From Byokel@aol.com Mon Mar 1 01:39:11 2004 From: Byokel@aol.com (Byokel@aol.com) Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 20:39:11 EST Subject: [mou] Golden Eagle in Melrude (St Louis Co.) Message-ID: <5a.282e8e0c.2d73ee3f@aol.com> We had the pleasure of watching a northbound immature Golden Eagle not far from our house this AM. The bird was being harassed by a pair of Ravens. Ben Yokel Melrude, MN Byokel@aol.com From dbmartin@skypoint.com Mon Mar 1 01:36:52 2004 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 19:36:52 -0600 Subject: [mou] Spruce Grouse, etc Message-ID: <00e101c3ff2d$b32eb620$6e2e56c7@oemcomputer> 8:15AM today, a mile and a half north of the Sand River 9:00AM, mile post 304 on Highway 1, this is about 7 and a half miles west of Highway 1 Also today there were Red Crossbills in the pine plantations on the Mitawan Lake Road, and the juvenile Iceland Gull and Harlequin Duck were in the harbor at Two Harbors. There are lots of gulls in Knife River both on the island off the marina and in the back yard of the western most smoked fish place. We got a poor look at what probably was an adult Thayer's Gull. Not a good enough look to be sure but enough that others who are much better with gulls should look for it if they get a chance. Dennis and Barbara Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com From sharonks@mn.rr.com Mon Mar 1 04:26:16 2004 From: sharonks@mn.rr.com (Sharon Stiteler) Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 22:26:16 -0600 Subject: [mou] Kenn Kaufman on MPR Message-ID: Kenn Kaufman is going to be on MPR on Tuesday morning between 10am - 11am to talk about birds and answer live phone questions. There's concern that the host doesn't think birding is very interesting and the segment will tank. Please feel free to call in and show that we Minnesota birders do have a voice, and an interesting one at that. Sharon From Chris Benson" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_038C_01C3FF6C.53DAE0B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Yesterday John Hockema found a Ross's Goose at the west side of Silver = Lake in Rochester. The bird is fairly active, it could be next to the parking lot or on the = other side of the lake. Also at Silver Lake over the past two days were Hooded Merganser, = Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup and Black Duck. At the south Landfill Reservoir (14th St NW and 70th Av NW) have been at = least 24 Greater White-fronted Geese. A Snow Goose was seen Saturday. Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds are showing up in flocks. John saw Rusty Blackbirds and Snipe yesterday as well... In Dodge county a landowner reported that the Snowy Owl was seen as = recently as Thursday but it was a couple miles north of where it had been reported, so don't = just check 690th St in between 140th Av (county Rd Y) and 150th Avenue, give the whole area a good = search. You might find a Harrier or Northern Goshawk. Both have been seen here within the past = week. While roaming Saturday evening the area I saw an American Woodcock and a red-phase Eastern Screech-owl. Horned Larks are everywhere; onesies, twosies and flocksies... ------=_NextPart_000_038C_01C3FF6C.53DAE0B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Yesterday John Hockema found a Ross's = Goose at the=20 west side of Silver Lake in Rochester.
The bird is fairly active, it could be = next to the=20 parking lot or on the other side of the lake.
Also at Silver Lake over the past two = days were=20 Hooded Merganser, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck,
Lesser Scaup and Black = Duck.
At the south Landfill Reservoir (14th = St NW and=20 70th Av NW) have been at least 24 Greater White-fronted = Geese.
A Snow Goose was seen = Saturday.
Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds are = showing up in=20 flocks.
John saw Rusty Blackbirds and Snipe = yesterday as=20 well...
 
In Dodge county a landowner reported = that the Snowy=20 Owl was seen as recently as Thursday
but it was a couple miles north of = where it had=20 been reported, so don't just check 690th St in between
140th Av (county Rd Y) and 150th = Avenue, give the=20 whole area a good search.  You might find
a Harrier or Northern Goshawk.  = Both have been=20 seen here within the past week.
While roaming Saturday evening the area = I saw an=20 American Woodcock and a
red-phase Eastern = Screech-owl.
Horned Larks are everywhere; onesies, = twosies and=20 flocksies...
 
------=_NextPart_000_038C_01C3FF6C.53DAE0B0-- From Chris.Fagyal@udlp.com Mon Mar 1 13:31:18 2004 From: Chris.Fagyal@udlp.com (Chris Fagyal) Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 07:31:18 -0600 Subject: [mou] Mount Olivet...Titmouse...Nay :/ Message-ID: Went to Mount Olivet yesterday for a few hours and had my typical lack of = luck in seeing what I was looking for. Talked to one of the staff members = and she said the titmouse was seen on Saturday so I hung out near the = steps around the southern side of the building and watched the feeder for = roughly 2 hours. Zero luck for the titmouse. Did see plenty of other = stuff, most of which was just common feeder stuff. =20 I suppose interesting was: 2 common redpolls that showed up for about 2 or 3 minutes and foraged in = the bush 5 feet away from me 1 Snow Goose fly-over with a flock of 35 Canada's Chris Fagyal Senior Software Engineer United Defense, L.P. Fridley, MN (763) 572-5320 chris.fagyal@udlp.com From Paul.Budde@us.benfieldgroup.com Mon Mar 1 14:02:39 2004 From: Paul.Budde@us.benfieldgroup.com (Paul Budde) Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 08:02:39 -0600 Subject: [mou] Winter Season Message-ID: The winter season (12/1 - 2/29) has ended. If you will be sending in a seasonal report for inclusion in the winter summary to be published in The Loon, please do so now. Electronic reports should be e-mailed to me by March 15th at this address. At that time I will compile what has been received and pass along the data to Peder and Karl. If you would rather submit by paper, please mail your forms directly to Peder Svingen. Thanks for your observations and the details you provide! Paul Paul Budde Minneapolis, MN paul.budde@us.benfieldgroup.com From tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu Mon Mar 1 14:39:26 2004 From: tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu (Houghton, Timothy D. ) Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 08:39:26 -0600 Subject: [mou] birding Scotland/groups? Message-ID: <22ECDF671FCD564398087D64CFCF46BD04591512@EXCHANGE.campus.stcloudstate.edu> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C3FF9A.FEC5292C Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Perhaps someone out there has been in the Edinburgh area of Scotland-birding there. If so, and you know of any group(s) I might contact there to get help or join on a field trip, I'd certainly appreciate knowing. =20 Thanks, =20 Tim Houghton ------_=_NextPart_001_01C3FF9A.FEC5292C Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Perhaps someone out there has been in the Edinburgh area of Scotland—birding there. If so, and you know of any group(s) I might contact there to get = help or join on a field trip, I’d certainly appreciate = knowing.

 

Thanks,

 

Tim Houghton

------_=_NextPart_001_01C3FF9A.FEC5292C-- From Timmerman@southwestmsu.edu Mon Mar 1 16:27:41 2004 From: Timmerman@southwestmsu.edu (Timmerman, Janet) Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 10:27:41 -0600 Subject: [mou] Spring has sprung Message-ID: <2E1A9B1AEF64D01198510000F82173A3041D3D61@mail.southwestsmsu.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_01C3FFAA.228F822F Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Went to Pipestone on Saturday to see if the reported Towsend's Solitaire was still hanging out. No sight of it, but 8 robins were there, lots of Field and Tree sparrows, and every imaginable shade of Junco. At Current Lake, in north west Murray County the aerators have opened a nice large patch of water near the road along the north side. Lots of Canada geese and Mallards but also a pair of Hooded Mergansers, a small group of Shovelers and Common Goldeneye. Janet 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 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C3FFAA.228F822F Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1"
Went to Pipestone on Saturday to see if the reported Towsend's Solitaire was still hanging out. No sight of it, but 8 robins were there, lots of Field and Tree sparrows, and every imaginable shade of Junco. At Current Lake, in north west Murray County the aerators have opened a nice large patch of water near the road along the north side. Lots of Canada geese and Mallards but also a pair of Hooded Mergansers, a small group of Shovelers and Common Goldeneye.
Janet

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

 
------_=_NextPart_001_01C3FFAA.228F822F-- From Wildchough@aol.com Mon Mar 1 21:10:33 2004 From: Wildchough@aol.com (Wildchough@aol.com) Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 16:10:33 -0500 Subject: [mou] King Rail Midwest status (long) Message-ID: <2FD6FE38.4FCE6AF9.0D31378E@aol.com> SSB3YXMgYmVtdXNlZCB1cG9uIHJldHVybmluZyB0byBNTiBhZnRlciBhIGJyaWVmIHRyaXAg dG8gZmluZCBhIHBvdCBvZiBjb250cm92ZXJzeSBoYWQgYmVlbiBzdGlycmVkIGJ5IG15IHJl bWFya3MgYWJvdXQgZ3lycyBhbmQga2luZyByYWlscyBhbmQgTU9VUkMuICBTb21lIG5vdGVk IEkgaGFkIG5vIHJpZ2h0IHRvIG1ha2UgY29tbWVudHMgcmVnYXJkaW5nIE1PVVJDLCBhIGNv dXBsZSBvZiB3cml0ZXJzIHF1ZXN0aW9uZWQgbXkgInNjaWVuY2UsIiBhbmQgb25lIG5vdGVk IEkgd2FzIGNvbmRlbW5pbmcgYWxsIE1OIGJpcmRlcnMgYmVjYXVzZSBJIHNhaWQgdGhhdCBn eXJzIGFuZCBraW5nIHJhaWxzIHdlcmUgaGVyZSBpbiBsYXJnZXIgbnVtYmVycyB0aGFuIHB1 Ymxpc2hlZCByZWNvcmRzIGluZGljYXRlLiBJJ2xsIGRlYWwgd2l0aCBteSBNT1VSQyBjb21t ZW50cyBsYXRlci0tbXkgY29tbWVudHMgd2VyZSBoYXJkbHkgY2FsbGluZyBpbnRvIHF1ZXN0 aW9uIHRoZSBncmVhdCBkZWFsIG9mIHZvbHVudGVlciB3b3JrIHRoYXQgdGhpcyBjb21taXR0 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------=_NextPart_000_0030_01C3FFA3.81A915C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This morning, about 9 am, an adult Bald eagle was flying north just = above US 53 at mile marker 26 northeast of Cloquet. It was pouring rain = and the bird was flying low, following the highway. At about 2:30 pm I was traveling from Wadena to Alexandria on Hwy 29 and = just south of the Douglas Co line, another mature BE got up off the side = of the road with a dead cat in its talons. It had trouble gaining = altitude and was nearly hit by a northbound vehicle. Susan Wiste ------=_NextPart_000_0030_01C3FFA3.81A915C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This morning, about 9 am,  an = adult Bald=20 eagle was flying north just above US 53 at mile marker 26 northeast of = Cloquet.=20 It was pouring rain and the bird was flying low, following the=20 highway.
 
At about 2:30 pm I was traveling = from Wadena to=20 Alexandria on Hwy 29 and just south of the Douglas Co line, another = mature BE=20 got up off the side of the road with a dead cat in its talons. It had = trouble=20 gaining altitude and was nearly hit by a northbound = vehicle.
 
Susan = Wiste
------=_NextPart_000_0030_01C3FFA3.81A915C0-- From hughe112@mail.crk.umn.edu Mon Mar 1 23:39:27 2004 From: hughe112@mail.crk.umn.edu (Hughes, Heidi) Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2004 17:39:27 -0600 Subject: [mou] Wild Turkeys and Snowy Owl on US 75 Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C3FFE6.6F721468 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Rusty Miller (Crookston) was on his way to Fargo today and reported a flock of Wild Turkeys near Georgetown on US 75 LINK TO PHOTO: =20 http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/PolkCoBirds/vwp?.dir=3D/&.src=3Dgr&.= dnm =3DTurkeysGeorgetown+(1).jpg&.view=3Dt&.done=3Dhttp%3a//photos.groups.yah= oo.co m/group/PolkCoBirds/lst%3f%26.dir=3D/%26.src=3Dgr%26.view=3Dt =20 Diana Morkassel spotted a Snowy Owl on US 75 north of Angus (on the way to Warren MN) Sunday LINK TO PHOTO =20 http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/polkcobirds/vwp?.dir=3D/&.dnm=3DSnow= yOw l.jpg&.src=3Dgr&.done=3Dhttp%3a//photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/polkcobird= s/v wp%3f.dir=3D/%26.dnm=3DTurkeysGeorgetown%2b(1).jpg%26.src=3Dgr =20 =20 =20 Heidi Hughes Nature Northwest Project =20 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C3FFE6.6F721468 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Rusty Miller (Crookston) was on his way to Fargo today and reported a flock = of Wild Turkeys near Georgetown on US 75  LINK TO PHOTO:

 

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/PolkCoBirds/vwp= ?.dir=3D/&.src=3Dgr&.dnm=3DTurkeysGeorgetown+(1).jpg&.view=3D= t&.done=3Dhttp%3a//photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/PolkCoBirds/lst%3f%2= 6.dir=3D/%26.src=3Dgr%26.view=3Dt

 

Diana Morkassel spotted a Snowy Owl on US 75 north of Angus (on the = way to Warren MN) Sunday  LINK TO PHOTO

 

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/polkcobirds/vwp?.di= r=3D/&.dnm=3DSnowyOwl.jpg&.src=3Dgr&.done=3Dhttp%3a//photos.g= roups.yahoo.com/group/polkcobirds/vwp%3f.dir=3D/%26.dnm=3DTurkeysGeorgeto= wn%2b(1).jpg%26.src=3Dgr

 

 

 

Heidi Hughes

Nature Northwest Project

 

=00 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C3FFE6.6F721468-- From aajensen1@hotmail.com Tue Mar 2 11:33:28 2004 From: aajensen1@hotmail.com (Allison Jensen) Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 05:33:28 -0600 Subject: [mou] Minnesota Birding deadline Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C40017.E3F887A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Greetings! Just a friendly reminder that the deadline for the May issue of = Minnesota Birding is March=20 25. Please e-mail or mail submissions by that time to=20 Allison Jensen 1200 W. Eldridge Ave. Roseville, MN 55113 aajensen1@hotmail.com or call 651-488-3030 with questions. Thanks! ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C40017.E3F887A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Greetings!
 
Just a friendly reminder that the deadline for the May issue of = Minnesota=20 Birding is March
25. Please e-mail or mail submissions by that time to
 
Allison Jensen
1200 W. Eldridge Ave.
Roseville, MN 55113
 
or call 651-488-3030 with questions.
 
Thanks!
------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C40017.E3F887A0-- From PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net Tue Mar 2 15:13:57 2004 From: PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net (Pastor Al) Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 09:13:57 -0600 Subject: [mou] Northern trip Message-ID: <007501c40068$fe267af0$0b01a8c0@PastorAl> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0070_01C40036.B1417EB0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Nathan Schirmacher (age 11) and I traveled to portions of Aitkin County = and Sax-Zim bog yesterday. Goal was to enhance his northern specialties = experience (while he has a list of 200+, most are from southern and = central Wisconsin). He (and I) had quite a day: * Four Sharp-tailed Grouse, Aitkin 18 & St. Louis Cty 202 near 29 in = Sax-Zim (latter walking along side of road) * Northern Shrike, 18 * Ruffed Grouse, Aitkin 5 (word of explanation here - the general = Madison WI area has very few) - within two feet of the road, slipping = and sliding on the snow causing much merriment * Bohemian Waxwings, town of Palisade (just off 5) - perhaps 10 total * Pine & Evening Grosbeaks, congruence of St. Louis 5 & 29 * Four Gray Jays, two WW Crossbills, Pine Siskin, additional Pine = Grosbeaks in Sax-Zim (however, whiffed on Boreal Chickadees along 203 = and Great Grays along 7) * Great Gray Owl (finally!), return trip to Aitkin 18, in Hebron = Cemetary, last pass through * He also thoroughly enjoyed close encounters driving along MN 200 with = a Bald Eagle (8-10 feet away), Rough-legged Hawk (sitting on six foot = bush near side of road) and a Barred Owl (30 feet in front of us). He totaled eight life birds, and must admit that my experience was = enhanced through his joy. Good birding to all! Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties (formerly Madison, WI) ------=_NextPart_000_0070_01C40036.B1417EB0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Nathan Schirmacher (age 11) and I = traveled to=20 portions of Aitkin County and Sax-Zim bog yesterday.  Goal was to = enhance=20 his northern specialties experience (while he has a list of 200+, most = are from=20 southern and central Wisconsin).  He (and I) had quite a = day:
 
* Four Sharp-tailed Grouse, Aitkin = 18 &=20 St. Louis Cty 202 near 29 in Sax-Zim (latter walking along side of=20 road)
* Northern Shrike, 18
* Ruffed Grouse, Aitkin 5 (word of = explanation here=20 - the general Madison WI area has very few) - within two feet of = the road,=20 slipping and sliding on the snow causing much merriment
* Bohemian Waxwings, town of Palisade = (just off 5)=20 - perhaps 10 total
* Pine & Evening Grosbeaks, = congruence of St.=20 Louis 5 & 29
* Four Gray Jays, two WW Crossbills, = Pine Siskin,=20 additional Pine Grosbeaks in Sax-Zim (however, whiffed on = Boreal=20 Chickadees along 203 and Great Grays along 7)
* Great Gray Owl (finally!), return = trip to Aitkin=20 18, in Hebron Cemetary, last pass through
* He also thoroughly enjoyed close = encounters=20 driving along MN 200 with a Bald Eagle (8-10 feet away), Rough-legged = Hawk=20 (sitting on six foot bush near side of road) and a Barred Owl (30 feet = in front=20 of us).
 
He totaled eight life birds, and must = admit that my=20 experience was enhanced through his joy.
 
Good birding to all!
 
Al Schirmacher
Princeton, MN
Mille Lacs & Sherburne = Counties
(formerly Madison, WI)
 
 
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_0070_01C40036.B1417EB0-- From corax6330@yahoo.com Tue Mar 2 17:07:03 2004 From: corax6330@yahoo.com (fred lesher) Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 09:07:03 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Lansing Loop Field Trip Sat. Mar. 20 Message-ID: <20040302170703.18921.qmail@web13423.mail.yahoo.com> Loopers meet for this popular "greet the spring migrants" birding trip south along/near the Miss. R. LaCrosse to Lansing, Iowa via Wisconsin Hwy 35, returning north via Hwy 26 through New Albin, IA to LaCrescent, MN & LaCrosse. Meet at Hwy 35 entrance to Goose Island south of LaCrosse at 7:00AM. See flocks of migrating waterfowl including Tundra Swans and raptors including nesting Bald Eagles. We will have an opportunity to scope out Peregrine Falcon nest sites at or near power plants at Genoa, Wis. & Lansing, Ia. Small birds to be seen include Eastern Bluebirds and Tufted Titmice. This is a car-caravan trip of roughly 80 miles. Roadside walking only. Lunch on your own at Sweeney's Cafe/Bar overlooking the Miss. R. in Lansing around 12N. Return to LaCrosse by 3-4PM or leave or join as you wish. Dress for the day and bring binoculars. LaCrosse Motels, Rose St. 30 minutes from trip start: Exel Inn 608-781-0400; Hampton Inn 608-781-5100; Nightsaver 608-781-0200; Best Western (Midway Motor Lodge) 608-781-7000; Brookstone 608-781-1400; Roadstar 608-781-3070; Super 8 1-800-800-8000. LaCrosse Motels, I90 (North Kinney Coulee Rd.). 30 minutes from trip start: Baymont 877-BAYMONT; Microtel 1-800-888-771-7171. LaCrosse Motels, Mormon Coulee Rd. southside LaCrosse, 15 minutes from trip start: Bluff View 1-608-788-0600; Herold's Motel 1-608-788-1065. This birdwatching field trip is sponsored by Coulee Region Audubon society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, and organized and led by Fred Lesher, who will provide identification of birds and a spotting scope. Other birders will also provide identification. No fee, no membership required. Car-pooling encouraged. Fred Lesher, LaCrosse, Wis. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search - Find what you’re looking for faster http://search.yahoo.com From watsup@boreal.org Tue Mar 2 19:34:29 2004 From: watsup@boreal.org (Steve and Sherry Watson) Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 11:34:29 -0800 Subject: [mou] Evening Grosbeaks Message-ID: <000001c4008d$6272dca0$2f0f46d8@m7z0w8> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C4004A.544F9CA0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Today at 11:20 I had a wonderful surprise of 17 evening grosbeaks that sat down in the grove of aspen trees in our front yard. They usually are quite abundant at our place all winter long but this is the first time I=92ve seen them at our place since before New Year=92s Day. =20 =20 Josh Watson from Grand Marais --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.594 / Virus Database: 377 - Release Date: 2/24/04 =20 ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C4004A.544F9CA0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Today at 11:20 I had a wonderful surprise of 17 evening grosbeaks that = sat down in the grove of aspen trees in our front yard.  They usually are quite abundant = at our place all winter long but this is the first time I=92ve seen them at our place since before New Year=92s Day. 

 

=

Josh Watson = from

Grand = Marais


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.594 / Virus Database: 377 - Release Date: 2/24/04

------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C4004A.544F9CA0-- From larson@redwing.net Wed Mar 3 02:22:15 2004 From: larson@redwing.net (Kelly Larson) Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2004 20:22:15 -0600 Subject: [mou] Titmice Return Message-ID: <40454157.25C8552F@redwing.net> Murphy's Law prevails. Several of you made your way to Red Wing this past Friday morning in hopes of glimpsing the Titmice in my yard. I had not seen them in about a week. (very unusual, they have been at the feeders daily since mid October) In fact, all the birds seemed to have abandoned my yard. Sunday morning something changed... Everyone is back! Including the Titmice... Drop a line if you want another go at it. Kelly Larson Red Wing -- Visit Our Website http://www.thefeatheredfriend.com The 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival Is Coming... Hosted by Wabasha, MN on May 14-15-16 2004. http://www.mississippi-river.org/birding/ From EgretCMan@aol.com Wed Mar 3 04:08:47 2004 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 23:08:47 EST Subject: [mou] Faribault/Freeborn/Mower counties - 3/2/04 Message-ID: <1c2.15d2f694.2d76b44f@aol.com> -------------------------------1078286927 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 3/2/04 Spent the day birding in Faribault, Freeborn and Mower Counties with Nancy Jackson today. Highlights included an early date for a migrating Turkey Vulture and a possible first county record for Red-shouldered Hawk in Faribault County. Redwing Blackbirds were observed in large numbers in many places, with a few Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbird and Rusty Blackbirds mixed in with them. We also found some Snow and Greater White-fronted Geese at Walnut Lake WMA. The lakes that had aerator's on them this winter are starting to open, but most of the Geese were observed in fields or sitting on the ice of frozen lakes. Common Grackles, Rusty Blackbirds and @ Turkey Vulture - Freeborn County - A single bird was observed migrating North along Hyw 13 in Albert Lea around 1:00pm. @ Snow Geese - Faribault County - several flocks were observed in the fields, West of South Walnut Lake. @ Greater White-fronted Geese - Faribault County - 2 were observed sitting on the ice in the NW corner of South Walnut Lake. @ Red-shouldered Hawk - Faribault County - An adult Red-shouldered Hawk was observed in the woods along the North East shore of Bat Lake. @ Northern Shrike - Two Northern Shrikes were observed in Faribault County. One was along the Blue Earth County line. Blue Earth CR 46, 1/2 West of CR 19 and the other was observed 1/2 mile North of Faribault CR 126 along 540th Ave. @ Eastern Bluebird - Faribault County - Pilh's County Park - about a dozen Eastern Bluebirds were observed near the entrance to the park. @ Lapland Longspur - Observed in about a dozen locations in Faribault, Freeborn, Mower and Dodge County -------------------------------1078286927 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
3/2/04
 
Spent the day birding in Faribault, Freeborn and Mower Counties wi= th Nancy Jackson today.  Highlights included an early date for a m= igrating Turkey Vulture and a possible first county record for Red-shouldere= d Hawk in Faribault County.  Redwing Blackbirds were observed in large=20= numbers in many places, with a few Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbird and= Rusty Blackbirds mixed in with them.  We also found some Snow and= Greater White-fronted Geese at Walnut Lake WMA.  The lakes that h= ad aerator's on them this winter are starting to open, but most of the Geese= were observed in fields or sitting on the ice of frozen lakes.  Common= Grackles, Rusty Blackbirds and  
 
@ Turkey Vulture - Freeborn County - A single bird was observed migrati= ng North along Hyw 13 in Albert Lea around 1:00pm.
@ Snow Geese - Faribault County - several flocks were observed in the f= ields, West of South Walnut Lake.
@ Greater White-fronted Geese - Faribault County - 2 were observed sitt= ing on the ice in the NW corner of South Walnut Lake.
@ Red-shouldered Hawk - Faribault County - An adult Red-shouldered Hawk= was observed in the woods along the North East shore of Bat Lake.
@ Northern Shrike - Two Northern Shrikes were observed in Faribault Cou= nty.  One was along the Blue Earth County line.  Blue Earth CR 46,= 1/2 West of CR 19 and the other was observed 1/2 mile North of Faribault CR= 126 along 540th Ave.
@ Eastern Bluebird - Faribault County - Pilh's County Park - about a do= zen Eastern Bluebirds were observed near the entrance to the park.
@ Lapland Longspur - Observed in about a dozen locations in F= aribault, Freeborn, Mower and Dodge County
 
-------------------------------1078286927-- From psvingen@d.umn.edu Wed Mar 3 06:30:46 2004 From: psvingen@d.umn.edu (Peder Svingen) Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 00:30:46 -0600 (CST) Subject: [mou] Revised seasonal report forms Message-ID: The MOU seasonal report form has recently been updated and revised in accordance with the latest version of the Minnesota checklist (January 2004). The many changes in taxonomic sequence introduced by the 44th Supplement to the AOU checklist substantially alter which species are shown on the first 3 pages of the 8 page form. Please give special attention to these changes while entering your data on the new forms. A team of volunteers works on the compilation for spring and fall migration (currently, the summer and winter seasons are compiled entirely by one person). The pages are separated from one another during the spring and fall compilation process, so it,s very important that all contributors use the same version of the form (the separation of pages from one another is also the reason that we request that you enter your name, base county, and season/year on pages 1, 3, 5, and 7). Please note that *all previous versions of the seasonal report form are now obsolete* and cannot be used for submitting Spring 2004 data (the old forms can still be used for Winter 2003_04 data). The new forms were mailed out today to the 110 regular contributors to The Season. Anyone wishing to become a regular contributor to The Season can request the new form by contacting me at the address shown in each issue of The Loon, or at the e-mail address shown in this message. The new seasonal report form will be posted and available for downloading at the MOU web site by about the middle of March. Go to and click on "View" the Seasonal Report PDF file. On behalf of Karl Bardon, Paul Budde, Jim Lind, and Terry Wiens, thanks to all who contribute to The Season and especially those who respond to our requests for additional information and documentation. -- Peder H. Svingen - psvingen@d.umn.edu - Duluth, MN From Chris Benson" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0152_01C40100.BCA05B30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable At 9AM I saw two Greater White-fronted Geese land in a field on the north side of 65th St NW just west of US 52. The field is right across the street from the new church that is being = built. Chris Benson ------=_NextPart_000_0152_01C40100.BCA05B30 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
At 9AM I saw two Greater White-fronted = Geese land=20 in a
field on the north side of 65th St NW = just west of=20 US 52.
The field is right across the street = from the new=20 church that is being built.
 
Chris Benson
------=_NextPart_000_0152_01C40100.BCA05B30-- From sbeecher@visi.com Wed Mar 3 20:41:59 2004 From: sbeecher@visi.com (sbeecher@visi.com) Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 14:41:59 -0600 Subject: [mou] Swans Message-ID: <4045EEB7.16483.A82D87A@localhost> Hi everyone! I went down to the St. Croix on my daily trip to see if the two pair and one juvenile Trumpeters were around (no sightings for three days). I was pleased to see a couple large white shapes out on the river - and surprised when I glassed them and the orange bill jumped out at me. I've seen many hundreds of Trumpeters in this spot but never a Mute. Steve From esteb02@frontiernet.net Wed Mar 3 21:04:17 2004 From: esteb02@frontiernet.net (esteb02@frontiernet.net) Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 16:04:17 -0500 Subject: [mou] Active owl nests Message-ID: <20040303160417.40soscwswk8g04s8@webmail.frontiernet.net> A MN Zoo bird show naturalist is interested in videotaping (from a distance) an active owl nest (any species), if anyone on the list has information on the location of a filmable nest, preferably in the south metro area. Please e-mail me off-list if you have any information that you would be willing to share with him. Care will be taken not to interfere with the nest in any way. Thanks, Steve Estebo Avian Zoologist Minnesota Zoo esteb02@frontiernet.net From wenelson@mlecmn.net Thu Mar 4 00:54:29 2004 From: wenelson@mlecmn.net (Warren Nelson) Date: Wed, 03 Mar 2004 18:54:29 -0600 Subject: [mou] Snowy Owl in Aitkin County Message-ID: <40467E45.80BD2FAD@mlecmn.net> This evening I found a SNOWY OWL on C.R. 1 north of Aitkin. The owl was about 5 & 1/2 miles north of the Mississippi River bridge (this is about a mile north of the diversion channel). Warren Nelson From axhertzel@sihope.com Thu Mar 4 13:48:55 2004 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 07:48:55 -0600 Subject: [mou] MOU RBA 4 March 2004 Message-ID: --============_-1133714354==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday March 4th. The first TURKEY VULTURE of the season was spotted by Steve Millard on the 29th near Caledonia, Houston County. Another Vulture was seen by Craig Mandel on March 2nd migrating along state highway 13 in Albert Lean, Freeborn County. A dozen very early SANDHILL CRANES were also seen by Steve Millard on the 29th in Houston County near the Iowa border. A CAROLINA WREN was reported on the 3rd. It was seen on the back deck at the home of Ken Larson in Minnetonka, Hennepin County. Several observers have reported migrating geese in the past few days. SNOW GEESE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, and a ROSS'S GOOSE have all been sighted. Snow Geese were seen in Faribault County and Olmsted County. Greater White-fronted Geese were in Faribault County, Olmsted County, and on the Mississippi River in Ramsey County. And the single report of a Ross's Goose was from the west side of Silver Lake in Rochester, Olmsted County on February 29th. I have a second hand report of a SNOWY OWL along U.S. Highway 75 north of Angus in Polk County, though I have no specifics. Another Snowy was seen on the 28th in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul, Ramsey County. It has been observed on the roof of a house at the southeast corner of Fairmount and Finn Streets. And Warren Nelson reports a Snowy Owl from Aitkin County Road 1 about five and a half miles north of the Mississippi River bridge. SPRUCE GROUSE were reported again from Lake County on the 29th. Groups were seen a mile south and a mile and a half north of the Sand River on Lake County Road 2, and also along State Highway 1 at mile post 304. Other migrants recently reported include KILLDEER, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, AMERICAN ROBIN, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, RUSTY BLACKBIRD and RED-WINGED 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, March 11th. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com --============_-1133714354==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MOU RBA 4 March 2004
This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday March 4th.

The first TURKEY VULTURE of the season was spotted by Steve Millard on the 29th near Caledonia, Houston County. Another Vulture was seen by Craig Mandel on March 2nd migrating along state highway 13 in Albert Lean, Freeborn County. A dozen very early SANDHILL CRANES were also seen by Steve Millard on the 29th in Houston County near the Iowa border.

A CAROLINA WREN was reported on the 3rd. It was seen on the back deck at the home of Ken Larson in Minnetonka, Hennepin County.

Several observers have reported migrating geese in the past few days. SNOW GEESE, GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, and a ROSS'S GOOSE have all been sighted. Snow Geese were seen in Faribault County and Olmsted County. Greater White-fronted Geese were in Faribault County, Olmsted County, and on the Mississippi River in Ramsey County. And the single report of a Ross's Goose was from the west side of Silver Lake in Rochester, Olmsted County on February 29th.

I have a second hand report of a SNOWY OWL along U.S. Highway 75 north of Angus in Polk County, though I have no specifics. Another Snowy was seen on the 28th in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul, Ramsey County. It has been observed on the roof of a house at the southeast corner of Fairmount and Finn Streets. And Warren Nelson reports a Snowy Owl from Aitkin County Road 1 about five and a half miles north of the Mississippi River bridge.

SPRUCE GROUSE were reported again from Lake County on the 29th. Groups were seen a mile south and a mile and a half north of the Sand River on Lake County Road 2, and also along State Highway 1 at mile post 304.

Other migrants recently reported include KILLDEER, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, AMERICAN ROBIN, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, RUSTY BLACKBIRD and RED-WINGED 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, March 11th.

--
Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com
--============_-1133714354==_ma============-- From drbenson@cpinternet.com Thu Mar 4 14:57:56 2004 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David Benson) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 08:57:56 -0600 Subject: [mou] Duluth RBA 3/4/04 Message-ID: <524817F9-6DEC-11D8-B302-000A95AC3AF2@cpinternet.com> --Apple-Mail-1--826654649 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, March 4, 2004, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Warren Nelson found a SNOWY OWL in Aitkin County on the 3rd on Cty Rd 1 north of the town of Aitkin, 5.5 miles north of the Mississippi River bridge. This is about a mile north of a diversion channel. GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen again on Aitkin Cty Rd 18 near the Hebron Cemetery on the 2nd by Al Schirmacher. Mike Hendrickson saw a PEREGRINE FALCON on the Greysolon Bldg in Duluth on the 27th. Ben Yokel saw an immature GOLDEN EAGLE in Melrude on the 28th. Dudley Elmgren saw a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE 7 miles north of Rollins at the Petrol Creek Bridge on the 29th. Denny and Barb Martin reported SPRUCE GROUSE on Hwy 1 at mile marker 304 about 7.5 miles west of the jct. with Cty Rd 2 on the 29th, as well as on Cty Rd 2 1.5 miles north of the Sand River. On the same day, they saw the ICELAND GULL and HARLEQUIN DUCK at Agate Bay in Two Harbors. Julie O'Connor has had two NORTHERN GOSHAWKS in her yard near Duluth this winter. Anyone interested in trying to see them can e-mail her at JPMCOCON@aol.com. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, March 11 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. --Apple-Mail-1--826654649 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/enriched; charset=US-ASCII This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, March 4, 2004, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Warren Nelson found a SNOWY OWL in Aitkin County on the 3rd on Cty Rd 1 north of the town of Aitkin, 5.5 miles north of the Mississippi River bridge. This is about a mile north of a diversion channel. GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen again on Aitkin Cty Rd 18 near the Hebron Cemetery on the 2nd by Al Schirmacher. Mike Hendrickson saw a PEREGRINE FALCON on the Greysolon Bldg in Duluth on the 27th. Ben Yokel saw an immature GOLDEN EAGLE in Melrude on the 28th. Dudley Elmgren saw a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE 7 miles north of Rollins at the Petrol Creek Bridge on the 29th. Denny and Barb Martin reported SPRUCE GROUSE on Hwy 1 at mile marker 304 about 7.5 miles west of the jct. with Cty Rd 2 on the 29th, as well as on Cty Rd 2 1.5 miles north of the Sand River. On the same day, they saw the ICELAND GULL and HARLEQUIN DUCK at Agate Bay in Two Harbors. Julie O'Connor has had two NORTHERN GOSHAWKS in her yard near Duluth this winter. Anyone interested in trying to see them can e-mail her at JPMCOCON@aol.com. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, March 11 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. --Apple-Mail-1--826654649-- From benzdedrick@hotmail.com Thu Mar 4 18:06:52 2004 From: benzdedrick@hotmail.com (Dedrick Benz) Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2004 18:06:52 +0000 Subject: [mou] Dark-morph Red-tail, Winona County Message-ID: Thursday morning, I saw one along 248 heading west out of Rollingstone where the road starts to climb towards Altura. I don't see many of these - I probably pass some up thinking they're dark-morph rough-legs. Habitat seemed to closed in for Rough-legs, so I stopped to check it out. A wintering bird or a migrant? Dedrick Benz Winona, MN _________________________________________________________________ Learn how to help protect your privacy and prevent fraud online at Tech Hacks & Scams. http://special.msn.com/msnbc/techsafety.armx From PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net Thu Mar 4 19:39:40 2004 From: PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net (Pastor Al) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 13:39:40 -0600 Subject: [mou] Sherburne, spring not! Message-ID: <00fc01c40220$6fb33100$0b01a8c0@PastorAl> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00F9_01C401EE.24B962F0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Drove various portions of Sherburne NWA this morning, looking for avian = harbingers of spring; unfortunately only a kingfisher complied, no = red-wingeds or bluebirds evident. Son did have an early Turkey Vulture = along Mille Lacs 12 on 3/2. Good birding! Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN ------=_NextPart_000_00F9_01C401EE.24B962F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Drove various portions of Sherburne NWA = this=20 morning, looking for avian harbingers of spring; unfortunately only a = kingfisher=20 complied, no red-wingeds or bluebirds evident.  Son did have an = early=20 Turkey Vulture along Mille Lacs 12 on 3/2.
 
Good birding!
 
Al Schirmacher
Princeton, = MN
------=_NextPart_000_00F9_01C401EE.24B962F0-- From BobHoltz1933@aol.com Thu Mar 4 20:23:01 2004 From: BobHoltz1933@aol.com (BobHoltz1933@aol.com) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 15:23:01 EST Subject: [mou] Red-wings Message-ID: -------------------------------1078431781 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The Red-winged Blackbirds have returned to Roseville. Also in the same area of Central Park along the trail between Dale and Victoria the was a Northern Shrike this morning. Bob Holtz If you are too busy to go birding, you are too busy. -------------------------------1078431781 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
The Red-winged Blackbirds have returned to Roseville. Also in the same=20= area of Central Park along the trail between Dale and Victoria the was a Nor= thern Shrike this morning.
 
Bob Holtz
 
 
If you are too busy to go birding, you are too busy.
-------------------------------1078431781-- From smithville4@charter.net Thu Mar 4 22:58:13 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 16:58:13 -0600 Subject: [mou] Left Binoculars at Home. Message-ID: <000a01c4023c$2ca5e760$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C40209.E1D2DB30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I didn't go to Minneapolis to go birding, I didn't bring my scope nor my = binoculars. I had to do something that was hardest thing I could ever = do. Say good bye to my 16 yr old nephew who is suffering from cancer. Jake was at Fairview Children' Hospital, a place that made me want to = pick up every child and hold them. It was the most moving and saddest = place I ever been to. Seeing children walking around with cancer and = parents trying so hard to make thier lives happy was so emotional on me. When I got there I greeted my sister (mother of Jake) and we talked a = little and she said " Do you want to see Jake now?" I was so scared and = nervous as I didn't want to see my little Jake. I knew he lost weight = and I knew he had some serious tumbles in the last week and I was = nervous. I bit my lip and entered the room. There Jake rested slightly = up with his favorite stocking cap on and breathing thru a air = ventilator. Jake was drugged up and my sister wanted him to rest and be = comfortable. I grabbed Jake's left hand and said " Jake your uncle Mike = is here, how do you feel?" Jake gives me a thumbs up with his right = hand. After that the nurse came in and upped the drugs so he can remain = in a dream like state. This was the last time Jake communicated and it was with me! This is = taking a hard toll on me and I have been doing nothing but crying for = the last 4 days. I been mourning Jake since he was diagnosed with cancer = 2 years ago. When I left the hospital to do a errand for my sister and for some = reason I began to think about last topic on MOU lstserve and how we = squabbled about birds, MOURC, King Rails and Gyrs. I think its so odd in = one world there are people like those at Fairview fighting for thier = kids lives and there is this other world of birding and were fighting = and flaming each other over the status of birds in MN, MOURC and other = inside politics of birding in Minnesota. Jake and I were close as I am with my sister. Jake is still alive as I = type this but I know he's right in a better place. I know in my heart, = this episode with Jake and cancer has really soften me a lot. Put in a = perspective that there our diffently more things important than birding. = Birding is a great hobby to escape to but the little spats and the = control issues with the hobby is crap! I miss Jake and I will miss all the times we laughed and all the time we = spent together. The hardest thing was to walk in his room this morning = and say goodbye for the last time. My sister and I hugged. Cancer sucks! Hopefully my head will be on straight for the April 3-4 MOU Trip.=20 I wanted to share my events yesterday and today because I hope to put in = perspective in regards to our last chat or debate on birding in = Minnesota. I know there are some thinking this was a odd posting and it = doesn't belong here but to me it helps with the healing. I know so many = of you thru MOU Trips and just thru birding, I wanted to share my = feelings. I hope that is ok with you all. I am tired and rung out. I feel the Stone Cold Mike is melted down to a = hobbit Mike. Thanks for your time Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C40209.E1D2DB30 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I didn't go to Minneapolis to go = birding, I didn't=20 bring my scope nor my binoculars. I had to do something that was hardest = thing I=20 could ever do. Say good bye to my 16 yr old nephew who is suffering from = cancer.
 
Jake was at Fairview Children' = Hospital, a place=20 that made me want to pick up every child and hold them. It was the = most=20 moving and saddest place I ever been to. Seeing children walking = around=20 with cancer and parents trying so hard to make thier lives happy was so=20 emotional on me.
 
When I got there I greeted my sister = (mother of=20 Jake) and we talked a little and she said " Do you want to see Jake = now?" I was=20 so scared and nervous as I didn't want to see my little Jake. I knew he = lost=20 weight and I knew he had some serious tumbles in the last week and I was = nervous. I bit my lip and entered the room. There Jake rested slightly = up with=20 his favorite stocking cap on and breathing thru a air ventilator. Jake = was=20 drugged up and my sister wanted him to rest and be comfortable. I = grabbed Jake's=20 left hand and said " Jake your uncle Mike is here,  how do you = feel?" Jake=20 gives me a thumbs up with his right hand. After that the nurse came in = and upped=20 the drugs so he can remain in a dream like state.
 
This was the last time Jake = communicated and it was=20 with me! This is taking a hard toll on me and I have been doing nothing = but=20 crying for the last 4 days. I been mourning Jake since he was diagnosed = with=20 cancer 2 years ago.
 
When I left the hospital to do a errand = for my=20 sister and for some reason I began to think about last topic on MOU = lstserve and=20 how we squabbled about birds, MOURC, King Rails and Gyrs. I think its so = odd in=20 one world there are people like those at Fairview fighting for thier = kids lives=20 and there is this other world of birding and were fighting and flaming = each=20 other over the status of birds in MN, MOURC and other inside politics of = birding=20 in Minnesota.
 
Jake and I were close as I am with my = sister. Jake=20 is still alive as I type this but I know he's right in a better = place. I=20 know in my heart, this episode with Jake and cancer has really soften me = a lot.=20 Put in a perspective that there our diffently more things important than = birding. Birding is a great hobby to escape to but the little spats and = the=20 control issues with the hobby is crap!
 
I miss Jake and I will miss all the = times we=20 laughed and all the time we spent together. The hardest thing was = to walk=20 in his room this morning and say goodbye for the last time. My sister = and I=20 hugged. Cancer sucks!
 
Hopefully my head will be on = straight for the=20 April 3-4 MOU Trip.
 
I wanted to share my events yesterday = and=20 today because I hope to put in perspective in regards to our = last chat=20 or debate on birding in Minnesota. I know there are some thinking this = was=20 a odd posting and it doesn't belong here but to me it helps = with=20 the healing. I know so many of you thru MOU Trips and just thru = birding, I=20 wanted to share my feelings. I hope that is ok with you = all.
 
I am tired and rung out. I feel = the Stone Cold=20 Mike is melted down to a hobbit Mike.
 
Thanks for your time
 
Mike = Hendrickson 
------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C40209.E1D2DB30-- From rjspecht@juno.com Fri Mar 5 00:37:31 2004 From: rjspecht@juno.com (Richard J Specht) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 18:37:31 -0600 Subject: [mou] Left Binoculars at Home. Message-ID: <20040304.183732.852.3.rjspecht@juno.com> Thanks for sharing this Mike! I am seem to be surrounded with these type situations right now and I agree with you about how insignificant (in the scheme of things) it is to squabble about King Rails, etc. It is a free country so it is fine for those who enjoy doing such a thing. I don't bother reading them so I sure don't want to pass judgement but I sure hope that those for whom these are really important issues are thankful for their blessings since they are likely not experiencing those like you mentioned below. It is good to get grounded periodically about what is really important in life. Rick Specht On Thu, 4 Mar 2004 16:58:13 -0600 "Michael Hendrickson" writes: > I didn't go to Minneapolis to go birding, I didn't bring my scope nor > my binoculars. I had to do something that was hardest thing I could > ever do. Say good bye to my 16 yr old nephew who is suffering from > cancer. > > Jake was at Fairview Children' Hospital, a place that made me want > to pick up every child and hold them. It was the most moving and > saddest place I ever been to. Seeing children walking around with > cancer and parents trying so hard to make thier lives happy was so > emotional on me. > > When I got there I greeted my sister (mother of Jake) and we talked > a little and she said " Do you want to see Jake now?" I was so > scared and nervous as I didn't want to see my little Jake. I knew he > lost weight and I knew he had some serious tumbles in the last week > and I was nervous. I bit my lip and entered the room. There Jake > rested slightly up with his favorite stocking cap on and breathing > thru a air ventilator. Jake was drugged up and my sister wanted him > to rest and be comfortable. I grabbed Jake's left hand and said " > Jake your uncle Mike is here, how do you feel?" Jake gives me a > thumbs up with his right hand. After that the nurse came in and > upped the drugs so he can remain in a dream like state. > > This was the last time Jake communicated and it was with me! This is > taking a hard toll on me and I have been doing nothing but crying > for the last 4 days. I been mourning Jake since he was diagnosed > with cancer 2 years ago. > > When I left the hospital to do a errand for my sister and for some > reason I began to think about last topic on MOU lstserve and how we > squabbled about birds, MOURC, King Rails and Gyrs. I think its so > odd in one world there are people like those at Fairview fighting > for thier kids lives and there is this other world of birding and > were fighting and flaming each other over the status of birds in MN, > MOURC and other inside politics of birding in Minnesota. > > Jake and I were close as I am with my sister. Jake is still alive as > I type this but I know he's right in a better place. I know in my > heart, this episode with Jake and cancer has really soften me a lot. > Put in a perspective that there our diffently more things important > than birding. Birding is a great hobby to escape to but the little > spats and the control issues with the hobby is crap! > > I miss Jake and I will miss all the times we laughed and all the > time we spent together. The hardest thing was to walk in his room > this morning and say goodbye for the last time. My sister and I > hugged. Cancer sucks! > > Hopefully my head will be on straight for the April 3-4 MOU Trip. > > I wanted to share my events yesterday and today because I hope to > put in perspective in regards to our last chat or debate on birding > in Minnesota. I know there are some thinking this was a odd posting > and it doesn't belong here but to me it helps with the healing. I > know so many of you thru MOU Trips and just thru birding, I wanted > to share my feelings. I hope that is ok with you all. > > I am tired and rung out. I feel the Stone Cold Mike is melted down > to a hobbit Mike. > > Thanks for your time > > Mike Hendrickson ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! From ajjoppru@wiktel.com Fri Mar 5 02:30:28 2004 From: ajjoppru@wiktel.com (Jeanie Joppru) Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 20:30:28 -0600 Subject: [mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, March 5, 2004 Message-ID: <000101c40259$d9ccf790$1a3292ce@main> This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, March 5, 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. March, as usual, is proving to be a fickle month- one day it's spring, the next it's below zero again. However the lengthening days give us hope that the cold will soon be over, and brings spring birds even at winter temperatures.=20 >From Otter Tail County, Alma Ronningen sent in the first report of an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW since late last fall. Other species seen in the county were HORNED LARKS, another migrant species, and COMMON REDPOLLS which have been in the area all winter. Wilkin County has produced some exciting birding lately. Dan and Sandy Thimgan were there on March 2nd, and counted 91 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS , the greatest number of which were near the intersection of 300th Ave. and 190th Street in the Rothsay Prairie area. Other species found there included 3 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 1 NORTHERN HARRIER, 2 RING-NECKED PHEASANTS, 2 NORTHERN SHRIKES, and a single SNOW BUNTING. Jan Campbell in Detroit Lakes , Becker County, reported a BALD EAGLE soaring over the city on March 2nd, while Kay Hartness saw a RUFFED GROUSE, AMERICAN CROW, and AMERICAN ROBIN, her first for the spring. On March 1st, Rusty Miller spotted a flock of WILD TURKEYS on US highway 75 near Georgetown in Clay County. In Polk County a SNOWY OWL was observed by Diana Morkassel north of Angus along Highway 75 on February 29th. Donna and Leon Thoreson found two BALD EAGLES feeding on a dead deer along Minnesota Highway 9 near the Red River bridge. In Crookston, John Loegering saw the local MERLIN in the Oakdale Cemetery area- this is the area where it nested last year. A GREAT HORNED OWL was also on the scene when the Merlin was sighted. Nathaniel Emery saw a NORTHERN HARRIER along Minnesota Highway 102 on February 29th. A WILD TURKEY was spotted on a lawn near Fertile, and HORNED LARKS were reported by most observers this week. Heidi Hughes has been making regular trips to Pancratz Prairie lately and has been treated to the sight of from six to twelve SHORT-EARED OWLS hunting over the prairie at dawn and dusk. Maggie Anderson reported seeing a group of eight CANADA GEESE flying over Thief River Falls in Pennington County this week. It is unknown if these over wintered here, as some did last winter, or if this is the vanguard of returning geese. If so, they will find it hard to find open water in the area, except for the small area below the dam. Mark Otnes went to Roseau County on February 27th. He reported a NORTHERN HAWK OWL along highway 310 throughout the day between mile markers 8 and 9. This is the same area where this species was reported last year several times , and it is assumed to be a resident bird. Mark also reported NORTHERN GOSHAWK, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, NORTHERN SHRIKE, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, PINE GROSBEAK, COMMON REDPOLL, and HOARY REDPOLL. Betsy Batstone-Cunningham visited both Roseau and Lake of the Woods Counties on the weekend, and she saw four GREAT GRAY OWLS, and SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, as well as many of the same species reported by Mark Otnes. The HORNED LARKS have even reached Roseau County this week so spring must be on the way. Thanks to the many folks who sent in reports of bird 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, March 12, 2004. From tnejbell@comcast.net Fri Mar 5 03:29:05 2004 From: tnejbell@comcast.net (tnejbell@comcast.net) Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2004 03:29:05 +0000 Subject: [mou] Posting a position Message-ID: <030520040329.1714.44c1@comcast.net> I forward this at the request of the Friends of BWW I do so as the MOU MEP Representative The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness is seeking an experienced person with strong field organizing skills to serve a three-month contract as its Field Organizer. This position will be based in the Friends’ office in Minneapolis. There is no application deadline but desired starting time is in early March. To learn more, visit www.friends-bwca.org. Tom Bell- From smithville4@charter.net Fri Mar 5 19:10:58 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 13:10:58 -0600 Subject: [mou] He's gone Message-ID: <001201c402e5$97c9fd20$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C402B3.4CCDBE10 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I talked to my dad this morning to tell me that Jake died and he went = very peacefully. I very sadden by this as I can't get his constant movie = in my head of all the time we spent together and things we left = unfinished. I know in my heart he's in heaven and with relatives. He is = not alone.=20 My sister is doing pretty good and holding up. I guess she inherited my = mother's trait in being strong in times like this. I am more like my father and very emotional.=20 I would like to thank the 40-50 people that sent emails to me. All your = messages put a band aid over my heart. I miss him so much and it really = hurts, all your messages eased the pain. I woke up and saw juncos at my feeder and I know they are migrants as = all winter I never saw one junco in my yard. You know I really can't = wait for spring! I been telling Monica how I can't wait to sit under our = apple trees with my children and letting out a big sigh!=20 I thank you all Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C402B3.4CCDBE10 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I talked to my dad this morning to tell = me that=20 Jake died and he went very peacefully. I very sadden by this as I can't = get his=20 constant movie in my head of all the time we spent together and things = we left=20 unfinished. I know in my heart he's in heaven and with relatives. He is = not=20 alone.
 
My sister is doing pretty good and = holding up. I=20 guess she inherited my mother's trait in being strong in times like=20 this.
I am more like my father and very = emotional.=20
 
I would like to thank the 40-50 people = that sent=20 emails to me. All your messages put a band aid over my heart. I miss him = so much=20 and it really hurts, all your messages eased the pain.
 
I woke up and saw juncos at my feeder = and I know=20 they are migrants as all winter I never saw one junco in my yard. You = know I=20 really can't wait for spring! I been telling Monica how I can't wait to = sit=20 under our apple trees with my children and letting out a big sigh! =
 
I thank you all
 
Mike = Hendrickson
------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C402B3.4CCDBE10-- From hughe112@mail.crk.umn.edu Sat Mar 6 22:17:08 2004 From: hughe112@mail.crk.umn.edu (Hughes, Heidi) Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 16:17:08 -0600 Subject: [mou] snow buntings, horned larks on US 75 Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C403C8.C3F939B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I drove up US 75 to Angus this afternoon, looking for the snowy owl. Did not see it. =20 However, the snow buntings and horned larks were as thick as the blowing snow on both sides of US 75 between Crookston and Warren. I stopped counting when I got past 1,000. Mixed flocks and single species flocks all along the road. =20 Also spotted a lone prairie chicken in a field just north of the Crookston airport, right next to the road. I got the best look ever. Also a flock of a dozen sharp-tailed grouse just south of Euclid - also close to the road. =20 =20 =20 Heidi Hughes Crookston =20 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C403C8.C3F939B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I drove up US 75 to Angus this = afternoon, looking for the snowy owl.  Did not see it.

 

However, the snow buntings and horned larks were as = thick as the blowing snow on both sides of US 75 between Crookston and = Warren.  I stopped counting when I got past 1,000.  Mixed flocks and single = species flocks all along the road.

 

Also spotted a lone prairie chicken in a field just = north of the Crookston airport, right next to the road.  I got the best look ever.  Also a flock of a dozen sharp-tailed grouse  just south = of Euclid – also close to the road.

 

 

 

Heidi Hughes

Crookston

 

=00 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C403C8.C3F939B0-- From stephensonjeff@charter.net Sat Mar 6 22:16:44 2004 From: stephensonjeff@charter.net (Jeff Stephenson) Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 16:16:44 -0600 Subject: [mou] Ross's goose Message-ID: <000801c403c8$b60770e0$6701a8c0@roc.mn.charter.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C40396.6AE6B9E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Susan Schumacher and I saw the Ross's Goose at Silver Lake today around = 2:30 PM. There were also Greater White Fronted Geese, Am Wigeon, and = Canvasback there at the time. Thanks to Chris and John Hockema for = calling me and letting me know the Ross's had reappeared at Silver Lake. Jeff Stephenson Home phone: 507 289 7635 Cell phone: 507 254 8194 email: stephensonjeff@charter.net web page: www.geocities.com/jjeffstephenson Rochester Mn, 55902, Olmsted County ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C40396.6AE6B9E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Susan Schumacher and I saw the Ross's = Goose at=20 Silver Lake today around 2:30 PM. There were also Greater White Fronted = Geese,=20 Am Wigeon, and Canvasback there at the time. Thanks to Chris and John = Hockema=20 for calling me and letting me know the Ross's had reappeared at Silver=20 Lake.
 
Jeff Stephenson
Home phone: 507 289 = 7635
Cell=20 phone:     507 254 8194
email: stephensonjeff@charter.net=
web=20 page: www.geocities.com/jjeff= stephenson
Rochester=20 Mn, 55902, Olmsted County
------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C40396.6AE6B9E0-- From Alongtin@worldnet.att.net Sun Mar 7 01:08:26 2004 From: Alongtin@worldnet.att.net (Andrew) Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 19:08:26 -0600 Subject: [mou] First Red-winged Blackbird Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0004_01C403AE.676B13C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well for PFW I had my first RWBB of the season, along with 2 Robins that were working the grassy south side of the pine tree across the street. --- 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/ ALongtin@worldnet.att.net See My WEB pages at: http://home.att.net/~alongtin/Index.htm NO SPAM NEEDED HERE PLEASE!!!!! ------=_NextPart_000_0004_01C403AE.676B13C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Well for=20 PFW I had my first RWBB of the season, along with 2 Robins that were = working the=20 grassy south side of the pine tree across the = street.
 
 
 
---
Andrew = Longtin
Corcoran=20 (Hennepin Co.) Minnesota
Minnesota Ornithologists Union=20 Member
    http://biosci.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/<= /A>
Cornell=20 Lab Member (PFW)
    http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw/<= BR>
ALongtin@worldnet.att.netSee My=20 WEB pages at: http://home.att.net/~alo= ngtin/Index.htm

NO=20 SPAM NEEDED HERE PLEASE!!!!!
 
------=_NextPart_000_0004_01C403AE.676B13C0-- From esteb02@frontiernet.net Sun Mar 7 01:30:10 2004 From: esteb02@frontiernet.net (esteb02@frontiernet.net) Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 20:30:10 -0500 Subject: [mou] International Migratory Bird Day Message-ID: <20040306203010.xcs84gwsko084884@webmail.frontiernet.net> The MN Zoo is once again planning on celebrating International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) in May. The official IMBD day is the second saturday in May, but we will be holding our celebration on the first saturday in May. The official theme this year is "Conservation in Colonial Birds"; http://birds.fws.gov/imbd.html. I would personally be interested in hearing from local birders on ideas relating to activities/opportunities that the MN Zoo might be able to offer to our guests. While IMBD has been observed at the Zoo for several years now, this will be the first year that I will directly be involved and I would like to investigate opportunities for local bird clubs/organizations/individuals to get involved in the celebration at the Zoo. This might include activities, crafts, booths, demonstrations, talks, entertainment, etc. The sky's the limit. I'm looking for ideas and also wondering what other activities might be going on locally away from the Zoo to observe IMBD. Steve Estebo Avian Zoologist Minnesota Zoo (952)431-9321 esteb02@frontiernet.net (or) sestebo@mail.mnzoo.state.mn.us From wenelson@mlecmn.net Mon Mar 8 02:15:07 2004 From: wenelson@mlecmn.net (Warren Nelson) Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2004 20:15:07 -0600 Subject: [mou] Quick update from Aitkin County Message-ID: <404BD72B.7CF671A2@mlecmn.net> Here are few things that might be of some interest from this last past weekend: A GREAT GRAY OWL was seen near the junction of C.R. 18 and Pietz's Road (320th Place) on Saturday morning at 8:00. The SNOWY OWL was again present at about 6:00 p.m. Sunday along C.R.1 about a mile north of the diversion channel. It wasn't seen on Saturday, but it seems to be more easily seen in the evening. There was a flock of about 150 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in the city of Crosby on Saturday afternoon along 3rd street S.W. There were four BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES , three along township 380 on the north side of Gun Lake about 2 & 1/2 miles west of C.R.5 and the fourth was about 4 & 3/4 miles north of Palisade on C.R.5. Also seen this past weekend were 12 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 8 NORHTERN SHRIKES, sveral flocks of SNOW BUNTINGS and BALD EAGLES are back on their nests already. Warren Nelson From Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us Mon Mar 8 12:51:39 2004 From: Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us (Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 06:51:39 -0600 Subject: [mou] Henn Co/Hyland Park Message-ID: Sunday, 3/7/04, mid-afternoon, Hyland Park Reserve, Bloomington -- RED-SHOULDER HAWK spotted hunting south shore of Hyland Lake near reserve picnic area. From rjs@rohair.com Mon Mar 8 05:17:28 2004 From: rjs@rohair.com (Roger Schroeder) Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 23:17:28 -0600 Subject: [mou] MOU Listing and Recording Suppliment Message-ID: What I like most about the recent MOU Listing and Recording Suppliment is the extensive list of names included - especially under "The Count Club" section. Great to see so many people participating by submitting their totals - especially considering that it provides a good list of people to contact when travelling to an unfamiliar area. Thanks to the MOU for including this suppliment. Roger Schroeder From Chris Benson" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_002E_01C404FA.164EE1E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable A couple of local birders saw the Ross's Goose earlier this morning at = the west end of Silver Lake in Rochester. Another local birder was there a little later and reported that it = wasn't there. I don't know the best time of day to view this bird. It may very well depend on the day and the weather conditions. Or it may not. I encountered a Western Meadowlark yesterday at the South Landfill = Reservoir west of Rochester. The bird was near the road on the south side of the = reservoir, that would be 14th St for those scoring at home. To get to both the south and east reservoirs: >From Rochester take US14 west to 60th Av NW. Go north on 60th Av NW to 19th St NW for 1 mile. At the intersection of 19th St and 70th Av NW you can either go north on = 70th Av for 1/2 mile to the east reservoir or you can continue west on 19th St for a 1/4 mile to view the south = reservoir. You can also view the south reservoir from 14th St...it's a half mile = south. Be cautious while viewing the south reservoir, especially from 14th St. Make sure you park in one of the dips so the other vehicles can pass you = safely, some of the cars move along at a good rate of speed... And along 19th St you have the landfill traffic to deal with. In other words; big, loud, smelly garbage trucks. Chris ------=_NextPart_000_002E_01C404FA.164EE1E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
A couple of local birders saw the = Ross's Goose=20 earlier this morning at the west end of Silver Lake in = Rochester.
Another local birder was there a = little later=20 and reported that it wasn't there.
I don't know the best time of = day to view this=20 bird.
It may very well depend on the day and = the weather=20 conditions.
Or it may not.
I encountered a Western Meadowlark = yesterday at the=20 South Landfill Reservoir
west of Rochester.  The bird was = near the road=20 on the south side of the reservoir, that would
be 14th St for those scoring at = home.
To get to both the south and east=20 reservoirs:
From Rochester take US14 west to 60th = Av=20 NW.
Go north on 60th Av NW to 19th St = NW for 1=20 mile.
At the intersection of 19th St and 70th = Av NW you=20 can either go north on 70th Av for 1/2 mile to the east = reservoir
or you can continue west on 19th St for = a 1/4 mile=20 to view the south reservoir.
You can also view the south reservoir = from 14th=20 St...it's a half mile south.
Be cautious while viewing the south = reservoir,=20 especially from 14th St.
Make sure you park in one of the dips = so the other=20 vehicles can pass you safely,
some of the cars move along at a good = rate of=20 speed...
And along 19th St you have the landfill = traffic to=20 deal with.
In other words; big, loud, smelly = garbage=20 trucks.
 
Chris
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_002E_01C404FA.164EE1E0-- From donstark@charter.net Mon Mar 8 17:03:37 2004 From: donstark@charter.net (Donald Starkweather) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 11:03:37 -0600 Subject: [mou] Housefinch Message-ID: <000a01c4052f$4cefc400$92dac518@aoldsl.net> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C404FD.01B6A300 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable We have had house finches at our feeder all winter but today was the = first yellow variant mentioned in Sibley's book. Just one and one = lonesome redpoll. Don Starkweather Northfield ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C404FD.01B6A300 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
We have had house finches at our feeder all winter = but today=20 was the first yellow variant mentioned in Sibley's book.  Just one = and one=20 lonesome redpoll.
Don Starkweather
Northfield
------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C404FD.01B6A300-- From cerulean1966@msn.com Mon Mar 8 23:33:23 2004 From: cerulean1966@msn.com (Dave Bartkey) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 17:33:23 -0600 Subject: [mou] New e-mail address Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0039_01C40533.74B1D920 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi everyone! I am FINALLY back online and DONE with my computer problems...at least = for a few minutes! My new e-mail address is: = cerulean1966@msn.com I was using a hotmail = address for a couple of days and those whom I gave that address to, = please disregard and use this one now. I'd appreciate it! As long as I'm posting, I should tell of the 2 Red-shouldered Hawks, = 12 Red-tailed Hawks, 2 Bald Eagles, and 6 Red-winged Blackbirds I saw = migrating in, last Saturday morning during the course of one hour. There = was also a single Lesser Scaup on the small opening of water on Wells = Lake. I've missed you guys!!!! Dave Bartkey Faribault,MN ------=_NextPart_000_0039_01C40533.74B1D920 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi everyone!
  I am FINALLY back online and DONE with my computer = problems...at=20 least for a few minutes! My new e-mail address is: cerulean1966@msn.com I was = using a=20 hotmail address for a couple of days and those whom I gave that address = to,=20 please disregard and use this one now. I'd appreciate it!
 
  As long as I'm posting, I should tell of the 2 = Red-shouldered Hawks,=20 12 Red-tailed Hawks, 2 Bald Eagles, and 6 Red-winged Blackbirds I saw = migrating=20 in, last Saturday morning during the course of one hour. There was also = a single=20 Lesser Scaup on the small opening of water on Wells Lake.
 
I've missed you guys!!!!
Dave Bartkey
Faribault,MN
------=_NextPart_000_0039_01C40533.74B1D920-- From chadaakre@hotmail.com Tue Mar 9 00:29:11 2004 From: chadaakre@hotmail.com (Chad Aakre) Date: Mon, 08 Mar 2004 18:29:11 -0600 Subject: [mou] Iceland Gull, STGR Update Message-ID: Hello all, Dedrick Benz and I had an interesting weekend up North. My target birds were the Iceland Gull that had been frequenting Agate Bay in Two Harbors and the Sharp-tailed Grouse in Sax- Zim. We spent Saturday and Sunday birding both locations with no luck. Not daunted (o.k. maybe a little daunted), we set out this morning before dawn for Sax - Zim and after a few loops around the bog, we lucked out and had a fun time watching the Sharp- Tailed Grouse dueling and dancing in the snow. They were at the more recently active lek 1.5 miles north of 133 on 29. We checked the more traditional lek with no birds present. Feeling optimistic, we zipped up to Two Harbors to check one last time for the gull and to our delight it was there showing us how different Iceland Gulls really do look compared to Herrings. Anyways, It shows that persistence does pay off sometimes. Other notable birds of the weekend: Red - breasted Mergansers - 5 or 6 individuals at Burrlington Beach Long - tailed Ducks - 3 individuals at Agate Bay, Two Harbors Pine Siskins - Feeders in Two Harbors Snow Buntings - Large flock in the bog Common Redpolls - Large flock in the bog Black- billed Magpies - Just north of Meadowlands in the bog Rough - legged Hawk - Bog Chad Aakre Winona County _________________________________________________________________ Frustrated with dial-up? Lightning-fast Internet access for as low as $29.95/month. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200360ave/direct/01/ From EgretCMan@aol.com Tue Mar 9 04:02:00 2004 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 23:02:00 EST Subject: [mou] Aitkin County - 3/8/04 Message-ID: <1cd.1b76bab4.2d7e9bb8@aol.com> -------------------------------1078804920 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 3/8/04 Enjoyed an exciting day birding in Aitkin County today with Leslie Marcus. We encountered light snow for most of the day. But the overcast sky's, may have helped for some of the species we observed. Although the highlight bird of the day was observed in full sunlight. After watching several Great Gray Owls along CR 18, we headed back to Hyw 169 and at 4:25pm. We observed a Long-eared Owl, perched on a small snag in the open field on the North side of CR 18. We observed the bird from a distance of about 25 or 30 feet, for about 10 minutes and departed with the Owl still sitting on its little perch. Its the first time I have ever encountered a Long-eared Owl in such an open area. I have observed this species on a nest not much more than a mile from this location several years ago and hope that this one hangs around with that in mind. We also relocated the Snowy Owl previously reported by Warren Nelson along CR1 and found a flock of Bohemian Waxwings in the town of Palisade. Quit a wonderful day all in all. Thanks, for all those that previously posted and gave us the inspiration to give the area one more try. Aitkin County @ Bald Eagle -3 @ Rough-legged Hawk - 8 light morph and 3 dark morph birds, with 5 of these birds observed along CR 1. @ Snowy Owl - 2:40 - 2:55pm - Sitting on top of 4th utility pole to the West of CR 1, .6 miles North of CR 21. This is more or less the same location of previous postings. @ Great Gray Owl - 1. 3:30 - 4:05pm - First observed sitting atop the 4th utility pole to the East of Pietz's Road (320th PL) and then on top of a spruce tree just south of the road. 2. 4:12 - 4:18pm - We were told about this bird by 4 birders from the twin cities, only remember that ones name was Margaret. This bird was observed sitting in an Aspen tree and remained in that location during our observation and was still there when we departed. This bird was observed on the East side of Pietz's Road (320th PL), 1.8 miles North of CR 18. @ Long-eared Owl - 4:25 - 4:41pm - This bird was observed on the North side of CR 18, 1.7 miles East of Hyw 169. @ Northern Shrike - 4 total, with 2 each on CR 1 and CR 18. @ Black-billed Magpie - 3 birds were observed in flight along CR1 at 40th st. @ Horned Lark - CR1 @ Bohemian Waxwing - 11:00am - NE corner of the town of Palisades. The birds were moving quit a bit during our observation. @ Common Redpoll - several flocks observed in the town of Palisades. Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1078804920 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
3/8/04
 
Enjoyed an exciting day birding in Aitkin County today with Leslie Marc= us.  We encountered light snow for most of the day.  But the=20= overcast sky's, may have helped for some of the species we observed.&nb= sp; Although the highlight bird of the day was observed in full sunlight.&nb= sp; After watching several Great Gray Owls along CR 18, we headed back=20= to Hyw 169 and at 4:25pm.  We observed a Long-eared Owl, perched o= n a small snag in the open field on the North side of CR 18.  We o= bserved the bird from a distance of about 25 or 30 feet, for about 10 m= inutes and departed with the Owl still sitting on its little perch.  It= s the first time I have ever encountered a Long-eared Owl in such an open ar= ea.  I have observed this species on a nest not much more than a mile f= rom this location several years ago and hope that this one hangs around with= that in mind.  We also relocated the Snowy Owl previously reporte= d by Warren Nelson along CR1 and found a flock of Bohemian Waxwings in the t= own of Palisade.  Quit a wonderful day all in all.  Thanks, for al= l those that previously posted and gave us the inspiration to give the area=20= one more try.
 
Aitkin County
@ Bald Eagle -3
@ Rough-legged Hawk - 8 light morph and 3 dark morph birds, with 5 of t= hese birds observed along CR 1.
@ Snowy Owl - 2:40 - 2:55pm - Sitting on top of 4th utility pole to the= West of CR 1, .6 miles North of CR 21.  This is more or less the=20= same location of previous postings.
@ Great Gray Owl - 1. 3:30 - 4:05pm - First observed sitting atop the 4= th utility pole to the East of Pietz's Road (320th PL) and then on top=20= of a spruce tree just south of the road.  2. 4:12 - 4:18pm - We were to= ld about this bird by 4 birders from the twin cities, only remember that one= s name was Margaret.  This bird was observed sitting in an Aspen tree a= nd remained in that location during our observation and was still there when= we departed.  This bird was observed on the East side of Pietz's Road=20= (320th PL), 1.8 miles North of CR 18.
@ Long-eared Owl - 4:25 - 4:41pm - This bird was observed on the North=20= side of CR 18, 1.7 miles East of Hyw 169.  
@ Northern Shrike - 4 total, with 2 each on CR 1 and CR 18.
@ Black-billed Magpie - 3 birds were observed in flight along CR1 at 40= th st.
@ Horned Lark - CR1
@ Bohemian Waxwing - 11:00am - NE corner of the town of Palisades.=   The birds were moving quit a bit during our observation.
@ Common Redpoll - several flocks observed in the town of Palisades.
 
 
Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN
-------------------------------1078804920-- From PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net Tue Mar 9 15:32:32 2004 From: PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net (Pastor Al) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 09:32:32 -0600 Subject: [mou] Recommendations Message-ID: <00ea01c405eb$bdbf49a0$0b01a8c0@PastorAl> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00E7_01C405B9.72BBDEA0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Are there areas in the Sherburne-Mille Lacs-Isanti-Benton Counties that = one would recommend for early waterfowl and/or wetlands migration? Must = admit that the southern WI duck-swan-geese-redwinged/sandhill posts are = whetting my taste to move beyond winter. Thanks! Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties (formerly Madison, WI) ------=_NextPart_000_00E7_01C405B9.72BBDEA0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Are there areas in the Sherburne-Mille=20 Lacs-Isanti-Benton Counties that one would recommend for early waterfowl = and/or=20 wetlands migration?  Must admit that the southern WI=20 duck-swan-geese-redwinged/sandhill posts are whetting my taste to move = beyond=20 winter.
 
Thanks!
 
Al Schirmacher
Princeton, MN
Mille Lacs & Sherburne = Counties
(formerly Madison, = WI)
------=_NextPart_000_00E7_01C405B9.72BBDEA0-- From Timmerman@southwestmsu.edu Tue Mar 9 17:28:15 2004 From: Timmerman@southwestmsu.edu (Timmerman, Janet) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 11:28:15 -0600 Subject: [mou] Murray County great tail Message-ID: <2E1A9B1AEF64D01198510000F82173A3042B344C@mail.southwestsmsu.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_01C405FB.ECBA1879 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I had a Murray County friend call me with news of a Great-tailed Grackle sitting in his pine tree yesterday afternoon. It sat for quite some time singing its wierd collection of clicks and whistles. He and I saw one at the Big Slough two years ago but none last year. He and I also spotted Chestnut- collared Longspurs Sunday near Chandler. Janet 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 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C405FB.ECBA1879 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1"
I had a  Murray County friend call me with news of a Great-tailed Grackle sitting in his pine tree yesterday afternoon. It sat for quite some time singing its wierd collection of clicks and whistles. He and I saw one at the Big Slough two years ago but none last year.
He and I also spotted Chestnut- collared Longspurs Sunday near Chandler.
Janet

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

 
------_=_NextPart_001_01C405FB.ECBA1879-- From corax6330@yahoo.com Tue Mar 9 22:04:03 2004 From: corax6330@yahoo.com (fred lesher) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 14:04:03 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Bald Eagle Concentration, LaCrosse-LaCrescent Causeway, Houston Co. MN Hwys 14/16/61 Message-ID: <20040309220403.53275.qmail@web13426.mail.yahoo.com> March 9 at 10AM there 180-200 Bald Eagles standing on ice on the channel south of the Causeway and in the trees less than 100 yards from the highway. This number of birds was less than a quarter mile one end of the group to the other. Bystanders at 10AM claimed "twice as many" at 8AM. By 10:15 some of the birds began to rise in thermals, in a loose "kettle' of 75 birds. As the river opens, the eagles will soon disperse. Pool 8 south of LaCrescent is opening but there are no large numbers of waterfowl. Wildcat Creek at Brownsville attracted 9 Killdeer, 15 Ring-billed Gulls, and numerous Canada Geese. Fred Lesher, LaCrosse __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search - Find what you’re looking for faster http://search.yahoo.com From cerulean1966@msn.com Wed Mar 10 00:14:18 2004 From: cerulean1966@msn.com (Dave Bartkey) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 18:14:18 -0600 Subject: [mou] Rice County evening birds Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C40602.56CD1A80 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi everyone, When I got home from work tonight, there was an e-mail from Forest = Strnad stating that he had seen a Great Blue Heron out at Wells Lake = earlier today, so I went right back out the door and headed out there. = There wasn't any Great Blues, but there were at least 50 Common = Mergansers, 6 C. Goldeneye, 4 Redheads, and 2 Hooded Mergansers. There = were also lots of Red-winged Blackbirds around the trees surrounding the = lake. Also seen were my first Common Grackle and first Killdeer. Nothing = too exciting but a nice change nonetheless! Good birding! Dave Bartkey cerulean1966@msn.com Faribault,MN ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C40602.56CD1A80 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi everyone,
  When I got home from work tonight, there was an e-mail from = Forest=20 Strnad stating that he had seen a Great Blue Heron out at Wells Lake = earlier=20 today, so I went right back out the door and headed out there. There = wasn't any=20 Great Blues, but there were at least 50 Common Mergansers, 6 C. = Goldeneye, 4=20 Redheads, and 2 Hooded Mergansers. There were also lots of Red-winged = Blackbirds=20 around the trees surrounding the lake. Also seen were my first Common = Grackle=20 and first Killdeer. Nothing too exciting but a nice change = nonetheless!
 
Good birding!
Dave Bartkey
Faribault,MN
------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C40602.56CD1A80-- From Drg5934@aol.com Tue Mar 9 20:04:14 2004 From: Drg5934@aol.com (Drg5934@aol.com) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 15:04:14 EST Subject: [mou] Re: [mnbird] Aitkin County - 3/8/04 Message-ID: <24.50cbaa3d.2d7f7d3e@aol.com> Yesterday, March 8, two common redpolls were at my thistle feeder - first I've seen in our yard in several years. It was fun to see them. Also, while I was walking my pup in the am, I heard "more than one" sandhill cranes fly over. Couldn't see them, the morning mist was too thick. But their sound is so distinctive. I love this spring already! Diane Gagne drg5934@aol.com LaCrescent MN Houston County From two-jays@att.net Wed Mar 10 00:27:56 2004 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2004 16:27:56 -0800 Subject: [mou] FW: Survey Assistants Needed In-Reply-To: <019401c40620$adfc26c0$4428ad42@toshibauser> 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. --MS_Mac_OE_3161694476_1939997_MIME_Part Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit ---------- From: "Rick Horton" Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 15:51:13 -0600 To: "Jackie Lind" , , , , , , , , "Bonita Eliason" , "Brian Stenquist" , "Carrol Henderson" , "Ed Boggess" , "Emmett Mullin" , "Gary Drotts" , "Jeanine Vorland" , "Joan Galli" , "Katie Haws" , "Lee Pfannmuller" , "Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer" , "Lloyd Knudson" , "Maya Hamady" , "Nancy Dietz" , "Steve Stucker" , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Cc: , , "Jackie Lind" , "Jaime Edwards" , "Ray Norrgard" , , , , , , , , , "Dan Dessecker" Subject: Survey Assistants Needed Minnesota Birders - Please help spread the word that we are looking for field assistants to help with the GWW Atlas Project detailed below. Please have prospective assistants contact Cornell at the given number. Thank you for your help! Rick Horton Ruffed Grouse Society 218-327-2524 PAID FIELD ASSISTANTS and VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Survey Golden-winged Warblers for conservation The Golden-winged Warbler is a priority bird that has drawn much attention as its population status is currently unknown in Minnesota. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with support from the Ruffed Grouse Society of Minnesota, has initiated a citizen-science project called the Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project (GOWAP) which engages volunteer birders and professional biologists to survey and conduct point counts at known and potential breeding sites of golden-wings throughout their range. The project is designed to determine the population status and habitat and area requirements of the Golden-winged and the Blue-winged Warbler, as well as their hybrids. There are two protocols associated with the project. The first is the Population Survey, similar to a past Lab citizen-science project called the Cerulean Warbler Atlas Project. Volunteers will survey known and/or potential breeding sites (chosen by the participant) to determine numbers of breeding birds, population status, and general habitat characteristics. The second is the Hybrid Index protocol. Participants will choose one or more pages from their state's Delorme Atlas (gazetteer) and conduct a series of 10-minute point counts in suitable golden-wing habitat, using playback and visual identification to help create a hybrid index map. Participants will receive a research kit, which includes instructions, data forms, a color poster of golden-wings, blue-wings, and their hybrids as well as a CD that will be used in the field for playback and point counts. Funds are available to pay qualified field assistants in Minnesota who wish to work extensively on the Hybrid Index protocol. We need both paid and volunteer participants to begin work in early May. For more information contact the GOWAP project leader, Sara Barker, at forest_birds@cornell.edu or (607) 254-2465. You can visit the web site at http://birds.cornell.edu/gowap. Please let us know how you would like to be involved in this important conservation endeavor. --MS_Mac_OE_3161694476_1939997_MIME_Part Content-type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable FW: Survey Assistants Needed

----------
From: "Rick Horton" <rgshort@uslink.net>
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 15:51:13 -0600
To: "Jackie Lind" <jackie.lind@dnr.state.mn.us>, <= ;neunwtf@aol.com>, <RBJanssen@aol.com>, <gthompson@audubon.org&g= t;, <scmort@blackduck.net>, <bosstom@Comcast.net>, <holtz@csp= .edu>, <jgreen@d.umn.edu>, "Bonita Eliason" <bonita.el= iason@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Brian Stenquist" <brian.stenquist@d= nr.state.mn.us>, "Carrol Henderson" <Carrol.Henderson@dnr.st= ate.mn.us>, "Ed Boggess" <Ed.Boggess@dnr.state.mn.us>, &q= uot;Emmett Mullin" <emmett.mullin@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Gary Dr= otts" <GARY.DROTTS@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Jeanine Vorland" = <jeanine.vorland@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Joan Galli" <Joan.Gal= li@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Katie Haws" <katie.haws@dnr.state.mn.u= s>, "Lee Pfannmuller" <lee.pfannmuller@dnr.state.mn.us>, = "Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer" <lisa.gelvin-innvaer@dnr.state.mn.us>,= "Lloyd Knudson" <lloyd.knudson@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Maya= Hamady" <maya.hamady@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Nancy Dietz" &= lt;nancy.dietz@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Steve Stucker" <steve.stuc= ker@dnr.state.mn.us>, <kristel.bakker@dsu.edu>, <rpederson@ducks= .org>, <eperry@duluth.com>, <awilliamson@fs.fed.us>, <mshe= dd@fs.fed.us>, <probertsen@fs.fed.us>, <Diane_Granfors@fws.gov&g= t;, <jeanne_holler@fws.gov>, <jim_mattson@fws.gov>, <john.chr= istian@fws.gov>, <michelle_mcdowell@fws.gov>, <Neal_Niemuth@fws.= gov>, <rex_johnson@fws.gov>, <robert_russell@fws.gov>, <sh= eldon_myerchin@fws.gov>, <steve_j_lewis@fws.gov>, <steve_wilds@f= ws.gov>, <tex_hawkins@fws.gov>, <mark.oja@mn.usda.gov>, <m= erle.behrens@mn.usda.gov>, <cmiller@mnland.org>, <zarxzar@salama= nder.com>, <mcornett@tnc.org>, <ander199@umn.edu>, <melind= a_knutson@usgs.gov>, <shawn_weick@usgs.gov>
Cc: <two-jays@att.net>, <MMARTELL@audubon.org>, "Ja= ckie Lind" <jackie.lind@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Jaime Edwards&quo= t; <jaime.edwards@dnr.state.mn.us>, "Ray Norrgard" <ray.n= orrgard@dnr.state.mn.us>, <Andy.Paulios@dnr.state.wi.us>, <Barba= ra_Pardo@fws.gov>, <Tom_Will@fws.gov>, <wayne_brininger@fws.gov&= gt;, <jhanowsk@nrri.umn.edu>, <camiller@umn.edu>, <cuthb001@u= mn.edu>, <lanyo001@umn.edu>, "Dan Dessecker" <rgsdess@= chibardun.net>
Subject: Survey Assistants Needed

Minnesota Birders - Please help spread the word that we are looking for fie= ld assistants to help with the GWW Atlas Project detailed below.  Pleas= e have prospective assistants contact Cornell at the given number.  Tha= nk you for your help!

Rick Horton
Ruffed Grouse Society
218-327-2524

PAID FIELD ASSISTANTS and VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Survey Golden-winged Warblers for conservation



The Golden-winged Warbler is a priority bird that has drawn much attention = as its population status is currently unknown in Minnesota.  The Cornel= l Lab of Ornithology, with support from the Ruffed Grouse Society of Minneso= ta, has initiated a citizen-science project called the Golden-winged Warbler= Atlas Project (GOWAP) which engages volunteer birders and professional biol= ogists to survey and conduct point counts at known and potential breeding si= tes of golden-wings throughout their range. The project is designed to deter= mine the population status and habitat and area requirements of the Golden-w= inged and the Blue-winged Warbler, as well as their hybrids.



There are two protocols associated with the project. The first is the Popul= ation Survey, similar to a past Lab citizen-science project called the Cerul= ean Warbler Atlas Project.  Volunteers will survey known and/or potenti= al breeding sites (chosen by the participant) to determine numbers of breedi= ng birds, population status, and general habitat characteristics. The second= is the Hybrid Index protocol. Participants will choose one or more pages fr= om their state's Delorme Atlas (gazetteer) and conduct a series of 10-minute= point counts in suitable golden-wing habitat, using playback and visual ide= ntification to help create a hybrid index map. Participants will receive a r= esearch kit, which includes instructions, data forms, a color poster of gold= en-wings, blue-wings, and their hybrids as well as a CD that will be used in= the field for playback and point counts.



Funds are available to pay qualified field assistants in Minnesota who wish= to work extensively on the Hybrid Index protocol. We need both paid and vol= unteer participants to begin work in early May. For more information contact= the GOWAP project leader, Sara Barker, at forest_birds@cornell.edu or (607)= 254-2465. You can visit the web site at http://birds.cornell.edu/gowap.<= /B> Please let us know how you would like to be involved in this important c= onservation endeavor.

--MS_Mac_OE_3161694476_1939997_MIME_Part-- From ed.brekke-kramer@dnr.state.mn.us Sun Mar 7 19:20:58 2004 From: ed.brekke-kramer@dnr.state.mn.us (Ed Brekke-Kramer) Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2004 13:20:58 -0600 Subject: [mou] FYI Fwd: [Aliens-L] Urgent!! Massive Slaughter of Cormorants Planned Message-ID: This is a MIME message. If you are reading this text, you may want to consider changing to a mail reader or gateway that understands how to properly handle MIME multipart messages. --=__Part1F3E190A.0__= Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Forwarded FYI: >>> ppc@peacefulparks.org 3/7/2004 7:56:56 AM >>> Urgent!! Urgent!! Urgent!! Massive Slaughter of Double-crested Cormorants Planned for Presqu'ile Provincial Park Folks, we need your help !! The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is planning to shoot up to 6000 adult cormorants beginning next month at Presqu'ile. This is a backwards and senseless slaughter of a wild species, and the worst sort of wildlife management. Never before in Ontario has such a strategy to control wildlife been proposed. Please read the media release below, and help us generate a tidal wave of letters to Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay and Premier Dalton McGuinty. In the next few days, the Peaceful Parks will have a method to send letters directly to the Minister and Premier from our website. Please read the media release below and help us save the Double-crested Cormorant. For more information on the Ministry's strategy please click here: http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envregistry/022534ep.htm While the Ministry has posted their cormorant strategy on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry for public comment, the strategy is already set in stone. What you should know. *The Liberals, while in opposition, introduced a bill to remove the Double-crested Cormorant from protection lists, and reduce them to the status of vermin. The Double-crested Cormorant is a recovering endangered species. It is also a skillful fish predator and much hated by recreational anglers who view them as competitors for "panfry". Anglers want the cormorant eliminated, and hence the political move to reduce them to vermin. *The Ministry insists the move to shoot thousands of cormorants is an effort to save mature Carolinian trees on the nesting island, High Bluff Island, and protect this habitat for other birds that nest along side the cormorant. But the remaining trees on High Bluff Island are old and were already dying prior to the arrival of the cormorant in the early 1980s, and the Ministry has made no effort to regenerate these tree species. Also, this island was cleared for farming and then abandoned in the 1930s. No provincially significant vegetation exists on the island. *Other nesting birds, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons and the Black-crowned Night Herons are commonly found nesting with cormorants, and are thriving on High Bluff Island. This has nothing to do with the noble cause of protecting rare floral and fauna and everything do to with the politics of sport fishing. It is nothing short of a witch hunt !!! ************************************** For Immediate Release Animal Protection Institute Peaceful Parks Coalition Thousands of Birds To Be Shot Dead at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. Toronto, March 5, 2004: This week and with much fanfare, the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, David Ramsay proudly announced his decision to permanently protect the wolves of Algonquin Park, stating predator species play a key role in the balance of nature. But also this week, Ramsay quietly approved the shooting of thousands of Double-crested Cormorants, an impressive and skillful avian predator of the Great Lakes aquatic system. Top of the food chain predator, cormorants are often referred to as the wolves of the aquatic system, and also play a critical role in balancing natural ecosystems. "The ecological difference between cormorants and wolves is zero," says Barry Kent MacKay of the Animal Protection Institute. "They are equivalent in their role as top predators. The only difference is that recreational anglers hate cormorants because they are viewed as competitors for sport fish." Thousands of Double-crested Cormorants arrive each summer to Ontario from the United States to nest and rear their young before migrating south again for the winter. Presqu'ile Provincial Park is home to thousands of nesting cormorants and reflects one of the greatest migrations on the continent. Minister Ramsay insists the congregation of thousands of birds is destroying unique vegetation and must be culled. "The rationale for this cull is not to protect rare vegetation," says AnnaMaria Valastro of the Peaceful Parks Coalition. "Cormorants are by nature colonial birds and have nested in large colonies since the beginning of time. The impact their nesting colonies have on local vegetation is a natural process, critical in the formation of soil and the regeneration of plants and trees." "Shooting cormorants is to placate recreational anglers. This was clear when David Ramsay chose to announce his decision at the annual conference of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, and before making a public announcement," says Valastro. "If you understand that all creatures play a key role in the balance of nature, then you can't pick and chose which predators receive protection and which ones are shot dead," says MacKay. -30- For more information, please contact Barry Kent MacKay, Animal Protection Institute at 905.472.9731, or AnnaMaria Valastro, Peaceful Parks Coalition 416.537.3212 Peaceful Parks Coalition www.peacefulparks.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To contact the list owners: aliens-l-owner@indaba.iucn.org To leave this list, send a blank message to: aliens-l-leave@indaba.iucn.org WWW archives: http://indaba.iucn.org:1276/readlistarchives.mml The services and facilities to support this list are provided by The Information Management Group, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. --=__Part1F3E190A.0__= Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Description: HTML Forwarded FYI:

>>> ppc@peacefulparks.org 3/7/2004 7:56:56 AM >>>

Urgent!!   Urgent!!    Urgent!!

Massive Slaughter of Double-crested Cormorants Planned for Presqu'ile
Provincial Park

Folks, we need your help !!

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is planning to shoot up to 6000
adult cormorants beginning next month at Presqu'ile.

This is a backwards and senseless slaughter of a wild species, and the worst
sort of wildlife management.  Never before in Ontario has such a strategy to
control wildlife been proposed.

Please read the media release below, and help us generate a tidal wave of
letters to Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay and Premier Dalton
McGuinty.  In the next few days, the Peaceful Parks will have a method to
send letters directly to the Minister and Premier from our website.

Please read the media release below and help us save the Double-crested
Cormorant.  For more information on the Ministry's strategy please click
here:

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envregistry/022534ep.htm

While the Ministry has posted their cormorant strategy on the Environmental
Bill of Rights Registry for public comment, the strategy is already set in
stone.

What you should know.

*The Liberals, while in opposition, introduced a bill to remove the
Double-crested Cormorant from protection lists, and reduce them to the
status of vermin. The Double-crested Cormorant is a recovering endangered
species.  It is also a skillful fish predator and much hated by recreational
anglers who view them as competitors for "panfry".  Anglers want the
cormorant eliminated, and hence the political move to reduce them to vermin.

*The Ministry insists the move to shoot thousands of cormorants is an effort
to save mature Carolinian trees on the nesting island, High Bluff Island,
and protect this habitat for other birds that nest along side the cormorant.
But the remaining trees on High Bluff Island are old and were already dying
prior to the arrival of the cormorant in the early 1980s, and the Ministry
has made no effort to regenerate these tree species.  Also, this island was
cleared for farming and then abandoned in the 1930s.  No provincially
significant vegetation exists on the island.

*Other nesting birds, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons and the Black-crowned
Night Herons are commonly found nesting with cormorants, and are thriving on
High Bluff Island.

This has nothing to do with the noble cause of protecting rare floral and
fauna and everything do to with the politics of sport fishing.  It is
nothing short of a witch hunt !!!

**************************************

For Immediate Release
Animal Protection Institute
Peaceful Parks Coalition


Thousand s of Birds To Be Shot Dead at Presqu'ile Provincial Park.

Toronto, March 5, 2004: This week and with much fanfare, the Ontario
Minister of Natural Resources, David Ramsay proudly announced his decision
to permanently protect the wolves of Algonquin Park, stating predator
species play a key role in the balance of nature.

But also this week, Ramsay quietly approved the shooting of thousands of
Double-crested Cormorants, an impressive and skillful avian predator of the
Great Lakes aquatic system. Top of the food chain predator, cormorants are
often referred to as the wolves of the aquatic system, and also play a
critical role in balancing natural ecosystems.

"The ecological difference between cormorants and wolves is zero," says
Barry Kent MacKay of the Animal Protection Institute. "They are equivalent
in their role as top predators.  The only difference is that recreational
anglers hate cormorants because they are viewed as competitors for sport
fish."

Thousands of Double-crested Cormorants arrive each summer to Ontario from
the United States to nest and rear their young before migrating south again
for the winter.  Presqu'ile Provincial Park is home to thousands of nesting
cormorants and reflects one of the greatest migrations on the continent.

Minister Ramsay insists the congregation of thousands of birds is destroying
unique vegetation and must be culled.

"The rationale for this cull is not to protect rare vegetation," says
AnnaMaria Valastro of the Peaceful Parks Coalition. "Cormorants are by
nature colonial birds and have nested in large colonies since the beginning
of time.  The impact their nesting colonies have on local vegetation is a
natural process, critical in the formation of soil and the regeneration of
plants and trees."

"Shooting cormorants is to placate recreational anglers.  This was clear
when Davi d Ramsay chose to announce his decision at the annual conference of
the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, and before making a public
announcement," says Valastro.

"If you understand that all creatures play a key role in the balance of
nature, then you can't pick and chose which predators receive protection and
which ones are shot dead," says MacKay.

-30-

For more information, please contact Barry Kent MacKay, Animal Protection
Institute at 905.472.9731, or AnnaMaria Valastro,  Peaceful Parks Coalition
416.537.3212

Peaceful Parks Coalition
www.peacefulparks.org


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To contact the list owners: aliens-l-owner@indaba.iucn.org
To leave this list, send a blank message to: aliens-l-leave@indaba.iucn.org

WWW archives: http://indaba.iucn.org:1276/readlis tarchives.mml


The services and facilities to support this list are provided by The Information Management Group, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.

--=__Part1F3E190A.0__=-- From kbotul@highstream.net Wed Mar 10 02:45:49 2004 From: kbotul@highstream.net (kbotul@highstream.net) Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 21:45:49 -0500 Subject: [mou] Migration maps Message-ID: <200403100245.i2A2jnUc024437@hsb102.xlccorp.com> I was woundering if anyone knows of some webpages that have live images that you can see the migration coming in to Minnasota and when it leaves. Mike From EgretCMan@aol.com Wed Mar 10 10:43:10 2004 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 05:43:10 EST Subject: [mou] Southern Minnesota - Waterfowl - 3/9/04 Message-ID: <1c1.161eeff1.2d804b3e@aol.com> -------------------------------1078915390 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 3/9/04 Rick Specht and I spent the day birding in Southern Minnesota on Monday. We started our day at Silver Lake in Rochester and relocated the Ross's Goose at 7:00am and the bird was still present at 7:25am, but some of the Geese were starting to leave at that time. Greater White-fronted Geese were observed in large numbers in several locations as well. We also stopped by the location for the Varied Thrush in Steele County and did not see the bird during our visit. Which was from about 9:15 - 10:00am. We added a calling Barred Owl and observed two Red-breasted Nuthatch's at Twin Lakes County Park in Freeborn County and ended the day in Farmington observing 3 of the previously reported Eurasian Collared Doves. @ Greater White-fronted Goose - One bird was observed at Silver Lake in Rochester, 140+ were observed in the SE corner of the intersection of CR 17 and CR 14 in Freeborn County, 150+ were observed in the Lake South of South Walnut Lake and next to Interstate 90 and just East of CR 119 in Walnut Lake WMA. @ Snow Goose - One individual Snow Goose was observed at both locations where we observed the large numbers of Greater White-fronted Geese. Ross's Goose - 7:00 - 7:25am - Silver Lake - Rochester - The bird was observed on the water on the East side of the lake today. @ Wood Duck - Walnut Lake WMA @ American Wigeon - Walnut Lake WMA @ Northern Pintail - Walnut Lake WMA 20+ pairs were present at this location @ Red-breasted Merganser - Pihl's Park - Faribault County @ Rough-legged Hawk - One bird was observed along Hyw 69, north of Twin Lakes in Freeborn County @ Eurasian Collared Dove - Dakota County - Farmington @ Red-breasted Nuthatch - Twin Lakes County Park - Freeborn County Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1078915390 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
3/9/04
 
Rick Specht and I spent the day birding in Southern Minnesota on Monday= .  We started our day at Silver Lake in Rochester and relocated the Ros= s's Goose at 7:00am and the bird was still present at 7:25am, but some of th= e Geese were starting to leave at that time.  Greater White-fronte= d Geese were observed in large numbers in several locations as well. &n= bsp;We also stopped by the location for the Varied Thrush in Steele County a= nd did not see the bird during our visit.  Which was from about 9:15 -=20= 10:00am.  We added a calling Barred Owl and observed two Red-breasted N= uthatch's at Twin Lakes County Park in Freeborn County and ended the da= y in Farmington observing 3 of the previously reported Eurasian Collared Dov= es.
 
@ Greater White-fronted Goose - One bird was observed at Silver La= ke in Rochester, 140+ were observed in the SE corner of the intersection of=20= CR 17 and CR 14 in Freeborn County, 150+ were observed in the Lake South of=20= South Walnut Lake and next to Interstate 90 and just East of CR 119 in Walnu= t Lake WMA.
@ Snow Goose - One individual Snow Goose was observed at both locations= where we observed the large numbers of Greater White-fronted Geese.
Ross's Goose - 7:00 - 7:25am - Silver Lake - Rochester - The bird was o= bserved on the water on the East side of the lake today.
@ Wood Duck - Walnut Lake WMA
@ American Wigeon - Walnut Lake WMA
@ Northern Pintail - Walnut Lake WMA 20+ pairs were present at this loc= ation
@ Red-breasted Merganser - Pihl's Park - Faribault County
@ Rough-legged Hawk - One bird was observed along Hyw 69, north of Twin= Lakes in Freeborn County
@ Eurasian Collared Dove - Dakota County - Farmington
@ Red-breasted Nuthatch - Twin Lakes County Park - Freeborn County
 
 
 
 
Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN
-------------------------------1078915390-- From chaiyan@iastate.edu Wed Mar 10 15:21:16 2004 From: chaiyan@iastate.edu (Kasorndorkbua, Chaiyan) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 09:21:16 -0600 Subject: [mou] RFI: Probable site for owls Message-ID: <9281EB26EDF4F644AAB798D0AF06806F063EA6@bobcat.vdl.iastate.edu> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C406B3.54997154 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello all, =20 I might be in Lutsen this upcoming weekend and may find time to wander around abit for birding. So I wonder if there is a recent probable site(s) to attempt for northern owls (Great Gray, Boreal, Northern hawk, and Snowy) in the town vicinity or up along Gunflint trail. I've missed the first two species on two attempts, though still have hope to keep trying! :-)=20 =20 Please kindly response off-list or on-list if the info considered to benefit all. =20 Birding spots in general of the areas are always welcome as well. Thanks much in advance. =20 Cheers, chaiyan =20 Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua=20 Ames IA/Thailand =20 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C406B3.54997154 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello all,

 

I might be in Lutsen this upcoming weekend and may = find time to wander around abit for birding. So I wonder if there is a recent = probable site(s) to attempt for northern owls (Great Gray, Boreal, Northern hawk, and = Snowy) in the town vicinity or up along Gunflint trail. I’ve missed the = first two species on two attempts, though still have hope to keep trying! = J

 

Please kindly response off-list or on-list if the = info considered to benefit all. 

Birding spots in general of the areas are always = welcome as well. Thanks much in advance.

 

Cheers,

chaiyan

 

Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua =

Ames IA/Thailand

 

------_=_NextPart_001_01C406B3.54997154-- From donstark@charter.net Wed Mar 10 17:18:48 2004 From: donstark@charter.net (Donald Starkweather) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 11:18:48 -0600 Subject: [mou] (no subject) Message-ID: <000a01c406c3$c6202000$5fdac518@aoldsl.net> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C40691.7598F6C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Our backyard pond is about 3/4 open water and has attracted dozens of = mallards and geese. The surprise of the morning was a pair of pintail = that remained about half an hour. This was the first time we have seen = them in the pond. The first male red-winged blackbird showed up about = the same time, and the yellow variant house finch was back at the = feeder. Don Starkweather Northfield ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C40691.7598F6C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Our backyard pond is about 3/4 open water and has = attracted=20 dozens of mallards and geese.  The surprise of the morning was a = pair of=20 pintail that remained about half an hour.  This was the first time = we have=20 seen them in the pond.  The first male red-winged blackbird showed = up about=20 the same time, and the yellow variant house finch was back at the=20 feeder.
Don Starkweather
Northfield
------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C40691.7598F6C0-- From crg1641@yahoo.com Wed Mar 10 18:50:08 2004 From: crg1641@yahoo.com (carol gurstelle) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 10:50:08 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Bird identification--looks like fat junco Message-ID: <20040310185008.42210.qmail@web41302.mail.yahoo.com> I'm trying to identify a bird that has recently shown up at our backyard feeder. We've been calling it "fat bird" or "sumo junco." In coloration it looks like a slate-colored junco--grey head, neck, back and wings. The belly and underside of the tail are white. However, it is larger than a junco or a house sparrow, rounder and "fluffier" looking. I thought it might be a white-winged junco, but there is no white on the wings. Most often, it appears at our thistle feeder and remains for 5-10 minutes. I've also seen at the feeder that has the typical sunflower-peanut hearts-millet-corn mixture. I've not seen it feed on the ground and I've never seen more than one. Carol Gurstelle Roseville, MN __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search - Find what you’re looking for faster http://search.yahoo.com From connyb@mycidco.com Wed Mar 10 14:57:52 2004 From: connyb@mycidco.com (Conny Brunell) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 14:57:52 Subject: [mou] Black Dog Lake Ducks, Dakota Co. Message-ID: This afternoon along Black Dog Lake there were lots of Male Ducks looking marvelous! Before the rain hit hard out from the observation deck, and both ends of the spillway the lake was covered with ducks. There were Ring-billed Gulls flying up and back over the lake, and a female Belted Kingfisher. Ducks seen before the blowing rain got in the way were: Redhead +35 Ring-necked + 35 Lesser Scaup +50 Hooded Merganser +20 Bufflehead 1 male Common Goldeneye's and Common Merganser's have been around but with increasing numbers the last week, as have the Canada Geese and Mallard's. Once again I was reminded to wear rain gear, because when I came back to the car I was soaked and caked with mud, and very happy to have seen the large numbers of migrating ducks... Conny Brunell Richfield, Hennepin Cty connyb@mycidco.com From ppedersen6@charter.net Wed Mar 10 21:58:23 2004 From: ppedersen6@charter.net (ppedersen6@charter.net) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 15:58:23 -0600 Subject: [mou] Olmsted County - Waterfowl are coming! Message-ID: <200403102158.i2ALwPak038472@mxsf24.cluster1.charter.net> Get ready, the waterfowl are on the move. Wed March 10 about noon Silver Lake - Rochester 5 Snow Goose 15 Lesser Scaup 2 possible Greater Scaup 12 Ringnecked Ducks South Landfill Reservoir Olmsted County 115+ White-fronted Goose 20+ Pintail 20+ Canvasback 25+ Scaup sp 20+ Ringnecked Duck 5 Common Merganser 1 Redhead 2 American Wigeon 500+ Canada Goose including smaller races 200+ Mallard From Avocet13@charter.net Wed Mar 10 23:01:30 2004 From: Avocet13@charter.net (Blaine) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 17:01:30 -0600 Subject: [mou] Northern Birding Message-ID: I guess this didn't go through the first time.. Sorry if it's a double post... Howdy all, A couple of notes from this last weekend. 3-6-2004 / 3-7-2004 Merlin just north of Aitkin on Co rd 1 On top of a Starling no less... Hoary Redpoll Palisade just south and east of the Cenex station Goshawk a little south of 133 on Co rd 5 Also found the Iceland gull in Two Harbors And the Gyr Falcon in Superior at the Peavey elevators.. Blaine Seeliger Avocet13@charter.net From smorton@mvtvwireless.com Thu Mar 11 01:28:51 2004 From: smorton@mvtvwireless.com (Steve and Sue Morton) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 19:28:51 -0600 Subject: [mou] Quick trip Message-ID: <006e01c40708$35d9b750$d4c41cd0@SteveMorton> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_006B_01C406D5.EAEBD020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I made a quick trip from Cottonwood, MN to Omaha, NE and back yesterday = and today. I didn't have time to stop and do any real birding, but did = take note of migrating flocks along Interstate 29 and MN Highway 23. = All of my watching was done at a speed of 55-75 mph. It's amazing I saw = anything! While stopped at a rest area near Vermillion, S.D., I did see = two merlins fly overhead. They were quite noisy. I saw numerouse = flocks of starlings, grackles, robins, and Canada Geese. i saw two = small flocks of snow geese. of of 200 just north of I-90 after turning = onto 23; another of approx. 100 just south of Jasper, MN, Hwy. 23. The = birds and I were both on the move! Kestrels and red-winged black birds = were scattered about, too. Sue Morton, Cottonwood, Lyon County ------=_NextPart_000_006B_01C406D5.EAEBD020 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I made a quick trip from Cottonwood, MN = to Omaha,=20 NE and back yesterday and today.  I didn't have time to stop and do = any=20 real birding, but did take note of migrating flocks along Interstate 29 = and MN=20 Highway 23.  All of my watching was done at a speed of 55-75 = mph. =20 It's amazing I saw anything!  While stopped at a rest area near = Vermillion,=20 S.D., I did see two merlins fly overhead.  They were quite = noisy.  I=20 saw numerouse flocks of starlings, grackles, robins, and Canada = Geese.  i=20 saw two small flocks of snow geese.  of of 200 just north of I-90 = after=20 turning onto 23; another of approx. 100 just south of Jasper, MN, Hwy. = 23. =20 The birds and I were both on the move!  Kestrels and red-winged = black birds=20 were scattered about, too.
 
Sue Morton, Cottonwood, Lyon=20 County
------=_NextPart_000_006B_01C406D5.EAEBD020-- From two-jays@att.net Thu Mar 11 05:07:56 2004 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 21:07:56 -0800 Subject: [mou] duck stamps Message-ID: A friend sent me a note about duck stamps today. I thought I would share some of the info. For every dollar you spend on Federal Duck Stamps, ninety-eight cents go directly to purchase vital habitat for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System. In Minnesota, duck stamp money has been used on four of our national wildlife refuges and in several waterfowl production areas. The refuges, all known to us for excellent birding far beyond waterfowl-watching, are Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuge, Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, and Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. Since inception in 1934, the duck stamp program has sold $671 million worth of stamps. Minnesotans have purchased just over 9 million individual stamps in that time. Peak annual sale was reached in the mid-70s when 179,000 stamps were sold here. Last year, hunters and others who support this conservation program bought 149,000 stamps. You might have heard already that discussions are underway in Washington D.C. about broadening the duck stamp program to embrace 1) more species, 2) more habitat, and 3) a broader constituency. Proponents hope to build on the stamp's successes, strengthening the foundations and past successes while covering issues appropriate to 21st-century bird conservation. (Such an expanded or retooled approach would be based on a "wetlands first" prioritization, then it would take up more causes for all birds with the extra funds raised through sales to birders, conservationists, and other concerned citizens.) Jim Williams Wayzata From drbenson@cpinternet.com Thu Mar 11 12:39:59 2004 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David Benson) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 06:39:59 -0600 Subject: [mou] Duluth RBA 3/11/04 Message-ID: <35ADE3D8-7359-11D8-A4B9-000A95AC3AF2@cpinternet.com> --Apple-Mail-1--230131678 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, March 11, 2004, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Peg Robertsen found a HOARY REDPOLL with a flock of ten COMMON REDPOLLS at the city park in Tofte on the 5th. The GYRFALCON in Superior, Wisconsin was seen again as recently as the 7th. GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen as recently as March 8th near the jct of Cty Rd 18 and Pietz's Rd in Aitkin Cty. The SNOWY OWL on Aitkin Cty Rd 1, about a mile north of the diversion channel (5.5 miles north of the Mississippi River bridge) was also seen on the 7th. A flock of 150 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS was seen in the town of Crosby on the 6th. Craig Mandel found a LONG-EARED OWL on Cty Rd 18, 1.7 miles east of the jct with Hwy 169. Jane Hosking saw a SNOWY OWL at Leif Erickson Park in Duluth on the evening of the 7th, but the bird was not relocated the next day. Chad Aakre reported seeing the ICELAND GULL in Two Harbors on the 7th, along with three LONG-TAILED DUCKS in Agate Bay on the same day. Spring migrants reported for the first time in northeastern Minnesota this week include HORNED LARK, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and COMMON GRACKLE. The West Skyline Hawk Count has begun; yesterday 130 BALD EAGLES (mostly adults) were counted before the rain began. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Wednesday, March 17. 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. --Apple-Mail-1--230131678 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/enriched; charset=US-ASCII This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, March 11, 2004, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Peg Robertsen found a HOARY REDPOLL with a flock of ten COMMON REDPOLLS at the city park in Tofte on the 5th. The GYRFALCON in Superior, Wisconsin was seen again as recently as the 7th. GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen as recently as March 8th near the jct of Cty Rd 18 and Pietz's Rd in Aitkin Cty. The SNOWY OWL on Aitkin Cty Rd 1, about a mile north of the diversion channel (5.5 miles north of the Mississippi River bridge) was also seen on the 7th. A flock of 150 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS was seen in the town of Crosby on the 6th. Craig Mandel found a LONG-EARED OWL on Cty Rd 18, 1.7 miles east of the jct with Hwy 169. Jane Hosking saw a SNOWY OWL at Leif Erickson Park in Duluth on the evening of the 7th, but the bird was not relocated the next day. Chad Aakre reported seeing the ICELAND GULL in Two Harbors on the 7th, along with three LONG-TAILED DUCKS in Agate Bay on the same day. Spring migrants reported for the first time in northeastern Minnesota this week include HORNED LARK, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and COMMON GRACKLE. The West Skyline Hawk Count has begun; yesterday 130 BALD EAGLES (mostly adults) were counted before the rain began. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Wednesday, March 17. 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. --Apple-Mail-1--230131678-- From two-jays@att.net Thu Mar 11 17:51:11 2004 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 09:51:11 -0800 Subject: [mou] where to buy duck stamps Message-ID: Someone wrote and asked me where one can buy a duck stamp. They should be available at your local post office. Ours in Wayzata has them. However, the Postal Service contracts with the federal government to sell the stamps. Sale begins in late summer. On the 26th of this month, unsold 2003-2004 stamps will be returned to the government, the 2004-2005 stamp becoming available late this coming summer. So, buy the current stamp soon. Jim Williams Wayzata From lauraerickson@abac.com Thu Mar 11 16:09:07 2004 From: lauraerickson@abac.com (Laura Erickson) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 10:09:07 -0600 Subject: [mou] Re: [mnbird] where to buy duck stamps In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20040311100202.00b7ca70@mail1.abac.com> And don't just buy the Duck Stamp--DISPLAY it. Get a plastic cover and let it dangle from your spotting scope or on your jacket. Let people know that birders are willing to support habitat acquisition. I've just started reading "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession," and was dismayed to read that Sandy Komito got his first rare bird on his record-setting year at Patagonia Lake State Park in Arizona, and tried (the author doesn't say whether he was successful) to duck out of the $5.00 park entrance fee. Who the heck does he think PAYS for protecting that land and the habitat so that a Nutting's Flycatcher can have some place to show up when it wanders north of its range? This man who was willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to jet around the continent seeing the most birds anyone had ever seen in a year was unwilling to pay a lousy $5 to ensure the enduring existence of the park where he saw his first rare bird of the year? How badly that speaks of the sport of birding. Laura Erickson Duluth, MN 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 rracres@fedteldirect.net Thu Mar 11 03:26:16 2004 From: rracres@fedteldirect.net (Randy and Renee') Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 21:26:16 -0600 Subject: [mou] bird sightings Message-ID: <00ab01c40718$9d4dfd00$4a13040a@yourrvlnhr6v8d> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00A8_01C406E6.526286D0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I saw some sea gulls (do we call them that in Minnesota?) near Madison = Mn on March 10. I also located near Hwy 75/7 by Ortonville several = red-winged black birds ------=_NextPart_000_00A8_01C406E6.526286D0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I saw some sea gulls (do we call them = that in=20 Minnesota?) near Madison Mn on March 10.  I also located near Hwy = 75/7 by=20 Ortonville several red-winged black birds
------=_NextPart_000_00A8_01C406E6.526286D0-- From beimborn@umn.edu Thu Mar 11 18:05:51 2004 From: beimborn@umn.edu (Don Beimborn) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 10:05:51 -0800 Subject: [mou] Duck stamps for birders Message-ID: <00d701c40793$7fe641c0$be8efea9@d8c4t3> I've bought a duck stamp pretty regularly for the last 40 years. Occasionally I've been dragged along on a goose hunt. But the major reason I buy the stamp is because of the reasons Jim Williams cites. "Do you buy a duck stamp each year?" is a fair question to ask birders. Especially when they are standing in a refuge counting ducks. Once in a while I hear a birder lament the fact that there are still duck hunters out there. That makes it even more satisfying to ask the question and to point out that without duck hunters, there would be even fewer ducks. (Come to think of it, that close to the reason why I support the dove season. It will enhance the shooting sports and will mean more money funneled into conservation issues and habitat purchases.) It might be nice to see the duck stamp funds go into something besides duck production areas. The hope is that someone watches over the funds so they go to the sensible projects. However, it is hard to see how you can beat the old system of putting the money into habitat. All species benefit, including birders. Don Beimborn From axhertzel@sihope.com Thu Mar 11 20:41:21 2004 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 14:41:21 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew Message-ID: Chuck Krulas just called and reported a male SMEW in Olmsted County. It was on Shady Lake on the east side of U.S. Highway 52 in Oronoco. This is about two miles south of the Goodhue County line. The wildness of this bird is as yet undetermined. Thanks for the call, Chuck. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com From RHoyme@msn.com Thu Mar 11 22:53:55 2004 From: RHoyme@msn.com (Richard Hoyme) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 16:53:55 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew References: Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_07B4_01C40789.70A015B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable If anyone checks for the Smew in the morning, please post as soon as = possible. Post both if you find it or not. I, and I assume others, will = be interested to know if it is refound. I plan to head for Duluth = tomorrow around noon, but would make a long detour if it is still there. Thanks in advance Rick Hoyme ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Anthony X. Hertzel=20 To: MOU Listservice=20 Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 2:41 PM Subject: [mou] Smew Chuck Krulas just called and reported a male SMEW in Olmsted County.=20 It was on Shady Lake on the east side of U.S. Highway 52 in Oronoco.=20 This is about two miles south of the Goodhue County line. The=20 wildness of this bird is as yet undetermined. Thanks for the call, Chuck. --=20 Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net ------=_NextPart_000_07B4_01C40789.70A015B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
If anyone checks for the Smew in the morning, please post as soon = as=20 possible. Post both if you find it or not. I, and I assume others, will = be=20 interested to know if it is refound. I plan to head for Duluth tomorrow = around=20 noon, but would make a long detour if it is still there.
 
Thanks in advance
 
Rick Hoyme
----- Original Message -----
From: Anthony X. Hertzel
To: MOU Listservice
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 = 2:41=20 PM
Subject: [mou] Smew

Chuck Krulas just called and reported a male SMEW in = Olmsted=20 County.
It was on Shady Lake on the east side of U.S. Highway 52 = in=20 Oronoco.
This is about two miles south of the Goodhue County line. = The=20
wildness of this bird is as yet undetermined.

Thanks for = the call,=20 Chuck.

--
Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com
________= _______________________________________
mou-net=20 mailing list
mou-net@cbs.umn.edu
http://cbs.umn.edu/m= ailman/listinfo/mou-net
------=_NextPart_000_07B4_01C40789.70A015B0-- From everhart@black-hole.com Thu Mar 11 23:29:20 2004 From: everhart@black-hole.com (Roger Everhart) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 17:29:20 -0600 Subject: [mou] Request to Minnesota Bird Banders Message-ID: <4050F650.4050908@black-hole.com> Hey everyone, I've been asked by Robin Fitch of the Minnesota Wildlife Rehabilitation Cooperative (a statewide organization of wildlife rehabbers) to send out a request to see if banders would be willing to be listed in the upcoming MWAC Directory so that rehabbers could have rehabbed birds banded prior to release. I know there are varying opinions on whether this should be done or not and I'm not trying to start the discussion again, I'm just trying to help the organization. If interested do not reply to me. Send an e-mail to Robin at: rfitch@connections-etc.com There is a bit of a timeline squeeze as the directory goes to print at the end of the month. Thanks for your help. Roger Everhart Apple Valley, MN From ekblad@millcomm.com Fri Mar 12 00:32:43 2004 From: ekblad@millcomm.com (Bob Ekblad) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 18:32:43 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew - update Message-ID: <4051052B.90505@millcomm.com> The Smew found by Chuck Krulas is still at Lake Shady by Oronoco in Olmsted County. It moved from the location where Chuck originally found it to a spot closer to Hwy 52 and the abandoned home that provides the best access point for viewing. If you are coming from the north, go over the first bridge that crosses the river flowing into Lake Shady. Immediately take a left into the turn lane and loop back to the north. Pull off to the right (east) into the driveway of the abandoned home just before the big green sign (before crossing the bridge again). The bird was best viewed from the ditch that is right next to Hwy 52. There is a small patch of open water where it was being seen when I was last there around 5pm. It was first located in the next open patch of water to the east - best viewed from right behind the house (you can walk through the garage to get to the spot where you can view that area). It moved from one patch to the other at least 3 times this afternoon. There are additional open patches that should be checked if the bird is not at one of the two spots mentioned. I took a few pictures and have posted one on my web site at http://home.rconnect.com/~ekblad/ -- Bob Ekblad Olmsted County in SE Minnesota http://home.rconnect.com/~ekblad/ From axhertzel@sihope.com Fri Mar 12 01:43:15 2004 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 19:43:15 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew Message-ID: Again, thanks to Chuck Krulas for finding the Smew and quickly notifying the birding community. We all appreciate it, Chuck. The Smew was still present late this evening and I was able to view it at close range as it swam about beneath the overpass to north-bound U.S. Highway 52 at Lake Shady in Olmsted County. Several times the bird climbed out on to the ice shelf, preened, and walked about, all within approximately fifty feet of me and several other birders, With my scope I could see that the right hallux (or rear toe) was missing. Looking closely, it clearly appeared to have been clipped, not having been torn or otherwise missing due to injury -- judging from the clean and nicely healed scar. The left hallux was intact and complete. A clipped right rear-facing toe is usually indicative of an escaped bird since, as a general rule, captive bred waterfowl are marked in this manner (but also by other methods). This is done before the bird is six weeks of age. I am not about to presume what the Records Committee will say about this record, nor do I speak for the Committee, but since a clipped hallux is strongly suggestive of a captively-raised bird, I'd guess this individual would be Unacceptable as a second state record. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com From smithville4@charter.net Fri Mar 12 01:41:46 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 19:41:46 -0600 Subject: [mou] Sandy Komito Message-ID: <004b01c407d3$3d674b10$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0045_01C407A0.E39D5FC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello: I would like to comment about Laura Erickson's comments about Sandy = Komito. I guided Sandy during that year he rebroke his big year record. I got to = be with Sandy for a full day driving around Lake and St. Louis Co. = Personally I really like Sandy Komito. Sandy is really a kool guy. Sure = he has a lot of money but he grew up poor and started a roofing company. = I worked on flat top roofs and we had a lot in common. We laughed a lot = and he was very generous to me. Also there was other comments about Sandy on how he acted at Attu. If = you think about it if you been to Attu several ltimes before I would = also sit in the shack and wait by the radio for certain birds to chase. Yes Sandy could of paid the $5.00 but if you read the book closely he = was there only for 1/2 hour or less. Also the ranger let him in free to = pursue the bird. It was a park personnel decision. Its not like Sandy = pointed a gun at the person and forced himself in w/o paying. He asked = and she said "ok". Don't blame Sandy blame the person who let him in = free. PITY stuff! Also ducks stamps are kool to buy and collect if your into that hobby. I = don't know if were being told to buy ducks stamps as a order by a few = Minn birders or is it just a nice thought to consider buying ducks = stamps? Personally I'm not planning on buying a duck stamp and than make = it into some sort clothing accessory for my jacket or hat. I thought = last time this came up on MOU listserve we all agree everyone that bird = watches gives back one way or another. Funeral was beautiful and I am feeling much much better! Thanks for all = letters and sympathy cards I got in the mail! Mike ------=_NextPart_000_0045_01C407A0.E39D5FC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hello:
 
I would like to comment about Laura = Erickson's=20 comments about Sandy Komito.
 
I guided Sandy during that year he = rebroke his big=20 year record. I got to be with Sandy for a full day driving around Lake = and St.=20 Louis Co. Personally I really like Sandy Komito. Sandy is really a kool = guy.=20 Sure he has a lot of money but he grew up poor and started a roofing = company. I=20 worked on flat top roofs and we had a lot in common. We laughed a lot = and he was=20 very generous to me.
 
Also there was other comments about = Sandy on how he=20 acted at Attu. If you think about it if you been to Attu several ltimes = before I=20 would also sit in the shack and wait by the radio for certain birds to=20 chase.
 
Yes Sandy could of paid the $5.00 but = if you read=20 the book closely he was there only for 1/2 hour or less. Also the ranger = let him=20 in free to pursue the bird. It was a park personnel decision. Its not = like Sandy=20 pointed a gun at the person and forced himself in w/o paying. He asked = and she=20 said "ok". Don't blame Sandy blame the person who let him in free. PITY=20 stuff!
 
Also ducks stamps are kool to buy and = collect if=20 your into that hobby. I don't know if were being told to buy ducks = stamps as a=20 order by a few Minn birders or is it just a nice thought to consider = buying=20 ducks stamps? Personally I'm not planning on buying a duck = stamp and=20 than make it into  some sort clothing accessory for my jacket or = hat. I=20 thought last time this came up on MOU listserve we all agree everyone = that bird=20 watches gives back one way or another.
 
Funeral was beautiful and I am feeling = much much=20 better! Thanks for all letters and sympathy cards I got in the=20 mail!
 
Mike
------=_NextPart_000_0045_01C407A0.E39D5FC0-- From Alongtin@worldnet.att.net Fri Mar 12 02:11:16 2004 From: Alongtin@worldnet.att.net (Andrew) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 20:11:16 -0600 Subject: [mou] Re: [mnbird] where to buy duck stamps In-Reply-To: <5.2.1.1.2.20040311100202.00b7ca70@mail1.abac.com> Message-ID: Better yet, donate some money to the nongame wildlife fund on your Minnesota income tax form!!!! Like I always do I split my refund with the fund, I believe they got about $265 from me 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/ ALongtin@worldnet.att.net See My WEB pages at: http://home.att.net/~alongtin/Index.htm NO SPAM NEEDED HERE PLEASE!!!!! -----Original Message----- From: mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu [mailto:mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu]On Behalf Of Laura Erickson Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 10:09 AM To: MOU-net; MnBird Subject: [mou] Re: [mnbird] where to buy duck stamps And don't just buy the Duck Stamp--DISPLAY it. Get a plastic cover and let it dangle from your spotting scope or on your jacket. Let people know that birders are willing to support habitat acquisition. I've just started reading "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession," and was dismayed to read that Sandy Komito got his first rare bird on his record-setting year at Patagonia Lake State Park in Arizona, and tried (the author doesn't say whether he was successful) to duck out of the $5.00 park entrance fee. Who the heck does he think PAYS for protecting that land and the habitat so that a Nutting's Flycatcher can have some place to show up when it wanders north of its range? This man who was willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to jet around the continent seeing the most birds anyone had ever seen in a year was unwilling to pay a lousy $5 to ensure the enduring existence of the park where he saw his first rare bird of the year? How badly that speaks of the sport of birding. Laura Erickson Duluth, MN Producer, "For the Birds" radio program There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net From ajjoppru@wiktel.com Fri Mar 12 02:36:03 2004 From: ajjoppru@wiktel.com (Jeanie Joppru) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 20:36:03 -0600 Subject: [mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, March 12, 2004 Message-ID: <000301c407da$c703da80$f8b391ce@main> This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, March 12, 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. Well, we had a tantalizing breath of spring last week and early this week but we are in the freezer again. However the changing temperatures and day length have jump-started the migration, and spring migrants are beginning to show up. Wintering birds are slowly leaving. Beth Siverhus reported a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on March 7th along Highway 72 about 8.5 miles south of Baudette. This would be in Lake of the Woods County. In Roseau County, Bob and Adele Powell saw a NORTHERN HARRIER two miles east of Roosevelt on March 6th, a welcome sign of spring which indicates that at least some of the migrants have reached almost to the Canadian border. A NORTHERN HARRIER was reported on March 5th by Zeann Linder and another by Shelley Steva on March 9, both in Pennington County. Shelley also reported several flocks of HORNED LARKS along US highway 59 just north of the Red Lake County line. I discovered a MERLIN perched at the tip of a tall evergreen tree along 6th Street in Thief River Falls on March 8th. A male RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER visited our feeder on March 7th. The Snowy Owl reported in Polk County last week has not been relocated this week. Heidi Hughes reported mixed flocks of HORNED LARKS and SNOW BUNTINGS numbering in the thousands in the county on March 6th. A GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN was seen near the Crookston airport on that day- looking for a flight south perhaps? Twelve SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were found along the highway near Euclid. Peggy Johnson reported from Detroit Lakes, Becker County, that she now has a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS coming to the feeder. In Otter Tail County, Alma Ronningen has six AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS and one DARK-EYED JUNCO coming to her feeder in Dent. Thanks to Shelley Steva, Zeann Linder, Beth Siverhus, Bob and Adele Powell, Heidi Hughes, and Peggy Johnson 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, March 19, 2004. =20 From Avocet13@charter.net Fri Mar 12 02:59:47 2004 From: Avocet13@charter.net (Blaine) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 20:59:47 -0600 Subject: [mou] What is this list sevre about? Message-ID: Howdy all, I'll start by saying I have tried to abide by the MOU'S wishes for this list serve, and feel we are off topic again. I do know how to use the delete key, and have many times recently. It's been a long cold winter. This is NOT... a personal attack on any one individual. The talk of King Rails etc, Sandy Komito and Duck stamps are again, off topic for this list serve. I could give you my opinion on hunting, Falconry or that every hunter should be an Audubon member or contribute to this or that, blah blah blah. Also note that I do try to contribute with my sightings when applicable, not just to arguments. Flame me personally at Avocet13@charter.net or openly if that's how you choose. Please read the attached from the MOU website.. Blaine Seeliger Avocet13@charter.net Dakota Co 612-414-0214 MOU Sponsored E-mail Listservices Introduction Welcome to the MOU-Net mailing list FAQ. 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. < CLIP > 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. < CLIP > Please limit your posts to the areas described above. If this list loses its focus, then it also loses its value. There are other mailing lists available for people interested in other issues. Of course, different people have different views as to what constitutes a "notable" sighting. Ultimately, you are the only person who can judge what is important to you, and your decision to post a sighting or question here will be respected. This is an open mailing list. Unless noted otherwise, messages are posted here by individuals, not by the MOU as an organization. No effort is made to review messages prior to their dissemination to subscribers. There is no guarantee of the accuracy of any message. Messages must be courteous and respectful of others. People who flagrantly or repeatedly abuse this expectation could see their posting privileges revoked, either temporarily or permanently. Presumably this action will never be required. From jslind@frontiernet.net Fri Mar 12 03:03:38 2004 From: jslind@frontiernet.net (Jim Lind) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 21:03:38 -0600 Subject: [mou] Northern Hawk-Owl - Lake Co. Message-ID: <4050D42A.17429.F0C2BD@localhost> Dave Grosshuesch saw a Northern Hawk-Owl on Wednesday along the Stoney River Forest Road, about 5 miles south of Highway 1. Apparently the road is still drivable (truck traffic has been keeping it open this winter), but it is covered with deep washboards. Jim Lind Two Harbors From Pmegeland@aol.com Fri Mar 12 03:24:50 2004 From: Pmegeland@aol.com (Pmegeland@aol.com) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 22:24:50 EST Subject: [mou] Longspurs Message-ID: <158.2fbbd421.2d828782@aol.com> -------------------------------1079061890 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Took a quick trip west this morning. In Renville Co along County 4 and Redwood Co 9 there were thousands of Lapland Longspurs. Even though the snow is off the fields and are bare of snow they were still feeding along the road. There were hundreds of Horned Larks also. With the very strong winds from the NW the birds were mostly on the north side of the road. When they flushed the wind was so strong that numbers of them were being swept in front of cars. I unfortunately killed a couple and between Renville and Redwood counties there were probably a dozen and a half birds. Most had been squashed but I picked up a couple of lightly damaged birds. I have frozen them, does anyone know who might be interested in these specimens? Non of the birds seen were in bright breeding plumage but were just starting to show the change. Paul Egeland Bloomington,MN -------------------------------1079061890 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Took a quick trip west this morning. In Renville Co along County 4 and=20= Redwood Co 9 there were thousands of Lapland Longspurs. Even though the= snow is off the  fields and are bare of snow they were still feed= ing along the road. There were hundreds of Horned Larks also. With the very=20= strong winds from the NW the birds were mostly on the north side of the road= . When they flushed the wind was so strong that numbers of them were being s= wept in front of cars. I unfortunately killed a couple and between Renville=20= and Redwood counties there were probably a dozen and a half birds. Most had=20= been squashed but I picked up a couple of lightly damaged birds. I= have frozen them, does anyone know who might be interested in these specime= ns? Non of the birds seen were in bright breeding plumage but were= just starting to show the change.
Paul Egeland
Bloomington,MN
-------------------------------1079061890-- From axhertzel@sihope.com Fri Mar 12 07:39:33 2004 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 01:39:33 -0600 Subject: [mou] MOU RBA 11 March 2004 Message-ID: --============_-1133045317==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday March 11th. Dave Grosshuesch saw a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on the 10th in Lake County along the Stoney River Forest Road, about five miles south of Highway 1. And on March 7th, Beth Siverhus found a Northern Hawk Owl in Lake of the Woods County, along Highway 72 about 8.5 miles south of Baudette. GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen as recently as March 8th near the junction of Aitkin County Road 18 and Pietz's Road. And the SNOWY OWL is still being seen on Aitkin County Road 1, about five and a half miles north of the Mississippi River bridge. Jane Hosking saw a Snowy Owl at Leif Erickson Park in Duluth on the 7th, but the bird was not relocated the next day. Unusual was the report of a white-phase GYRFALCON from Mille Lacs County on the 9th. It was reportedly seen south of Milaca along U.S. Highway 169 about a quarter of a mile north of the Milaca Freight Store and standing on a hay bale. Chad Aakre reported seeing the ICELAND GULL in Two Harbors, Lake County on the 7th, and the three LONG-TAILED DUCKS was also still in Agate Bay on the same day. On the 9th, the ROSS'S GOOSE was still on Silver Lake in Rochester, Olmsted County, along with several GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. There is a pair of MUTE SWANS on the St. Croix River in Washington County just north of Stillwater. They were last reported on the 8th. Finally, a male Smew was found on the 11th on Lake Shady on the east side of U.S. Highway 52 in Oronoco, Olmsted County. This is about two miles south of the Goodhue County line. Indications are that this is an escaped bird. I also have recent reports of RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, TUNDRA SWAN, WESTERN MEADOWLARK and COMMON REDPOLL. 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, March 18th. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com --============_-1133045317==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MOU RBA 11 March 2004

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday March 11th.

Dave Grosshuesch saw a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on the 10th in Lake County along the Stoney River Forest Road, about five miles south of Highway 1. And on March 7th, Beth Siverhus found a Northern Hawk Owl in Lake of the Woods County, along Highway 72 about 8.5 miles south of Baudette. GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen as recently as March 8th near the junction of Aitkin County Road 18 and Pietz's Road. And the SNOWY OWL is still being seen on Aitkin County Road 1, about five and a half miles north of the Mississippi River bridge. Jane Hosking saw a Snowy Owl at Leif Erickson Park in Duluth on the 7th, but the bird was not relocated the next day.

Unusual was the report of a white-phase GYRFALCON from Mille Lacs County on the 9th. It was reportedly seen south of Milaca along U.S. Highway 169 about a quarter of a mile north of the Milaca Freight Store and standing on a hay bale.

Chad Aakre reported seeing the ICELAND GULL in Two Harbors, Lake County on the 7th, and the three LONG-TAILED DUCKS was also still in Agate Bay on the same day.

On the 9th, the ROSS'S GOOSE was still on Silver Lake in Rochester, Olmsted County, along with several GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE.

There is a pair of MUTE SWANS on the St. Croix River in Washington County just north of Stillwater. They were last reported on the 8th.

Finally, a male Smew was found on the 11th on Lake Shady on the east side of U.S. Highway 52 in Oronoco, Olmsted County. This is about two miles south of the Goodhue County line. Indications are that this is an escaped bird. I also have recent reports of RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, TUNDRA SWAN, WESTERN MEADOWLARK and COMMON REDPOLL.

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, March 18th.

--
Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com
--============_-1133045317==_ma============-- From tomchorn@comcast.net Fri Mar 12 00:53:12 2004 From: tomchorn@comcast.net (The Chorns) Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 18:53:12 -0600 Subject: [mou] Carolina Wren Message-ID: <000801c407cc$664160e0$0300a8c0@mydomain.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C4079A.1AB45380 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The Carolina Wren that was at 105 Stinson Blvd was last seen on February = 29. It was there since mid December. ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C4079A.1AB45380 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
The Carolina Wren that was at 105 = Stinson Blvd was=20 last seen on February 29.  It was there since mid=20 December.
------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C4079A.1AB45380-- From PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net Fri Mar 12 17:01:23 2004 From: PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net (Pastor Al) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 11:01:23 -0600 Subject: [mou] Sherburne & Mille Lacs Counties Message-ID: <006201c40853$a6a9cc30$0b01a8c0@PastorAl> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_005F_01C40821.5BA8D230 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Few observations from Sherburne NWA & Mille Lacs county this week: * Two Eastern Bluebirds this morning along Sherburne 9 * Overwintering Golden-crowned Kinglet flock (at least a portion of it) = apparently survived the winter on Blue Hill Trail (same location in = December, early January and this morning) * Personal first Red-winged Blackbirds Wednesday near ML 110 (three = flyovers, still not seeing in fields/wetlands) * Single Hooded Merganser on the Rum River in Pioneer Park * Couple of small Common Redpoll flocks remaining along 169 & ML 110. Good birding to all! Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN ------=_NextPart_000_005F_01C40821.5BA8D230 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Few observations from Sherburne NWA = & Mille=20 Lacs county this week:
 
* Two Eastern Bluebirds this = morning along=20 Sherburne 9
* Overwintering Golden-crowned Kinglet = flock (at=20 least a portion of it) apparently survived the winter on Blue Hill = Trail=20 (same location in December, early January and this morning)
* Personal first Red-winged Blackbirds = Wednesday=20 near ML 110 (three flyovers, still not seeing in = fields/wetlands)
* Single Hooded Merganser on the Rum = River in=20 Pioneer Park
* Couple of small Common Redpoll flocks = remaining=20 along 169 & ML 110.
 
Good birding to all!
 
Al Schirmacher
Princeton, MN
 
------=_NextPart_000_005F_01C40821.5BA8D230-- From PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net Fri Mar 12 17:32:23 2004 From: PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net (Pastor Al) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 11:32:23 -0600 Subject: [mou] Late ID/listing opinion Message-ID: <010c01c40857$faefe820$0b01a8c0@PastorAl> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0109_01C40825.B00B9DE0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Would welcome input. On Tuesday of this week was driving south of Milaca along 169. Observed = a white hawk in the air, buteo-like, with black on the wing tips, and = wondered about the ID. However, intent on returning to the church after = a two hour meeting, did not give it further thought. (Had also noted a very similar bird over the Princeton area on Sunday.) Today I read Anthony Hertzel's MN Birding Report referencing a white = phase Gyrfalcon along 169 on the same day in virtually the same = location. As I picture the bird in my mind's eye again, ID clarifies. So, would you list the bird...? Thanks! Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN ------=_NextPart_000_0109_01C40825.B00B9DE0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Would welcome input.
 
On Tuesday of this week was driving = south of Milaca=20 along 169.  Observed a white hawk in the air, buteo-like, with = black=20 on the wing tips, and wondered about the ID.  However, intent on = returning=20 to the church after a two hour meeting, did not give it further=20 thought.
 
(Had also noted a very similar bird = over the=20 Princeton area on Sunday.)
 
Today I read Anthony Hertzel's MN = Birding=20 Report referencing a white phase Gyrfalcon along 169 = on the same=20 day in virtually the same location.  As I picture the bird in = my=20 mind's eye again, ID clarifies.
 
So, would you list the = bird...?
 
Thanks!
 
Al Schirmacher
Princeton, MN
 
 
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_0109_01C40825.B00B9DE0-- From Greiner.Carl@mayo.edu Fri Mar 12 14:49:38 2004 From: Greiner.Carl@mayo.edu (Greiner, Carl W.) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 08:49:38 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew Message-ID: <4CBA9ACAC5FE954A8A47BFA1323BB8040CAEB6@excsrv19.mayo.edu> Smew was still under the northbound hwy 52 bridge on Shady Lake at 7:45 a.m 3/12/04. The lake froze over last night except for a approx 10 foot hole under the bridge. Thats where he's at. Carl Greiner R & D Human Cellular Therapy Laboratory Transfusion Medicine 2-74 Hilton 8-1997 From chadaakre@hotmail.com Fri Mar 12 21:36:26 2004 From: chadaakre@hotmail.com (Chad Aakre) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 15:36:26 -0600 Subject: [mou] Olmsted - Smew, Geese Message-ID: Hello all, Just wanted to let you know that the Smew is still present in the open water under the bridge as of 2:00 P.M. Quite a beautiful bird regardless of its origin. I stopped by Silver Lake, Rochester with my Birdwatching class and saw: Greater - White Fronted Goose = 50+ Snow Goose - One loan blue phase near the island Redhead - One pair male and female near the culvert on the west side. Beautiful day to get outside, Chad Aakre Winona County _________________________________________________________________ Create a Job Alert on MSN Careers and enter for a chance to win $1000! http://msn.careerbuilder.com/promo/kaday.htm?siteid=CBMSN_1K&sc_extcmp=JS_JASweep_MSNHotm2 From saqqara@scc.net Fri Mar 12 22:39:21 2004 From: saqqara@scc.net (Bruce Baer) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 16:39:21 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew Message-ID: <200403122239.i2CMdGgh016899@smtp.scc.net> I saw the Smew at 10:30 this morning under the bridge. At the time it was standing on the ice preening. No leg bands could be seen. It was a good day for raptors: American Kestrel (4) Bald Eagle Golden Eagle (possible) Sharp-shined Hawk (2) Cooper's Hawk (2) Northern Goshawk (possible) Red-tailed Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk The Red-shouldered Hawk was seen sitting above the bridge where the Smew was. No large numbers of Horned Lark yet. Bruce Baer Bloomington, MN From david@cahlander.com Sat Mar 13 00:36:15 2004 From: david@cahlander.com (David A. Cahlander) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 18:36:15 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew Message-ID: <008601c40893$34bd4350$0200000a@flash> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0083_01C40860.E6C884C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thanks to Bob Ekblad, a picture of the Smew has been added the the MOU = site: http://biosci.umn.edu/~mou/recent.html I left Arden Hills to see it at 4:30 pm yesterday and arrived about 6 = pm. With the help of a cell phone and directions from Tony Hertzel, I ws able to = get right to the bird. It looked like a dirty spot on the ice until I put my = optics on it. It sure is a wonderful bird! Very thin and dainty bill. I've seen a Smew once before. However it was with the help of a video = camera. At the wildlife refuge we visited, they had a camera mounted on the top = of the blind that we were in. The fellow at the refuge was able to point the = camera and zoom in to see the bird. I've had a argument with myself since as = to if this is a countable bird. I would count the bird if I walked up to = someone's spotting scope and saw a bird. Does the electronic assist change = things? Let me know if you have an opinion, privatly. There were a small group = of Smew with both males and females. They were seen in Hokido, Japan. --- David Cahlander david@cahlander.com Burnsville, MN 952-894-5910 ------=_NextPart_000_0083_01C40860.E6C884C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Thanks to Bob Ekblad, a = picture of the=20 Smew has been added the the MOU site:
 
    http://biosci.umn.edu/~mo= u/recent.html
 
I left Arden Hills to see it = at 4:30 pm=20 yesterday and arrived about 6 pm.  With
the help of a cell phone and = directions=20 from Tony Hertzel, I ws able to get right
to the bird.  It looked = like a dirty=20 spot on the ice until I put my optics on it.
It sure is a wonderful = bird!  Very=20 thin and dainty bill.
 
I've seen a Smew once = before. =20 However it was with the help of a video camera.
At the wildlife refuge we = visited, they=20 had a camera mounted on the top of the
blind that we were in.  = The fellow=20 at the refuge was able to point the camera
and zoom in to see the = bird.  I've=20 had a argument with myself since as to if
this is a countable = bird.  I would=20 count the bird if I walked up to someone's
spotting scope and saw a = bird.  Does=20 the electronic assist change things?
Let me know if you have an = opinion,=20 privatly.  There were a small group of Smew
with both males and = females.  They=20 were seen in Hokido, Japan.
---
David Cahlander david@cahlander.com Burnsville, = MN=20 952-894-5910
------=_NextPart_000_0083_01C40860.E6C884C0-- From cerulean1966@msn.com Sat Mar 13 04:54:15 2004 From: cerulean1966@msn.com (Dave Bartkey) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 22:54:15 -0600 Subject: [mou] Birding today in Rice County Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_005B_01C40884.F1DB4180 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I everyone! I started off the day by adding a new backyard bird to my list when I = heard something hammering on one of the dead trees across the road = behind my apartment. There was a female Pileated Woodpecker there, and I = was able to show my daughters and my wife the bird before they were off = to school and work. I headed to River Bend Nature Center with great anticipation of seeing = some heavy duty hawk migration, but was disappointed in the lack of = numbers of raptors heading north. While I saw 11 Bald Eagles, I only saw = one Red-tailed Hawk, and one Red-shouldered Hawk. I saw nothing else = flying north other than about 20 Canada Geese and lots of jets! While at = River Bend, I did see two Song Sparrows at their feeders. My first of = the year. I also noticed very large numbers of Tree Sparrows at the = feeders. I wondered if they were getting ready to head north as well.=20 From there, I drove out to Wells Lake and saw hundreds of Canada = Geese, 4 Greater White-fronted Geese, 1 Blue-phased Snow Goose, lots of = Hooded Mergansers and Redheads, 1 Lesser Scaup, 2 Ring-necked Ducks, and = a few Goldeneye. Not too bad considering the lack of open water. I = searched high and low for a bluebird, but to no avail. Maybe = tomorrow.... Good birding! Dave Bartkey Faribault, MN cerulean1966@msn.com=20 ------=_NextPart_000_005B_01C40884.F1DB4180 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I everyone!
  I started off the day by adding a new backyard bird to my = list when=20 I heard something hammering on one of the dead trees across the road = behind my=20 apartment. There was a female Pileated Woodpecker there, and I was able = to show=20 my daughters and my wife the bird before they were off to school and = work.
  I headed to River Bend Nature Center with great anticipation = of=20 seeing some heavy duty hawk migration, but was disappointed in the lack = of=20 numbers of raptors heading north. While I saw 11 Bald Eagles, I only saw = one=20 Red-tailed Hawk, and one Red-shouldered Hawk. I saw nothing else flying = north=20 other than about 20 Canada Geese and lots of jets! While at River Bend, = I did=20 see two Song Sparrows at their feeders. My first of the year. I also = noticed=20 very large numbers of Tree Sparrows at the feeders. I wondered if they = were=20 getting ready to head north as well.
  From there, I drove out to Wells Lake and saw hundreds of = Canada=20 Geese, 4 Greater White-fronted Geese, 1 Blue-phased Snow Goose, = lots of=20 Hooded Mergansers and Redheads, 1 Lesser Scaup, 2 Ring-necked Ducks, and = a few=20 Goldeneye. Not too bad considering the lack of open water. I searched = high and=20 low for a bluebird, but to no avail. Maybe tomorrow....
 
Good birding!
Dave Bartkey
Faribault, MN
 
------=_NextPart_000_005B_01C40884.F1DB4180-- From brsmith@sleepyeyetel.net Sat Mar 13 15:18:10 2004 From: brsmith@sleepyeyetel.net (Brian Smith) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 09:18:10 -0600 Subject: [mou] Sleepy Eye lake Message-ID: <002f01c4090e$65c778a0$228a2c42@S0026080567> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_002C_01C408DC.1ADE7370 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello: The spring waterfowl migration has finally picked up in Brown county. = At Sleepy Eye lake this morning I saw: 5 Bald Eagle 3 Snow Goose (1 blue phase with quite a bit of white wash on face and = back, 2 white phase) Canada Goose (many) 3 N. Shoveler 5 N. Pintail Mallard (many) 12 A. Coot ~20 Ring-necked Duck ~20 Lesser Scaup 4 Common Merganser 4 Common Goldeneye 2 Gadwall 1 Canvasback 8 Redhead Good birding, Brian Smith ------=_NextPart_000_002C_01C408DC.1ADE7370 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hello:
 
The=20 spring waterfowl migration has finally picked up in Brown=20 county.  At Sleepy Eye lake this morning I = saw:
 
5 Bald=20 Eagle
3 Snow=20 Goose (1 blue phase with quite a bit of white wash on face and back, 2 = white=20 phase)
Canada=20 Goose (many)
3 N.=20 Shoveler
5 N.=20 Pintail
Mallard=20 (many)
12 A.=20 Coot
~20=20 Ring-necked Duck
~20=20 Lesser Scaup
4 Common=20 Merganser
4 Common=20 Goldeneye
2=20 Gadwall
1=20 Canvasback
8=20 Redhead
 
Good=20 birding,
 
Brian=20 Smith
 
------=_NextPart_000_002C_01C408DC.1ADE7370-- From Mexczech@aol.com Sat Mar 13 15:20:53 2004 From: Mexczech@aol.com (Mexczech@aol.com) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 10:20:53 EST Subject: [mou] short-eared owl, eagan, dakota county Message-ID: <78.5220c260.2d8480d5@aol.com> --part1_78.5220c260.2d8480d5_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Note: originally sent yesterday at 4:15 but bounced back. Hello Birders, About 15 minutes ago (4pm) my wife and I were out with our daughter; it was=20 her first time facing forward in the stroller.=A0 We were on Avalon, a small= =20 street parallel to and just north of Lone Oak, a few hundred yards east of P= ilot=20 Knob. A bird was flushed out of some tall spruce/pines by some crows and we though= t=20 it was a hawk.=A0 It seemed to be awfully 'bouncy' in it's flight.=A0 I thou= ght=20 owl and got quite excited.=A0 We got the binoculars on it and watched for cl= ose=20 to 10 minutes as it flew, 'moth like', around, stopping once in the same bun= ch=20 of trees for less than a minute but otherwise at the perfect viewing height. We were quite excited.=A0 Once last year and once this year we had gone to=20 Salem Corners in the hopes of seeing the short-eared but didn't.=A0 Who know= s, maybe=20 this was the same guy (it seems the one we saw was a male due to it's=20 coloration)! We still have red- and white-breasted nuthatches and juncos at the house and= =20 are just seeing the first robins, starlings and red-winged black birds passi= ng=20 by. Happy Birding, The Zajics Eagan, Dakota County=20 --part1_78.5220c260.2d8480d5_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Note: originally sent yesterday at=20= 4:15 but bounced back.


Hello Birders,

About 15 minutes ago (4pm) my wife and I were out with our daughter; it was=20= her first time facing forward in the stroller.=A0 We were on Avalon, a small= street parallel to and just north of Lone Oak, a few hundred yards east of=20= Pilot Knob.

A bird was flushed out of some tall spruce/pines by some crows and we though= t it was a hawk.=A0 It seemed to be awfully 'bouncy' in it's flight.=A0 I th= ought owl and got quite excited.=A0 We got the binoculars on it and watched=20= for close to 10 minutes as it flew, 'moth like', around, stopping once in th= e same bunch of trees for less than a minute but otherwise at the perfect vi= ewing height.

We were quite excited.=A0 Once last year and once this year we had gone to S= alem Corners in the hopes of seeing the short-eared but didn't.=A0 Who knows= , maybe this was the same guy (it seems the one we saw was a male due to it'= s coloration)!

We still have red- and white-breasted nuthatches and juncos at the house and= are just seeing the first robins, starlings and red-winged black birds pass= ing by.

Happy Birding,

The Zajics
Eagan, Dakota County
--part1_78.5220c260.2d8480d5_boundary-- From two-jays@att.net Sat Mar 13 18:10:31 2004 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 10:10:31 -0800 Subject: [mou] FW: [wisb] Golden Eagles In-Reply-To: Message-ID: forward by Jim Williams ---------- From: "Ryan Brady" Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 08:37:28 -0700 To: "Wisconsin Birding Network" Subject: [wisb] Golden Eagles It's been a fabulous week for Golden Eagles at Chequamegon Bay Hawkwatch here in Ashland with at least 13 flying by in the past five days. Our season total (since March 1) is already 18 with more adults and some subadults and juveniles to come through April. Our current single season record for Goldens is 25 (2002). Not much change otherwise. Northern Shrikes, Common Redpolls, and Bohemian Waxwings continue. Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Mallards, Black Duck, Canada Goose, and Mute Swan can be found in what little open water we have. Spring excitement comes easily here in the north woods, so I was thrilled to see the season's first RING-BILLED GULL yesterday within a flock of Herrings along the Ashland lakeshore. Ryan Brady 1521 Fifth Street East Ashland, WI 54806 715-682-1103 ryanbrady10@hotmail.com _________________________________________________________________ Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee when you click here. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ############################## 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 cerulean1966@msn.com Sat Mar 13 18:23:27 2004 From: cerulean1966@msn.com (Dave Bartkey) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 12:23:27 -0600 Subject: [mou] Rice County waterfowl Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001D_01C408F5.FCA50760 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi everyone, We have lots of waterfowl moving through down here now. This morning = at Wells Lake, we had these species present: Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Greater Scaup Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Wood Duck Canvasback Redhead Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull I also checked Sakatah Lake, and there is a small patch of open water = there. Surprisingly, there were 6 Trumpeter Swans! One had a green = neckband. I stopped at a wetland that I visit often throughout the year to check = for open water and found none, however, there was a Killdeer walking = around on an exposed mudflat. I'm still noticing tree sparrows in very large numbers moving through. Good birding! Dave Bartkey Faribault, MN cerulean1966@msn.com ------=_NextPart_000_001D_01C408F5.FCA50760 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi everyone,
  We have lots of waterfowl moving through down here now. This = morning=20 at Wells Lake, we had these species present:
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Greater Scaup
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Wood Duck
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
 
I also checked Sakatah Lake, and there is a small patch of open = water=20 there. Surprisingly, there were 6 Trumpeter Swans! One had a green=20 neckband.
 
I stopped at a wetland that I visit often throughout the year to = check for=20 open water and found none, however, there was a Killdeer walking around = on an=20 exposed mudflat.
 
I'm still noticing tree sparrows in very large numbers moving=20 through.
 
Good birding!
Dave Bartkey
Faribault, MN
------=_NextPart_000_001D_01C408F5.FCA50760-- From ppedersen6@charter.net Sat Mar 13 20:24:03 2004 From: ppedersen6@charter.net (ppedersen6@charter.net) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 14:24:03 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew now on Silver Lake in Rochester Message-ID: <200403132024.i2DKO3Ak049213@mxsf13.cluster1.charter.net> Saturday, at noon the Smew was on Silver Lake in Rochester, having moved overnight 10 miles SE of its original location in Oronoco. The Oronoco spot had frozen almost completely over. Other birds on Silver Lake: Lesser Scaup Green-winged Teal Common Merganser To my knowledge,the Ross's Goose hasn't been seen since Tuesday or Wednesday. East Landfill Reservoir had 10 Swans in the little bit of open water in the far NE bay, but they were too far away for specific identification. Also one Bald Eagle was on the ice. From bbolduan@rconnect.com Sat Mar 13 22:14:02 2004 From: bbolduan@rconnect.com (Brad Bolduan) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 16:14:02 -0600 Subject: [mou] Cottonwood/Jackson - GT Grackle, White fronted Geese, & likely Mt Bluebird Message-ID: Things are picking up down here like everywhere else. I saw a Great/Boat-tailed Grackle today along MN86 at the intersection on Jackson Co 4 eastbound. The bird landed on the ice next to some Canada Geese before flew south for at least 2 miles. Greater White-fronted Geese have been rather common down here. I have seen or heard hundreds per day each of the three times I went into western Jackson county this week. Lastly, I saw a bluebird on the outskirts of Windom yesterday. Based its relatively light shade of blue and a long body shape I am fairly certain that it was a Mountain Bluebird. The bird was well seen from the side and back while in flight, but I have a slight reservation about calling it a definate Mountain Bluebird. The bird was seen at a time when I was unable to stop. It was not relocated today. Brad Bolduan Windom From cfagyal@avianphotos.org Sat Mar 13 22:19:40 2004 From: cfagyal@avianphotos.org (Chris Fagyal) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 16:19:40 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew now on Silver Lake in Rochester In-Reply-To: <200403132024.i2DKO3Ak049213@mxsf13.cluster1.charter.net> Message-ID: <000e01c40949$4eceba10$ac12030a@cymorg> The Smew was on Silver Lake when I got there at 12:30, and was still there when I came back around 1:30 and was there when I left. Also present was: 1 Greater White-Fronted Goose (It left though) Several Lesser Scaup, Possibly a Greater Scaup or two in there I believe 1 Green-winged Teal (Was there at 12:30, didn't see it when I came back) 1 Redhead At Blackdog Lake this morning on my way down there weren't many ducks except for Common Mergansers. There were however: 2 Hooded Mergansers (At the outflow) 2 American Black Ducks (In the marshy area past the parking lot just before the railroad tracks) Still haven't been able to figure out where that GHO nest is :/ -----Original Message----- From: mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu [mailto:mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu] On Behalf Of ppedersen6@charter.net Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2004 2:24 PM To: mnbird@lists.mnbird.net; mou-net@cbs.umn.edu Subject: [mou] Smew now on Silver Lake in Rochester Saturday, at noon the Smew was on Silver Lake in Rochester, having moved overnight 10 miles SE of its original location in Oronoco. The Oronoco spot had frozen almost completely over. Other birds on Silver Lake: Lesser Scaup Green-winged Teal Common Merganser To my knowledge,the Ross's Goose hasn't been seen since Tuesday or Wednesday. East Landfill Reservoir had 10 Swans in the little bit of open water in the far NE bay, but they were too far away for specific identification. Also one Bald Eagle was on the ice. _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net From tnejbell@comcast.net Sun Mar 14 00:18:05 2004 From: tnejbell@comcast.net (tnejbell@comcast.net) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 00:18:05 +0000 Subject: [mou] Snow Buntings & Northern Pintail Message-ID: <031420040018.27257.46fc@comcast.net> Early this afternoon in the Cottage Grove area we saw a small flock of Snow Buntings (6-8) with Horned Larks along 100th Street S, just east of Kimbro Avenue S. This location is on the east side of US-10 & 61 We also saw a Northern Pintail on Glendenning Pond on 100th Street S, just east of Jamaica Avenue S. This location is on the west side of US-10 & 61. Tom & Elizabeth -- Tom & Elizabeth Bell on Grey Cloud Island 5868 Pioneer Road South Saint Paul Park MN 55071 651 459-4150 From smorton@mvtvwireless.com Sun Mar 14 00:39:46 2004 From: smorton@mvtvwireless.com (Steve and Sue Morton) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 18:39:46 -0600 Subject: [mou] Open water Message-ID: <001a01c4095c$d9fc0530$d4c41cd0@SteveMorton> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C4092A.8F38FE90 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable There is quite a bit of water now open around the aerators on Cottonwood = Lake, and a few other puddles here and there. A flock of 300 + Canada = Geese have been on the lake for a couple of days. Also: 3 Franklins = gulls, 2 redheaded ducks, and 79 mallards. We had shouse sparrows, goldfinches wb nuthatches, chickadees, and = robins in the yard, today. On Yellow Medicine County Road 2 (the St. Leo Road) between MN 59 and = Canby, we saw many red winged black birds, a red tail, and two kestrels. = There is a Northern Harrier cruising over Hwy 23 at Green Valley. Sue Morton, Cottonwood, Lyon County ------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C4092A.8F38FE90 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
There is quite a bit of water now open = around the=20 aerators on Cottonwood Lake,  and a few other puddles here and = there. =20 A flock of 300 + Canada Geese have been on the lake for a couple of = days. =20 Also:  3 Franklins gulls, 2 redheaded ducks, and 79 = mallards.
 
We had shouse sparrows, goldfinches wb = nuthatches,=20 chickadees, and robins in the yard, today.
 
On Yellow Medicine County Road 2 (the = St. Leo Road)=20 between MN 59 and Canby, we saw many red winged black birds, a red tail, = and two=20 kestrels.  There is a Northern Harrier cruising over Hwy 23 at = Green=20 Valley.
 
Sue Morton, Cottonwood, Lyon=20 County
------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C4092A.8F38FE90-- From prh@hutchtel.net Sun Mar 14 01:37:14 2004 From: prh@hutchtel.net (Hoeger-Lerdal) Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2004 19:37:14 -0600 Subject: [mou] McLeod County Migration Message-ID: <005a01c40964$e1c0b920$580410ac@default> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0057_01C40932.9676CF40 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Birds seen Mar.11-13 in north-central McLeod County, near Hutchinson: = Swan Lake:=20 2 Bald Eagles (1 adult, 1 imm.) on the ice edge guarding about=20 20 Gr. White-Fronted Geese in flock of about=20 200 Canadas, along with=20 Gadwalls (12) Shovelers (10) Mallards (many) Am. Wigeon (1) Canvasback (1) Common Merganser (1 female) Hooded Mergansers (1 pair) with a N. Harrier flying by; Also on Lake Marion, many many Common Mergansers with similar assortment = of accompanying dabblers. pete hoeger, hutchinson ------=_NextPart_000_0057_01C40932.9676CF40 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Birds seen Mar.11-13 in north-central = McLeod=20 County, near Hutchinson: Swan=20 Lake: 
2 Bald Eagles (1 adult, 1 imm.) on = the ice edge guarding  about
20 Gr. White-Fronted Geese in flock of = about=20
200 Canadas, along with 
Gadwalls (12)
Shovelers (10)
Mallards (many)
Am.  Wigeon (1)
Canvasback (1)
Common Merganser (1 = female)
Hooded Mergansers (1 pair)
with a N. Harrier flying = by;
Also on Lake Marion, many many Common = Mergansers=20 with similar assortment of accompanying dabblers.
pete hoeger, hutchinson
 
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_0057_01C40932.9676CF40-- From benzdedrick@hotmail.com Sun Mar 14 15:14:17 2004 From: benzdedrick@hotmail.com (Dedrick Benz) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 15:14:17 +0000 Subject: [mou] Peregrine, Queen's Bluff Message-ID: Sorry for the belated post. Thought I'd let you all know, I saw a Peregrine at Queen's Bluff last Wed., March 3rd. I confess I don't spend a lot of time here. It is on my commute (Hwy 61, mile marker 13, about 12 miles south of Winona), and I am usually in a hurry to get to work or from work, but I usually check the snag coming out from the cliff face, and Mar. 3rd was the 1st day I had seen a Peregrine here since last fall. Dedrick Benz Winona, MN PS Got to see the Smew. Before I even knew half the birds of Minnesota, I was a Russian Major, and focused on the Smew in the Birds of the USSR field guide as one I REALLY wanted to see, so that bird goes down as my favorite escapee - maybe I'll make it back to Russia one day and find a wild one, but my avian heart right now lies in Costa Rica, where I'm going in a month. Woo hoo! _________________________________________________________________ Frustrated with dial-up? Lightning-fast Internet access for as low as $29.95/month. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200360ave/direct/01/ From slafleur@mchsi.com Sun Mar 14 18:13:42 2004 From: slafleur@mchsi.com (sharrie) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 10:13:42 -0800 Subject: [mou] OT: Hawks Message-ID: <001601c409f0$158a4240$a658d70c@mchsi.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C409AD.0734A7A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I live in Prior Lake Mn, right in heart of town and i am amazed at the = amount of hawks i see. i drive school bus so iam on the road all day so = i have the opportunity to be all over town. I always thought hawks were = native to the woods. my only guide is the golden guide bird book, but = last friday i got some shots of two different hawks.. one in the parking = lot of a rainbow if you can imagine.. i am just having a hard time = indentifying which ones they are.. one time i pulled up to a hawk eating = on the side of the road mistaking it for a hurt goose, it was that = large, he flew off with his snake he had caught ..he was gorgeous..the = red tail hawk i have no problem. i see the same one now just about = everyday for the last 5 years. but are there peregrine falcons in this = area. or harrier's .. can anyone recommend a good book for a beginner = and the minnesota area.. thanks so much... shari.. i hope iam not too off topic.. i had wild female turkey at my bird feeders with the sparrows. ------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C409AD.0734A7A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I live in Prior Lake Mn, right in heart = of town and=20 i am amazed at the amount of hawks i see.  i drive school bus so = iam on the=20 road all day so i have the opportunity to be all over town. I always = thought=20 hawks were native to the woods. my only guide is the golden guide bird = book, but=20 last friday i got some shots of two different hawks.. one in the parking = lot of=20 a rainbow if you can imagine.. i am just having a hard time indentifying = which=20 ones they are.. one time i pulled up to a hawk eating on the side of the = road=20 mistaking it for a hurt goose, it was that large, he flew off with his = snake he=20 had caught ..he was gorgeous..the red tail hawk i have no problem. i see = the=20 same one now just about everyday for the last 5 years. but are there = peregrine=20 falcons in this area. or harrier's .. can anyone recommend a good book = for a=20 beginner and the minnesota area.. thanks so much...
 
shari..
i hope iam not too off topic..
i had wild female turkey at my bird feeders with = the=20 sparrows.
------=_NextPart_000_0013_01C409AD.0734A7A0-- From sbeecher@visi.com Sun Mar 14 23:41:12 2004 From: sbeecher@visi.com (sbeecher@visi.com) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:41:12 -0600 Subject: [mou] OT: Hawks In-Reply-To: <001601c409f0$158a4240$a658d70c@mchsi.com> Message-ID: <40549938.17859.3772E20@localhost> Hi Shari, > i hope iam not too off topic.. I am new to this list but, I don't think your post is off topic at all. It's spring migration and being close to the Minnesota River means you are in a good position to see just about any bird of prey that comes through Minnesota, as well as most other migrants. Harriers summer from here north, Peregrines live along the local river valleys, Rough-legged and Broad-winged Hawks are moving north as well as Osprey and Bald Eagles. You could see them all this time of year! > .... my only guide is the golden guide bird book... > ... can anyone recommend a good book for a beginner > and the minnesota area.. Many people (including me) think that the Sibley Guide to Birds is the best all around book for beginners, they also have a smaller Eastern Guide. I'm sure that others can suggest more specific books on raptors. > i had wild female turkey at my bird feeders with the sparrows. Cool! It's great to see them up close. Put a Sibley and some binocs in your bus and you may be making more stops than you had before! Have fun, Steve-O From sharonks@mn.rr.com Mon Mar 15 00:10:16 2004 From: sharonks@mn.rr.com (Sharon Stiteler) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 18:10:16 -0600 Subject: [mou] OT: Hawks In-Reply-To: <001601c409f0$158a4240$a658d70c@mchsi.com> 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. --MS_Mac_OE_3162132616_1900019_MIME_Part Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Hi Shari, You will find hawks are all over Minnesota not just the woods. One of the most common is the Cooper's hawk which has adapted to urban settings very well by feeding on starlings, house sparrows, and pigeons among several other species. The Sibley guide is good, but I know many beginners who find it overwhelming. Truth be told you should have more than one field guide. Some people prefer photographs over drawings, so you might want to stop in at your local book store and see what's available. One of the most popular with beginners is Birds of Minnesota by Stan Tekiela. It doesn't have every bird you will see but many like to use it to learn the basics. From there they will graduate to a Sibley guide, a Kaufman guide, or a Peterson guide. One of my personal favorites for identifying raptors is Clark and Wheeler's Photographic Guide to North American Raptors. -- Sharon Stiteler Uptown, Minneapolis on 3/14/04 12:13 PM, sharrie at slafleur@mchsi.com wrote: I live in Prior Lake Mn, right in heart of town and i am amazed at the amount of hawks i see. i drive school bus so iam on the road all day so i have the opportunity to be all over town. I always thought hawks were native to the woods. my only guide is the golden guide bird book, but last friday i got some shots of two different hawks.. one in the parking lot of a rainbow if you can imagine.. i am just having a hard time indentifying which ones they are.. one time i pulled up to a hawk eating on the side of the road mistaking it for a hurt goose, it was that large, he flew off with his snake he had caught ..he was gorgeous..the red tail hawk i have no problem. i see the same one now just about everyday for the last 5 years. but are there peregrine falcons in this area. or harrier's .. can anyone recommend a good book for a beginner and the minnesota area.. thanks so much... shari.. i hope iam not too off topic.. i had wild female turkey at my bird feeders with the sparrows. --MS_Mac_OE_3162132616_1900019_MIME_Part Content-type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Re: [mou] OT: Hawks Hi Shari,

You will find hawks are all over Minnesota not just the woods.  One of= the most common is the Cooper's hawk which has adapted to urban settings ve= ry well by feeding on starlings, house sparrows, and pigeons among several o= ther species.

The Sibley guide is good, but I know many beginners who find it overwhelmin= g.  Truth be told you should have more than one field guide.  Some= people prefer photographs over drawings, so you might want to stop in at yo= ur local book store and see what's available.  One of the most popular = with beginners is Birds of Minnesota by Stan Tekiela.  It doesn't have = every bird you will see but many like to use it to learn the basics.  F= rom there they will graduate to a Sibley guide, a Kaufman guide, or a Peters= on guide.

One of my personal favorites for identifying raptors is Clark and Wheeler's= Photographic Guide to North American Raptors.

--
Sharon Stiteler
Uptown, Minneapolis




on 3/14/04 12:13 PM, sharrie at slafleur@mchsi.com wrote:

I live in Prior Lake Mn, right in heart of t= own and i am amazed at the amount of hawks i see.  i drive school bus s= o iam on the road all day so i have the opportunity to be all over town. I a= lways thought hawks were native to the woods. my only guide is the golden gu= ide bird book, but last friday i got some shots of two different hawks.. one= in the parking lot of a rainbow if you can imagine.. i am just having a har= d time indentifying which ones they are.. one time i pulled up to a hawk eat= ing on the side of the road mistaking it for a hurt goose, it was that large= , he flew off with his snake he had caught ..he was gorgeous..the red tail h= awk i have no problem. i see the same one now just about everyday for the la= st 5 years. but are there peregrine falcons in this area. or harrier's .. ca= n anyone recommend a good book for a beginner and the minnesota area.. thank= s so much...
shari..
i hope iam not too off topic..
i had wild female turkey at my bird feeders with the sparrows.


--MS_Mac_OE_3162132616_1900019_MIME_Part-- From chadaakre@hotmail.com Mon Mar 15 00:32:50 2004 From: chadaakre@hotmail.com (Chad Aakre) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 18:32:50 -0600 Subject: [mou] Winona Waterfowl, Swamp Sparrow Message-ID: I checked a little open water on a series of small backwater lakes just east of Winona on the north side of Highway 61. Looks like all Mallards and Canada Geese from the road, but a few dabblers were found with closer examination. Northern Shoveler American Wigeon Gadwall - in abundance American Black Duck American Coot And a couple of divers: Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Chad Aakre Winona County Also: Swamp Sparrow - in shrubs and undergrowth at waters edge. Ring- Billed Gull _________________________________________________________________ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar – get it now! http://clk.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ From herbdingmann@astound.net Mon Mar 15 01:24:14 2004 From: herbdingmann@astound.net (Herb Dingmann) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 19:24:14 -0600 Subject: [mou] Sandhill Cranes - Mille Lacs County Message-ID: <000001c40a2c$3df212d0$43cb5340@D452T311> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C409F9.F357A2D0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit As I passed through Princeton late this afternoon, 3 Sandhill Cranes flew over me headed northward along the Rum River. Herb Dingmann St. Cloud ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C409F9.F357A2D0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

As I passed through Princeton late this afternoon, 3 Sandhill Cranes flew over me = headed northward along the Rum = River.

 

Herb = Dingmann

St. = Cloud

 

------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C409F9.F357A2D0-- From wenelson@mlecmn.net Mon Mar 15 02:32:06 2004 From: wenelson@mlecmn.net (Warren Nelson) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 20:32:06 -0600 Subject: [mou] Aitkin County update Message-ID: <405515A6.5855D25@mlecmn.net> Hope that giving an update on the owls isn't getting old . But, there were 4 GREAT GRAY OWLS on C.R. 18 this weekend. Two were about 1 & 8/10 miles north on Pietz's Road just south of Pietz's house. The third was 1 & 1/10 miles west of Pietz's Road on C.R.18 and the fourth was 1 & 3/10 west of Pietz's Road. The SNOWY OWL is still along C.R.1 about 1 mile of diversion channel. There were several BOREAL CHICKADEES at the Rabey tree farm at mile post 186 on Highway 200 between Hill City and Jacobson. There were a few new spring migratant too: EASTERN MEADOWLARK, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, RED-TAILED HAWK, NORTHERN HARRIER. Warren Nelson From blanich@emily.net Mon Mar 15 02:45:43 2004 From: blanich@emily.net (Steve & Jo Blanich) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 20:45:43 -0600 Subject: [mou] Red-shouldered Hawk Message-ID: <001901c40a37$9cbfa1a0$d04d5a40@hppav> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0016_01C40A05.51B8DB40 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Red-shouldered Hawk observed today, Mar. 14, - calling - apparently on = territory, Crow Wing County, Cuyuna-Agate Lake. ------=_NextPart_000_0016_01C40A05.51B8DB40 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Red-shouldered Hawk observed today, = Mar. 14, -=20 calling - apparently on territory, Crow Wing County, Cuyuna-Agate=20 Lake.
------=_NextPart_000_0016_01C40A05.51B8DB40-- From Bjboreal@aol.com Mon Mar 15 02:59:15 2004 From: Bjboreal@aol.com (Bjboreal@aol.com) Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 21:59:15 EST Subject: [mou] Westskyline Hawkwatch-update Message-ID: <155.2fd516a6.2d867603@aol.com> Westskyline Hawkwatch, Duluth MN. The Westskyline hawk count began on the 23 February, 2004 and will continue= =20 through the end of May. Feburary had 28.5 hours of observation over seven da= ys=20 of coverage. A total of 41 raptors were counted, 36 bald Eagles and 5=20 Rough-legged Hawks. The only real movement in the month occurred on the 28th= with 31=20 raptors, 28 Bald Eagles and 3 Rough-legged Hawks. March started slow during the first week with little movement. The 8th=20 produced 29 raptors including 25 Bald Eagles, a Rough-leg and the first Gold= en=20 Eagles (2) as well as aSharp-shin. The 9th saw the first Cooper=E2=80=99s,= Northen=20 Goshawk and Peregrine and 5 Golden Eagles. On the 10th, with strong (25-35mp= h)=20 southwest winds saw 120 Bald Eagles. Another large flight ocuur on the 12th,= with=20 228 Bald Eagles and a new daily record of 14 Golden Eagles.=20 Other non-raptor sighting have been slow, with a few small (15-25 birds)=20 flocks of Bohemian waxwings, Northern Shrike that has been seen almost daily= .=20 Ringed-billed Gull appeared on3/9. At my (Frank) home in Lakewood Township just north of Duluth, there has been= =20 300-400 Redpolls every morning, including several Hoary, few Pine siskins an= d=20 Pine Grosbeaks. The flock of Evening grosbeak (25+) which has been around al= l=20 winter has not been seen for a couple of weeks. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in the hawkwatch and=20 need any information. =20 Feburary 23-March 14 YTD Total Turkey Vulture-0 Osprey-0=20 Bald Eagle-526 Northern Harrier-0 Sharp-shinned Hawk-1 Cooper's Hawk-1 Northern Goshawk-2 Red-shouldered Hawk-0 Broad-winged Hawk-0 Red-tailed Hawk-0 Swainson's Hawk-0 =20 Rough-legged Hawk-11 Golden Eagle-27 Am. Kestrel-0 Merlin-0 Peregrine-1 =20 TOTAL-569 =20 Submitted by: Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman Duluth, Minnesota =20 Hawk Watch Site: West Skyline Hawk Count Location: West Skyline Parkway, Duluth, Minnesota 55804 GPS: Lat. N 46=E2=88=9E50'48.0" and Long. W 92=E2=88=9E01'53.5" Coverage: Late Feb - Late May From Jimhughes@buyerbrokermn.com Mon Mar 15 06:30:01 2004 From: Jimhughes@buyerbrokermn.com (Jim Hughes) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 00:30:01 -0600 Subject: [mou] Sandhill Crane Anoka County Message-ID: <003201c40a56$f1d52740$9fa5fea9@dellone> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C40A24.A7009470 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sandhill Cranes are back. There was a single vocalizing fly-over at = Bunker Hills Regional Park this afternoon. Jim Hughes ------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C40A24.A7009470 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Sandhill Cranes are = back.  There was a=20 single vocalizing fly-over at Bunker Hills Regional Park this=20 afternoon.
 
 
Jim Hughes
------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C40A24.A7009470-- From suekeator@earthlink.net Mon Mar 15 12:58:54 2004 From: suekeator@earthlink.net (Sue Keator) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 06:58:54 -0600 Subject: [mou] Nesting GHO Message-ID: <004501c40a8d$4655a160$9f30ba3f@oemcomputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C40A5A.FAF1C6E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Last year there was a GHO nesting in Bloomington just north of the = parking ramp for the 8400 Normandale building. At some point I remember = seeing a post that the nest had been deserted. Yesterday in my travels, I thought I would check the nest, and sure = enough, it is occupied. If you go to the parking ramp, take 84th St. west of Normandale (Highway = 100 extention south of 494), turn north and go around behing the tower = to the 8400 ramp(it's the 5 story one). Go the to the of the ramp, = nearly to the west end, to about the third column, and look into the = woods to the north. I stayed in my car so as not to spook it. It was = sitting high enough so I could see the entire facial disc - pretty neat = on a windy afternoon. Sue in Edina, Hennepin County ------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C40A5A.FAF1C6E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Last year there was a GHO nesting in = Bloomington=20 just north of the parking ramp for the 8400 Normandale building.  = At some=20 point I remember seeing a post that the nest had been = deserted.
Yesterday in my travels, I thought I = would check=20 the nest, and sure enough, it is occupied.
If you go to the parking ramp, take = 84th St.=20 west of Normandale (Highway 100 extention south of 494), turn north and = go=20 around behing the tower to the 8400 ramp(it's the 5 story one).  Go = the to=20 the of the ramp, nearly to the west end, to about the third column, and = look=20 into the woods to the north.  I stayed in my car so as not to spook = it.  It was sitting high enough so I could see the entire facial = disc -=20 pretty neat on a windy afternoon.
Sue in Edina, Hennepin=20 County
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C40A5A.FAF1C6E0-- From hughe112@mail.crk.umn.edu Mon Mar 15 13:15:01 2004 From: hughe112@mail.crk.umn.edu (Hughes, Heidi) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 07:15:01 -0600 Subject: [mou] It's beginning to feel like Spring Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40A8F.85BDB8EE Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Betsy Batstone-Cunningham and Tim Driscoll from Grand Forks birded Polk County Sunday and reported a dozen Rough-legged Hawks, a dozen Northern Harriers, Greater Prairie Chickens a Kestrel, a Western Meadowlark, Sharp-tailed Grouse, many Horned Larks, 2 American Tree Sparrows, an Adult Bald Eagle, and a Turkey Vulture. =20 There has also been a report that an apparently "confused" (hormonal?) prairie chicken on hwy 59 has been "displaying" for passing cars...=20 =20 Heidi Hughes Crookston ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40A8F.85BDB8EE Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Betsy Batstone-Cunningham and Tim Driscoll from Grand = Forks birded Polk County Sunday and reported a dozen Rough-legged Hawks, a = dozen Northern Harriers, Greater Prairie Chickens a Kestrel, a Western = Meadowlark, Sharp-tailed Grouse, many Horned Larks, 2  American Tree Sparrows, = an Adult Bald Eagle, and a Turkey Vulture.

 

There has also been a report that an apparently = “confused” (hormonal?) prairie chicken on hwy 59 has been “displaying” = for passing cars…

 

Heidi Hughes

Crookston

=00 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40A8F.85BDB8EE-- From Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us Mon Mar 15 13:18:45 2004 From: Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us (Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 07:18:45 -0600 Subject: [mou] Maps/Great River Birding Trail Message-ID: Probably "newbies" are better seen but not heard, but I can't help myself, I'm that excited about my birding adventure. Sorry. Hope this is not dreadfully off topic or tedious.... Just discovered the nifty set of maps published by the Audubon Society: "Great River Birding Trail." Set of 15 (I think) covers a 250+ mile stretch of the Mississippi from roughly Anoka to Rock Island. Shows location of "birding hot spots" on both sides of the Miss, with short text blurbs describing each habitat area in brief. A wonderful resource for those new to birding or new to birding in this area. I picked up sections No. 5 and 6 (covers Red Wing to La Crosse) as freebies at Frontenac State Park. I assume other sections are available at state parks in those areas. Used maps to explore the Wisconsin side across from Winona Sunday. Wonderful habitat! Trempealeau Wildlife Area: 30-40 EAGLES lounging near observation deck behind headquarters where there is a small stretch of open water in otherwise frozen river. Also EASTERN BLUEBIRD(1), MERLIN, RED-HEADED WOODPECKER. Van Loon Wildlife Area: nesting EAGLE (nest locate south side of trail between bridges no. 5 and 6), TUFTED TITMOUSE, EASTERN BLUEBIRDS (4), GOLDFINCHES (6+). Perrot State Park: KILLDEER, PINTAIL, LESSER SCAUP. From Robert_Russell@fws.gov Mon Mar 15 16:37:34 2004 From: Robert_Russell@fws.gov (Robert_Russell@fws.gov) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:37:34 -0600 Subject: [mou] RFI re: Salt Lake (Lac qui Parle Co.) shorebird / waterfowl counts for IBA application Message-ID: Anyone that has historical (before today) counts of shorebirds, waterfowl including grebes, pelicans, and ducks, gulls, Black Terns, and other waterbirds and would like to contribute to the nomination of Salt Lake as an Important Bird Area for either the South Dakota or Minnesota portions of the lake, please send your information to me so I can tabulate the data. You may E-mail me or send copies of the data to Bob Russell, Division of Migratory Birds, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1 Federal Drive, Ft. Snelling, MN 55111-4056. Your contribution will be most appreciated and will help assure continued protection for this easternmost alkaline (I think I'm right about this?) lake in all of North America. Thanks, Bob Russell From MMARTELL@audubon.org Mon Mar 15 19:15:26 2004 From: MMARTELL@audubon.org (MARTELL, Mark) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 14:15:26 -0500 Subject: [mou] You and your friends are invited. Message-ID: Celebrate the first day of Spring with us! Audubon Minnesota Bell Museum of Natural History and=20 The Raptor Center at The University of Minnesota invite you to a=20 complimentary screening of the award-winning film=20 Pale Male Please join us at the Bell Museum on Saturday, March 20, 2004 for a = complimentary screening of one of this season's hottest independent = films, Pale Male. This moving film follows New York City's famous = Red-tailed Hawk as he courts, breeds and hunts in Central Park, while = his devoted urban fans root for his survival and the successful fledging = of his chicks. =20 This award winning film, which has received rave reviews, reminds us all = of our magical relationship with nature. Pale Male will air nationally = on PBS beginning in May, so this screening will be a sneak peek!=20 Two special guests will join us after the screening: Red- tailed Hawks, = compliments of The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota. Bring = your camera if you want to take home a photograph of the birds. Also on = display in the Bell Museum's exhibit hall will be a new exhibit on = biodiversity, which you won't want to miss. =20 We look forward to seeing you there! Schedule: Saturday, March 20, 2004 2:00 pm: Meet at the Bell Museum Auditorium=20 2:15 p.m: Welcome on behalf of the Bell Museum, Raptor Center, and = Audubon Minnesota, followed by Pale Male screening (54 minutes). 3:30 pm Talk with Audubon, Bell Museum, and Raptor Center staff. = Enjoy the exhibit; learn more about Red tailed Hawks and our work to protect = birds, other wildlife, and their habitats.=20 To learn more about Audubon and our work in Minnesota, visit us online = at www.audubon.org ; For Pale Male, visit www.palemalethemovie.com = . Pale Male is a film by Frederic Lilien. Produced by FL Productions. = Courtesy of Devillier Donegan Enterprises. The Bell Museum is located on the corner of University and 17th (Church = Street) Avenues SE. >From I-35W: "University Ave/4th St SE" exit #18; follow University = (east) to 17th Avenue; the museum will be on the right side. >From I-94: "Huron Blvd" exit; follow 4th Street to 17th Avenue, turn = left (south) on 17th and drive one block to the intersection of = University and 17th; the museum is on the southwest corner. Parking is available in the Nolte Center Garage adjacent to the Bell = Museum, for a nominal fee. =20 Mark Martell Director of Bird Conservation Audubon Minnesota 2357 Ventura Drive #106 St. Paul, MN 55125 651-739-9332 651-731-1330 (FAX) From odunamis@yahoo.com Mon Mar 15 19:49:00 2004 From: odunamis@yahoo.com (Chad Heins) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 11:49:00 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Mankato finches Message-ID: <20040315194900.47058.qmail@web10506.mail.yahoo.com> Hey birders! While most of you are posting of spring sightings, I am thankful that winter has just arrived. Our feeders in Mankato hosted a couple of Pine Siskins over the weekend. And today, they were replaced by three Common Redpolls. A friend also had a Red-breasted Nuthatch today to complete the winter highlights. Now if only I could find a Snowy Owl! Happy birding! Chad Heins Mankato, MN __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - More reliable, more storage, less spam http://mail.yahoo.com From PATTI.ROGNESS@EDG.ROSEVILLE.K12.MN.US Mon Mar 15 20:38:42 2004 From: PATTI.ROGNESS@EDG.ROSEVILLE.K12.MN.US (ROGNESS, PATTI) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 14:38:42 -0600 Subject: [mou] (no subject) Message-ID: <8E15D2FA05ABA541B4F751EC88B08FAD0A52A7@rosemail.ad.roseville.k12.mn.us> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40ACD.816945F0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello - I'm wondering if this site is used for sighting of returning migrants. I'd like to know who's seen what and where - just the regular migrants that we see here in the spring. I saw an Eastern bluebird this morning and am wondering when others have been seen. (Perhaps some don't go that far, like our robins...)=20 Thanks! Patti Rogness ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40ACD.816945F0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello = – I’m wondering if this site is used for sighting of returning migrants. = I’d like to know who’s seen what and where – just the regular = migrants that we see here in the spring.  I saw an Eastern bluebird this = morning and am wondering when others have been seen. (Perhaps some don’t = go that far, like our robins…)

Thanks!  Patti Rogness

=00 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40ACD.816945F0-- From Avocet13@charter.net Mon Mar 15 23:11:48 2004 From: Avocet13@charter.net (Blaine) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 17:11:48 -0600 Subject: [mou] Small Canada Goose help Message-ID: Howdy all, Wondering if anyone could help with an ID question regarding Canada Goose??? It's about the size of a Mallard. I have photo's if interested. My best guess would be the Cackling. Which I don't believe would be real likely here. And I haven't run accross this before. Thanks Blaine Seeliger avocet13@charter.net From rmdbird@mn.rr.com Mon Mar 15 23:47:27 2004 From: rmdbird@mn.rr.com (Bob Dunlap) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 17:47:27 -0600 Subject: [mou] Sandhill Crane, Carver County Message-ID: <002201c40ae7$e020b6e0$f6c31941@MainComputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001F_01C40AB5.95118C10 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This afternoon I found a single Sandhill Crane while scanning the flying = ducks and geese in western Carver County near the town of Norwood/Young = America. Other newly arrived waterfowl in the area: -Northern Pintail -Wood Duck Good birding! -Bob Dunlap, Carver County ------=_NextPart_000_001F_01C40AB5.95118C10 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This afternoon I found a single = Sandhill Crane=20 while scanning the flying ducks and geese in western Carver County near = the town=20 of Norwood/Young America.  Other newly arrived waterfowl in the=20 area:
-Northern Pintail
-Wood Duck
 
Good birding!
-Bob Dunlap, Carver=20 County
------=_NextPart_000_001F_01C40AB5.95118C10-- From RichPeet@comcast.net Tue Mar 16 00:43:59 2004 From: RichPeet@comcast.net (Rich Peet) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 18:43:59 -0600 Subject: [mou] early spring Message-ID: Rice Lake State Park and very close to it. Owatonna, MN Monday The usual suspects, and A pair of Bluebirds on house, no song. About 4 Robins, call notes no territory sounds About 25 Redwing blackbirds, quiet but on location cat-tails 1 Kestrel, recharging battery on power line About 75 Common Redpolls, talking it up about heading north 1 Horned Lark Ice cold and solid, and so were the hands. Rich From cgreiner@millcomm.com Tue Mar 16 05:17:52 2004 From: cgreiner@millcomm.com (Carl Greiner) Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 23:17:52 -0600 Subject: [mou] Small Canada Goose Message-ID: <004801c40b16$43ba85e0$25f1b241@mshome.net> Hi Blaine and others, Is this the bird that has been at Silver Lake in Rochester all winter? I have assumed it is Richardson's (see Sibley) mostly based on size and range but also due to the subjective "lightness" of the breast and the short-stubby bill. I took some pics also but have not had them developed yet. It tweaked my interest because it is clearly extremely different from the others. However, I haven't found the time to adequately research the issue. From what I have been able to glean from the literature so far is that there is a large amount of controversy about C. Goose subspecies with some groups claiming they be separated into different species (small, regular, giant, etc..) and others accepting varying numbers of subspecies ranging from 0 (AOU) to 6 (Sibley) to more than 100 subspecies and multiple species (H.C. Hanson). The scientific literature has likewise been less than definative. Some findings indicate that perceived morphological differences were not accurate in differentiating subspecies (sorry I don't have the reference handy - study done in AK and CA). Whereas a recent article (Paxinos et al, 2002 PNAS) appeared to confirm a earlier morphological and molecular study that "large" and "small" C.Goose subspecies are divergent enough to warrant separate species designation. My personal opinion is still being formulated. A good place to start is: http://www.oceanwanderers.com/CAGO.Subspecies.html Carl Greiner cgreiner@millcomm.com From Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com Tue Mar 16 16:53:55 2004 From: Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com (Alt, Mark) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 10:53:55 -0600 Subject: [mou] Lake Pepin Eagles Message-ID: <47784B75545C99469F1E590E3DD193A3D8820A@ds63mail.na.bestbuy.com> A trip down to Read's Landing on Monday, arriving at 8:30 AM yielded close-up views of many eagles and a total of 75 were seen from the single pull off overlooking the ice/water edge. A Merlin coursed over the ridge above us, a flock of about 50 Red-winged Blackbirds flew over, and as many as 30 Hooded Mergansers swam about in the clam waters of the river. A single Sandhill Crane was seen flying north at a high altitude. Red-winged Blackbirds were sinning from exposed perches commonly South of Hastings. Mark Alt Brooklyn Center Hennepin County From lisa.gelvin-innvaer@dnr.state.mn.us Tue Mar 16 17:19:08 2004 From: lisa.gelvin-innvaer@dnr.state.mn.us (Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 11:19:08 -0600 Subject: [mou] Photo/image request Message-ID: I'm submitting this request on behalf of : Tom VanderLinden Houston County New P.O. Box 205 LaCrescent, MN 55947 tomv@lacrescent.com 507-896-2940 Tom is seeking photos of shorebirds for use in an upcoming article on spring shorebird migration. (preferably digital images but not slides; either Black & white or color) . The newspaper has a small budget and so is requesting assistance (wither donation or low cost). I would have helped him out except that the higher quality images I have are copyrighted, provided to me for our program use only. If anyone can help Tom out, please contac thim directly. It would be great to get a story like this out. Thanks, Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer Nongame Wildlife Specialist MN DNR Southern Region 261 Hwy 15 South New Ulm, MN 56073 phone: ( 507) 359-6033 fax: (507) 359-6018 e-mail: lisa.gelvin-innvaer@dnr.state.mn.us From BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM Tue Mar 16 19:12:36 2004 From: BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM (Williams, Bob) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 13:12:36 -0600 Subject: [mou] Signs of spring at Pet Trails, Murphy Hanrehan, Scott County Message-ID: <954398EF1F830749868583446DBCE7EB129016F4@min-nrt-exch1.min.nrtinc.nrt> Found 23 species on my first morning walk in two weeks including: Northern Shrike 1 still hanging around Sandhill Crane 1 flew over Red-shouldered Hawk 2 back home for the season? Eastern Bluebirds 8 first of the year Mourning Dove 2 first of the year Common Grackle 1 first of the year American Robin 30+ first of the year Bob Williams Bloomington, MN From birder-birding5331@mailblocks.com Tue Mar 16 20:19:28 2004 From: birder-birding5331@mailblocks.com (birder-birding5331@mailblocks.com) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 12:19:28 -0800 Subject: [mou] Snowy Owl Message-ID: Greg Greenberg said he seen a Snowy Owl fly off my roof Monday morning. I was a surprised to hear that since I'm located in southern MN. Nathan Wersal Springfield, MN Brown Co. ---------------------------------------------- Mailblocks - A Better Way to Do Email http://about.mailblocks.com/info From EgretCMan@aol.com Tue Mar 16 20:44:57 2004 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 15:44:57 EST Subject: [mou] Southern Minnesota - 3/15/04 Message-ID: -------------------------------1079469897 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Spent the day birding in Southern Minnesota with Conny Brunell and Susan Schumacher. We tried the locations by Grover's Lake and Hyw 86 in Jackson County without success for Great-tailed Grackles. But did turn up a few interesting species on the way there and back. Here were some of the species that we observed. @ Great Blue Heron - Rice County - Well's Lake @ Greater White-fronted Goose - Faribault County - Pihl's County Park, Jackson County - Hyw 86, 1/2 mile south of I 90, Cottonwood County - Mountain Lake, in the town of Mountain Lake @ Snow Goose - Jackson County - Hyw 86, 1/2 mile south of I 90 @ Ross's Goose - Cottonwood County - Mountain Lake - a single bird was observed with the flock of Greater White-fronted and Canada Geese resting on the lake. @ Merlin - Jackson County - A single Female Prairie Race (Richardson's) Merlin was observed sitting on a fence post along an unmarked road, several miles North of the town of Jackson. @ Red-breasted Nuthatch - Brown County - Cemetery on West side of New Ulm @ Lapland Longspur - Jackson County - numerous flocks observed in the Eastern portion of the county. @ Common Redpoll - Brown County - Cemetery on West side of New Ulm @ Pine Sisken - Brown County - Cemetery on West side of New Ulm Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1079469897 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Spent the day birding in Southern Minnesota with Conny Brunell and Susa= n Schumacher.  We tried the locations by Grover's Lake and Hyw 86=20= in Jackson County without success for Great-tailed Grackles.  But did t= urn up a few interesting species on the way there and back.  Here=20= were some of the species that we observed.
 
@ Great Blue Heron - Rice County - Well's Lake
@ Greater White-fronted Goose - Faribault County - Pihl's County Park,=20= Jackson County - Hyw 86, 1/2 mile south of I 90, Cottonwood County - Mountai= n Lake, in the town of Mountain Lake
@ Snow Goose - Jackson County - Hyw 86, 1/2 mile south of I 90
@ Ross's Goose - Cottonwood County - Mountain Lake - a single bird was=20= observed with the flock of Greater White-fronted and Canada Geese resting on= the lake.
@ Merlin - Jackson County - A single Female Prairie Race (Richardson's)= Merlin was observed sitting on a fence post along an unmarked road, se= veral miles North of the town of Jackson.  
@ Red-breasted Nuthatch - Brown County - Cemetery on West side of New U= lm
@ Lapland Longspur - Jackson County - numerous flocks observed in the E= astern portion of the county.
@ Common Redpoll - Brown County - Cemetery on West side of Ne= w Ulm
@ Pine Sisken - Brown County - Cemetery on West side of New Ulm
 
 
Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN
-------------------------------1079469897-- From rmdbird@mn.rr.com Tue Mar 16 20:55:45 2004 From: rmdbird@mn.rr.com (Bob Dunlap) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 14:55:45 -0600 Subject: [mou] Greater White-fronted Goose, Scott County Message-ID: <001001c40b99$0dd8cb70$f6c31941@MainComputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C40B66.C2BDB9C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This afternoon I checked out the Mill Pond (part of the MN River) at the = Veteran's Memorial Park in Shakopee, Scott County. There was a single = Greater White-fronted Goose among the many Canadas. Also the juvenile = Tundra Swan that spent the winter at this location is now showing a = mostly black adult bill. A Redhead was in the water as well. -Bob Dunlap, Carver County ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C40B66.C2BDB9C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This afternoon I checked out the Mill = Pond (part of=20 the MN River) at the Veteran's Memorial Park in Shakopee, Scott = County. =20 There was a single Greater White-fronted Goose among the many Canadas. = Also the=20 juvenile Tundra Swan that spent the winter at this location is now = showing a=20 mostly black adult bill. A Redhead was in the water as = well.
-Bob Dunlap, Carver=20 County
------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C40B66.C2BDB9C0-- From hughe112@mail.crk.umn.edu Tue Mar 16 21:29:47 2004 From: hughe112@mail.crk.umn.edu (Hughes, Heidi) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 15:29:47 -0600 Subject: [mou] SNOWY OWLS & CROSSBILLS Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40B9D.CE5E701E Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Jason Eckstein at TNC's Glacial Ridge Project reported spotting 2 snowy owls on March 3rd east of Crookston, 3 miles west of Marcoux (Hwys 32) and Hwy 2, 1 mile south on the dirt road near Bradshaw gravel pit. =20 =20 He also reported Red Crossbills at his feeders today (East of Crookston in Hwy 44 near 350th street SW). =20 =20 Heidi Hughes Crookston ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40B9D.CE5E701E Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Jason Eckstein at TNC’s Glacial Ridge Project = reported spotting 2 snowy owls on March 3rd east of Crookston, 3 miles = west of Marcoux (Hwys 32) and Hwy 2,  1 mile south on the dirt road near Bradshaw gravel pit. 

 

He also reported Red Crossbills at his feeders today = (East of Crookston in Hwy 44 near 350th street = SW).

 

 

Heidi Hughes

Crookston

=00 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40B9D.CE5E701E-- From Bjboreal@aol.com Wed Mar 17 00:19:46 2004 From: Bjboreal@aol.com (Bjboreal@aol.com) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 19:19:46 EST Subject: [mou] Westskyline Hawk count-update Message-ID: <141.248fa5ba.2d88f3a2@aol.com> Westskyline Hawkwatch, Duluth, MN. Flight continues at the WSHC. No migration was observed on the 13th and 14th= =20 do to the weather, although there was coverage each day. Flight resumed on t= he=20 15th with 120 raptors including 101 Bald Eagles and another awesome Golden=20 Eagle flight of 14 which tied our record. Also highlighted on that day was a= =20 record # of 5 Northern Goshawks, all adults. Today's flight was somewhat=20 disappointing as more raptors were expected do to the weather conditions, bu= t still=20 yielded a nice flight of 56 raptors including: 44 Bald Eagles, 3 Northern=20 Goshawks, 1 Red-tailed Hawk (first), 1 Rough-leg and 7 Golden Eagles. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in the hawkwatch and=20 need any information. =20 February 23-March 16 YTD Total Turkey Vulture-0 Osprey-0=20 Bald Eagle-526 Northern Harrier-0 Sharp-shinned Hawk-1 Cooper's Hawk-1 Northern Goshawk-10 Red-shouldered Hawk-0 Broad-winged Hawk-0 Red-tailed Hawk-1 Swainson's Hawk-0 =20 Rough-legged Hawk-12 Golden Eagle-48 Am. Kestrel-0 Merlin-0 Peregrine-1 =20 TOTAL-745 =20 Submitted by: Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman Duluth, Minnesota =20 Hawk Watch Site: West Skyline Hawk Count Location: West Skyline Parkway, Duluth, Minnesota 55804 GPS: Lat. N 46=E2=88=9E50'48.0" and Long. W 92=E2=88=9E01'53.5" Coverage: Late Feb - Late May ____________ From corax6330@yahoo.com Wed Mar 17 02:33:18 2004 From: corax6330@yahoo.com (fred lesher) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 18:33:18 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Sandhill Cranes, Houston Co., March 16 Message-ID: <20040317023318.74216.qmail@web13426.mail.yahoo.com> Two (1 pair) east of Hwy16 1.3 miles south of the LaCrescent stoplight, and a second pair east of Hwy 26 4.6 miles south of the LaCrescent stoplight. (This latter site is a marsh south of the Root R.) Scouting out the "Lansing Loop" field trip this Sat. March 20, at 7AM, an 80 mile car caravan from Goose Island south of LaCrosse on Hwy. 35, south to Ferryville, Wis., west across the Mississippi to lunch about noon at Sweeney's in Lansing,Iowa, then north through New Albin, Iowa back to LaCrescent, Minn. Return to LaCrosse mid-afternoon. Also on this route: five active Bald Eagle nests, Peregrine Falcons at nest sites near Genoa, Wis. and Lansing, Iowa. A variety of waterfowl on Pool 8 of the Mississippi and at Pool Slough on the Minn./Ia. border. Fred Lesher, LaCrosse __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - More reliable, more storage, less spam http://mail.yahoo.com From drbenson@cpinternet.com Wed Mar 17 13:04:29 2004 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David Benson) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:04:29 -0600 Subject: [mou] Duluth RBA 3/17/04 Message-ID: --Apple-Mail-1-289737906 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed This is the Duluth Birding Report for Wednesday, March 17, 2004, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Dave Grosshuesch saw a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on Wednesday along the Stoney River Forest Road, about 5 miles south of Highway 1 in Lake Cty. Apparently the road is still drivable (truck traffic has been keeping it open this winter), but it is covered with deep washboards. I saw a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD late yesterday at 12th Ave East and Superior Street in Duluth. The bird flew into the few trees behind the strip mall on the upper side of Superior Street. Then it flew over the apartments on First Street. With no choice but to walk around the apartments, I could not relocate the bird. It has been a great spring for seeing GOLDEN EAGLES. Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman have counted 48 Goldens at the West Skyline Hawk Count in Duluth since February 23, including 14 on Monday and 7 yesterday. They have seen 526 BALD EAGLES so far this spring. On Monday, they counted a record number of NORTHERN GOSHAWKS for the spring count: 5 birds, all adults. Ryan Brady reported seeing 18 GOLDEN EAGLES through the 13th at the Chequamegon Bay Hawkwatch in Ashland, Wisconsin. Warren Nelson reported that 4 GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen in Aitkin Cty over the weekend. Two were seen on Pietz's Road 1.8 miles north of Cty Rd 18 (just south of the house). Another was on Cty Rd 18 1.1 miles west of Pietz's Rd, and the fourth was 1.3 miles west of Pietz's Rd on 18. The SNOWY OWL was seen again north of the town of Aitkin on Cty Rd 1, a mile north of the diversion channel. Warren also reported several BOREAL CHICKADEES at the Rabey Tree Farm at mile marker 186 on Hwy 200 between Hill City and Jacobson. He also reported an EASTERN MEADOWLARK. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, March 25. 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 --Apple-Mail-1-289737906 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/enriched; charset=US-ASCII This is the Duluth Birding Report for Wednesday, March 17, 2004, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Dave Grosshuesch saw a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on Wednesday along the Stoney River Forest Road, about 5 miles south of Highway 1 in Lake Cty. Apparently the road is still drivable (truck traffic has been keeping it open this winter), but it is covered with deep washboards. I saw a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD late yesterday at 12th Ave East and Superior Street in Duluth. The bird flew into the few trees behind the strip mall on the upper side of Superior Street. Then it flew over the apartments on First Street. With no choice but to walk around the apartments, I could not relocate the bird. It has been a great spring for seeing GOLDEN EAGLES. Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman have counted 48 Goldens at the West Skyline Hawk Count in Duluth since February 23, including 14 on Monday and 7 yesterday. They have seen 526 BALD EAGLES so far this spring. On Monday, they counted a record number of NORTHERN GOSHAWKS for the spring count: 5 birds, all adults. Ryan Brady reported seeing 18 GOLDEN EAGLES through the 13th at the Chequamegon Bay Hawkwatch in Ashland, Wisconsin. Warren Nelson reported that 4 GREAT GRAY OWLS were seen in Aitkin Cty over the weekend. Two were seen on Pietz's Road 1.8 miles north of Cty Rd 18 (just south of the house). Another was on Cty Rd 18 1.1 miles west of Pietz's Rd, and the fourth was 1.3 miles west of Pietz's Rd on 18. The SNOWY OWL was seen again north of the town of Aitkin on Cty Rd 1, a mile north of the diversion channel. Warren also reported several BOREAL CHICKADEES at the Rabey Tree Farm at mile marker 186 on Hwy 200 between Hill City and Jacobson. He also reported an EASTERN MEADOWLARK. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, March 25. 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 --Apple-Mail-1-289737906-- From Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us Wed Mar 17 13:17:54 2004 From: Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us (Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 07:17:54 -0600 Subject: [mou] Tough Turkeys Message-ID: Took a double take driving home from work late yesterday afternoon....... Construction project on I494 through the Bloomington/Edina/Richfield corridor has turned odd pieces of former marshland into a landscape resembling WWI "no man's land." No spot worse than the bit in Bloomington bounded by E. Bush Lake Road and 82nd St. (near Normandale Lake) -- ravaged earth. Yet, there in the midst of that barren mess I spotted 12+ turkeys merrily doing their turkey thing (scratching for gravel?). Tough birds. From ekblad@millcomm.com Wed Mar 17 22:52:09 2004 From: ekblad@millcomm.com (Bob Ekblad) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 16:52:09 -0600 Subject: [mou] Smew update Message-ID: <4058D699.1010707@millcomm.com> The Smew is still at Silver Lake in Rochester. Much of the ice disappeared since yesterday and I wasn't able to spot it right away but I did discover it on the east side of the lake, lurking a bit behind the island. Most of the migrating waterfowl seem to have moved on and, probably because of the weather system that dumped a lot of snow across Iowa, we haven't had many new visitors. I only noticed a single scaup on the lake today. There were a couple of coot at the East Landfill Reservoir yesterday and the wigeon were still on the south reservoir. There are still plenty of Greater White-fronted Geese - especially at the east reservoir tonight, but there hasn't been much for Snow Geese yet. Although most of the ice was out at Silver Lake, the ice was still covering at least 80% of the reservoirs - but probably not for long. -- Bob Ekblad Olmsted County in SE Minnesota http://home.rconnect.com/~ekblad/ From wheel023@tc.umn.edu Wed Mar 17 04:11:44 2004 From: wheel023@tc.umn.edu (Karen Wheeler) Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 22:11:44 -0600 Subject: [mou] Saw-whet owl? Message-ID: <001901c40bd5$f67949e0$43fd5486@computer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0016_01C40BA3.AAC18300 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I live (and bird) on the edge of Murphy-Hanrehan park in Dakota Co. For = the past week I have heard a bird calling from approx. 7-10pm (and = occas. in the pre-dawn hour). It calls a repetitive monotone "hoo hoo" = and the sound waxes and wanes as if the bird is shifting positions. Is = this most likely a Northern Saw-whet Owl? My other rule-out is a = Night-Heron, but this doesn't sound "kwok-y" enough. I've never heard a = Saw-whet Owl in our woods, but (as per the season) have heard the Great = Horned Owls calling dusk and dawn for the past 6 weeks. =20 Would appreciate any insight on this. Karen Wheeler Burnsville=20 ------=_NextPart_000_0016_01C40BA3.AAC18300 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I live (and bird) on the edge of = Murphy-Hanrehan=20 park in Dakota Co. For the past week I have heard a bird calling from = approx.=20 7-10pm (and occas. in the pre-dawn hour). It calls a repetitive monotone = "hoo=20 hoo" and the sound waxes and wanes as if the bird is shifting positions. = Is this=20 most likely a Northern Saw-whet Owl? My other rule-out is a Night-Heron, = but=20 this doesn't sound "kwok-y" enough. I've never heard a Saw-whet Owl = in our=20 woods, but (as per the season) have heard the Great = Horned Owls=20 calling dusk and dawn for the past 6 weeks.  
Would appreciate any insight on = this.
 
Karen Wheeler
Burnsville 
------=_NextPart_000_0016_01C40BA3.AAC18300-- From two-jays@att.net Thu Mar 18 04:51:29 2004 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Wed, 17 Mar 2004 20:51:29 -0800 Subject: [mou] Looking for Dave Sovereign Message-ID: Can anyone put me in touch, please, with Dave Sovereign? Thanks. Jim Williams Wayzata From corax6330@yahoo.com Thu Mar 18 16:01:33 2004 From: corax6330@yahoo.com (fred lesher) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 08:01:33 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Houston Co. Mar. 17:Cranes, N. Shrike.,E. Bluebirds Message-ID: <20040318160133.44908.qmail@web13421.mail.yahoo.com> Sandhill Cranes-------9---Hwy 21 west from Hwy 16 northside Root R. farmland/floodplain. Northern Shrike-------1---Hwy 25 south of Mound Prairie south of Root R. Wetland east side of Hwy 25. E. Bluebirds---------12+--Hwy 21 Fred Lesher, LaCrosse __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - More reliable, more storage, less spam http://mail.yahoo.com From slafleur@mchsi.com Thu Mar 18 19:18:41 2004 From: slafleur@mchsi.com (sharrie) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 11:18:41 -0800 Subject: [mou] OT:Hawks Message-ID: <008001c40d1d$d2fb1720$a658d70c@mchsi.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_007D_01C40CDA.C49DDB60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thank you all very much for the replies.. this mailing list is = great...heading to the bookstore this week.. by the way .. saw three hawks today.. a pair of red tails circling the = baseball fields at the park ...mating seasons ??...and then the other = hawk.. I have yet to idenity.. black head and tail with white breast and = just huge...very wide.. 5 miles south of the river on highway 13 sharrie traveling with book, binocs, and the camera with the zoom... ------=_NextPart_000_007D_01C40CDA.C49DDB60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Thank you all very much for the replies.. this = mailing=20 list is great...heading to the bookstore this week..
by the way .. saw three hawks today.. a pair of = red tails=20 circling the baseball fields at the park  ...mating seasons = ??...and then=20 the other hawk.. I have yet to idenity.. black head and tail with white = breast=20 and just huge...very wide..
5 miles south of the river on highway = 13
 
sharrie
 
 
traveling with book, binocs, and the camera with = the=20 zoom...
------=_NextPart_000_007D_01C40CDA.C49DDB60-- From two-jays@att.net Fri Mar 19 00:58:39 2004 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 16:58:39 -0800 Subject: [mou] albino hawk Message-ID: forward by Jim Williams at Ric's request. A very strikingly beautiful albino hawk was observed in Houston Co. 2 miles east of Eitzen, and 150 yards north of Highway A11 at around 2:15 P.M. today, March 18th. At first I thought this perched bird was a Snowy Owl. But when I pulled off the highway and put my 10 power Nikon Venturer bins on it I immediately saw that it was a hawk. The snow white plumage was extremely bright in the sunlight. And this bird was entirely white with the exception of a very pale tan to whitish tail, and 3 small brown spots on the left wing. (I could not see the right side of the bird from my vantage point.) Another feature that jumped out at me was a distinct pinkish cast to the lores and beak area. The size and posture of the specimen made me immediately think of a Red-tailed Hawk. Unfortunately I did not have my scope or a digital camera with me. The bird was alertly looking for prey beneath the tree that it was perched in. I could not see the typical yellow beak/lores that one would expect for a Red-tailed Hawk, only the distinct pinkish coloration around the face area. This was the most strikingly colored hawk I have seen since I began birding in March of 1966. If anyone refinds this hawk, or sees a hawk of similar coloration, I would appreciate hearing about it. Good birding to all, Ric Ric Zarwell Important Bird Areas (IBA) Coordinator Audubon Iowa P.O. Box 299 Lansing, Iowa 52151 563-538-4991 Ric.Zarwell@mchsi.com Iowa IBA Website: www.iowabirds.org/IBA Mission: "To bring MORE people to nature through birding; and especially, to move MORE birders to effective conservation action." SHOW UP.... SPEAK UP.... ANTE UP.... For Birds and Habitats From axhertzel@sihope.com Fri Mar 19 01:00:07 2004 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 19:00:07 -0600 Subject: [mou] MOU RBA 18 March 2004 Message-ID: --============_-1132464482==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday March 18th. A very early AMERICAN BITTERN was reported from Carlos Avery Refuge in Anoka County on March 12th. It was seen in the vicinity of Pool Number 1 (fide Carrol Henderson). Dave Benson found a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD on the 16th at 12th Avenue East and Superior Street in Duluth. Dave Grosshuesch saw a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on the 17th along the Stoney River Forest Road in Lake County, about five miles south of Highway 1. Warren Nelson reports that four GREAT GRAY OWLS can still be found in Aitkin County. Two are on Pietz's Road 1.8 miles north of County Road 18. Another is on County Road 18, 1.1 miles west of Pietz's Road, and the fourth is 1.3 miles west of Pietz's Road on County Road 18. The SNOWY OWL was seen again north of the town of Aitkin on Aitkin County Road 1, a mile north of the diversion channel. Nathan Wersal reported a Snowy Owl on the 15th. It was seen on roof in Springfield, Brown County. And Darryl Moen spotted a Snowy Owl on the 14th along Lake of the Woods County 2 about seven miles north of the town of Williams. A GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE was reported from Jackson County on the 13th. It was found in the traditional area at the junction of state highway 86 and Jackson County 4. An EASTERN TOWHEE has successfully over-wintered in the yard of Rich Olson along Roselawn Avenue in Falcon Heights, Ramsey County. He first reported the bird on November 22nd and has seen it as recently as March 13th. A ROSS'S GOOSE was seen by Craig Mandel on the 16th. He found it in Cottonwood County at Mountain Lake. And birders are also reporting most species of waterfowl, numerous GOLDEN EAGLES, plus GREAT BLUE HERON, SANDHILL CRANE, FRANKLIN'S GULL, AMERICAN ROBIN, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and EASTERN MEADOWLARK. 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, March 25th. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com --============_-1132464482==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MOU RBA 18 March 2004
This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday March 18th.

A very early AMERICAN BITTERN was reported from Carlos Avery Refuge in Anoka County on March 12th. It was seen in the vicinity of Pool Number 1 (fide Carrol Henderson).

Dave Benson found a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD on the 16th at 12th Avenue East and Superior Street in Duluth.

Dave Grosshuesch saw a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on the 17th along the Stoney River Forest Road in Lake County, about five miles south of Highway 1.

Warren Nelson reports that four GREAT GRAY OWLS can still be found in Aitkin County. Two are on Pietz's Road 1.8 miles north of County Road 18. Another is on County Road 18, 1.1 miles west of Pietz's Road, and the fourth is 1.3 miles west of Pietz's Road on County Road 18.

The SNOWY OWL was seen again north of the town of Aitkin on Aitkin County Road 1, a mile north of the diversion channel. Nathan Wersal reported a Snowy Owl on the 15th. It was seen on roof in Springfield, Brown County. And Darryl Moen spotted a Snowy Owl on the 14th along Lake of the Woods County 2 about seven miles north of the town of Williams.

A GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE was reported from Jackson County on the 13th. It was found in the traditional area at the junction of state highway 86 and Jackson County 4.

An EASTERN TOWHEE has successfully over-wintered in the yard of Rich Olson along Roselawn Avenue in Falcon Heights, Ramsey County. He first reported the bird on November 22nd and has seen it as recently as March 13th.

A ROSS'S GOOSE was seen by Craig Mandel on the 16th. He found it in Cottonwood County at Mountain Lake. And birders are also reporting most species of waterfowl, numerous GOLDEN EAGLES, plus GREAT BLUE HERON, SANDHILL CRANE, FRANKLIN'S GULL, AMERICAN ROBIN, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and EASTERN MEADOWLARK.

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, March 25th.

--
Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com
--============_-1132464482==_ma============-- From sbeecher@visi.com Fri Mar 19 01:51:20 2004 From: sbeecher@visi.com (sbeecher@visi.com) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 19:51:20 -0600 Subject: [mou] Wigeons Message-ID: <4059FDB8.24262.4E8379@localhost> I saw a pair of Wigeon today, but the male did not seem typical. I had the sun at my right shoulder and could see the almost white bill and forehead very well through my scope, but the head seemed to be all of one color. I did note a slight iridescence, but not a two toned head, no definate green and gray head. The whole head (other than the white forehead) was a dark reddish brown. Both birds were standing on the ice when sighted and never entered the water. All other field marks point to the American Wigeon except the head. Could it be too early for the male to have the green swipe on the head? could it be a Euro Wigeon or intergrade? Any ideas? Steve-O From two-jays@att.net Fri Mar 19 04:15:38 2004 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 20:15:38 -0800 Subject: [mou] Bell Museum program Message-ID: Program info provided by Gordon Murdock, Bell Museum. PRAIRIES --=20 Rediscovering and Restoring the North American Prairie Slide Lecture with Stephen Jones Thursday, April 1, 7 p.m. Bell Museum Members $5, nonmembers $7 Bell Museum of Natural History 17th and University Aves. S. E., Minneapolis Information: 612-624-9050 Enjoy the sights and sounds of the prairie, including profiles of prairie preserves and restorations from Colorado to Minnesota to Illinois and to Texas. Stephen Jones and Ruth Carol Cushman are co-authors of the new Peterson Field Guides, The North American Prairie: field guide to the plants, wildlife, and natural history of the prairie, including where to hike and camp. Published by Houghton Mifflin. Steve Jones will discuss the status of North American prairies and their ecology. Prairies have been largely destroyed in the past 100 years and there is growing public interest in their restoration. He will profile prairie preserves from Canada to the Midwest including Minnesota. Ruth Caro= l Cushman, co-author of the book, will join Steve Jones in discussion and answering questions. Signed copies of the books will be available for purchase. The prairie holds a mythic place in North America=B9s history and sense of itself. During a period of less than 100 years, most of this magnificent ecosystem was destroyed. Only recently have many people come to appreciate the unique ecology of the prairie. While researching their new prairie guidebook, Steve Jones and Ruth Carol Cushman encountered a growing wave of interest in preserving and restoring native grasslands. They also became acquainted with dozens of magical places, such as Alberta's Writing on Ston= e Provincial Park, Nebraska's Niobrara Valley Preserve, Kansas's Konza Prairie, and Minnesota's Wallace C. Dayton Conservation and Wildlife Area. Steve Jones is a teacher, naturalist, and environmental consultant. His recent book, The Last Prairie, a Sandhills Journal, celebrates the beauty and spirit of one of North America's last wild landscapes. Ruth Carol Cushman, has contributed more than 40 natural history articles t= o national magazines and traveled widely in North America gathering information and photographs for the Peterson prairie guide. From smithville4@charter.net Fri Mar 19 03:35:06 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 21:35:06 -0600 Subject: [mou] Warblers and Spring are coming! Message-ID: <000801c40d63$32417310$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C40D30.E1B05EC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Well I suppose we all had a touch of Spring here and there but tonight = while surfing around the net I read a report from a birder in Texas who = saw several species of warblers along the Texas coast. You see in Duluth = we have still have mounds of snow and were hoping for 40 degree temps = anytime soon!=20 Not much going on up here. Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C40D30.E1B05EC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Well I suppose we all had a touch of = Spring here=20 and there but tonight while surfing around the net I read a report from = a birder=20 in Texas who saw several species of warblers along the Texas coast. You = see in=20 Duluth we have still have mounds of snow and were hoping for 40 degree = temps=20 anytime soon!
 
Not much going on up here.
 
Mike = Hendrickson
------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C40D30.E1B05EC0-- From ajjoppru@wiktel.com Fri Mar 19 03:48:04 2004 From: ajjoppru@wiktel.com (Jeanie Joppru) Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 21:48:04 -0600 Subject: [mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report-Friday, March 19, 2004 Message-ID: <000201c40d64$ff869fc0$6c3292ce@main> This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, March 19, 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. Judging by the number of reports of migrants that came in this week, spring is really on the way. Lately, the weather has been alternating between snow at night and sun during the day to melt it- a great combination. I also had a report that a "breath of spring" has been observed from the wastewater treatment ponds, so waterfowl won't be far behind. Migration has definitely begun with reports of HORNED LARKS everywhere, WESTERN MEADOWLARKS as far north as Marshall County, increasing reports of raptors and, of course several species of grouse are very obvious now with snow still on the ground and courtship rites underway. Susan Wiste reported from Douglas County that she saw the first COMMON GRACKLE of the season on March 12th.=20 Alma Ronningen reported NORTHERN HARRIER, TREE SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD in Otter Tail County on March 16th. On Thursday, she found two AMERICAN KESTRELS along highway 108 near Perham. Bob Dunlap, John Hockema and Jeff Stephenson were birding in Wilkin County on March 10 where they counted 60 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS at the Rothsay WMA. They also found a HOARY REDPOLL among a flock of about 50 COMMON REDPOLLS there. The group found two MERLINS in Clay County, one near Felton Prairie, another along 160th Ave. just west of US Highway 32. Of note in Norman County were two TRUMPETER SWANS north of Gary, and a large group of 75 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS also north of Gary. Shelley Steva saw a WESTERN MEADOWLARK a mile north of Shelly. Tim Driscoll and Betsy Batstone- Cunningham visited Polk County on March 14th, and reported excellent birding there. A TURKEY VULTURE was spotted near Marcoux Corner, the intersection of US Highways 2 and 32. Other species seen in the county included GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS, BALD EAGLE, NORTHERN HARRIER, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, and WESTERN MEADOWLARK. John Loegering heard a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL in the Oakdale Cemetery in Crookston on March 16th. BALD EAGLES were reported in several locations in the county by other observers. It seems that the eagles are starting to move through on their way north. Jason Eckstein had RED CROSSBILLS at his feeder east of Crookston on March 16th. Bob Dunlap's group found eight GRAY PARTRIDGE along CR 45 in Pancratz Prairie, and a SHORT-EARED OWL was also seen there. On March 11th, they found SHARP-TAILED GROUSE along CR 23 east of Angus. More of these were found by Mike and Lori Becker on 280th Ave. and 190th Street. Thirteen WILD TURKEYS were seen by John Holland along CR 21 three miles east of Highway 75. A MERLIN was found in the Red Lake County town of Plummer by Shelley Steva on March 16th.=09 In Pennington County, Mike and Lori Becker reported a GOLDEN EAGLE on March 15th along CR 23 where it crosses the Pembina Trail Road. Several BALD EAGLES were also seen in that county this week. John Holland reported 7 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE and 13 GRAY PARTRIDGE along CR 72 southwest of Thief River Falls. Shelley Steva saw three WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS a mile south of Thief River Falls along US highway 59 on March 17th, while Gary Tischer reported the first AMERICAN ROBINS of the season in Pennington County on March 18th in Thief River Falls. At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in Marshall County, Dave Myhrer saw two WESTERN MEADOWLARKS on March 16th along the county road. In the interior of the refuge, eight BALD EAGLES were seen this week. Just west of the refuge, 30 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were observed along CR 12 , and another large group of them were seen 1/2 mile west of the intersection of CR 7 and CR 12 on the south side of the road where a lek has been found. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS are being seen regularly at the Agassiz NWR and NORTHERN HARRIERS are starting to show up. Diana Morkassel reported ten BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and a pair of NORTHERN CARDINALS at their feeders near Warren. Bob Dunlap's group were in Roseau County on March 11th, and they found some really interesting birds there. In the highway 310 area north of Roseau , they found a GOLDEN EAGLE about three miles north of Roseau, and a NORTHERN HAWK OWL hunting on the east side of the highway between mile markers 8 and 9. This appears to be a resident bird as I have had several reports of this species in this same area over the past several months. Also seen in Roseau County were BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, and along CR 20 east of CR 21, a HOARY REDPOLL in a flock of COMMON REDPOLLS. Gretchen Mehmel reported a GREAT GRAY OWL seen near the base of the Norris fire tower on March 16th. A NORTHERN HAWK OWL has been regularly sighted for the past week on the east side of Highway 72 near the intersection with CR 7. Thanks to all the birders, too numerous to mention separately, who sent in reports 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, March 26, 2004. From PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net Fri Mar 19 16:46:59 2004 From: PastorAl@PrincetonFreeChurch.net (Pastor Al) Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 10:46:59 -0600 Subject: [mou] Central MN - questions, observations Message-ID: <002401c40dd1$cc77b660$0b01a8c0@PastorAl> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0021_01C40D9F.8163A990 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hope to slip out Saturday morning for a few hours of birding, and am = still learning the central MN area. Couple of questions: * Are there lakes, reservoirs etc. that currently have some diversity of = waterfowl on them in or near Sherburne, Mille Lacs, Benton or Isanti = counties? (I could certainly drive down into the cities as well, = basically 1-1.5 hours of Princeton great) * I tend to hike quite a bit while birding. Outside of Sherburne NWA & = ML State Park, any recommendations on trails within that four county = area? (Directions are always helpful to this new Minnesotan.) * Longer term consideration: where would you recommend for April & May = shorebird activity? (Rather spoiled, had Horicon NWR and Nine Springs = within hour of past Madison, WI location, which would often push 23-25 = shorebird species during spring.) Mille Lacs/Sherburne observations for week: single Brewer's amidst = Red-wingeds this morning (heard only, so probable rather than = confirmed). Increase in N. Harrier & A. Kestrel sightings/activity. = Robins singing in variety of locations. Single RB Gull. Rather quiet = overall, although is certainly comforting to listen to RWBBs throughout = week. Good birding to all! Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN ------=_NextPart_000_0021_01C40D9F.8163A990 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hope to slip out Saturday morning for a = few hours=20 of birding, and am still learning the central MN area.  Couple of=20 questions:
 
* Are there lakes, reservoirs etc. that = currently=20 have some diversity of waterfowl on them in or near Sherburne, Mille = Lacs,=20 Benton or Isanti counties?  (I could certainly drive down into the = cities=20 as well, basically 1-1.5 hours of Princeton great)
 
* I tend to hike quite a bit while = birding. =20 Outside of Sherburne NWA & ML State Park, any recommendations on = trails=20 within that four county area?  (Directions are always helpful to = this new=20 Minnesotan.)
 
* Longer term consideration:  = where would you=20 recommend for April & May shorebird activity?  (Rather spoiled, = had=20 Horicon NWR and Nine Springs within hour of past Madison, WI location, = which=20 would often push 23-25 shorebird species during spring.)
 
Mille Lacs/Sherburne observations for = week: =20 single Brewer's amidst Red-wingeds this morning (heard only, so probable = rather=20 than confirmed).  Increase in N. Harrier & A. Kestrel=20 sightings/activity.  Robins singing in variety of locations.  = Single=20 RB Gull.  Rather quiet overall, although is certainly comforting to = listen=20 to RWBBs throughout week.
 
Good birding to all!
 
Al Schirmacher
Princeton, = MN
------=_NextPart_000_0021_01C40D9F.8163A990-- From hpeirson@pclink.com Fri Mar 19 17:11:33 2004 From: hpeirson@pclink.com (Holly Peirson) Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 11:11:33 -0600 Subject: [mou] Bluebird Male, Anoka Co Message-ID: Friends: I am looking at a lovely male Eastern Bluebird, come to check out my son's Scouts project. He made and put up 8 new houses last year to replace our old and decrepit ones from when we first moved to the woods n' marshes... The Bluebird was just sitting on one and then flew across the marsh to land in the trees near my feeders. It's cold and blustery today. I think I'll go get some meal worms later... Holly Peirson SE Columbus Twnshp, SE Anoka Co. From BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM Fri Mar 19 18:24:54 2004 From: BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM (Williams, Bob) Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 12:24:54 -0600 Subject: [mou] More new arrivals at Pet Trails, Murphy-Hanrehan, Scott County Message-ID: <954398EF1F830749868583446DBCE7EB129016FB@min-nrt-exch1.min.nrtinc.nrt> Saw more spring firsts this morning on my walk at the Pet Trails: Cedar Waxwing 1 Wood Ducks 2 Killdeer 1 And from my Wednesday afternoon walk Brown Creeper 1 Bob Williams, Bloomington From cerulean1966@msn.com Fri Mar 19 21:18:19 2004 From: cerulean1966@msn.com (Dave Bartkey) Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 15:18:19 -0600 Subject: [mou] Rice County field trip Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0025_01C40DC5.68CB7860 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Everyone, Tomorrow we are holding our first field trip for the Birding Club of = Rice County. Our main focus will be on waterfowl and raptors. (Although, = with the predicted wind, we will have to see them quickly as they shoot = past us!) Anyone is welcome to join us! We will meet at River Bend = Nature Center parking lot at 7 AM. On a personal note, I saw my first bluebirds of the year today, and = was also pleasantly surprised to see a single Common Redpoll at my = feeder. A first for my backyard list. Good birding to all! Dave Bartkey Faribault, MN cerulean1966@msn.com ------=_NextPart_000_0025_01C40DC5.68CB7860 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi Everyone,
  Tomorrow we are holding our first field trip for the Birding = Club of=20 Rice County. Our main focus will be on waterfowl and raptors. (Although, = with=20 the predicted wind, we will have to see them quickly as they shoot past = us!)=20 Anyone is welcome to join us! We will meet at River Bend Nature Center = parking=20 lot at 7 AM.
 
  On a personal note, I saw my first bluebirds of the year = today, and=20 was also pleasantly surprised to see a single Common Redpoll at my = feeder. A=20 first for my backyard list.
 
Good birding to all!
 
Dave Bartkey
Faribault, MN
------=_NextPart_000_0025_01C40DC5.68CB7860-- From connyb@mycidco.com Fri Mar 19 16:43:22 2004 From: connyb@mycidco.com (Conny Brunell) Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 16:43:22 Subject: [mou] Greater White-fronted Geese, McLeod Co. Message-ID: This morning Leslie Marcus, Linda Sparling and I saw 26 Greater White-fronted Geese in McLeod Co, and one of them had a blue collar with U7J written in white on it, and a silver band around its left leg. There were also Wooduck, Redhead, and a Snow Goose in with them. They were in a farm field pond .6 mi from Mn. 7 on CR 16 on the right side of the road. On Swan Lake there were lots of Red-breasted Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked, Bufflehead, Redhead, Common Goldeneye, and Common Mergansers. Conny Brunell Richfield, Hennepin Cty connyb@mycidco.com From cfagyal@avianphotos.org Sat Mar 20 00:33:15 2004 From: cfagyal@avianphotos.org (Chris Fagyal) Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 18:33:15 -0600 Subject: [mou] In my backyard as the sun goes down.. Message-ID: <000001c40e12$f5a13700$6401a8c0@cymorg> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --Boundary_(ID_itIiPllIrPEHDMvP4N34RQ) Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT 2 American Tree Sparrows 1 Song Sparrow 6 Red-winged Blackbird 1 Great Blue Heron (flyover) Not bad for no grass, no trees in the backyard, no feeders in the backyard, etc. Will be a busy spring of plantings! Chris Fagyal Otsego, MN --Boundary_(ID_itIiPllIrPEHDMvP4N34RQ) Content-type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

2 American Tree Sparrows

1 Song Sparrow

6 Red-winged Blackbird

1 Great Blue Heron (flyover)

 

Not bad for no grass, no trees in the backyard, no feeders in the backyard, etc.  Will be a busy spring of plantings!

 

Chris Fagyal

Otsego, MN

 

--Boundary_(ID_itIiPllIrPEHDMvP4N34RQ)-- From larson@redwing.net Sat Mar 20 02:16:00 2004 From: larson@redwing.net (Kelly Larson) Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 20:16:00 -0600 Subject: [mou] RE: "Fake" Screech Owl (long) Message-ID: <405BA95F.56D8985@redwing.net> Cathy, it's O.K. When I'm driving around I see all kinds of things that I get fooled by. This past Monday I made my husband turn around on a windy section of Hwy 61 just north of Wabasha near Reads Landing. I was convinced that I saw the body of an Eagle partially exposed in a pile of snow in the ditch. Heck, the wing, with distinct flight feathers, was sticking straight up and practically waving at me! Upon closer inspection my raptor rigor mortis turned out to be the trunk of a tree that had been violently shattered by a storm or vehicle impact. Then there's the time I went on my very first CBC. Of course it had to be one of the most closely watched circles in the country. Santa Barbara, CA usually places in the top 5 high species counts every year. It happened to be my birthday and I was pretty eager to help out. I was looking for anything unusual in the canyon scrub and chaparral. This turned out to be easy, it was all pretty new and exotic to me! After a few good spots, California Thrasher, Canyon Wren, Spotted Towhee I saw what I thought was a White-tailed Kite! It was hover-hunting a hedgerow near a clearing in the distance. I called the bird. Nine pairs of binoculars, including mine, riveted onto the fluttering of white and black just above the limb of a tall dead tree. Yes, there it was... the magnificent White-bagged Kite? How did a plastic shopping bag (with bold black lettering) get way up there?! No amount of reassurance by the group could lift the squirm of embarrassment I felt. I birded the rest of the morning in absolute silence. I didn't even mention the Brown Sockwren I noticed poking it's head out of the hole in an old Live Oak. -- Kelly Larson Feathered Friend Wild Bird Store 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival 2nd Annual Great River Morel Festival 2nd Annual Great River Eagle Spot Festival Red Wing, MN 651-267-1001 The 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival Is Coming... Hosted by Wabasha, MN on May 14-15-16 2004. http://www.mississippi-river.org/birding/ Visit Our Website http://www.thefeatheredfriend.com From BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM Sat Mar 20 18:20:20 2004 From: BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM (Williams, Bob) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 12:20:20 -0600 Subject: [mou] More new arrivals at Pet Trails, Murphy-Hanrehan, Scott County Message-ID: <954398EF1F830749868583446DBCE7EB129016FF@min-nrt-exch1.min.nrtinc.nrt> This morning I had 6 new spring arrivals on my walk: Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Great Blue Heron 2 Green-winged Teal 3 Northern Pintail 1 Hooded Merganser 7 Purple Finch 5+ Bob Williams, Bloomington From mattjim@earthlink.net Sat Mar 20 20:02:05 2004 From: mattjim@earthlink.net (James Mattsson) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 14:02:05 -0600 Subject: [mou] Ross's Goose; Dunlin -Dakota County Message-ID: <410-2200436202025240@earthlink.net> ------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII This morning (20th) I braved the howling gale and found 22 species of waterfowl at 3 sites in Dakota County: 1) Spring Lake Reg. Park, 2) Goodwin Ave and CR 47, and 3) Lake Byllesby. Some of the most interesting: Goodwin-CR47: Ross's Goose - 2; Snow's - 25; Greater White-fronts - 20, Tundra Swans - 7 Spring Lake: Greater Scaup - 1; Lesser Scaup - 400 Lake Byllesby: Blue-winged Teal - Pair I also photographed an exceptionally early Dunlin at the west end of Lake Byllesby. This basic plumaged bird was feeding close to Killdeer, of which there were several present. James Mattsson mattjim@earthlink.net Why Wait? Move to EarthLink. ------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII

This morning (20th)  I braved the howling gale and found 22 species of waterfowl at 3 sites in Dakota County: 1) Spring Lake Reg. Park, 2) Goodwin Ave and CR 47, and 3) Lake Byllesby. Some of the most interesting:
 
Goodwin-CR47:    Ross's Goose - 2; Snow's - 25; Greater White-fronts - 20, Tundra Swans - 7
 
Spring Lake:         Greater Scaup - 1; Lesser Scaup - 400
 
Lake Byllesby:     Blue-winged Teal - Pair
 
 
I also photographed an exceptionally early Dunlin at the west end of Lake Byllesby. This basic plumaged bird was feeding close to Killdeer, of which there were several present. 
 
 
James Mattsson
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
 

------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8-- From cerulean1966@msn.com Sat Mar 20 20:28:25 2004 From: cerulean1966@msn.com (Dave Bartkey) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 14:28:25 -0600 Subject: [mou] Rice County field trip results Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C40E87.9AB762E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi everyone, We ended up seeing 39 total species on our trip around the county this = morning. Some of the highlights were: Double-crested Cormorant a flock of more than 100 Great Blue Herons Mute Swan Wigeon No. Shoveler No. Pintail Bufflehead Redhead Scaup Ring-necked Ducks Hooded and Common Merganser Goldeneye Wood Duck Coots lots of Killdeer Ring-billed and Herring Gulls Great Horned Owl E. Screech Owl E. Bluebirds and most surprisingly, 2 Tree Swallows! They acted like they were feeding on insects, but I can't imagine any = insects being out now... Good birding! Dave Bartkey Faribault, MN cerulean1966@msn.com ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C40E87.9AB762E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi everyone,
  We ended up seeing 39 total species on our trip around the = county=20 this morning. Some of the highlights were:
Double-crested Cormorant
a flock of more than 100 Great Blue Herons
Mute Swan
Wigeon
No. Shoveler
No. Pintail
Bufflehead
Redhead
Scaup
Ring-necked Ducks
Hooded and Common Merganser
Goldeneye
Wood Duck
Coots
lots of Killdeer
Ring-billed and Herring Gulls
Great Horned Owl
E. Screech Owl
E. Bluebirds
and most surprisingly, 2 Tree Swallows!
 
  They acted like they were feeding on insects, but I can't = imagine=20 any insects being out now...
 
Good birding!
Dave Bartkey
Faribault, MN
------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C40E87.9AB762E0-- From Steve Weston" The Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC) will hold its March meeting on Thursday the 25th. Speaker: Pam Perry The Program: "Lead & Loons" Pam Perry, of the Department of Natural Resources Non-game Wildlife Program, will present a program on detailing what studies on Loon mortality have revealed about the damage done by fishing with lead sinkers. Also she will talk about what is being done to reduce lead use in fishing. 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.comcast.net/~mrvac/Feb2004.doc or you can visit our website: www.mrvac.org . Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan sweston2@comcast.net From sbeecher@visi.com Sun Mar 21 02:52:17 2004 From: sbeecher@visi.com (sbeecher@visi.com) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 20:52:17 -0600 Subject: [mou] Along the St. Croix Message-ID: <405CAF01.11173.54589D@localhost> Still ~30 Trumpeters in Hudson along with at least 9 Bald Eagles (only two adults) bickering on the ice, none landed on the huge nest nearby. A few Ring-billed Gulls were sailing around. A pair of Osprey were flirting north of Stillwater above the Heron rookery which was empty yesterday, but today had at least 50 GBs checking it out (my personal sign of spring). On the water were Mergansers, Hooded and Common, and some Common Goldeneye. Lake Alice in William O'Brien had two pair of Trumpeters and some Ring- necks. On the way 5 Redtails, one Coopers and a possible Northern Harrier (too quick to be positive). Rough getting a good look at anything in the air, none of the kids at WOSP could even keep their kites flying! Spring has begun. :) Steve-O From JELLISBIRD@aol.com Sun Mar 21 04:08:37 2004 From: JELLISBIRD@aol.com (JELLISBIRD@aol.com) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 23:08:37 EST Subject: [mou] MN River Valley Migration Message-ID: <190.2746a8f4.2d8e6f45@aol.com> I took advantage of a day free and the 35 mph S. winds to bird the upper MN River Valley. Near Sparta Cemetary about 3 Miles NW of Granite Falls the hills overlook a large riverine wetland. Eagles and Redtails were following the updrafts from the hills on the N side of the valley. In a 35 minute period (10:45-11:30) I counted 14 adult Bald Eagles, 8 Juveniles Bald Eagles and 12 Red-Tailed Hawks. There were several other raptors I was not certain of. Small pockets of water were open at the HGH 75 dam site at Big Stone and many Canada Geese and Snows were loafing and feeding. Further NW from a rest stop along MN 7 just SE of the Bonanza Grove unit of Big Stone State Park (south of Beardsley) I saw many flocks of geese including 75 Greater White-fronted Geese, hundreds of Canada Geese, and many, many flocks of white and blue phase Snow Geese, some with a few Ross's Geese thrown in. In one short period an aggregate of Snow Geese moved through which had flocks of 1000, 1500, 500, 200, 1000, 200 and finally the last 400. I was surprised at how opportunistically they all moved with the winds. Nearly all the geese I saw from this point moved west over Dakota. Truly a migration spectacle. John Ellis, St. Paul From ncc1701@minn.net Sun Mar 21 14:42:44 2004 From: ncc1701@minn.net (Dave & Sally Elwood) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 08:42:44 -0600 Subject: [mou] Redpolls and Purple finches in Burnsville Message-ID: This morning has been one of the best yard bird days in a long time. So far this morning we've seen: Common Redpoll - A total of 5 or 6 seen at different times Purple Finch - 2 American GoldFinch - lots House Finch White-breasted Nuthatch American Robin - several Northern Cardinal Blue Jay American Crow Common Grackle - 1 Starling - 1 Dark-eyed Junco Black-capped Chickadee I've only seen one other Purple Finch and one other Common Redpoll in our yard, so seeing several of both species in our yard at the same time was a treat. Dave Elwood Burnsville From axhertzel@sihope.com Sun Mar 21 16:01:41 2004 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 10:01:41 -0600 Subject: [mou] Brant Message-ID: Phil Chu just called me reporting a BRANT at the Paynesville sewage ponds in Stearns County. These ponds are just on Stearns County Road 33 just north of town. The Brant was associating with a large group of Canada Geese, and these geese were flying back and forth between the dike at the south end of the ponds and the North Fork Crow River. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com From larson@redwing.net Mon Mar 22 00:45:18 2004 From: larson@redwing.net (Kelly Larson) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 18:45:18 -0600 Subject: [mou] Red Wing to Kellogg Message-ID: <405E371E.128E0788@redwing.net> I escaped the confines of the shop today to attend the National Eagle Center's Thirteenth Annual Soar With the Eagles Brunch. Guest speaker, National Geographic Cinematographer, Neil Rettig and Cal the Harpy Eagle were wonderful. How does he hold that bird on his arm for an hour?! Took a leisurely birdy way back home. Kellogg/Weaver Dunes: 100's of Canada Geese & Mallards in some wetland areas. One lone Killdeer. Frontenac, Wells Creek Bridge: One Coot, many Canada Geese. Frontenac, Beach: 6 Hooded Merganser, 18 Bald Eagles. The first barge went through frozen Lake Pepin several days ago tearing through 16" of ice much of the way. The jagged path it left down the middle of the lake has opened up new hunting/scavanging opportunities for the Eagles. They are lined up along the edge of the path on both sides forming a gauntlet! Frontenac, Park Prairie Land: Observed a raptor I think was a Rough-legged Hawk hunting the open prairie. Hawking back and forth, slow and low. Black tips on undersides of wings, very pale underparts and tail. Dropped down for a kill and I lost him. Frontenac, Pond: One lonely Red-winged Blackbird singing away. Red Wing, Barn Bluff: 3 Turkey Vulture Red Wing, Colville Park: 8 Lesser Scaup, 2 Common Merganser, 4 Common Goldeneye, 16 Great Blue Heron in Bill's Bay! Red Wing, Wild Life League Marsh: 10 Northern Shoveler, 30 Mallards, 14 Canada Geese, 25 Bald Eagles-11 of these Eagles were waiting or fighting for a turn at what must have been a deer carcass. The body was hidden from view by cattail mounds and Muskrat mud piles. -- Kelly Larson Feathered Friend Wild Bird Store 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival 2nd Annual Great River Morel Festival 2nd Annual Great River Eagle Spot Festival Red Wing, MN 651-267-1001 The 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival Is Coming... Hosted by Wabasha, MN on May 14-15-16 2004. http://www.mississippi-river.org/birding/ Visit Our Website http://www.thefeatheredfriend.com From fieldfare21@hotmail.com Mon Mar 22 02:01:05 2004 From: fieldfare21@hotmail.com (Benjamin Fritchman) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 20:01:05 -0600 Subject: [mou] Brant, owls(long) Message-ID: I dropped everything and headed to Paynesville today. There were a lot of Canada Geese on the dikes of the ponds, but no Brant. After a little while, several people showed up, and we drove nearby roads, checking fields for the Brant. We arrived back at the ponds after awhile. We were hoping that more geese would come to the ponds to spend the night, but to our dismay, geese actually starting leaving in small flocks. While watching the flocks to make sure the Brant didn't get away undetected, I noticed a flock of about 12 geese to the south, far off. I knew these birds couldn't be from the ponds because they were too far away. I was excited to see a flock of different birds. I soon realized the farthest bird to the left was small.......very small. Bob Dunlap agreed that it looked small, but as the flock got closer, the small bird vanished. I thought the small bird had been my imagination, but after watching the flock, the smaller bird reappeared. John Hockema then saw it and I've never seen anyone get out of a car so fast, it was quite humorous. Several people got to see it fly by, and we decided to try and relocate it. Going north past the ponds we took the first left, and there in the field south of the road was the Brant with other geese, including a Snow Goose. We had some amazing, long looks, even though it was far off. It was still there when we all left. On the way home on Hwy. 4, I had a Great-horned Owl about 2 miles south of Greenwald, it was in a bush in the field, so I backed up and made sure it wasn't a SE Owl. Not a mile later while going around a bend, a Short-eared Owl flew up from the road and proceeded to hunt over the field. All in all, an amazing day, Ben Fritchman Long Prairie _________________________________________________________________ Get reliable access on MSN 9 Dial-up. 3 months for the price of 1! (Limited-time offer) http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200361ave/direct/01/ From cgreiner@millcomm.com Mon Mar 22 03:25:04 2004 From: cgreiner@millcomm.com (Carl Greiner) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 21:25:04 -0600 Subject: [mou] Swans Message-ID: <000a01c40fbd$45ce4c80$d069be3f@mshome.net> Hi all, I took my 2 yr. old to see the Eagles in Wabasha today and of course cut through Whitewater WMA on the way. First pool coming out of Elba on 74 there were 2 swans way in the back of the pool maybe 200 yards away. I put the scope to them and would have definately called them trumpeter's last month before the latest Loon came out. Now since the Birding by Hindsight, a Second Look at Swans article I have no clue whether these were Tundra or Trumpeter. Did anyone else see them? At 200 yards without both species present, vocalizations, feathering at the gape, forehead feathering, bill length, nostril placement, culmen shape, crown shape, back profile, etc... are too vague for me. I can count the number of wild swans I've seen on 1 hand. How often would you be wrong in Minnesota calling a black billed swan without yellow lores a Trumpeter and with yellow lores a Tundra. I guess they are all swan spp. unless its July or August. What do you all use to differentiate the two? There were also ring-necked duck, mallard, c goose, b eagles 3 adults 3 immature and a nest, belted kingfisher, am wigeon, a lone common merganser, a gorgeous pair of green-wing teal, redtail hawk, and normal contingency of rock pigeons, a grackle, robins, crows, and starlings. Carl Greiner cgreiner@millcomm.com From chaiyan@iastate.edu Mon Mar 22 03:41:29 2004 From: chaiyan@iastate.edu (Kasorndorkbua, Chaiyan) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 21:41:29 -0600 Subject: [mou] Photos of Great Gray & Snowy Owls Message-ID: <9281EB26EDF4F644AAB798D0AF06806F04ADA4@bobcat.vdl.iastate.edu> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40FBF.8F4EDCA4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable HI all: =20 This weekend I spent time birding in Aitkin County looking for the owls = and found both. Below are the notable sightings on March 20, 04. =20 On County Road 18: 1 Great Gray Owl (photographed at CR 18, 1 and =BE mile west of Pietz's = or 320th Road, perched at a birch stump just close to the CR, visit the = link below for its photo) 1 female Spruce Grouse (sitting on a small road with a front mail box, ~ = 1 mile west of Pietz's Road) 3 Northern Harriers; 2 males & 1 worn-plumaged juvenile 4 Rough-legged Hawks including 1 dark-morphed adult 1 Northern Shrike =20 On County Road 1: 1 Snowy Owl at the reported location by Warren Nelson 2 Rough-legged Hawks=20 1 male Harrier 1 female Kestrel =20 On County Road 5:=20 5 Sharp-tailed Grouse, car flushed and ID by the typical flight pattern = of Grouse, white patches on outer rectrices and longer central rectrices 2 Harriers, each gender =20 Much thanks to Warren Nelson for the detailed direction to the owls' = location. The link to the owls' photos --> = http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/2865=20 =20 Cheers, Chaiyan =20 Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua Ames IA/Thailand =20 =20 =20 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40FBF.8F4EDCA4 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

HI all:

 

This weekend I spent time birding in = Aitkin = County looking for the owls and = found both. Below are the notable sightings on March 20, = 04.

 

On County = Road = 18:

1 Great Gray Owl (photographed at CR 18, 1 and =BE = mile west of Pietz’s or 320th =A0Road, perched at a birch stump just = close to the CR, visit the link below for its photo)

1 female Spruce Grouse (sitting on a small road with = a front mail box, ~ 1 mile west of Pietz’s = Road)

3 Northern Harriers; 2 males & 1 worn-plumaged = juvenile

4 Rough-legged Hawks including 1 dark-morphed = adult

1 Northern Shrike

 

On County = Road = 1:

1 Snowy Owl at the reported location by Warren = Nelson

2 Rough-legged Hawks

1 male Harrier

1 female Kestrel

 

On County = Road 5: =

5 Sharp-tailed Grouse, car flushed and ID by the = typical flight pattern of Grouse, white patches on outer rectrices and longer central rectrices

2 Harriers, each gender

 

Much thanks to Warren Nelson for the detailed = direction to the owls’ location.

The link to the owls’ photos=A0 =E0 =A0=A0http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuse= r/2865

 

Cheers,

Chaiyan

 

Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua

Ames = IA/Thailand

 

 

=A0

=00 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C40FBF.8F4EDCA4-- From Christine Petersen Mon Mar 22 04:33:58 2004 From: Christine Petersen (Christine Petersen) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 22:33:58 -0600 (GMT-06:00) Subject: [mou] Need help with woodpecker question Message-ID: <5239556.1079930039136.JavaMail.root@dewey.psp.pas.earthlink.net> Could someone help me resolve a question? I have searched the Web and simply cannot get a clear answer. Why is the population of red-headed woodpeckers declining while red-bellied woodpeckers are faring well? I know red-headed woodpeckers have suffered from loss of nesting habitat due to removal of snags and competition from starlings, but red-bellies use snags too. Can anyone give me some details? Thanks! Christine "Our correspondences have wings -- paper birds that fly from my house to yours -- flocks of ideas crisscrossing the country. Once opened, a connection is made. We are not alone in the world." Terry Tempest Williams, from Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place From wenelson@mlecmn.net Mon Mar 22 04:51:22 2004 From: wenelson@mlecmn.net (Warren Nelson) Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 22:51:22 -0600 Subject: [mou] A further update from Aitkin County Message-ID: <405E70CA.E98B47E8@mlecmn.net> Some of the things have already been mentioned but the SNOWY OWL was still present this last weekend and several birders got a great show of the owl swallowing a large mouse Saturday night. This afternoon around 4:30 there were two GREAT GRAY OWLS along C.R.18, the first was about 1/2 mile west of Pietz's Road and the second was about 1 & 2/10 miles west of Pietz's Road. There was also a BARRED OWL about 2/10 mile west. There was also a report of a birder seeing 2 LONG-EARED OWLS late on Friday evening about a mile west of Pietz's Road. Other birds seen this last weekend: GRAY JAYS, 23 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, TRUMPETER SWANS, HOODED MERGANSERS, MALLARDS, CANADA GEESE, several KESTRALS, several RED-TAILED HAWKS. Warren Nelson From Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us Mon Mar 22 13:35:55 2004 From: Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us (Roberta.Gitchel@co.hennepin.mn.us) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 07:35:55 -0600 Subject: [mou] Great River Message-ID: Great stuff Sunday on the Great River. Perrot State Park -- Trempealeau Bay at base of Trempealeau Mountain: Widgeons, Golden Eyes, Northern Shovelers, Ringnecks, Wood Ducks, Swans (Tundra, I think). Trempealeau Wildlife Area -- Wood Ducks, Sandhill Cranes. Little guys: Brown Creepers, Eastern Bluebirds, Redheaded Woodpeckers. And...........one lonely, wind-blown Tree Swallow. Overlooks on Hwy 26 south of Stoddard (WI) -- Very large flocks of Canvasbacks. From corax6330@yahoo.com Mon Mar 22 14:16:29 2004 From: corax6330@yahoo.com (fred lesher) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 06:16:29 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Results: Lansing Loop, MN, WI, IA: Sat. March 20 Message-ID: <20040322141629.30567.qmail@web13424.mail.yahoo.com> Total Species seen: 50 Total Participants: 65 (est.) Total cars: 29 "Best Birds": Pied-b. Grebe------Pool 8, MN---1 waterfowl----------16 sp. Included splendid scope-filling view of sunlit feeding Canvasbacks--Stoddard, WI. Also Green & Blue-w. Teal. Tundra Swans absent. N. Harrier---------Pool Slough, IA/MN border---1 Peregrine Falcon---Dairyland PP, Genoa, WI---1 at box. Sandhill Crane-----North of Brownsville, WI, Hwy 26. Killdeer C. Snipe Ring-b. Gull Herring Gull N. Shrike----------Rush Creek, Crawford Co., WI---1 E. Bluebird Morning weather overcast becoming clear by noon with 12 degree drop in temperature in the afternoon from 48F to 36F and windy. Very visible Bald Eagle nest 1/2 mile across open water of Lawrence Lake along Hwy 26 south of Root R. north of Brownsville, MN (Houston Co.). Unmarked terrace pull-off downhill east side Hwy 26. Fred Lesher, LaCrosse, WI __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From ekblad@millcomm.com Mon Mar 22 15:58:58 2004 From: ekblad@millcomm.com (Bob Ekblad) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 09:58:58 -0600 Subject: [mou] Brant pics Message-ID: <405F0D42.1050605@millcomm.com> After the group viewed the Brant from route 16 (looking south), the bird moved with other geese to a spot closer to route 33 - closer to the NW corner of the sewage treatment ponds. I was able to re-find it there. The scope view was a whole lot better than the view from route 16 since it was about half the distance from the road. I was even able to get a few pictures before it got too dark (I stopped shooting at 6:20pm). They aren't that great, but they do show most of the features. I posted them on my web site at http://home.rconnect.com/~ekblad/ If nothing else, you can play "Where's Waldo" with the photos. Hopefully Phil was able to get some photos when the bird was closer and more out in the open when it was at the sewage ponds. I also suspect there will be more people out taking pictures and maybe they will be a bit more fortunate to find the bird closer to the road (and no doubt, with better lighting). Thanks, Phil for finding and reporting the bird. Thanks also to Tony for passing the word. And thanks to Ben for helping relocate the bird last night. -- -- Bob Ekblad - Byron, MN (Olmsted County) http://home.rconnect.com/~ekblad/ From watsup@boreal.org Mon Mar 22 19:13:38 2004 From: watsup@boreal.org (Steve and Sherry Watson) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 11:13:38 -0800 Subject: [mou] Brant Message-ID: <000001c41041$c9c0f040$190f46d8@m7z0w8> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C40FFE.BB9DB040 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello, I was wondering if I could get some precise directions for the brant being seen in Stearns County. I was also wondering if the mute swans were still being seen on the St. Croix and if I could get directions to them also. Thanks Josh Watson Grand Marais --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.619 / Virus Database: 398 - Release Date: 3/10/04 ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C40FFE.BB9DB040 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hello,

=

I was wondering if I could get = some precise directions for the brant being seen in = Stearns = County.=A0 I was also = wondering if the mute swans were still being seen on the = St. Croix and if I could get directions to them also.

 

=

Thanks =

Josh = Watson

Grand Marais =


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C40FFE.BB9DB040-- From dbmartin@skypoint.com Mon Mar 22 18:10:19 2004 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 12:10:19 -0600 Subject: [mou] Brant Message-ID: <005501c41038$f02fe460$aa2e56c7@oemcomputer> Surprisingly was still present this AM at the Paynesville sewage ponds. First thing this AM it was in the river just to the west of the ponds (not visible from the road but the bird seen in flight from the river.) About 8:30 it flew over to the sewage ponds and settled with the large flock of Canada Geese on the back berm (furthest from Cty 33.) It was easiest to see from Cty Road 16 with a scope or if it walks on the east side of the berm where it was not visible from the road it could be seen fairly close from the back side of the ponds. To get to the back side walk the road by the compost area and follow the fence all the way around to the area of the white building on the east side of the ponds. The road rises up higher here and the birds were quite visible. Directions to the ponds are on page 185 of Kim Eckerts book, "A Birder's Guide to Minnesota". Two miles east of Highway 55 on Highway 23 and .6 mile north on County Rd 33. Also present was a single white phase snow goose, and among a small flock of Common Redpolls there was a single Hoary Redpoll. Dennis and Barbara Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com From slafleur@mchsi.com Mon Mar 22 21:20:30 2004 From: slafleur@mchsi.com (sharrie) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 13:20:30 -0800 Subject: [mou] mute swan Message-ID: <001001c41053$81217500$a658d70c@mchsi.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C41010.72B37060 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I went to shakopee on my route today and stopped at the park to feed the = geese.. i saw a couple snow geese, the first time i have ever seen them = and got some great photos and went down to the river to see the other = ducks and geese and there was a mute swan swimming with the geese and = ducks (the only one, does it think it is a goose ??) .. all white with a = dusty roseyish beak...very pretty.. took a whole role of film... i saw = an unusual looking duck that i couldnt find in the book.. looked like a = typical mallard only all green.. not just the head... any body regonise = this.. i couldnt find it any of my new books.... thanks... sharrie i ended up getting minnesota birds and minnesota raptors and saving up = for this great raptor book ($45) which has several different photos of = the same types of bird..cant recall the name..also, can anybody = recommend a good size of lens to get better close-ups...mine just isnt = good enough...from a distance that is... thanks again...by the way iam = having a blast driving all over looking for different birds... ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C41010.72B37060 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I went to shakopee on my route today and stopped = at the=20 park to feed the geese.. i saw a couple snow geese, the first time i = have ever=20 seen them and got some great photos and went down to the river to see = the other=20 ducks and geese and there was a mute swan swimming with the geese and = ducks=20 (the only one, does it think it is a goose = ??) ..=20 all white with a dusty roseyish beak...very pretty.. took a whole role = of=20 film... i saw an unusual looking duck that i couldnt find in the book.. = looked=20 like a typical mallard only all green.. not just the head... any body = regonise=20 this.. i couldnt find it any of my new books.... thanks...
sharrie
 
i ended up getting minnesota birds and minnesota = raptors=20 and saving up for this great raptor book ($45) which has=20 several different photos of the same types of bird..cant = recall the=20 name..also, can anybody recommend a good size of lens to get better=20 close-ups...mine just isnt good enough...from a distance that is... = thanks=20 again...by the way iam having a blast driving all over looking for = different=20 birds...
 
------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C41010.72B37060-- From dbmartin@skypoint.com Mon Mar 22 19:19:32 2004 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 13:19:32 -0600 Subject: [mou] Directions to Brant Message-ID: <000701c41042$9bd797a0$4e2e56c7@oemcomputer> In my second paragraph I said it was easiest to see from County Road 16, I meant to say County Road 33. Also I understand than someone has driven into the ponds either late this AM ot early this PM and the birds may have been flushed out of the ponds area. Dennis and Barbara Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com From dbmartin@skypoint.com Mon Mar 22 21:05:47 2004 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 15:05:47 -0600 Subject: [mou] Brant again Message-ID: <001901c41051$735ebb00$e69ec7c7@oemcomputer> Just hear that as of 2:45 the Brant was sleeping on the dike not far from the County Road 33 entrance to the sewage ponds. It had spent some time during midday down in the river again. The birds appear to be using the short grass of the dikes for feeding and the river for their water supply. Dennis Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com From SFbirdclub@aol.com Mon Mar 22 21:25:08 2004 From: SFbirdclub@aol.com (SFbirdclub@aol.com) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 16:25:08 EST Subject: [mou] Short-eared Owl Message-ID: <1e4.1be64ab5.2d90b3b4@aol.com> I saw a Short-eared Owl in flight over Touch the Sky Prairie NW of Blue Mounds State Park. Otherwise pretty much the same old, same old: many Horned Lark, a few Meadowlark, a few Tree Sparrow, 9 Red-tailed Hawks and migrating Kestrels (7) Doug Chapman Sioux Falls, SD From birdnird@yahoo.com Mon Mar 22 20:02:05 2004 From: birdnird@yahoo.com (Terence Brashear) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 12:02:05 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Brant Update 2PM Monday, March 22nd In-Reply-To: <000701c41042$9bd797a0$4e2e56c7@oemcomputer> Message-ID: <20040322200205.21731.qmail@web13808.mail.yahoo.com> Steve Roman just called and he is looking at the Brant. The bird is at the sewage ponds as previously reported. Although, Steve saw the bird at the river on the south side of highway 33 initially and it flew to the sewage pond area. The flock of Canada Geese it is with are skittish and the brant can be seen with a scope. Regards, Terry --- Dennis/Barbara Martin wrote: > In my second paragraph I said it was easiest to see > from County Road 16, I > meant to say County Road 33. Also I understand than > someone has driven into > the ponds either late this AM ot early this PM and > the birds may have been > flushed out of the ponds area. > > Dennis and Barbara Martin > dbmartin@skypoint.com > > > _______________________________________________ > mou-net mailing list > mou-net@cbs.umn.edu > http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From EgretCMan@aol.com Mon Mar 22 22:06:47 2004 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 17:06:47 EST Subject: [mou] Brant Message-ID: <6d.250b24b1.2d90bd77@aol.com> -------------------------------1079993207 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 3/22/04 Debbie Arnold, Conny Brunell, Leslie Marcus and I ventured out to refind the Brant today and were greeted by Barb and Denny Martin who with the help of Bob Janssen had relocated the Brant sitting on a grassy berm in the sewage ponds. Thanks for the help in relocating this tough to find species in Minnesota. The postings by Tony Hertzel, Carol Schumacher and Ben Fritchman were also greatly appreciated. >From about 8:30 - 9:15am were enjoyed wonderful looks at the Brant. Both sitting on the berm with the Canada Geese and a single Snow Goose and also in flight. We also stopped and checked out a couple open lakes on our return trip home. Lake Ripley in Litchfield yielded a mix of ducks and many Canada Geese and Swan Lake in McLeod County also had a nice mix of waterfowl including about 20 Greater White-fronted Geese. Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1079993207 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
3/22/04
 
Debbie Arnold, Conny Brunell, Leslie Marcus and I ventured out to=20= refind the Brant today and were greeted by Barb and Denny Martin who with th= e help of Bob Janssen had relocated the Brant sitting on a grassy berm in th= e sewage ponds.  Thanks for the help in relocating this tough to find s= pecies in Minnesota.  The postings by Tony Hertzel, Carol Schumach= er and Ben Fritchman were also greatly appreciated. 
 
From about 8:30 - 9:15am were enjoyed wonderful looks at the Brant.&nbs= p; Both sitting on the berm with the Canada Geese and a single Snow Goose an= d also in flight.
 
We also stopped and checked out a couple open lakes on our return trip=20= home.  Lake Ripley in Litchfield yielded a mix of ducks and many Canada= Geese and Swan Lake in McLeod County also had a nice mix of waterfowl=20= including about 20 Greater White-fronted Geese.
 
Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN
-------------------------------1079993207-- From sbeecher@visi.com Mon Mar 22 22:31:33 2004 From: sbeecher@visi.com (sbeecher@visi.com) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 16:31:33 -0600 Subject: [mou] Brant In-Reply-To: <000001c41041$c9c0f040$190f46d8@m7z0w8> Message-ID: <405F14E5.19277.9B2B7E3@localhost> Sorry Josh, I've been to the landing on the St Croix every day - haven't seen the Mutes for about two weeks. Steve > > Hello, > I was wondering if I could get some precise directions for the brant > being seen in Stearns County.=A0 I was also wondering if the mute swans > were still being seen on the St. Croix and if I could get directions to > them also. > > Thanks > Josh Watson From smithville4@charter.net Tue Mar 23 00:20:49 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 18:20:49 -0600 Subject: [mou] Bahamas!! Me? Message-ID: <001301c4106c$b1cab220$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C4103A.66F02BE0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Well today I am sitting at home caring for my son who has a cold and a = cough. My wife calls me and we chat and I told her al lthe things I did = around the house and told her the good news about our tax refund. Monica = says I got super news for us and I have to wait till I see you at home. Well as you guessed by the subject line she was awarded by one of her = clients a trip for two for 5 days at the Bahamas! I sat there and watch = her tell me that everything is paid for and all we have to do is pack! = So I searched the web thinking, as a birder would do, shopping = places..nah, things to do..nah! I wanted to know what new birds I'll = see, places to drag my wife along and search the marshes and the jungles = for birds! OOOOPS I forgot this is something for the both of us and my = wife is not really into birds. So the question is what kind of birds are common to see flying about? = Were going in July. Coming to think of it when does the hurricane season = begin? Gulp.=20 I never been outside of the country before. well except Thunder Bay, = Ontario if that counts. So this is all new to me and I am sort of = excited to go. I am nervous around the beach as well. You know a big = husky bald headed guy with no tan from Minnesota walking around with = black socks and sandals on the beaches with my binos bouncing off my = gut!=20 I think the first thing I need to do is go to Barnes and Noble and buy = the Atkins diet book and start the diet right away and lift weights or = something. So I can get my body in decent shape. lol Oh well if you have birding suggestions and things to do in at the = Bahamas let me know. I don't have the foggiest idea what to do other = than lay on the beach an drink tropical drinks all day. Mike ------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C4103A.66F02BE0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Well today I am sitting at home caring = for my son=20 who has a cold and a cough. My wife calls me and we chat and I told her = al lthe=20 things I did around the house and told her the good news about our tax = refund.=20 Monica says I got super news for us and I have to wait till I see you at = home.
 
Well as you guessed by the subject line = she was=20 awarded by one of her clients a trip for two for 5 days at the Bahamas! = I sat=20 there and watch her tell me that everything is paid for and all we have = to do is=20 pack! So I searched the web thinking, as a birder would do, shopping=20 places..nah, things to do..nah!  I wanted to know what new birds = I'll see,=20 places to drag my wife along and search the marshes and the jungles for = birds!=20 OOOOPS I forgot this is something for the both of us and my wife is not = really=20 into birds.
 
So the question is what kind of birds = are common to=20 see flying about? Were going in July. Coming to think of it when does = the=20 hurricane season begin? Gulp.
 
I never been outside of the country = before. well=20 except Thunder Bay, Ontario if that counts. So this is all new to me and = I am=20 sort of excited to go. I am nervous around the beach as well. You know a = big=20 husky bald headed guy with no tan from Minnesota walking around with = black socks=20 and sandals on the beaches with my binos bouncing off my gut! =
 
I think the first thing I need to do is = go to=20 Barnes and Noble and buy the Atkins diet book and start the diet = right away=20 and lift weights or something. So I can get my body in decent shape.=20 lol
 
Oh well if you have birding suggestions = and things=20 to do in at the Bahamas let me know. I don't have the foggiest idea what = to do=20 other than lay on the beach an drink tropical drinks all = day.
 
Mike
------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C4103A.66F02BE0-- From suz@lakenet.com Tue Mar 23 03:48:17 2004 From: suz@lakenet.com (Suzanne Gucciardo) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 21:48:17 -0600 Subject: [mou] Bird sighting Message-ID: <000001c41089$ff746a80$212746d8@0015535362> 20 March 2004 Lake Ave., Columbia Twp., Anoka Co. Approx. 9 a.m. One very confused looking Chukar on the east shoulder of the road. Game farm escape? Observed by Suzanne Gucciardo (biologist at Grand Portage National Monument, Cook Co.) and Glenn Fuchs (Environmental Tech for Anoka Co. Parks and Rec.) --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.593 / Virus Database: 376 - Release Date: 2/20/04 From connyb@mycidco.com Tue Mar 23 14:21:10 2004 From: connyb@mycidco.com (Conny Brunell) Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 14:21:10 Subject: [mou] Golden-crowned Kinglets, Wood Lake, Hennepin Co. Message-ID: After lunch Leslie Marcus and I walked around Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, Hennepin Co. We enjoyed several Golden-crowned Kinglets quite low, and we watched one of them utilizing the running sap. Conny Brunell Richfield, Hennepin Cty connyb@mycidco.com From lnygren@pol.net Mon Mar 22 19:56:27 2004 From: lnygren@pol.net (lnygren@pol.net) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 14:56:27 -0500 (EST) Subject: [mou] Mute Swans on St Croix (was: Brant) In-Reply-To: <000001c41041$c9c0f040$190f46d8@m7z0w8> References: <000001c41041$c9c0f040$190f46d8@m7z0w8> Message-ID: <46618.10.250.10.1.1079985387.squirrel@sq05.pol.net> I saw two mute swans yesterday afternoon among the 40 ish swans on the St Croix, from a little park in downtown Hudson. From I-94 take you would take exit 1, then north which takes you down Main St through downtown Hudson, then go west a block or so to the waterfront area where there is a little park and a pavillion area. Hope that is specific enough. Most of the swans appeared to be trumpeters, and I was surprised how many had yellow or red neck bands. Earlier in the morning while driving west across the Hudson I-94 bridge, I had seen 4 adult bald eagles just sitting on the ice near the shore near the marina area, very close to the bridge. When I went back later, those eagles were gone, but I did see one sitting on the ice on the MN side across from the park in Hudson. -Linda > Hello, > I was wondering if I could get some precise directions for the brant > being seen in Stearns County. I was also wondering if the mute swans > were still being seen on the St. Croix and if I could get directions to > them also. > > Thanks > Josh Watson > Grand Marais > From benzdedrick@hotmail.com Wed Mar 24 05:11:13 2004 From: benzdedrick@hotmail.com (Dedrick Benz) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 05:11:13 +0000 Subject: [mou] No Brant Today Message-ID: At least 9 of us bumbled around Stearns County today to no avail. There were some geese at the Paynesville sewage ponds, but around dusk, most geese were coming into the flooded field in the SW quadrant of the intersection of 16 & 33. You can get closer to the geese by walking a powerline right-of-way accessible from 16. This flooded field had a lot of ducks and geese earlier in the day, too, but we got too close and flushed the geese. Also note, that at dusk, many ducks were flying well past 16 & 33 to (perhaps) another roost site. Other birds in the area today: Western Meadowlark Northern Harrier Wood Duck Ring-necked Duck American Wigeon Gadwall Hopefully someone will refind the Brant. Dedrick Benz Winona, MN _________________________________________________________________ MSN Toolbar provides one-click access to Hotmail from any Web page – FREE download! http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200413ave/direct/01/ From Steve Weston" Tuesday- today I saw a black hawk, a totally melanistic buteo, on a lamp-post at the 77th Street entrance to Hwy 100 in Edina. The interesting thing is that I found this hawk at this location just over three months ago being harrassed by crows. At the time I figured it was a Rough-legged Hawk, given the relative abundance of that color morph, but finding it sitting on the lamppost makes me suspect that it might actually be a much rarer dark morph Red-tailed. It seems I only find this hawk when negotiating traffic in evening rush hour. Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan sweston2@comcast.net From EgretCMan@aol.com Wed Mar 24 10:55:53 2004 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 05:55:53 EST Subject: [mou] Southern Minnesota - 3/23/04 Message-ID: <1d9.1d15eb21.2d92c339@aol.com> -------------------------------1080125753 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 3/23/04 Joe Holliman, Ken Oulman and I spent the day birding in Faribault, Freeborn, Blue Earth and Steele Counties. Lots of birds on the move. Observed over 100 Bald Eagles, including over 80 at Walnut Lake WMA in Faribault County. Had Greater White-fronted, Snow & Ross's Geese at Lura Lake in Blue Earth County and in the wetland North of Rice Lake State Park in Steele County. Ended the day with 58 species of birds, including some of the following. @ Pied-billed Grebe @ Tundra Swan - Steele County - across from Rice Lake State Park @ Greater White-fronted Goose @ Snow Goose @ Ross's Goose @ Greater Scaup - Faribault County - Pihl's County Park @ Ruddy Duck - Faribault County - Pihl's County Park @ Wild Turkey - Freeborn County - On ice on Geneva Lake @ American Tree Sparrow - observed in large numbers in all 4 counties Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1080125753 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
3/23/04
 
Joe Holliman, Ken Oulman and I spent the day birding in Faribault, Free= born, Blue Earth and Steele Counties.  Lots of birds on the move.&= nbsp; Observed over 100 Bald Eagles, including over 80 at Walnut Lake WMA in= Faribault County.  Had Greater White-fronted, Snow & Ross's G= eese at Lura Lake in Blue Earth County and in the wetland North of Rice= Lake State Park in Steele County.  Ended the day with 58 species of bi= rds, including some of the following.
 
@ Pied-billed Grebe
@ Tundra Swan - Steele County - across from Rice Lake State Park
@ Greater White-fronted Goose
@ Snow Goose
@ Ross's Goose
@ Greater Scaup - Faribault County - Pihl's County Park
@ Ruddy Duck - Faribault County - Pihl's County Park
@ Wild Turkey - Freeborn County - On ice on Geneva Lake
@ American Tree Sparrow - observed in large numbers in all 4 counties
 
 
 
Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN
-------------------------------1080125753-- From watsup@boreal.org Wed Mar 24 16:07:40 2004 From: watsup@boreal.org (Steve and Sherry Watson) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 08:07:40 -0800 Subject: [mou] brant, mute swans Message-ID: <000501c411ba$235cf3a0$930f46d8@m7z0w8> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01C41177.1539B3A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thank you everyone for replying to my email. I am heading for the cities today and now have directions for both. Thank you again. Josh Watson Grand Marais --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.619 / Virus Database: 398 - Release Date: 3/10/04 ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01C41177.1539B3A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Thank you everyone for replying to = my email.=A0 I am heading for the = cities today and now have directions for both.=A0 = Thank you again.

 

=

Josh = Watson

Grand = Marais


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
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------=_NextPart_000_0006_01C41177.1539B3A0-- From smorton@mvtvwireless.com Wed Mar 24 14:05:44 2004 From: smorton@mvtvwireless.com (Steve and Sue Morton) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 08:05:44 -0600 Subject: [mou] Cottonwood Lake Message-ID: <002601c411a9$1980c070$d4c41cd0@SteveMorton> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0023_01C41176.CEB8FEE0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I haven't done any "away" birding this week, but just looking out the = backdoor, I have seen the following: common mergansers mallards Franklin's gull ring-billed gulls Canada Geese Snow Geese red headed ducks pintails lesser scaup common goldeneyes canvas backs wood ducks hooded mergansers buffleheads 1 bald eagle Besides the usual suspects, I have also had 2 redpolls, a mourning dove, = and a savannah sparrow at the feeder. Sue Morton, Cottonwood, Lyon County ------=_NextPart_000_0023_01C41176.CEB8FEE0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I haven't done any "away" birding this = week, but=20 just looking out the backdoor, I have seen the following:
 
common mergansers
mallards
Franklin's gull
ring-billed gulls
Canada Geese
Snow Geese
red headed ducks
pintails
lesser scaup
common goldeneyes
canvas backs
wood ducks
hooded mergansers
buffleheads
1 bald eagle
 
Besides the usual suspects, I have also = had 2=20 redpolls, a mourning dove, and a savannah sparrow at the = feeder.
 
Sue Morton, Cottonwood, Lyon=20 County
------=_NextPart_000_0023_01C41176.CEB8FEE0-- From cyndielias@juno.com Wed Mar 24 16:10:26 2004 From: cyndielias@juno.com (Cyndi Elias) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 16:10:26 GMT Subject: [mou] RFI: TX, Black-capped Vireo? Message-ID: <20040324.081120.13605.4481@webmail17.lax.untd.com> I'm heading to Texas tomorrow. It's for work, but I'll have the weekend in Austin. I wanted to look into going to the Shin Oak observation area at Balcones Canyonlands NWR to try for the BCVI, but looks like almost all Dept of the Interior websites have been shut down due to not complying with security requirements. So I haven't been able to find much information - will they be there singing yet, are visitors allowed access, how do I get there, etc. So if anyone has been there or knows anything about it, please let me know. Looks like I'll go to Houston from Austin next week, where I'll also hopefully have some free time. A little early for the coast, maybe, but I'll take what I can get! Thanks, Cyndi Elias cyndielias@juno.com ________________________________________________________________ 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 bstahly@boreal.org Wed Mar 24 18:51:28 2004 From: bstahly@boreal.org (Bruce W. Stahly) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 12:51:28 -0600 Subject: [mou] Northern Saw-whet Owl Message-ID: <4061D8B0.7060609@boreal.org> Friends in Grand Marais phoned me this morning to report that a Saw-whet Owl was perched in a conifer near their house. When I visited, the owl was sitting on a branch near a kill (possibly a starling), and was very tame and approachable. Several Chickadees occasionally approached to harass the owl, but it seemed unconcerned. Bruce Stahly Grand Marais From sbeecher@visi.com Wed Mar 24 19:09:46 2004 From: sbeecher@visi.com (sbeecher@visi.com) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 13:09:46 -0600 Subject: [mou] Cottonwood Lake & St Croix River In-Reply-To: <002601c411a9$1980c070$d4c41cd0@SteveMorton> Message-ID: <4061889A.14964.28DC0C@localhost> Pretty close to my list from the St Croix this morning Sue! Ring-necked Ducks Buffleheads Common Goldeneyes Hooded Mergansers Wood Ducks Canvas Backs Lesser Scaups Common Mergansers Great Blue Herons - around 50 Bald Eagles - 7 Killdears Ring-billed Gulls Canada Geese Mallards Red-winged Blackbird - first of the year Grackles - first of the year Mourning Doves Kingbird - first of the year Chipping Sparrows Savannah Sparrow Steve in Washington Co > > I haven't done any "away" birding this week, but just looking out the > backdoor, I have seen the following: > > common mergansers > mallards > Franklin's gull > ring-billed gulls > Canada Geese > Snow Geese > red headed ducks > pintails > lesser scaup > common goldeneyes > canvas backs > wood ducks > hooded mergansers > buffleheads > 1 bald eagle > > Besides the usual suspects, I have also had 2 redpolls, a mourning dove, > and a savannah sparrow at the feeder. From birdnird@yahoo.com Wed Mar 24 19:43:45 2004 From: birdnird@yahoo.com (Terence Brashear) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 11:43:45 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Moderator friendly reminder In-Reply-To: <4061889A.14964.28DC0C@localhost> Message-ID: <20040324194345.93179.qmail@web13810.mail.yahoo.com> Hi Folks With the onset of spring, and the increase in bird activity, I'd like to remind people to stick to the posting guidelines for MOU-NET. I quote: "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 other moderators and I like to have a hands off approach, but will periodically remind people of posting guidelines. They are available at: http://www.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/listservice.html Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation. Regards, Terry Brashear Moderator MOU-NET Hennepin County, MN birdnird@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From smithville4@charter.net Wed Mar 24 20:53:11 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 14:53:11 -0600 Subject: [mou] Guidelines & Duluth birds Message-ID: <000a01c411e2$05372e40$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C411AF.BA566670 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Well at first I was reluctant to post this message since all I am going = to mention is that today I heard a Red Wing Blackbird and saw some = Robins. This my be old news for many in Minnesota but for birders in the = NE Minnesota well that's a good spring sighting since I haven't heard of = these being seen nor reported yet this spring season in Duluth. The birds were in the Gary-New Duluth area. Personally I would like to revisit the MOU listserve guidelines and do = away with "post only birds that are unusual, or birds seen in unusual = locations or out of season" To me that is CRAP!=20 Having been the MOU field trip chairman for 1+ years many people on = these trips, who are MOU members have a fair idea what is rare or what = is not. I would also further say that a good portion of the people who = belong to the MOU don't know what is truly rare, what is out of place or = what is out of season. I feel strongly we should continue to let birders = from all levels to post thier sightings w/o these guidelines.=20 This guideline is mostly geared for the upper tier birders that want to = chase or be part of a listserve that suits there needs. Since I feel I = am one of them so-call expert birders in Minnesota I don't get bother by = nor have I ever been bothered by posts that report Robins, House Finches = and other common birds. If any birder does get bothered by daily = sightings by people on this listserve than they should go to Yahoo and = put together a message board that caters to only rare birds, out of = place birds and out of season birds! Also this guideline or enforcing this guideline on this listserve will = make your everyday average birder feel totally uneasy about sharing a = sighting on this listserve, or ask a basic question because after = reading Terry's friendly reminder post they will have a attitude that = this listserve is more for the upper tier or for the more knowledgeable = birders of Minnesota. To me this MOU listserve is not friendly its = dividing the people who are not aware of the status of birds in = Minnesota vs the ones that do. That is how I see it. This listserve should be for everyone and ALL posts should be welcomed = not criticized or watered down. I know Terry's reminder wasn't saying = that but the guidelines as I read them are geared only for those that = are extemely active as birders in Minnesota or have a good foundation to = know what is rare and etc.. Hell if my daughter asks me " dad can I post = my sighting of a House Finch building a nest in the hanging flower pot"? = I would have to say this according to these guidelines " NO Becca = because its not that important to share with others because there are = some who are turned off by those reports" HOW NICE! As a MOU board member I'll do whatever I can do to erase that guideline = or hell start my own listserve/message board as some other places have = done to share and communicate freely about birds in Minnesota. I am = speaking about Polk Co and others that have message boards on Yahoo but = I would rather see those get all riled up over seeing the same birds = repeated on the MOU listserve to start there your own message board and = gear it to those that want to chase those "abundant rare" birds. =20 Also I am soon going to lead a trip to Montevideo in April 3-4 and I = want to hear about spring migration in those areas. I want to know if = the ducks are out there and what other common "boring" birds are around = in this area. This guideline I feel will make people living out there to = not report ducks because so many duck reports have came through already. = I want an idea what is happening out there. I can't know this if there = is a guideline saying "only report rare birds on this listserve" That is = not right!=20 So listen to me everyone and continue to report your birds as always. = Share your sightings no matter how great or small or you can report them = direct to me because I don't have an issue with reading common reports = of backyard birds or the common repeated birds in your area. = smithville4@charter.net OOOOH I just saw my Cardinal at my feeder, ooopps ERRR a Pyrrhuloxia! I = have to stay within the guidelines.=20 Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C411AF.BA566670 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Well at first I was reluctant to post = this message=20 since all I am going to mention is that today I heard a Red Wing = Blackbird and=20 saw some Robins. This my be old news for many in Minnesota but for = birders in=20 the NE Minnesota well that's a good spring sighting since I haven't = heard of=20 these being seen nor reported yet this spring season in = Duluth.
 
The birds were in the Gary-New Duluth=20 area.
 
Personally I would like to revisit the = MOU=20 listserve guidelines and do away with "post only birds that are unusual, = or=20 birds seen in unusual locations or out of season" To me that is CRAP!=20
 
Having been the MOU field trip chairman = for 1+=20 years many people on these trips, who are MOU members have a fair idea = what is=20 rare or what is not. I would also further say that a good portion of the = people=20 who belong to the MOU don't know what is truly rare, what is out of = place or=20 what is out of season. I feel strongly we should = continue to let=20 birders from all levels to post thier sightings w/o these = guidelines.=20
 
This guideline is mostly geared = for the upper=20 tier birders that want to chase or be part of a listserve that suits = there=20 needs. Since I feel I am one of them so-call expert birders in = Minnesota I=20 don't get bother by nor have I ever been bothered by posts that = report=20 Robins, House Finches and other common birds. If any birder does = get=20 bothered by daily sightings by people on this listserve than they should = go to=20 Yahoo and put together a message board that caters = to only=20 rare birds, out of place birds and out of season birds!
 
Also this guideline or enforcing this=20 guideline on this listserve will make your everyday average=20 birder feel totally uneasy about sharing a sighting on this = listserve, or=20 ask a basic question because after reading Terry's friendly = reminder post=20 they will have a attitude that this listserve is more for the upper tier = or for=20 the more knowledgeable birders of Minnesota. To me this MOU = listserve=20 is not friendly its dividing the people who are not aware of the status = of birds=20 in Minnesota vs the ones that do. That is how I see it.
 
This listserve should be for = everyone and ALL=20 posts should be welcomed not criticized or watered down. I know Terry's = reminder=20 wasn't saying that but the guidelines as I read them are geared only for = those=20 that are extemely active as birders in Minnesota or have a good = foundation=20 to know what is rare and etc.. Hell if my daughter asks me " dad = can I post=20 my sighting of a House Finch building a nest in the hanging flower pot"? = I would=20 have to say this according to these guidelines " NO Becca = because its=20 not that important to share with others because there are some who = are=20 turned off by those reports" HOW NICE!
 
As a MOU board member I'll do whatever = I can do=20 to erase that guideline or hell start my own listserve/message = board as=20 some other places have done to share and communicate freely about birds = in=20 Minnesota. I am speaking about Polk Co and others that have message = boards on=20 Yahoo but I would rather see those get all riled up over seeing the = same=20 birds repeated on the MOU listserve to start there your own message = board and=20 gear it to those that want to chase those "abundant rare" = birds. =20
 
Also I am soon going to lead a = trip to=20 Montevideo in April 3-4 and I want to hear about = spring migration in=20 those areas. I want to know if the ducks are out there and = what other=20 common "boring" birds are around in this area. This guideline I feel = will make=20 people living out there to not report ducks because so many duck = reports=20 have came through already. I want an idea what is happening out there. I = can't=20 know this if there is a guideline saying "only report rare birds on this = listserve" That is not right! 
 
So listen to me everyone and = continue to=20 report your birds as always. Share your sightings no matter how = great or=20 small or you can report them direct to me because I don't have an=20 issue with reading common reports of backyard birds or the common = repeated=20 birds in your area. smithville4@charter.net
 
OOOOH I just saw my Cardinal at my = feeder,=20  ooopps ERRR a Pyrrhuloxia! I have to stay within the guidelines.=20
 
Mike = Hendrickson
------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C411AF.BA566670-- From dbmartin@skypoint.com Thu Mar 25 01:12:34 2004 From: dbmartin@skypoint.com (Dennis/Barbara Martin) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 19:12:34 -0600 Subject: [mou] American Golden Plover Message-ID: <005101c41206$42014620$532e56c7@oemcomputer> Found a American Golden Plover on the marsh 1 mile west of Montrose on State Highway 12 today. This is a bit early (according to Janssen ties second earliest date) and the plumage confused me for awhile. The bird looked a lot more like a European Golden Plover if you were to go by the Sibley guide alone. Since the likelihood of a european here in Minnesota borders on the impossible I am sure that it was an American Golden Plover but the plumage is not something that I am used to. Also present was a yellowlegs(not studied as to species) and 50 or so Killdear. This marsh has a lot of mud showing and if we don't get rain will be very good for spring shorebirds. By the way I tend to agree with Mike H. Scary thought! There are so few messaages on this listserve now that is almost hard to call it a listserve. Dennis Martin dbmartin@skypoint.com From larson@redwing.net Thu Mar 25 01:37:03 2004 From: larson@redwing.net (Kelly Larson) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 19:37:03 -0600 Subject: [mou] Guidelines References: <000a01c411e2$05372e40$a7a87044@family> Message-ID: <406237BF.F93F3A8@redwing.net> Thank you Mike! If it were not for the postings I read here daily I would not be able to engage my customers, radio audience or area visitors about current birding opportunities. Many times these postings give me the opening I need to: 1. encourage greater interest in birding, 2. develop appreciation of bird biology and behavior and 3. help people make the connection between birds and conservation issues on a local and global level. If we don't do everything we can to make birding fun, easy, and interesting for the folks who come to us as novices then how do we expect these people to develop a lasting passion and concern? I have had an interest in birds since I was 6 years old. I could bore the pants off of most adults by the time I was 12 with all my "bird talk". When I found this list I was intimidated by the technical aspects of some of the discourse as well as some of the ID challenges that surfaced. I stick with it because I find many of the daily "phenology" postings helpful educational tools. Also, some of you are truly humorous and I enjoy your writing. I understand that the issues that Mike and I have raised are not primary MOU concerns. I think the question is: Should they be? -- Kelly Larson Feathered Friend Wild Bird Store 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival 2nd Annual Great River Morel Festival 2nd Annual Great River Eagle Spot Festival Red Wing, MN 651-267-1001 The 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival Is Coming... Hosted by Wabasha, MN on May 14-15-16 2004. http://www.mississippi-river.org/birding/ Visit Our Website http://www.thefeatheredfriend.com From larson@redwing.net Thu Mar 25 01:42:37 2004 From: larson@redwing.net (Kelly Larson) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 19:42:37 -0600 Subject: [mou] Eastern Phoebe Message-ID: <4062390C.F4917D5@redwing.net> First Eastern Phoebe of the year. Have I missed previous posting of this species? Hunting from a perch above the Cannon River, east of the Hwy 61 bridge north of Red Wing. There were tiny moths flying about as well as some small flies. Heard the Sandhill Cranes in the Bottoms! -- Kelly Larson Feathered Friend Wild Bird Store 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival 2nd Annual Great River Morel Festival 2nd Annual Great River Eagle Spot Festival Red Wing, MN 651-267-1001 The 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival Is Coming... Hosted by Wabasha, MN on May 14-15-16 2004. http://www.mississippi-river.org/birding/ Visit Our Website http://www.thefeatheredfriend.com From sharonks@mn.rr.com Thu Mar 25 02:04:05 2004 From: sharonks@mn.rr.com (Sharon Stiteler) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 20:04:05 -0600 Subject: [mou] Guidelines In-Reply-To: <406237BF.F93F3A8@redwing.net> Message-ID: Mnbird is for the "everyday bird postings" and MOU net is for something completely different. Speaking of which, I have had two separate customers in the Windy Hills neighborhood of Minnetonka mention that they have seen and heard a northern oriole in the last week. Anyone out that way might want to check it out. The customers don't seem interested in documenting this and I think over the next few years if this continues it could mean earlier and earlier arrival dates perhaps from global warming. I would go myself but am swamp. -- Sharon Stiteler Uptown, Minneapolis From rmdbird@mn.rr.com Thu Mar 25 02:04:38 2004 From: rmdbird@mn.rr.com (Bob Dunlap) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 20:04:38 -0600 Subject: [mou] American Woodcock, Carver County Message-ID: <001f01c4120d$8780da60$f6c31941@MainComputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C411DB.3C825160 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Just after dusk this evening there was an American Woodcock "peenting" = behind my house in Chaska. This bird is probably a migrant, as they = don't breed in the marshy area behind my house. Good birding! -Bob Dunlap, Carver County ------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C411DB.3C825160 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Just after dusk this evening there was = an American=20 Woodcock "peenting" behind my house in Chaska. This bird is probably a = migrant,=20 as they don't breed in the marshy area behind my house.
Good birding!
-Bob Dunlap, Carver=20 County
------=_NextPart_000_001C_01C411DB.3C825160-- From Bjboreal@aol.com Thu Mar 25 03:50:31 2004 From: Bjboreal@aol.com (Bjboreal@aol.com) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 22:50:31 EST Subject: [mou] Waetskyline Hawk Count-Largest Eagle Flight/Iceland Gull Message-ID: <1ce.1cfb42a8.2d93b107@aol.com> Westskyline Hawkwatch, Duluth, MN. Flight continues at the WSHC.=20 Migration slowed down to a trickle from the 19th to the afternoon of the 22n= d=20 when a late afternoon push kept us counting until 5:00pm. On that day were=20 had a moderate flight of 162 raptors of three species including 154 Bald Eag= les,=20 1 Northern Harrier (first) and 7 Golden Eagles. Most of these came in the=20 last three hours of the day.=20 Dave and I had hi hopes on the 23rd. And we were not disappointed. The day=20 started off good with eagles getting up around the lookout. By 11:00 we had=20 counted 132 Bald Eagles, but the next hours to come were spectacular to say=20= the=20 least and included: 11-12 hr 194 Bald Eagles, 12-1 hr 165 Bald Eagles, 1-2 h= r=20 196 Bald Eagles, 2-3 hr 96 Bald Eagles, 39 the rest of the Day. There were=20 kettles of eagles including one of 60 and 49 being the largest. By day end=20= we had=20 counted 822 Bald Eagles (mostly adults) which is the highest number of=20 migrating Bald Eagles ever recorded in North America. The previous record wa= s at Hawk=20 Ridge on November 22,1994 with 743. The 23rd also saw an amazing and record number of Golden Eagle with 20, 19=20 adults and 1 sub-adults. We are starting to see the beginning of the Red-tai= led=20 Hawk flight. Today (24th) saw foggy conditions, almost no wind, and high humidity at the= =20 lookout. The 52 Bald Eagles seen were low and flapping, working very hard to= =20 migrate. The Highlight today was a Ist winter Iceland Gull which sat near t= he=20 lookout (Thompson Hill), Junco, Robin, Flicker , 200 Bohemiam Waxwings and=20 Red-winged Blackbird. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in the hawkwatch and=20 need any information. =20 February 23-March 24 YTD Total Turkey Vulture-0 Osprey-0=20 Bald Eagle-1840 Northern Harrier-1 Sharp-shinned Hawk-3 Cooper's Hawk-3 Northern Goshawk-13 Red-shouldered Hawk-0 Broad-winged Hawk-0 Red-tailed Hawk-41 Swainson's Hawk-0 =20 Rough-legged Hawk-14 Golden Eagle-81 Am. Kestrel-0 Merlin-0 Peregrine-1 =20 TOTAL-1997 =20 Submitted by: Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman Duluth, Minnesota =20 Hawk Watch Site: West Skyline Hawk Count Location: West Skyline Parkway, Duluth, Minnesota 55804 GPS: Lat. N 46=E2=88=9E50'48.0" and Long. W 92=E2=88=9E01'53.5" Coverage: Late Feb - Late May ____________ From christine37o@yahoo.com Thu Mar 25 05:22:25 2004 From: christine37o@yahoo.com (Christine Olson) Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 21:22:25 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Guidelines In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20040325052225.70498.qmail@web60505.mail.yahoo.com> --0-241229816-1080192145=:69084 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Let's see if I understand this correctly: MOU-net is for posting only rare or unusual sightings, and MnBird is for posting "everyday" sightings. Is this the way that it is? My MOU membership is up for renewal. I'd like to renew, as MOU funds some important projects. However, I'm beginning to wonder if I am sophisticated enough in my birding skills and interests to belong to such a technical organization. What type of an individual does the MOU want as a member? Must I be a scientist? Am I welcome to participate by posting my sightings, or does the MOU want me to keep my unremarkable observations to myself and just send them a check? The MnBird list seems to be more useful, practical, and a heck of a lot more fun! Christine Olson - Chisholm Peace --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. --0-241229816-1080192145=:69084 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii

Let's see if I understand this correctly:  MOU-net is for posting only rare or unusual sightings, and MnBird is for posting "everyday" sightings.  Is this the way that it is? 
 
My MOU membership is up for renewal.   I'd like to renew, as MOU funds some important projects. However, I'm beginning to wonder if I am sophisticated enough in my birding skills and interests to belong to such a technical organization.  What type of an individual does the MOU want as a member?  Must I be a scientist?  Am I welcome to participate by posting my sightings, or does the MOU want me to keep my unremarkable observations to myself and just send them a check?
 
The MnBird list seems to be more useful, practical, and a heck of a lot more fun! 
 
Christine Olson - Chisholm   


Peace

Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. --0-241229816-1080192145=:69084-- From drbenson@cpinternet.com Thu Mar 25 14:38:55 2004 From: drbenson@cpinternet.com (David Benson) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 08:38:55 -0600 Subject: [mou] Duluth RBA 3/25/04 Message-ID: <24A13D7A-7E6A-11D8-BAA9-000A95AC3AF2@cpinternet.com> --Apple-Mail-1-986603952 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, March 25th, 2004, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Tuesday was a record-setting hawk migration day in Duluth. At the West Skyline Hawkwatch, Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman counted 822 BALD EAGLES, the largest North American daily migration count ever. This eclipsed the old record of 743, set at Hawk Ridge in the fall of 1994. They counted 194 Bald Eagles in one hour and saw one kettle of 60 birds. On the same day, they saw a record 20 GOLDEN EAGLES, including 19 adults. This brings the seasonal total to a record 81 Golden Eagles so far. Also on the 23rd, Frank reported 200 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and yesterday, Dave Carman reported a first-winter ICELAND GULL from the Thompson Hill overlook. The many birders who have visited Aitkin Cty to look for Great Grays have turned up some other owls in the area. Warren Nelson reported that the SNOWY OWL on Cty Rd 1 north of the town of Aitkin (about a mile north of the diversion channel) was still present on the 21st. Great Gray, Barred, Long-eared, and Saw-whet owls have been reported in recent weeks from various points around Cty Rd 18 between Cty Rd 5 and Hwy 169. Debbie Waters reported a NORTHERN SHRIKE at the intersection of Glenwood and South Ridge Drive in Duluth. No sign of the mockingbird since last week. In addition to hawks, migrants reported this week include TRUMPETER SWAN and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, April 1. 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. --Apple-Mail-1-986603952 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/enriched; charset=US-ASCII This is the Duluth Birding Report for Thursday, March 25th, 2004, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Tuesday was a record-setting hawk migration day in Duluth. At the West Skyline Hawkwatch, Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman counted 822 BALD EAGLES, the largest North American daily migration count ever. This eclipsed the old record of 743, set at Hawk Ridge in the fall of 1994. They counted 194 Bald Eagles in one hour and saw one kettle of 60 birds. On the same day, they saw a record 20 GOLDEN EAGLES, including 19 adults. This brings the seasonal total to a record 81 Golden Eagles so far. Also on the 23rd, Frank reported 200 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and yesterday, Dave Carman reported a first-winter ICELAND GULL from the Thompson Hill overlook. The many birders who have visited Aitkin Cty to look for Great Grays have turned up some other owls in the area. Warren Nelson reported that the SNOWY OWL on Cty Rd 1 north of the town of Aitkin (about a mile north of the diversion channel) was still present on the 21st. Great Gray, Barred, Long-eared, and Saw-whet owls have been reported in recent weeks from various points around Cty Rd 18 between Cty Rd 5 and Hwy 169. Debbie Waters reported a NORTHERN SHRIKE at the intersection of Glenwood and South Ridge Drive in Duluth. No sign of the mockingbird since last week. In addition to hawks, migrants reported this week include TRUMPETER SWAN and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. The next scheduled update of this report will be on Thursday, April 1. 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. --Apple-Mail-1-986603952-- From Paul.Budde@us.benfieldgroup.com Thu Mar 25 14:42:53 2004 From: Paul.Budde@us.benfieldgroup.com (Paul Budde) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 08:42:53 -0600 Subject: [mou] MOU-net Guidelines Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C41277.743D8B2D Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The Electronics Communication Committee (ECC) that oversees mou-net serves the MOU, and hence, its membership. We are always grateful for comments on how to improve the services that we provide to the organization, including those opinions expressed over the last few days. While these have been mostly consistent (4-1) in seeking to open up posting guidelines, in the past we have seen other comments from members who criticize committee members for not "enforcing" the guidelines we currently have in place. The only interest the committee has in this issue is in providing the best service possible to the membership. Thank you Mike, Kelly, Christine, Sharon and Denny for voicing your opinions. Others who wish to do so directly to committee members can do so using the e-mail addresses in the cc above. The committee is always interested in change for the better. =20 Best regards, Paul Budde (not chair of the ECC, but I'm sure the chair will agree when I can track him down!) Minneapolis ------_=_NextPart_001_01C41277.743D8B2D Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable MOU-net Guidelines

The Electronics Communication Committee = (ECC) that oversees mou-net serves the MOU, and hence, its = membership.  We are always grateful for comments on how to improve = the services that we provide to the organization, including those = opinions expressed over the last few days.  While these have been = mostly consistent (4-1) in seeking to open up posting guidelines, in the = past we have seen other comments from members who criticize committee = members for not "enforcing" the guidelines we currently have = in place.

The only interest the committee has in = this issue is in providing the best service possible to the = membership.  Thank you Mike, Kelly, Christine, Sharon and Denny for = voicing your opinions.  Others who wish to do so directly to = committee members can do so using the e-mail addresses in the cc = above.  The committee is always interested in change for the = better. 

Best regards,
Paul Budde
(not chair of the ECC, but I'm = sure the chair will agree when I can track him down!)
Minneapolis

------_=_NextPart_001_01C41277.743D8B2D-- From smithville4@charter.net Thu Mar 25 14:42:22 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 08:42:22 -0600 Subject: [mou] Thoughts & Thank You's Message-ID: <001701c41277$6246ecc0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0014_01C41245.17217AD0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Well I thought my puter would either burn down from flame letters or be = delighted with support. My puter is save and I have gotten near 30 = emails all telling me "AMEN" or "BRAVO" and some telling me for years = they always felt that intimidated by reporting bird sightings on the MOU = listserve because of the written guideline used on the MOU listserve. Here's some history on where I think the guideline was born. A few = years ago MnBird listserve was going to be merged with the MOU. The MOU = didn't have a listserve at the time and instead of creating another = listserve the MOU had a series of long chats with the owner of MnBird. = The owner was going to run MnBird and also overlook the newly created = MOU listserve as well. So now MOU had two listserves and some came up = with guidelines as to what birds or topics are to posted on each = listserve. Many people were confused and some just went along with the = changes. Eventually confusion and problems erupted and the owner of = MnBird took MnBird back home and the MOU was left with the MOU = listserve. You see Mnbird during the time it was under the MOU was a = place to post about everyday bird sightings and assortment of bird = topics, while the MOU listserve was only for serious bird topics and = mostly for rare bird reports such as accidentals, casuals, birds out of = season, and birds out of normal range in Minnesota. It wasn't a place to = post your dickey bird sightings on your way to work or back from work.=20 So lately in the last few years since MnBird went back home the MOU = listserve has been tolerating "joe average" bird sightings and reports = of common bird sightings. The MOU needs in my opinion to accept these = changes to reach more of its members and not make this listserve a = exclusive place for those that know what birds to report vs. those that = don't have a large knowledge of what is out of season or out of place in = Minnesota. This listserve needs to be open and accepting to receive ALL = bird reports great and small. This guideline about what sort of bird = reports are to be posted on the MOU listserve needs to be erased and = tossed in the garbage. We can't be sending or telling people to go to = MnBird if they are MOU members while the MOU already had thier own = birding listserve. That doesn't make sense to me. Yes, back during the time when the MOU was managing two listserves I = supported the guideline on what birds to be reported on the MOU = listserve but things reversed itself and the MOU has only one listserve = now and its time to do away with the old guidelines. Also on a side note = to those that are in favor of the old guidelines, thru modern technology = man created on your keyboard a key called delete. If you high light the = so-call "BORING" bird reports and it delete than its gone and you don't = have to read the message. WOW isn't that cool!=20 Well this is my final thoughts on this topic and thanks to all that = emailed me and agreed with me. I still have not receive one email = telling me to go to hell yet! Still waiting for that one email! = Hahahhahaha Take care all Mike Hendrickson MOU Field Trip Guy ------=_NextPart_000_0014_01C41245.17217AD0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Well I thought my puter would either burn down from flame = letters or be=20 delighted with support. My puter is save and I have gotten near 30 = emails all=20 telling me "AMEN" or "BRAVO" and some telling me for years they always = felt that=20 intimidated by reporting bird sightings on the MOU listserve because of = the=20 written guideline used on the MOU listserve.
 
Here's some history on where I think the guideline was born.  = A few=20 years ago MnBird listserve was going to be merged with the MOU. The MOU = didn't=20 have a listserve at the time and instead of creating another listserve = the MOU=20 had a series of long chats with the owner of MnBird. The owner was going = to run=20 MnBird and also overlook the newly created MOU listserve as = well. So now=20 MOU had two listserves and some came up with guidelines as to what birds = or=20 topics are to posted on each listserve. Many people were confused and = some just=20 went along with the changes. Eventually confusion and problems erupted = and the=20 owner of MnBird took MnBird back home and the MOU was left with the MOU=20 listserve. You see Mnbird during the time it was under the MOU was a = place to=20 post about everyday bird sightings and assortment of bird topics, while = the MOU=20 listserve was only for serious bird topics and mostly for rare bird = reports such=20 as accidentals, casuals, birds out of season, and birds out of normal = range in=20 Minnesota. It wasn't a place to post your dickey bird sightings on your = way to=20 work or back from work.
 
So lately in the last few years since MnBird went back home the MOU = listserve has been tolerating "joe average" bird sightings and reports = of common=20 bird sightings. The MOU needs in my opinion to accept these changes to = reach=20 more of its members and not make this listserve a exclusive place = for those=20 that know what birds to report vs. those that don't have a large = knowledge of=20 what is out of season or out of place in Minnesota.  This listserve = needs=20 to be open and accepting to receive ALL bird reports great and small. = This=20 guideline about what sort of bird reports are to be posted on the MOU = listserve=20 needs to be erased and tossed in the garbage. We can't be sending or = telling=20 people to go to MnBird if they are MOU members while the MOU already had = thier=20 own birding listserve. That doesn't make sense to me.
 
Yes, back during the time when the MOU was managing two listserves = I=20 supported the guideline on what birds to be reported on the MOU = listserve but=20 things reversed itself and the MOU has only one listserve now and its = time to do=20 away with the old guidelines. Also on a side note to those that are in = favor of=20 the old guidelines, thru modern technology man created on your keyboard = a key=20 called delete. If you high light the so-call "BORING" bird reports and = it delete=20 than its gone and you don't have to read the message. WOW isn't = that cool!=20
 
Well this is my final thoughts on this topic and thanks to all that = emailed=20 me and agreed with me. I still have not receive one email telling me to = go to=20 hell yet! Still waiting for that one email! Hahahhahaha
 
Take care all
 
Mike Hendrickson
MOU Field Trip Guy
 
 
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_0014_01C41245.17217AD0-- From Friauf.Chris@dorsey.com Thu Mar 25 14:48:51 2004 From: Friauf.Chris@dorsey.com (Friauf, Chris) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 08:48:51 -0600 Subject: [mou] RE: [mnbird] American Woodcock, Carver County 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_01C41278.49D38170 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Thanks for your posting about the Woodcock, Bob. Instead of turning in for the night at dusk (which I many times do), I'm now going to keep my ears open in the marsh behind my apartment complex in Minnetonka. I also have known the Woodcock to "pass through" this marshy area, put on a good display for a couple of evenings and then move on! Hearing the Woodcock is one of the first joys of spring in the rather wet marsh. Cheers and good birding to everyone! Chris -----Original Message----- From: Bob Dunlap [mailto:rmdbird@mn.rr.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 8:05 PM To: mnbird@lists.mnbird.net; mou-net@cbs.umn.edu Subject: [mnbird] American Woodcock, Carver County Just after dusk this evening there was an American Woodcock "peenting" behind my house in Chaska. This bird is probably a migrant, as they don't breed in the marshy area behind my house. Good birding! -Bob Dunlap, Carver County ------_=_NextPart_001_01C41278.49D38170 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1"
Thanks for your posting about the Woodcock, Bob.  Instead of turning in for the night at dusk (which I many times do), I'm now going to keep my ears open in the marsh behind my apartment complex in Minnetonka.  I also have known the Woodcock to "pass through" this marshy area, put on a good display for a couple of evenings and then move on!  Hearing the Woodcock is one of the first joys of spring in the rather wet marsh.
 
Cheers and good birding to everyone!
Chris 
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Dunlap [mailto:rmdbird@mn.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 8:05 PM
To: mnbird@lists.mnbird.net; mou-net@cbs.umn.edu
Subject: [mnbird] American Woodcock, Carver County

Just after dusk this evening there was an American Woodcock "peenting" behind my house in Chaska. This bird is probably a migrant, as they don't breed in the marshy area behind my house.
Good birding!
-Bob Dunlap, Carver County
------_=_NextPart_001_01C41278.49D38170-- From corax6330@yahoo.com Thu Mar 25 15:33:19 2004 From: corax6330@yahoo.com (fred lesher) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 07:33:19 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Mississippi Flyway Birding Festival, April 30-May 2, 2004: LaCrosse, WI Message-ID: <20040325153319.26774.qmail@web13422.mail.yahoo.com> Offers guided field trips to area birding places in three states up and down the Mississippi R., including Beaver Creek Valley State Park in Houston Co., Reno dike and quarry in Houston Co., Great R. Bluffs in Winona Co., Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa, and Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin. Habitats include blufflands, grasslands, bottomland hardwood forests, and backwaters-some accessed by canoe. Birding by bike. Birds should include warblers, raptors, sparrows and waterfowl. Seminars, birders' picnic, social hour, art gallery. Featured speaker:George Fenwick of the American Bird Conservancy. Contacts: ; ; U.S. postal service: Upper Mississippi River Campaign, 1707 Main St., Suite 105, LaCrosse, WI 54601; Phone 1-608-784-2992; Fax: 1-608-782-0296. Fred Lesher, LaCrosse __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From Rick.Hoyme@udlp.com Thu Mar 25 13:56:48 2004 From: Rick.Hoyme@udlp.com (Rick Hoyme) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 07:56:48 -0600 Subject: [mou] Guidelines Message-ID: I disagree with what Mike has said about the guidelines. This list server = was set up precicely to have a place for the reporting of rare and other = "good" birds. The general birding and other topics are served well by the = MNBird List Server which is available to anyone. MNBird has very few = restrictions outside of SPAM. Eliminating or watering down the guidelines = for MOUnet would duplicate MNBird, which is not necessary. Now, an = occasional post, in Spring, of the more common species which indicate the = progress of migration is not out of line, nor is including a common = species in a list of "good" birds anything that should be of concern, but = INHO posting your latest yard bird, or discussing your latest conservation = effort or whatever should be done on MNBIrd, not MOUnet. So, I encourage MOU to keep the guidelines and hope that as long as they = are in place, people follow them. Rick Hoyme >>> "Michael Hendrickson" 03/24/04 02:53PM >>> Well at first I was reluctant to post this message since all I am going to = mention is that today I heard a Red Wing Blackbird and saw some Robins. = This my be old news for many in Minnesota but for birders in the NE = Minnesota well that's a good spring sighting since I haven't heard of = these being seen nor reported yet this spring season in Duluth. The birds were in the Gary-New Duluth area. Personally I would like to revisit the MOU listserve guidelines and do = away with "post only birds that are unusual, or birds seen in unusual = locations or out of season" To me that is CRAP!=20 Mike Hendrickson From dingermcduff@hotmail.com Thu Mar 25 16:38:06 2004 From: dingermcduff@hotmail.com (shawn conrad) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 10:38:06 -0600 Subject: [mou] Thoughts & Thank You's Message-ID:

It doesn't seem like the MnBird Listserve gets used much, so maybe a change is in order.  In my opinion a good guideline for postings is that the subject line should be clear--location (at least the county) and species (unless there are many) should be apparent so people don't have to read posts they aren't interested in. 

Shawn Conrad


 


FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar – get it now! From larson@redwing.net Thu Mar 25 17:13:18 2004 From: larson@redwing.net (Kelly Larson) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 11:13:18 -0600 Subject: [mou] Goodhue - Grosbeak Message-ID: <4063132D.986BDB67@redwing.net> To add to the mystery of Sharon's early Oriole reports, I had two female Rose-breasted Grosbeak at a platform feeder this morning, about 9:30 am. I watched them for about 5 min before they were startled and left. They were heavy bodied, had thick bills, and a distinct white eyebrow. They cracked and ate sunflower seeds just like the Cardinal that was feeding nearby. -- Kelly Larson Feathered Friend Wild Bird Store 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival 2nd Annual Great River Morel Festival 2nd Annual Great River Eagle Spot Festival Red Wing, MN 651-267-1001 The 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival Is Coming... Hosted by Wabasha, MN on May 14-15-16 2004. http://www.mississippi-river.org/birding/ Visit Our Website http://www.thefeatheredfriend.com From muchmoredoc@hotmail.com Thu Mar 25 17:31:43 2004 From: muchmoredoc@hotmail.com (Jim Ryan) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 11:31:43 -0600 Subject: [mou] RE:Amer. Woodcock+off topic(long) Message-ID: Thanks Bob and Shawn for the posts about Peenting, I would also be interested in some reports from others on where some reliable spots on public land near the Twin Cities metro area I could see the dazzling displays of Woodcock. Thus far I have only seen them way up north during hunting season behind a gun, a practice I no longer wish to continue. (Woodcock do not taste real good, unless you love liver) Now the long part: As an aside relating to the current string of what are proper discussion topics on the lists, would this kind of inquiry about where to find certain types of birds be suitable material for the MOU list, or only MNBird? What are others thoughts and feelings about this? Please reply in public as I think a public discussion of what the lists ought to be about is worth bringing out in the open. I for one found out about MOU first and did not know of MNBird until I had been birding in the state for a couple of years. I kept hearing birders I met talk about it until I finally decided to find it online and sign up for both lists. Before that, I was just an old-fashioined birder who just went out and looked for birds! Noone told me where to go, I just wandered around doing the best I could all on my own. Imagine that. I typically only lurk on MOU, respecting the rare and unusual air it tries to maintain (unless I think something is rare or unusual) and post my more personal memorable outings on MNBird alone. Besides not knowing aobut both lists, the problem with MOU is as a group, we are of vastly different ability and experience levels (a big Duh, I know). To a beginner, any new life lister would be considered rareand unusual, at first. Until one has lots of field time or spends hours reading reports of abundance charts for the state, how would you know? Most birders start casually, and if they have a good or great time, get more into it as they go along. To encourage more birders and birding (Do ALL of us really want to do that??? Or do we want to retain a feeling of exclusivity??) being accepting of neophyte questions, joyful reports of common backyard birds and mis-naming of birds - red breasted woodpecker comes to mind - is part of the learning curve. To be smiled at and joyfully accepted as part of the growth process for birders and birding. It can be worthwhile to belong to both lists, as I see some apparently don't. Deleting emails you don't want to read is not that hard, and you can also subscribe to the digest version and get the whole days worth in one email. My thoughts, Jim in S. Mpls >From: "Friauf, Chris" >To: 'Bob Dunlap' >CC: mnbird@lists.mnbird.net, mou-net@cbs.umn.edu >Subject: RE: [mnbird] American Woodcock, Carver County >Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 08:48:51 -0600 > >Thanks for your posting about the Woodcock, Bob. Instead of turning in for >the night at dusk (which I many times do), I'm now going to keep my ears >open in the marsh behind my apartment complex in Minnetonka. I also have >known the Woodcock to "pass through" this marshy area, put on a good >display >for a couple of evenings and then move on! Hearing the Woodcock is one of >the first joys of spring in the rather wet marsh. > >Cheers and good birding to everyone! >Chris > >-----Original Message----- >From: Bob Dunlap [mailto:rmdbird@mn.rr.com] >Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 8:05 PM >To: mnbird@lists.mnbird.net; mou-net@cbs.umn.edu >Subject: [mnbird] American Woodcock, Carver County > > >Just after dusk this evening there was an American Woodcock "peenting" >behind my house in Chaska. This bird is probably a migrant, as they don't >breed in the marshy area behind my house. >Good birding! >-Bob Dunlap, Carver County > _________________________________________________________________ All the action. All the drama. Get NCAA hoops coverage at MSN Sports by ESPN. http://msn.espn.go.com/index.html?partnersite=espn From a_molson@unidial.com Thu Mar 25 18:23:01 2004 From: a_molson@unidial.com (Ann and Manley Olson) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 12:23:01 -0600 Subject: [mou] Heard Birds Message-ID: <40632385.2030102@unidial.com> Two experiences from yesterday that reinforce that one needs to exercise caution when identifying birds only by vocalizations heard. I heard what clearly sounded like an oriole,only to find it was a starling. At dusk I heard what I first thought was a nighthawk then the brain kicked in with "woodcock".I am sure that most of us have had similar experiences and it is just one of many things that might help new birders. Manley Olson From Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com Thu Mar 25 18:43:05 2004 From: Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com (Alt, Mark) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 12:43:05 -0600 Subject: [mou] RE: [mnbird] RE:Amer. Woodcock+off topic(long) Message-ID: <47784B75545C99469F1E590E3DD193A3D88F7C@ds63mail.na.bestbuy.com> Elm Creek Park has 10 or 12 areas that Woodcock can be found in season. Near Black Dog is another with many displaying males. Mark Alt Manager of Project Management Supply Chain Transformation Office Best Buy Co., Inc. Mark.Alt@bestbuy.com=20 (w) 612-291-6717 (Cell) 612-803-9085 From jtpbirder@yahoo.com Thu Mar 25 18:51:05 2004 From: jtpbirder@yahoo.com (Jeff Price) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 10:51:05 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Heard Birds In-Reply-To: <40632385.2030102@unidial.com> Message-ID: <20040325185105.94787.qmail@web14912.mail.yahoo.com> --- Ann and Manley Olson wrote: > Two experiences from yesterday that reinforce that > one needs to exercise > caution when identifying birds only by vocalizations > heard. I heard what > clearly sounded like an oriole,only to find it was a > starling.I am sure that most of us have had > similar experiences and it > is just one of many things that might help new > birders. Manley Olson There are actually many mimics to be cautious about. Starlings are one, nockingbirds of course and also Lesser Goldfinches. The key is in length of time you listen. In the case of both starling and Lesser Goldfinch you shouldn't have to listen long to hear the bird shift to something else. For mockingbirds, they tend to repeat everything three times before moving on (and almost always get back to their own song somewhere in there). The times you have to be most cautious is when you hear a phrase once, or only hear a piece of a phrase. Jeff Price (currently in Belgium where spring is underway) ===== Jeff Price Boulder, CO jtpbirder@yahoo.com __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From larson@redwing.net Thu Mar 25 19:22:09 2004 From: larson@redwing.net (Kelly Larson) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 13:22:09 -0600 Subject: [mou] Goodhue - Grosbeak References: Message-ID: <40633161.FCA0D9F0@redwing.net> Paul & Dennis, They appeared to be only slightly smaller than the nearby Cardinal. I thought the beak looked more substantial than a finch's. However, I can see that Purple Finch would be a more likely ID. With this in mind I will go home and watch some more. What is the earliest record for Baltimore Oriole? Kelly Larson Feathered Friend Wild Bird Store 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival 2nd Annual Great River Morel Festival 2nd Annual Great River Eagle Spot Festival Red Wing, MN 651-267-1001 The 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival Is Coming... Hosted by Wabasha, MN on May 14-15-16 2004. http://www.mississippi-river.org/birding/ Visit Our Website http://www.thefeatheredfriend.com From ppedersen6@charter.net Thu Mar 25 20:14:02 2004 From: ppedersen6@charter.net (ppedersen6@charter.net) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 14:14:02 -0600 Subject: [mou] Possible Cinnamon Teal Message-ID: <200403252014.i2PKE3bZ090912@mxsf21.cluster1.charter.net> A possible Cinnamon Teal was seen with several Blue-winged Teal at East Landfill Reservoir in Olmsted County today (Thurs 3/25) at about 11:30 AM. It was hanging in the cattails on the south west edge. I watched it for about 40 minutes but, because it spent much time in the cattails, I only got good looks at it for a minute or two at a time. I called several people leaving messages with a few. Chuck Krulas, Chris Benson and Jeff Stephenson arrived to get good looks at it, but they only got a few minutes to watch it before it took off flying. It flew away with about 8 other Blue-winged Teal towards the east and looked like they landed somewhere east of the reservoir. We checked around for a while with no luck refinding it. It had no obvious hybrid-like characteristics that I could see and which are fairly common to this species. I had to return to work, but several others are trying to refind it. Paul Pedersen ppedersen6@charter.net From Chris Benson" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0026_01C41274.E2986140 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Paul Pedersen found an apparent Cinnamon Teal at the East Landfill = Reservoir west of Rochester just before noon today. Thanks to Paul's call, Chuck Krulas, Jeff Stephenson and myself were = also able to view the bird before it flew southeast with a group of three Blue-winged Teal. The birds flew over the dike and appeared to be cutting their wings as if they were going to land when they disappeared from view. A quick search of the immediate area along 19th St NW produced no = positive results. We didn't see any markings on the bird that suggested it was a hybrid but one can't be too careful, we've had two hybrids here in the past = couple years. (And doesn't that open up another kettle of fish!) The easiest way to get to the Reservoir from "the cities" is: US Hwy 52 South to US Hwy 14 West to 60th Av W (Olmsted County Road 104). 60th Av W north for one mile to 19th St NW. 19th St NW west for one mile to 70th Av NW. 70th Av NW for 1/2 mile. The reservoir will on your right. The bird was working the reeds on the south side when it was observed. Chris Benson Rochester, MN ------=_NextPart_000_0026_01C41274.E2986140 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Paul Pedersen found an apparent = Cinnamon Teal at=20 the East Landfill Reservoir
west of Rochester just before noon=20 today.
Thanks to Paul's call, Chuck Krulas, = Jeff=20 Stephenson and myself were also able to view the bird
before it flew southeast with a group = of three=20 Blue-winged Teal.
The birds flew over the dike and = appeared to be=20 cutting their wings
as if they were going to land when = they disappeared from = view.
A quick search of the immediate area = along 19th St=20 NW produced no positive results.
We didn't see any markings on the bird = that=20 suggested it was a hybrid
but one can't be too careful, we've had = two hybrids=20 here in the past couple years.
(And doesn't that open up another = kettle of=20 fish!)
 
The easiest way to get to the = Reservoir from=20 "the cities" is:
US Hwy 52 South to
US Hwy 14 West to
60th Av W (Olmsted County Road = 104).
60th Av W north for one mile to 19th St = NW.
19th St NW west for one mile to 70th Av = NW.
70th Av NW for 1/2 mile.
The reservoir will on your = right.
The bird was working the reeds on the = south side=20 when it was observed.
 
Chris Benson
Rochester, MN
 
 
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_0026_01C41274.E2986140-- From birdnird@yahoo.com Thu Mar 25 21:43:24 2004 From: birdnird@yahoo.com (Terence Brashear) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 13:43:24 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Thoughts Message-ID: <20040325214324.11143.qmail@web13805.mail.yahoo.com> Hi Folks Paul Budde, Dave Cahlander, Tony Hertzel, and I volunteer our time trying to keep the topics on the list within guidlines that everyone subscribed has basically agreed to since the post here. I posted a message that was in no way meant to offend anyone, and I hear now that I am perceived as having a "checklist mentality", being one of the "old boy network elitist birders", That there is a "elitist attitude displayed by certain MOU factions", and people were "angry" when they read my post. It is apparently clear that we need to take another look at the guidelines, we are looking at that as we speak. I'm just a guy who likes birds - it's been that way since I was five - nothing more nothing less. Regards, Terry Brashear __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From tuneful4@usfamily.net Thu Mar 25 22:15:56 2004 From: tuneful4@usfamily.net (Mike Nelson) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 16:15:56 -0600 Subject: [mou] Heard Birds References: <40632385.2030102@unidial.com> Message-ID: <002501c412b6$c0240370$39219ecd@D937M211> Truly, starlings are the 8-bit samplers of the bird world, or certainly North America...I've heard them mimic robins, purple martins, nighthawks (not the dive brakes though), crows, and kestrels. So don't feel too bad. Here's a heard only, a mystery from last spring. This same phrase repeated exactly, 3-4/min: (for rhythm) "for you I'll try Kiwi" Relative pitch, 2-1, 4-3, 6-5; the 'you' was hoarse while the other notes were clear. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Mike Nelson Cottage Grove, Wash. Co. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ann and Manley Olson" To: "MOU" ; ; Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 12:23 PM Subject: [mou] Heard Birds > Two experiences from yesterday that reinforce that one needs to exercise > caution when identifying birds only by vocalizations heard. I heard what > clearly sounded like an oriole,only to find it was a starling. At dusk I > heard what I first thought was a nighthawk then the brain kicked in with > "woodcock".I am sure that most of us have had similar experiences and it > is just one of many things that might help new birders. Manley Olson > > _______________________________________________ > mou-net mailing list > mou-net@cbs.umn.edu > http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net > ------ http://USFamily.Net/info - Unlimited Internet - From $8.99/mo! ------ From decke003@maroon.tc.umn.edu Thu Mar 25 22:29:12 2004 From: decke003@maroon.tc.umn.edu (Steve Roman) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 16:29:12 -0600 Subject: [mou] Guidelines References: <20040325052225.70498.qmail@web60505.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <002201c412b8$99b19110$faf96580@soyodragon> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001F_01C41286.4E753BC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Is this a threat ? It is fine to voice criticism in a direct manor = like Mike and Rick have, but this type of immature sarcasm hardly seems = warranted or constructive. Perhaps you should just take your marbles = (check) and go home if you don't like the rules. As you say you have = places to go that are a heck of a lot more fun. Steve Roman Champlin, MN decke003@tc.umn.edu Peace ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Christine Olson=20 To: mnbird ; mou-net@cbs.umn.edu=20 Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 11:22 PM Subject: Re: [mou] Guidelines Let's see if I understand this correctly: MOU-net is for posting only = rare or unusual sightings, and MnBird is for posting "everyday" = sightings. Is this the way that it is? =20 My MOU membership is up for renewal. I'd like to renew, as MOU funds = some important projects. However, I'm beginning to wonder if I am = sophisticated enough in my birding skills and interests to belong to = such a technical organization. What type of an individual does the MOU = want as a member? Must I be a scientist? Am I welcome to participate = by posting my sightings, or does the MOU want me to keep my unremarkable = observations to myself and just send them a check? The MnBird list seems to be more useful, practical, and a heck of a = lot more fun!=20 Christine Olson - Chisholm =20 Peace -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ----- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. ------=_NextPart_000_001F_01C41286.4E753BC0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Is this a threat ?   It is = fine to voice=20 criticism in a direct manor like Mike and Rick have, =  but this=20 type of immature sarcasm hardly seems warranted or = constructive. =20 Perhaps you should just take your marbles (check) and go home if you = don't like=20 the rules.  As you say you have places to go that are a heck of a = lot more=20 fun.
 
Steve Roman
Champlin, = MN
decke003@tc.umn.edu
 
Peace
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Christine=20 Olson
To: mnbird ; mou-net@cbs.umn.edu
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 = 11:22=20 PM
Subject: Re: [mou] = Guidelines


Let's see if I understand this correctly:  MOU-net is = for=20 posting only rare or unusual sightings, and MnBird is for posting = "everyday"=20 sightings.  Is this the way that it is? 
 
My MOU membership is up for renewal.   I'd like to = renew, as=20 MOU funds some important projects. However, I'm beginning to wonder if = I am=20 sophisticated enough in my birding skills and interests to belong to = such a=20 technical organization.  What type of an individual does the MOU = want as=20 a member?  Must I be a scientist?  Am I welcome to = participate by=20 posting my sightings, or does the MOU want me to keep = my unremarkable=20 observations to myself and just send them a check?
 
The MnBird list seems to be more useful, practical, and a = heck of a=20 lot more fun! 
 
Christine Olson - Chisholm    =


Peace

Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance Tax = Center=20 - File online. File on time. ------=_NextPart_000_001F_01C41286.4E753BC0-- From tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu Fri Mar 26 00:34:39 2004 From: tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu (Houghton, Timothy D. ) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 18:34:39 -0600 Subject: [mou] the GUIDELINES business Message-ID: <22ECDF671FCD564398087D64CFCF46BDD5BC2C@EXCHANGE.campus.stcloudstate.edu> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C412CA.1FADCD0A Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Personally, I like Hendrickson's long response and Conrad's short. They = make the most sense to me--broad and reasonable. I also sympathize with Christine Olson--she received a particular = response that was punkish and asinine. There's an anal mentality that likes to limit and control. (Understand = that I'm not referring to any specific individuals--I'm making a general = observat). It likes power and is easily corrupted. It's possible that = there are people out there who would like to call in Mr. Spock from the = Star Trek Enterprise and use him as a consultant--toward the creation of = an enormous rule book with stern and inflexible laws governing the MOU = listserve. And there would be severe penalites for lawbreakers. There = are people out there who want to dictate everything--they want to even = tell us what to report. If they thought they could get away with it, = they would even tell us what arguments we are allowed to make. Some of = them are very sensitive to criticism of anything they don't like. They = know what's right and they know what's wrong. And what they they think = is right is what we're all supposed to believe. Making rules, making = limitations, being in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum--it makes them = feel happy inside. Let's not make them happy. Tim Houghton (Clear Lake) =20 ------_=_NextPart_001_01C412CA.1FADCD0A Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable the GUIDELINES business

Personally, I like Hendrickson's long response and = Conrad's short. They make the most sense to me--broad and = reasonable.

I also sympathize with Christine Olson--she received a particular = response that was punkish and asinine.

There's an anal mentality that likes to limit and control. (Understand = that I'm not referring to any specific individuals--I'm making a general = observat). It likes power and is easily corrupted. It's possible that = there are people out there who would like to call in Mr. Spock from the = Star Trek Enterprise and use him as a consultant--toward the creation of = an enormous rule book with stern and inflexible laws governing the MOU = listserve. And there would be severe penalites for lawbreakers. There = are people out there who want to dictate everything--they want to even = tell us what to report. If they thought they could get away with it, = they would even tell us what arguments we are allowed to make. Some of = them are very sensitive to criticism of anything they don't like. They = know what's right and they know what's wrong. And what they they think = is right is what we're all supposed to believe. Making rules, making = limitations, being in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum--it makes them = feel happy inside. Let's not make them happy.

Tim Houghton
(Clear Lake) 

------_=_NextPart_001_01C412CA.1FADCD0A-- From birdnird@yahoo.com Fri Mar 26 00:57:51 2004 From: birdnird@yahoo.com (Terence Brashear) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 16:57:51 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] the GUIDELINES business In-Reply-To: <22ECDF671FCD564398087D64CFCF46BDD5BC2C@EXCHANGE.campus.stcloudstate.edu> Message-ID: <20040326005752.6600.qmail@web13807.mail.yahoo.com> I'm going to address this in the open since that is where it was posted. Guidelines are just that - something to guide us. This is not about being a control freak, if that was the case I would have deleted Mike's post since it ended up being deferred due to being such a long message. I did not agree with everything Mike said, but he made some valid points. Mike and I are friends. I spent enough time with him for him to form an opinion of me. I respect that. Christine's message, unlike my original "friendly reminder" post, and your message Tim are just downright rude and disrespectful. If you want to do something constructive, volunteer your time to the MOU to make it the organization you wish it to be. Comments like "Making rules, making limitations, being in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum--it makes them feel happy inside. Let's not make them happy." are counterproductive. Overall Paul, Dave, Tony and I have let things be which is the way I like it. I'm not here to be a control freak, I was asked to participate as a moderator. It is a thankless job especially with ungrateful people getting on a soapbox to vent. I've typed and deleted a lot of messages today. This one needed to be sent. Regards, Terry --- "Houghton, Timothy D. " wrote: > Personally, I like Hendrickson's long response and > Conrad's short. They make the most sense to > me--broad and reasonable. > > I also sympathize with Christine Olson--she received > a particular response that was punkish and asinine. > > There's an anal mentality that likes to limit and > control. (Understand that I'm not referring to any > specific individuals--I'm making a general > observat). It likes power and is easily corrupted. > It's possible that there are people out there who > would like to call in Mr. Spock from the Star Trek > Enterprise and use him as a consultant--toward the > creation of an enormous rule book with stern and > inflexible laws governing the MOU listserve. And > there would be severe penalites for lawbreakers. > There are people out there who want to dictate > everything--they want to even tell us what to > report. If they thought they could get away with it, > they would even tell us what arguments we are > allowed to make. Some of them are very sensitive to > criticism of anything they don't like. They know > what's right and they know what's wrong. And what > they they think is right is what we're all supposed > to believe. Making rules, making limitations, being > in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum--it makes them > feel happy inside. Let's not make them happy. > > Tim Houghton > (Clear Lake) > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From Kiki.Sonnen@CO.RAMSEY.MN.US Fri Mar 26 01:06:51 2004 From: Kiki.Sonnen@CO.RAMSEY.MN.US (Sonnen, Kiki) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 19:06:51 -0600 Subject: [mou] the GUIDELINES business 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_01C412CE.9F2EA601 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" I can understand both sides. It is a little irksome to get dozens of alerts that someone has spotted a robin or red-wing black bird. It's also irritating to get several requests for the location of the Smew or Brant, when the directions have already been given a dozen times earlier. On the other hand, more and more people are just getting interested in birding and that's a good thing. You can't expect beginners to know what is rare or unusual. So when someone asks a naive question or makes a report on a "trash bird," people should not insult them or get on a high horse waiving rules, restrictions and standards. After all, rules are really just guidelines, and guidelines are merely suggestions, as we learned from Pirates of the Caribbean. Meanwhile, those that take comfort in proposing, studying and working on rules should not be belittled either. They are trying to do their best to provide a service we all want and that's a fast and up to date way of spreading information about Birds. Maybe we can all agree that we would prefer to read e-mails about birds than e-mails bickering at one another. Although I would be curious to know when someone finally tells Mike Hendrickson to go to hell. Just kidding, Mike! -----Original Message----- From: Houghton, Timothy D. [mailto:tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu] Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 6:35 PM To: mou-net@cbs.umn.edu Subject: [mou] the GUIDELINES business Personally, I like Hendrickson's long response and Conrad's short. They make the most sense to me--broad and reasonable. I also sympathize with Christine Olson--she received a particular response that was punkish and asinine. There's an anal mentality that likes to limit and control. (Understand that I'm not referring to any specific individuals--I'm making a general observat). It likes power and is easily corrupted. It's possible that there are people out there who would like to call in Mr. Spock from the Star Trek Enterprise and use him as a consultant--toward the creation of an enormous rule book with stern and inflexible laws governing the MOU listserve. And there would be severe penalites for lawbreakers. There are people out there who want to dictate everything--they want to even tell us what to report. If they thought they could get away with it, they would even tell us what arguments we are allowed to make. Some of them are very sensitive to criticism of anything they don't like. They know what's right and they know what's wrong. And what they they think is right is what we're all supposed to believe. Making rules, making limitations, being in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum--it makes them feel happy inside. Let's not make them happy. Tim Houghton (Clear Lake) ------_=_NextPart_001_01C412CE.9F2EA601 Content-Type: text/html; charset="windows-1252" the GUIDELINES business
I can understand both sides. It is a little irksome to get dozens of alerts that someone has spotted a robin or red-wing black bird. It's also irritating to get several requests for the location of the Smew or Brant, when the directions have already been given a dozen times earlier. On the other hand, more and more people are just getting interested in birding and that's a good thing. You can't expect beginners to know what is rare or unusual. So when someone asks a naive question or makes a report on a "trash bird," people should not insult them or get on a high horse waiving rules, restrictions and standards. After all, rules are really just guidelines, and guidelines are merely suggestions, as we learned from Pirates of the Caribbean. Meanwhile,  those that take comfort in proposing, studying and working on rules should not be belittled either. They are trying to do their best to provide a service we all want and that's a fast and up to date way of spreading information about Birds. Maybe we can all agree that we would prefer to read e-mails about birds than e-mails bickering at one another. Although I would be curious to know when someone finally tells Mike Hendrickson to go to hell. Just kidding, Mike!
-----Original Message-----
From: Houghton, Timothy D. [mailto:tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu]
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 6:35 PM
To: mou-net@cbs.umn.edu
Subject: [mou] the GUIDELINES business

Personally, I like Hendrickson's long response and Conrad's short. They make the most sense to me--broad and reasonable.

I also sympathize with Christine Olson--she received a particular response that was punkish and asinine.

There's an anal mentality that likes to limit and control. (Understand that I'm not referring to any specific individuals--I'm making a general observat). It likes power and is easily corrupted. It's possible that there are people out there who would like to call in Mr. Spock from the Star Trek Enterprise and use him as a consultant--toward the creation of an enormous rule book with stern and inflexible laws governing the MOU listserve. And there would be severe penalites for lawbreakers. There are people out there who want to dictate everything--they want to even tell us what to report. If they thought they could get away with it, they would even tell us what arguments we are allowed to make. Some of them are very sensitive to criticism of anything they don't like. They know what's right and they know what's wrong. And what they they think is right is what we're all supposed to believe. Making rules, making limitations, being in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum--it makes them feel happy inside. Let's not make them happy.

Tim Houghton
(Clear Lake) 

------_=_NextPart_001_01C412CE.9F2EA601-- From Lanl1965@aol.com Fri Mar 26 01:19:54 2004 From: Lanl1965@aol.com (Lanl1965@aol.com) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 20:19:54 EST Subject: [mou] Where's the love? Message-ID: <1d0.1cf0ff8b.2d94df3a@aol.com> -------------------------------1080263994 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Folks,enough's enough!Now I know why the DFL and the GOP are always fighting instead of working together , to say nothing of the Israelis and Palestinians! We're just talking birds here.There's definitely a Bob Dylan song in here somewhere. leo lantz fargo,nd -------------------------------1080263994 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Folks,enough's enough!Now I know why the DFL and the GOP are alway= s fighting instead of working together , to say nothing of the Israelis and=20= Palestinians! We're just talking birds here.There's definitely a Bob Dylan s= ong in here somewhere.
leo lantz
fargo,nd
-------------------------------1080263994-- From axhertzel@sihope.com Fri Mar 26 01:40:52 2004 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 19:40:52 -0600 Subject: [mou] MOU RBA 25 March 2004 Message-ID: --============_-1131857237==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday March 25th. Phil Chu discovered a BRANT at the Paynesville sewage ponds on the 21st but the bird has not been seen since the 23rd. The ponds are along Stearns County Road 33 just north of Paynesville. The Brant was associating with a large group of Canada Geese, which were flying back and forth between the dike at the south end of the ponds and the North Fork Crow River. On March 25th, Paul Pedersen found a CINNAMON TEAL at the East Landfill Reservoir west of Rochester in Olmsted County. From the junction of U.S. Highway 14 and Olmsted County Road 104, go north one mile to 19th Street NW, then west one mile to 70th Avenue. Take 70th Avenue for half a mile to the reservoir on your right. In Duluth, Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman counted 822 BALD EAGLES at the West Skyline Drive Hawkwatch on March 23rd. This represents the largest North American daily migration count ever. A DUNLIN was found at Lake Byllesby in Dakota County. Jim Mattsson found it at the west end of the lake on March 20th. This is more than a month earlier than the typical arrival date for this species, and a full 20 days earlier than the earliest date on record. Denny Martin found a very early AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and an unidentified Yellowlegs in Wright County on the 24th, one mile west of Montrose on U.S. Highway 12. Several people called to report hearing AMERICAN WOODCOCK calling after dark. There are still at least two GREAT GRAY OWLS to be seen on Aitkin County Road 18. One is about half a mile west of Pietz's Road, and the other about another half a mile west. A SNOWY OWL was also seen in the county, along Aitkin County Road 1, a mile north of the Mississippi River diversion channel. A ROSS'S GOOSE was in a field at the junction of Dakota County Road 47 and Goodwin Avenue on the 20th. Another was at Lura Lake in Blue Earth County on the 23rd. Thanks to Kelly Larson we have the first EASTERN PHOEBE report of the year. She found it on the 24th near the town of Red Wing. I also have recent reports of migrant and returning PIED-BILLED GREBE, TUNDRA SWAN, OSPREY, NORTHERN HARRIER, RING-BILLED GULL, TREE SWALLOW, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH, and SONG SPARROW. Thanks also to Tom Bloom, Julie Brophey, Connie Brunell, Bob Dunlap, Barb Kull, Rebecca Martinson, Warren Nelson, and Christine Olson. 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, April 1st. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com --============_-1131857237==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" MOU RBA 25 March 2004
This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday March 25th.
Phil Chu discovered a BRANT at the Paynesville sewage ponds on the 21st but the bird has not been seen since the 23rd. The ponds are along Stearns County Road 33 just north of Paynesville. The Brant was associating with a large group of Canada Geese, which were flying back and forth between the dike at the south end of the ponds and the North Fork Crow River.

On March 25th, Paul Pedersen found a CINNAMON TEAL at the East Landfill Reservoir west of Rochester in Olmsted County. From the junction of U.S. Highway 14 and Olmsted County Road 104, go north one mile to 19th Street NW, then west one mile to 70th Avenue. Take 70th Avenue for half a mile to the reservoir on your right.
In Duluth, Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman counted 822 BALD EAGLES at the West Skyline Drive Hawkwatch on March 23rd. This represents the largest North American daily migration count ever.

A DUNLIN was found at Lake Byllesby in Dakota County. Jim Mattsson found it at the west end of the lake on March 20th. This is more than a month earlier than the typical arrival date for this species, and a full 20 days earlier than the earliest date on record.

Denny Martin found a very early AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and an unidentified Yellowlegs in Wright County on the 24th, one mile west of Montrose on U.S. Highway 12. Several people called to report hearing AMERICAN WOODCOCK calling after dark.

There are still at least two GREAT GRAY OWLS to be seen on Aitkin County Road 18. One is about half a mile west of Pietz's Road, and the other about another half a mile west. A SNOWY OWL was also seen in the county, along Aitkin County Road 1, a mile north of the Mississippi River diversion channel.

A ROSS'S GOOSE was in a field at the junction of Dakota County Road 47 and Goodwin Avenue on the 20th. Another was at Lura Lake in Blue Earth County on the 23rd.
Thanks to Kelly Larson we have the first EASTERN PHOEBE report of the year. She found it on the 24th near the town of Red Wing. I also have recent reports of migrant and returning PIED-BILLED GREBE, TUNDRA SWAN, OSPREY, NORTHERN HARRIER, RING-BILLED GULL, TREE SWALLOW, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, HERMIT THRUSH, and SONG SPARROW.

Thanks also to Tom Bloom, Julie Brophey, Connie Brunell, Bob Dunlap, Barb Kull, Rebecca Martinson, Warren Nelson, and Christine Olson.

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, April 1st.

--
Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com
--============_-1131857237==_ma============-- From tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu Fri Mar 26 01:42:07 2004 From: tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu (Houghton, Timothy D. ) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 19:42:07 -0600 Subject: [mou] Oregon birding--know anyone? Message-ID: <22ECDF671FCD564398087D64CFCF46BDD5BC2E@EXCHANGE.campus.stcloudstate.edu> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C412D3.8C4AD672 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I'm going to be in central Oregon--the Sisters/Bend area--at the end of = May and plan to do a good deal of birding.=20 If anyone knows someone in that area who might enjoy going out birding, = please let me know, indluding contact info. I've already got an Oregon = birding guide and other info about the area.=20 Thanks much, Tim Houghton ------_=_NextPart_001_01C412D3.8C4AD672 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Oregon birding--know anyone?

I'm going to be in central Oregon--the Sisters/Bend = area--at the end of May and plan to do a good deal of birding.

If anyone knows someone in that area who might enjoy going out birding, = please let me know, indluding contact info. I've already got an Oregon = birding guide and other info about the area.

Thanks much,

Tim Houghton

------_=_NextPart_001_01C412D3.8C4AD672-- From tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu Fri Mar 26 01:57:23 2004 From: tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu (Houghton, Timothy D. ) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 19:57:23 -0600 Subject: [mou] the GUIDELINES business Message-ID: <22ECDF671FCD564398087D64CFCF46BDD5BC2F@EXCHANGE.campus.stcloudstate.edu> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C412D5.AE88FD7F Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable You know, this not so subtly suggested notion that one can't criticize = the way things are done by the powers within the MOU unless one = volunteers to work for the MOU--that doesn't make any sense. It's an = idea that I've heard floated before--generally from people who either = like everything about the MOU or from people who are inimidated by the = MOU and, for instance, don't want anyone to question their various = submitted lists. Last year when the trash collectors were doing a bad = job picking up my garbage, I called and complained. I was paying them = for a service--and I didn't think they were doing it well. I didn't = volunteer to do the trash collecting myself. I'm a paying member of the = MOU and I can voice my criticisms--and have a good right to do = so--without having to work for MOU. Perhaps you, Terry, never complain = about anything unless you want to do that job yourself. But I doubt = that. And as for being "downright rude and disrespectful"--your motives = are transparent. Tim Houghton -----Original Message----- From: mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu on behalf of Terence Brashear Sent: Thu 3/25/2004 6:57 PM To: mou-net@cbs.umn.edu Cc:=09 Subject: Re: [mou] the GUIDELINES business I'm going to address this in the open since that is where it was posted. Guidelines are just that - something to guide us.=20 This is not about being a control freak, if that was the case I would have deleted Mike's post since it ended up being deferred due to being such a long message. I did not agree with everything Mike said, but he made some valid points. Mike and I are friends. I spent enough time with him for him to form an opinion of me. I respect that. Christine's message, unlike my original "friendly reminder" post, and your message Tim are just downright rude and disrespectful. If you want to do something constructive, volunteer your time to the MOU to make it the organization you wish it to be. Comments like "Making rules, making limitations, being in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum--it makes them feel happy inside. Let's not make them happy." are counterproductive. Overall Paul, Dave, Tony and I have let things be which is the way I like it. I'm not here to be a control freak, I was asked to participate as a moderator. It is a thankless job especially with ungrateful people getting on a soapbox to vent. I've typed and deleted a lot of messages today. This one needed to be sent. Regards, Terry =20 --- "Houghton, Timothy D. " wrote: > Personally, I like Hendrickson's long response and > Conrad's short. They make the most sense to > me--broad and reasonable. >=20 > I also sympathize with Christine Olson--she received > a particular response that was punkish and asinine. >=20 > There's an anal mentality that likes to limit and > control. (Understand that I'm not referring to any > specific individuals--I'm making a general > observat). It likes power and is easily corrupted. > It's possible that there are people out there who > would like to call in Mr. Spock from the Star Trek > Enterprise and use him as a consultant--toward the > creation of an enormous rule book with stern and > inflexible laws governing the MOU listserve. And > there would be severe penalites for lawbreakers. > There are people out there who want to dictate > everything--they want to even tell us what to > report. If they thought they could get away with it, > they would even tell us what arguments we are > allowed to make. Some of them are very sensitive to > criticism of anything they don't like. They know > what's right and they know what's wrong. And what > they they think is right is what we're all supposed > to believe. Making rules, making limitations, being > in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum--it makes them > feel happy inside. Let's not make them happy. >=20 > Tim Houghton > (Clear Lake) =20 >=20 __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net ------_=_NextPart_001_01C412D5.AE88FD7F Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable RE: [mou] the GUIDELINES business

You know, this not so subtly suggested notion that one = can't criticize the way things are done by the powers within the MOU = unless one volunteers to work for the MOU--that doesn't make any sense. = It's an idea that I've heard floated before--generally from people who = either like everything about the MOU or from people who are inimidated = by the MOU and, for instance, don't want anyone to question their = various submitted lists. Last year when the trash collectors were doing = a bad job picking up my garbage, I called and complained. I was paying = them for a service--and I didn't think they were doing it well. I didn't = volunteer to do the trash collecting myself. I'm a paying member of the = MOU and I can voice my criticisms--and have a good right to do = so--without having to work for MOU. Perhaps you, Terry, never complain = about anything unless you want to do that job yourself. But I doubt = that. And as for being "downright rude and = disrespectful"--your motives are transparent.

Tim Houghton


-----Original Message-----
From:   mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu on behalf of Terence = Brashear
Sent:   Thu 3/25/2004 6:57 PM
To:     mou-net@cbs.umn.edu
Cc:    
Subject:        Re: [mou] the = GUIDELINES business

I'm going to address this in the open since that is
where it was posted.

Guidelines are just that - something to guide us.
This is not about being a control freak, if that was
the case I would have deleted Mike's post since it
ended up being deferred due to being such a long
message.  I did not agree with everything Mike said,
but he made some valid points.  Mike and I are
friends.  I spent enough time with him for him to form
an opinion of me.  I respect that.

Christine's message, unlike my original "friendly
reminder" post, and your message Tim are just
downright rude and disrespectful.

If you want to do something constructive, volunteer
your time to the MOU to make it the organization you
wish it to be.  Comments like "Making rules, making
limitations, being in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad
nauseum--it makes them feel happy inside. Let's not
make them happy." are counterproductive.

Overall Paul, Dave, Tony and I have let things be
which is the way I like it.  I'm not here to be a
control freak, I was asked to participate as a
moderator.

It is a thankless job especially with ungrateful
people getting on a soapbox to vent.

I've typed and deleted a lot of messages today.  This
one needed to be sent.

Regards,

Terry


 
--- "Houghton, Timothy D. "
<tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu> wrote:
> Personally, I like Hendrickson's long response and
> Conrad's short. They make the most sense to
> me--broad and reasonable.
>
> I also sympathize with Christine Olson--she received
> a particular response that was punkish and asinine.
>
> There's an anal mentality that likes to limit and
> control. (Understand that I'm not referring to any
> specific individuals--I'm making a general
> observat). It likes power and is easily corrupted.
> It's possible that there are people out there who
> would like to call in Mr. Spock from the Star Trek
> Enterprise and use him as a consultant--toward the
> creation of an enormous rule book with stern and
> inflexible laws governing the MOU listserve. And
> there would be severe penalites for lawbreakers.
> There are people out there who want to dictate
> everything--they want to even tell us what to
> report. If they thought they could get away with it,
> they would even tell us what arguments we are
> allowed to make. Some of them are very sensitive to
> criticism of anything they don't like. They know
> what's right and they know what's wrong. And what
> they they think is right is what we're all supposed
> to believe. Making rules, making limitations, being
> in charge, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum--it makes them
> feel happy inside. Let's not make them happy.
>
> Tim Houghton
> (Clear Lake) 
>


__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time.
http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing= .html
_______________________________________________
mou-net mailing list
mou-net@cbs.umn.edu
http://cbs.umn.edu/m= ailman/listinfo/mou-net

------_=_NextPart_001_01C412D5.AE88FD7F-- From larson@redwing.net Fri Mar 26 02:12:29 2004 From: larson@redwing.net (Kelly Larson) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 20:12:29 -0600 Subject: [mou] Wishful Grosbeaks Message-ID: <4063918C.7DF2E890@redwing.net> Thanks to all who commented on my very early Rose-breasted Grosbeak sighting. All were thoughtful in their suggestions. I left the shop and went home for the afternoon to watch the feeders. They finally showed up again, female Purple Finch. I have only seen Purple Finch twice, and only the males. Boy were these hens BIG! A male showed up and sat right next to a female. She really was a bit larger than the male! Sharon's mention of Oriole reports in Minnetonka did get me a little excited. And we have had a few other early first sightings reported this spring. Yes, it was wishful thinking, thanks for the gentle call back to reality. I put out an orange and some nectar just in case... -- Kelly Larson Feathered Friend Wild Bird Store 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival 2nd Annual Great River Morel Festival 2nd Annual Great River Eagle Spot Festival Red Wing, MN 651-267-1001 The 3rd Annual Great River Birding Festival Is Coming... Hosted by Wabasha, MN on May 14-15-16 2004. http://www.mississippi-river.org/birding/ Visit Our Website http://www.thefeatheredfriend.com From Alongtin@worldnet.att.net Fri Mar 26 02:21:45 2004 From: Alongtin@worldnet.att.net (Andrew) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 20:21:45 -0600 Subject: [mou] Oregon birding--know anyone? In-Reply-To: <22ECDF671FCD564398087D64CFCF46BDD5BC2E@EXCHANGE.campus.stcloudstate.edu> Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001F_01C412A6.CB520E00 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Oregon birding--know anyone?Tim, Check this out.. http://birdingpal.org/ You can find people to bird with, I know that in Washington State I found and posted to "Tweeter" and found someone to bird with off that list (similar to MOUs), it was great Vicki and I found 173 species in about 4 1/2 days of serious birding.. My list: http://home.att.net/~alongtin4/BP/Andrews_Washington_State_Lifelist.xls 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/ ALongtin@worldnet.att.net See My WEB pages at: http://home.att.net/~alongtin/Index.htm NO SPAM NEEDED HERE PLEASE!!!!! -----Original Message----- From: mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu [mailto:mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu]On Behalf Of Houghton, Timothy D. Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 7:42 PM To: mou-net@cbs.umn.edu Subject: [mou] Oregon birding--know anyone? I'm going to be in central Oregon--the Sisters/Bend area--at the end of May and plan to do a good deal of birding. If anyone knows someone in that area who might enjoy going out birding, please let me know, indluding contact info. I've already got an Oregon birding guide and other info about the area. Thanks much, Tim Houghton ------=_NextPart_000_001F_01C412A6.CB520E00 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Oregon birding--know anyone?
Tim,
    Check this out..
http://birdingpal.org/<= /DIV>
 
You can find people to bird with, I know that in Washington = State I found=20 and posted to "Tweeter" and found someone to bird with off that list = (similar to=20 MOUs), it was great Vicki and I found 173 species in about 4 1/2 days of = serious=20 birding..
 
My list:  http://home.att.net/~alongtin4/BP/Andrews_Washington_State_Lifeli= st.xls
 
Andrew
---
Andrew = Longtin
Corcoran=20 (Hennepin Co.) Minnesota
Minnesota Ornithologists Union=20 Member
    http://biosci.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/<= /A>
Cornell=20 Lab Member (PFW)
    http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw/<= BR>
ALongtin@worldnet.att.netSee My=20 WEB pages at: http://home.att.net/~alo= ngtin/Index.htm

NO=20 SPAM NEEDED HERE PLEASE!!!!!
-----Original Message-----
From: = mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu=20 [mailto:mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu]On Behalf Of Houghton, = Timothy D.=20
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 7:42 PM
To:=20 mou-net@cbs.umn.edu
Subject: [mou] Oregon birding--know=20 anyone?

I'm going to be in central Oregon--the Sisters/Bend = area--at=20 the end of May and plan to do a good deal of birding.

If anyone = knows=20 someone in that area who might enjoy going out birding, please let me = know,=20 indluding contact info. I've already got an Oregon birding guide and = other=20 info about the area.

Thanks much,

Tim Houghton=20

------=_NextPart_000_001F_01C412A6.CB520E00-- From ajjoppru@wiktel.com Fri Mar 26 02:45:04 2004 From: ajjoppru@wiktel.com (Jeanie Joppru) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 20:45:04 -0600 Subject: [mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, March 26, 2004 Message-ID: <000f01c412dc$5bdfb870$8fb391ce@main> This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, March 26, 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. There is no doubt that spring is here now. Large numbers of birds are moving north, and even a chipmunk has been reported this week. The warm weather is melting the snow quickly, and puddles have appeared. Some open water is in the southern part of the region and soon open water will be present throughout the northwest. Even a few insects were seen by several observers this week, so we are making progress. Most reporters have mentioned decreasing numbers of COMMON REDPOLLS, and increasing numbers of DARK-EYED JUNCOS and PURPLE FINCHES. Raptors are on the move also with numerous reports of BALD EAGLES, RED-TAILED HAWK, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, and AMERICAN KESTRELS. Bob and Adele Powell in Roseau County reported PURPLE FINCHES at the feeder this week. Katie Haws observed 9 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE two miles south of Wannaska along Highway 89. Katie also reported TRUMPETER SWANS near Bemidji in Beltrami County. The BALD EAGLES have returned to their nest site in the county, and HORNED LARKS are being seen. Marshall County species noticed by Alice Sather included CANADA GEESE, AMERICAN ROBINS, DARK-EYED JUNCO, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS. The redpolls are nearly all gone now. Gary Tischer of Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge says that some SANDHILL CRANES returned on March 23rd, twenty AMERICAN ROBINS were seen on March 24th, a pair of AMERICAN KESTRELS were seen along CR 7 just west of the refuge. A swan of undetermined species has returned to the refuge, and it is suspected that it may be the trumpeter that nested there last summer. A pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS are being seen regularly in the spruce trees at the east end of the Habitat Drive along CR 7. In Pennington County, Sue Braastad reported NORTHERN SHRIKE, DARK-EYED JUNCO, and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. Several observers have mentioned seeing AMERICAN ROBINS in Thief River Falls this week, some of them singing. John Holland reported two BALD EAGLES perched in a tree along CR 3 near the Polk County line. Other birds mentioned by John included SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, WILD TURKEY, and AMERICAN KESTREL. He also observed several flocks of migrating ducks, and geese including some SNOW GEESE. A small flock of swans was also seen, but no determination of species was made. Shelley Steva found an AMERICAN KESTREL and four ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS in Polk County on March 21st. Mike and Lori Becker at the Wetland, Pines , and Prairies Audubon Sanctuary reported that the redpolls have nearly all left and been replaced by DARK-EYED JUNCOS. An AMERICAN ROBIN was seen on March 23rd. RED-TAILED HAWK, SANDHILL CRANES, and SHORT-EARED OWL have returned to the area. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was seen near the sanctuary. Jason Eckstein reported from Rydell NWR that AMERICAN ROBINS, and AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS have returned this week. A few MALLARDS are back also. Elsewhere in the county, he observed GREAT BLUE HERON, SANDHILL CRANES, KILLDEER, an AMERICAN CROW carrying nesting material, and WESTERN MEADOWLARK as well as the raptors and grouse that are being reported by all this week. A second report of MALLARDS came from Randy Chaffee near Climax, so doubtless many more ducks are on the way following the open water areas as they move north. In Norman County, Shelley Steva saw a NORTHERN SHRIKE on March 21st. >From Becker County, Shar Legenhausen reported TRUMPETER SWANS, GREAT BLUE HERON, KILLDEER, AMERICAN ROBIN, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. Kay Hartness saw some of the same species as well as PURPLE FINCH. Joan Burke reported two GREAT BLUE HERONS, NORTHERN HARRIER, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.=20 Alma Ronningen saw a pair of AMERICAN BLUEBIRDS in Otter Tail County on March 24th, and also reported a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT, and a KILLDEER. At Glendalough State Park, Jeffrey Wiersma reports that the BALD EAGLES have returned to their nest in the park. >From Douglas County Susan Wiste saw an AMERICAN KESTREL along Highway 27 on March 21st. Thanks to Alice Sather, Jason Eckstein, Kay Hartness, John Holland, Randy Chaffee, Gary Tischer, Jeffrey Wiersma, Katie Haws, Susan Wiste, Shelley Steva, Sue Braastad, Mike and Lori Becker, Bob and Adele Powell, Alma Ronningen, and Shar Legenhausen 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 2, 2004. From jwbarrett10@msn.com Fri Mar 26 03:05:34 2004 From: jwbarrett10@msn.com (Jim Barrett) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 21:05:34 -0600 Subject: [mou] A suggestion about posting guidelines Message-ID: <003601c412df$35c7a5a0$2ef40143@oemcomputer> I think that the posting guidelines for Ontbirds, the listserve for the Ontario Field Ornithologists, would serve very well as a model for this list, as well, and would probably clear up many of the issues being discussed today. Here's the link (you may want to subscribe to it as well; it's a fun list): http://www.ofo.ca/ontbirdsguide.htm Jim Barrett Duluth From smorton@mvtvwireless.com Fri Mar 26 03:10:26 2004 From: smorton@mvtvwireless.com (Steve and Sue Morton) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 21:10:26 -0600 Subject: [mou] Controversy Message-ID: <007101c412df$e2d826c0$d4c41cd0@SteveMorton> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_006E_01C412AD.9812D630 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Well, I guess everyone is pretty stressed out! Thank you, MOU = "administrators" and volunteers for everything that you do. We all need = to say that! I am surely one of those beginners who has unintentionally = abused the system. I must say that I enjoy chatting with the more = experienced birders. I have learned a great deal about birding just = from reading the MOUnet e-mails. Let's all take a deep breath and be = respectful of one another and the guidelines. Is it possible to survey = the members in order to gather information that might be useful in = sustaining or changing the guidelines? I am new to this organization = and look forward to meeting others on my first MOU trip in April! Oh! = I really do think I had a Savannah sparrow in my backyard yesterday! Sue Morton, Cottonwood ------=_NextPart_000_006E_01C412AD.9812D630 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Well, I guess everyone is pretty = stressed=20 out!  Thank you, MOU "administrators" and volunteers for everything = that=20 you do.  We all need to say that!  I am surely one of those = beginners=20 who has unintentionally abused the system. I must say that I enjoy = chatting with=20 the more experienced birders.  I have learned a great deal about = birding=20 just from reading the MOUnet e-mails.  Let's all take a deep breath = and be=20 respectful of one another and the guidelines. Is it possible to = survey the=20 members in order to gather information that might be useful in = sustaining or=20 changing the guidelines?  I am new to this organization and look = forward to=20 meeting others on my first MOU trip in April!  Oh!  I really = do think=20 I had a Savannah sparrow in my backyard yesterday!
 
Sue Morton, Cottonwood
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_006E_01C412AD.9812D630-- From mattjim@earthlink.net Fri Mar 26 03:13:33 2004 From: mattjim@earthlink.net (James Mattsson) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 21:13:33 -0600 Subject: [mou] "Early" birds Message-ID: <410-22004352631333228@earthlink.net> ------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII This has been a most interesting (and educational) day on MOU-net. There have so far been reports of 3 species of "early" birds that are not expected for another month or more, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Common Nighthawk. One by one, each was eventually determined to be some other species that is normal for this time of year (E. Starling, Purple Finch, and American Woodcock). In at least one of these cases, the observer was contacted by someone from the listserver and asked for more specific information to be sure that a misidentification was not involved. In my view, this is a real value of a listserver - information being provided - and birders contacting each other and discussing potential ID challenges. Today, each of these reports involved misidentifications, something that we all do. But people became a bit more educated as a result of the interaction and that is, I believe, a good thing. And, who knows, tomorrow one or all of these same 3 species may actually show up somewhere in Minnesota and new records will be established. And that too is a good thing. So for the benefit of novice birders and not-so-novice birders, let's keep the lines of communication open, be respectful of each other's opinions AND the rules of the listserver, and together we'll all learn more about Minnesota birds. I think that's the general idea. And remember...it may be the "early" bird that gets ... oh, never mind. James Mattsson mattjim@earthlink.net Why Wait? Move to EarthLink. ------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII

This has been a most interesting (and educational) day on MOU-net. There
have so far been reports of 3 species of "early" birds that are not expected for another
month or more, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Common
Nighthawk. One by one, each was eventually determined to be some other
species that is normal for this time of year (E. Starling, Purple Finch,
and American Woodcock). In at least one of these cases, the observer was contacted by someone from the listserver and asked
for more specific information to be sure that a misidentification was not
involved. In my view, this is a real value of a listserver - information
being provided - and birders contacting each other and discussing potential
ID challenges. Today, each of these reports involved misidentifications,
something that we all do. But people became a bit more educated as a result of
the interaction and that is, I believe, a good thing. And, who knows, tomorrow one or all of these same 3 species may actually
show up somewhere in Minnesota and new records will be established. And that too is a good thing. So for the benefit of novice birders and not-so-novice birders, let's keep the lines of communication open, be respectful of each other's opinions AND the rules of the listserver, and together we'll all learn more about Minnesota birds. I think that's the general idea. And remember...it may be the "early" bird that gets ... oh, never mind.
 
 
James Mattsson
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
 

------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8-- From smithville4@charter.net Fri Mar 26 04:11:23 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 22:11:23 -0600 Subject: [mou] Everything is alright Message-ID: <006901c412e8$66db7eb0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0066_01C412B6.1C058C50 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This is sort of funny but you know this day was eventful and once again = I lit the match and boom! Yes Terry Brashear and I are good buddies and = I respect Terry a lot. I was very careful to not attack Terry because he = has deal with the cards he's given and do his job.=20 I just wanted to tweak them guidelines some and make it open to = everyone. Remember I am fairly certain if not correct that these = guideline were written when the MOU use to have two listserves and each = served a purpose. MOU no longer has two listserves and the one the MOU = was left with is the listserve that only wanted rare or odd sightings to = be posted on. MnBird is a affiliated bird club of the MOU and it doesn't = make sense to tell novice type MOU members or backyard birder MOU = members to go post it on MnBird and not the MOU-Net listserve and than = take there dues and say "thanks". MOU members should have the right to = use the listserve within common sense and report whatever bird or = discuss any bird related topic without throwing the hammer at them. No this is not about the "elite vs. the rank amateurs" its about going = back to the listserve the MOU was left with and rewriting the guidelines = because the MOU has changed and we need to restructure the listserve. We = are under old guidelines that don't fit the needs of the general = membership. This is not about lister vs. non lister either. I got a a lot of emails from a lot of people and I love all the support = I gotten. This Saturday there is a MOU board meeting and this issue will = be discussed. That is good. NO this will NOT be a WWE Wrestlemania = event! lol Everyone involve are good friends! I am still bringing my = steel chair in case! Mr. Mattson did a great job to put things in perspective as well. Jim B. = told me to go to hell and I fell out of my chair laughing as we are = great friends. So YES we do respect each other and like Martha Stewart = tells me each day " that is a good thing". Cheers=20 Mike Hendrickson ------=_NextPart_000_0066_01C412B6.1C058C50 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This is sort of funny but you know this = day was=20 eventful and once again I lit the match and boom! Yes Terry Brashear and = I are=20 good buddies and I respect Terry a lot. I was very careful to not attack = Terry=20 because he has deal with the cards he's given and do his job. =
 
I just wanted to tweak them guidelines = some and=20 make it open to everyone. Remember I am fairly certain if not correct = that these=20 guideline were written when the MOU use to have two listserves and each = served a=20 purpose. MOU no longer has two listserves and the one the MOU was left = with is=20 the listserve that only wanted rare or odd sightings to be posted on. = MnBird is=20 a affiliated bird club of the MOU and it doesn't make sense to tell = novice type=20 MOU members or backyard birder MOU members to go post it on MnBird and = not the=20 MOU-Net listserve and than take there dues and say "thanks".  MOU = members=20 should have the right to use the listserve within common sense and = report=20 whatever bird or discuss any bird related topic without throwing the = hammer at=20 them.
 
No this is not about the "elite vs. the = rank=20 amateurs" its about going back to the listserve the MOU was left with = and=20 rewriting the guidelines because the MOU has changed and we need to = restructure=20 the listserve. We are under old guidelines that don't fit the needs of = the=20 general membership. This is not about lister vs. non lister = either.
 
I got a a lot of emails from a lot of = people and I=20 love all the support I gotten. This Saturday there is a MOU board = meeting and=20 this issue will be discussed. That is good. NO this will NOT be a WWE=20 Wrestlemania event! lol Everyone involve are good friends! I am still = bringing=20 my steel chair in case!
 
Mr. Mattson did a great job to put = things in=20 perspective as well. Jim B. told me to go to hell and I fell out of my = chair=20 laughing as we are great friends. So YES we do respect each other = and like=20 Martha Stewart tells me each day " that is a good thing".
 
Cheers
Mike = Hendrickson
------=_NextPart_000_0066_01C412B6.1C058C50-- From RHoyme@msn.com Fri Mar 26 05:43:56 2004 From: RHoyme@msn.com (Richard Hoyme) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 23:43:56 -0600 Subject: [mou] Heard Birds References: <40632385.2030102@unidial.com> Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_07D4_01C412C3.09AC3560 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Starlings can be a big problem for birding by ear since they are great = mimics. There is a flock of them where I work and they do a perfect = Killdeer (Killdeer summer in the field next to the building) and once I = heard it do a perfect Red-tailed Hawk scream (another bird in the = neighborhood) I've also heard Starlings do a Least Flycatcher and a = Red-bellied Woodpecker. I always am on the lookout for starlings and = don't trust "heard only" if I see them in the area. Rick Hoyme Hennepin Co. ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Ann and Manley Olson=20 To: MOU ; mnbird@lists.mnbird.net ; wisbirdn@lawrence.edu=20 Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 12:23 PM Subject: [mou] Heard Birds Two experiences from yesterday that reinforce that one needs to = exercise=20 caution when identifying birds only by vocalizations heard. I heard = what=20 clearly sounded like an oriole,only to find it was a starling. At dusk = I=20 heard what I first thought was a nighthawk then the brain kicked in = with=20 "woodcock".I am sure that most of us have had similar experiences and = it=20 is just one of many things that might help new birders. Manley = Olson _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list mou-net@cbs.umn.edu http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net ------=_NextPart_000_07D4_01C412C3.09AC3560 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Starlings can be a big problem for birding by ear since they are = great=20 mimics. There is a flock of them where I work and they do a perfect = Killdeer=20 (Killdeer summer in the field next to the building) and once I heard it = do a=20 perfect Red-tailed Hawk scream (another bird in the neighborhood) I've = also=20 heard Starlings do a Least Flycatcher and a Red-bellied Woodpecker. I = always am=20 on the lookout for starlings and don't trust "heard only" if I see them = in the=20 area.
 
Rick Hoyme
Hennepin Co.
----- Original Message -----
From: Ann and Manley Olson
To: MOU ; mnbird@lists.mnbird.net ; = wisbirdn@lawrence.edu
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 = 12:23=20 PM
Subject: [mou] Heard = Birds

Two experiences from yesterday that reinforce that one = needs to=20 exercise
caution when identifying birds only by vocalizations = heard. I=20 heard what
clearly sounded like an oriole,only to find it was a = starling.=20 At dusk I
heard what I first thought was a nighthawk then the = brain kicked=20 in with
"woodcock".I am sure that most of us have had similar = experiences=20 and it
is just one of many things that might  help new=20 birders.   Manley=20 = Olson

_______________________________________________
mou-net=20 mailing list
mou-net@cbs.umn.edu
http://cbs.umn.edu/m= ailman/listinfo/mou-net
------=_NextPart_000_07D4_01C412C3.09AC3560-- From sharonks@mn.rr.com Fri Mar 26 13:09:10 2004 From: sharonks@mn.rr.com (Sharon Stiteler) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 07:09:10 -0600 Subject: [mou] Heard Birds In-Reply-To: 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. --MS_Mac_OE_3163129750_1849892_MIME_Part Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit There's a whole cult of people there who love and keep starlings as pets. Here's a link to some sound files of starlings...The one mimicking the answering machine even does up the static! http://www.starlingcentral.net/starlingmedia.htm -- Sharon Stiteler Uptown, Minneapolis --MS_Mac_OE_3163129750_1849892_MIME_Part Content-type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Re: [mou] Heard Birds
There's a whole cult of people there who love and keep starlings as pets. &= nbsp;Here's a link to some sound files of starlings...The one mimicking the = answering machine even does up the static!

http://www.starlingcentral.net/starlingmedia.htm


--
Sharon Stiteler
Uptown, Minneapolis


--MS_Mac_OE_3163129750_1849892_MIME_Part-- From slafleur@mchsi.com Fri Mar 26 16:04:00 2004 From: slafleur@mchsi.com (sharrie) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 08:04:00 -0800 Subject: [mou] black& white duck-scott Message-ID: <009e01c4134b$f3bc5ee0$a658d70c@mchsi.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_009B_01C41308.E555FB60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable now iam afraid to even say what kind of birds i have seen.. hehehe .. = after the snow goose incident..(smile) .. i looked back at the pictures = i took.. and i can see where i was wrong.. and the bill on the swan.. = but she is very pretty... but over by our high school their is a = secluded pond.. where i usually sit and watch for the hawks.. i saw the = pair of red tails circling around again.. but then i saw a black and = white duck.. mostly black but white on the head is this a bufflehead or = the hooded merganser..or ?? .. the female was just kind of brown..i hate = to say it but my eyes are horrible for distance...i didnt notice any = white underneath the male sharrie is it still ok for me to post to this group...?? ------=_NextPart_000_009B_01C41308.E555FB60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
now iam afraid to even say what kind of birds i = have=20 seen.. hehehe .. after the snow goose incident..(smile) .. i looked back = at the=20 pictures i took.. and i can see where i was wrong.. and the bill on the = swan..=20 but she is very pretty... but over by our high school their is a = secluded pond..=20 where i usually sit and watch for the hawks.. i saw the pair of red = tails=20 circling around again.. but then i saw a black and white duck.. = mostly=20 black but white on the head is this a bufflehead or the=20 hooded merganser..or ?? .. the female was just kind of brown..i = hate to say=20 it but my eyes are horrible for distance...i didnt notice any white = underneath=20 the male
sharrie
 
is it still ok for me to post to this=20 group...??
 
 
------=_NextPart_000_009B_01C41308.E555FB60-- From anderson.diane@mayo.edu Fri Mar 26 01:05:03 2004 From: anderson.diane@mayo.edu (Anderson, Diane M.(QC)) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 19:05:03 -0600 Subject: [mou] Guidelines Message-ID: We have been through this before. The original Minnesota birding listserve, MnBird, has and will always welcome any sightings and birdly related discussions. In a divisive split, the MOU set up a website that was to have the purpose of serving MOU members with rare and unusual bird sightings, along with MOU business related items. That was the original intent and remains so today, I think. Some MOU members, for personal reasons, refuse to post sightings to the MnBird listserve, although most subscribe to both listserves and thus occasionally get duplicate posts. It works the other direction as well. Intelligent, unselfish birders whose main goal is to share bird sightings will often forward the appropriate sightings that get posted to only one website so no one goes uninformed. Keep the language clean, tempers in check, and post rare stuff to both sites and everyday stuff to MnBird. My advice is to subscribe to both and share and learn all you can. Getting caught u p in name-calling and taking sides is a huge waste of valuable birding time, and does absolutely no good any of us. Just think of what you are missing out there! Could be a Cinnamon Teal! Diane M. Anderson RT(R) Medical Imaging Technical Services Department of Radiology Mayo Clinic Rochester (507) 266-8504 anderson.diane@mayo.edu From bmessersmith@comcast.net Fri Mar 26 04:39:50 2004 From: bmessersmith@comcast.net (Robert Messersmith) Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 22:39:50 -0600 Subject: [mou] Where's the love? References: <1d0.1cf0ff8b.2d94df3a@aol.com> Message-ID: <005001c412ec$60543650$e7ef2942@Bob> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_004D_01C412BA.15664F20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Amen!!!!! I am a casual birder. I like to watch birds and keep a list. My list is = not nearly so extensive as some of the listers on here (160 birds or so) = but I like birding so I keep track of them because they are fun to = watch, interesting and frankly, it is fun to try to match the bird that = just flew away with the pictures in the book. I am no where near the = sophistication and knowledge must of you have about birds.=20 I read this list because on occasion, when I have the time, my wife and = I will get in the car and chase some bird that I have not seen before = because some serious birder says is in someone's yard and told us about = it on the list.=20 So it is a little discouraging, as a new birder to read this list and = see people who I admire as serious knowledge birds acting so = irrationally.=20 A good friend of mine, who fought in Viet Nam once said "If no one died, = no one lost a limb and no one is bleeding, don't sweat it".=20 Some of us disagree. Big deal. Let's move on and look at some birds. . ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Lanl1965@aol.com=20 To: mou-net@cbs.umn.edu=20 Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 7:19 PM Subject: [mou] Where's the love? Folks,enough's enough!Now I know why the DFL and the GOP are always = fighting instead of working together , to say nothing of the Israelis = and Palestinians! We're just talking birds here.There's definitely a Bob = Dylan song in here somewhere. leo lantz fargo,nd ------=_NextPart_000_004D_01C412BA.15664F20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Amen!!!!!
 
I am a casual birder.  I like to watch birds and keep a list. = My list=20 is not nearly so extensive as some of the listers on here (160 birds or = so) but=20 I like birding so I keep track of them because they are fun to = watch,=20 interesting and frankly, it is fun to try to match the = bird that=20 just flew away with the pictures in the book. I am no where near the=20 sophistication and knowledge must of you have about birds.
 
I read this list because on occasion, when I have the time, my wife = and I=20 will get in the car and chase some bird that I have not seen before = because some=20 serious birder says is in someone's yard and told us about it on the = list.=20
 
So it is a little discouraging, as a new birder to read this = list and=20 see people who I admire as serious knowledge birds acting so = irrationally.=20
 
A good friend of mine, who fought in Viet Nam once said "If no one = died, no=20 one lost a  limb and no one is bleeding, don't sweat it".
 
Some of us disagree. Big deal. Let's move on and look at some = birds.=20 .
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Lanl1965@aol.com=20
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2004 = 7:19=20 PM
Subject: [mou] Where's the = love?

Folks,enough's enough!Now I know why the DFL and the GOP are = always=20 fighting instead of working together , to say nothing of the Israelis = and=20 Palestinians! We're just talking birds here.There's definitely a Bob = Dylan=20 song in here somewhere.
leo lantz
fargo,nd
------=_NextPart_000_004D_01C412BA.15664F20-- From tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu Fri Mar 26 17:21:36 2004 From: tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu (Houghton, Timothy D. ) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 11:21:36 -0600 Subject: [mou] purple finches, Clear Lake Message-ID: <22ECDF671FCD564398087D64CFCF46BDD5BC39@EXCHANGE.campus.stcloudstate.edu> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C41356.CB1E0D7B Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable It's been months, but purple finches are back at my feeders in Clear = Lake. I'm having fewer redpolls, and as they go down in numbers, the = goldfinches increase. Tim Houghton ------_=_NextPart_001_01C41356.CB1E0D7B Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable purple finches, Clear Lake

It's been months, but purple finches are back at my = feeders in Clear Lake. I'm having fewer redpolls, and as they go down in = numbers, the goldfinches increase.

Tim Houghton

------_=_NextPart_001_01C41356.CB1E0D7B-- From odunamis@yahoo.com Fri Mar 26 18:13:06 2004 From: odunamis@yahoo.com (Chad Heins) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:13:06 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] Mankato, Pine Siskins Message-ID: <20040326181306.31885.qmail@web10503.mail.yahoo.com> Hey birders, After going out one evening in the Kasota Prairie area and hearing my first American Woodcocks and Eastern Meadowlarks of the year, I was returned to winter bliss by a pair of Pine Siskins at my feeders yesterday. Great Blue Herons have also arrived. Chad Heins Mankato, MN __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From connyb@mycidco.com Fri Mar 26 12:48:41 2004 From: connyb@mycidco.com (Conny Brunell) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 12:48:41 Subject: [mou] Greater Yellowlegs, Dakota Co. Message-ID: This morning Leslie Marcus, Susan Schumacher and I went to Lake Byllesby in Dakota Co. We flushed up an American Woodcock on the way down to the shoreline to check for Shorebirds. While we were scaning the vast mudflats 2 Greater Yellowlegs came in calling, and stuck around. The Dunlin that Jim Mattsson found was still there. We heard Eastern Meadowlarks, and Eastern Bluebirds singing, and had aTurkey Vulture fly over. At 140th St Marsh there was a good selection of ducks, and 2 Pied-billed Grebes. Conny Brunell Richfield, Hennepin Cty connyb@mycidco.com From two-jays@att.net Fri Mar 26 22:13:26 2004 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:13:26 -0800 Subject: [mou] messages on MOU-net Message-ID: Geez, I leave town for two days to do some birding and miss all the excitement. In brief, Membership in the MOU is determined by sending a check, not by volunteering or by any particular level of knowledge about birds. Volunteering, admirable and to be encouraged, does not give the volunteer a superior level of membership. The meaning of is in the mind of the beholder. And if the MOU accepts a person as member I find it hard to imagine not allowing that member to participate as fully as any other member in all activities offered by the organization, including this network, at the participant's level of interest and skill. Thanks, Mike, for opening this discussion. Jim Williams Wayzata From fredericksonr@willmar.k12.mn.us Fri Mar 26 21:20:55 2004 From: fredericksonr@willmar.k12.mn.us (fredericksonr@willmar.k12.mn.us) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:20:55 -0600 Subject: [mou] Conservation, Tongass Action Message-ID: >Reply-To: >From: "Kirsten Collings" >To: >Subject: Tongass Action >Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 16:20:13 -0600 >MIME-Version: 1.0 >X-Priority: 3 (Normal) >X-MSMail-Priority: Normal >X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 >Importance: Normal >X-ELNK-Trace: >16f41d0e2cfa590d4ee4887838ffd45f239a348a220c2609cf5ffe902804c6280b04875a051= 855bd >350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c350badd9bab72f9c >X-RCPT-TO: >Status: U > As an MOU conservation committee member I am occasionally contacted to pass along information to MOU members via this list serve. Following is a request from the Alaska Coalition, of which the MOU is a member. Randy Frederickson face=3D"Times New Roman" color=3D#000000>Hi Randy, It was great to t= alk with you this morning. Thanks so much for helping us protect our roadless areas in the Tongass National Forest, one of America's only temperate rainforests. With enough letters and calls to Timber Products Company, we hope to i> nfluence their decision to re-open the veneer mill in Ketchikan, Alaska.=20 > >The sample fax to TPC is attached as a word document to this email. Feel >free to change it to make it representative of your organization. *ALSO* >please email or fax me a copy of the letter you send for our records -- >this is really helpful for us. > >The email alert about the Call-In day next week is in the text of this >message below. Thanks for passing this on to your members and/or other >listservs which you are a part of. It would be great if you could send >out an email late this week as well as either Monday or Tuesday as a >reminder.=20 > >Thanks again for your help and dedication as a member of the Alaska >Coalition! > >Sincerely, >Kirsten > >Kirsten Collings >Field Organizer >Alaska Coalition of MN > >1313 Se 5th St. #111 >Minneapolis, MN 55414 >(work) 612.623.3139 >(fax) 612.627.4050 >kirsten@alaskacoalition.org > >Help Stop the Tongass from Becoming Plywood! > > Help out in the national call in day for the Tongass National Forest on >Monday, March 29th and Tuesday March 30th! Call Timber Products Company >at: 1-888-744-7861 > > >**PLEASE EMAIL kirsten@alaskacoalition.org TO LET US KNOW THAT YOU CALLED >TPC SO THAT WE KNOW HOW EFFECTIVE THIS EFFORT IS - THANKS!** > > > >Read on for more details: > > > > >Background on the Tongass: > >The Tongass National Forest in Alaska represents the largest intact >temperate rainforest left in the world, it is the Amazon of North >America. The Tongass is a remote coastal rainforest with centuries-old >trees providing critical habitat for wolves, bears, salmon and bald eagles >that have nearly disappeared from the rest of the country. > >The steep mountains and many islands that epitomize the Tongass also make >it one of the most expensive forests to log, and as a result, the Tongass >timber program has been losing taxpayer money for decades. According to >GAO calculations, industrial scale logging in the Tongass has cost the >American taxpayer over $500 million since 1992. As taxpayers foot the >bill for these logging projects, the private logging companies haul away >old-growth trees at rock bottom prices. > > > >What is left of the Tongass? After decades of logging, industry has >cleared most of the forests=92 biggest and best trees. For more informatio= n >about the Tongass and the call in day, go to www.akrain.org. > > =20 > >The Villain: Timber Products Company > > > >=20 > > > >Timber Products Company (TPC), based in Oregon, is in negotiations to >re-open a veneer mill in Ketchikan, Alaska that would require logging old >growth, roadless areas in the Tongass to make veneer, a product used in >making plywood. > > > >=20 > > > >According to the U.S. Forest Service, running the veneer mill profitably >was contingent upon the removal of the Tongass from the Clinton era >Roadless Rule. In preliminary negotiations, the Forest Service promised >to work to provide a supply of trees from pristine roadless areas >formerly protected by the Roadless Rule. This is the last stop! Remember, >EVERY tree cut from the Tongass is still an old growth tree. Help stop >them from becoming plywood! > > > >=20 > > > >=20 > > > >Flood the Phone Lines! > > > >=20 > > > >You can defend the Tongass by calling TPC directly and urge them to >withdraw from negotiations to re-open the Ketchikan veneer mill. If they >stop negotiations, we=92ll stop calling them! > > > >Place your call anytime on Monday, March 29th and Tuesday, March 30th. > > > >Call Timber Products Company at: > > > >1-888-744-7861 > > > >=20 > > 1. Ask to speak to Joe Gonyea (chief operating officer). 2. Tell him (or >the person who probably won=92t let you talk to Joe) that TPC needs to sta= y >out of the Tongass! 3. Tell them that you will not purchase any TPC >products if they run the veneer mill in Ketchikan. Get the Word Out! > Please pass this email to other organizations you know that would like >to stop the Tongass from becoming plywood! Attached is a fact sheet that >can be printed off and handed out. We need to get as many people to call >as possible. Call each day! > > > >=20 > > >Attachment converted: Macintosh HD:TPC Action Fact Sheet (3-04).do >(WDBN/MSWD) (00025452) >Attachment converted: Macintosh HD:Organization Letter to TPC.doc >(WDBN/MSWD) (00025453) > From falcon@taloncom.net Fri Mar 26 20:19:08 2004 From: falcon@taloncom.net (falcon@taloncom.net) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:19:08 -0600 Subject: [mou] Bulletin Board Message-ID: <4.3.1.2.20040326141228.00bdc860@pop3.scc.net> A quick and to-the-point bulletin board for MOU business and RBA sightings are good ideas. David, Terry, et al ... thank you for your good work. - Edward L. From fredericksonr@willmar.k12.mn.us Fri Mar 26 21:54:03 2004 From: fredericksonr@willmar.k12.mn.us (fredericksonr@willmar.k12.mn.us) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:54:03 -0600 Subject: [mou] complimentary list serves Message-ID: As Diane Anderson pointed out so well in her earlier e-mail, the two Minnesota list serves were set up with two separate agendas. Carol and Paul Schumacher set up and continue to coordinate Mnbird, the original birding list serve in MN, which invites all bird sightings, questions, etc. The idea was/is wonderful and they continue to do a great job. MOU-net was set up to communicate MOU business to its members and (primarily?) promote bird discussions, UNUSUAL observations, etc. However, MOU-net was NOT set up to report "today's bird sightings" or "I saw my first robin today" etc. It's intent was, in part, to offer members a service that COMPLIMENTED Mnbird by NOT replicating it. It offers weekly RBAs (Rare Bird Alerts) and asks its subscribers to please follow the posting suggestions, which ARE more restrictive in nature. (They are meant to be so). I, for one, subscribe to both list serves because they (are supposed to) offer different information. People who consistently post all their sightings to both list serves are (probably) not using at least one correctly. If both list-serves are used as they were intended, Minnesota birders are offered a greater choice, for which I am grateful. Thank you to ALL THE LIST SERVE providers and technicians. They do a wonderful job of keeping us informed and all their work is volunteer! Randy Frederickson Willmar From tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu Fri Mar 26 21:15:24 2004 From: tdhoughton@stcloudstate.edu (Houghton, Timothy D. ) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:15:24 -0600 Subject: [mou] phoebes, Clear Lake Message-ID: <22ECDF671FCD564398087D64CFCF46BDD5BC3A@EXCHANGE.campus.stcloudstate.edu> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C41377.744262A4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable It's always interesting to note when phoebes show up in the spring. The = ones in my immediate area are back today, for the first time--at least = the one or two I heard today. Forgive if they've already been = reported--I may have missed earlier reports of them on the listserve. Tim Houghton (Clear Lake) ------_=_NextPart_001_01C41377.744262A4 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable phoebes, Clear Lake

It's always interesting to note when phoebes show up = in the spring. The ones in my immediate area are back today, for the = first time--at least the one or two I heard today. Forgive if they've = already been reported--I may have missed earlier reports of them on the = listserve.

Tim Houghton
(Clear Lake)

------_=_NextPart_001_01C41377.744262A4-- From lnygren@pol.net Fri Mar 26 22:29:36 2004 From: lnygren@pol.net (lnygren@pol.net) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 17:29:36 -0500 (EST) Subject: [mou] complimentary list serves In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <51532.10.250.10.1.1080340176.squirrel@sq04.pol.net> As a newcomer to the lists, but veteran of other lists with "restrictions", I think it makes sense to keep the mou list more focused and encourage folks to subscribe to mnbird for more general bird discussions. It would help to give a link or instructions for subscribing to the complementary list to make it easier for those who do not already subscribe to both, especially when making this suggestion to a newcomer. http://linux.winona.msus.edu/mnbird/mnbird_main.html Thanks to list contributors, and to moderators for occasional gentle reminders. -Linda Nygren (St Paul, MN) > As Diane Anderson pointed out so well in her earlier e-mail, the two > Minnesota list serves were set up with two separate agendas. > > Carol and Paul Schumacher set up and continue to coordinate Mnbird, the > original birding list serve in MN, which invites all bird sightings, > questions, etc. The idea was/is wonderful and they continue to do a > great job. > > MOU-net was set up to communicate MOU business to its members and > (primarily?) promote bird discussions, UNUSUAL observations, etc. > However, MOU-net was NOT set up to report "today's bird sightings" or "I > saw my first robin today" etc. It's intent was, in part, to offer > members a service that COMPLIMENTED Mnbird by NOT replicating it. It > offers weekly RBAs (Rare Bird Alerts) and asks its subscribers to please > follow the posting suggestions, which ARE more restrictive in nature. > (They are meant to be so). > > I, for one, subscribe to both list serves because they (are supposed to) > offer different information. People who consistently post all their > sightings to both list serves are (probably) not using at least one > correctly. > > If both list-serves are used as they were intended, Minnesota birders > are offered a greater choice, for which I am grateful. > > Thank you to ALL THE LIST SERVE providers and technicians. They do a > wonderful job of keeping us informed and all their work is volunteer! > > Randy Frederickson > Willmar > > > > > _______________________________________________ > mou-net mailing list > mou-net@cbs.umn.edu > http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net From dandersn@prodigy.net Fri Mar 26 22:49:38 2004 From: dandersn@prodigy.net (Diane) Date: Fri, 26 Mar 2004 16:49:38 -0600 Subject: [mou] complimentary list serves In-Reply-To: <51532.10.250.10.1.1080340176.squirrel@sq04.pol.net> References: Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20040326164741.00a590d0@pop.prodigy.net> Great Idea Linda!  Only the website that should be contacted can be found at this link:

http://www.mnbird.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mnbird


At 05:29 PM 3/26/2004 -0500, you wrote:
As a newcomer to the lists, but veteran of other lists with
"restrictions", I think it makes sense to keep the mou list more focused
and encourage folks to subscribe to mnbird for more general bird
discussions. It would help to give a link or instructions for subscribing
to the complementary list to make it easier for those who do not already
subscribe to both, especially when making this suggestion to a newcomer.

http://linux.winona.msus.edu/mnbird/mnbird_main.html

Diane Anderson
Byron, MN
Olmsted County
Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun
 From Steve Weston" A Great Horn Owl is on a nest visible from Hwy 55 in Plymouth at mile marker 178. This is between CR101 (south) and CR 9 &24. The nest is on the north side of the highway behind a white shack (abandoned?). Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan sweston2@comcast.net From cfagyal@avianphotos.org Sat Mar 27 22:54:39 2004 From: cfagyal@avianphotos.org (Chris Fagyal) Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 16:54:39 -0600 Subject: [mou] Dakota County Birdin' Message-ID: <4066062F.9090603@avianphotos.org> Went around various parts of Dakota County this morn before it started raining. Highlights included: 140th St Marsh ----------------- American Widgeon Green-winged Teal Blue-winged Teal Gadwall Pied-billed Grebe Northern Shoveler Emery Ave near 160th ------------------------ Loggerhead Shrike 180th St Marsh ---------------- Eastern Bluebirds Is March 27th relatively early for loggerheads? Last year my first sighting of them was on the 12th of April, though maybe that isn't indicative of relative arrival date, as I didn't do much birding the first two weeks of April or the last week of March (only 2 dates between 3/23 and 4/12). Cheers, Chris From dory21@juno.com Sun Mar 28 13:55:17 2004 From: dory21@juno.com (Dory Spence) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 07:55:17 -0600 Subject: [mou] Downtown Woodcock Message-ID: <20040328.075517.3616.0.dory21@juno.com> There was a Woodcock in the front yard of our condo this AM. On Summit Ave St. Paul, on the edge of downtown. ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! From connyb@mycidco.com Sun Mar 28 12:03:03 2004 From: connyb@mycidco.com (Conny Brunell) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 12:03:03 Subject: [mou] Migration at Wood Lake, Hennepin Co. Message-ID: Walking this morning at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, Hennepin Co following a storm from the night before, and seeing what blew in was a great way to enjoy the new migrants. The woods were filled with songs, and the melodious whistles of the many Fox Sparrows permeated the brisk air. The Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were vocal, displaying raised crests. The splotches of open water were filled with the newly arrived Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, Coots, Gadwall, Hooded Mergansers, Bufflehead, Ring-necked, Wooduck, and a Common Goldeneye pair. The Coopers Hawk was moving around to many vantage points calling loudly, and I have not seen a mate yet. A Northern Flicker's prolonged loud call, and 2 pair of Eastern Bluebirds hanging close to the nesting boxes. Conny Brunell Richfield, Hennepin Cty connyb@mycidco.com From BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM Sun Mar 28 18:28:19 2004 From: BXWilliams@CBBURNET.COM (Williams, Bob) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 12:28:19 -0600 Subject: [mou] New Arrivals at Pet Trails, Murphy-Hanrehan, Scott County Message-ID: <954398EF1F830749868583446DBCE7EB1290170A@min-nrt-exch1.min.nrtinc.nrt> My first morning walk in several days yielded 40 species including several firsts for the year. The most interesting were: Vesper Sparrow 1 Tree Swallow 2 Another Sandhill Crane flew over when I arrived and the place was crawling with Song Sparrows. The water levels are the lowest I have seen out there, so shorebirds might find it to their liking as the spring progresses. Bob Williams, Bloomington From brsmith@sleepyeyetel.net Sun Mar 28 22:25:58 2004 From: brsmith@sleepyeyetel.net (Brian Smith) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 16:25:58 -0600 Subject: [mou] Snowy Owl/Renville Co. Message-ID: <015c01c41513$a50de650$228a2c42@S0026080567> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0159_01C414E1.59DADFD0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sorry this post is late (I was on my way join Kim Eckert's MBW group at = the time and I didn't get back home until today) but on Saturday, 3-27 = at 10:45 am I found a Snowy Owl in southern Renville county. I was = traveling south on Hwy. 4 when I saw it flying north on the west side of = the highway. I turned around as quickly as I could and fortunately it = landed in a stubble field a few hundred feet from the highway on the = east side of Hwy. 4. I was returning from a New Ulm Birders field trip = near Fairfax at the time and after a few minutes some of the other = members of the group came by and I was able to flag them down and they = got good looks at the bird, too. The Snowy Owl was an adult as it was almost pure white. The approximate = location where it was seen was between Renville Co. Rd 77 and 39 (I = think it was 39 - whatever the next co. road is north of 77, they = weren't far apart), just a mile or so north of Fort Ridgely State Park. Brian Smith ------=_NextPart_000_0159_01C414E1.59DADFD0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Sorry this post is late (I was on my = way join Kim=20 Eckert's MBW group at the time and I didn't get back home until today) = but on=20 Saturday, 3-27 at 10:45 am I found a Snowy Owl in southern Renville=20 county.  I was traveling south on Hwy. 4 when I saw it flying north = on the=20 west side of the highway.  I turned around as quickly as I could = and=20 fortunately it landed in a stubble field a few hundred feet from = the=20 highway on the east side of Hwy. 4.  I was returning from a New Ulm = Birders=20 field trip near Fairfax at the time and after a few minutes some of the = other=20 members of the group came by and I was able to flag them down and they = got good=20 looks at the bird, too.
 
The Snowy Owl was an adult as it was = almost pure=20 white.  The approximate location where it was seen was between = Renville Co.=20 Rd 77 and 39 (I think it was 39 - whatever the next co. road is north of = 77,=20 they weren't far apart), just a mile or so north of Fort Ridgely State=20 Park.
 
Brian Smith
------=_NextPart_000_0159_01C414E1.59DADFD0-- From smithville4@charter.net Mon Mar 29 00:03:27 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 18:03:27 -0600 Subject: [mou] St. Louis River Birds Message-ID: <001001c41521$4311f190$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C414EE.F84219B0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Today I took a nice walk along the St. Louis River and saw the following = birds. Tundra Swans: 3 birds in a small open piece of water on Mud Lake Hooded Merganser: 2 males flying near the highway 23 bridge Lots of Robins Juncos, Red-wing Blackbirds and Grackles. I noticed a lot = of Bald Eagles sitting on the ice on Mud Lake. waiting for the sun to come out. Mike H. Duluth ------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C414EE.F84219B0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Today I took a nice walk along the St. = Louis River=20 and saw the following birds.
 
Tundra Swans: 3 birds in a small open = piece of=20 water on Mud Lake
 
Hooded Merganser: 2 males flying near = the highway=20 23 bridge
 
Lots of Robins Juncos, Red-wing = Blackbirds and=20 Grackles. I noticed a lot of Bald Eagles sitting on the ice on Mud=20 Lake.
 
waiting for the sun to come = out.
 
Mike H.
Duluth
------=_NextPart_000_000D_01C414EE.F84219B0-- From Bjboreal@aol.com Mon Mar 29 02:13:21 2004 From: Bjboreal@aol.com (Bjboreal@aol.com) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 21:13:21 EST Subject: [mou] Westskyline Hawk Count-Update Message-ID: <1c9.170be996.2d98e041@aol.com> Westskyline Hawkwatch, Duluth, MN. Flight continues at the WSHC.=20 The 26th saw a nice flight of 132 raptors, mainly Bald eagles, but the day=20 was highlighted with a male Kestrel and an adult Red-shouldered Hawk (rare=20 anytime). There was no count on the 27th with dense fog and freezing drizzle in am.=20 hour.=20 Today's flight was short and brief, but explosive. Fog and rain kept us from= =20 counting until 11:30 when the rain quit and the fog lifted. Then came=20 south-southwest winds 10-20mph. From 11:30-2:00 we counted 216 raptors mostl= y low, eye=20 or below eye level giving us spectacular looks at most of the raptors. The=20 count is as follows: Turkey Vulture-1 (first), Bald Eagle-175, Northern=20 Harrier-1, Sharp-shinned Hawk-5, Copper's Hawk-1, Red-tailed Hawk-31 includi= ng an=20 adult Krider's, and Rough-legged Hawk-2.=20 Other migrant noted today was a Killdeer, few flocks of Redpolls, 100 or so=20 Canada Geese. There were also more of migrant around in numbers like grackle= s,=20 Robins, junco's and Red-winged Blackbirds. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in the hawkwatch and=20 need any information. =20 February 23-March 28 YTD Total Turkey Vulture-1 Osprey-0=20 Bald Eagle-2117 Northern Harrier-2 Sharp-shinned Hawk-13 Cooper's Hawk-4 Northern Goshawk-13 Red-shouldered Hawk-1 Broad-winged Hawk-0 Red-tailed Hawk-94 Swainson's Hawk-0 =20 Rough-legged Hawk-17 Golden Eagle-81 Am. Kestrel-1 Merlin-0 Peregrine-1 =20 TOTAL-2345 =20 Submitted by: Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman Duluth, Minnesota =20 Hawk Watch Site: West Skyline Hawk Count Location: West Skyline Parkway, Duluth, Minnesota 55804 GPS: Lat. N 46=E2=88=9E50'48.0" and Long. W 92=E2=88=9E01'53.5" Coverage: Late Feb - Late May From slafleur@mchsi.com Mon Mar 29 04:51:27 2004 From: slafleur@mchsi.com (sharrie) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 20:51:27 -0800 Subject: [mou] Re: [mnbird] Snowy Owl/Renville Co. References: <015c01c41513$a50de650$228a2c42@S0026080567> Message-ID: <001301c41549$7ef99be0$a658d70c@mchsi.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C41506.709C6020 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This winter i found a snow owl that looked like it had either hit the = guard rail when flying low, or a car... made me want to cry.. they are = so pretty.......sigh... sharrie ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Brian Smith=20 To: mnbird ; MOU=20 Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 2:25 PM Subject: [mnbird] Snowy Owl/Renville Co. Sorry this post is late (I was on my way join Kim Eckert's MBW group = at the time and I didn't get back home until today) but on Saturday, = 3-27 at 10:45 am I found a Snowy Owl in southern Renville county. I was = traveling south on Hwy. 4 when I saw it flying north on the west side of = the highway. I turned around as quickly as I could and fortunately it = landed in a stubble field a few hundred feet from the highway on the = east side of Hwy. 4. I was returning from a New Ulm Birders field trip = near Fairfax at the time and after a few minutes some of the other = members of the group came by and I was able to flag them down and they = got good looks at the bird, too. The Snowy Owl was an adult as it was almost pure white. The = approximate location where it was seen was between Renville Co. Rd 77 = and 39 (I think it was 39 - whatever the next co. road is north of 77, = they weren't far apart), just a mile or so north of Fort Ridgely State = Park. Brian Smith ------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C41506.709C6020 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This winter i found a snow owl that = looked like it=20 had either hit the guard rail when flying low, or a car... made me want = to cry..=20 they are so pretty.......sigh...
sharrie
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Brian=20 Smith
To: mnbird ; MOU
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 = 2:25=20 PM
Subject: [mnbird] Snowy = Owl/Renville=20 Co.

Sorry this post is late (I was on my = way join Kim=20 Eckert's MBW group at the time and I didn't get back home until today) = but on=20 Saturday, 3-27 at 10:45 am I found a Snowy Owl in southern Renville=20 county.  I was traveling south on Hwy. 4 when I saw it flying = north on=20 the west side of the highway.  I turned around as quickly as I = could and=20 fortunately it landed in a stubble field a few hundred feet from = the=20 highway on the east side of Hwy. 4.  I was returning from a New = Ulm=20 Birders field trip near Fairfax at the time and after a few minutes = some of=20 the other members of the group came by and I was able to flag them = down and=20 they got good looks at the bird, too.
 
The Snowy Owl was an adult as it was = almost pure=20 white.  The approximate location where it was seen was between = Renville=20 Co. Rd 77 and 39 (I think it was 39 - whatever the next co. road is = north of=20 77, they weren't far apart), just a mile or so north of Fort Ridgely = State=20 Park.
 
Brian = Smith
------=_NextPart_000_0010_01C41506.709C6020-- From cerulean1966@msn.com Mon Mar 29 04:18:18 2004 From: cerulean1966@msn.com (Dave Bartkey) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 22:18:18 -0600 Subject: [mou] Rice County today Message-ID: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C41512.9292B7E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi everybody, Today, just one day after ice out (mostly) on our area lakes, I had a = Common Loon on Cannon Lake. Later, at River Bend Nature Center, I = finally saw my first Fox Sparrows of the year. I also had 3 Eastern = Phoebes, and a single Filed Sparrow feeding with numerous Song Sparrows. = Other interesting species seen today included Ruddy Duck, Barred Owl, = Northern Harrier and Winter Wren. Good birding! Dave Bartkey Faribault, MN cerulean1966@msn.com ------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C41512.9292B7E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi everybody,
  Today, just one day after ice out (mostly) on our area = lakes, I had=20 a Common Loon on Cannon Lake. Later, at River Bend Nature Center, I = finally saw=20 my first Fox Sparrows of the year. I also had 3 Eastern Phoebes, and a = single=20 Filed Sparrow feeding with numerous Song Sparrows. Other interesting = species=20 seen today included Ruddy Duck, Barred Owl, Northern Harrier and Winter=20 Wren.
 
Good birding!
 
Dave Bartkey
Faribault, MN
------=_NextPart_000_0003_01C41512.9292B7E0-- From smithville4@charter.net Mon Mar 29 04:23:20 2004 From: smithville4@charter.net (Michael Hendrickson) Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 22:23:20 -0600 Subject: [mou] MOU April Trips Message-ID: <000e01c41545$916468e0$a7a87044@family> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C41513.46715190 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello: On April 3-4 this coming weekend the MOU is going to bird in Lac Qui = Parle, Big Stone and Yellow Medicine counties. So far there are 17 = birders signed up and ready to go and I can take a few more!=20 We are based in Montevideo and we are meeting at the Country Kitchen = Restaurant in Montevideo. To get there follow Hwy 212 west from = Montevideo. We will meet at 7:00am in the parking lot. On April 17-18 the MOU will be birding for two days in Polk, Marshall = counties. We will be based out of Crookston, Mn. We will meet at the = McDonalds Restaurant which is next to the American Inn on Hwy. 75. We = will meet at 7:00am in the McD's parking lot. I have 12 birders signed up for this trip and I can take more birders on = this trip. These trips are at no cost, they are open to all levels of birding and = to all that want to come along. I would encourage you to sign up to be a = member of the MOU for these field trip offerings.=20 These trips are fun and my co-leaders are excellent. We see a lot of = good birds, we have fun and joke a lot, we answers all your questions = about birds we are seeing or finding and we just make it fun for all! =20 Also please check out the Minnesota Ornithologist Union web site to see = other trip this spring that we are offering. If you want to sign up for = any of the field trips please email me at smithville4@charter.net Mike Hendrickson MOU Field Trip Chairman ------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C41513.46715190 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hello:
 
On April 3-4 this coming weekend the = MOU is going=20 to bird in Lac Qui Parle, Big Stone and Yellow Medicine counties. So far = there=20 are 17 birders signed up and ready to go and I can take a few more!=20
 
We are based in Montevideo and we are = meeting at=20 the Country Kitchen Restaurant in Montevideo. To get there follow Hwy = 212 west=20 from Montevideo. We will meet at 7:00am in the parking lot.
 
On April 17-18 the MOU will be birding = for two days=20 in Polk, Marshall counties. We will be based out of Crookston, Mn. = We will=20 meet at the McDonalds Restaurant which is next to the American Inn on = Hwy. 75.=20 We will meet at 7:00am in the McD's parking lot.
 
I have 12 birders signed up for this = trip and I can=20 take more birders on this trip.
 
These trips are at no cost, they are = open to all=20 levels of birding and to all that want to come along. I would encourage = you to=20 sign up to be a member of the MOU for these field trip offerings. =
 
These trips are fun and my co-leaders = are=20 excellent. We see a lot of good birds, we have fun and joke a lot, we = answers=20 all your questions about birds we are seeing or finding and we just make = it fun=20 for all! 
 
Also please check out the Minnesota = Ornithologist=20 Union web site to see other trip this spring that we are offering. If = you want=20 to sign up for any of the field trips please email me at smithville4@charter.net
 
Mike Hendrickson
MOU Field Trip = Chairman
------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C41513.46715190-- From Chris Benson" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_023B_01C41569.791F4BA0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi all. Saturday John and Chris Hockema found a Loggerhead Shrike on Olmsted county Rd 102, 1/2 mile north of US Hwy 14 east of Rochester. The bird was just north of the farmhouse that sits north of the railroad = tracks. A couple hours later I found another Loggerhead Shrike in western = Olmsted county along county Rd 5. The bird was 1 1/4 miles south of US Hwy 14 south of = Byron. This is a good 12 miles, maybe 15 miles west of the first bird so I'm = pretty sure it's a different bird. A couple hours after that John and Christopher found a Ross' Goose at the Viola Pond. Yes, the Viola Pond. Proves anything can show up anywhere. It's on Olmsted county 2 about a 1/10 of a mile west of MN Hwy 42. Across the road from the elevator. Unbelievable. On a less rare note Saturday I had a Fox Sparrow at my feeders, which = was replaced yesterday by a Song Sparrow, which was replaced this morning by an Eastern = Bluebird. City bluebirds are cool... Everyday something new comes along. Chris Benson Rochester, MN ------=_NextPart_000_023B_01C41569.791F4BA0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi all.
 
Saturday John and Chris Hockema found a = Loggerhead=20 Shrike on
Olmsted county Rd 102, 1/2 mile north = of US Hwy 14=20 east of Rochester.
The bird was just north of the = farmhouse that sits=20 north of the railroad tracks.
 
A couple hours later I found another = Loggerhead=20 Shrike in western Olmsted county
along county Rd 5. The bird was 1 1/4 = miles south=20 of US Hwy 14 south of Byron.
This is a good 12 miles, maybe 15 miles = west of the=20 first bird so I'm pretty sure it's a different bird.
 
 A couple hours after that John = and=20 Christopher found a Ross' Goose
at the Viola Pond.
Yes, the Viola Pond.  Proves = anything can=20 show up anywhere.
It's on Olmsted = county 2 about a 1/10 of a mile west of MN Hwy = 42.
Across the road from the = elevator.
Unbelievable.
 
On a less rare note Saturday I had a = Fox Sparrow at=20 my feeders, which was replaced yesterday
by a Song Sparrow, which was replaced = this morning=20 by an Eastern Bluebird.
City bluebirds are cool...
Everyday something new comes = along.
 
 
Chris Benson
Rochester, = MN
------=_NextPart_000_023B_01C41569.791F4BA0-- From corax6330@yahoo.com Mon Mar 29 14:55:47 2004 From: corax6330@yahoo.com (fred lesher) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 06:55:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: [mou] CORRECTION: Mississippi Flyway Festival Website: April 30-May 2, 2004 Message-ID: <20040329145547.93960.qmail@web13422.mail.yahoo.com> The correct website address for the Miss. Flyway Festival is Fred Lesher, LaCrosse,WI __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html From two-jays@att.net Mon Mar 29 21:26:42 2004 From: two-jays@att.net (Jim Williams) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 13:26:42 -0800 Subject: [mou] two bird-monitoring projects In-Reply-To: <5.2.1.1.2.20040329100136.02adf530@postoffice6.mail.cornell.edu> 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. --MS_Mac_OE_3163411602_1285939_MIME_Part Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit forward by Jim Williams, Wayzata. Do not reply to me. ---------- From: Jennifer Smith Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 10:20:07 -0500 Subject: [mnbird] Fwd: GOWAP/BFL to listservs The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is looking for volunteer birders and professional biologists to participate in Birds in Forested Landscapes and/or the Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project. Both projects are a good way to gain in-the-field experience, and the projects can be easily combined with current research. Please email me privately if you can help out. Below is a little about each project. Many thanks, Jennifer Smith, jls39@cornell.edu Cornell Lab of Ornithology www.birds.cornell.edu Golden-winged Warbler Warbler Atlas Project (GOWAP) The Golden-winged Warbler is a priority bird that has drawn much attention as its population status is currently not well known in Minnesota. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with support from the Minnesota Game Commission, has initiated a citizen-science project called the Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project (GOWAP) which engages volunteer birders and professional biologists to survey and conduct point counts at known and potential breeding sites of golden-wings throughout their range. The project is designed to determine the population status and habitat and area requirements of the Golden-winged and the Blue-winged Warbler, as well as their hybrids. There are two protocols. The Population Survey asks volunteers to survey known and/or potential breeding sites (chosen by the participant) to determine numbers of breeding birds, population status, and general habitat characteristics. For the Hybrid Index, participants choose one or more pages from their state's Delorme Atlas (gazetteer) and conduct a series of 10-minute point counts in suitable golden-wing habitat, using playback and visual identification to help create a hybrid index map. Participants will receive a research kit, which includes instructions, data forms, a color poster of golden-wings, blue-wings, and their hybrids as well as a CD that will be used in the field for playback and point counts. There are funds are available to pay qualified field assistants in Minnesota who wish to work extensively on the Hybrid Index protocol. We need both paid and volunteer participants to begin work in early May. For more information, visit http://birds.cornell.edu/gowap. Birds in Forested Landscapes (BFL) BFL is working to determine the effects of forest fragmentation and acid rain on North American forest birds. Participants choose BFL species that breed locally (48 species throughout NA) and select (a) study site(s) in fragments or contiguous forest. They visit the site(s) twice during the breeding season, look for evidence of breeding, and record habitat characteristics about the site in the field and from maps. Participants receive a research kit and CD to use in the field for playback. Visit www.birds.cornell.edu/bfl to find out more about the project and to sign up to participate this season. Results from BFL have just been published as conservation and management guidelines for sustaining healthy populations of these species. For information about how to receive a copy of the new publication, "A Land Manager's Guide to Habitat Requirements for Forest Thrushes" visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/LabHappenings.html. --MS_Mac_OE_3163411602_1285939_MIME_Part Content-type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable two bird-monitoring projects forward by Jim Williams, Wayzata. Do not reply to me.

----------
From: Jennifer Smith <jls39@cornell.edu>
Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 10:20:07 -0500
Subject: [mnbird] Fwd: GOWAP/BFL to listservs

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is looking for volunteer birders= and
professional biologists to participate in Birds in Forested Landscapes
and/or the Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project. Both projects are a good way to gain in-the-field experience, and the projects can be easily
combined with current research. Please email me privately if you can help out. Below is a little about each project.

Many thanks,

Jennifer Smith, jls39@cornell.edu
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
www.birds.cornell.edu <http://www.birds.cornell.edu/>

Golden-winged Warbler Warbler Atlas Project (GOWAP)
The Golden-winged Warbler is a priority bird that has drawn much attent= ion
as its population status is currently not well known in Minnesota. The
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with support from the Minnesota Game
Commission, has initiated a citizen-science project called the
Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project (GOWAP) which engages volunteer birders= and professional biologists to survey and conduct point counts at known and=
potential breeding sites of golden-wings throughout their range. The
project is designed to determine the population status and habitat and area=
requirements of the Golden-winged and the Blue-winged Warbler, as well as their hybrids. There are two protocols. The Population Survey asks
volunteers to survey known and/or potential breeding sites (chosen by the participant) to determine numbers of breeding birds, population status, and=
general habitat characteristics. For the Hybrid Index, participants choose<= BR> one or more pages from their state's Delorme Atlas (gazetteer) and conduct<= BR> a series of 10-minute point counts in suitable golden-wing habitat, using playback and visual identification to help create a hybrid index map.
Participants will receive a research kit, which includes instructions, data=
forms, a color poster of golden-wings, blue-wings, and their hybrids as
well as a CD that will be used in the field for playback and point counts.<= BR> There are funds are available to pay qualified field assistants in
Minnesota who wish to work extensively on the Hybrid Index protocol. We
need both paid and volunteer participants to begin work in early May. For more information, visit http://birds.cornell.edu/gowap.

Birds in Forested Landscapes (BFL)
BFL is working to determine the effects of forest fragmentation and aci= d
rain on North American forest birds. Participants choose BFL species that breed locally (48 species throughout NA) and select (a) study site(s) in fragments or contiguous forest. They visit the site(s) twice during the
breeding season, look for evidence of breeding, and record habitat
characteristics about the site in the field and from maps. Participants
receive a research kit and CD to use in the field for playback. Visit
www.birds.cornell.edu/bfl <http://www.birds.cornell.edu/bfl> to find = out more about the project and to sign up
to participate this season.

Results from BFL have just been published as conservation and management guidelines for sustaining healthy populations of these species. For
information about how to receive a copy of the new publication, "A Lan= d
Manager's Guide to Habitat Requirements for Forest Thrushes" visit
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/LabHappenings.html.

--MS_Mac_OE_3163411602_1285939_MIME_Part-- From Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com Mon Mar 29 23:11:18 2004 From: Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com (Alt, Mark) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 17:11:18 -0600 Subject: [mou] Yellow-rumpeds in Florida Message-ID: <47784B75545C99469F1E590E3DD193A3E50BEA@ds63mail.na.bestbuy.com> I spoke with my good friend Lucy Duncan in Gulf Breeze, FL today. She and her husband, Bob, serve as regional compilers for American Birds. They have been tracking birds in the Fl panhandle/Mobile Gulf area for many years, and this year they are alarmed that they have seen comparatively few Yellow-rumped Warblers over-wintering. They are receiving seasonal reports now for the winter and are hopeful that the masses of these birds wintered somewhere else this year. They have never seen anything like it in over 30 years of seasonal reports for the region. She asked for us to watch and see if the YRWA's are as abundant up here as usual this spring. I told her I remember the usual amount being seen in the fall, which she felt good about. So, for once, all those butter butts are important to watch for! I am ready for the spring now, as if I needed another reason! They said they have the normal amount of sparrows and they have less than usual Pine and Orange-crowned Warblers, but there are virtually no YRWA's, and they are normally the commonest species of bird there in the woods this time of year. Incidentally, they report White-eyed Vireos, Yellow Throated and Parula Warblers are showing up in good numbers right now. Mark Alt Brooklyn Center Hennepin Cty From kreckert@cpinternet.com Mon Mar 29 23:14:30 2004 From: kreckert@cpinternet.com (Kim R. Eckert) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 17:14:30 -0600 Subject: [mou] Nobles/Jackson Co dowitcher, geese & grackles Message-ID: --============_-1131520291==_ma============ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" During a very windy & rainy Minn. Birding Weekends trip to Nobles & Jackson Co's March 27-28, we found a very early Long-billed Dowitcher on Saturday in Worthington on a partly flooded athletic field. The bird was with 3 snipe and was still present Sunday. This field is visible along the N side of Hwy 59/60 on the SE side of town. Also of interest: Gr White-fronted Goose - an estimated 300-400 along Nobles Co Rd 18, 2.5 mi W of Kinbrae Ross's Goose - at least 2 at this same location; 2 flying NW over L Bella in Nobles Co; 2 at the Jackson sewage ponds (note: relatively few Snow & Canada geese found -- most had already flown N) Am White Pelican & Franklin's Gull - both at L Bella Great-tailed Grackle - 3 males + 2 females on Jackson Co Rd 4, 3/4 mi W of Hwy 86; plus another male on Co Rd 4 just E of Hwy 86 Kim Eckert --============_-1131520291==_ma============ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Nobles/Jackson Co dowitcher, geese & grackles
During a very windy & rainy Minn. Birding Weekends trip to Nobles & Jackson Co's March 27-28, we found a very early Long-billed Dowitcher on Saturday in Worthington on a partly flooded athletic field. The bird was with 3 snipe and was still present Sunday. This field is visible along the N side of Hwy 59/60 on the SE side of town. Also of interest:

Gr White-fronted Goose - an estimated 300-400 along Nobles Co Rd 18, 2.5 mi W of Kinbrae
Ross's Goose - at least 2 at this same location; 2 flying NW over L Bella in Nobles Co; 2 at the Jackson sewage ponds (note: relatively few Snow & Canada geese found -- most had already flown N)
Am White Pelican & Franklin's Gull - both at L Bella
Great-tailed Grackle - 3 males + 2 females on Jackson Co Rd 4, 3/4 mi W of Hwy 86; plus another male on Co Rd 4 just E of Hwy 86

Kim Eckert  
--============_-1131520291==_ma============-- From Bjboreal@aol.com Tue Mar 30 02:16:01 2004 From: Bjboreal@aol.com (Bjboreal@aol.com) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 21:16:01 EST Subject: [mou] Westskyline Hawk Count-Update 3/29 Message-ID: <9.2579465f.2d9a3261@aol.com> Westskyline Hawkwatch, Duluth, MN. Flight continues at the WSHC.=20 Today's flight was counted under mostly gray skies and westerly=20 winds15-25mph. Raptors were mostly seen out over Duluth/Superior Harbor and=20= lake side at=20 low to medium height. The count of 226 raptor that included the following: B= ald=20 Eagle-176, Northern Harrier-1, Sharp-shinned Hawk-3, Red-tailed Hawk-37 (adu= lt=20 dark-1), Rough-legged Hawk-5, and Golden Eagle-4.=20 Also observed most days now are the local adult Peregrine's seen often chasi= ng migrant eagles and red-tails, along with the local Bald Eagles (adults and=20 non adults) chasing other eagles out of the area. The Merlins and Cooper's=20 Hawks have been seen with the Cooper's today doing courtship flight.=20 Non-raptors included 15 Pintails, several flocks of redpolls. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in the hawkwatch and=20 need any information. February 23-March 29 YTD Total Turkey Vulture-1 Osprey-0=20 Bald Eagle-2293 Northern Harrier-3 Sharp-shinned Hawk-16 Cooper's Hawk-4 Northern Goshawk-13 Red-shouldered Hawk-1 Broad-winged Hawk-0 Red-tailed Hawk-131 Swainson's Hawk-0 =20 Rough-legged Hawk-22 Golden Eagle-85 Am. Kestrel-1 Merlin-0 Peregrine-1 TOTAL-2571 Submitted by: Frank Nicoletti and Dave Carman Duluth, Minnesota =20 Hawk Watch Site: West Skyline Hawk Count Location: West Skyline Parkway, Duluth, Minnesota 55804 GPS: Lat. N 46=E2=88=9E50'48.0" and Long. W 92=E2=88=9E01'53.5" Coverage: Late Feb - Late May From rmdbird@mn.rr.com Tue Mar 30 02:42:30 2004 From: rmdbird@mn.rr.com (Bob Dunlap) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 20:42:30 -0600 Subject: [mou] Chipping Sparrow, Hennepin County Message-ID: <000801c41600$a5f90cf0$f6c31941@MainComputer> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C415CE.5AD45E50 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This afternoon I heard my first singing Chipping Sparrow of the year = near Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Hennepin County. Get out and find the birds! (Or let the birds find you; whichever's = easier.) -Bob Dunlap, Carver County ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C415CE.5AD45E50 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This afternoon I heard my first=20 singing Chipping Sparrow of the year near Flying Cloud Airport = in Eden=20 Prairie, Hennepin County.
Get out and find the birds! (Or let the = birds find you; whichever's easier.)
-Bob Dunlap, Carver County
 
------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C415CE.5AD45E50-- From cgreiner@millcomm.com Tue Mar 30 03:11:55 2004 From: cgreiner@millcomm.com (Carl Greiner) Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 21:11:55 -0600 Subject: [mou] Tundra Swans Cormorant in Rochester Message-ID: <004b01c41604$c2ecde00$6a50be3f@mshome.net> Hi all, East landfill resevoir (the one north of the landfill on the gravel road, does this have a different name?) in Rochester 3/29 pm Tundra Swans 7 (very near the road) DC Cormorant (definately cormorant, I assumed DC) C. Loon! Greater Whitefronted Geese 20+ (no Canadas!) Ring-billed gulls approx 10 Ring-necked ducks lots Scaup lots (I can't tell the difference) N. Shoveler lots Am. Coot many Pied-billed Grebe Bufflehead 1 Redhead Mallard Carl Greiner cgreiner@millcomm.com From connyb@mycidco.com Tue Mar 30 10:09:25 2004 From: connyb@mycidco.com (Conny Brunell) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 10:09:25 Subject: [mou] Great Egret Wood Lake, Hennepin Co. Message-ID: This morning at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, Hennepin County there were at least 40 Ring-billed Gulls out on the transparent thin shelf of ice amidst lots of fish parts scattered all around. Their vocalizations are enjoyable espically the laughlike quality when they get cranked up. While scanning the cattail edges of the marsh I came across the mannequin like posture of a Great Egret, the only thing moving were the beautiful long plumes in the rustle of the breeze. I watched awhile before that long neck darted out to spear breakfast, then remained motionless again. In addition to the 40+ Fox Sparrows I saw, I enjoyed the flutey whistle of a Hermit Thrush flicking it's tail from a branch, as well as several quiet ones working the leafy woods floor. Overhead the gurgling twittering of about 40 Tree Swallows went over the marsh, as well as a flock of Sandhill Cranes. Conny Brunell Richfield, Hennepin Cty connyb@mycidco.com From jlind@nrri.umn.edu Tue Mar 30 18:37:30 2004 From: jlind@nrri.umn.edu (Jim Lind) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 12:37:30 -0600 Subject: [mou] Lake County Canvasback Message-ID: <40696A0A.2024.1070B2C@localhost> Sorry for the late post, but on Monday evening there was a female Canvasback at Agate Bay in Two Harbors. It was loafing close to shore near the Edna G. tugboat with a few Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser Scaup. It was still there this morning. This is a tough bird to find along the North Shore away from Duluth (it was my first in Lake County). Jim Lind Two Harbors From chetmeyers@visi.com Tue Mar 30 21:21:46 2004 From: chetmeyers@visi.com (Chet Meyers) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 15:21:46 -0600 Subject: [mou] Hen.Cty. Black Duck Message-ID: <20040330212146.A90697A926@taranis.mc.mpls.visi.com> For county and year listers, there is a pair of black ducks at the north end of Lake of the Isles in the open water that is beginning to ring the lake. Chet Meyers, Hennepin County From cakrulas@charter.net Wed Mar 31 01:28:15 2004 From: cakrulas@charter.net (Chuck) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 19:28:15 -0600 Subject: [mou] Eurasian Wigeon not found Message-ID: <000a01c416bf$717ba630$e46cb118@charlesgd6ixa7> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C4168D.25C0D210 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The Eurasian Wigeon was not relocated at Lewiston SP today.=20 Chuck Krulas Rochester, MN Olmsted Cty 507-289-8675 ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C4168D.25C0D210 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
The Eurasian Wigeon was not relocated = at Lewiston=20 SP today.
Chuck Krulas
Rochester, MN Olmsted=20 Cty
507-289-8675
------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C4168D.25C0D210-- From incrediblehult@msn.com Wed Mar 31 04:26:34 2004 From: incrediblehult@msn.com (SUSAN HULT) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 04:26:34 +0000 Subject: [mou] Peregrine falcons in downtown St Paul Message-ID: We saw a Peregrine flying around again today. Its so nice to see her/him! We sometimes see two of them flying around. I wonder if there is going to be a nest downtown somewhere. They hang close to the US Bank Building (the one with the big red "1" that lights up on top) on 5th & Mn street. Of course if I spot an actual nest I'll let you know! Or perhaps its the female that nests on the High Bridge just a few blocks away from our building. I'll keep you posted... Susan St Paul Ramsey Co _________________________________________________________________ Get rid of annoying pop-up ads with the new MSN Toolbar – FREE! http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200414ave/direct/01/ From lauraerickson@abac.com Wed Mar 31 13:10:31 2004 From: lauraerickson@abac.com (Laura Erickson) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 07:10:31 -0600 Subject: [mou] Merlins back in Duluth's Lakeside Message-ID: <5.2.1.1.2.20040331070613.00b7ba20@mail1.abac.com> A pair of Merlins has been calling and flying about in my neighborhood this morning. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, my family prefers that no birders show up unannounced on our property, at least for a while. Please email or call ahead if you plan to check out birds in our yard. I've let my feeders go dry for a week because suddenly crows and starlings got out of control, but am going to fill them today in anticipation of enjoying a good sparrow migration. Laura Erickson Duluth, MN 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 (and, I might add, a Democrat after the Republican). From MMARTELL@audubon.org Wed Mar 31 14:07:21 2004 From: MMARTELL@audubon.org (MARTELL, Mark) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 09:07:21 -0500 Subject: [mou] Peregrine falcons in downtown St Paul Message-ID: QnVkIFRvcmRvZmYgcmVwb3J0cyBwZXJlZ3JpbmUgYmFjayBhdCB0aGUgTm9ydGggQ2VudHJhbCBM aWZlIEJ1aWxkaW5nLiBUaGV5IGhhdmUgYWxyZWFkeSBsYXllZCBvbmUgZWdnLg0KIA0KTWFyayBN YXJ0ZWxsDQpBdWR1Ym9uIE1pbm5lc290YQ0KDQoJLS0tLS1PcmlnaW5hbCBNZXNzYWdlLS0tLS0g DQoJRnJvbTogU1VTQU4gSFVMVCBbbWFpbHRvOmluY3JlZGlibGVodWx0QG1zbi5jb21dIA0KCVNl bnQ6IFR1ZSAzLzMwLzIwMDQgMTE6MjYgUE0gDQoJVG86IG1uYmlyZEBsaXN0cy5tbmJpcmQubmV0 OyBtb3UtbmV0QGNicy51bW4uZWR1IA0KCUNjOiANCglTdWJqZWN0OiBbbW91XSBQZXJlZ3JpbmUg ZmFsY29ucyBpbiBkb3dudG93biBTdCBQYXVsDQoJDQoJDQoNCglXZSBzYXcgYSBQZXJlZ3JpbmUg Zmx5aW5nIGFyb3VuZCBhZ2FpbiB0b2RheS4gIEl0cyBzbyBuaWNlIHRvIHNlZSBoZXIvaGltISAN CglXZSBzb21ldGltZXMgc2VlIHR3byBvZiB0aGVtIGZseWluZyBhcm91bmQuICBJIHdvbmRlciBp ZiB0aGVyZSBpcyBnb2luZyB0bw0KCWJlIGEgbmVzdCBkb3dudG93biBzb21ld2hlcmUuICBUaGV5 IGhhbmcgY2xvc2UgdG8gdGhlIFVTIEJhbmsgQnVpbGRpbmcgKHRoZQ0KCW9uZSB3aXRoIHRoZSBi aWcgcmVkICIxIiB0aGF0IGxpZ2h0cyB1cCBvbiB0b3ApIG9uIDV0aCAmIE1uIHN0cmVldC4gIE9m DQoJY291cnNlIGlmIEkgc3BvdCBhbiBhY3R1YWwgbmVzdCBJJ2xsIGxldCB5b3Uga25vdyEgIE9y IHBlcmhhcHMgaXRzIHRoZQ0KCWZlbWFsZSB0aGF0IG5lc3RzIG9uIHRoZSBIaWdoIEJyaWRnZSBq dXN0IGEgZmV3IGJsb2NrcyBhd2F5IGZyb20gb3VyDQoJYnVpbGRpbmcuICBJJ2xsIGtlZXAgeW91 IHBvc3RlZC4uLg0KCVN1c2FuDQoJU3QgUGF1bA0KCVJhbXNleSBDbw0KCQ0KCV9fX19fX19fX19f X19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fDQoJ R2V0IHJpZCBvZiBhbm5veWluZyBwb3AtdXAgYWRzIHdpdGggdGhlIG5ldyBNU04gVG9vbGJhciDi gJMgRlJFRSENCglodHRwOi8vdG9vbGJhci5tc24uY29tL2dvL29ubTAwMjAwNDE0YXZlL2RpcmVj dC8wMS8NCgkNCglfX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19fX19f Xw0KCW1vdS1uZXQgbWFpbGluZyBsaXN0DQoJbW91LW5ldEBjYnMudW1uLmVkdQ0KCWh0dHA6Ly9j YnMudW1uLmVkdS9tYWlsbWFuL2xpc3RpbmZvL21vdS1uZXQNCgkNCg0K From Marklarose@aol.com Wed Mar 31 19:31:29 2004 From: Marklarose@aol.com (Marklarose@aol.com) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 14:31:29 EST Subject: [mou] Guidelines Message-ID: <145.25cb14bc.2d9c7691@aol.com> I am certainly not one of the elite birders in the state but would like to weigh in with a bit of a different opinion. As you can see by the fact that I am just now writing about 7 or 8 day old posts, I don't get to check e-mail at home as often as I would like. I previously subscribed to both MOU-Net and MNBird but dropped the latter because it was too overwhelming. I can live vicariously through MOU-Net without getting so many posts that I could never get through them. And its more enlightening for me to read about the unusual than the wonderful everyday birds I get to see in my 30 second view of the feeders outside. I don't want to offend ANYONE, but I am one of the beginning/intermediate birders who likes the current format for MOU-Net very much. In the meantime, enjoy the spring spectacle for me! ;-) Mark LaRose From axhertzel@sihope.com Wed Mar 31 20:04:14 2004 From: axhertzel@sihope.com (Anthony X. Hertzel) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 14:04:14 -0600 Subject: [mou] Chipping Sparrows Message-ID: Each March I receive a few reports of Chipping Sparrow being heard in Minnesota. I think there is good reason to question heard-only birds. The table below represents currently accepted earliest arrival dates for Chipping Sparrow in Minnesota. --------------------------------------------------------------- Chipping Sparrow, Spring Arrival Dates, Minnesota 1st Earliest Date 10 March 2nd Earliest Date 15 March 3rd Earliest Date 16 March Median Arrival 26 March Chipping Sparrow, Spring Arrival Dates, Iowa 1st Earliest Date 26 March 2nd Earliest Date 26 March 3rd Earliest Date 27 March --------------------------------------------------------------- I see a problem with the disparity of early arrival dates between Minnesota and Iowa. Note that Iowa's record early arrival dates match Minnesota's median arrival dates. Also of importance is the fact that the Iowa dates are for southern Iowa. Typical arrival times in the northern parts of the state are early to mid April. Chipping Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos can have virtually indistinguishable songs. It seems to me that any Chipping Sparrow identified in March by voice is more likely to have been a junco. I am beginning to believe that the species does not arrive in Minnesota before early April, or if it does, it is an exceptional occurrence. While this is being explored, I will only accept sight-identified birds for inclusion on the state RBA during the month of March. All other reports should be documented and the documentation sent to the MOU Records Committee for consideration. -- Anthony X. Hertzel -- axhertzel@sihope.com From EgretCMan@aol.com Wed Mar 31 20:33:46 2004 From: EgretCMan@aol.com (EgretCMan@aol.com) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 15:33:46 EST Subject: [mou] MRVAC Southwestern Minnesota - Field Trip Report - 3/28 - 30, 2004 Message-ID: <12a.3e126e7c.2d9c852a@aol.com> -------------------------------1080765226 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter Southwestern Minnesota Field Trip Report 3/28 - 30, 2004 While leading a trip to Southwestern Minnesota our group found the following species of note: @ Greater White-fronted Goose - Jackson County - Hyw 86, 1/4 mile S of I 90, 3/29 - 800+, 3/30 - 500+, Cottonwood County - 400+ CR 2, 2.5 miles S of Hyw 60. @ Ross's Goose - Nobles County - CR 57, 2 miles S of Hyw 59/60 - 30+, mixed in with several 1000 Snow Geese. @ Loggerhead Shrike - Cottonwood County - 12:52pm - 1/2 mile south of the entrance road to Mountain Park - The bird was observed on a wire and flew to the NE out of sight. @ Great-tailed Grackles - Jackson County, 3/29 - 8:00am, A single male Great-tailed Grackle was observed on the North end of Grover's Lake along the Iowa boarder, 3/30 - 7:00 - 7:42am, 2 pairs of Great-tailed Grackles were heard and observed in the marsh reported by Kim Eckert, 9/10 th's of a mile West of Hyw 86 on CR 4. The birds were also observed in the farm yard to the East of the marsh, about 100 yards North of CR 4. Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN -------------------------------1080765226 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter
Southwestern Minnesota
Field Trip Report
3/28 - 30, 2004
 
While leading a trip to Southwestern Minnesota our group found the foll= owing species of note:
@ Greater White-fronted Goose - Jackson County - Hyw 86, 1/4 mile S of=20= I 90, 3/29 - 800+, 3/30 - 500+, Cottonwood County - 400+ CR 2, 2.5 mile= s S of Hyw 60. 
@ Ross's Goose - Nobles County - CR 57, 2 miles S of Hyw 59/60 - 30+, m= ixed in with several 1000 Snow Geese.
@ Loggerhead Shrike - Cottonwood County - 12:52pm - 1/2 mile south of t= he entrance road to Mountain Park - The bird was observed on a wire and flew= to the NE out of sight.
@ Great-tailed Grackles - Jackson County, 3/29 - 8:00am, A single male=20= Great-tailed Grackle was observed on the North end of Grover's Lake along th= e Iowa boarder, 3/30 - 7:00 - 7:42am, 2 pairs of Great-tailed Grackles=20= were heard and observed in the marsh reported by Kim Eckert, 9/10 th's of a=20= mile West of Hyw 86 on CR 4.  The birds were also observed in the farm=20= yard to the East of the marsh, about 100 yards North of CR 4.
 
 
Craig Mandel - EgretCMan@aol.com - Minnetonka, MN
-------------------------------1080765226-- From owlman@mindspring.com Wed Mar 31 19:36:09 2004 From: owlman@mindspring.com (Bill Lane) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 14:36:09 -0500 Subject: [mou] owl surveys Message-ID: <410-22004333119369900@mindspring.com> ------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII I completed my first round of owl surveys last night, beneath a crystal clear, northern Minnesota sky. My survey protocol consists of: 1/2 mile intervals and 3-min listening periods. Owls are identified according to song and/or call. For the curious, I have included 2003, 15-31 March survey results, to allow comparison with current efforts. Species 15-31 March 2003 15-31 March 2004 Boreal owl 1 2 Northern saw-whet owl 52 10 Barred owl 15 14 Great-horned owl 5 2 My nocturnal habits are supported by the Superior National Forest and the MOU and its members. Bill *********************************************** Bill Lane owlman@mindspring.com www.mindspring.com/~owlman Why Wait? Move to EarthLink. ------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII

I completed my first round of owl surveys last night, beneath a crystal clear, northern Minnesota sky.  My survey protocol consists of:  1/2 mile intervals and 3-min listening periods.  Owls are identified according to song and/or call.  For the curious, I have included 2003, 15-31 March survey results, to allow comparison with current efforts.
 

                Species                                 15-31 March 2003                 15-31 March 2004
                Boreal owl                                         1                               &nb sp;         2
                Northern saw-whet owl                       52                                       10
                Barred owl                                         15            &nbs p;                          14
                Great-horned owl                                5                                        2
 
My nocturnal habits are supported by the Superior National Forest and the MOU and its members.
Bill
 
***********************************************
 
Bill Lane
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
 

------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8-- From owlman@mindspring.com Wed Mar 31 19:40:16 2004 From: owlman@mindspring.com (Bill Lane) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 14:40:16 -0500 Subject: [mou] and, one more thing.... Message-ID: <410-220043331194016790@mindspring.com> ------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII i have no idea what &nb sp; means. *********************************************** Bill Lane owlman@mindspring.com www.mindspring.com/~owlman Why Wait? Move to EarthLink. ------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII

i have no idea what &nb sp; means.
 
 
***********************************************
 
Bill Lane
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
 

------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8-- From watsup@boreal.org Wed Mar 31 01:30:30 2004 From: watsup@boreal.org (Steve and Sherry Watson) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 17:30:30 -0800 Subject: [mou] a weekend of birding Message-ID: <000001c416bf$d6aad120$2b0f46d8@m7z0w8> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C4167C.C88F3240 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Last Wednesday (the 24) I went down to look for the brant at the Paynesville sewage ponds. We saw several species including canvasbacks, wigeons, gadwalls, wood ducks, mallards, green-winged teal, pintails, a few redheads, ring-necked ducks, common goldeneyes, and a few common mergansers all on a pothole near the Paynesville sewage ponds. We saw hundreds of Canada geese their also but no brant. Several song sparrows were singing their and even a western meadowlark. I also found a single tree swallow sailing around the pothole. We then went to Forest Lake to stay at my grandparent=92s house. My dad and I over the week took several trips into Carlos Avery. On the 29th we found a pair of ravens flying around in the sanctuary. Also over the week we found several hundred geese, two pairs of trumpeter swans and many waterfowl species including Wood ducks Northern pintails Northern shovelers American wigeons Green-winged teal A pair of black ducks Mallards Gadwalls Ring-necked ducks Lesser scaups Hooded mergansers Common Mergansers =20 We found many other birds in Carlos Avery as well including a few eastern bluebirds, a pair of northern goshawks and a swamp sparrow among several fox, tree, and song sparrows. Some of the other species we found include: Many Bald eagles A possible peregrine falcon Kestrels Harriers Coopers hawk Sharp-shinned hawk Northern goshawk Red-tailed hawk Killdeers Swamp sparrow Song sparrow Fox sparrow Tree sparrow Robins Bluebirds Herring and ring-billed gulls =20 At my grandparents house I found an eastern phoebe perched in an alder grove. I also saw a small buteo hawk that looked to be either a red-shouldered or broad-winged but because it was so far away and the light was bad I can=92t tell which of the two it was. =20 =20 =20 Josh Watson Grand Marais =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.643 / Virus Database: 411 - Release Date: 3/25/04 =20 ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C4167C.C88F3240 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Last Wednesday (the 24) I went = down to look for the brant at the Paynesville sewage ponds.   We saw several species including = canvasbacks, wigeons, gadwalls, wood ducks, mallards, green-winged teal, pintails, a = few redheads, ring-necked ducks, common goldeneyes, and a few common = mergansers all on a pothole near the Paynesville sewage ponds.  We saw hundreds of = Canada geese their also but no brant.  Several song sparrows were = singing their and even a western meadowlark.  = I also found a single tree swallow sailing around the pothole.  We then went to = Forest = Lake to stay at my grandparent=92s house.  My dad and I over the week took = several trips into Carlos Avery.  = On the 29th we found a pair of ravens flying around in the sanctuary.  Also over the week we found = several hundred geese, two pairs of trumpeter swans and many waterfowl species = including

Wood = ducks

Northern = pintails

Northern = shovelers

American = wigeons

Green-winged = teal

A pair of black = ducks

Mallards

Gadwalls

Ring-necked = ducks

Lesser = scaups

Hooded = mergansers

Common = Mergansers

 

=

We found many other birds in = Carlos Avery as well including a few eastern bluebirds, a pair of northern goshawks = and a swamp sparrow among several fox, tree, and song sparrows.  Some of the other species we = found include:

Many Bald = eagles

A possible peregrine = falcon

Kestrels

Harriers

Coopers = hawk

Sharp-shinned = hawk

Northern = goshawk

Red-tailed = hawk

Killdeers<= /p>

Swamp = sparrow

Song = sparrow

Fox = sparrow

Tree = sparrow

Robins

=

Bluebirds<= /p>

Herring and ring-billed = gulls

 

=

At my grandparents house I found = an eastern phoebe perched in an alder grove.  I also saw a small buteo hawk that looked to be either a = red-shouldered or broad-winged but because it was so far away and the light was bad I = can=92t tell which of the two it was.  =

 

=

 

=

Josh = Watson

Grand Marais 

 

=

 

=

 

=

       


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C4167C.C88F3240-- From lnygren@pol.net Wed Mar 31 18:53:20 2004 From: lnygren@pol.net (lnygren@pol.net) Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 13:53:20 -0500 (EST) Subject: [mou] Loons (5) on Lake Phalen, St Paul] Message-ID: <50696.10.250.10.1.1080759200.squirrel@sq05.pol.net> There were 5 adult common loons in breeding plumage near the east shore of Lake Phalen (in northeastern St Paul) as of noon today. Since the ice is only about half gone, they are a bit closer to shore than might be usual later in the spring migration. This is the most I have personally seen on the lake, and the earliest by a few days, although one or two at a time regularly visit during April. Today is the first day I have been down to Phalen this spring. Also the red breasted mergansers seemed particularly lovely today. I saw about 12 males apparently competing for the attention of two females, near the southwest shore. Linda Nygren St Paul