[mou] Northwest Minnesota Birding Report- Thursday, May 1, 2008

[Jeanie Joppru]

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*May 1, 2008
*MNDL0805.01

-Birds mentioned
Greater White-fronted Goose
Cackling Goose
Cinnamon Teal
Greater Scaup
Ruddy Duck
Gray Partridge
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Greater Prairie-Chicken
Wild Turkey
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Sora
Greater Yellowlegs
Marbled Godwit
Dunlin
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock
Wilson's Phalarope
Franklin's Gull
Short-eared Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Eastern Phoebe
Purple Martin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Harris's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Lapland Longspur
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Purple Finch
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: May 1, 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, May 1, 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.

This was an eventful weather week with warm temperatures followed by a
late spring blizzard which dropped up to 18 inches of snow in parts of
the northwest. It grounded lots of migrants, and birding was excellent
on Sunday after the weather calmed - if you could get to them. Vehicles
with all-wheel drive were the most popular choice. The weather has
improved and temperatures have rebounded after the cold.

In Kittson County, Larry Wilebski reported COMMON LOON and OSPREY new
for the season at his property near Lancaster.

Several species of ducks, A GREAT BLUE HERON, and EASTERN PHOEBE were
observed by Arlene Johnson and Michael Hedemark at the Roseau River WMA
in Roseau County on April 29.

In Clearwater County, Kelly Larson observed many birds sheltering from
the storm on April 26 including SWAMP SPARROW, and many blackbirds ,
mostly RUSTY BLACKBIRDS.

On Sunday, Shelley Steva and I had a close encounter with a SORA at
Agassiz NWR at the viewing platform at Parker Pool. The first HERMIT
THRUSH was also seen nearby. Arlene Johnson and Michael Hedemark near
Gatzke, observed TURKEY VULTURE, MARBLED GODWIT, AMERICAN WOODCOCK,
FRANKLIN'S GULL, CHIPPING SPARROW, and many blackbirds most of which
were RUSTY BLACKBIRDS during the storm on April 26.

Here in Pennington County, I was able to identify 10 COMMON LOONS, 4
PIED-BILLED GREBES, 2 HORNED GREBES, 2 RED-NECKED GREBES, 6 EARED
GREBES, 2 WESTERN GREBES, and 198 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS on the river
at the 8th St. bridge in Thief River Falls. At our feeder an
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and FOX SPARROW made a brief appearance, while on
the river bank there was a WILSON'S SNIPE. A TURKEY VULTURE, and MARBLED
GODWIT were seen on April 27, and ,on April 28, a BELTED KINGFISHER
arrived along the Red Lake River. Arlene Johnson and Michael Hedemark
found most common species of ducks present at the Thief River Falls WTP
on April 29.

In Red Lake County, Shelley Steva saw 2 WILD TURKEYS two miles north of
Plummer on the east side of US 59 on April 24. A few MARBLED GODWITS,
and 220 BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS were observed on April 27.

Alyssa De Rubeis found a CINNAMON TEAL at the Crookston WTP on April 26
with Kim Eckert's MOU Polk County weekend trip. Note that special
arrangements must be made for access as the ponds are locked. Other
great sightings on that trip included GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE,
CACKLING GOOSE, GREATER SCAUP, GRAY PARTRIDGE, SHARP-TAILED GROUSE,
GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN, PEREGRINE FALCON, and early DUNLIN, SHORT-EARED
OWL, LARK SPARROW, and LAPLAND LONGSPUR among the over 90 species seen
in spite of the bad weather. A GREATER YELLOWLEGS was seen by Shelley
Steva on April 27 at the rice paddies in eastern Polk County.

The MOU weekend trip while in Norman County saw most of those same
species , and added a few more including GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET and
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

Clay County sightings included BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, COMMON
YELLOWTHROAT, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW seen by Rick Holbrook on April
29 at Buffalo River SP and a YELLOW WARBLER that Dennis Weisenborn saw
fly across the river into Clay County from Fargo on April 30. Connie
Norheim found GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, and a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD
at Lake Maria, and at the MSUM Science Center, a BROAD-WINGED HAWK on
May 1.

Beau Shroyer observed NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, PINE WARBLER, PALM
WARBLER, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD in Becker County on April 28. Michael
Ossler reported SAVANNAH SPARROW and HARRIS'S SPARROW on May 1.

Milton Blomberg reported RUDDY DUCK, CLARK'S GREBE, 104 WESTERN GREBES,
SORA, and SHORT-EARED OWL among others seen on Lake Osakis in Todd
County on April 23.

In Otter Tail County, Tom Smith saw COMMON LOON, GREAT EGRET, PURPLE
MARTIN, and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD on April 24. Brad and Dee Ehlers
included GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN, BROWN THRASHER, ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER, and 30 WHITE-THROATED SPARROW in their yard list on April 24.
Alma Ronningen reported a LINCOLN'S SPARROW on April 27. Teresa
Jaskiewicz reported a LARK SPARROW in Elizabeth on April 30; at the
Prairie Wetlands Learning Center she saw three AMERICAN WOODCOCKS and a
GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. Dan and Sandy Thimgan reported a NORTHERN
WATERTHRUSH on May 1.

>From Douglas County, John Ellis reported WILSON'S PHALAROPES and
OVENBIRD on April 27.

Other species mentioned by nearly all the observers included all the
common ducks, raptors such as BALD EAGLE, NORTHERN HARRIER, RED-TAILED
HAWK, and KESTREL, the first shorebirds such as GREATER YELLOWLEGS,
MARBLED GODWIT, and AMERICAN WOODCOCK, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and
sparrows such as AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, CHIPPING SPARROW, SONG SPARROW,
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, and DARK-EYED JUNCO, and FINCHES
such as PURPLE FINCH.

Thanks to all who reported sightings this week.

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, May 8,
2008.


Jeanie Joppru
Pennington County, MN


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