-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*July 30, 1997
*MNST9807.30

-Birds mentioned

• Least Bittern
• Cattle Egret
• Semipalmated Plover
• Killdeer
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Willet
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Marbled Godwit
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Baird's Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Common Snipe
• Wilson's Phalarope
• Red-necked Phalarope
• Carolina Wren

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: July 30, 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 July 30th sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

That CAROLINA WREN discovered July 18 at Fort Snelling State Park in Hennepin County was seen again on the 29th. From the main entrance, drive to the end of the road and park near the new Visitor Center. From here walk on the paved bike/hiking trail to the northwest about 1/4 mile. Check between the first two trail bridges on either side of the highway 5 overpass.

Three CATTLE EGRETS were at the pond found in the northeast corner of the intersection of Rice County Roads 52 and 59. This was on the afternoon of July 29th.

On the 26th and again on the 29th, a LEAST BITTERN was seen at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield. Check along the western third of the boardwalk that crosses the lake.

Shorebirds are moving through the state in good numbers now, and I have reports of hundreds of birds being found at three locations. At Hamden's Slough in Becker County, about 300 birds were present on July 30th and the following 16 species were seen: SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, KILLDEER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, WILLET, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, COMMON SNIPE, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, PECTORAL SANDPIPER and STILT SANDPIPER. At the Crystal sugar beet ponds in Moorhead, Clay County, up to a thousand birds representing most of these same species were seen on the 30th, plus several MARBLED GODWITS and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. Please remember to get permission from the security guard at the back of the complex before driving the dikes. And at Minnesota Lake in northeastern Faribault County, thousands of YELLOWLEGS, STILT SANDPIPERS and small peeps can be found along the shoreline and on the island in the lake's northwestern corner.

One final note. With the new area code of 651 being assigned to St. Paul and its suburbs, some callers have asked if the area code of this line will change. The answer is no, it will not. It will retain the 612 area code.

For information on joining our state wide bird organization write the MOU at 10 Church Street SE University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN, 55455

or e-mail us at

MOUMembers@aol.com.

The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday August 6th.

Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MnRBA@linux.winona.msus.edu. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info end) to mnrba-request@linux.winona.msus.edu.

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