Previous reports: March 6 13 20 27, April 3 10 17.
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*April 24, 2014
*MNDL1404.24

• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Trumpeter Swan
• Tundra Swan
• American Wigeon
• Ring-necked Duck
• Bufflehead
• Red-breasted Merganser
• Common Loon
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American White Pelican
• Great Blue Heron
• Turkey Vulture
• Sharp-shinned Hawk
• Cooper's Hawk
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• American Coot
• Killdeer
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Marbled Godwit
• Wilson's Snipe
• Franklin's Gull
• Snowy Owl
• Belted Kingfisher
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
• Northern Flicker
• Eastern Phoebe
• Tree Swallow
• Brown Creeper
• Golden-crowned Kinglet
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Hermit Thrush
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• American Tree Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Vesper Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Swamp Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow
• Western Meadowlark
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Rusty Blackbird
• Purple Finch

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: April 24, 2014
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru@mncable.net)

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, April 24, 2014 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 finally arrived, albeit reluctantly in the northwest. Even today, some places had a trace of snow falling. Birds know that it has arrived as they are streaming north. Virtually all the waterfowl have made it this far. Thousands of swans, both trumpeter swans and tundra swans are present right now in the northwest, particularly in the rice paddies along the Clearwater River in Polk, Pennington, and Clearwater Counties. Sparrows are rapidly making an appearance also. In addition to the swans, and a good representation of ducks, AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were seen in Clearwater County on April 20. On April 18, Shelley Steva saw 15 TURKEY VULTURES circling over Thief River Falls in Pennington County. No word on what was dead! Anita Vettleson reported a large migration of NORTHERN FLICKERS in Red Lake County on April 22. At the rice paddies in eastern Polk County, we saw thousands of TUNDRA SWANS, a few TRUMPETER SWANS, and several GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, in addition to many ducks , mostly RING-NECKED DUCKS and AMERICAN WIGEONS. Representatives of most of the other duck species were sprinkled in. A GREATER YELLOWLEGS and a few MARBLED GODWITS were also seen in eastern Polk County. Anita Vettleson reported a SNOWY OWL seen along US 75 just north of Climax on April 20. Sandy Aubol had CHIPPING SPARROW and SHARP-SHINNED HAWK in her yard in East Grand Forks on April 23. She reported that the impoundments in northwest Minnesota are hosting a large collection of waterfowl, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, FRANKLIN'S GULLS, and a few MARBLED GODWITS. Other birds mentioned in Polk County included TREE SWALLOW, SONG SPARROW, VESPER SPARROW, SAVANNAH SPARROW, and AMERICAN TREE SPARROW. Sandy saw a RUSTY BLACKBIRD and WESTERN MEADOWLARK on April 23. In Clay County, Bob O'Connor reported a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK flying over the Red River in Fargo- Moorhead on April 20. Other species mentioned in Clay County on April 19 included KILLDEER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, EASTERN PHOEBE, BROWN CREEPER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, SWAMP SPARROW, FOX SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, and PURPLE FINCH. Steve Midthune reported that LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS have returned to Hamden Slough NWR in Becker County as of April 24. Marshall Howe in Hubbard County reported osprey on April 18, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, VESPER SPARROW and NORTHERN FLICKER on April 19, COMMON LOON, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER, BUFFLEHEAD, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, and ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER on April 20, GREAT BLUE HERON, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, and SONG SPARROW on April 21. From Otter Tail County, Dan and Sandy Thimgan reported PIED-BILLED GREBE, GREAT BLUE HERON, COOPER'S HAWK, WILSON'S SNIPE, BELTED KINGFISHER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, and HERMIT THRUSH on April 19. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER showed up on April 20, CHIPPING SPARROW and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW on April 21, and AMERICAN COOT and KILLDEER on April 22. Not surprisingly, Benjamin Eckhoff turned in a similar list for Lake Carlos State Park in Douglas County. 4 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS were seen in Douglas County on April 12. Thanks to Anita Vettleson, Benjamin Eckhoff, Bob O'Connor, Dan and Sandy Thimgan, Marshall Howe, Sandy Aubol, Shelley Steva, and Steve Midthune for their reports. Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than Thursday each week, at ajjoppru@mncable.net 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 1, 2013

Jeanie Joppru Pennington County, MN

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