This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, June 22, 2017 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may also hear this report by calling (218)847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888.
After a few days of summer weather, we are back into cooler and wetter conditions. Flowers of all kinds love this kind of weather, and both the woods and the yards are bright with color this week. Dickcissels are apparently irrupting into all counties of Minnesota; Shelley Steva and I found a dickcissel in both Marshall and Polk County on June 18, and I got one on my breeding bird route this morning also in Marshall County.
Kathleen MacAulay reported BONAPARTE’S GULL and CASPIAN TERN at the Roseau WTP, Roseau County , on June 19.
At the gravel quarry in Red Lake County on June 18, Shelley Steva and I found TRUMPETER SWANS, UPLAND SANDPIPERS, MARBLED GODWIT, FRANKLIN’S GULL, BLACK TERN, 2 COMMON LOONS, and a number of AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS . Several RING-BILLED GULLS were there, sitting unmoving on one of the stony “islands”; we suspect they are nesting.
In Polk County, Sandy Aubol reported a SNOW GOOSE at the East Grand Forks WTP on June 20. She also noted about 40 pairs of nesting EARED GREBES there. Along with the DICKCISSEL, we heard LE CONTE’S SPARROWS near the Agassiz Impoundment.
A WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE was still at Buffalo River SP in Clay County as of June 20. Patrick Beauzay reported a SPOTTED TOWHEE there on June 18. Noah Kuck observed a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO there on June 16.
At Lake Osakis in Douglas County, John Jonas reported WESTERN GREBES on June 18.
From Otter Tail County, Alice Martin reported a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER at Paul Miller Park, and a PINE SISKIN was seen in the eastern part of the county. Chicks are being hatched at Grotto Lake in Fergus Falls including GREAT EGRETS and BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS.
The big hot spot this week continues to be the North Ottawa Impoundment in Grant County where two KING RAILS continue to be seen at least as recently as June 19. Other species reported there include two BLACK-NECKED STILTS, GREAT EGRET, GLOSSY IBIS, WHITE-FACED IBIS, DUNLIN, BONAPARTE’S GULL, and on June 20, RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. The king rail location is along 250th St at the intersection where the culverts are lined up above ground. Be sure to check on conditions before going as the roads are subject to flooding and can be muddy.
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 toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders please call 847-9202. Please include the county where the sighting took place. The next scheduled update of this report is Thursday, June 29, 2017.