Minnesota Statewide RBA
Minnesota Statewide RBA
Minnesota Statewide RBA
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-RBA *Minnesota *Minnesota Statewide *March 26, 1999 *MNST9903.26 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: March 26, 1999
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (tony@millcomm.com)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)
This is the Minnesota birding report for Thursday March 26th sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
With the recent warmer weather and continued snow melt, the number of reports coming in this past week has increased substantially.
TRUMPETER SWANS were reported on the 19th by Darryl Moen where Wright county road 14 bridges the Crow River, one half mile north of U.S. highway 12. They were also seen by Deanne Endrizzi near Black Dog Lake in Dakota County on the 21st, and by Dan Floren at Boone Lake on the 19th along Meeker County road 12. A ROSS'S GOOSE was also seen at Boone Lake. On the 22nd two Trumpeters were near the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport at the 66th street dead end in Richfield.
Several GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE have been seen at the Centerville dam at Lake Peltier in Anoka County since the 18th and from nearby George Watch Lake since the 22nd.
Several callers reported that the pair of OLDSQUAW at the Coon Rapids dam in Anoka and Hennepin counties is still being seen. The most recent report was from March 24th.
Unusual was the sighting of two WILD TURKEYS at the north end of Lake of the Isles in south Minneapolis reported by several callers on March 20th.
On March 20th Karl Bardon reported the year's first GREATER YELLOWLEGS. It was seen flying up the Mississippi River near Hastings in Dakota County. On the 22nd he reported a migrating TURKEY VULTURE from Goodhue County also along the Mississippi River. Terry Brashear reported a COMMON SNIPE from Carlos Avery refuge in Anoka County on the 24th, and a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was reported from there by Ken Lafond on the 25th.
In Lake County two BOREAL OWLS, eight NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and two GREAT GRAY OWLS were heard calling late in the evening of March 19th by Tony Hertzel. With the exception of one Great Gray, all these owls were all heard along the Stoney River Forest Road between 7 1/2 and 11 miles south of state highway 1. One Great Gray was heard along the Whyte Road .8 miles east of its junction with the Stoney River Road, and 12 miles south of state highway 1. The Stoney River Forest Road meets highway 1 about eleven miles east of Lake County Road 2. A single Saw-whet was at Sibley State Park in Kandiyohi County on the 14th. Randy Frederickson heard it near the boat launch area. And a Great Gray was found March 19th by Ben Yokel at the Sax-Zim bog area, 45 miles north-northwest of Duluth, along St. Louis County Road 7 two and a half miles north of the town of Sax. A SHORT-EARED OWL was seen again at Carlos Avery refuge in Anoka County on the 20th.
In Rochester, Olmsted County, a CAROLINA WREN was seen again at Leslie Kottke's feeder on March 23rd. Please call Leslie before visiting. A second Carolina Wren was seen by John Zakelj on March 19th. Apparently the wren has been in the Battle Creek - Highland area of St. Paul for several weeks.
A female VARIED THRUSH has been coming to a yard in Kandiyohi County since early January, but permission to post this report has only recently been obtained. The location is 18 miles north of the town of Willmar at the Kyle Quenemoen residence. Please call before visiting.
And an early CHIPPING SPARROW was reported from Wyoming Township in Chisago County on March 23rd by Terry Elven.
GREAT BLUE HERONS have returned to many Minnesota lakes and rivers as far north as Isanti County. Among the many other migrants moving into the state are TUNDRA SWAN, KILLDEER, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, NORTHERN HARRIER, SANDHILL CRANE, RING-BILLED GULL, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, TREE SWALLOW, both EASTERN MEADOWLARK and WESTERN MEADOWLARK, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, COMMON GRACKLE, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD.
Thanks to Barb Kull, Oscar Johnson, Ed Heit, Linda Fahning, Charlie Eck, and Julie Brophy.
The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday April 1st.
Send your rare and unusual Minnesota sightings to our electronic hotline: MOU-net@biosci.umn.edu. To learn more, send a message (the message being these two words: info mou-net) to majordomo@biosci.umn.edu.
