[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, April 23, 2004

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, April 23,
2004 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.

Migration is heating up this week, and soon the bulk of the passerines
will arrive. We are seeing a few reports of shorebirds already, the
raptors are continuing to go through, ducks and geese are back, and the
grebes, rails, and egrets are starting to return.  A little rain has
fallen, and now the landscape is starting to show a little green- will
the warblers make it before the trees are fully leafed out? We shall be
watching.

A WHITE-FACED IBIS is being seen in Otter Tail County  as reported by
Dan and Sandy Thimgan on April 19th. Directions to the site are to take
CR15 west out of Fergus Falls for about 3-4 miles until you see an old
school house on the right side of the road. Turn right onto 210th Street
and go 1/2 mile. The wetland where the ibis has been seen is on the
south side of the road. The bird moves around so look thoroughly.

Another good find by Craig Mandel is a CATTLE EGRET in Grant County.
Directions to that bird are as follows: from I94 take the Ashby exit to
the north, turn right on CR54 in less than a block, follow this to Ashby
Estates Rd. E and turn left. Look for the bird on your right with the
cattle.

In Polk County, Mike Hendrickson had a GOLDEN EAGLE fly over his head at
the Glacial Ridge Project on Friday, April 16th.

Bob and Adele Powell  in Roseau County reported that TUNDRA SWANS, and
SANDHILL CRANES reached the area on the 10th, and later in the week WOOD
DUCKS, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, and FOX SPARROWS showed up, so many species
reached the Canadian border this week.

Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in Marshall County has opened the Auto
Tour Route for the summer, and staff there report that RED-NECKED GREBES
and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were spotted on the 16th, while
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were seen on the 19th.

In Pennington County, two COMMON LOONS were seen on the Red Lake River
at the 8th Street bridge in Thief River Falls by Maggie Anderson on  the
18th. On the 17th, nearly 1000 SANDHILL CRANES were seen along State
Highway 1  near the Pennington- Marshall County line. Other Pennington
County sightings include BELTED KINGFISHER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, and
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW appeared in our yard on
the 19th.

Mike Hendrickson's MOU field trip to Polk County on Saturday and Sunday
, the 17th and 18th, saw both GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS and SHARP-TAILED
GROUSE dancing on their leks in the Glacial Ridge area. Other
interesting species seen by the group in Polk County included GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE and BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS at the Crookston wastewater
treatment ponds, TRUMPETER SWANS, TUNDRA SWANS, GRAY PARTRIDGE, MARBLED
GODWIT, FRANKLIN'S GULL, BONAPARTE'S GULL, HERRING GULL, RING-BILLED
GULL, both LONG-EARED OWL- at the Wetland, Pines, and Prairies Audubon
Sanctuary, and SHORT-EARED OWL at Glacial Ridge area, LECONTE'S SPARROW,
and LAPLAND LONGSPURS. Up to 1000 SANDHILL CRANES were seen a mile west
of Melo Church which is along CR 23 in the northwestern part of the
county. Mike Christopherson reported a MERLIN  which is nesting in the
Oakdale Cemetery  in Crookston. John Holland saw 25-30 TUNDRA SWANS near
the intersection of Highway 220 and CR 21. A BALD EAGLE was seen
building a nest along CR 21 near the Pennington County line. Randy
Chaffee reported a WILSON'S SNIPE in his yard on April 18th.

Joel Claus and Cyndi Elias were at Felton Prairie on the 18th, and they
reported BALD EAGLE, MARBLED GODWIT, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, WINTER WREN, and
CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR  there. Mel and Elaine Bennefeld reported a
TURKEY VULTURE, and a CHIPPING SPARROW seen at the Ponderosa Golf Club
on April 20th.

Becker County sightings sent in by Sally Hausken included AMERICAN COOT,
NORTHERN FLICKER, TREE SWALLOW, and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET on the 18th.
>From Hamden Slough, Mary Wyatt reported the first sighting of
SHARP-TAILED GROUSE at the refuge in many years on the 19th. Mary's
other sightings at the refuge included GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN,  OSPREY,
LESSER YELLOWLEGS, SONG SPARROW, BREWER'S BLACKBIRD, and YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRD. Elsewhere in the county she saw COMMON LOON, BROWN CREEPER
and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW on the 21st. Connie Norheim visited Hamden
Slough on April 19th and she included four MARBLED GODWITS and a BALD
EAGLE in her sightings.

Craig Mandel and Debbie Arnold found more than 100 GREATER
PRAIRIE-CHICKENS booming on the traditional lek at the Rothsay WMA in
Wilkin County on April 20th.

>From Douglas County, Susan Wiste reports that the EASTERN BLUEBIRDS have
already produced eggs in her bluebird house.

Thanks to Mary Wyatt, Mel and Elaine Bennefeld, Randy Chaffee, Mike
Christopherson, Mike Hendrickson, Bruce Flaig, John Holland, Connie
Norheim, Craig Mandel, Dan and Sandy Thimgan, Maggie Anderson, Bob and
Adele Powell, Joel Claus, Susan Wiste, and Sally Hausken 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, April 30, 2004.