[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, May 14, 2004

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, May 14, 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.

The recent stormy weather has brought in many more migrants, and caused
a fallout of migrating songbirds, particularly in the southern part of
our region. In the north, the cold is proving problematic for some
species, and the heavy rain has temporarily created more shorebird
habitat, and also eliminated some . The warblers have arrived! At least
17 species of warblers were reported in the northwest this week.=20

A ROCK WREN was found by Bill Marengo at Felton Prairie in Clay County
on May 8th. From state highway 9, take Clay County Road 108 east. It
will become a gravel road in about three miles and at the 'T' go north.
The road will soon go east, and after a quarter of a mile look for the
gravel pit. The bird was singing on top of a rock pile labeled # 6006,
and occasionally flying to sing atop another similar pile. The bird was
still there on Wednesday.

A SAY'S PHOEBE was also found by Bill Marengo a short distance away
along Clay County Road 34. A search later in the day did not turn up the
bird and as of this writing, I have no reports of this bird being
relocated. Also at Felton Prairie on Wednesday, Barb and Dennis Martin
found several CASPIAN TERNS; and one COMMON TERN was seen along CR 34
four miles east of Felton.

Carol Schumacher's Bird Minnesota Trip found some interesting birds on
May 8th and 9th. 4 SNOWY EGRETS, and up to 11 CATTLE EGRETS were
reported in Grant County. Directions to these birds: From I94, take the
Ashby exit north, turn right immediately on CR 54. The Snowy Egrets were
on the left by the lake, the Cattle Egrets on the right. Some of the
other species seen by the group included NORTHERN PARULA, BLACKPOLL,
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, and SCARLET TANAGER.=20

Todd County sightings by Carol's group included AMERICAN BITTERN,
VIRGINIA RAIL, SORA, many shorebirds including WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS,
and STILT SANDPIPERS, and BOBOLINK. On the 12th after the stormy
weather, Benjamin Fritchman reported a large fallout of passerines at
Browerville that included many warblers, kingbirds, and tanagers, and
over seven hundred shorebirds.

Susan Wiste in Douglas County found 18 GREAT EGRETS  around a farm pond
near her home northwest of Alexandria on the 10th. On Thursday the 13th,
she observed RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, and
BALTIMORE ORIOLE.

On IMBD activities, Dan and Sandy Thimgan  found, among other species in
Otter Tail County, fourteen species of shorebirds including 2 HUDSONIAN
GODWITS, 23 MARBLED GODWITS, 10 DUNLIN, and one WILLET. Ten species of
warblers were seen there on the 11th, and also SCARLET TANAGER and
EASTERN TOWHEE. Amy Drake reported a BROWN THRASHER on the 10th, and a
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD on the 11th. Carol Schumacher's group birded
in Otter Tail County also, and Carol found a ROSS'S GOOSE near CR 15 in
the southwestern part of the county, south and west of Fergus Falls on
May 12th. They also reported BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, CASPIAN TERN, FORSTER'S
TERN, BLACK TERN, and BOBOLINK. Alma Ronningen reported the first GRAY
CATBIRD, TENNESSEE WARBLER, and ORCHARD ORIOLE on May 10th. On the 13th,
she had SWAINSON'S THRUSH and BAY-BREASTED WARBLER.

Kay Hartness reported a possible BULLOCK'S ORIOLE on May 12th, and a
NORTHERN PARULA at the grape jelly feeder in Becker County. Jerry Moen
in Detroit Lakes had a SCARLET TANAGER in his yard on the east shore of
Munson Lake on the 13th. Mary Wyatt reported from Hamden Slough NWR
that there were 12-15 LEAST SANDPIPERS, and 24 WILSON'S PHALAROPES  in
the refuge. Elsewhere in the county she saw several CAPE MAY WARBLERS.
On the 13th, Kay Hartness saw an INDIGO BUNTING .

At Felton Prairie in Clay County, on May 8th,  sightings included
WESTERN KINGBIRD, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, and
the expected CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS.=20

The first RUBY-THOATED HUMMINGBIRD for Polk County was reported by Mike
Christopher in Crookston on May 8th. On the 11th, he sighted BALTIMORE
ORIOLE, and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. Bruce Flaig reported YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRD on the 12th. 40 WILSON'S PHALAROPES were spotted at the
Crookston wastewater treatment ponds on May 8th.

Ross Hier reported a nesting COMMON RAVEN in Red Lake County about two
miles northeast of Marcoux Corner.

Pat DeWenter sighted YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, PALM WARBLER, PINE WARBLER,
CAPE MAY WARBLER, and NASHVILLE WARBLER in Beltrami County this week. A
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER also came to their Bemidji yard.

The warblers are also arriving in Pennington County, and this morning
there were several SWAINSON'S THRUSH in our yard near Thief River Falls.
On the weekend, a BROWN THRASHER, and a LARK SPARROW appeared in the
yard. A COMMON LOON was spotted on the Red Lake River on May 9th. On
Thursday, a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER came to our suet feeder.

Mary Broten in Marshall County reported a BROWN THRASHER on May 7th. The
first goose brood was seen at Agassiz NWR on May 6th. On the 8th,
returning species included  EARED GREBE, WESTERN GREBE, BLACK TERN,
MARSH WREN, and SWAMP SPARROW. On the 11th, Dave Myhrer reported several
CASPIAN TERNS along CR 7, and on the 12th, a number of WILSON'S
PHALAROPES were seen at the intersection of CR12 and CR 7 in a flooded
farm field. Barb and Dennis Martin found a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK in Marshall
County on the 13th, and reported that there were many thrushes
throughout both Kittson and Marshall Counties after the storms. They
included both SWAINSON'S THRUSH and GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH.

In Kittson County, another ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was found on the 13th, and
a HERMIT THRUSH was seen by the Martin's at Lake Bronson State Park.

Thanks to all the many folks too numerous to mention who sent in reports
this week. Keep up the good work.

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, May 21, 2004.