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Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*September 5, 2002
*MNDL0209.05

-Birds mentioned

• Pied-billed Grebe
• Red-necked Grebe
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Osprey
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Harrier
• Sharp-shinned Hawk
• Cooper's Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Merlin
• Greater Prairie-Chicken
• American Woodcock
• Wilson's Phalarope
• Red-necked Phalarope
• Black-billed Cuckoo
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Olive-sided Flycatcher
• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
• Western Kingbird
• Common Raven
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• Blue-headed Vireo
• Philadelphia Vireo
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Nashville Warbler
• Northern Parula
• Magnolia Warbler
• Cape May Warbler
• Black-throated Green Warbler
• Bay-breasted Warbler
• Ovenbird
• Northern Waterthrush
• Mourning Warbler
• Wilson's Warbler
• Canada Warbler
• Grasshopper Sparrow
• Lincoln's Sparrow
• Orchard Oriole
• Baltimore Oriole

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: September 5, 2002
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru@wiktel.com)

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, September 5, 2002 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.

Migration continues in Northwest Minnesota, evidenced by the increasing numbers of some birds such as shorebirds and warblers, and decreasing numbers of others like swallows. Also evidence of movement is the fact that every day in the same spot you will find a different set of birds. Peak hawk migration at Agassiz NWR is usually around September 15 and they are now increasing in number and variety. Frequent wet weather and storms, and the start of the school year seems to have slowed the number of reports for this week but we do have a good overview of what is to be seen at this time.

The Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter came to the northwest last weekend and had a superb weekend of birding in spite of the storms and rain. They got 152 species in the three days .

On the 30th the MRVAC group reported seeing in Pennington County no less than 220 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES at the Thief River Falls sewage lagoons.On September 2nd they found an OSPREY and an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER in the county.

In Red Lake County, 2 BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS and a PHILADELPHIA VIREO were at the Old Treaty Crossing Wayside, and 4 WILSON'S PHALAROPES were seen at the Red Lake Falls sewage lagoons.

Polk County birds reported by the group included GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN observed along Highway 75 1/2 mile south of Polk County Road 17 and a YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER at the Crookston sewage lagoon.

On the 31st in Marshall County, at the Warren sewage lagoon, 31 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were reported. At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, also on the 31st, the MRVAC group found many GREAT EGRETS, GREAT BLUE HERONS, and 12 species of shorebirds along County Road 7 by Parker Pool. At Agassiz NWR on the 2nd, Shelley Steva, Zeann Linder and I found 5 species of raptors harassing the shorebirds-2 BALD EAGLES, NORTHERN HARRIER, RED-TAILED HAWK, 3 MERLINS, 2 COOPER'S HAWKS, and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. Little wonder that few shorebirds were visible to be identified that day! Also at Agassiz at this time there are many RED-NECKED GREBES, PIED-BILLED GREBES, and many species of ducks in all forms of plumage. A COMMON RAVEN was seen there on Sept. 2nd. An ORCHARD ORIOLE was reported in Marshall County on the 2nd along CR 86, a mile south of Highway 1.

Some of the Kittson County birds included in this week's reports were 26 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES at the Hallock sewage lagoons, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, WESTERN KINGBIRD, PHILADELPHIA VIREO at Lake Bronson State Park, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, and GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.

Warbler migration is going strong this week. There were 14 species of warblers reported from Kittson County, 15 species from Marshall County at Old Mill State Park, Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, and the Wetlands, Pines , and Prairie Audubon Sanctuary. They included ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA, and CAPE MAY WARBLER seen at Agassiz NWR. More warblers were reported from Polk, Pennington, and Red Lake Counties to bring the total number of warbler species to 20. Besides those already mentioned, some other warblers seen this week included NASHVILLE WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, BAY-BREASTED WARBLER, OVENBIRD, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, MOURNING WARBLER, WILSON'S WARBLER, and CANADA WARBLER.

In Becker County, Mary Wyatt reported that on Sept 7, she had a large wave of warblers in her yard as well as RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS, BALTIMORE ORIOLES, and A BLUE-HEADED VIREO.

Thanks to Craig Mandel, Mary Wyatt, and Gary Tischer for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by e-mail, 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. When reporting by e-mail please put "NW Bird Report" in the subject line of your message. The next scheduled update of this report is Friday,September 16, 2002.

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