Minnesota Birding Report

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday August 27, 2015 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 cool week, we are warming up in the northwest, and next week promises to be a hot one. Since we are not yet ready to say good-bye to summer, that is good news. Birds , however, are very busy preparing for their long journeys. The orioles are coming in droves to the jelly feeders, and  hummingbirds also are gathering around feeders. Warbler migration has begun, but most reports of those are coming from the Red River Valley  this week.

On the Marshall County side of the Agassiz Valley impoundment, Sandy Aubol found one BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER on August 25.

Here in Pennington County, Shelley Steva and I found 20 to 25 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES at the Thief River Falls WTP on August 21.

From East Grand Forks in Polk County, Sandy Aubol reported COMMON NIGHTHAWKS, PURPLE MARTINS, CHIMNEY SWIFTS, and FRANKLIN’S GULLS  moving over the city on August 21.  She spotted two EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES  in Crookston on August 25 near the Dahlgren sunflower plant. Also on August 25, she observed that many of the shorebirds seen earlier at the Agassiz Valley impoundment had departed, but there were still GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LESSER YELLOWLEGS ,and  a few STILT SANDPIPERS  as well as AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, a GREAT EGRET, and BLACK TERNS. On August 26, she saw a BROAD-WINGED HAWK  at East Grand Forks, and a MOURNING WARBLER  in her yard there.

Charlene Nelson in Grant County on August 22, reported a SNOWY EGRET and HUDSONIAN GODWITS  at the southwest corner of the North Ottawa impoundment. On August 23, she had a WINTER WREN in the yard at Elbow Lake.

Thanks to Charlene Nelson and Sandy Aubol for their reports.

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, September 3, 2015.