Summer Tanager

11 May 2014, near jct of Blue Earth Co Rd 47 & MN Hwy 68

(Roy Zimmerman photo)



This Summer Tanager first called to our attention by George L was certainly the rarest thing we found during this MBW, although note this was just one of three photographed in MN this weekend – see the MOU's Recently Seen page! (Ours was the only male in full plumage, though, so that has to count for something.) 


I'd say it also counts for a lot that this was not the only highlight of our MBW as we came up with an unexpected and impressive total of 143 species. Of these, 122 were in Brown County, with 116 of them in Brown on Saturday (plus 3 others elsewhere that day). And I was indeed surprised that we saw so many birds since there were no fall-outs or warbler waves anywhere that we encountered, but we still pieced together a nice list of 17 warbler species. We also came up with the same total of shorebirds, with a tip from Linda directing us to drawn-down Sand Lake in Sibley County to see 14 shorebirds on Sunday afternoon on our way home. The best of these was that Willet, but of note there as well were a Ruddy Turnstone, a few White-rumped Sandpipers, Dunlins, and Short-billed Dowitchers.


Other highlights included an unexpected adult Common Tern at the Sleepy Eye sewage ponds, along with an impressive total there of 290 Wilson's Phalaropes. That posing-for-photos Harris's Sparrow along with the other birds hiding from the wind in that modest patch of woods by Lone Tree Lake illustrated that the best migrant traps are often chanced upon at unpredictable places. Those who were awake enough for Saturday evening's birding were treated to displaying woodcocks, a Barred Owl, and nighthawks overhead while practically standing at a single spot. And that nice side road in Blue Earth County by the gravel pit provided our list with Lark Sparrow, Bobolink, and a few other noteworthy things besides the tanager. 


BIRD LIST


Note: all species found in Brown County, except 21 "non-Brown" species....


- Renville (R - Sat. pm, briefly)

- Nicollet (N - Sat. pm & Sun. am, both briefly)

- Blue Earth (BE - Sun. am)

- Sibley (S - Sun. pm @ Sand L)


(species seen in these counties not indicated if also seen in Brown Couny)


Canada Goose

Trumpeter Swan      N

Wood Duck

Gadwall

Mallard

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Green-winged Teal      S

Ring-necked Duck

Lesser Scaup

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Ring-necked Pheasant

Wild Turkey

Common Loon

Pied-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

American White Pelican

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Virginia Rail      N

Sora

American Coot

Semipalmated Plover      BE, S

Killdeer

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs      BE

Willet      S

Lesser Yellowlegs

Ruddy Turnstone      S

Dunlin      BE,S

Least Sandpiper

White-rumped Sandpiper      S

Pectoral Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper      BE, S

Short-billed Dowitcher      BE, S

Wilson's Snipe      N

American Woodcock

Wilson's Phalarope

Franklin's Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Black Tern

Common Tern

Rock Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Mourning Dove

Barred Owl

Common Nighthawk

Chimney Swift

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

American Kestrel

Least Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Yellow-throated Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Purple Martin

Tree Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Bank Swallow      BE

Cliff Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch

House Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird      R, N, BE

Swainson's Thrush

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

European Starling

American Pipit      BE

Cedar Waxwing      N

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush

Golden-winged Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Cape May Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Palm Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

Eastern Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow      BE

Lark Sparrow      BE

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Harris's Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Summer Tanager      BE

Scarlet Tanager

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Bobolink      BE

Red-winged Blackbird

Eastern Meadowlark      BE

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Brewer's Blackbird

Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

Orchard Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

House Finch

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow









*          *          *



MINNESOTA RIVER VALLEY 2016 MBW SUMMARY

May 12-13 MBW I  ~  May 13 pre-MBW  ~  May 14-15 MBW II


Little Blue Heron in Duluth – seen by the Lokens and myself early Sunday evening –

wondering why he can’t be included on our MBW species list (KRE photo)




*          *          *


MINNESOTA RIVER VALLEY MBW SUMMARY

May 10-11, 2014



MBW I (May 12-13)


The cool weather during this MBW and the rain on Friday made for some challenging birding. But we were able to relocate the lingering Greater White-fronted Geese at Eggert Lake, had great looks at the Black-billed Cuckoo at Williams Nature Center, and were able to find 18 species of warbler over the two days.  

 

Some pre-trip scouting by Katie, Julie, Susan F, and Steve helped us find the Mute Swan, Virginia Rail, Sora, Prothonotary Warbler, and a mix of shorebirds and waterfowl. Our stop to watch Purple Martins being fed scrambled eggs was entertaining, as were all the roundabouts on our wayward way to Williams Nature Center. Of the 129 species observed on MBW I, the highlight for me was the American Bittern observed from the Nicollet Conservation Club.  


–Craig Mandel



Pre-MBW (May 13) & MBW II (May 14-15)


As Craig noted above, the weather during much of our time along the Minnesota River Valley made things difficult, especially on Friday when it rained almost all morning, and temperatures that windy afternoon never rose higher than the mid-40s. But at the least the wooded trail where the group met before it started raining yielded the Prothonotary Warbler (maybe two) found by the MBW I group, along with 6 other Nicollet-County species not seen during the rest of the day in Le Sueur Co. The rain started soon after we crossed the county line and birded the Kasota area, where we found the SNA bordered by new f**cking sand mining operations. Still, there were Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, a heard-only Upland Sandpiper, and the woods nearby held a singing but uncooperative Canada Warbler. (The truncated word above is “fracking”, by the way.) After lunch, we found a modest raptor movement as skies temporarily brightened north of Le Sueur, along with a couple of Lark Sparrows and a pair of Sandhill Cranes. Following a tip from Craig, we then headed east away from the river where late Gr. White-fronted Geese, Stilt Sandpiper, Dunlin, and other water birds were waiting for us.


At least it didn’t rain on Saturday, but the NW winds were worse than on Friday and it seemed just as cold. But the birding behind the History Center was still good as we listed our only Gray-cheeked Thrush and Orange-crowned Warbler of MBW II. Next we birded along both sides of the river at Judson Bottom Rd, Williams Nature Center, and Minneopa State Park, where we found 2 Olive-sided Flycatchers, Philadelphia Vireo, and more warblers (we listed 17 species that day), including a Blue-winged – which demonstrated that the mythical Junior Tour Leader Merit Badge really does exist. Back in Nicollet Co we found Franklin’s and Bonaparte’s gulls (1 each) at the Nicollet sewage ponds, and the Mute Swan found by Craig’s group was still among some Trumpeters along Hwy 111. (There had been only two previous Mute Swan records ever on MBWs, as this became the last Regular Minnesota species added to the MBWeekend composite list.) The day ended after dinner for some of us back in the Kasota area as we heard Wood Thrush and serenading Great Horned Owls, saw migrating nighthawks, and spotlighted a displaying woodcock.


Though we had to scrape ice off our car windshields at dawn on Sunday, the weather eventually seemed more May-like as the winds died down and it reached 60+ degrees in the afternoon. We elected to pass on birding the New Ulm area and headed east instead for the Cannon River Wilderness in Rice Co where a Worm-eating Warbler was found on Saturday. But, alas, no one – including our MBW group – ever relocated it. Still, we added a few more warblers to our list, and we decided to finish the morning farther east at Lake Byllesby. En route, a brief stop at the Carleton Arboretum turned up a Lark Sparrow, and at Byllesby there were 9 shorebird species, including Semipalmated Plovers, Pectoral, Short-billed Dowitchers, Wilson’s Phalarope, plus some American Pipits. Half the group then had enough time after lunch to stop at Gold Medal Park in Minneapolis, and the staked-out Yellow-throated Warbler became warbler species #20 on MBW II (and #21 for the entire MBWeekend).


In all over the four days, we came up with an unexpected composite total of 158 species. This number was especially surprising considering the weather often made it difficult to bird, that we found no fall-out of warblers and other migrants, and there was only a modest variety (13 species) of shorebirds. (And it would be tempting to consider that lost Little Blue Heron in Duluth as species #159 – after all, the Lokens and I saw it early Sunday evening when we got home….)


–Kim Eckert



BIRD LIST (composite total = 158 species)


I = found on May 12-13 MBW I (129 species)

pre = found on May 13 pre-MBW (96 species)

II =  found on May 14-15 MBW II (127 species)


Greater White-fronted Goose     I, pre

Canada Goose     I, pre, II

Mute Swan     I, II

Trumpeter Swan     I, II

Wood Duck     I, II

Gadwall     II

Mallard     I, pre, II

Blue-winged Teal     I, pre, II

Northern Shoveler     I, pre, II

Canvasback     pre

Redhead     I, pre, II

Ring-necked Duck     I, pre

Lesser Scaup     I, pre, II

Bufflehead     II

Hooded Merganser     I, pre, II

Ruddy Duck     I, pre, II

Ring-necked Pheasant     I, II

Wild Turkey     I, pre, II

Common Loon     I

Pied-billed Grebe     I, pre

Double-crested Cormorant     I, pre, II

American White Pelican     I, pre

American Bittern     I

Great Blue Heron     I, pre, II

Great Egret     I

Turkey Vulture     I, pre, II

Osprey     I, pre

Bald Eagle     I, pre, II

Northern Harrier     II

Sharp-shinned Hawk     I

Cooper's Hawk     pre, II

Broad-winged Hawk     II

Red-tailed Hawk     I, pre, II

Virginia Rail     I

Sora     I

American Coot     I

Sandhill Crane     pre, II

Semipalmated Plover     I, II

Killdeer     I, pre, II

Spotted Sandpiper     I, pre, II

Lesser Yellowlegs     I, pre, II

Upland Sandpiper     pre

Stilt Sandpiper     I, pre

Dunlin     I, pre, II

Least Sandpiper     I, pre, II

Pectoral Sandpiper     II

Short-billed Dowitcher     II

Wilson's Snipe     I

American Woodcock     II

Wilson's Phalarope     II

Bonaparte's Gull     II

Franklin's Gull     II

Ring-billed Gull     I, pre, II

Caspian Tern     I

Black Tern     I, pre

Forster's Tern     I, II

Rock Pigeon     I, pre, II

Eurasian Collared-Dove     I, pre, II

Mourning Dove     I, pre, II

Black-billed Cuckoo     I

Great Horned Owl     II

Common Nighthawk     II

Chimney Swift     I, II

Ruby-throated Hummingbird     I, II

Belted Kingfisher     I, pre, II

Red-bellied Woodpecker     I, pre, II

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     I, pre, II

Downy Woodpecker     I, pre, II

Hairy Woodpecker     I, pre, II

Northern Flicker     I, pre, II

Pileated Woodpecker     I, II

American Kestrel     I, II

Merlin     pre

Olive-sided Flycatcher     pre, II

Least Flycatcher     I, pre, II

Eastern Phoebe     I, pre, II

Great Crested Flycatcher     I, pre, II

Eastern Kingbird     I, pre, II

Yellow-throated Vireo     I, II

Blue-headed Vireo     I, II

Warbling Vireo     I, pre, II

Philadelphia Vireo     I, II

Red-eyed Vireo     pre, II

Blue Jay     I, pre, II

American Crow     I, pre, II

Horned Lark     II

Purple Martin     I

Tree Swallow     I, pre, II

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     I, II

Bank Swallow     I, pre, II

Cliff Swallow     I, II

Barn Swallow     I, pre, II

Black-capped Chickadee     I, pre, II

White-breasted Nuthatch     I, pre, II

House Wren     I, pre, II

Marsh Wren     I

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     I, pre, II

Ruby-crowned Kinglet     I, pre, II

Eastern Bluebird     I, pre, II

Veery     I

Gray-cheeked Thrush     I, II

Swainson's Thrush     I, II

Wood Thrush     I, pre, II

American Robin     I, pre, II

Gray Catbird     I, pre, II

Brown Thrasher     I, II

European Starling     I, pre, II

American Pipit     II

Cedar Waxwing     I, pre

Ovenbird     I, II

Northern Waterthrush     I, pre, II

Golden-winged Warbler     II

Blue-winged Warbler     I, II

Black-and-white Warbler     I, II

Prothonotary Warbler     I, pre, II

Tennessee Warbler     I, pre, II

Orange-crowned Warbler     I, II

Nashville Warbler     I, pre, II

Common Yellowthroat     I, pre, II

American Redstart     I, pre, II

Magnolia Warbler     I, II

Blackburnian Warbler     I, II

Yellow Warbler     I, pre, II

Chestnut-sided Warbler     I, II

Blackpoll Warbler     I, pre, II

Palm Warbler     I, pre, II

Yellow-rumped Warbler     I, pre, II

Yellow-throated Warbler     II

Canada Warbler     pre

Wilson's Warbler     I, pre, II

Eastern Towhee     I, II

Chipping Sparrow     I, pre, II

Clay-colored Sparrow     I, II

Field Sparrow     I, pre, II

Vesper Sparrow     I, pre

Lark Sparrow     pre, II

Savannah Sparrow     I

Song Sparrow     I, pre, II

Lincoln's Sparrow     II

Swamp Sparrow     I

White-throated Sparrow     I, pre, II

Scarlet Tanager     I, pre, II

Northern Cardinal     I, pre, II

Rose-breasted Grosbeak     I, pre, II

Indigo Bunting     I, II

Bobolink     pre

Red-winged Blackbird     I, pre, II

Eastern Meadowlark     I, pre, II

Yellow-headed Blackbird     I, pre, II

Brewer's Blackbird     II

Common Grackle     I, pre, II

Brown-headed Cowbird     I, pre, II

Orchard Oriole     I

Baltimore Oriole     I, pre, II

House Finch     I, pre, II

Pine Siskin     pre

American Goldfinch     I, pre, II

House Sparrow     I, pre, II

Minnesota River Valley MBW Summary

May 10 - 11 - 12, 2019


Nancy Henke photo


Considering that the Bullock’s Oriole must have been 50 feet or so up in the tree at the time, this is actually a pretty good image that Nancy managed to get. Thanks to Randy Frederickson’s wanderlust and remarkable luck, he spotted it 4+ blocks away from Brian Smith’s yard where it had been the previous evening. Fortunately, I’d guess that more than half of the MBWers were able to get there in time before it flew off. This represents species #365 on the all-time MBWeekends list, only the 4th MN record, and it was a MN lifer for all who saw it! (The oriole did reappear in Sleepy Eye during the next few days, but it remained elusive and easy to miss.)     


Well, it would be tempting here to quit while I’m ahead and end this summary now. After all, the birding was on the slow side on this MBW, and the other birds we found certainly pale in comparison with the oriole. It was especially disappointing to only come up with 10 warbler species, as the passerine migration this spring seems to be seriously behind schedule statewide. It was equally disappointing to only find 10 shorebird species, even though there were plenty of (too many?) mudflats in the flooded fields.


But somehow we managed to compile a respectable total of 130 species in all, and there were some highlights worth mentioning. On Friday’s pre-MBW, an unexpected Barred Owl flew in at Flandrau State Park, we found Gray-cheeked and Wood thrushes plus a lone Harris’s Sparrow elsewhere along the Minnesota River, and a surprising Gray Partridge was seen by those of you who weren’t distracted by the pheasant in the same field.


Then on the main MBWeekend, after we left the oriole in Sleepy Eye, there were Red-necked Grebes, a fly-by Peregrine, a heard-only Le Conte’s Sparrow, and we finished up our windy Saturday at Alexander Ramsey Park with a Cooper’s Hawk on its nest. The winds died down on Sunday morning, but there was little to see back at the park and around the Redwood Falls sewage ponds. As I wondered where all the birds were, word then was received that the Bullock’s had reappeared in Sleepy Eye, so Dave took about a third of the MBWers back for another (albeit unsuccessful) attempt to see it.


Meanhile, the rest of us opted to finish the morning on the Renville County side of the river between Redwood Falls and Morton, where the birding was more eventful. We turned up Indigo Bunting, Eastern Towhee, a nice selection of sparrows (but where were the Lark Sparrows?), and our best spot was at Beaver Falls WMA where we had nice views of American Bitterns (and some may have heard a Least Bittern there?), along with photogenic Virginia Rails and Soras at the same spot right next to the road – see below. There was also time before we adjourned to watch a Peregrine circling low overhead back in Redwood County at the sewage ponds near the casino.



Bird List


Fri = seen on Friday pre-MBW (Brown Co)

Sat = seen on Saturday (Brown & Redwood Co’s; briefly in Cottonwood Co)

Sun = seen on Sunday (Redwood & Renville Co’s)


Canada Goose        Fri-Sat-Sun

Trumpeter Swan        Fri-Sat

Wood Duck        Fri-Sat-Sun

Blue-winged Teal        Fri-Sat-Sun

Northern Shoveler        Fri-Sat-Sun

Gadwall        Fri-Sat

Mallard        Fri-Sat-Sun

Northern Pintail        Sat

Green-winged Teal        Fri-Sat-Sun

Canvasback        Fri

Redhead        Fri-Sat-Sun

Lesser Scaup        Fri-Sat-Sun

Bufflehead        Fri

Hooded Merganser        Fri-Sun

Ruddy Duck        Fri-Sat-Sun

Gray Partridge        Fri

Ring-necked Pheasant        Fri-Sat-Sun

Wild Turkey        Fri-Sun

Pied-billed Grebe        Fri-Sat-Sun

Red-necked Grebe        Fri-Sat

Eared Grebe        Fri-Sat

Rock Pigeon        Fri-Sat-Sun

Eurasian Collared-Dove        Fri-Sat

Mourning Dove        Fri-Sat-Sun

Chimney Swift        Fri-Sat

Ruby-throated Hummingbird        Fri

Virginia Rail        Sat-Sun

Sora        Fri-Sat-Sun

American Coot        Fri-Sat-Sun

Killdeer        Fri-Sat-Sun

Least Sandpiper        Sat

Pectoral Sandpiper        Sat

Short-billed Dowitcher        Sat (seen by Nancy & Judy in Morgan)

Wilson’s Snipe        Sat

Spotted Sandpiper        Fri-Sat-Sun

Solitary Sandpiper        Fri-Sat

Lesser Yellowlegs        Fri-Sat-Sun

Greater Yellowlegs        Fri

Wilson’s Phalarope        Fri-Sat

Bonaparte’s Gull        Fri

Ring-billed Gull        Fri

Black Tern        Fri

Forster’s Tern        Fri-Sat-Sun

Double-crested Cormorant        Fri-Sat-Sun

American White Pelican        Fri-Sat-Sun

American Bittern        Sat-Sun

(Least Bittern / possibly heard on Sun)

Great Blue Heron        Sat-Sun

Green Heron        Fri

Turkey Vulture        Fri-Sat-Sun

Northern Harrier        Fri

Cooper’s Hawk        Sat-Sun

Bald Eagle        Fri-Sat-Sun

Broad-winged Hawk        Fri-Sat

Red-tailed Hawk        Fri-Sat-Sun

Barred Owl        Fri

Belted Kingfisher        Fri-Sun

Red-bellied Woodpecker        Fri-Sat-Sun

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker        Fri-Sat-Sun

Downy Woodpecker        Fri-Sat-Sun

Hairy Woodpecker        Fri-Sun

Pileated Woodpecker        Fri-Sat-Sun

American Kestrel        Fri

Peregrine Falcon        Sat-Sun

Eastern Kingbird        Sat-Sun

Least Flycatcher        Fri-Sat-Sun

Eastern Phoebe        Fri-Sun       

Blue Jay        Fri-Sat-Sun

American Crow        Fri-Sat-Sun

Purple Martin        Fri

Tree Swallow        Fri-Sat-Sun

N. Rough-winged Swallow        Sat-Sun

Bank Swallow        Fri-Sat

Cliff Swallow        Fri-Sat-Sun

Barn Swallow        Fri-Sat-Sun

Black-capped Chickadee        Fri-Sat-Sun

White-breasted Nuthatch        Fri-Sat-Sun

House Wren        Fri-Sat-Sun

Sedge Wren        Sat-Sun

Marsh Wren        Fri-Sat-Sun

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher        Fri

Ruby-crowned Kinglet        Fri-Sat-Sun

Eastern Bluebird        Fri

Veery        Sat-Sun

Gray-cheeked Thrush        Fri

Swainson’s Thrush        Fri-Sat-Sun

Wood Thrush        Fri

American Robin        Fri-Sat-Sun

Gray Catbird        Fri-Sat-Sun

Brown Thrasher        Fri-Sat-Sun

European Starling        Fri-Sat-Sun

Cedar Waxwing        Fri

House Sparrow        Fri-Sat-Sun

House Finch        Fri-Sat-Sun

Pine Siskin        Fri-Sat-Sun

American Goldfinch        Fri-Sat-Sun

Eastern Towhee        Sun

Chipping Sparrow        Fri-Sat-Sun

Clay-colored Sparrow        Fri-Sat-Sun

Field Sparrow        Fri-Sat-Sun

Vesper Sparrow        Sat

Savannah Sparrow        Sat

LeConte’s Sparrow        Sat (heard-only)       

Song Sparrow        Fri-Sat-Sun

Lincoln’s Sparrow        Fri-Sun

Swamp Sparrow        Fri-Sat

White-throated Sparrow        Fri-Sat-Sun

Harris’s Sparrow        Fri-Sun

White-crowned Sparrow        Fri-Sun

Yellow-headed Blackbird        Fri-Sat-Sun

Bobolink        Fri-Sat-Sun

Western Meadowlark        Fri-Sat-Sun

Bullock’s Oriole        Sat

Baltimore Oriole        Fri-Sat-Sun

Red-winged Blackbird        Fri-Sat-Sun

Brown-headed Cowbird        Fri-Sat-Sun

Brewer’s Blackbird        Fri-Sat

Common Grackle        Fri-Sat-Sun

Ovenbird        Fri-Sat-Sun

Northern Waterthrush        Fri-Sun

Black-and-white Warbler        Fri-Sat-Sun

Tennessee Warbler        Sat

Orange-crowned Warbler        Fri-Sat-Sun

Nashville Warbler        Fri-Sat-Sun

American Redstart        Fri-Sun

Yellow Warbler        Fri-Sat-Sun

Palm Warbler        Fri

Yellow-rumped Warbler        Fri-Sat-Sun

Northern Cardinal        Fri-Sat-Sun

Rose-breasted Grosbeak        Fri-Sat-Sun

Indigo Bunting        Sun

Beaver Falls WMA, Renville County (KRE photos)