[mou] Metro Birding

[Julian Sellers]

Also re nighthawks:  I have heard only one, a couple of blocks away, in my 
neighborhood in St. Paul this year.  Yesterday, late afternoon in Waseca 
County, I was surprised to see what I took for a group of six nighthawks 
milling around in the air while moving southward over the road.  Thought the 
migration had started early.  But they were Black Terns catching insects 
(near a lake).

Julian
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Weston" <sweston2@comcast.net>
To: "mnbird" <mnbird@lists.mnbird.net>; "Mou-net" <mou-net@cbs.umn.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 1:18 AM
Subject: [mou] Metro Birding


> Found an interesting hawk this evening in Eagan in Lebanon Hills, visible 
> in
> one of the small swamps on the south side of Cliff Road between the 
> Holland
> Lake and the entrance to Shultz Lake.  I believe it was the swamp by the 
> old
> entrance.   This beauty was clean white below with only faint banding on 
> its
> tail and blond head markings.  From its long tail, fluffy white under tail
> coverets, and slim appearance, I believe this is an unusual light morph
> Coopers Hawk.  I assume it is a juvenile.  Tail feathers were in molt with
> only two feathers at full length.  I don't know that I have ever seen a
> picture of bird with this coloration.
>
> A friend inquired if I had seen any Nighthawks this summer, and I have 
> not.
> I have not been driving through any of the small towns with my windows 
> open,
> so I may have missed them.  Is anybody finding them in eastern Minnesota?
>
> Got a call from a co-worker today asking what birds were building mud 
> nests
> on his deck and how he might be able to discourage them.  It seems that
> these birds, which we determined were Barn Swallows, were terrorizing his
> kids.  After determining that the nests were empty, he washed them away 
> with
> his hose.   I suggested that he could hang plastic sheeting from hsi deck 
> to
> discourage the swallows, but that removing the nests was technically
> illegal, and especially illegal if the birds had started to lay eggs.
>
> Then I told him, that he was really missing a show that would really 
> excite
> his kids.  I guaranteed him that if he left them to nest, the kids would 
> be
> watching through the window everyday.  The Barn Swallow is an insect 
> feeder
> and will scarf down more than its weight in mosquitos everyday.  (Well, 
> that
> may be a lie.  They may not eat  as many mosquitos as larger bugs.)   And,
> while the birds will dive bomb anyone approaching their nests to protect
> their young, as time continues they will probably become accustom to the
> kids and be less threatened by them.  In any case, they may dive at them,
> but they will not attack, and they wouldn't even draw blood if they were 
> in
> hand.  (Oh, well that maybe another slight exaggeration.)  I hope I
> convinced him to welcome the birds.
>
> We are going through a lot of grape jelly.  Cherie had to refill the dish 
> that I filled yesterday.  She reported at least seven orioles today.
>
> Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN
> sweston2@comcast.net
>
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