-Birds mentioned
Great Blue Heron
Tundra Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Greater White-fronted Goose
Ross's Goose
Oldsquaw
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Wild Turkey
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Common Snipe
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull
Great Gray Owl
Short-eared Owl
Boreal Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Tree Swallow
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Varied Thrush
Loggerhead Shrike
Chipping Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
-Transcript
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.