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-RBA *Minnesota *Minnesota Statewide *April 17, 1997 *MNST9704.17 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: April 17, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (tony@mill2.MillComm.COM)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)
This is the Minnesota birding report for Thursday April 17th sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. As always, to skip this recording and leave a message you can press 5 on your touch tone phone.
Migration continues along at a relatively slow pace with only a few new migrants appearing in the last week.
Ken LaFond reports that large flocks of TUNDRA SWANS plus ten TRUMPETER SWANS and a MUTE SWAN were at pool number 9 in Carlos Avery WMA in Anoka County on April 12th and again on the 16th.
On April 13th in Jackson County, Karl Bardon found 620 GREATER WHITE- FRONTED GEESE along County road 9 just south of the town of Sioux Valley. This is an unusually large number for this typically somewhat scarse species. Also on the 13th in Carver County, Elizabeth Donnely found several White-fronteds south of the town of Victoria. A SNOW GOOSE has been at Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis for about the past week, and on April 12th Kim Eckert found a ROSS' GOOSE on Talcot Lake in Cottonwood County on county road 7 two miles north of state highway 62.
Several people called to report the high numbers and many species of waterfowl that can be found along U.S. highway 169 north of Mankato in Blue Earth, Nicollet and Le Sueur counties. Additional good numbers of waterfowl were reported as well as along state highway 99 west of St. Peter in Nicollet County and from the Como Park area in St. Paul. Four OLDSQUAWS were at Pleasant Lake in Ramsey County on the 14th. Interesting is the report of a SMEW from Moore Lake in southern Anoka County. The bird was apparently present for a few days in with a few HOODED MERGANSERS up until April 8th. This would represent a first state record if accepted by the Minnesota Ornithological Records Committee.)
Up to 30 BALD EAGLES can be seen on Auburn at the junction of Carver County road 11 and state highway 5. These birds have been present since early last week.
A COMMON MOORHEN was seen April 11 on Lake Winona in Winona County.
A PECTORAL SANDPIPER was found by Bob Janssen on April 14th near the town of Waterville in Le Sueur County. Bob also found several LESSER YELLOWLEGS and a DUNLIN in McLeod County on the 16th south of the town of Biscay along county road 17.
GLAUCOUS GULLS were on Illinois Lake in Jackson County on the 12th and on Round Lake in Jackson County on the 13th.
I have a belated report of a SNOWY OWL near the town of Hendricks in Lincoln County, though no specific location was given. This bird was apparently seen sometime around the 3rd of April. BOREAL OWLS and NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS were heard calling along the Stony River Road in Lake County on April 12th. For more information on these and other birds in the north eastern part of the state you can call the Duluth birding report at 218-525-5952.Sharon Castor has an EASTERN SCREECH-OWL in her yard in Wayzata in Hennepin County and Dave Zumeta found a pair along the West River Road in south Minneapolis.
The first FORSTER'S TERN of the year was found by Terry Brashear on Moore Lake in Anoka County on April 15th.
Dave Soverign found a PALM WARBLER on April 8 near George Watch Lake in Anoka County.
Among other reports I have received this week are numerous COMMON LOONS, reported mostly in the southeastern part of the state. EARED GREBES were on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis on the 11th and Otter Lake in St. Paul. PEREGRINE FALCONS have been reported from Minneapolis, St. Paul and South St. Paul. Also, GREAT EGRET, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPAUCKER, EASTERN PHOEBE, BROWN CREEPER, both KINGLETS, FOX, SWAMP and SONG SPARROWS can be found in good numbers.
Thanks to Ruth Andberg, Dave Zumeta, Sharon Coval, Mitchel Paul, Barb Kull, and Nancy Overcott.
The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday April 24th.