[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Friday, September 10, 2004

[Jeanie Joppru]

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, September 10,
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.

Fall in the northwest is , as always, unpredictable. The last weekend
brought a significant rain event, followed by wind, so birding was
difficult at best much of the time. Color is starting to appear in the
trees, and the first frost appeared a couple of weeks ago. In spite of
the inclement weather, many birders managed to find quite a few
interesting birds winging their way south.

In Wilkin County on September 6th, Ron Erpelding found a SCISSOR-TAILED
FLYCATCHER. Directions to the bird's location are as follows:  From
Breckenridge drive east on Highway 210 approximately 9 miles. Turn
north/left onto 290th Avenue/Wilkin Co Rd 15 Drive north on 290th
Avenue/Co Rd 15 for 10 miles (Note County Road 15 becomes County Road
169 after 7 miles  - stay on 290th Avenue/now Co Rd 169.Turn east/right
on 240th Street, a gravel road/minimum maintenance road to a farmstead.
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was on the lower power line on the north
side of the gravel road between the 2nd and 3rd power pole. I have not
heard if anyone has seen the bird since. Also in Wilkin County on the
6th, Benjamin Fritchman observed a flock of 13 CATTLE EGRETS along I94
at mile marker 32, just north of the Pelican Rapids exit.

Benjamin was also in Clay County on September 4th where he found a pair
of TRUMPETER SWANS south of Hitterdahl. On the 6th, Matt Mecklenburg saw
many vireos, flycatchers, and ten species of warblers near Ulen.

Donna and Leon Thoreson near Climax in Polk County reported a RED-HEADED
WOODPECKER, and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, while Bruce Flaig commented on
large numbers of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS and BALTIMORE ORIOLES at the
feeders now. On September 6th, Kim Eckert's Minnesota Birding Weekends
group visited the Wetlands, Pines, and Prairies Audubon Sanctuary in
northwestern Polk County where they saw SWAINSON'S THRUSH, and 12
species of warblers among many other species.

In Pennington County on the 4th, the Minnesota Birding Weekend group
visited the Thief River Falls wastewater treatment ponds where they
found an AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, and EARED GREBE  among others. Some
members of the group also found a GRAY PARTRIDGE in Pennington County.

Marshall County species found by the Kim Eckert group included AMERICAN
BITTERN, GREAT EGRET, TURKEY VULTURE, MERLIN, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE,
CASPIAN TERN, several species of warblers, GRASSHOPPER SPARROW, LE
CONTE'S SPARROW, and NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW. These sparrows were
seen at close range along Northgate Road at the north side of Agassiz
National Wildlife Refuge. A large flock of 110 BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES were
seen in the same general area, perhaps the highest count of this species
ever seen together in Minnesota.

In Roseau County, the group observed AMERICAN BLACK DUCK, AMERICAN
BITTERN, GREEN HERON,  a late UPLAND SANDPIPER, CASPIAN TERN, COMMON
TERN, FORSTER'S TERN, BLACK TERN, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, BLACK-BILLED
MAGPIES, 16 species of warbler, and all three of the sparrows mentioned
in Marshall County among others.  Two SHARP-TAILED GROUSE were seen 2
miles north and 1.5 miles east of the intersection of CR 10 and CR 7.

Kittson County sightings by the group included BAIRD'S SANDPIPER,
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, and 15 species of warblers, the latter at Lake
Bronson State Park.

The sightings by Kim Eckert's group are only a fraction of the 149
species seen collectively by the group. Included in the total were also
14 species of shorebirds migrating through an area which this year is
almost devoid of good shorebird habitat.

Thanks to Ron Erpelding, Benjamin Fritchman, Donna and Leon Thoreson,
Bruce Flaig, Matt Mecklenburg, and Kim Eckert 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, September 17, 2004.