This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, May 31, 2018 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may also see this report on the Chamber of Commerce website: https://www.visitdetroitlakes.com/birding-report
This has been a very hot week throughout the state, but the far northwest has not received the rain that has provided some relief from the drought in the more southern parts of the area. Birds have been going about their business of settling down to raise the year’s young, and migration happened in the space of about a day this year. The MOU weekend in Northwest Minnesota found 181 species, a little bit down from the usual number. I will not try to enumerate them all. Only 14 species of warbler were seen on the weekend.
From Fergus Falls in Otter Tail County, Alice Martin reported a HOODED WARBLER on May 25. It is one of only three ever reported in that county.
Wayne Perala observed COMMON LOON, YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, COMMON RAVEN, NORTHERN PARULA, GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER and CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER at Tamarac NWR on May 30.
Kim Eckert’s MOU group reported a CINNAMON TEAL on May 28 at the Agassiz Impoundment. The bird was seen on both sided of the Polk/ Marshall County line. Among other species seen there were ORCHARD ORIOLE and SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in Polk County.
The MOU group found a WOOD THRUSH in Red Lake Falls in Red Lake County on May 25. Near the gravel pit were SNOW GOOSE, a GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN lek, WHIMBREL and GRAY PARTRIDGE, and at Old Treaty Crossing at Huot were YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and ORCHARD ORIOLE. Fifteen species of shorebirds were found at the rice paddies in the northeast corner of the county. They included AMERICAN AVOCET, HUDSONIAN GODWIT and WILLET. An AMERICAN BLACK DUCK was also there.
In Pennington County on May 27, the MOU group found HORNED GREBE , DUNLIN, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, WILSON’S PHALAROPE, BONAPARTE’S GULL and HERRING GULL at the Thief River Falls WTP.
Marshall County sightings, besides the CINNAMON TEAL at the Agassiz Impoundment, included SHARP-TAILED GROUSE and EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE on May 26. At Agassiz NWR among species found were LE CONTE’S SPARROW and NELSON’S SPARROW, and several species of shorebirds at Headquarters and Tamarac Pools. A LEAST BITTERN was reported at the Radium impoundment.
Nancy Wasik observed 8-10 RED CROSSBILLS in Eckles township, Beltrami County, on May 31.
The MOU group went to Kittson County on May 26 where they found a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and SNOW GOOSE at the gravel pit south of Karlstad.
Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than Thursday each week, at ajjoppru@mncable.net OR call the Detroit Lakes Chamber’s numbers 218-847-5743 or 218- 847-9202. Please include the county where the sighting took place. The next scheduled update of this report is Thursday, June 7, 2018.
Jeanie Joppru
Pennington County, MN