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-RBA *Minnesota *Minnesota Statewide *August 22, 1996 *MNST9608.22 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota Statewide/Twin Cities
Date: August 22, 1996
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (tony@mill2.MillComm.COM)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)
This is the Minnesota birding report for Thursday August 22nd sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
A CLARK'S GREBE was seen August 18 by Kim Eckert on Clear Lake in Stevens County over the weekend.
Two RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were in among 12 species of shorebirds seen on August 14th in Sherburne County, though no specific location was given. Bob Ekblad found a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE on August 15th at the reservoir south of the Olmsted County landfill just west of the city of Rochester.
Forest Strnad found good shorebirds at the Lonsdale sewage ponds and the Dennison sewage ponds in Rice County, and also at the Kenyon ponds in southwestern Goodhue County. Bill Litkey found a PIPING PLOVER at Sand Point in Frontenac State Park in Goodhue County on the 22nd. On the 17th, Randy Frederickson found a winter plumaged AMERICAN AVOCET at the Renville Sugar Beet Plant in Renville County. Another AMERICAN AVOCET was seen at Lake Traverse in Traverse County, also on the 17th.
Kathy Graham reports that 140 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS and 200 GREAT EGRETS were seen on Rice Lake, just off U.S. highway 169 north of Shakopee.
In Lake County, Walt Bachman found an extremely early PINE GROSBEAK on August 20th at Castle Haven, one mile south of Gooseberry Falls State Park on Minnesota highway 61. He reports also of two WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS seen August 21st at Tettegouche State Park at the trail head which begins on county road 4. Denny Mayer has a most unusual report of suspected WHITE- WINGED CROSSBILL nesting six miles west of the town of Big Fork in Itasca County. Adults with young were seen throughout the month of July. He reports that up to 200 individuals are currently in the area, including numerous begging young. And WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were also found by Doug Johnson in three different locations on August 20th at Lake Bemidji State Park and in the Chippewa National Forest in Beltrami County. Roger Everhart observed an immature RED CROSSBILL at his thistle feeder in Dakota County on August 13th. Betsy Beneke reports that one female and one juvenile RED CROSSBILL were present at the Tamarac NWR in Becker County on July 29th. On the 8th of August, four birds were seen, and on the 16th, there were five. Again, I would appreciate any report of either species of crossbill.
In other news, a substantial COMMON NIGHTHAWK migration was observed in the northern suburbs on August 22nd; RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS have begun to show up at many feeders around the metro area; and Fall warbler migration was noted at Tamarac NWR in Becker County, at Roberts Sanctuary in Minneapolis, and at the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge in Bloomington.
The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday August 29th. If you have birds to report, please leave your name and phone number plus a brief but specific message which includes the name of the county where your sighting took place.