This is the Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, June 8, sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. With the cold and rainy weather of the past week, birding has been relatively slow and there are few reports.
Dick Ruhme and Don Bolduc found COMMON MOORHENS in Nicollet County on June 7. The birds were at Swan Lake near the Sportsman's Club access about a quarter of a mile west of the town of Nicollet on Minnesota Highway 99. The YELLOW RAIL was reported from Cass County on May 31. It was heard at Swamp Lake just west of Leech Lake.
Over the weekend, several WHIP-POOR-WILLS were heard calling near Beaver Creek Valley State Park in Houston County along Highway 76 between County Roads 4 and 10. A pair of NORTHERN THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS were discovered in Cook County by Peder Svingen on June 4. The birds were along the Lima Mountain Trail just over 3 miles west of the Gunflint Trail near where the powerlines cross the road.
Oscar Johnson found a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD at the Bass Ponds area of southern Hennepin County on June 4. The bird was just beyond the parking area. Another NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was seen by Kathy Heidel in Scott County also on June 4. The bird was near the St. Lawrence Farms near the Scott County fairgrounds.
A CERULEAN WARBLER was in Kandiyohi County on June 3. The bird was seen on a Fish and Wildlife Service Waterfowl Production Area off Highway 36 near the town of Sunburg. This is rather far north for this mostly southern species. Another out-of-range CERULEAN WARBLER was reported from the Tamarack National Wildlife Refuge in Becker County on June 5. The bird was seen and heard just a few hundred yards in along the Main Indian Hiking Trail in the southern third of the refuge.
Very unusual is the report of nesting BAY-BREASTED WARBLERS in Bloomington. This is the most southerly nesting record of this species that I am aware of. A WESTERN TANAGER was reported to me from Nobles County. The bird was seen on May 16 but no specific location was given.
The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday, June 15. If you have birds to report, please leave your name, phone number and a brief but specific message.
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