Previous reports: June 27 , July 5 12 18 , August 3 9 15 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*August 27, 2002
*MNDL0208.27

-Birds mentioned

• Pied-billed Grebe
• Red-necked Grebe
• American Bittern
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Green Heron
• Black-crowned Night-Heron
• White-tailed Kite
• Northern Harrier
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Merlin
• Sora
• Sandhill Crane
• Semipalmated Plover
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Sanderling
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Baird's Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Dunlin
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Common Snipe
• Red-necked Phalarope
• Forster's Tern
• Black Tern
• Black-billed Cuckoo
• Great Horned Owl
• Common Nighthawk
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
• Northern Flicker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Great Crested Flycatcher
• Eastern Kingbird
• Tree Swallow
• Bank Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Sedge Wren
• Eastern Bluebird
• Gray Catbird
• Cedar Waxwing
• Yellow-throated Vireo
• Golden-winged Warbler
• Tennessee Warbler
• Nashville Warbler
• Northern Parula
• Yellow Warbler
• Chestnut-sided Warbler
• Cape May Warbler
• Black-throated Green Warbler
• Blackburnian Warbler
• Prothonotary Warbler
• Ovenbird
• Wilson's Warbler
• Scarlet Tanager
• Indigo Bunting
• Eastern Towhee
• Baltimore Oriole

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: August 27, 2002
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru@wiktel.com)

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday,August 23,2002 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may also hear this report by calling (218) 847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888.

Fall is creeping up on us. This year the big bluestem, and prairie flowers of the northwest are exceptionally beautiful and worth a trip for those of you with botanical interests. Even the roadsides are lovely.

A WHITE-TAILED KITE was seen by a visiting birder in Skree township of Clay County on August 18th in a tree a quarter mile east of Rushfeldt Lake. I have no report that any one has relocated the bird since then but if you wish to try the directions are as follows:

Go east of Downer on Highway 10, it curves north and then back east. After it turns back east, go about 4 1/2 miles to 210 Ave. The tiny Skree Town Hall building is on the corner. Turn north on 210 St and go about 2 miles. Rushfeldt Lake is on your right. The road turn east, and there is water on both the north and south sides of the road for a little ways. Eventually the road will meet with Hwy 32.

From Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge in Becker County, Betsy Beneke reports that the warblers are appearing. She saw GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER, TENNESSEE WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER, NORTHERN PARULA, CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER, CAPE MAY WARBLER, BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER, and WILSON'S WARBLER along County Road 29. Other birds seen included YELLOW-THROATED VIREO and EASTERN TOWHEE. On the 22nd, Betsy saw 30-40 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS circling over the visitor's center.

A Polk County report comes from the Thoreson's who birded at Rydell National Wildlife Refuge on August 18. Birds seen included GREEN HERON, NORTHERN HARRIER, RED-TAILED HAWK, GREAT HORNED OWL, SORA, BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, COMMON NIGHTHAWK, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, NORTHERN FLICKER, PILEATED WOODPECKER, GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER, EASTERN KINGBIRD, GRAY CATBIRD, CEDAR WAXWING, YELLOW WARBLER, OVENBIRD, a possible PROTHONOTARY WARBLER, SCARLET TANAGER, and INDIGO BUNTING. Near the Pembina Trail Preserve they saw a MERLIN, SANDHILL CRANES, and SEDGE WREN.

Agassiz National Wildlife refuge in Marshall County is "hopping" right now. It is a virtual workshop on plumages - breeding, molting, juvenile, and fall- there are ducks, grebes , and shorebirds in all plumages there in profusion. On Sunday, August 18, both RED-NECKED GREBES and PIED-BILLED GREBES were in evidence with young in all sorts of stages from the very young to the near adult and adult. Five species of herons: AMERICAN BITTERN, about 50 GREAT BLUE HERONS, 15 GREAT EGRETS, GREEN HERON, and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were present. BLACK TERNS, and FORSTER'S TERNS are plentiful and in all variations of their plumage. About 20 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS were working the drier areas of Parker Pool near the viewing platform. Several thousand swallows which included TREE SWALLOW, BANK SWALLOW, and CLIFF SWALLOW were seen on the county road between Marshall County 7 and Farmes Pool. Many COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were catching insects along County Road 7 near the airport .

Shelley Steva reported on the shorebirds she saw at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge on the 20th. She saw many shorebirds along County Road 7. They included: 70 LEAST SANDPIPERS, 85 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 25 STILT SANDPIPERS, 3 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 12 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and 3 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. SANDERLING, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, DUNLIN, BAIRD'S SANDPIPER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, and COMMON SNIPE were also seen.

In Pennington County, a juvenile RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER is consistently visiting our suet feeder and snacking on sunflower seeds. Several RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS, a BALTIMORE ORIOLE, and many EASTERN BLUEBIRDS are also commonly seen in the yard.

Thanks to Betsy Beneke, Donna and Leon Thoreson, and Shelley Steva for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by e-mail, no later than Thursday each week, at: ajjoppru@wiktel.com OR call the Detroit Lakes Chamber's toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders please call 847-9202. When reporting by e-mail please put "NW Bird Report" in the subject line of your message. The next scheduled update of this report is Friday,August 30, 2002.

Return to Home Page