-RBA
*Minnesota
*Minnesota Statewide
*July 23, 1997
*MNST9807.23

-Birds mentioned

• Least Bittern
• Mississippi Kite
• Prairie Falcon
• Northern Bobwhite
• American Avocet
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Willet
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Baird's Sandpiper
• Caspian Tern
• Carolina Wren

Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: July 23, 1997
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)

This is the Minnesota statewide birding report for Thursday July 23rd sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.

On July 18, Bruce Fall discovered a CAROLINA WREN at Fort Snelling State Park, Hennepin Co. The wren was along the bike trail that parallels the south bank of the Mississippi River. From the main entrance at Post Road, drive to the far north end of the park to the new Visitor Center. From here walk on the paved bike/hiking trail to the north about 1/4 mile. Check between the first two trail bridges on either side of the highway 5 bridge.

And at the Old Cedar Ave. Bridge in Bloomington, Barbara Galambos observed what would be the state's ninth reported MISSISSIPPI KITE on July 21st.

On July 17th at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield, an adult and an immature LEAST BITTERN were seen by Steve Roman at the east end of the main boardwalk which bisects the lake.

On the 19th, Jeanie Joppru and Cathy Severin found a PRAIRIE FALCON, one mile South of State Hwy 113 along Mahnomen County Road 142 in the Waubun WMA. July records of Prairie Falcon are somewhat unusual in Minnesota.

David Cahlander birded the Mississippi River on July 12th, and one mile north of Read's Landing he found six AMERICAN AVOCETS and five WILLETS. This was near a small island on the Wisconsin side of the river, and the birds were seen to fly into Minnesota and out of sight. A few shorebirds were at the Crane Creek area near New Germany in Carver County, including LEAST SANDPIPER, SOLITARY SANDPIPER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS. At the Lewiston sewage ponds in Winona County were most of these same species plus a few SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS and one BAIRD'S SANDPIPER.

An early migrating CASPIAN TERN was seen by Ed Heit on July 19th along the St. Croix River near the Carpenter Nature Center in Washington County.

Rare this year have been reports of NORTHERN BOBWHITE. On July 18th Thurman Tucker reported several birds along an unmarked dirt road running west of Houston County Road 16, 1.7 miles south of the town of Spring Grove. Two other Bobwhite were heard calling two miles south of this location on the 20th.

For information on joining our state wide bird organization write the MOU at 10 Church Street SE, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, 55455 or e-mail us at MOUMembers@aol.com. The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday July 30th.

Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MnRBA@linux.winona.msus.edu. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info end) to mnrba-request@linux.winona.msus.edu.

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