-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*March 26, 1997
*MNST9803.26

-Birds mentioned

• Common Loon
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Great Blue Heron
• Tundra Swan
• Trumpeter Swan
• Snow Goose
• Ross' Goose
• Turkey Vulture
• Northern Goshawk
• Gyrfalcon
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Wild Turkey
• Killdeer
• American Woodcock
• Northern Saw-whet Owl
• Winter Wren
• Eastern Bluebird
• Varied Thrush
• Cedar Waxwing
• Northern Shrike
• Savannah Sparrow
• Rusty Blackbird
• White-winged Crossbill
• Common Redpoll
• Hoary Redpoll
• American Goldfinch

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: March 26, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Minnesota Birding Network (mnbird@linux.winona.msus.edu)
Transcriber: "Allison A. Campbell"
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

This is the Minnesota statewide birding report for Thursday March 26 (1998), sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists Union.

On March 25, a VARIED THRUSH showed up at Elizabeth Weir's Medina feeder in Hennepin County. Birders are welcome to stop by and visit but, please, first call Elizabeth at 473-3226.

A COMMON LOON was seen in Anoka County on March 23 by Ken Lafond as it flew over the town of Blaine.

On the 21st, Tony Hertzel checked the Kasota Prairie of Le Sueur and Blue Earth counties and reported finding two KILLDEER, one ROSS' GOOSE, plus several groups of TUNDRA SWANS and RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. The Kasota Prairie is just west of Le Sueur County Road 21 and begins about a mile south of the town of Kasota.

A KILLDEER was also seen on March 25th by Betsy Beneke near Tamarack National Wildlife Refuge in Becker County. Louise Linneas (sp?) heard one in Minnetonka in Hennepin County on the 24th and Julie Brophy saw a KILLDEER near the town of Victoria in Carver County on the 25th.

For the second year in a row, Diane Anderson reported the first TURKEY VULTURE of the spring. This year's sighting was in the south- eastern part of Rochester in Olmsted County on the 24th. She also reports finding PIED-BILLED GREBE, several AMERICAN WOODCOCK and a SAVANNAH SPARROW on the 26th in the same general area.

A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was reported by Craig Menze from near his Kanabec County home on March 22nd.

Peder Svingen briefly observed a GYRFALCON on the 22nd in Kittson County, along Highway 59 just southeast of the town of Halma. The Falcon soon left the area and I know of no subsequent observations.

John Gislason reports finding several SHARP-TAILED GROUSE on March 21st in Carlton County. This was two miles north of the town of Cromwell along Highway 73.

Mark Ochs found a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL in downtown Minneapolis on March 26th in the small pines on the east side of the library. The library is located on Nicollet Avenue, between Third and Fourth streets.

A WINTER WREN was seen at the Bass Ponds area of south Minneapolis on March 23rd by Barb Verville.

NORTHERN SHRIKES were reported by Oscar Johnson from Brooklyn Park on the 22nd and by Robin Bliss from the Lowry Nature Center in Carver County on the 21st.

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS can be found in some of the northern parts of Minnesota. Small flocks were reported from Becker County by Betsy Beneke and from Ramsey County by Barb (Wojohn?).

Jim Radachek (sp?) found a HOARY REDPOLL in with several dozen COMMON REDPOLLS on the 19th and again on the 24th at his feeder in Circle Pines in Anoka County.

Other, now-often-reported species include TRUMPETER and TUNDRA SWANS, SNOW GOOSE, GREAT BLUE HERON, WILD TURKEY, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, CEDAR WAXWING and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH.

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, April 2nd.

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