Previous reports: February 20 27 , March 6 13 20 27 , April 3 10 17 24 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Duluth/North Shore | Detroit Lakes

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*May 1, 2003
*MNST0305.01

-Birds mentioned

• Western Grebe
• CLARK'S GREBE
• BLACK VULTURE
• Swainson's Hawk
• American Golden-Plover
• Semipalmated Plover
• Piping Plover
• American Avocet
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Willet
• Upland Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Dunlin
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• WHITE-WINGED DOVE
• SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER
• ROCK WREN
• Marsh Wren
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
• Northern Mockingbird
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Blue-headed Vireo
• Nashville Warbler
• Yellow Warbler
• Magnolia Warbler
• Palm Warbler
• Black-and-white Warbler
• Louisiana Waterthrush
• Scarlet Tanager
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Eastern Towhee
• Clay-colored Sparrow
• Field Sparrow
• SMITH'S LONGSPUR
• GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: May 1, 2003
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU) http://biosci.umn.edu/~mou/
Reports: (763) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (ahertzel@uswest.net)

This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Tuesday, May 1st.

As reported on last Monday's and Tuesday's unscheduled updates of this tape, several rarities have shown up during the week. On April 29th Frank Nicoletti reported a potential second state record BLACK VULTURE from near Enger Park in Duluth. The vulture floated directly northward and was soon out of sight and people searched for it into the evening, no one has been able to relocate it.

On the evening of April 29th, Doug Kieser reported a ROCK WREN at Acacia Park Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Dakota County. It was seen on the wall between the two buildings at the entrance. Doug watched it for a few minutes when it then flew to the top of the north building. Acacia Park Cemetery is on Pilot Knob bluff overlooking the Mendota Bridge. Cross the Mendota Bridge going south on state highway 55. At the first light turn right on state highway 13 and right again at the next light onto Pilot Knob Road. Go north to the top of the hill and turn into the cemetery at the intersection. The wren has been seen daily and was reported as recently as May 1st.

A potential third state record WHITE-WINGED DOVE was seen near Moose Lake near Ely, St. Louis County on both the 24th and 25th. I know nothing about this report other than that the bird was reported on the 28th and has not been seen since the 25th.

A SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER was reported by Tony Sullins at Lake Hiawatha in south Minneapolis, Hennepin County. He found the bird on the 26th along the northeastern shore of the lake between the golf course and the park. Another was seen on the 25th in a residential neighborhood one half mile southwest of Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Hennepin County.

A couple of GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES were at the 180th Street Marsh in Dakota County on the 26th.

Since April 29th, four reports of NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD have been called it. One was in Freeborn County on the 29th where Nancy Jackson found it along county road 13 about three quarters of a mile west of 900th Avenue. Another Mockingbird was at the Bass Ponds in Bloomington, Hennepin County on May 1st. Check near the second pond east of the new Cedar Avenue bridge. Also in Bloomington a Mockingbird was at 84th Street and Irwin Road on the 24th near the Gerard Park condominiums. And a Mockingbird was at Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington on the 27th near the group campsite at the south end of the park.

An adult CLARK'S GREBE was found among a total of 140 WESTERN GREBES at Thielke Lake, Big Stone County on the 25th.

At Beaver Creek State Park in Houston County several LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH were seen on the 27th at various locations along the stream that runs through the park.

A small flock of SMITH'S LONGSPURS was at Red Rock Prairie SNA on the 27th. They were seen from the southeast corner of the preserve where the grass is relatively short. Red Rock Prairie is located in northeastern Cottonwood County, just a few miles east of Jeffer's Petroglyphs.

As is typical at this time of year, most of the reports coming in have been of shorebirds. A few AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were reported on the 27th. They were seen at the junction of Traverse County Roads 4 and 53. On the 25th, a PIPING PLOVER was found along U.S. highway 12, about one mile east of its intersection with U.S. highway 75 near Ortonville, Big Stone County. It was along the far edge of a pond on the north side of the highway. Another Piping Plover was at Lake Byllesby in Dakota County on the 27th. On the 30th, Jim Mattsson reported three AMERICAN AVOCETS at the west end of Lake Byllesby in Dakota County, and 11 American Avocets at the Albany sewage ponds in Stearns County on the 27th, As many as 19 WILLETS were at the Silver Creek Reservoir in Rochester, Olmsted County on the 27th and a few more were at the intersection of Redwood County Roads 5 and 4 on the 24th. At least one LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was also seen here. Other shorebirds reported recently include SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, DUNLIN, LEAST SANDPIPER, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, and UPLAND SANDPIPER.

Many other migrants have arrived in the past few days. Among them were SWAINSON'S HAWK, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, MARSH WREN, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, PALM WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, SCARLET TANAGER, EASTERN TOWHEE, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, and FIELD SPARROW.

This state-wide birding report is brought to you and financially supported by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU). The MOU is Minnesota's oldest and largest bird club.

The report is composed from observations generously submitted by MOU members and other birders throughout the state. You can support this weekly update by submitting your bird reports to Anthony Hertzel at axhertzel@sihope.com or by calling the hotline directly at 763-780-8890 and leaving a detailed message.

MOU members receive this report directly on MOU-net, the club's free e-mail listservice, which is available to anyone interested. For information contact David Cahlander at .

MOU members receive the organization's quarterly journal "The Loon" and the bimonthly magazine, "Minnesota Birding". For membership information, send an e-mail message to our membership secretary at moumembers@yahoo.com.

In cooperation with the Minnesota Office of Tourism, highlights of this hotline can be now heard at a toll free number which is available to callers outside the Twin Cities area. The number is 1-800-657-3700.

The MOU is pleased to offer this service. Thank you, and good birding.

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, May 8th.

Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MOU-net@biosci.umn.edu. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info mou-net) to majordomo@biosci.umn.edu.

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