[mou] FW: Dipper report

[Alt, Mark]

FYI. Someone should check this out!

Mark Alt=20
Sr. Project Manager=20
Entertainment Software Supply Chain=20
Project Resources Group (PRG)=20
Best Buy Co., Inc.=20
Mark.Alt@BestBuy.com=20
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(Cell) 612-803-9085


-----Original Message-----
From: MARTELL, Mark [mailto:MMARTELL@audubon.org]=20
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 1:32 PM
To: Mark Alt (E-mail); Jim Williams (E-mail)
Subject: Dipper report

Just spoke to a woman from Grand Marais who believes she saw 3 Dippers
on Aug. 11 along the Superior hiking trail next to the Cascade River.

She was with her 2 sisters who also saw the birds.  She said the birds
were hopping around on and near a downed tree next to the river (BNA
describes use of downed trees for roosts and cover from predators).  The
birds were all black, with a tail that was held straight up "like a
wren". One bird had a light underside (might be consistent with juvenile
plumage described in BNA).  She said the birds were very vocal,
chattering (my term) to each other.

None of the women had binoculars, although she said the birds were only
about 15ft away.  They are not birders (or they would have had
binoculars) but she was familiar with wrens and juncos using these birds
as reference points (both smaller than what they saw).

What do you think? Worth posting on MOU-net to see if anyone can
follow-up?

Mark Martell
Director of Bird Conservation
Audubon Minnesota
2357 Ventura Drive #106
St. Paul, MN 55125
651-739-9332
651-731-1330 (FAX)