Thank you Chet! Others like Bob Dunlop who kept me inform on New Germany area as well, = Kim Eckert and Jim Lind who found a ton of strays and a Mn lifer for me = prior to our trip and shared locations to find each species! Also a HUGE = thanks goes to Bill Lane for letting us invade his yard and witness a = very busy night of Saw Whets moving thru his yard. I think those who = attended that night are still giggly about what they experience watching = owls getting banded and holding a owl and letting it fly out of thier = hands in the night sky. Thanks Bill! Anyway Thanks to you for attending the MOU Field Trips and making them a = success! I had a ton of fun and a lot of good times. See you in 2004! Mike Hendrickson MOU Field Trip Chairman smithville4@charter.net ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C39BFF.3F3F61B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello

Its almost the end of the 2003 MOU = field trips. I=20 had a lot of fun and met a lot of new people. I don't have exact numbers = but=20 there were at least 125 particapants and of them 30 were new to the MOU=20 organization. We saw approximately 230 species for 2003 season. =

Here's some of the highlights of what = we=20 saw:

Red-throated Loon October = trip

Thayer's=20 Gulls Febuary = trip

Iceland=20 Gull Feb= uary=20 trip

Glaucous Gull Febuary trip

Great Grey = Owl =20 Febuary trip

Saw Whet = Owl =20 Febuary trip

Black-backed Woodpecker (7)!! Febuary=20 trip

Boreal = Chickadee Febuary=20 trip

Sage=20 Thrasher October=20 trip

Kentucky Warbler = May trip in the=20 Twin Cities

Hooded=20 Warbler May trip in the Twin=20 Cities

Summer = Tanager May=20 trip in the Twin Cities

Great-tailed Grackle April=20 trip

I like to Thank my co leader on most = of the=20 MOU trips Kim Risen. Kim helped me tremendously with keeping = the=20 group together, spotting birds and explaining the identification of the = many=20 birds we spotted. Thank you Kim!

Others who co led trips with me = were Mark Ochs=20 & Deanne Endrizzi on the May trip around the Twin Cities. If it = wasn' t for Mark's cell phone we would of missed the = KY Warbler and=20 the Summer Tanager. Thank You both! I also want to thank Chet = Meyer=20 who went out and scouted New Germany area and places in Dakota Co. = looking=20 for shorebirds for the MOU August trip. = Thank you Chet!

Others like Bob Dunlop who kept me = inform on New=20 Germany area as well, Kim Eckert and Jim Lind who found a ton of strays = and a Mn=20 lifer for me prior to our trip and shared locations to find each = species!=20 Also a HUGE thanks goes to Bill Lane for letting us invade his yard and = witness=20 a very busy night of Saw Whets moving thru his yard. I think those = who=20 attended that night are still giggly about what they = experience watching=20 owls getting banded and holding a owl and letting it fly out of thier = hands in=20 the night sky. Thanks Bill!

Anyway Thanks to you for attending the = MOU Field=20 Trips and making them a success! I had a ton of fun and a lot of good = times. See=20 you in 2004!

Mike Hendrickson

MOU Field Trip Chairman

smithville4@charter.net

=20

------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C39BFF.3F3F61B0-- From smithville4@charter.net Mon Oct 27 03:15:15 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 21:15:15 -0600 Subject: [mou] Fw: 2004 MOU Field Trips (SAVE) Message-ID: <002501c39c38$8aeac850$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0022_01C39C06.40056CA0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Michael Hendrickson=20 To: MOU=20 Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2003 8:20 PM Subject: 2004 MOU Field Trips (SAVE) Hello: Here's the 2004 MOU Field Trips: Febuary 14-15 "Winter Birding" St. Louis & Lake Co's. Base: Duluth=20 Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant located on 40th Ave. West off I-35. = Meet in the parking lot Feb. 14th at 7:00am. Key Birds: Sharp-tail Grouse, Spruce Grouse, Gulls, Snowy Owl, Great = Gray Owl, 3-toed/Black-backed Woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadee, Bohemian = Waxwing and Winter Finches. April 3-4 "Early Spring Migration" Chippewa & Yellow Medicine and Lac = Qui Parle Co's Base: Montevideo Meeting spot: Country Kitchen Restaurant parking lot located W of town = on Hwy 212 at 7:00am. Key Birds: Waterfowl & Geese migration, Raptors will be moving north and = many other passerines. April 17-18 "Prairie migration" Polk & Marshall Counties. Base: Crookston Meeting spot: McDonald's Restaurant parking lot located S. of the = university along Hwy 75 near the junction of Hwy 2. at 7:00am. Key Birds: Waterfowl, Geese, Raptors, Sharp-tail Grouse & Greater = Prairie Chicken leks!, shorebirds and many other passerines. May 8th (one day) "Frontenac Spring Birding" Meeting spot: Colville Park/Marina parking lot at 7:00am. Key Birds: Everything! Especially Warblers! May 22nd (one day) " Twin Cities Spring Birding" Meeting spot: Wood Lake Park parking lot at 7:00am. Key Birds: Everything! June 5th (one day) "Spring in the Bog" Sax Zim Bog Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant parking lot located on 40th Ave. W. = off I-35 at 6:00am. (Duluth) Key Birds: Sharp-tail Grouse, Great Gray Owl, Boreal Chickadee, = Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Connecticut Warbler and several other = residents! August 21st (one day) "Twin Cities Area Shorebirds & Fall Migration" Meeting spot: BlackDog Park & Ride located off Cliff Rd at 7:00am. Key Birds: Early migrants and shorebirds. September 4th (one day) "Twin Cities Fall Migrants" Meeting spot: Wood Lake Park parking lot at 7:00am Key Birds: Fall migrants September 25th (one day) "Duluth Fall Birding" Meeting Spot: Perkin's Restaurant parking lot at 7:00am. Key Birds: Raptors, gulls, jaegers, and all passerines. October 16-17th "Northshore Birding A" Meeting Spot: Perkin's Restaurant parking lot at 7:00am. Key Birds: Scoters. long-tail ducks, raptors, and passerines. The high = light is going to Bill Lane's residence to observe his owl banding = station. Hopefully a rarity or two! November 6-7 "Northshore Birding B" Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant parking lot at 7:00am Key Birds: Scoters, long-tail ducks, raptors and passerines. The high = light will lbe visiting Bill Lane's residence t oboserve the his owl = banding station. Hopefully a Long-eared Owl as well as Saw Whet Owls. Mike Hendrickson MOU Field Trip Chairman smithville4@charter.net ------=_NextPart_000_0022_01C39C06.40056CA0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

----- Original Message -----=20

From: Michael=20 Hendrickson

To: MOU

Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2003 8:20 PM

Subject: 2004 MOU Field Trips (SAVE)

Hello:

Here's the 2004 MOU = Field Trips:

Febuary 14-15 "Winter Birding" = St. Louis=20 & Lake Co's.

Base: Duluth

Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant = located on 40th=20 Ave. West off I-35. Meet in the parking lot Feb. 14th at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Sharp-tail Grouse, Spruce = Grouse, Gulls,=20 Snowy Owl, Great Gray Owl, 3-toed/Black-backed Woodpeckers, Boreal = Chickadee,=20 Bohemian Waxwing and Winter Finches.

April 3-4 "Early Spring Migration" = Chippewa &=20 Yellow Medicine and Lac Qui Parle Co's

Base: Montevideo

Meeting spot: Country Kitchen = Restaurant parking=20 lot located W of town on Hwy 212 at 7:00am.

Key Birds: Waterfowl & Geese = migration, Raptors=20 will be moving north and many other passerines.

April 17-18 "Prairie migration" Polk = & Marshall=20 Counties.

Base: Crookston

Meeting spot: McDonald's = Restaurant parking=20 lot located S. of the university along Hwy 75 near the junction of Hwy = 2. at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Waterfowl, Geese, Raptors, = Sharp-tail=20 Grouse & Greater Prairie Chicken leks!, shorebirds and many = other=20 passerines.

May 8th (one day) "Frontenac Spring=20 Birding"

Meeting spot: Colville Park/Marina parking lot at = 7:00am.

Key Birds: Everything! Especially=20 Warblers!

May 22nd (one day) " Twin Cities Spring = Birding"

Meeting spot: Wood Lake Park parking = lot at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Everything!

June 5th (one day) "Spring in the Bog" = Sax Zim=20 Bog

Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant = parking=20 lot located on 40th Ave. W. off I-35 at 6:00am. = (Duluth)

Key Birds: Sharp-tail Grouse, Great = Gray Owl,=20 Boreal Chickadee, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Connecticut Warbler and = several=20 other residents!

August 21st (one day) "Twin = Cities Area=20 Shorebirds & Fall Migration"

Meeting spot: BlackDog Park & Ride = located off=20 Cliff Rd at 7:00am.

Key Birds: Early migrants and=20 shorebirds.

September 4th (one day) "Twin = Cities Fall=20 Migrants"

Meeting spot: Wood Lake Park parking = lot at=20 7:00am

Key Birds: Fall migrants

September 25th (one day) "Duluth Fall=20 Birding"

Meeting Spot: Perkin's Restaurant = parking lot at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Raptors, gulls, jaegers, and = all=20 passerines.

October 16-17th "Northshore Birding = A"

Meeting Spot: Perkin's Restaurant = parking lot at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Scoters. long-tail ducks, = raptors, and=20 passerines. The high light is going to Bill Lane's residence to observe = his owl=20 banding station. Hopefully a rarity or two!

November 6-7 "Northshore Birding = B"

Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant = parking lot at=20 7:00am

Key Birds: Scoters, long-tail = ducks, raptors=20 and passerines. The high light will lbe visiting Bill Lane's=20 residence t oboserve the his=20 owl banding station. Hopefully a Long-eared Owl as well as Saw Whet = Owls.

Mike Hendrickson

MOU Field Trip Chairman

smithville4@charter.net=20

------=_NextPart_000_0022_01C39C06.40056CA0-- From ampbowman52@hotmail.com Sun Oct 26 19:14:02 2003 From: ampbowman52@hotmail.com (Aaron Bowman) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 13:14:02 -0600 Subject: [mou] Mille Lacs birding Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01C39BC3.062DAAD0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I went up to Lake Mille Lacs on Friday looking for some of the more = uncommon fall waterbirds.=20 In my circuit of the lake I did not find anything particularly = spectacular. However, I did find several dense, swirling flocks of = feeding Bonaparte's gulls totaling about 1000 birds. I also saw a = probable Greater Scaup (long distance) a few scattered Common Loons and = a lone Dunlin along a beach on the north shore. =20 If anyone is interested in heading over to Lake Mille Lacs most birds = seemed to be concentrated along the north and north western shores. Good birding.=20 Aaron Bowman ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01C39BC3.062DAAD0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I went up to Lake Mille Lacs on Friday = looking for=20 some of the more uncommon fall waterbirds.

In my circuit of the lake I did not = find anything=20 particularly spectacular. However, I did find several dense, = swirling=20 flocks of feeding Bonaparte's gulls totaling about 1000 = birds. I also=20 saw a probable Greater Scaup (long distance) a few scattered Common = Loons and a=20 lone Dunlin along a beach on the north=20 shore.

If anyone is interested in = heading over=20 to Lake Mille Lacs most birds seemed to be concentrated=20 along the north and north western shores.

Good birding.

Aaron = Bowman

------=_NextPart_000_0006_01C39BC3.062DAAD0-- From smithville4@charter.net Mon Oct 27 02:20:14 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 20:20:14 -0600 Subject: [mou] 2004 MOU Field Trips (SAVE) Message-ID: <001101c39c30$e33b1850$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000E_01C39BFE.906718E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello: Well I thought and thought about where to go next year and here's what I = came up with. I hope you find the these MOU trips to your liking and = please send me a email telling me what trip you want to attend.=20 Remember all MOU trips are at no cost to you except your food and gas = for one day trips and you pay for your own lodging and ect.. for weekend = trips.=20 I always keep everyone inform about whose going, what to bring, where to = meet, times, where to stay and anything else that I feel you should know = about the trip. At all MOU bird trips I hand out MOU checklists of = Minnesota birds to everyone and MOU brochures to new birders to our = organization. We try to car pool and share in the cost of gas and we are = pretty much all in contact with each other with FRS or GRS radios for = those long caravans. Here's the 2004 MOU Field Trips: Febuary 14-15 "Winter Birding" St. Louis & Lake Co's. Base: Duluth=20 Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant located on 40th Ave. West off I-35. = Meet in the parking lot Feb. 14th at 7:00am. Key Birds: Sharp-tail Grouse, Spruce Grouse, Gulls, Snowy Owl, Great = Gray Owl, 3-toed/Black-backed Woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadee, Bohemian = Waxwing and Winter Finches. April 3-4 "Early Spring Migration" Chippewa & Yellow Medicine and Lac = Qui Parle Co's Base: Montevideo Meeting spot: Country Kitchen Restaurant parking lot located W of town = on Hwy 212 at 7:00am. Key Birds: Waterfowl & Geese migration, Raptors will be moving north and = many other passerines. April 17-18 "Prairie migration" Polk & Marshall Counties. Base: Crookston Meeting spot: McDonald's Restaurant parking lot located S. of the = university along Hwy 75 near the junction of Hwy 2. at 7:00am. Key Birds: Waterfowl, Geese, Raptors, Sharp-tail Grouse & Greater = Prairie Chicken leks!, shorebirds and many other passerines. May 8th (one day) "Frontenac Spring Birding" Meeting spot: Colville Park/Marina parking lot at 7:00am. Key Birds: Everything! Especially Warblers! May 22nd (one day) " Twin Cities Spring Birding" Meeting spot: Wood Lake Park parking lot at 7:00am. Key Birds: Everything! June 5th (one day) "Spring in the Bog" Sax Zim Bog Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant parking lot located on 40th Ave. W. = off I-35 at 6:00am. (Duluth) Key Birds: Sharp-tail Grouse, Great Gray Owl, Boreal Chickadee, = Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Connecticut Warbler and several other = residents! August 21st (one day) "Twin Cities Area Shorebirds & Fall Migration" Meeting spot: BlackDog Park & Ride located off Cliff Rd at 7:00am. Key Birds: Early migrants and shorebirds. September 4th (one day) "Twin Cities Fall Migrants" Meeting spot: Wood Lake Park parking lot at 7:00am Key Birds: Fall migrants September 25th (one day) "Duluth Fall Birding" Meeting Spot: Perkin's Restaurant parking lot at 7:00am. Key Birds: Raptors, gulls, jaegers, and all passerines. October 16-17th "Northshore Birding A" Meeting Spot: Perkin's Restaurant parking lot at 7:00am. Key Birds: Scoters. long-tail ducks, raptors, and passerines. The high = light is going to Bill Lane's residence to observe his owl banding = station. Hopefully a rarity or two! November 6-7 "Northshore Birding B" Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant parking lot at 7:00am Key Birds: Scoters, long-tail ducks, raptors and passerines. The high = light will lbe visiting Bill Lane's residence t oboserve the his owl = banding station. Hopefully a Long-eared Owl as well as Saw Whet Owls. Mike Hendrickson MOU Field Trip Chairman smithville4@charter.net ------=_NextPart_000_000E_01C39BFE.906718E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello:

Well I thought and thought about where = to go next=20 year and here's what I came up with. I hope you find the these MOU = trips to=20 your liking and please send me a email telling me what trip you = want to=20 attend.

Remember all MOU trips are at no = cost to you=20 except your food and gas for one day trips and you pay for = your own=20 lodging and ect.. for weekend trips.

I always keep everyone inform = about whose=20 going, what to bring, where to meet, times, where to stay and anything = else=20 that I feel you should know about the trip. At all MOU bird = trips I=20 hand out MOU checklists of Minnesota birds to everyone and MOU = brochures to=20 new birders to our organization. We try to car pool and share in the = cost of gas=20 and we are pretty much all in contact with each other with FRS = or GRS=20 radios for those long caravans.

Here's the 2004 MOU = Field Trips:

Febuary 14-15 "Winter Birding" = St. Louis=20 & Lake Co's.

Base: Duluth

Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant = located on 40th=20 Ave. West off I-35. Meet in the parking lot Feb. 14th at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Sharp-tail Grouse, Spruce = Grouse, Gulls,=20 Snowy Owl, Great Gray Owl, 3-toed/Black-backed Woodpeckers, Boreal = Chickadee,=20 Bohemian Waxwing and Winter Finches.

April 3-4 "Early Spring Migration" = Chippewa &=20 Yellow Medicine and Lac Qui Parle Co's

Base: Montevideo

Meeting spot: Country Kitchen = Restaurant parking=20 lot located W of town on Hwy 212 at 7:00am.

Key Birds: Waterfowl & Geese = migration, Raptors=20 will be moving north and many other passerines.

April 17-18 "Prairie migration" Polk = & Marshall=20 Counties.

Base: Crookston

Meeting spot: McDonald's = Restaurant parking=20 lot located S. of the university along Hwy 75 near the junction of Hwy = 2. at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Waterfowl, Geese, Raptors, = Sharp-tail=20 Grouse & Greater Prairie Chicken leks!, shorebirds and many = other=20 passerines.

May 8th (one day) "Frontenac Spring=20 Birding"

Meeting spot: Colville Park/Marina parking lot at = 7:00am.

Key Birds: Everything! Especially=20 Warblers!

May 22nd (one day) " Twin Cities Spring = Birding"

Meeting spot: Wood Lake Park parking = lot at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Everything!

June 5th (one day) "Spring in the Bog" = Sax Zim=20 Bog

Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant = parking=20 lot located on 40th Ave. W. off I-35 at 6:00am. = (Duluth)

Key Birds: Sharp-tail Grouse, Great = Gray Owl,=20 Boreal Chickadee, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Connecticut Warbler and = several=20 other residents!

August 21st (one day) "Twin = Cities Area=20 Shorebirds & Fall Migration"

Meeting spot: BlackDog Park & Ride = located off=20 Cliff Rd at 7:00am.

Key Birds: Early migrants and=20 shorebirds.

September 4th (one day) "Twin = Cities Fall=20 Migrants"

Meeting spot: Wood Lake Park parking = lot at=20 7:00am

Key Birds: Fall migrants

September 25th (one day) "Duluth Fall=20 Birding"

Meeting Spot: Perkin's Restaurant = parking lot at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Raptors, gulls, jaegers, and = all=20 passerines.

October 16-17th "Northshore Birding = A"

Meeting Spot: Perkin's Restaurant = parking lot at=20 7:00am.

Key Birds: Scoters. long-tail ducks, = raptors, and=20 passerines. The high light is going to Bill Lane's residence to observe = his owl=20 banding station. Hopefully a rarity or two!

November 6-7 "Northshore Birding = B"

Meeting spot: Perkin's Restaurant = parking lot at=20 7:00am

Mike Hendrickson

MOU Field Trip Chairman

smithville4@charter.net=20

------=_NextPart_000_000E_01C39BFE.906718E0-- From smithville4@charter.net Mon Oct 27 04:03:52 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 22:03:52 -0600 Subject: [mou] Salt Lake Weekend dates Message-ID: <002301c39c3f$557c5470$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0020_01C39C0D.0AB41DB0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello: When you read the 2004 MOU field trips you might of notice I forgot to = add Salt Lake Weekend to the schedule and your right! April 24-25 Salt Lake Weekend There will be more details in the MOU newsletter sometime in late = winter.=20 Also I didn't add like I did last year the Hawk Ridge Weekend because = this event is not a MOU event but a Duluth Audubon/Friends of Hawk Ridge = event. This event as always will be posted on the Hawk Ridge web site. Thanks Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_0020_01C39C0D.0AB41DB0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello:

When you read the 2004 MOU field trips = you might of=20 notice I forgot to add Salt Lake Weekend to the schedule and your=20 right!

April 24-25 Salt Lake = Weekend

There will be more details in the MOU = newsletter=20 sometime in late winter.

Also I didn't add like I did last year = the Hawk=20 Ridge Weekend because this event is not a MOU event but a Duluth = Audubon/Friends=20 of Hawk Ridge event. This event as always will be posted on the = Hawk Ridge=20 web site.

Thanks

Mike Hendrickson

------=_NextPart_000_0020_01C39C0D.0AB41DB0-- From smithville4@charter.net Mon Oct 27 04:27:55 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2003 22:27:55 -0600 Subject: [mou] Need Local Audubon Newsletters Message-ID: <005a01c39c42$b1d421f0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0057_01C39C10.67042300 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I got some great advice from Holly Peirson in contacting local Audubon = Societies about the MOU Field Trips for 2004. I contacted the following = chapters: 1. Minneapolis Audubon Society 2. St. Paul Audubon Society 3. Zumbro Valley Audubon Society 4. Albert Lea Audubon Society 5. Duluth Audubon Society I would like to get some contacts with current email addresses for the = following chapters: 1. Agassiz Audubon Society 2. Austin Audubon Society 3. Brainern Lakes Areas Audubon Society 4. Coulee Audubon Society 5. Frago Audubon Society 6. Minnesota River Valley Audubon Society 7. Mississippi Headwaters Audubon Society 8 Wild River Audubon Society If you are a member or an officer of any of these chapters please = contact me so I can forward the 2004 MOU field trips to hopefully be = added to thier newsletters. Thanks Mike Hendrickson MOU Field Trip Chairman Smithville4@charter.net ------=_NextPart_000_0057_01C39C10.67042300 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I got some great advice from Holly = Peirson in=20 contacting local Audubon Societies about the MOU Field Trips for = 2004. I=20 contacted the following chapters:

1. Minneapolis Audubon = Society

2. St. Paul Audubon = Society

3. Zumbro Valley Audubon = Society

4. Albert Lea Audubon = Society

5. Duluth Audubon Society

I would like to get some contacts with = current=20 email addresses for the following chapters:

1. Agassiz Audubon Society

2. Austin Audubon Society

3. Brainern Lakes Areas Audubon=20 Society

4. Coulee Audubon Society

5. Frago Audubon Society

6. Minnesota River Valley Audubon=20 Society

7. Mississippi Headwaters Audubon=20 Society

8 Wild River Audubon = Society

If you are a member or an officer of = any of these=20 chapters please contact me so I can forward the 2004 MOU field trips to=20 hopefully be added to thier newsletters.

Thanks

Mike Hendrickson

MOU Field Trip Chairman

Smithville4@charter.net=20

------=_NextPart_000_0057_01C39C10.67042300-- From PChu@CSBSJU.EDU Mon Oct 27 14:23:54 2003 From: PChu@CSBSJU.EDU (Chu, Philip) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 08:23:54 -0600 Subject: [mou] Surf Scoter - Big Stone Co. Message-ID: In the realm of mildly interesting observations, on Saturday, 25 Oct., = there was a first-fall Surf Scoter at the Browns Valley sewage ponds in = Big Stone Co. The scoter was in the south pond. Phil Chu Department of Biology St. John's University Collegeville, MN 56321 From Paul.Budde@us.benfieldgroup.com Mon Oct 27 15:30:12 2003 From: Paul.Budde@us.benfieldgroup.com (Paul Budde) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 09:30:12 -0600 Subject: [mou] 3 plumages of Thayer's Gulls Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C39C9F.36B48840 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis last evening (10/26) were a 1w, 2w, and adult Thayer's. The immatures were the first I've seen this fall. Paul Budde Minneapolis ------_=_NextPart_001_01C39C9F.36B48840 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 3 plumages of Thayer's Gulls

On Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis last = evening (10/26) were a 1w, 2w, and adult Thayer's. The immatures = were the first I've seen this fall.

Paul Budde
Minneapolis

------_=_NextPart_001_01C39C9F.36B48840-- From motmot5@juno.com Mon Oct 27 15:33:38 2003 From: motmot5@juno.com (Bonnie J Mulligan) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 09:33:38 -0600 Subject: [mou] Carolina Wren Message-ID: <20031027.093339.-16368549.0.motmot5@juno.com> At 8:15 this morning a Carolina Wren appeared at our feeder. It seemed to prefer the peanuts over the sunflowers. We were gone over the weekend, so I don't know if this was its first visit. I will watch and see if it returns. Bonnie Mulligan, Charlie Greenman ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! From matt@northernexposuregetaway.com Mon Oct 27 22:01:41 2003 From: matt@northernexposuregetaway.com (Mathias Schaust Jr.) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 16:01:41 -0600 Subject: [mou] Cardinal Pictures and Eagle pictures posted Message-ID: <001f01c39cd5$e7b12820$3307d7aa@matt> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C39CA3.9C2AAA70 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable For those of you interested in seeing the picture of our cardinal = visitor here in northern MN, we have posted it on our website for you. Also the golden eagle and the three eagles perched on a tree together = are now posted also. In one of the photos you can see that a crow = (raven?) is perched under the Bald Eagle in the top of the tree, the = next photo shows that he did 'escape' the talons of the eagle! The Golden and Bald Eagle are here today, they are always a welcome = sight, but especially fun when they are hanging out for our first snow! Our website has a new look! We have 'overhauled' the site, preparing to = 'Showcase' the winning photographs of our 'Wild Birds of Your Region' = Photo Contest, which will soon be coming to a close! We welcome your input on our new site, let us know if you find any = glitches! We have found a few in the page titles, hopefully we will get = these fixed! http://www.northernexposuregetaway.com ------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C39CA3.9C2AAA70 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

For those of you interested in seeing = the picture=20 of our cardinal visitor here in northern MN, we have posted it on our = website=20 for you.

Also the golden eagle and the three = eagles perched=20 on a tree together are now posted also. In one of the photos you can see = that a=20 crow (raven?) is perched under the Bald Eagle in the top of the tree, = the next=20 photo shows that he did 'escape' the talons of the eagle!

The Golden and Bald Eagle are here = today, they are=20 always a welcome sight, but especially fun when they are hanging out for = our=20 first snow!

Our website has a new look! We have = 'overhauled'=20 the site, preparing to 'Showcase' the winning photographs of our 'Wild = Birds of=20 Your Region' Photo Contest, which will soon be coming to a = close!

We welcome your input on our new site, = let us know=20 if you find any glitches! We have found a few in the page titles, = hopefully we=20 will get these fixed!

http://www.northernexposu= regetaway.com

------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C39CA3.9C2AAA70-- From sparkystensaas@hotmail.com Mon Oct 27 22:20:11 2003 From: sparkystensaas@hotmail.com (sparky stensaas) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 22:20:11 +0000 Subject: [mou] Sharp-tailed Grouse/BbWp-STLOUIS Co Message-ID:

Today, Monday October 27

12 Sharp-tailed grouse loitering and dancing (!!...half heartedly) on a traditional lek in the Sax-Zim Bog (About 1.8 miles north of St Louis Co 133 on 29...east side of road)

100 or so Snow Buntings

1 Black-billed Magpie (on St Louis Co Rd 52 1.6 miles east of 7)

8 Rough-legged Hawks

5 Bald Eagles

(no owls...and few finches (Am Goldfinch))

Hawk Ridge Pine Plantation

1 Black-backed Woodpecker (2pm today...Where blue trail meets Skyline Drive)

Sparky Stensaas

Want to check if your PC is virus-infected? Get a FREE computer virus scan online from McAfee. From dbmartin@skypoint.com Tue Oct 28 01:59:34 2003 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 19:59:34 -0600 Subject: [mou] Sage Thrasher Message-ID: <012301c39cf7$23b00820$da9ec7c7@oemcomputer> The Sage Thrasher was in the campground this AM, Monday the 27th. It was frequenting the area of the dried up creek. The solitaire was not seen this AM but could easily still be there as there were a lot of robins in the area, along with a nice flock of bohemian waxwings. Dennis and Barbara Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com From crossbill7200@yahoo.com Tue Oct 28 02:44:27 2003 From: crossbill7200@yahoo.com (Shelley Steva) Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 18:44:27 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Prairie Falcon seen in Red Lake County Message-ID: <20031028024427.98824.qmail@web11904.mail.yahoo.com> I saw a Prairie Falcon on Saturday, October 25 around 3:30 PM. The bird was sighted just to the west of Highway 59 about 1-2 miles north of the Clearwater River. He appeared to be hunting for he was in a dive, aiming for some food. I have not seen a prairie falcon in several years, but as soon as I had seen him I "knew" that it was one. It's size, coloring, markings and behavior all said that this was not a merlin or a peregrine but a prairie falcon. It was really fun watching him going after his meal! Unfortunately he appeared to have missed..... Shelley Steva Pennington Co. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/ From EgretCMan@aol.com Tue Oct 28 11:24:06 2003 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 06:24:06 EST Subject: [mou] Lake Calhoun - Lesser Black-backed & Thayer's Gull - 10/29/03 Message-ID: -------------------------------1067340246 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 10/29/03 Checked out Lake Calhoun with Nancy Jackson this evening and around 4:30pm found one 1st winter Thayer's Gull and about 5:00pm the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull arrived. @ Thayer's Gull @ Lesser Black-backed Gull Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1067340246 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

10/29/03

Checked out Lake Calhoun with Nancy Jackson this evening and around 4:3= 0pm found one 1st winter Thayer's Gull and about 5:00pm the adult Lesser Bla= ck-backed Gull arrived.

@ Thayer's Gull

@ Lesser Black-backed Gull

Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN

-------------------------------1067340246-- From white067@tc.umn.edu Tue Oct 28 17:58:05 2003 From: white067@tc.umn.edu (Bruce M. White) Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 11:58:05 -0600 Subject: [mou] Acacia Cemetery area (Dakota County) endagered by development References: Message-ID: <3F9EAE2D.6060702@tc.umn.edu> Randy Frederickson: Thank you for your concern. It is not to late to submit comment to the city of Mendota Heights about the proposed housing development on Pilot Knob. I've compiled a summary of information about birding on Pilot Knob that might be of help for you and others in writing to the City of Mendota Heights about the proposed housing development. Included here are excerpts from web postings as well as passages from two e-mails sent to the City of Mendota Heights by birders. We really appreciate their contributions and hope that others will write. Comments have to get to the City of Mendota Heights by tomorrow, Oct. 29, at 4:30 PM. E-mails and faxes are OK and given the short time are the best way to go. Comments should be addressed to Cari Lindberg, City Administrator, City of Mendota Heights, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, MN 55118, 651-452-1850 Fax 651-452-8940. E-mails can be sent to caril@mendota-heights.com. As noted earlier, the proposal before the city of Mendota Heights is to build 157 units of medium and high density townhomes in the 25 acres north and east of the cemetery, an area now covered with woods and open fields. We think that the effect will be devastating on many facets of Pilot Knob's importance, historic, sacred, and natural. Our short-term goal is to get the City of Mendota Heights to order an Environmental Impact Statement, to examine the effects of the development and consider whether any mitigation for effects is possible. Our long-term goal is to stop the project entirely and insure that this area continues to be compatible with history, spirituality, and birds. Bruce M. White Pilot Knob Preservation Association P.O. Box 50823 Mendota, MN 55150-0823 651-310-0601 white067@tc.umn.edu fredericksonr@willmar.k12.mn.us wrote: > Bruce- > > I'm merely trying to be of assistance. I get most frustrated by all the > birders that have been to this area (it is lots) but they are all too busy > to help preserve this spot. > > Randy > > Pilot Knob as a birding area Acacia Cemetery in its most recent advertising leaflet states: �The Audubon Society recognized Acacia Park for its bird sanctuary which attracts thousands of birds each year, including bright red Cardinals who are especially splendid against the white and evergreen blanket of winter. The cemetery is also home to deer, wild turkeys, fox, and albino squirrels.� Comment letters from birders to Mendota Heights City Council Rev. Forest Strnad of Faribault (fkstrnad@ll.net), Faribaut, MN: �I have a personal concern about the Acacia Cemetery area for it is an important place to see unusual, even rare, birds in Minnesota. I personally have seen the TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE, ROCK WREN, and YELLOW-THROATED WARBLERS here. Also many other unusual birds are seen in this area. I would hope that this area might be protected from development by business or housing. It is important that we remember the importance of wild and natural areas and preserve them for future generations.� Dr. Matthew Bribitzer-Stull, Asst. Professor of Musical Theory, University of Minnesota (mpbs@umn.edu): �As an avid birder I am worried that one of the Twin Cities� best spots for seeing rare and interesting birds during migration will be compromised. While research has focused on the dangers to birds posed by destruction of their breeding and wintering grounds, healthy �stop-over� points are equally critical to the survival of many species. The effect of the proposed development has not been considered by the developer and it is my feeling that a full Environmental Impact Statement or EIS should be done to examine such effects.� Rock Wren in Acacia Cemetery, April-May 2003 Mnbird: JEBonkoski@aol.com wrote on April 29, 2003: �This morning, 4/29, about 10:30 am I refound the Rock Wren at Acacia Cemetery. The bird was about 100 yards to the right (North) of the entrance to the cemetery. The bird was calling from the pine trees and then flew across the road to the east. I did not search for the bird after it flew into the field to the east of the cemetery.� Conny Brunell, Richfield (connyb@mycidco.com) writes on April 29, 2003: �This afternoon from 3-4 I watched the Rock Wren with Terry Brashear at the Acacia Cemetery. The bird was observed from the main parking lot facing the buildings. The Rock Wren would come to the edge of the building roof then disappear quickly. It flew across to the other building roof, and would pop up sporadically in full view for brief spurts, then disappear again. The bird never vocalized while we were there, but would show himself often. It was still there when I left at 4, and I was very happy it stuck around all day.� Jim Ryan (jimryan37@hotmail.com) wrote on April 30, 2003: With the help of Carol . . . Jim Mattson and I saw the Rock wren hanging out bobbing around the main building at Acacia between 7:00 and 7:15am. It seems to like the north side by the Biffs portable �facilities�. Other birders arrived as I was leaving. The bird was not visible at that time.� Steve Weston, Eagan, (sweston2@attbi.com) wrote on May 3, 2003: Went to Acacia Cemetery about 7:15pm and found Walt Pop (from Hastings) looking for the Rock Wren. We searched the brush piles by the mattress unsuccessfully for the wren. We headed back to the buildings by the gate where Walt spotted our bird. We were treated to excellent views of he bird on and around the buildings from about 8pm to 8:25pm when we left. Chris Fagyal cfagyal@broadbandusa.cc Sat May 3 17:21:05 2003 I was there between 8am and 9:50am and did not refind the rock wren in any of the places it has been seen. I checked the rock and wood piles in the woods near the mattresses, the wall across from the loop, and the building near the parking lot. The cemetery was rather active for other bird life though, with the following being conspicuous Brown Thrasher (many singing from tree tops) Yellow Rumped Warblers (all over the place) Black and White Warbler (1 working a tree in the woods near the wood piles) White-Throated Sparrow (many in the woods) Broad Winged Hawk (A kettle of 10 flew over and another set of 4 flew over a few minutes later) Osprey (2 with the kettle of 10 Broad Winged's) Least Flycatcher (Briefly stopped by the wood piles where the Rock Wren had been seen.) Chris Other Bird Reports from Acacia Cemetery March 2001 North American Rarity Round-Up (www.surfbirds.com/Rarities/usmarch01.html) �Another Townsend�s Solitaire was still present mid month at Acacia Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Dakota County, MN.� Bird Chat Digest, July 2001 (birdingonthe.net) Sue Levy gives a report of a birding trip from her new home in Texas to her old home in Minnesota. �Nesting Yellow-Throated Warblers had been reported at Acacia Cemetery in the Twin Cities. (Mendota Heights) I wasn�t able to relocated them. I�m guessing that the young had fledged by the time I got there. . . I would appreciate it if someone would clarify for me whether the excitement about this year�s sighting was because they were nesting? I�ve been off-line for a couple months and missed all the posts.� Acacia Cemetery in MnBird bird count circle in 1995 http://linux.winona.msus.edu/mnbird/digest/v01.n025.htm mnbird-digest, Tuesday, 12 December 1995, Volume 01 : Number 025 From: "Paul E. Budde 962-5536" Date: Mon, 11 Dec 1995 21:48:04 -0600 (CST) Subject: Bloomington & Dakota Cty Saturday 12/16 is the Bloomington CBC. We are soliciting information on birds seen recently in or near the count circle (Sunfish Lake, Mpls airport, Acacia Cemetery, L. Nokomis, Edina Realty ponds in Edina, Izaak Walton, the NE tip of Murphy-Hanrehan, or anywhere in between. If you found something this wekend, or encounter a good bird during the week, please e-mail either pebudde@stthomas.edu (Paul Budde), or dac@skypoint.com (Dave Cahlander) or call me at 824-9505. Thanks! Short biographies of MnBird members with references to Acacia Cemetery (linux.winona.msus.edu/mnbird/biographies.html) Stephen L. Ewing writes that he and his wife have been birders in the Twin Cities since the late 70s. �We have been slowed down in our birding since kids arrived in 1986. Now that [our] kids are 5 & 7 we are hoping that we can bird more. Our kids really enjoyed the good look at the Long-eared Owl at Acacia Cemetery.� Kevin Healy writes that after getting his oldest son started at Macalester for his frenshman year was time consuming �consequently our only stop was at Acacia Park Cemetery this afternoon. There was very little activity; the big thrill was an eight-point buck running out of the brush on the north side of the cemetery and down the hill toward the highway.� From jimryan37@hotmail.com Wed Oct 29 00:12:51 2003 From: jimryan37@hotmail.com (Jim Ryan) Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2003 18:12:51 -0600 Subject: [mou] Anoka Cty: Snow Bunting Message-ID: Hello, Been too busy to bird much these last few months but sometimes the birds just land right in front of you. After parking (at 117th and Jefferson) and catching up on some cell phone calls, I exited my car this morning and noticed a single, sparrow like bird on the asphalt in front of me. It was a pale, dirty gray with rust along its flanks and upper chest. That rusty color was faintly repeated in the rear auricular area. It had a mostly white backround. I knew I had never seen a bird like this before so scrambled into the backseat to get my old binocs I always carry in case of emergency (this was one!) The bird flew right past me to reveal much white on its wings and some on it's tail. Both were edged in black. It landed on a nearby single story house rooftop. Glassing it revealed a dark eye, yellow bill and dark legs, with a notched tail. I only got to see it for less than a minute before it took off into the wind with erratic undulating flight, giving a "dit dit dit dit" call. With no book to check against the thought of waiting all day to ID it was torture. A quick cell phone call to Steve Weston helped me ID it as a @ Snow Bunting A Lifer for me! And I wasn't even trying! Jim (now in) Mpls (formerly in St. Paul) 'If all the animals were gone, we would die from loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the animals soon happens to us. We are part of the earth, and it is a part of us. This we know: all things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.' Chief Seattle, 1854 _________________________________________________________________ See when your friends are online with MSN Messenger 6.0. Download it now FREE! http://msnmessenger-download.com From Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com Wed Oct 29 14:31:11 2003 From: Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com (Alt, Mark) Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 08:31:11 -0600 Subject: [mou] A day in St Paul with a flock of third graders (long) Message-ID: <47784B75545C99469F1E590E3DD193A30F9156@ds63mail.na.bestbuy.com> I have been taking birding trips with school kids since my kids were in kindergarten 15 years ago, and I always get more than I give, and I see more than I expect. I do a lot of suburban schools with wetlands and woodlands nearby. It is easy to find habitat and the birds are all around. I seek out opportunities to do urban schools, where habitat consists of intermittent trees, alleyways and ball fields I presented on 10/27 to 2 groups of 3rd graders at a charming school, Highland Catholic, in St. Paul, a block away from the intersection of Cleveland Ave and Ford Parkway . I arrived an hour ahead like always, scouting the area, finding small yards with no active feeders, a loose flock of Dark-eyed Juncos on the School grounds and a flock of House Sparrows in an overgrown garden . I threw a bucket of bird seed in the alleyway to give birds something to come to - the biggest challenge is getting a bird to sit still long enough to show 26 kids what it looks like in a scope, this is one of my tricks.=20 I was introduced as the "Birdman", addressed them in the classroom on "the rules", then we marched outside where I could dispense binos and field guides. I ensured every kid had either binos or a field guide (they are paired up), that kids with glasses had bino eyecups rolled down. I led them to where I had seen Juncos alongside the school. I lifted my eyes up to scan for Juncos and was surprised to see a raptor sitting placidly in the top of a Norway Spruce 20 feet away, an adult male taiga race Merlin. All had great views, and I told them it was probably migrating south to where the food and habitat met its requirements. Merlins did nest in the Cities but since t was such a dark bird, it likely was a migrant. I had 6 copier of Stan Tekiela's raptor book and we got it out and saw what the bird looked like in print. I explained the flock of Juncos qualified as food for the is bird, and the large trees in the area gave it plenty of cover and vantage perches from which to hunt, fulfilling a habitat need. A thick spruce like the one it was in could give it a safe place to sleep, fulfilling another critical habitat need. The kids were all fixedly staring upward at the small raptor. A set of street sweepers drove up. spooking the bird, and it flew out of sight. =20 We relocated it twice on our walk, affording everyone a close-up view of this rocket of a bird. As it perched upright on the top of a large elm, 2 Blue Jays came into view. The must be inexperienced with Merlins, as they went to pick on the placid bird, one pecked at it where it sat perched. The kids were still viewing it from scopes and binos form about 75 feet away in clear view. It flapped twice to get above the jays, then wheeled and compressed its body into a dart. It shot downward out of sight, rolling and veering as it stooped behind a house. You could hear the Blue Jays screaming, but you couldn't tell what was happening where, then the Merlin appeared right overhead and in a stiff winged glide with quivering wingtips, it paused for several seconds before darting down again to punish its harassers. This was repeated 4 times, then the Merlin returned to its perch and settled in again.=20 A crow came winging from the North in a series of swooping glides headed right for the Merlin. I knew what was coming, so I called it out to the class. All eyes were upon the Crow. As it got within 100 feet of the Merlin, the Merlin flapped to gain some elevation, veered right and became an air to air missile. The crow tried to turn (it didn't have time) and was pummeled by an angry Merlin from 5 different angles. It fled the scene. The Merlin must have followed it out of sight for we lost it from view. We marched back to the school and were treated to a farewell flyover by the feathered fighter jet, the Merlin. The kids were all so excited, prey/predator relationships in the wild 2 blocks from their school was a real treat. I described the natural habitat of the area, what it would have looked like 200 years ago and why there would be Merlins there -some trees were still around. I talked about what how we have to learn about needs of wildlife so we can help them survive. I told them about the MOU, St/. Paul Audubon and asked them to get adults in their lives to take them on bird walks, set up feeders, join a bird club.=20 The second class had heard of the Merlin at recess and were all fired up with anticipation. Of course, no Merlin was found for this group, but 10 minutes watching a Downy Woodpecker work over a large elm was well spent, and a sharp-eyed kid named Leo spotted a raptor overhead. A Cooper's Hawk was climbing into the sky. We all got good looks at this long-tailed Hawk as it soared, flap-flap and soared again on its way to a suitable altitude, then took off to the south. We set up the scope on a Junco feeding in a yard for this group. The kids were so quiet, polite, well-behaved, and attentive, they were two of my best classes ever. I told them they are now officially Birdwatchers, and they should find ways to continue in their new hobby, and that they now had a responsibility to make sure they do things that are good for birds, so they can continue to see them. What a gift to see things through the eyes of a child. I agree more and more with Bob Jannsen's quote, that Birds really are a manifestation of God's Grace on this earth, as are children. You combine the two and it can be pure magic. Mark Alt Brooklyn Center, MN mark.alt@bestbuy.com "Birds and their songs are important to me, they add to my enjoyment of life"=20 Mark Alt Manager of Project Management Best Buy Co., Inc. Logistics Mark.Alt@bestbuy.com (w) 612-291-6717 (Cell) 612.803.9085 From smithville4@charter.net Wed Oct 29 15:09:22 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 09:09:22 -0600 Subject: [mou] White-wing Scoter Message-ID: <001101c39e2e$a26443b0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000E_01C39DFC.579D6C80 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I took some time off from painting and headed to Park Pt. to see what = got blew in. We recieved 3-4 inches of wet snow and my yard looks like a = winter scene!=20 The bay was calm and a White-winged Scoter was seen flying towards the = airport. In my yard I saw a Orange-crowned Warbler foraging for food in the apple = tree. Looked kinda of odd seeing a warbler with snow everywhere. Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_000E_01C39DFC.579D6C80 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I took some time off from painting and = headed to=20 Park Pt. to see what got blew in. We recieved 3-4 inches of wet snow and = my yard=20 looks like a winter scene!

The bay was calm and a White-winged = Scoter was seen=20 flying towards the airport.

In my yard I saw a Orange-crowned = Warbler foraging=20 for food in the apple tree. Looked kinda of odd seeing a warbler with = snow=20 everywhere.

Mike Hendrickson

------=_NextPart_000_000E_01C39DFC.579D6C80-- From t_auer@lycos.com Wed Oct 29 15:54:19 2003 From: t_auer@lycos.com (M. Thomas Auer) Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 10:54:19 -0500 Subject: [mou] Why isn't anyone getting excited about the Whooper Swan? Message-ID: I've been reading the posts on MNbirds about the Whooper Swan being seen in Hutchinson. Is there a reason that nobody is getting excited about this quite rare species? Is it a possible escapee that noone cares about? Most recent message from MN birds: Subject: Whooper Swan From: "Robert Schroeder" Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 14:17:39 -0500 A Whooper Swan was found by Pete Hoeger Saturday in Hutchinson on Campbell Lake. It was relocated by Pete Sunday at the same location. Today I relocated it at the Gopher Campfire Club Wildlife Sanctuary in Hutchinson. I watched the bird with binoculars and scope at a distance of about 50 feet. When it walked out on the shore I saw no bands on the legs or any other markings. I checked with the Gopher Campfire Club and was informed that they have not brought in any swans since bringing in the two Mute Swans several years ago. The first location where it was seen is 0.8 mile west of the stoplight at the intersection of hwy. 7 and School Road. You can park in the parking lot of Reiner Landscaping on hwy 7 and walk east along the Luce Line Trail to get a clear look at the area where it was first seen. The Gopher Campfire Club Wildlife Sanctuary can be found by going east of the same stoplights to the Cenex station, where they sell birdfeed, and turn south on Les Kouba Parkway. Following the Parkway 0.6 mile will bring you to the sanctuary. If you need some help finding this bird or any other bird in the area you can give me a call at 320-587-5321. Bob Schroeder ---- Tom Auer ____________________________________________________________ FREE ADHD DVD or CD-Rom (your choice) - click here! http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;6413623;3807821;f?http://mocda2.com/1/c/563632/131726/311392/311392 AOL users go here: http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;6413623;3807821;f?http://mocda2.com/1/c/563632/131726/311392/311392 This offer applies to U.S. Residents Only From axhertzel@sihope.com Wed Oct 29 18:49:02 2003 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 12:49:02 -0600 Subject: [mou] The Loon Message-ID: MOU Members, The Bell Museum has misplaced all the extra copies of this latest issue of The Loon (Volume 75 Number 2, Summer 2003, with the immature Summer Tanager on the cover). If these are not found, the MOU will not have a single extra copy of this particular issue. This is unfortunate for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the Breckenridges have asked for several copies to give to members of their family (because of the obituary of Walter Breckenridge in this issue), and we have none to give them. So, if you have no further need for your copy, please consider donating it back to the MOU. You can send it directly to me or to our office at the Bell Museum. Thanks. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com From sparkystensaas@hotmail.com Wed Oct 29 20:36:47 2003 From: sparkystensaas@hotmail.com (sparky stensaas) Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 20:36:47 +0000 Subject: [mou] Sage Thrasher/Harlequin Ducks/GM Message-ID: Tuesday October 28th Grand Marais Municipal campground 35 degrees with 30-plus MPH north winds and horizontal rain...but the Sage Thrasher endures. I found him hunkered in the spruce immediately east (north) of the green water treatment building. He flew to the neighboring mountain ash and ate a berry. What else do you do when the insects are all gone? Also in the campground... 1 Hermit Thrush 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 100-plus Am Robins 100-plus Snow Buntings 200-plus Bohemian Waxwings (with a few Cedar Waxwings mixed in) 6 Harlequin Ducks at Paradise Beach having a ball in four-foot swells. Also at Paradise... 3 Long-tailed Ducks 3 Buffleheads 2 C. Goldeneyes Sparky Stensaas _________________________________________________________________ Add MSN 8 Internet Software to your current Internet access and enjoy patented spam control and more. Get two months FREE! http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/byoa From smithville4@charter.net Thu Oct 30 00:33:06 2003 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 18:33:06 -0600 Subject: [mou] MOU Trip to Mille Lacs Message-ID: <000a01c39e7d$630a5cf0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C39E4B.18422630 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On November 8th at Mille Lacs Lake is the last MOU birding field trip of = the year. I currently have 14 particapants and can take some more. Its a = one day field trip and we are meeting at the McDonald's fast food place = in Garrison at 8:00am. McDonald's is located on the west side of Mille = Lacs Lake and few miles north of the casino along Hwy. 169. Kim Risen = will be co-leading with me.=20 Have you noticed that all the MOU field trips meet at restaurants. You = know places like McDonald's or Perkins and Country Kitchens! Man! I = know how to pick the fancy places! Nothing like starting the day with a = belly full of grease!=20 So if you are interested in birding with a belly full of grease and a = day birding one of the neatest lakes at this time of the year, than = email me at Mikeneedstolosewieght@yahoo.com (kidding not a real email = address) Hahhahahah! My email is Smithville4@charter.net=20 Have a good day Mike Hendrickson MOU Field Trip Chairman Duluth, MN ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C39E4B.18422630 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

On November 8th at Mille Lacs Lake is = the last MOU=20 birding field trip of the year. I currently have 14 particapants and can = take=20 some more. Its a one day field trip and we are meeting at the McDonald's = fast=20 food place in Garrison at 8:00am. McDonald's is located on the = west=20 side of Mille Lacs Lake and few miles north of the casino along Hwy. = 169. Kim=20 Risen will be co-leading with me.

Have you noticed that all the MOU field = trips meet=20 at restaurants. You know places like McDonald's or Perkins and Country=20 Kitchens! Man! I know how to pick the fancy places! Nothing like = starting=20 the day with a belly full of grease!

So if you are interested in birding = with a belly=20 full of grease and a day birding one of the neatest lakes at this time = of the=20 year, than email me at Mikeneedstolosewieght@yah= oo.com=20 (kidding not a real email address) Hahhahahah!

My email is Smithville4@charter.net =

Have a good day

Mike Hendrickson

MOU Field Trip Chairman

Duluth, MN

------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C39E4B.18422630-- From david@cahlander.com Thu Oct 30 04:59:48 2003 From: david@cahlander.com (David A. Cahlander) Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 22:59:48 -0600 Subject: [mou] Why isn't anyone getting excited about the Whooper Swan? References: Message-ID: <002801c39ea2$a8a60910$0200000a@pancho> I'm told that any Whopper Swan found in MN is considered an escape. Its not on even the accidental list for Minnesota. According to Avisys's records, sightings have only been accepted in ME, MT, CA, OR, AK, BC This is not a reason to not go look at the bird. Its a wonderful bird. --- David Cahlander david@cahlander.com Burnsville, MN 952-894-5910 From SnoEowl@aol.com Thu Oct 30 15:25:08 2003 From: SnoEowl@aol.com (SnoEowl@aol.com) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 10:25:08 EST Subject: [mou] Boreal Owl boxes Message-ID: <95.349c6f26.2cd28754@aol.com> --part1_95.349c6f26.2cd28754_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks to Helen Tucker, Mike Hendrickson and Mark Alt, the Boreal Owl boxes have departed my Batt House and are on their way to Bill Lane. Thanks, too, to Chris Benson for his offer to help. I am a fortunate man to know so many wonderful folks, Al Batt --part1_95.349c6f26.2cd28754_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thanks to Helen Tucker, Mike Hendrickson=20= and Mark Alt, the Boreal Owl boxes have departed my Batt House and are on th= eir way to Bill Lane. Thanks, too, to Chris Benson for his offer to he= lp.

I am a fortunate man to know so many wonderful folks,

Al Batt --part1_95.349c6f26.2cd28754_boundary-- From jtpbirder@yahoo.com Thu Oct 30 17:02:08 2003 From: jtpbirder@yahoo.com (Jeff Price) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 09:02:08 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Why isn't anyone getting excited about the Whooper Swan? In-Reply-To: <002801c39ea2$a8a60910$0200000a@pancho> Message-ID: <20031030170208.9335.qmail@web14909.mail.yahoo.com> _IF_ it is truly the attitude of the records committee then any Whooper Swan in MN is automatically considered an escapee then I have to question their logic. So, the following rant on my part only holds if the MN records committee refuses to review records of Whooper Swan. First let me say that I HAVE served on a records committee. It is largely a thankless task, certainly a way to lose friends and make enemies. Second, as an avian biogeographer by training/practice I can say that applying a blanket rule that a species like Whooper Swan is an escapee and not consider a possible wild origin is a serious error in judgement. This is a species that is known to stray. While it is more likely to stray coastally there is no reason a bird might not stray inland as well. There are many factors behind a bird straying - it could be weather related, it could be a genetic abnormality (or one that has been chemically induced), the bird could have gotten mixed in with species that normally winter in the US (or be paired with a Tundra Swan), and there are other reasons as well. Consider the sightings of Common Crane from NE and IN as at least putting forward the possibility that the species has a wild origin. Consider sightings of Smew in the same category. True, this is a species kept in captivity but so are Smew. It just means that care needs to be taken in considering possible wild/escaped origin of the birds in question. How are they behaving? Are there any bands, any sign of clipping? Has an aviculturist reported a lost bird? Now a bird can still be an escapee and behave wild, not be banded and no one report the loss. That is the role of a records committee - to carefully consider the evidence and make a provisional judgement. Then be willing to reconsider previous decisions if the balance of evidence starts pointing to a pattern suggesting wild birds rather than escapees. All it takes is a cursory review of the birds showing up in recent years in other states (Slaty-backed Gull in CO and elsewhere), Arctic Loon in CO, multiple Smew sightings, to at least put forward the possibility that a Whooper Swan in MN could indeed be a wild bird. --- "David A. Cahlander" wrote: > I'm told that any Whopper Swan found in MN is > considered an escape. Its > not on even the accidental list for Minnesota. > > According to Avisys's records, sightings have only > been accepted in > > ME, MT, CA, OR, AK, BC > > This is not a reason to not go look at the bird. > Its a wonderful bird. > --- ===== Jeff Price Boulder, CO jtpbirder@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/ From two-jays@att.net Thu Oct 30 20:28:51 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 12:28:51 -0800 Subject: [mou] good backyard birding project Message-ID: Announcement from Cornell LAb of Ornithology - in case some Minnesota birders might be interested. This is bird science accessible to us all. Jim Williams, Wayzata BIRD WATCHERS NEEDED FOR PROJECT FEEDERWATCH In the next few months large numbers of redpolls, crossbills, grosbeaks, nuthatches and siskins are predicted to move south into the lower 48 states= . Will the predicted movements occur, and will these nomads of the bird world visit your feeders this winter? You can help scientists learn more about these species and other winter bird populations by joining more than 16,000 people from across the United States and Canada in counting birds for Project FeederWatch. If you are already a Project FeederWatch participant, thank you for contributing to the success of the project! If you are not a FeederWatcher, please read on =8A Last February, the data you collected for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) provided scientists with a "snapshot" view of bird abundance and distribution. Throughout last winter, Project FeederWatch was gathering information to provide a more comprehensive view of backyard bird populations. Like the GBBC, FeederWatch counts are submitted to scientists who use the data to examine trends in bird populations. Participants count the birds at their feeders as often as every week from November through early April. Participants then submit counts either on paper forms or over the Internet. We invite you to contribute to our understanding of winter bird populations by joining your fellow bird watchers in Project FeederWatch. WHY IS FEEDERWATCH IMPORTANT? FeederWatch data provide a detailed picture o= f weekly changes in the distribution and abundance of birds across the continent. Long-term monitoring programs, such as FeederWatch, are importan= t for identifying changes in bird populations and for targeting research and conservation efforts. FeederWatch data are currently being analyzed to gaug= e the impact of West Nile virus on wild birds. Please help monitor the health of winter bird populations by joining us in the 17th season of Project FeederWatch. Learn more about the project at While I have not heard from any current member of the records committee I have heard from a past member who assures me that there is no policy of blanket rejection of Whooper Swan records. I'm glad to hear that. Those who read my message carefully (as this individual did) even recognized that I said _IF_ this was the case then I felt it to be misguided. It was not meant as a blanket attack (or an attack of any kind) on the MN records committee (or any other record committee). The message itself would be equally valid in any other state that applies a blanket set of rules to cover any sightings of a given species. Record committees (and sightings compilers) play an important scientific role, whether they realize it or not. While birders may sometimes think that record committees have 'agendas' or 'don't like certain birders' I have found it to rarely be true. They do their job carefully, with little appreciation from their peers. A committee's job is very important however. Changes in bird ranges don't occur solely in any one state. Biogeographers need to look at what happens throughout a species range to determine whether changes or patterns of vagrancy may have an underlying cause, whether these patterns are something to be concerned about. Therefore, it is important that they do their job well. Inevitably, that means most committees are conservative in their decisions - as perhaps they should be. I do think that the entire process needs to be transparent (some states are more transparent than others). Those that might make use of records need to understand what sightings have been submitted, which were accepted and rejected and why. Sometimes it is only by going back and looking at a series of 'rejected' records that scientists (and, hopefully, committee members) can determine that maybe something really is going on and maybe those previously rejected records are valid after all. Some time ago I was asked whether I thought the bird sightings published in The Loon were of any value. The answer is a resounding YES. In the absence of year-round standardized surveys then data published in The Loon (and North American Birds) is the only readily accessible data for changes in things like migration arrival and departure dates, breeding records and range expansions/contractions. True, this data may have errors in it and the users have to trust to the compilers to make it as good as possible. Beyond that, the user has to make the determination whether the data are any good or not. As a single datum, this can be tough. But if there are records from multiple sources that all point in the same direction then it isn't that difficult to pull a pattern out of the mass of data. So, to the extent that The Loon continues to publish bird sightings - congratulations. Whether you know it or not you are publishing an important historical record. To the extent that bird records committees carefully analyzes all submissions - kudos. You too are playing a role in the better understanding of bird ranges. ===== Jeff Price Boulder, CO jtpbirder@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/ From drbenson@cpinternet.com Thu Oct 30 22:51:05 2003 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David R. Benson) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 16:51:05 -0600 Subject: [mou] Duluth RBA 10/30/03 Message-ID: This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, October 30, 2003, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Kim Eckert reported a female plumage LAZULI BUNTING from Cook County on the 26th. The bird was near mile marker 121, 11 miles east of Grand Marais or 2 miles east of Paradise Beach. The SAGE THRASHER was seen as recently as Tuesday the 28th in Grand Marais. Jim Lind found a VARIED THRUSH near Silver Bay on the shore of Lake Superior on Sunday. With the Grand Marais Birding Festival taking place and other groups of birders in Grand Marais, there were many interesting sightings last weekend, including PACIFIC LOONS reported from Paradise Beach and from Grand Marais on the 25th, several sightings of all three scoters, 3 HARLEQUIN DUCKS at Paradise Beach, a LONG-EARED OWL at Artist's Point on the 26th, a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at Artist's Point, a BOREAL CHICKADEE at Magney Park on the 26th, plus several late warblers, including NASHVILLE, NORTHERN PARULA, CAPE MAY, BLACKPOLL , and AMERICAN REDSTART. This afternoon there were six BLACK SCOTERS in the harbor at the boat landing at Park Point in Duluth. Mike Hendrickson reported a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER at Part Point yesterday; he also saw an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER. On the 27th, Sparky Stensaas reported SHARP-TAILED GROUSE displaying on the lek near Meadowlands on St. Louis Cty Rd 29, 1.8 miles north of 133. He also reported BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER is still lingering in the Pine Plantation at Hawk Ridge. Don Kienholz reported that the Black-backed at the Lester Park Golf Course was still near the lower parking lot as recently as Monday. Don also noted PINE GROSBEAKS and a GREATER YELLOWLEGS this week. Judy Gibbs reported a partial-albino AMERICAN CROW with all-white primaries and secondaries northeast of Stoney Point on the 27th. On the 25th, Nancy Swanson had a SANDHILL CRANE in her yard in Solway Township. On the 23rd, birders from St. Paul reported an immature PARASITIC JAEGER from Burlington Bay in Two Harbors. Jim Lind saw a very late VEERY in Two Harbors on the 23rd, and it was seen again on the 25th. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday,November 9th. The phone number for the Duluth Birding Report is (218) 728-5030, and callers can report bird sightings if they wish after the tone at the end of each tape. The Duluth Birding Report is sponsored and funded by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) as a service to its members. For more information on the MOU, either write us c/o the Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street SE, Minneapolis MN 55455; or send an e-mail to mou@cbs.umn.edu; or visit the MOU web site at mou.mn.org. From t_auer@lycos.com Thu Oct 30 23:04:36 2003 From: t_auer@lycos.com (M. Thomas Auer) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 17:04:36 -0600 Subject: [mou] 2 Jaegers at Park Point (likely Parasitic) Message-ID: Today, at around 3:45 pm, I saw 2 Jaegers, that were likely Parasitic, but due to the fact that I've never seen a Jaeger good enough to identify it and add it to my life list, I won't be making a guarantee. Anyway, amongst raging ENE winds and blowing rain, freezing my face off, I saw one adult and one immature bird off the Minnesota Point pier, chasing a Herring gull. Both birds had wingspans and general sizes that were 2/3-3/4 the size of the Herring Gull, and that's what leads me to say they were Parasitic. It was the best look yet I've ever had at Jaegers, but hardly decent. I'm really beginning to doubt the East wind's ability to push birds into shore at Park Point, as these birds were heading out, full bore into the vastness of Lake Superior. I'll be back there tomorrow to see if they'll stick around. Too bad their isn't some sort of Jaeger bait... Tom Auer Duluth, MN ____________________________________________________________ FREE ADHD DVD or CD-Rom (your choice) - click here! http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;6413623;3807821;f?http://mocda2.com/1/c/563632/131726/311392/311392 AOL users go here: http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;6413623;3807821;f?http://mocda2.com/1/c/563632/131726/311392/311392 This offer applies to U.S. Residents Only From alongtin@worldnet.att.net Fri Oct 31 01:15:48 2003 From: alongtin@worldnet.att.net (Andrew Longtin) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 19:15:48 -0600 Subject: [mou] good backyard birding project In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <000201c39f4c$848167f0$147d490c@computer> Been doing it for longer than I been in MOU.. I have the last 5 years of my data on my WEB pages.. http://home.att.net/~alongtin/Bird_Pictures/andrews_birding_pages_index.htm Andrew -----Original Message----- From: mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu [mailto:mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu]On Behalf Of Jim Williams Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 2:29 PM To: MOU-net Subject: [mou] good backyard birding project Announcement from Cornell LAb of Ornithology - in case some Minnesota birders might be interested. This is bird science accessible to us all. Jim Williams, Wayzata BIRD WATCHERS NEEDED FOR PROJECT FEEDERWATCH In the next few months large numbers of redpolls, crossbills, grosbeaks, nuthatches and siskins are predicted to move south into the lower 48 states. Will the predicted movements occur, and will these nomads of the bird world visit your feeders this winter? You can help scientists learn more about these species and other winter bird populations by joining more than 16,000 people from across the United States and Canada in counting birds for Project FeederWatch. If you are already a Project FeederWatch participant, thank you for contributing to the success of the project! If you are not a FeederWatcher, please read on � Last February, the data you collected for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) provided scientists with a "snapshot" view of bird abundance and distribution. Throughout last winter, Project FeederWatch was gathering information to provide a more comprehensive view of backyard bird populations. Like the GBBC, FeederWatch counts are submitted to scientists who use the data to examine trends in bird populations. Participants count the birds at their feeders as often as every week from November through early April. Participants then submit counts either on paper forms or over the Internet. We invite you to contribute to our understanding of winter bird populations by joining your fellow bird watchers in Project FeederWatch. WHY IS FEEDERWATCH IMPORTANT? FeederWatch data provide a detailed picture of weekly changes in the distribution and abundance of birds across the continent. Long-term monitoring programs, such as FeederWatch, are important for identifying changes in bird populations and for targeting research and conservation efforts. FeederWatch data are currently being analyzed to gauge the impact of West Nile virus on wild birds. Please help monitor the health of winter bird populations by joining us in the 17th season of Project FeederWatch. Learn more about the project at --============_-1144557178==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday October 30th. The SAGE THRASHER is still being reported in Grand Marais, Cook County. It is most often seen in the campground along the creek that runs toward the ball field and in the bushes at the base of the western breakwall near the green power plant. On the 26th, a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was also seen in the campground. Also in Cook County, Kim Eckert reported a female type LAZULI BUNTING on the 26th. The bird was near mile marker 121 of state highway 61, eleven miles east of Grand Marais or two miles east of Paradise Beach. On the 28th, a VARIED THRUSH was found in a flock of about 200 American Robins just east of Silver Bay in Lake County. From state highway 61, take the road to the Ready Mix cement plant, about two blocks north of the stoplight. This dirt road comes to a T near Lake Superior. Take another right to the water treatment plant and check the birch/spruce woods to the south. On October 29th, a PACIFIC LOON was reported from the Garrison marina in Crow Wing County, but it was apparently gone the next day. Another Pacific Loon was found on Lake Superior on the 25th at Paradise Beach in Cook County. Six HARLEQUIN DUCKS and three LONG-TAILED DUCKS were at Paradise Beach in Cook County on the 29th. WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BLACK SCOTER, and SURF SCOTER all continue to be seen at various locations along the north shore of Lake Superior. A Surf Scoter was at the Browns Valley sewage ponds in Big Stone County on the 27th. A PARASITIC JAEGER was found on the 23rd at Burlington Bay in Two Harbors, Lake County, and on the 30th, two JAEGERS were off Minnesota Point in Duluth, St. Louis County. The observer speculated that these were likely Parasitics, but could not reach any definitive conclusions. At Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, birders continue to find an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL along with a few THAYER'S GULLS. Also in the Metro area, I have reports of SNOW GEESE at Kelzer Pond in Victoria, and SNOW BUNTINGS in Brooklyn Park. Shelley Steva found a PRAIRIE FALCON on the 25th just west of U.S. Highway 59 about one mile north of the Clearwater River. This is near the town of Plummer in Red Lake County. The season's first CAROLINA WREN appeared at the Minnetonka residence of Bonnie Mulligan and Charlie Greenman on the 27th. 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 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 David Cahlander at . MOU members receive the organization's quarterly journal "The Loon" and the bimonthly magazine, "Minnesota Birding". For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at moumembers@yahoo.com. In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700. The MOU is pleased to offer this service. Thank you, and good birding. The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, November 6th. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com --============_-1144557178==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MOU RBA 30 October 2003

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday October 30th.

The SAGE THRASHER is still being reported in Grand Marais, Cook County. It is most often seen in the campground along the creek that runs toward the ball field and in the bushes at the base of the western breakwall near the green power plant. On the 26th, a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was also seen in the campground.

Also in Cook County, Kim Eckert reported a female type LAZULI BUNTING on the 26th. The bird was near mile marker 121 of state highway 61, eleven miles east of Grand Marais or two miles east of Paradise Beach.

On the 28th, a VARIED THRUSH was found in a flock of about 200 American Robins just east of Silver Bay in Lake County. From state highway 61, take the road to the Ready Mix cement plant, about two blocks north of the stoplight. This dirt road comes to a T near Lake Superior. Take another right to the water treatment plant and check the birch/spruce woods to the south.

On October 29th, a PACIFIC LOON was reported from the Garrison marina in Crow Wing County, but it was apparently gone the next day. Another Pacific Loon was found on Lake Superior on the 25th at Paradise Beach in Cook County.

Six HARLEQUIN DUCKS and three LONG-TAILED DUCKS were at Paradise Beach in Cook County on the 29th. WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, BLACK SCOTER, and SURF SCOTER all continue to be seen at various locations along the north shore of Lake Superior. A Surf Scoter was at the Browns Valley sewage ponds in Big Stone County on the 27th.

A PARASITIC JAEGER was found on the 23rd at Burlington Bay in Two Harbors, Lake County, and on the 30th, two JAEGERS were off Minnesota Point in Duluth, St. Louis County. The observer speculated that these were likely Parasitics, but could not reach any definitive conclusions.

At Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, birders continue to find an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL along with a few THAYER'S GULLS. Also in the Metro area, I have reports of SNOW GEESE at Kelzer Pond in Victoria, and SNOW BUNTINGS in Brooklyn Park.

Shelley Steva found a PRAIRIE FALCON on the 25th just west of U.S. Highway 59 about one mile north of the Clearwater River. This is near the town of Plummer in Red Lake County.

The season's first CAROLINA WREN appeared at the Minnetonka residence of Bonnie Mulligan and Charlie Greenman on the 27th.

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 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 David Cahlander at <david@cahlander.com>.

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

In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700.

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

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, November 6th.

--

Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com

--============_-1144557178==_ma============-- From dbmartin@skypoint.com Fri Oct 31 02:17:38 2003 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 20:17:38 -0600 Subject: [mou] Re: Whooper Swans Message-ID: <000201c39f57$26fa12c0$5c9ec7c7@oemcomputer> If the records committee even considered this record it would be very misleading. As many birders in the Twin cities are aware there was a breeder in, I believe Washignton County or one of the other eastern counties, that has allowed young birds to take flight before clipping their wings. If he is still doing so or not would take some investigation. Also some of the past birds could easily be still around. None of these birds had bands, etc. As a result I have seen Whoopers at least three of the last 10 years and I remember hearing of other sightings as well. Most of the active birders from the early and mid 90's will remember the regular occurances of this species at Black Dog and other unfrozen spots in the fall and winter. Dennis Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com From ajjoppru@wiktel.com Fri Oct 31 03:25:58 2003 From: ajjoppru@wiktel.com (Jeanie Joppru) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 21:25:58 -0600 Subject: [mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, October 31, 2003 Message-ID: <001301c39f5e$b48ae6d0$ebd4aec6@main> This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, October 31, 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. With the coming of the first snow, there is no doubt that winter birding is soon upon us. A few stray migrants are still being seen, but more and more the reports center on the usual over wintering residents. Gretchen Mehmel reported from Norris Camp in Lake of the Woods County that this week's observations include 5 SPRUCE GROUSE, one SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, an AMERICAN WOODCOCK, and two ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS and other common residents. In Beltrami County, Pat Rice saw 15 SNOW BUNTINGS on October 28th, and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER is still coming to her feeder. The weekly shorebird survey at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge on October 24th revealed that the numbers are really dropping; only 94 individuals of 6 species were counted. They were mostly GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, but included 4 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS. No surf scoters were found this week. Here in Pennington County, I had the first FOX SPARROW of the season in our yard on October 29th. Red Lake County species seen this week by Shelley Steva include a PRAIRIE FALCON one or two miles north of the Clearwater River along Highway 59. Zeann Linder and I did some birding in Polk County on October 25th. We found SNOW GEESE and TUNDRA SWANS in a rice paddy along the Clearwater River where some water remained. Most of the rice paddies were dry at this season of the year. Many MALLARDS were also there. Most exciting was a close sighting of a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK in the same area. Elsewhere in the county we observed a BALD EAGLE looking for his dinner at Badger Lake outside Erskine. Bob O'Connor reported that thousands of LAPLAND LONGSPURS were migrating through Clay County on October 26th. A single SNOW BUNTING was also seen, and a MERLIN was seen hunting over the longspurs. >From Becker County, Mary Wyatt reported sightings of RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and COMMON RAVEN, and on the 25th, she saw two COMMON LOONS on Detroit Lake. A flock or 25-30 DARK-EYED JUNCOS still frequent her yard. Thanks to Gretchen Mehmel, Shelley Steva, Pat Rice, Mary Wyatt, and Bob O'Connor 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, November 7, 2003. From jtpbirder@yahoo.com Fri Oct 31 04:05:23 2003 From: jtpbirder@yahoo.com (Jeff Price) Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 20:05:23 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Whooper Swan/records committees and you Message-ID: <20031031040523.50531.qmail@web14906.mail.yahoo.com> There was one piece missing in my previous posting about the importance of records committees and that is - if there are no records there is nothing for the committee to do. I think the importance of written records sometimes get lost in this day of instant internet messaging and digital photography. This isn't an isloated problem. Folks over on the Texas birding groups are having the same discussion. So, if you see what you think is a rare bird - DOCUMENT IT. Take written notes, make sketches, take photos/video/sound recordings (but not at the expense of the written documentation). When you've gotten it all prepared then make sure it gets sent to the proper people (be it the sightings editor of the Loon or the records committee). ===== Jeff Price Boulder, CO jtpbirder@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/ From amccutch@cannon.net Fri Oct 31 12:55:33 2003 From: amccutch@cannon.net (Alden McCutchan) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 07:55:33 -0500 Subject: [mou] Farm yard visitors - Sogn Valley Message-ID: BLUEBIRDS in small flock moved through early in the week. Other sightings of interest included a BROWN CREEPER (10/30 - rare here), many RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, several FOX SPARROWS, a young HARRIS' SPARROW, RED BELLIED-WOODPECKERS, a SAVANNAH SPARROW, many DARK-EYED JUNCOS, CARDINALS, etc.. We enjoy the mou-net and have signed up for PROJECT FEEDERWATCH. Thanks to all of you. Alden & Margaret From two-jays@att.net Fri Oct 31 18:27:32 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 10:27:32 -0800 Subject: [mou] USFWS report on birders, who we are In-Reply-To: Message-ID: The following is from Carrol Henderson, supervisor of the non-game department of the Minnesota DNR. (For those of you who live outside Minnesota, there is some information here pertinent only to Minnesota since the report was summarized for that audience. I believe individual state information can be found on the web presentation of the report. And, of course, some of the summaries are for the country at large. JJW) From: "Carrol Henderson" Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 09:46:50 -0600 The US Fish and Wildlife Service has just issued a new Report (2001-1) called Birding in the United States, A Demographic and Economic Analysis. It is an Addendum to the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Association Recreation. There are some relevant and significant statistics in the report about the economic benefits of birding/widlife watching. The survey results are based on 15,300 wildlife-watching interviews nationwide (response rate 90%) for U.S. residents 16 years and older. Among the results: 1. There are 46 million "birders" in the US, (40 million backyard birders; 18 million travel to see birds) 2. The average birder is 49 years old, and a majority (54%) are females. 3. The average percent of people in the population who "bird" is 22%, but Minnesota's rate ranks fourth in the nation at 36%. Only Montana (44%), Vermont (43%), and Wisconsin (41%) have higher rates. 4. The highest participation rates for birding were among people with four years or more of college (26 to 33%) 5. The highest participation rates for birding were among people who earned $75,000 or more per year (27%). 6. Metropolitan areas had more total birders, but a lower overall participation rate (18%). 7. Minnesota was estimated to have a total of 1,471,000 birders. Of that total, 90% were residents and 10% were visiting Minnesota to view the birds. 8. 88% of all birders watch birds from their homes. 9. 40% of birders travel more than a mile from their homes to see birds. 10. The most sought-after kinds of birds were a. Waterfowl (78% of all birders) b. Songbirds (70%) c. Birds of prey (68%) d. Shorebirds/herons (56%) e. Other birds like pheasants and turkeys (43%). 11. Avidity: 74% of the birders could identify 1-20 bird species; 13% could identify 21-40 species; 8% could identify 41 or more species; and 5% of all birders kept life lists. 12. Expenditures: Birders spent $32 billion in retail sales nationwide in 2001 to enjoy their hobby. This includes bird feeding, photography, and birding/wildlife watching. (Optics sales-$471.3 million; Cameras- $1.43 billion; film-$837.9 million; Bird food $2.24 billion!; Nest boxes, feeders & bird baths-$628 million; and $640 million for wildlife plantings). 13. This expenditure resulted in $85 billion in overall economic output. 14. A total of $13 billion was spent in state and federal taxes for items purchased for birding ($4.89 billion in state taxes and $7.70 billion in federal taxes. 15. The birding industry resulted in the creation of 863,406 jobs in 2001. 16. The net economic value of a birder for a resident state is $257 per year ($35 per day). For MN, this equates to $257 x 1,323,900 resident birders = $340,242,300 per year. 17. The net economic value of a birder who comes from another state to bird in MN is $488 per year ($124 per day). For MN, this equates to a value of $488 x 147,100= $71,784,800. 18. The grand total for economic value of retail sales/direct economic impact in MN is $412,027,100 per year, based on 2001 sales. 19. Overall economic impact: If you multiply the $412 million in sales by the overall economic impact multiplication factor (2.65625), you get a total economic benefit in MN of $1.09 billion overall economic output per year. MY OPINION ADDED HERE 20. The bottom line: there is a lot more to the Minnesota outdoor recreation scene than has been previously recognized or acknowledged. Hunting, fishing, golf, boating, visiting casinos and viewing fall colors have long been and continue to be important staples for the recreation and tourism industry. Birders and wildlife watchers represent an often-overlooked but well-educated and relatively affluent group of stakeholders and natural resource users. They help diversify the economic base of rural and urban communities and are important allies in the conservation community to help support natural resource and wildlife conservation initiatives. From two-jays@att.net Fri Oct 31 20:13:05 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 12:13:05 -0800 Subject: [mou] whooper swan records Message-ID: Dennis Martin writes: How can it be misleading to consider the record? To dismiss it out of hand certainly is misleading. The latter suggests that the possibility of a wild bird does not exist, when clearly it does. A responsible committee would give serious consideration to any record submitted to it, considering all circumstances and history, to be sure, but not assuming that history always repeats itself. I will assume that MOURC is a responsible committee, and hope that someone submits this Whooper Swan record for its consideration. Jim Williams Wayzata From jmcbride@minneapolisparks.org Fri Oct 31 18:41:48 2003 From: jmcbride@minneapolisparks.org (McBride, James E. "Jamie") Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 12:41:48 -0600 Subject: [mou] whooper swan records Message-ID: Would it be possible to keep this a place to post birds sightings and = not worry about what the records committee will or won't accept. As a = naturalist and avid birder I appreciate reports of bird sightings and = often use the info for my job. I get these messages at work and have = recently become overrun by numerous discussions of other things... Or, Maybe I should just keep my thoughts to myself... jamie -----Original Message----- From: Jim Williams [mailto:two-jays@att.net] Sent: Friday, October 31, 2003 2:13 PM To: MOU-net Subject: [mou] whooper swan records Dennis Martin writes: How can it be misleading to consider the record? To dismiss it out of = hand certainly is misleading. The latter suggests that the possibility of a = wild bird does not exist, when clearly it does. A responsible committee would give serious consideration to any record submitted to it, considering all circumstances and history, to be sure, = but not assuming that history always repeats itself. I will assume that MOURC is a responsible committee, and hope that = someone submits this Whooper Swan record for its consideration. Jim Williams Wayzata _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net From Cindy.Schneider@state.mn.us Fri Oct 31 18:55:21 2003 From: Cindy.Schneider@state.mn.us (Cindy Schneider) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 12:55:21 -0600 Subject: [mou] November 19 Birding Festival training - Red Wing, MN Message-ID: To: Tourism Organizations From: Minnesota Office of Tourism Subject: Birding Festival - November 19, Red Wing, MN The Minnesota Office of Tourism "How to Organize a Birding or Nature Festival" November 19 training seminar at the St. James Hotel in Red Wing has been canceled due to an emergency situation. The Minnesota Office of Tourism will reschedule this event. We apologize for this unexpected change in plans and look forward to hosting this event in the future. For more information about wildlife tourism or birding festivals and events in Minnesota, contact a Minnesota Office of Tourism regional office: Brainerd 888-629-6466 Duluth 888-876-6784 Mankato 888-975-6766 Metro 800-657-3637 Visit the American Birding Association Website to access valuable resource information including, "How to Host a Nature or Birding Festival" at www.americanbirding.org. Cindy Schneider, Industry Relations Unit Minnesota Office of Tourism 121 East 7th Place, #100 St. Paul, MN 55101 Phone: 651/297-2333 1-800-657-3637 Fax: 651/296-7095 cindy.schneider@state.mn.us www.exploreminnesota.com From birdnird@yahoo.com Fri Oct 31 19:08:13 2003 From: birdnird@yahoo.com (Terence Brashear) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 11:08:13 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Whooper Swan Discussion - Moderator Comment In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20031031190813.36812.qmail@web13801.mail.yahoo.com> All members of the list please take the time to read the guidelines for MOU-NET listed below. These are also available on the MOU website: http://www.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/listservice.html The discussion of Whooper Swan records is allowed as stated in the MOU-NET guidelines. If you have an issue with the guidelines the MOU ECC Committee is more than happy to discuss this with you since this a service offered to all MOU members. Regards, Terry Brashear Co-moderator for MOU-NET MOU-Net is an electronic mailing list made available to all persons interested in the birds of Minnesota. It is a place where birders can share their notable sightings with other interested people. MOU-Net is not meant to be a mailing list for posting every sighting; rather, look here for posts of observations that contribute to the understanding of the birds in the state. This includes sightings of birds that are unusual, in an unusual location or out of season, or present in significantly higher numbers than normally expected. The MOU will send out transcripts of its telelphone hotlines to people subscribed to this mailing list. You can use these transcripts as a guide to what is "notable". MOU-Net is also a place where you can ask questions or make observations regarding the identification, behavior, and natural history of birds in Minnesota. Finally, it is available for conducting or reporting on the business of the MOU and its affiliated clubs. These postings might include announcements of planned activities (such as a field trip) or simply be notices of upcoming meetings. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears http://launch.yahoo.com/promos/britneyspears/ From amccutch@cannon.net Fri Oct 31 19:47:41 2003 From: amccutch@cannon.net (Alden McCutchan) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 14:47:41 -0500 Subject: [mou] Sogn Valley Message-ID: MOU netters - Sogn Valley is ten miles from Kenyon, Cannon Falls, Nerstrand, Dennison, and Wanamingo - beautifully located at the center of Nowhere, Goodhue County and half way between Rochester and St. Paul. Excuse my omission & thanks for the reminder. Alden From two-jays@att.net Fri Oct 31 23:59:14 2003 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 15:59:14 -0800 Subject: [mou] O'Connor address Message-ID: Is Bob O'Connor of Moorhead on this network? I would like to get in touch with him. Thanks. Jim Williams Wayzata From elijahparker@tds.net Fri Oct 31 22:24:14 2003 From: elijahparker@tds.net (Elijah Parker) Date: 31 Oct 2003 16:24:14 -0600 Subject: [mou] Directions to Sage Thrasher Message-ID: <1067639058.2840.1.camel@localhost.localdomain> Could someone tell me how to find the campground that the Sage Thrasher is present at? I plan to go to find it tomorrow. Thanks in advance! -Elijah Fridley, MN From sundew@boreal.org Fri Oct 31 23:14:36 2003 From: sundew@boreal.org (Jeremy Ridlbauer) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 17:14:36 -0600 Subject: [mou] Directions to Sage Thrasher In-Reply-To: <1067639058.2840.1.camel@localhost.localdomain> Message-ID: Elijah - Head up the North Shore on Hwy 61 to Grand Marais. You are almost there when you are going through the construction. Near the bottom of the hill coming into town, on the right side (lake side) is the rec park. It may or may not have a sign up right now due to the construction, but there are campground-like buildings and campers in sight from the highway. The SATH has been seen at the end of the road, near the boat launch area, at the pavilion, and along the creek that runs through the park. Just find a place to park and wander through, you'll be bound to run into another birder who knows where it is or find it yourself. Jeremy Jeremy Ridlbauer Sundew Technical Services 47� 44' 59" -90� 20' 17" PO Box 1057 117 4th Ave W Grand Marais, MN 55604 USA Cell: 218-370-0733 Office: 218-387-2966 http://www.sundewtech.net sundew@boreal.org -----Original Message----- From: mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu [mailto:mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu]On Behalf Of Elijah Parker Sent: Friday, October 31, 2003 4:24 PM To: mou-net@cbs.umn.edu Subject: [mou] Directions to Sage Thrasher Could someone tell me how to find the campground that the Sage Thrasher is present at? I plan to go to find it tomorrow. Thanks in advance! -Elijah Fridley, MN _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net From nature@gunflint.com Fri Oct 31 23:54:45 2003 From: nature@gunflint.com (Naturalist) Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 17:54:45 -0600 Subject: [mou] Upper Gunflint Trail Birds Message-ID: There have been a lot of interesting bird sightings lately on the upper Gunflint Trail. Many of the winter birds have come in, and a few of the summer birds still remain. The most interesting sighting has been at the feeders outside the naturalist office of Gunflint Lodge where I have seen an immature red-winged blackbird for each of the last three days. It had very different plumage from either the male or female adults. I was able to make the identification from the orange-red coverts that showed only when flying, the light superciliary line above the eye, the upward tail flick which is used as a common response to human presence, and the single note call. The feathers were darker than the adult female, and lighter than the adult male. There were lighter lines going down the back, and it was almost speckled on the breast. I had another local birder view this bird for confirmation. It is the only bird of that species that I have recently seen in the area. Some of the other birds that have been regular visitors to the feeders outside my office are; the pine grosbeak, evening grosbeak, black-capped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, blue jay, gray jay, snow bunting, hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, song sparrow, and chipping sparrow. I have also had frequent sighting of the common raven flying over the south shore of Gunflint Lake. About a week and a half ago, I also had some pine siskins at my feeders. A few days ago, I saw a black-backed woodpecker on the nearby Magnetic Rock trail. This trail seems to be the most consistant place to find black-backed woodpeckers in the area. Also, watch for moose and moose sign on that trail, as I had one walk across the trail about sixty yards in front of me relatively recently. John Silliman Gunflint Lodge Naturalist