MINNESOTA BIRDING WEEKENDS & WEEKS

APRIL 2012 - FEBRUARY 2013 / OUR 27th SEASON

Minnesota Birding Weekends & Weeks (MBW) is now entering its 27th season offering unique, modestly priced birding trips in association with the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union – we originated in 1986 as MOU Birding Weekends. After 26 years, we have now had a total of more than 350 MBWeekends and 60 MBWeeks, over 6,000 registrations, a composite list of 355 species seen within Minnesota, and all 87 Minnesota counties will have been covered after this season.

(In addition to our selection of MBWeekends, the schedule of out-of-state MBWeeks will continue. Please visit the MBWeeks page on this website for further information.)

  

Continuing this season will be our "Frequent Birder" Rebates – i.e., all participants will earn $5 credits for each MBWeekend they attend, with these credits accumulating to earn free registrations on future MBWeekends.

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MBWeekend registrations and fees will be accepted on a “first-come-first-served" basis, based on U.S. mail postmarks, and please note that some MBWs can become filled months in advance. Maximum registration for most MBWeekends is 15 participants.

Multiple MBWs can be included on a single registration form and on a single check: please make checks payable to M.B.W. All MBW registrations must include an e-mail address. Unless a MBW is filled, checks are deposited as they are received and registrations are confirmed by e-mail.

Confirmed registrants canceling at least one week in advance of a MBWeekend will receive a refund of 80% of their registration fee; refunds for later cancellations would depend on the individual circumstances. Those on waiting lists not confirmed for a MBW will receive full refunds; MBWeekends which are canceled or shortened (e.g., due to weather) would also result in refunds.

A MBWeekend’s meeting time and place, lodging options, the participants list, car-pooling information, etc, are sent by e-mail to those registered, usually about 4 weeks before the MBW. Unless stated otherwise, MBWeekends normally begin at dawn on Saturday, end early to mid-afternoon on Sunday, and are typically based in the same city from Friday night until Sunday.

Transportation, meals, and lodging are generally not included in MBWeekend fees. Participants can make arrangements to car pool to the base city or to share lodging – a list of those registered and lodging options in the base city are included with the MBW's e-mailed information. Participants will be able to bring their own food along for meals and/or to eat at restaurants. Birding during MBWeekends is by car-pooled caravans normally limited to four vehicles.

The Friday-only, pre-Weekend options (those to mostly new counties not normally included on MBWs or covered by most birders) may be taken separately or in combination with the corresponding two-day MBWeekends in adjacent counties.

MBW participants are encouraged/expected to be members of the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union (http://moumn.org/join.html).

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~ 2012-13 MINNESOTA BIRDING WEEKENDS ~

CLICK on the HIGHLIGHTED NAME of the MBWEEKEND

for a summary of this or a similar MBWeekend

from a previous year

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR MBWEEKENDS

NOTE: Registering for a MBWeekend after it is FILLED is still worth considering

since there could be cancellations, or an additional leader or extra MBW

can sometimes be arranged to accommodate those on the waiting list.

(Full refund of the MBW fee is provided if no vacancies develop.)

Asterisks (*) below indicate new counties not previously included on MBWeekends.

• January 7 - 8, 2012  ~ Duluth III

• January 14 - 15, 2012  ~ Duluth IV

–  CLICK HERE FOR SUMMARY OF THESE MBWEEKENDS  –

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• April 7 - 8  ~  Houston & Winona Counties  ~  $45 (Base La Crosse WI)

• pre-MBW option April 6  ~ Wabasha County ~  $30 (Base Lake City)

For those anxious for the arrival of early spring migrants (and who isn't by early April?), the best place for the widest assortment of both water and woods birds would be in the vast woodlands and backwaters of the lower Mississippi River Valley. Flocks of Tundra Swans and other northbound waterfowl along with dozens of Bald Eagles should be in the Mississippi and its backwaters, and we will search the wooded valleys for early migrants and local specialties like Wild Turkey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Golden Eagle, Eastern Screech-Owl, and Tufted Titmouse. And is there a better way to spend – or perhaps escape from? – Easter than birding in this special corner of the state?

Wabasha County not only provides still more deciduous woodlands and backwaters within the Mississippi River Valley, especially in this county's portion of Whitewater WMA, but it also has the best access to scan the expanses of Lake Pepin, where spectacular waterfowl concentrations (plus rare ducks, gulls, and jaegers) often appear.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: FILLED (limit 15 participants) / 0 on waiting list; vacancies still remain on Wabasha Co. pre-MBW; see Note above on registering for MBWs which are filled.

• May 5 - 6  ~  Polk County  ~  $50 (Base Crookston)

The complex of grasslands near Crookston may be the best place in the state to see both Sharp-tailed Grouse and Greater Prairie-Chickens displaying on traditional leks, often side-by-side. Other prairie and water birds in and around Glacial Ridge NWR should include good numbers of waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds (Crookston's sewage ponds are among the state's best), Sandhill Cranes, perhaps Short-eared Owls, longspurs, and sparrows. And there is a chance of a rarity or two – Cinnamon Teal, Prairie Falcon, California Gull, Burrowing Owl, Mountain Bluebird, Smith's Longspur, Lark Bunting, Henslow's and Nelson's sparrows have all recently occurred.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 14 registered / 1 vacancy (limit 15 participants).

• May 19 - 20  ~  Camp Ripley* & Crow Wing County*  ~  $50

(Leader Craig Mandel; Base Brainerd)

• pre-MBW option May 18  ~  Benton County* ~  $30 (Base St. Cloud)

It is long overdue for a MBW to visit Camp Ripley in northern Morrison County, since this designated Important Bird Area includes over 50,000 acres of woods and wetlands where nearly 230 species have been recorded. About 125 of these have been in the breeding season, including Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered Hawks (the most in the state), Yellow Rail, Cerulean and Hooded warblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Nelson's Sparrow. The wooded lake country of Crow Wing County (a new MBW destination except for its corner on Mille Lacs Lake) will also be included, where the peak migration of warblers and other migrants might well be underway.  

Benton County, overlooked on all previous MBW seasons, may be relatively small, but it includes a decent variety of habitats along the Mississippi River, and accordingly there is potential for a long species list in its woodlands, wetlands (Little Rock Lake and several sewage ponds), and fields given favorable conditions for migration.   

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: FILLED (limit 15 participants) / 5 on waiting list; vacancies still remain on Benton Co. pre-MBW; see Note above on registering for MBWs which are filled.

• May 26 - 27 - 28  ~  Rock & Pipestone Counties  ~  $75  (Base Luverne)

The unique topography of Sioux quartzite outcrops and escarpments at Blue Mounds State Park and Pipestone National Monument; the hillside grasslands of the Coteau des Prairies landscape; Blue Grosbeaks singing at the periphery of their range; an exciting history of vagrants from the Southwest – all this and more promise to provide a memorable three-day Weekend in this far corner of the state. Besides the Blue Grosbeaks, some of the summer residents include Gray Partridge, Least Bittern, Swainson's Hawk, Upland Sandpiper, Yellow-billed and Black-billed cuckoos, Eastern Screech-Owl, Willow Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Sedge Wren, Grasshopper Sparrow, Dickcissel, and Orchard Oriole. In addition, there are excellent sewage ponds to check for migrant shorebirds and other waterbirds, there will still be passerines and other late spring migrants passing through – and, again, there is no better place in the state to hope for western strays, those with previous records here too numerous to mention.  

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 20 registered / 10 vacancies (limit 30 participants with 2 leaders).

1. • June 23 - 24  ~  Wadena & Todd* Counties  ~  $50
   

2. (Leader Craig Mandel; Base Staples)
   

3. • pre-MBW option June 22  ~  Hubbard County* ~  $30 (Base Park Rapids)
   

Although Wadena County has already been featured as a pre-MBW option (we had over 100 species on a day with unfavorable weather), Todd is essentially a new MBW county, since only its piece of Lake Osakis has been covered on previous MBWs. But there is much more to see in these counties at their lakes, meadows, brushy hayfields, and many woodlands. For example, besides the Red-necked, Western, and possibly Clark's grebes at Osakis, Todd County has meadows with Sedge Wrens, Le Conte's (and Nelson's?) Sparrows, and a even few Yellow Rail records. And in Wadena County an isolated Greater Prairie-Chicken lek has still been active in recent years.

Hubbard County mostly represents a new MBW county (only its small slice of Itasca State Park was once briefly included) and offers the most boreal component of this weekend. Thus, the focus will be on woodpeckers (maybe a Black-backed), flycatchers, Gray Jay, warblers (up to 20 species), and other northern woods birds in full song.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 12 registered / 3 vacancies (limit 15 participants).

• July 28 - 29  ~  Meeker* & McLeod* Counties  ~  $50

1. (Leader Craig Mandel; Base Hutchinson)
   

• pre-MBW option July 27  ~  Wright County* ~  $30 (Base Buffalo)

• post-MBW option July 30  ~ Sibley County* ~  $30 (Base Glencoe)

After last season's successful "County Listers Special", covering six new counties in four days, this year's unique four-day excursion (with the option of doing just some of the days) will include four counties never included on any previous MBWs. The main Saturday-Sunday portion will concentrate on the mix of woodlands and numerous wetlands in Meeker and McLeod counties. Friday will include even more wetlands (and sewage ponds) plus several deciduous tracts along Wright County's portion of the Mississippi River, while on Monday there will be more woodlands along the Minnesota River and wetlands in the more prairie-like landscape of Sibley County.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 12 registered / 3 vacancies (limit 15 participants).

• August 11 - 12  ~  Stevens & Big Stone Counties  ~  $45

(Please note change in dates; Base Morris)

• pre-MBW option August 10  ~  Grant County ~  $30 (Please note change in date; Base Morris)

This late-summer MBW has now become an annual tradition and evolved into our shorebird ID workshop. If water levels are low, 20 shorebird species or more are a real possibility here, where there are several productive sewage ponds (especially in Morris) plus countless natural prairie wetlands in Big Stone County (especially Thielke Lake). Our recent MBWs have found a good variety of ducks, Clark's Grebe, Least Bittern and other waders, Eastern Screech- and Short-eared owls, impressive masses of migrating swallows, an assortment of early fall migrant warblers, a Henslow's Sparrow once, plus lingering Western Kingbirds, Bobolinks, and Orchard Orioles.

Grant County has both extensive woodlands and numerous wetlands, not only for additional shorebirds but also for herons/egrets in and around Pelican Lake. Of special interest as well in this county is the unique North Ottawa water impoundment, which attracts impressive numbers of waders, shorebirds, and other waterbirds.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 13 registered / 2 vacancies (limit 15 participants).

• September 1 - 2 - 3  ~  Northwestern Minnesota  ~  $70 (Base Roseau)

• pre-MBW option August 31  ~  Lake of the Woods County ~  $30 (Base Baudette)

This will be our tenth consecutive Labor Day Weekend in this remote corner of the state, and, with relatively little birding here in fall, the list of possibilities is both potentially long and refreshingly unpredictable. Some of our unexpected finds on this MBW have even included Snowy Egret, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Prairie Falcon, Red Knot, Long-tailed Jaeger, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Nelson's Sparrow. As many as 25 shorebird species (including American Avocet, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, and once a group of 145 Red-necked Phalaropes) and 20 warbler species have been recorded on this MBW, along with Short-eared Owls, Black-billed Magpies (once we counted a single flock of 110), and Le Conte's Sparrows. We can expect to see as many as 160-170 species as we visit such interesting sites as Agassiz NWR, Thief Lake and Roseau River WMAs, Warroad and Springsteel Island on Lake of the Woods – and, of course, the Thief River Falls (and several other) sewage ponds.

Lake of the Woods County offers even more birding opportunities along the lake, including Morris Point and Pine-Currys Island. In addition, the vast Beltrami Island State Forest offers potential for several boreal additions to this weekend's list – with luck, maybe a Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, or Boreal Chickadee.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 18 registered / 12 vacancies (limit 30 participants with 2 leaders).

• October 5  ~  North Shore ~  $25 (Base Duluth)

• October 6  ~  Duluth I  ~  $20  (Base Duluth)

• October 7  ~  Duluth II  ~  $20 (Base Duluth)

Join us for either one, two, or all three days in Duluth and up the North Shore of Lake Superior. Friday will concentrate on Lake County, with perhaps a run into Cook County, depending on the weather and recent sightings. Saturday and Sunday will focus on places closer to Duluth, as we scour Park Point, Stony Point, and other sites along the lake for an always interesting mix of fall migrants of all kinds, with a strong flight of raptors at Hawk Ridge also possible. Recent late September-early October rarities here include un-Common loons, Prairie Falcon, Red Phalarope, several Sabine's Gulls, Arctic Tern, all three jaegers, Say's Phoebe, Smith's Longspur, and others.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 11 registered / 4 vacancies on North Shore; 13 registered / 2 vacancies on Duluth I; 11 registered / 4 vacancies on Duluth II (limit 15 participants each day).

• October 20 - 21  ~  Lyon & Lincoln Counties  ~  $40  (Base Marshall)

• pre-MBW option October 19  ~  Yellow Medicine County ~  $25 (Base Marshall)

These counties’ numerous wetlands, grasslands, and woodlands – including Black Rush Lake, Coon Creek WMA, Camden State Park, Garvin and Hole-in-the-Mountain county parks, and the fascinating Coteau des Prairies hillsides near Lake Benton – provide endless opportunities for fall migrants of all kinds, especially raptors (including perhaps a Golden Eagle or Prairie Falcon?), late shorebirds, gulls (maybe a Sabine's?), longspurs (including Smith's?), and sparrows (possibly 15 species – with Spotted Towhee, Le Conte's, or even Nelson's among them?). Rarities and strays from farther west are always possible here as well as we bird along the edge of the Dakotas.

Yellow Medicine County provides additional wetlands, woodlands, and grasslands birding from the Minnesota River to the South Dakota line. Most interesting is the rolling Coteau des Prairies landscape in the western part of the county where strays like Ferruginous Hawk, Say's Phoebe, and Chestnut-collared Longspur have occurred.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 9 registered / 6 vacancies (limit 15 participants).

• November 3 - 4  ~  North Shore of Lake Superior  ~  $40  (Base Duluth / Grand Marais)

The unexpected is literally to be expected here each fall: past November records include Brant, King Eider, Yellow-billed Loon, Gyrfalcon, Purple Sandpiper, Black-legged Kittiwake, Ancient Murrelet, Inca Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Mountain Bluebird, Fieldfare, Sage Thrasher, Summer Tanager....and who can forget MBW's discovery of a Black Guillemot in 2009? More likely possibilities include Long-tailed and Harlequin ducks, all three scoters, a Red-throated or Pacific loon, Golden Eagle, Thayer's and Glaucous gulls, Townsend's Solitaire, and winter finches. Little wonder this MBW has been scheduled every year since 1991.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 27 registered / 3 vacancies (limit 30 participants with 2 leaders).

• January 5 - 6, 2013  ~  Duluth III  ~  $35 (Base Duluth)

This popular MBW tradition continues with so many possibilities to begin one's year list: Sharp-tailed Grouse, Northern Goshawk, northern owls (especially Great Gray, N. Hawk, and Snowy), Black-backed Woodpecker, Northern Shrike, Gray Jay, Black-billed Magpie, Boreal Chickadee, Bohemian Waxwing, Snow Bunting, grosbeaks, crossbills, redpolls, and more. We'll also hope for the unexpected: a Harlequin Duck or rare gull on the lake; a Gyrfalcon chasing pigeons in the harbor; a Spruce Grouse or American Three-toed Woodpecker in a remote spruce bog; or a Townsend's Solitaire, Varied Thrush, or even Boreal Owl lurking in someone's backyard.

STATUS as of 20 January 2012: 14 registered / 1 vacancy (limit 15 participants).