Previous reports: May 27 , June 3 10 17 24 , July 1 8 23 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*July 29, 2004
*MNDL0407.29

-Birds mentioned

• Common Loon
• American White Pelican
• Least Bittern
• Great Blue Heron
• Trumpeter Swan
• Turkey Vulture
• Bald Eagle
• Merlin
• Greater Prairie-Chicken
• Killdeer
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Black-billed Cuckoo
• Great Gray Owl
• Short-eared Owl
• Western Kingbird
• Black-billed Magpie
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Le Conte's Sparrow

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: July 29, 2004
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, July 30 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.

As the summer birding season winds down, the weather is getting warmer, and the birds are not singing much anymore, but instead are concentrating on storing up energy for the long migration, and getting young birds ready to fly south. Shorebirds are reappearing after their brief breeding season in the far north. A few areas in the northwest have habitat for shorebirds- there is some habitat available and in use by birds in the interior of Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge, some at Hamden Slough NWR, and there are shorebirds at the Roseau River WMA in northern Roseau County. Other spots are the potholes in farm fields which appear and reappear as rains keep them moist, and which are somewhat unpredictable.

>From Otter Tail County, Dave Sorgen found a TURKEY VULTURE and a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO on July 22nd.

Becker County species reported by Craig Mandel included a WESTERN KINGBIRD seen along US highway 10 1.5 miles east of CR 24 on July 22nd. Mary Wyatt reported that she had six species of warblers at her water feature in the yard this weekend. At Hamden NWR there were 19 GREAT BLUE HERONS on the weekend, and ten species of shorebirds were increasing in numbers. A COMMON LOON was seen in a lake near to the Hesby Wetland.

Craig Mandel led a group which birded in Norman County on the weekend of July 23 -25th. Among the birds found there was a pair of TRUMPETER SWANS with four cygnets one mile north and 3/4 of a mile west of the intersection of CR 40 and CR37. Six GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS were observed along the west side of CR 28 a half mile south of CR 39. A LEAST BITTERN was heard calling on the east side of CR 40 one mile south of CR 29. A pair of SHORT-EARED OWLS, first seen by Ron Erpelding, was found on the west side of CR 158, three-quarters of a mile north of CR39. A LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was seen near the intersection of CR 27 and CR 24. For this bird go 1.25 miles east and one quarter mile south of the above intersection. LE CONTE'S SPARROWS were also heard in Norman County in the Neal WMA.

In Mahnomen County, the Craig Mandel group saw a BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE along CR 12, one half mile north of CR 13.

In Pennington County, Wayne Koland found a BALD EAGLE in a field along Johnson Drive near Thief River Falls on Thursday.

At Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in Marshall County, Kari Odefey did a shorebird count on July 25th. She recorded 437 individuals on Middle CCC Pool including 9 KILLDEER, 5 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 258 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 23 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 47 LEAST SANDPIPERS, 25 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and 29 DOWITCHER sp. Also in Marshall County, Linda Lindemoen reported that the MERLINS have nested again in her yard, and there are now six of them flying about in her yard northeast of Newfolden.=20

>From Roseau River WMA, Melanie Torkelson reported a pair of TRUMPETER SWANS on Pool 2, and 100-200 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS on Pool 1 east. A pair of BALD EAGLES with one juvenile was seen on the Roseau River. A GREAT GRAY OWL has been seen one mile northwest of the headquarters.

Thanks to Craig Mandel, Maggie Anderson, Kari Odefey, Dave Sorgen, Linda Lindemoen, Wayne Koland, Mary Wyatt, Melanie Torkelson, and Alex Wendorf for their reports.

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, August 6, 2004.

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