[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Thursday, April 3, 2008

[Jeanie Joppru]

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*April 3, 2008
*MNDL0804.03

-Birds mentioned
Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Northern Pintail
Common Merganser
Gray Partridge
Ruffed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Greater Prairie-Chicken
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Bohemian Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Common Grackle
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: April 3, 2008
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru at wiktel.com)

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, April 3,
2008 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.

Spring has definitely arrived in northern Minnesota. Reports of migrants
have flooded in as the first wave consisting of waterfowl, raptors, and
a few passerines arrived in the northwest. Most of the water is still
frozen over, but a few ducks have found the few puddles and patches of
open water. Skeins of geese are visible all over the area as the first
ones come to search out the water. A few more days are needed to melt
all that ice however. There are many reports of AMERICAN ROBIN and
WESTERN MEADOWLARK from all over the area.

>From Kittson County, Larry Wilebski observed a NORTHERN CARDINAL at his
feeder in the northern part of the county. Other species he reported
included SANDHILL CRANE, AMERICAN ROBIN, and WESTERN MEADOWLARK this
week.

Charmaine Lorenson saw two AMERICAN ROBINS southwest of Greenbush on
April 1. Beth Siverhus found more than one hundred BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS
still in Warroad in Roseau County on April 1.

Beth Siverhus also reported that a pair of PILEATED WOODPECKERS are
being seen by Lyle and Sally Lauber at Dixon Lake in western Itasca
County.

Gary Tischer saw a MOURNING DOVE along CR 12 in Marshall County, and a
WESTERN MEADOWLARK was seen within Agassiz NWR on April 3. Steve Broten
reported a GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN in Marshall County about 4 miles
south and one mile east of Old Mill State Park. The bird has been
visiting a farm there for the past two weeks. A GREAT BLUE HERON was
seen near Viking on March 30.

In Pennington County, there were many reports of large numbers of
AMERICAN ROBINS in the city of Thief River Falls on the weekend. A
MERLIN was spotted high in a spruce tree at the Dairy Queen on April 1.
Best of all, Shelley Nyland observed an early YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER in
Pennington County on March 31. Shelley Steva added many CANADA GEESE, a
RED-TAILED HAWK, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, and COMMON GRACKLE which have
returned to Pennington County this week.

Red Lake County sightings by Shelley Steva on March 31 included SANDHILL
CRANES north of Oklee. On April 1, she observed 25 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE,
AMERICAN KESTREL, MOURNING DOVE, and WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

Bruce Flaig reported TRUMPETER SWANS in southern Polk County on March
28. Donna and Leon Thoreson watched a MERLIN take a meal in their yard
near Climax on March 25. Gary Tischer observed about 4000 CANADA GEESE
and a number of swans in a field two miles east of US 75 along CR 21 on
April 3.

Matt Mecklenburg in Clay County on March 29 reported many ducks, GREATER
PRAIRIE-CHICKEN, BALD EAGLE, NORTHERN HARRIER, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK,
COOPER'S HAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL, MOURNING DOVE, WESTERN MEADOWLARK, and
COMMON GRACKLE.

Not surprisingly, the greatest number of migrants was reported from
Otter Tail County where most species of ducks are now being seen, along
with large numbers of several goose species including GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. In addition, Tom Smith reported GREAT BLUE HERON on
March 29, GRAY PARTRIDGE, NORTHERN HARRIER, ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, AMERICAN
KESTREL, and on March 31, MOURNING DOVE, and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD.
Dan and Sandy Thimgan noted a large movement of raptors on March 30. On
April 1 they saw a TURKEY VULTURE. They reported six COMMON MERGANSERS
and NORTHERN PINTAIL on April 2, and on the 3rd, added PIED-BILLED
GREBE,AMERICAN COOT, RING-BILLED GULL, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, and SONG
SPARROW. Amy Drake reported many of the same species along with RUFFED
GROUSE, EASTERN MEADOWLARK, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

Thanks to Amy Drake, Bruce Flaig, Charmaine Lorenson, Gary Tischer,
Maggie Anderson, Matt Mecklenburg, Shelley Nyland, Beth Siverhus,
Shelley Steva, Steve Broten, Dan and Sandy Thimgan, Donna and Leon
Thoreson, Tom Smith, and Larry Wilebski for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than
Thursday each week, at ajjoppru at 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. The next scheduled update of this report is Thursday, April 10,
2008.


Jeanie Joppru
Pennington County, MN


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