-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*May 21, 1997
*MNST9805.21

-Birds mentioned

• Species Ibis
• Red-throated Loon
• Snowy Egret
• Little Blue Heron
• Tricolored Heron
• Ross's Goose
• White-winged Scoter
• Mississippi Kite
• Piping Plover
• American Avocet
• Willet
• Ruddy Turnstone
• Red Knot
• Sanderling
• Black-headed Gull
• Say's Phoebe
• Bewick's Wren
• Northern Mockingbird
• White-eyed Vireo
• Bell's Vireo
• Yellow-throated Warbler
• Louisiana Waterthrush
• Kentucky Warbler
• Great-tailed Grackle

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: May 21, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

This is the Minnesota statewide birding report for Thursday May 21st sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

Even with this tape being out of service for four days with the recent heavy storms that passed through area over the weekend, I have an unusual number of interesting reports of rare and hard to find species.

A BEWICK'S WREN was found in Sherburne County by Jay Hamernick on May 20th, and refound again on the 21st. From U.S. highway 169 go west on Sherburne County Road 9 for about 2 1/4 miles. Go south on 144th Street for 1/2 mile to 289th Ave. Take this road west to the Camp in the Woods sign on the left. Walk down the dirt road on the south side of 289th Ave. for about 100 feet or so and check the pine trees in the campground. The bird was singing here on both days. Please resist the temptation to use tapes to call the bird in. It can be heard with little effort and appears easily agitated. Even a small amount of pishing seems to disturb the wren greatly. With patience and ethical behavior you should eventually hear him singing.

Those GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES can still be found on the Minnesota-Iowa border in Jackson County. Ray Glassel found them there on May 16th. Seven IBIS -- probably White-faced -- were also seen in the marsh by Ray. This location is 1/2 mile east of where state highway 82 meets the Iowa border and heads west. Ray also found a BLACK-HEADED GULL five miles north of here. And Peder Svingen found a BLACK-HEADED GULL on the 20th in the same general area as the grackles.

On May 21st Bob Ekblad found a LITTLE BLUE HERON at the South Landfill Reservoir in Olmsted County. This is west of the city of Rochester. From U.S. highway 14 go west to Olmsted County Road 104. Turn north to 19th Street. Go west for two miles. The landfill office is on the north side of the road.

Tony Hertzel and Peder Svingen birded northwestern Minnesota and turned up a few interesting species. Birding from Becker and Clay counties north to Marshall and Kittson, then east to Lake of the Woods County and finally Duluth, they reported these notable species: A SAY'S PHOEBE on May 16th at the Bicentennial Prairie tract of the Felton Prairie in Clay County. A first county record MISSISSIPPI KITE on May 17, at the headquarters of Agassiz NWR in Marshall County. Two ROSS'S GOOSE. One on May 16th at the Warren sewage lagoons in Marshall County. The other May 18 at the Roseau lagoons in Roseau County. Three WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. The first two, a male and female seen May 16th at Agassiz NWR just east of the headquarters building along Marshall County Road 7. The second on May 18 was a male found at the Thief River Falls sewage lagoons in Pennington County. This was a first county record. Two PIPING PLOVERS found May 18th at Morris Point in Lake of the Woods County. A first Kittson County record SNOWY EGRET at the Lake Bronson State Park beach on May 16. 19 species of shorebirds at Farmes Pool in Agassiz NWR in Marshall County on May 16th, including two RED KNOTS, two AMERICAN AVOCETS, one WILLET, six RUDDY TURNSTONES, and four SANDERLINGS. And a RED-THROATED LOON seen May 19th in Duluth from the beach on Park Point between the ball fields and the airport.

A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was seen in Inver Grove Heights in Dakota County on the 18th along the 2000 block of 100th Street East.

A YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER was found on the 14th at the NE corner of Medicine Lake in Hennepin County, but unfortunately the caller left no specific directions.

The TRICOLORED HERON found on May 9th by Bruce Fall at the Louisville Swamp area of the Minnesota River in Scott County was found again early this week. Check along the shore of the swamp about 1/2 mile down the Mazomani Trail. The short drive to the main parking lot is about 2 miles south of state highway 41 along U.S. 169. With people intent on finding the heron, I wonder how many heard the singing KENTUCKY WARBLER along the Mazomani Trail. Tony Hertzel found the bird between the parking lot and the first pond.

Tom Bloome found a WHITE-EYED VIREO at the Old Cedar Ave. Bridge area of Hennepin County on May 16th. This was at the first boardwalk west of the parking lot. Bill Marengo found a singing BELL'S VIREO in Lac Qui Parle County on May 19th. This was on county road 33 1/2 of a mile SE of county road 31. He also found a LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH at Wolsfeld Woods in Hennepin County on May 16th. The access to these woods is on Brown Road about 3/4 of a mile north of U.S. highway 12, six miles west of I-494.

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday May 28th.

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