Date: 5/6/25 10:13 am From: Matt Hoberg <mhoberg1...> Subject: [mou-net] MOU Field Trip- Southeast MN Specialties - May 17
May 17: Southeast MN Specialties
8:00 am. Nolan Kerr will lead a field trip in Olmsted County. This location hosts some highly sought-after specialties of Southeast Minnesota, including Yellow-throated Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, and Louisiana Waterthrush, along with a variety of spring migrants. For more information and registration (required), visit the registration page <https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48A9AC2FA5FFCE9-56001574-southeast>.
Date: 5/5/25 8:16 am From: Sid Stivland <norlastiv...> Subject: [mou-net] Youth Mentor Biology Bob binocs
As we enter the closing weeks of the school year, this is a reminder that each year the MOU can award a pair of binoculars to a deserving student in Minnesota compliments of an endowed fund named after the late Bob Holtz, the "Biology Bob" endowed fund.
Any student from fourth grade through eighth grade who has participated in a Youth Mentorship program sponsored event and has shown special interest in birds and learning about them is eligible. Any teacher or Youth Mentor may initiate a recommendation or nomination for this award by writing a letter attesting to the child's interest in birds or birding. An additional letter from the parents is also helpful.
If more than one child is recommended for this award, the MOU education committee will make the final decision depending on the funds available. If funds are available, more than one child may receive an award, although only one set of binoculars per school is permitted.
The deadline for submitting nominations is August 1, 2025. Binoculars will be awarded to the child by the mentor at a time or place that is convenient such as a classroom with classmates present.
Letters of recommendation can be submitted to me by mail or by email. I am also available to answer questions by phone. Feel free to leave a message..
Date: 5/2/25 3:48 pm From: Matt Hoberg <mhoberg1...> Subject: [mou-net] Louisville Swamp Field Trip - May 111
May 11: Louisville Swamp
7:00 am. Andy Forbes will lead a field trip at Louisville Swamp Unit of the Minnesota Valley NWR. This part of the refuge has a variety of habitats including wetlands, prairie, oak savanna and forests. Birds seen may include warblers, sparrows, other landbird migrants, and possibly some waterfowl and shorebirds. For more information and registration (required), visit the registration page <https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48A9AC2FA5FFCE9-56275972-louisville>.
Date: 5/2/25 3:00 pm From: Gordon Andersson <gpandersson...> Subject: [mou-net] if you love avian taxonomy analysis
Bird lovers: do you love taxonomy?? This is a long article over 30pp.
...many millions of years have given birds time to evolve into some 11,000 species<https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a64626968/new-crocodile-species/>, and keeping track of all those species-not to mention their evolutionary history-can be quite the challenge. Luckily, scientists from the University of California Merced and Cornell Lab of Ornithology decided that challenge was one they wanted to meet and proceeded to pour over 262 studies related to 9,239 bird species published from 1990 to 2024. After combining additional data on the 1,800 or so species not included in these studies, the team formed a complete map of avian evolutionary history. The results of this work were detailed in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science<https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2409658122>(PNAS) A complete and dynamic tree of birds | PNAS<https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2409658122> GAndersson St Paul
Date: 5/2/25 5:13 am From: Rich Hoeg <RichardHoeg...> Subject: [mou-net] Greenwood Lake Birding in Lake County
I had previously posted that no trespassing signs had been put up directly across Lake County 2 from the Greenwood Lake public water access. This had been a popular spot for birders searching for rare Boreal species. Anyhow, I contacted The Nature Consevancy (Duluth office) which I believed owned the land in question. They were extremely surprised and investigated ... resulting in the signs coming down. Access is restored.
.
Some more notes on this area. The ice went out on Greenwood Lake 3 days ago. My Greenwood Creek Bird Feeders are very active (just down the road at FR #813), and I will try to keep filled assuming no bears. Forest Road #813 is anice hike and the main, huge Bog is 8/10 of a mile from Lake County 2 (walk, don't drive).
Date: 5/1/25 4:38 pm From: Matt Hoberg <mhoberg1...> Subject: [mou-net] Sibley County Field Trip - May 10
May 10: Sibley County
8:00 am.
William Marengo will lead a field trip to several birding hotspots in Sibley County: Rush River County Park, Silver Lake for shorebirds, Gaylord WTP, Indian Lake and its grasslands, and Sand Lake. For more information and registration (required), visit the registration page <https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48A9AC2FA5FFCE9-56341490-sibley#/>.
Date: 5/1/25 9:55 am From: Matt Hoberg <mhoberg1...> Subject: [mou-net] MOU Bird of the Year Field Trip- Boreal Chickadee Excursion
May 18: Bird of the Year Field Trip - Boreal Chickadee Excursion 7:00 am. Clinton and Kristina Dexter-Nienhaus (MOU Conservation Committee Members) will lead a special field trip focused on Boreal Chickadees, the inaugural Minnesota Bird of the Year. This trip will be a unique opportunity to explore the spruce bog habitat that is home to Boreal Chickadees and other birds of the boreal forest with guidance from expert naturalists. Expect to have great birding and learn a lot about the ecology and conservation issues of the Bird of the Year! For more information and registration (required), visit the registration page <https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48A9AC2FA5FFCE9-56286292-bird#/>.
On Tuesday, April 29, my wife was recording bird sounds on the Cornell app and picked up a sanderling. We live in the Kenyon, MN area. On Monday, April 28, a huge weather front with strong winds went through at 6pm. On Wednesday, Apr30, I was next to a pond a mile from home and saw what I first thought was a tree swallow flying over the water but it was skimming , which seemed odd. Then it landed next to the water and I had a brief look at it. Definitely a shore bird type that matches a photo of a sanderling of a photo of one in Encyclopedia of Birds. Possibly a fall out from the storm on its way to the Arctic?
Date: 4/28/25 9:21 am From: Stephen Greenfield <tapaculo47...> Subject: Re: [mou-net] MOU-NET Digest - 25 Apr (Roger Tory Peterson)
Thanks for sharing, Gordon.
When my brother and I were growing up, Peterson was our inspiration, and his 1947 field guide about the closest thing we had to a bible. I later got a copy of the original 1934 edition referred to here; its illustrations are even more simplified than the later one, thus focusing even more on the way one actually sees birds in the field, and what is important for identifying them. In addition to his art, his descriptions of behavior and calls are epic: "The Henslow's [Sparrow] perches atop a weed, from which is gives utterance to one of the poorest vocal efforts of any bird; throwing back its head, it ejects a hicoughing 'tsi-lick',..."
His final edition seemed like an effort to show he could be as good an artist as anyone, but I never liked it as much.
The team of my first Christmas Bird Count - in Old Lyme CT - consisted of myself and kid brother... and RTP! I was invited through a connection at my college. Coincidentally, Tory Peterson was also at Wesleyan at the time, but he was not a birder. I often mention that to parents who haven't - along with myself - failed to get their children to be birders... they they shouldn't feel bad, since the first birding millionaire couldn't manage it either!
________________________________
From: Minnesota Birds on behalf of MOU-NET automatic digest system
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2025 12:00 AM
To: <MOU-NET...>
Subject: MOU-NET Digest - 25 Apr 2025 to 27 Apr 2025 (#2025-46)
Topics of the day:
1. Roger Tory Peterson and the origin of the field guide to N American birds
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2025 16:18:15 +0000
From: Gordon Andersson <gpandersson...>
Subject: Roger Tory Peterson and the origin of the field guide to N American birds
From The Writer's Almanac for this date in history.
"It was on this day in 1934 that A Field Guide to the Birds by Roger Tory Peterson was published. The son of Swedish and German immigrants, Peterson grew up in Jamestown, a struggling industrial town near the western border of New York state. He was a smart boy, and he skipped two grades. He didn't fit in well with his older classmates, who made fun of him for his obsession with wildlife - they called him "Professor Nuts Peterson." His seventh-grade teacher encouraged him to join the Junior Audubon Club, and this began a lifelong passion for birds. On a field trip, he wandered into the woods with a friend, and they saw a flicker that they thought was dead. He wrote: "When I reached out to touch its back it exploded with life - a stunning sight, flying away with its golden underwings and the red crescent on its nape -I can see it now - the way it was transformed from what we thought was death into intense life. I was tremendously excited with the feeling which I have carried ever since, of the intensity of a bird's life, and its apparent freedom, with this wonderful ability to fly."
Peterson's mother had always encouraged his fascination with nature - she made him nets to catch butterflies and convinced the local druggist to give the boy cyanide for preserving insects. But his father was skeptical of his son's passion and hoped that he would go to work in a local mill after he graduated from high school, which is exactly what happened. Peterson graduated at the age of 16 and went to work at the Union National Furniture Company, where he was paid $8 a week. His job was to paint Chinese scenes on lacquered wooden cabinets. His manager was impressed by Peterson's artistic skills and told the boy that he should go to art school, not waste his talent at a furniture company.
That same year, Peterson was reading an ornithology magazine at the library, and he saw a notice for the next meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union at a natural history museum in New York City. Part of the meeting would include a show of bird art, and Peterson submitted two paintings. They were both accepted, and so at the age of 17 his work was shown alongside the best bird illustrators in the country.
After two years of working at the mill, Peterson took off for New York City for art school and then got a job teaching science at a private school for boys, in Boston. There, he joined the country's oldest ornithological group, called the Nuttall Club. He also began working on a bird guide with a new system for identification - grouping species with similar characteristics and using arrows to point out the differences between them. He submitted it to New York City publishers but was repeatedly turned down. He discovered that a fellow member of the Nuttall Club named Francis Allen was an editor at Houghton Mifflin, so he took the manuscript to him. Allen was impressed. To make sure that Peterson's illustrations were accurate, Allen took the manuscript to a Harvard ornithology professor and asked him to identify the species from across the room. The professor had no trouble doing so, and Houghton Mifflin agreed to publish A Field Guide to the Birds.
Since printing full-color plates was expensive, Houghton Mifflin printed just 2,000 copies, which cost $2.75 each. To make sure they wouldn't lose too much money if the book was a flop, Peterson's contract stated that he would not receive any royalties on the first thousand books, and 10 cents per copy on the second thousand. A Field Guide to the Birds sold out its first printing in one week. By Peterson's death in 1996, more than 7 million copies had been sold."
--------------------------
GAndersson
St Paul
Date: 4/27/25 9:18 am From: Gordon Andersson <gpandersson...> Subject: [mou-net] Roger Tory Peterson and the origin of the field guide to N American birds
From The Writer's Almanac for this date in history.
"It was on this day in 1934 that A Field Guide to the Birds by Roger Tory Peterson was published. The son of Swedish and German immigrants, Peterson grew up in Jamestown, a struggling industrial town near the western border of New York state. He was a smart boy, and he skipped two grades. He didn't fit in well with his older classmates, who made fun of him for his obsession with wildlife - they called him "Professor Nuts Peterson." His seventh-grade teacher encouraged him to join the Junior Audubon Club, and this began a lifelong passion for birds. On a field trip, he wandered into the woods with a friend, and they saw a flicker that they thought was dead. He wrote: "When I reached out to touch its back it exploded with life - a stunning sight, flying away with its golden underwings and the red crescent on its nape -I can see it now - the way it was transformed from what we thought was death into intense life. I was tremendously excited with the feeling which I have carried ever since, of the intensity of a bird's life, and its apparent freedom, with this wonderful ability to fly."
Peterson's mother had always encouraged his fascination with nature - she made him nets to catch butterflies and convinced the local druggist to give the boy cyanide for preserving insects. But his father was skeptical of his son's passion and hoped that he would go to work in a local mill after he graduated from high school, which is exactly what happened. Peterson graduated at the age of 16 and went to work at the Union National Furniture Company, where he was paid $8 a week. His job was to paint Chinese scenes on lacquered wooden cabinets. His manager was impressed by Peterson's artistic skills and told the boy that he should go to art school, not waste his talent at a furniture company.
That same year, Peterson was reading an ornithology magazine at the library, and he saw a notice for the next meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union at a natural history museum in New York City. Part of the meeting would include a show of bird art, and Peterson submitted two paintings. They were both accepted, and so at the age of 17 his work was shown alongside the best bird illustrators in the country.
After two years of working at the mill, Peterson took off for New York City for art school and then got a job teaching science at a private school for boys, in Boston. There, he joined the country's oldest ornithological group, called the Nuttall Club. He also began working on a bird guide with a new system for identification - grouping species with similar characteristics and using arrows to point out the differences between them. He submitted it to New York City publishers but was repeatedly turned down. He discovered that a fellow member of the Nuttall Club named Francis Allen was an editor at Houghton Mifflin, so he took the manuscript to him. Allen was impressed. To make sure that Peterson's illustrations were accurate, Allen took the manuscript to a Harvard ornithology professor and asked him to identify the species from across the room. The professor had no trouble doing so, and Houghton Mifflin agreed to publish A Field Guide to the Birds.
Since printing full-color plates was expensive, Houghton Mifflin printed just 2,000 copies, which cost $2.75 each. To make sure they wouldn't lose too much money if the book was a flop, Peterson's contract stated that he would not receive any royalties on the first thousand books, and 10 cents per copy on the second thousand. A Field Guide to the Birds sold out its first printing in one week. By Peterson's death in 1996, more than 7 million copies had been sold."
--------------------------
GAndersson
St Paul
Date: 4/25/25 8:00 am From: Chu, Philip <00001e97bf0052a7-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [mou-net] Getchall Lake, Stearns Co.
Tom, there's a public-access site on the east side of the lake.
From the intersection of country roads 10 and 30, head west on CR 30 about 1.8 mi, at which point CR 30 turns to the north; there you should follow CR 30 by turning north as well. Once you've turned north, go almost exactly 3/4 mile to the first left, a dead-end road named 327th St. Turn left onto 327th and follow it westward to its end - where it divides, with one long driveway going off to the right and another long driveway going off to the left. From there, a two-track proceeds straight ahead, i.e., continues west; follow the two track westward until, after just over 300 yds., another two-track branches off to the right. If you turn right here then you'll come, in less than 100 yds., to the public-access parking area. Coordinates for the public-access parking area are 45.596912, -94.678382.
Although you can drive all the way to the parking area, if it has rained recently then you might be better served by parking at the end of 327th St., where 327th splits into the two driveways, and where the two-track starts: driving a passenger vehicle on the two-track can be kind of dicey, depending on how muddy it is and how much it's been torn up by farm vehicles.
Date: 4/23/25 3:35 pm From: Sue Keator <chickadeedee55...> Subject: Re: [mou-net] 30 Avocets + Ibis and Say's Phoebe, Big Stone NWR
Nice report!
On Wed, Apr 23, 2025, 4:24 PM Jason Frank <jmfrank84...> wrote:
> There's been a huge movement of shorebirds to Big Stone NWR in the past 24
> hours.
>
> From the viewing platform with the steel viewing scopes at the beginning of
> the Auto Tour route all the way over to the West Pool, you will notice that
> the cattails along the riverbank (looking south from the road) have been
> burnt off, revealing excellent mudflats. There are so many species showing
> up right now, it's almost easier to list what's NOT there! Upwards of 30
> Avocets were feeding just under the viewing platform today. A nice group of
> White-faced Ibis were feeding just a little bit east of the platform this
> morning.
>
> Between 10:00 and Noon I was able to ID the following species of note:
>
> American Avocet (largest group I've ever seen in MN)
> White faced Ibis
> Semipalmated Plover
> Greater Yellowlegs
> Lesser Yellowlegs
> Willet (at least 4)
> Long billed Dowitcher
> Marbled Godwit
> Hudsonian Godwit
> Wilson's Phalarope
> Least Sandpiper
> Pectoral Sandpiper
> Western Grebe
> Pied Billed Grebe
> Common Loon
>
> Lots of Gadwalls, Green-winged Teal, and Shovelers are there as well.
>
> The Egrets and Blue Herons just seemingly arrived in large numbers today,
> and there were Tree, Barn, Cliff, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows
> present.
>
> The Eagles on their nest along the Auto Tour exit route beside the river in
> the woods is occupied and the parents are actively feeding the chick. That
> stretch of the river is also a great place to see a family of beavers with
> several kits, as well as a family of river otters, if you check in the
> morning and evening.
>
> There's been a Say's Phoebe hanging out at the platform for the past 2
> days, and also by the first river bridge you cross on the Auto Tour. The
> "Odessa Birds" that nested along CR 21 near Bituminous Paving have also
> returned.
>
> Right now, I'd estimate over 1000 shorebirds poking around the river along
> the Auto Tour. This is BY FAR the most productive stretch of mudflat
> habitat in the Upper MN River Valley/Salt Lake region. I'd expect the
> Refuge to be the highlight of the Salt Lake Birding Weekend in 2 weeks.
>
> It's looking like we could get substantial rain out here Monday. That could
> result in an increase in shorebird habitat in fields and pastures, so the
> birds might be spreading out more by the first weekend in May. I haven't
> been to the Marsh Lake dam or the Emily Creek Drainage area on the west
> side of Lac qui Parle Lake (west of Milan), but those sites will be well
> worth checking for shorebirds. Same goes for the flats around the Watson
> Dam/Lac qui Parle Mission area.
>
> Salt Lake itself has a nice little stretch of mudflat in the NW corner
> which should especially be good for photographers, as it is only a few
> yards from the road.
>
> Not much standing water in the fields right now, but that could change if
> we get some rain later this week and next. Please be mindful of the fact
> that farmers are planting right now, and they have the right of way on dirt
> roads.
>
> For the past month, I've been seeing 2 very skittish Sharp-Tailed Grouse at
> Salt Lake. They've been in the NW parking area of the WMA (where there
> isn't a direct view of the water) and also on the western shore (actually
> in the SD WPA land). I've seen them on weekends, late morning around 10 or
> 11. There might be a small lek down there; it would be worth staking out
> during earlier morning hours.
>
>
> *Jason Frank*
>
> *Big Stone County Librarian*
>
> *Ortonville and Graceville, Minnesota*
>
> ----
> General information and guidelines for posting:
> https://moumn.org/listservice.html > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >
Date: 4/23/25 2:24 pm From: Jason Frank <jmfrank84...> Subject: [mou-net] 30 Avocets + Ibis and Say's Phoebe, Big Stone NWR
There's been a huge movement of shorebirds to Big Stone NWR in the past 24 hours.
From the viewing platform with the steel viewing scopes at the beginning of the Auto Tour route all the way over to the West Pool, you will notice that the cattails along the riverbank (looking south from the road) have been burnt off, revealing excellent mudflats. There are so many species showing up right now, it's almost easier to list what's NOT there! Upwards of 30 Avocets were feeding just under the viewing platform today. A nice group of White-faced Ibis were feeding just a little bit east of the platform this morning.
Between 10:00 and Noon I was able to ID the following species of note:
American Avocet (largest group I've ever seen in MN) White faced Ibis Semipalmated Plover Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Willet (at least 4) Long billed Dowitcher Marbled Godwit Hudsonian Godwit Wilson's Phalarope Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Western Grebe Pied Billed Grebe Common Loon
Lots of Gadwalls, Green-winged Teal, and Shovelers are there as well.
The Egrets and Blue Herons just seemingly arrived in large numbers today, and there were Tree, Barn, Cliff, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows present.
The Eagles on their nest along the Auto Tour exit route beside the river in the woods is occupied and the parents are actively feeding the chick. That stretch of the river is also a great place to see a family of beavers with several kits, as well as a family of river otters, if you check in the morning and evening.
There's been a Say's Phoebe hanging out at the platform for the past 2 days, and also by the first river bridge you cross on the Auto Tour. The "Odessa Birds" that nested along CR 21 near Bituminous Paving have also returned.
Right now, I'd estimate over 1000 shorebirds poking around the river along the Auto Tour. This is BY FAR the most productive stretch of mudflat habitat in the Upper MN River Valley/Salt Lake region. I'd expect the Refuge to be the highlight of the Salt Lake Birding Weekend in 2 weeks.
It's looking like we could get substantial rain out here Monday. That could result in an increase in shorebird habitat in fields and pastures, so the birds might be spreading out more by the first weekend in May. I haven't been to the Marsh Lake dam or the Emily Creek Drainage area on the west side of Lac qui Parle Lake (west of Milan), but those sites will be well worth checking for shorebirds. Same goes for the flats around the Watson Dam/Lac qui Parle Mission area.
Salt Lake itself has a nice little stretch of mudflat in the NW corner which should especially be good for photographers, as it is only a few yards from the road.
Not much standing water in the fields right now, but that could change if we get some rain later this week and next. Please be mindful of the fact that farmers are planting right now, and they have the right of way on dirt roads.
For the past month, I've been seeing 2 very skittish Sharp-Tailed Grouse at Salt Lake. They've been in the NW parking area of the WMA (where there isn't a direct view of the water) and also on the western shore (actually in the SD WPA land). I've seen them on weekends, late morning around 10 or 11. There might be a small lek down there; it would be worth staking out during earlier morning hours.
Date: 4/22/25 7:28 pm From: Gordon Andersson <gpandersson...> Subject: [mou-net] Proposed change to the Endangered Species Act and Whooping Cranes
From the International Crane Foundation
Stand up for the Endangered Species Act
Submit Public Comments Opposing Rule by May 19
Dear Supporters:
Last week, the Trump Administration proposed a rule change that would profoundly weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the most important law for protecting and conserving threatened plants and animals in our country. We believe this change would be catastrophic for Endangered Whooping Cranes, as well as countless other species, and their habitats.
Signed into law in 1973—the same year as the International Crane Foundation was established—the ESA is a keystone of conservation success. It is credited with saving 99 percent of the species it protects, like the Endangered Whooping Crane, which was part of the first cohort of species protected by the law.
Despite its overwhelming success and public support, the ESA has been sharply criticized by those who want to increase mining, drilling, and other land and water resources development that could negatively impact the habitat requirements for endangered species.
In a rule proposed last week by the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Commerce, the administration seeks to redefine a single word in the ESA—“harm”—to mean direct mortality only and not include loss of habitat. This would rescind the regulatory definition of harm and completely alter what it means to harm imperiled plants and animals.
The proposed new definition of “harm” states that species are protected only from intentional killing or injury, such as through hunting or trapping, and not from the degradation or loss of habitat that plants and animals need to survive. By emphasizing that harm must be intentional, the change also allows for killing or injury to endangered plants and animals by those who did not purposely seek to cause harm. Further, this change could result in the loss of our ability to effectively site energy resources, such as large transmission lines, to accommodate endangered species' migratory pathways.
In the 1940s, only 21 Whooping Cranes remained in the wild due to unregulated hunting and massive habitat loss. Today, there are more than 690 wild Whooping Cranes, largely due to these vital legal protections and reintroduction efforts, such as those we lead today. However, the species remains endangered and still needs our help and legal protections.
With this proposed order, freshwater diversions, wetland drainage, land development, powerline collisions, and other disturbances at key nesting, feeding, and roosting sites are expected to increase with this proposed order. Additionally, we are concerned about proposals that may create infinite loopholes and legal escapes for anyone who shoots a crane, by allowing them to claim they didn’t mean to do it and requiring proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the shooting was intentional, which can be challenging to establish.
The International Crane Foundation is dedicated to protecting Whooping Cranes and the wetlands they depend on. Now, we need your help to secure their future and the future of many other species.
Date: 4/18/25 5:56 pm From: Gordon Andersson <gpandersson...> Subject: [mou-net] federal admin proposed rule to change "take" in Endangered Species Act ---NPR & MPR
Under federal ESA, habitats of protected plants and animals have been protected with the listed species themselves. If adopted and implemented, a limited interpretation of "take" would remove the habitat protection. The US ESA would then compare to the MN DNR rules regarding MN-listed species. In MN, habitats of all federally-listed Endangered & Threatened species are protected. For species listed only in MN (and not federally), habitats are protected for plants and year-round-resident animals. But for state-only listed species, habitat can be destroyed when the listed species is not present. For the migratory bird majority in Minnesota, this is the entire non-breeding season.
Just a fyi, I visited the Greenwood Lake public access this morning, and was planning on looking for the American 3 Toed Woodpecker directly across the road. However, there are now "no trespassing signs" all over the place just past the picnic table ... about 30 yards in from Lake City #2. Forest Road #813 (about 800 yards south) where I maintain my feeders is definitely either US Forest Service Land and / or Nature Conservancy land. Hiking there is fine.
Date: 4/17/25 11:04 am From: Gordon Andersson <gpandersson...> Subject: [mou-net] new study of warbler foraging and competition
This article in Earth.com summarizes a study published in Biology Letters. Scientists from Penn State and ABC studied 13 spp over 20 years and compared Robert MacArthur's study of niche partition of tree foliage and feeding behavior, completed ~70 yrs ago. The new study includes genetic analysis of insect diets which were very similar among bird spp ---which might be expected. There is a link to the original publn in Bio Letters, if you can open it.
Also at Langton Lake in Roseville.
On Sunday, April 13, 2025 at 05:31:50 PM CDT, Sherry Gray <0000436d53c2070c-dmarc-request...> wrote:
We found them at Lake Elmo last Friday too, and also surprised to find Eagle lake there filled with a variety of waterfowl: RN Ducks, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers, Can. Geese, Mallards, Wood Ducks, Am. Coots, C. Goldeneyes, a Scaup, Shovelers. The Ospry are on nests there, we found two in the park.
Sherry GraySaint Paul, Minnesota
__o
‘\ <;
( * ) / ( * )
On Sunday, April 13, 2025, 01:08:24 PM CDT, linda whyte <0000004e7b0e779a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
They showed up Friday at Carpenter Nature Center, too.
Linda Whyte
On Sun, Apr 13, 2025, 12:18 PM Keith Carlson <keithecarls...> wrote:
> South of intersection of Arbogast w. W. Owasso Blvd. on west side of the
> Blvd. on east shore of adjacent lake or pond
>
> Keith Carlson
> <keithecarls...>
>
> ----
> General information and guidelines for posting:
> https://moumn.org/listservice.html > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >
That mix is very much the same as at Long Lake Regional Park as of
yesterday morning, with the addition of a Common Loon and a couple of
Great Egrets. The numerous Tree Swallows and E. Bluebirds there, will
likely have harder foraging than the waterfowl for a few of the upcoming
cool days, though.
Linda Whyte
> We found them at Lake Elmo last Friday too, and also surprised to find
> Eagle lake there filled with a variety of waterfowl: RN Ducks, Buffleheads,
> Hooded Mergansers, Can. Geese, Mallards, Wood Ducks, Am. Coots, C.
> Goldeneyes, a Scaup, Shovelers. The Ospry are on nests there, we found two
> in the park.
>
> Sherry Gray
> Saint Paul, Minnesota
>
> __o
> ‘\ <;
> ( * ) / ( * )
>
>
>
> On Sunday, April 13, 2025, 01:08:24 PM CDT, linda whyte <
> <0000004e7b0e779a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
>
> They showed up Friday at Carpenter Nature Center, too.
> Linda Whyte
>
> On Sun, Apr 13, 2025, 12:18 PM Keith Carlson <keithecarls...>
> wrote:
>
> > South of intersection of Arbogast w. W. Owasso Blvd. on west side of the
> > Blvd. on east shore of adjacent lake or pond
> >
> > Keith Carlson
> > <keithecarls...>
> >
> > ----
> > General information and guidelines for posting:
> > https://moumn.org/listservice.html > > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >
> >
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Saw two this morning and heard/confirmed with Merlin earlier this week.
Charlene Nelson
Grant County farm, MN
> On Apr 13, 2025, at 7:17 PM, Halle O'Falvey <halleofalvey...> wrote:
>
> I was at Lake Elmo Park Reserve and heard the butterbutt . I did not see
> it.
>
> Sent from Gmail Mobile
>
>
> On Sun, Apr 13, 2025 at 12:18 PM Keith Carlson <keithecarls...>
> wrote:
>
>> South of intersection of Arbogast w. W. Owasso Blvd. on west side of the
>> Blvd. on east shore of adjacent lake or pond
>>
>> Keith Carlson
>> <keithecarls...>
>>
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I was at Lake Elmo Park Reserve and heard the butterbutt . I did not see
it.
Sent from Gmail Mobile
On Sun, Apr 13, 2025 at 12:18 PM Keith Carlson <keithecarls...>
wrote:
> South of intersection of Arbogast w. W. Owasso Blvd. on west side of the
> Blvd. on east shore of adjacent lake or pond
>
> Keith Carlson
> <keithecarls...>
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We found them at Lake Elmo last Friday too, and also surprised to find Eagle lake there filled with a variety of waterfowl: RN Ducks, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers, Can. Geese, Mallards, Wood Ducks, Am. Coots, C. Goldeneyes, a Scaup, Shovelers. The Ospry are on nests there, we found two in the park.
Sherry GraySaint Paul, Minnesota
__o
‘\ <;
( * ) / ( * )
On Sunday, April 13, 2025, 01:08:24 PM CDT, linda whyte <0000004e7b0e779a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
They showed up Friday at Carpenter Nature Center, too.
Linda Whyte
On Sun, Apr 13, 2025, 12:18 PM Keith Carlson <keithecarls...> wrote:
> South of intersection of Arbogast w. W. Owasso Blvd. on west side of the
> Blvd. on east shore of adjacent lake or pond
>
> Keith Carlson
> <keithecarls...>
>
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Date: 4/13/25 11:08 am From: linda whyte <0000004e7b0e779a-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [mou-net] 1st Yellow Rumps
They showed up Friday at Carpenter Nature Center, too.
Linda Whyte
On Sun, Apr 13, 2025, 12:18 PM Keith Carlson <keithecarls...> wrote:
> South of intersection of Arbogast w. W. Owasso Blvd. on west side of the
> Blvd. on east shore of adjacent lake or pond
>
> Keith Carlson
> <keithecarls...>
>
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> General information and guidelines for posting:
> https://moumn.org/listservice.html > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html >
Date: 4/13/25 10:25 am From: Nina Hale <ninahale...> Subject: [mou-net] House Finch Conjunctivitis
Hello,
I saw today that a House Finch in my yard has eye disease. You can read more about this on Feeder Watch: https://feederwatch.org/learn/house-finch-eye-disease/. I have 5-6 pairs of House Finches and 8-12 of Goldfinch. I am going to keep my feeders down for about a week. I don't think this bird will recover.
I live in Uptown, so people who live nearby might want to keep a lookout for similar problems and take extra cleaning precautions.
Date: 4/12/25 4:11 am From: MOU <mou...> Subject: [mou-net] new account registration issue
(Posted by THERESA WHITE <97terriwhite...> via moumn.org)
Hi: I recently joined MOU. Today I set up an account under "Theresa White" (user name "CooperBird"), and when I couldn't access the newsletter, set up a second account under "Terri White" (user name "CooperBird97")
I'd like to delete one of the accounts and have access to member newsletter et al. Are you able to help me with this?
Date: 4/11/25 1:15 pm From: Gelvin-Innvaer, Lisa A (DNR) <000049809f756d99-dmarc-request...> Subject: [mou-net] Opportunity to learn more about birds on your property-Sounds of Nature MN: Bioacoustics for Bird Species Monitoring and Conservation
Greetings !
I'm sharing this announcement from the University of MN in case it would be of interest.
The MNDNR Nongame Wildlife Program is collaborating on this. Please do share widely to MN landowners who may be interested. See below
Lisa Gelvin-Innvaer
Reg. Nongame Wildlife Specialist, CWB (r)
Nongame Wildlife Program<http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nongame/index.html> MNDNR
......
"Curious about biodiversity on your property? Join this unique study to discover your avian neighbors and help the Univ. of MN -West Lab to compare ecosystem populations across public and private lands. Use this link: https://forms.gle/3QXsSzkzjTWEnfFG7 to Become a Participatory Scientist.
The Bioacoustics Research Group at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is launching its citizen science pilot project, Sounds of Nature MN: Bioacoustics for Bird Species Monitoring and Conservation, which seeks to advance our understanding of avian biodiversity across the state and how it might vary between public and private lands. Here are some key details:
* We are selecting 60 public sites and 60 private sites that provide forest or grassland habitat (at least 1 acre) for migrating and breeding bird species.
*Install an acoustic recording unit (ARU) on your property
* Once we have retrieved the ARUs we will begin processing over 30,000 hours of audio data using BirdNET<https://birdnet.cornell.edu/>, an AI powered Bird Sound Recognition Tool, with plans to share preliminary results with participants
and the broader public by the end of the year
Our lab already has boots on the ground to install units on public lands, but we need volunteers to lend a hand to represent Minnesota's private lands. If you are interested in applying, please COMPLETE THIS FORM<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LOEIaVRmf6UXLt0KIaq_8dbqiwtkuPLazxCTyheLUFY/edit> by April 27. Feel free to email our lab at <soundsofnature...><mailto:<soundsofnature...> with any questions you might have or if you need assistance completing an application. Also, please share this email with other MN landowners who might be interested.
Note: Participants for this pilot year will be chosen based primarily on geography and habitat type, with preference towards grassland and forest ecotypes in the southern half of Minnesota. Landowners from all over the state are encouraged to apply as we continue to expand our project scale and scope in the coming years.
Date: 4/11/25 10:44 am From: Paul Schlick <schlicks...> Subject: [mou-net] Anyone missing a homing pigeon?
We have what we assume is a lost homing pigeon hanging around our backyard in Maple Grove. Large bird with dark head, brown body and wings, white tail with white on its beak. White band on right leg, yellow band on left. It's been here for about three days now, is currently sitting on my roof. We're on the east side of Fish Lake near Chesshire Lane N and 79th Ave. Let me know if it's yours and you want to try and retrieve it.
Paul Schlick
Date: 4/11/25 9:24 am From: Doug Kieser <chewy2b...> Subject: [mou-net] Red-necked Grebes in Hennepin County today
Hello, Conny Brunell and Susan Schumacher asked me to pass on that they had counted 12 Red-necked Grebes on Bde Maka Ska this morning, a very high count for Hennepin (or probably anywhere in the state). Steve Carlson had found 3 earlier this morning from the Old Cedar boardwalk, so they are definitely on the move today.
Date: 4/11/25 8:34 am From: <cleone...> Subject: [mou-net] Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds
The 28th annual Detroit Lakes (MN) Festival of Birds is May 15-17, 2025. Field trips are Friday and Saturday mornings to forests, prairies and wetlands. Bird Trivia Social kicks off the festival Thursday, May 15 at Zorbaz. Featured presenters are Carrol Henderson on Friday, May 16 at Detroit Lakes M State College. When you see Trumpeter Swans, Carrol had a hand in the conservation efforts to preserve the swans and a host of other wildlife. He details his 50 years of wildlife conservation in this presentation based on his book out this fall. He's a festival favorite! Saturday evening, Rebecca Heisman bases her presentation "Wild Stories from the History of Bird Migration Research," on her book Flight Paths. She'll share surprising stories on the history of bird migration tracking, from counting birds in front of a full moon to weather radar and radio telemetry. Rebecca is an award-winning science writer who lives in Walla Walla, Washington. Register soon online at Detroit Lakes Festival Of Birds - Visit Detroit Lakes <https://visitdetroitlakes.com/event/festival-of-birds-in-detroit-lakes-minn esota/> as events are filling.
Date: 4/11/25 8:11 am From: Stephen Greenfield <tapaculo47...> Subject: [mou-net] Minnesota Global Birders, online: birding Mexico's “Riviera Nayarit"
In the next online gathering of the informal "Minnesota global birders"
group, , Keith Olstad will give a presentation on a trip he and his wife
took to Mexico’s west coast, featuring his excellent photographs. There are
a number of bird species endemic to that region of Mexico, and their visit
in March also allowed them to encounter many boreal migrants
Wednesday, April 23rd , from 7 to 9 pm CT.
You can get more information and register for the presentation with
Eventbrite at one of the links below:
After you register, you will receive instructions on how to connect to the
Zoom session, and reminder emails afterwards. (NOTE: if you register and do
not get a confirmation email from Eventbrite, please send me an email!)
--
Stephen Greenfield
Minneapolis
<tapaculo47...>
