Minnesota Statewide RBA
Minnesota Statewide RBA
Minnesota Statewide RBA
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-RBA *Minnesota *Minnesota Statewide *April 15, 1999 *MNST9904015 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota Statewide
Date: April 15, 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 April 15th sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
On April 8th, Craig Mandel found a CLARK'S GREBE on Lake Traverse in Traverse County. This was near Rainbow Island. He also reports that MARBLED GODWITS were at Rothsay in Wilkin County and CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPURS have returned to the Felton Priaire in Clay County.
A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was reported by Terry Wiens at the recreation area of Park Point in Duluth, St. Louis County on April 10th .
A TRUMPETER SWAN was seen in a flooded corn field along Minnesota highway 109 about 3/4 of a mile west of the town of Alden in western Freeborne County.
FRANKLIN'S GULL reached Tamarac NWR in Becker County on the 8th, and OSPREY were seen there on the same day. PURPLE MARTINS were seen there on the 12th.
I have three reports of SHORT-EARED OWLS, which have been up in numbers this spring. The first report is from Hennepin County where a single bird has been seen on the west side of the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport for about two weeks. And a Short-eared was reported from Plover Prairie in Lac Qui Parle County on the 8th. The third sighting is from April 12th at Highland Park in Bloomington, Hennepin County.
Mark Ochs found a very early CHIMNEY SWIFT at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, Dakota County on April 8th. This ties the record earliest date for this species.
Interesting was the report of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS from the town of Blue Earth in Faribault County. Janet Williams found a flock of them there on the 14th.
The first GREEN HERON of the season was reported from Eden Priaire in Hennepin County on April 14th and the first SORA was heard on the 13th near the town of Victoria in Carver County. Other migrants and recent arrivals commonly reported include HORNED GREBE, RED-NECKED GREBE, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, SNOW GOOSE, BONAPARTE'S GULL, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, TREE SWALLOW, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, HOUSE WREN, HERMIT THRUSH, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and FIELD SPARROW.
At this time of year I often get several reports of Whooping Crane in marshes and fields, and this year I have received three such reports. Usually these are Great Egrets, American White Pelicans or swans.
Thanks to Chet Meyers, Elizabeth Bell, Carol Gressor, and Naomi Jackson.
The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday April 22nd.
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.
