Previous reports: February 27 , March 6 13 20 27 , April 3 10 17 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*April 24, 2003
*MNDL0304.24

-Birds mentioned

• Common Loon
• Western Grebe
• American White Pelican
• Great Egret
• Black-crowned Night-Heron
• Tundra Swan
• Trumpeter Swan
• Wood Duck
• Common Goldeneye
• Common Merganser
• Osprey
• Cooper's Hawk
• Spruce Grouse
• Greater Prairie-Chicken
• Sandhill Crane
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Marbled Godwit
• Wilson's Snipe
• American Woodcock
• Mourning Dove
• Great Horned Owl
• Long-eared Owl
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
• Northern Flicker
• Tree Swallow
• Brown Creeper
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Swainson's Thrush
• Hermit Thrush
• Varied Thrush
• Brown Thrasher
• Cedar Waxwing
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Mourning Warbler
• Chipping Sparrow
• Vesper Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow
• Chestnut-collared Longspur
• Yellow-headed Blackbird

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: April 24, 2003
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, April 25, 2003 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.

Trees are starting to bud, grass is starting to grow, and tonight I saw bugs on the windshield so the warblers cannot be far behind! Migration is progressing nicely with most duck species back already, reports of gulls, herons and the first shorebirds are starting to come in. The earliest warbler has been reported from as far north as Pennington and Marshall Counties, and numbers of sparrow species is increasing.

In Hubbard County, 3 miles south of Park Rapids, Walt Hanneman sighted a VARIED THRUSH on April 19th.

Susan Wiste in Douglas County sent in sightings of MOURNING WARBLER, NORTHERN FLICKER, and YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER on April 18, and VESPER SPARROW and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER on the 21st.

Ottertail County sightings by Dave Sorgen included BROWN CREEPER, and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER. WESTERN GREBES , LESSER YELLOWLEGS, and VESPER SPARROWS were reported this week by Gordon and Artis Martinson southwest of Fergus Falls. Dan and Sandy Thimgan reported YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, HERMIT THRUSH, CHIPPING SPARROW, OSPREY, and YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. They also saw the LONG-EARED OWLS found last week by Carol Schumacher in Fergus Falls. Up to 75 GREAT EGRETS have returned to the Lake Alice rookery in Fergus Falls, and smaller numbers of BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS are also there.

In Clay County, Bob O'Connor reports that at Felton Prairie the birds that all go to see are returning- he found 59 GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS, MARBLED GODWITS, SANDHILL CRANES, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, and CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS there on April 18th. A COMMON LOON was on Flora Lake in Hitterdahl, and a GREAT EGRET at Hotsie Lake. Connie Norheim found 5 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS at Lake Marie along with several species of ducks.

Janet Johannson reported two pair of TRUMPETER SWANS on the north shore of Big Detroit Lake on Saturday, April 19th. Mike Murphy says there are GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS on a new lek at Hamden Slough NWR. The lek is located in the dry bottoms of Hamden Lake about 200 yards from CR 106. The location is 6.4 miles north of Audubon 1/4 mile SE of the intersection of CR 13 and CR 106. Please remain on the road for viewing.

The Thoreson's in rural Polk County reported that MOURNING DOVE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, CEDAR WAXWING, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, SONG SPARROW, and FOX SPARROW have returned to that area. I found a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER at Wetland , Pines, and Prairies Audubon Sanctuary on Monday. Lori Becker reported from the sanctuary that an AMERICAN WOODCOCK, and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET were seen at the sanctuary on April 19th, while GREAT HORNED OWL, and CHIPPING SPARROW were seen on the 23rd, and a BROWN THRASHER appeared on the 24th.

The most exciting Marshall County sighting was sent in by Larry Johnson, who reports that there are now over 3000 SANDHILL CRANES massed in a field south of Old Mill State Park. At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, he saw nearly all species of ducks that are to be expected at this time, and in addition there were WILSON'S SNIPE and MARBLED GODWITS there.=20

Pennington County birds seen this week include COOPER'S HAWK, RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, FOX SPARROW, and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

Katie Haws reported from Beltrami County that she observed 15 COMMON MERGANSERS, and many COMMON GOLDENEYE on Blackduck Lake.

Pat Rice took a trip to the rice paddies of Clearwater County where she saw thousands of TUNDRA SWANS, 13 species of ducks, one TREE SWALLOW, and 4 species of sparrows.

Beth Siverhus, Roseau County, reported WOOD DUCKS on the 18th and FOX SPARROW on the 19th.

Gretchen Mehmel saw a SPRUCE GROUSE near Norris Camp in Lake of the Woods County on April 22nd.

Thanks to the many folks who sent in reports this week.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, 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. Please include the county where the sighting took place. When reporting by email please put "NW Bird Report" in the subject line of your message. The next scheduled update of this report is Friday, May 2, 2003.

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