*          *          *

NORMAN & CLAY COUNTIES MBW SUMMARY

JUNE 19 - 20 - 21, 2009

Well, I think we made the right choice by going birding rather than to the Kenny Chesney concert! (See below for an incident involving someone from Ada; thanks to ace investigative reporters Dan & Sandy for this news item.) Of course, the MBW's highlight was our experience at Gary Pines Wayside with that apparent hybrid family group of wood-pewees, which seemed to include at least one "pure" Western! (Other observers there through yesterday concurred with this identification, but we'll have to see what MOURC has to say.) It's just too bad the weather then was counterproductive so that more of you weren't able to see and hear all that Ron, George and I did by staying later.

Otherwise, the weather was pretty cooperative all three days, considering it wasn't too hot or windy, and many of us were treated to an especially pleasant Saturday evening. And there were several other birds of note, especially those Gray Partridges, still-booming prairie-chickens, baby loons and grebes, good looks at rails, several cuckoos, a surprising Barred Owl by day, a vireo nest and Scarlet Tanager together on that devious county line, Lark and Le Conte's sparrows, and those good-looking Chestnut-collareds at Felton.

Bird List:

• N = June 19 in Norman Co. (96 species + 2 in Clay Co. on June 19) 

• C = June 20-21 in Clay Co. (108 species + 2 in Otter Tail Co. on June 21)

• O = June 21 in Otter Tail Co. only (2 species)

Canada Goose     NC

Trumpeter Swan     NC

Wood Duck     NC

Gadwall     NC

Mallard     NC

Blue-winged Teal     NC

Northern Shoveler     NC

Green-winged Teal     NC

Canvasback     NC

Ring-necked Duck     NC

Hooded Merganser     NC

Gray Partridge     C (a pair at Felton spotted by Doug)

Ring-necked Pheasant     NC

Greater Prairie-Chicken     NC (some unexpectedly still booming in both counties)

Common Loon     NC (incl a pair with young at Home Lake) 

Pied-billed Grebe     NC

Red-necked Grebe     C (incl a pair with 3 babies at Hitterdal – aw!)

Western Grebe     N (a lone adult at Home Lake)

American White Pelican     C

Double-crested Cormorant     NC

Great Blue Heron     NC

Great Egret     C

Green Heron     NC

Turkey Vulture     NC

Northern Harrier     NC

Cooper's Hawk     C

Red-tailed Hawk     NC

American Kestrel     NC

Merlin     N (at the Norman Motel in Ada)

Virginia Rail     NC

Sora     NC (nice, close views of both rails)

American Coot     NC

Sandhill Crane     N

Killdeer     NC

Spotted Sandpiper     C

Upland Sandpiper     NC

Marbled Godwit     NC

Wilson's Snipe     NC

Wilson's Phalarope     NC

Black Tern     NC

Rock Pigeon     NC

Mourning Dove     NC

Black-billed Cuckoo     NC (best looks at Twin Valley sewage ponds and Felton

      Prairie)

Great Horned Owl     C

Barred Owl     N (a daytime surprise just south of Frenchman's Bluff)

Chimney Swift     NC

Ruby-throated Hummingbird     C

Belted Kingfisher     NC

Red-bellied Woodpecker     O (heard-only just south of the county line on Sunday)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     NC

Downy Woodpecker     NC

Hairy Woodpecker     NC

Northern Flicker     NC

Pileated Woodpecker     NC

Eastern Wood-Pewee     NC

[Western Wood-Pewee     N (1 or 2 – or maybe none? – at Gary Pines Wayside)]

Alder Flycatcher     NC

Willow Flycatcher     NC (best view at Felton Prairie)

Least Flycatcher     NC

Eastern Phoebe     NC

Great Crested Flycatcher     NC

Western Kingbird     C (pair at Starlite Motel parking lot) 

Eastern Kingbird     NC

Yellow-throated Vireo     NC (plus one on a nest on the Otter Tail/Clay Co. line spotted

     by George)  

Warbling Vireo     NC

Red-eyed Vireo     NC

Blue Jay     NC

American Crow     NC

Horned Lark     NC

Purple Martin     N

Tree Swallow     NC

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     C

Bank Swallow     NC

Cliff Swallow     NC

Barn Swallow     NC

Black-capped Chickadee     C

White-breasted Nuthatch     C

House Wren     NC

Sedge Wren     NC

Marsh Wren     NC

Eastern Bluebird     NC

Veery     NC

American Robin     NC

Gray Catbird     NC

Brown Thrasher     NC

European Starling     NC

Cedar Waxwing     NC

Yellow Warbler     NC

American Redstart     NC

Common Yellowthroat     NC

Scarlet Tanager     O (or was it in Clay Co?)

Chipping Sparrow     NC

Clay-colored Sparrow     NC

Field Sparrow     C

Vesper Sparrow     NC

Lark Sparrow     NC (Frenchman's Bluff and Felton Prairie) 

Savannah Sparrow     NC

Grasshopper Sparrow     C (incl one on the south side of the Norman Co line)

LeConte's Sparrow     NC (best views in Norman Co)

Song Sparrow     NC

Swamp Sparrow     NC

Chestnut-collared Longspur     C (as handsome as ever at Felton)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak     C

Indigo Bunting     C

Bobolink     NC

Red-winged Blackbird     NC

Western Meadowlark     NC

Yellow-headed Blackbird     NC

Brewer's Blackbird     NC

Common Grackle     NC

Brown-headed Cowbird     NC

Orchard Oriole     NC (once in Norman Co at Twin Valley sewage ponds; several in

     Clay Co)

Baltimore Oriole     NC

House Finch     NC

American Goldfinch     NC

House Sparrow     NC

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The last Chestnut-collared Longspur departs from Felton Prairie?

(Brian Gibbons photo)

[If you’ve been paying attention to the six previous MBW summaries of this season, it won’t take you long to notice that this one will be different. Personal anecdotes and observations, online links with obscure trivia, profiles of MBWers, frequent off-topic tangents, and other idiosyncratic content will be missing this time around. You might even be able to read through it in less than an hour. It seems that John Quinn, aspiring author and Junior Tour Leader who has been so entertaining in his summaries of all the previous MBWs, was AWOL this time – i.e., Absent Without Listing. So it has fallen back to me to write about this MBW, just as I have for the previous 38 years. Try not to doze off during this account, since it will lack John’s unique style that commands your constant attention and keeps you alert.  –KRE]        

Starting with the weather, which most MBW summaries predictably comment on, it’s refreshing to report that it cooperated quite nicely, especially since the winds were surprisingly light to moderate overall (which doesn’t happen much over four consecutive days on the prairie). In addition, the temperatures were comfortable with cool to moderate readings mostly in the 60s and 70s, and any rain that fell was limited to our non-birding hours. But there were mosquitoes to contend with, especially on Thursday morning at Gary Pines wayside where they were especially aggressive. And ticks were a distraction almost everywhere we went.  

Despite those pests, we still managed to find lots of birds, even though I had doubts that we’d ever get organized enough to get underway. Our logistics, daily itineraries, and carpooling were already complicated enough, but then some last-minute cancellations and other unexpected changes required some late adjustments to our plans. (Indeed, some of this was still a work in progress as we met on Thursday morning.) But off we went more-or-less on time, heading to Norman County from Mahnomen, and by the time we finished birding late Sunday morning in Clay County we had compiled an overall list of 137 species. It’s hard to say how good a total of 137 is, since I think we’ve only done a summer MBW combining these two counties once before. But it sure sounds respectable, if not impressive, and I was especially surprised that we came up with no fewer than 121 species on Thursday alone – with all but 2 of these in Norman.

Our best finds that day: a lone Red Crossbill heard calling above the din of mosquitoes at Gary Pines; an uncharacteristically obliging and responsive LeConte’s Sparrow posing for photos right next to the road en route to Olson-Agassiz WMA; then both Least (!) and American bitterns actually seen at the WMA (and not just heard); an unexpected Western Kingbird spotted by chance on a back road en route to lunch in Ada; a flooded field with 2 late migrant White-rumped Sandpipers (or were they early fall migrants?); and the Ada sewage ponds’ collection of 3 handsome Eared Grebes, a colorful and unusually late female Red-necked Phalarope along with a male Wilson’s, plus a Lesser Yellowlegs.

After a delay to search for some lost binoculars on Friday morning, there was still time to check a few more areas in Norman County en route to Clay, as we brought our final total in Norman to 126. En route to Norman, we also visited a few Mahnomen spots near Waubun, including the ornithologically historic Waubun Marsh where Yellow Rails and Nelson’s Sparrows were discovered back in the late 1950s and were consistent until the 1990s. Neither of those was found this time, but, as consolation, a LeConte’s was heard, and a yellowlegs stood in a puddle just across the Becker county line.

The rest of the morning in Norman was relatively uneventful compared to Thursday, although Frenchman’s Bluff SNA had Lark Sparrows and a Black-billed Cuckoo. And elsewhere we chanced upon a pair of Gray Partridge – the first seen on a MBW in at least 2 years! Tom spotted them first and was unsure of their ID, but they eventually walked into view and flew for all to see. Lunch was at Ulen City Park in Clay County, but the birding there was on the slow side, as it was elsewhere the rest of the afternoon.

On Saturday, we devoted the morning to the renowned Felton Prairie, and it did not disappoint. First, a lone prairie-chicken was seen as it stood along the roadside, and just around the corner a pair of nesting Western Kingbirds almost predictably appeared in the stretch of tree-lined road where they have been reliable for years. Farther up the so-called “Longspur Road” (now, alas, it’s the Former Longspur Road), Grasshopper Sparrows were singing as a couple of distant Upland Sandpipers were heard. CR 108 / 140th Ave. was next, and then the birding became more interesting – almost surreal.

First, a group of 7 Upland Sandpipers appeared all around us, calling and circling overhead and often landing in the road next to where we stood. Some landed up on utility wires, and one of these Uplands perched next to a Clay-colored Sparrow, which in turn was joined by a kingbird, and then a kestrel – all on the same 10-foot stretch of wire on one side of a pole; meanwhile, on a 20-foot section of wire on the other side of the pole, a Bobolink and goldfinch sat! Yes, you read that right – six individuals, each a different species, all sharing about 30 feet of adjacent wires.

A bit farther west on 140th we finally found our only Marbled Godwit of the entire MBW, as it relentlessly scolded us as we unexpectedly found a group of 12 Greater Prairie-Chickens. They were even in full display on a lek which has been active for decades, even though it had become cropland years ago. Even more amazing was that the time was around noon (not in the early morning), and this was the last half of June (not March or April)! So, could we hope to top any of that during the afternoon? No, we couldn’t, and didn’t even come close.

We still had time on Sunday morning to bird in and around Buffalo River State Park before heading back to Mahnomen where we had left some cars on Friday morning. At the park we finally managed to see 2 Soras as an unexpected Black-and-white Warbler sang nearby, and we were surprised by a group of 7 Red Crossbills along with some Red-breasted Nuthatches in the conifers at the park entrance. Next, the adjacent Bluestem Prairie SNA, the nearby county landfill, and a wooded stretch of Buffalo River upstream from the state park held little of interest, but Maria Lake was just down the road and gave us a lost Bufflehead and 3 stray Caspian Terns. This brought our Clay County list to 116 species, 10 fewer than in Norman.

Besides noting the highlights of what we saw, it’s also revealing to be aware of what this MBW had trouble finding, and what it missed entirely. For example, where were the Red-necked Grebes which we used to find consistently on some eastern Clay County wetlands? (Both Red-neckeds and Westerns sure seem to be in decline in MN.) We only saw Soras once, never did see or hear any Virginia Rails, our only Marbled Godwit was at Felton, and no gulls or Forster’s Terns (another declining species) were ever seen. None of us spotted any Swainson’s Hawks, Loggerhead Shrike also eluded us (it used to be regular at Felton – but do any now nest anywhere in MN?), and no Eastern Towhees turned up. And, while Chestnut-collared Longspurs are no longer to be expected at Felton, their absence is still haunting. (Similarly, just where did that pair of 10x32 Leicas disappear to?)    

Thanks to all for coming, especially Joanne who came all the way from MO just to bird with us for a day, and Alan who drove up nearly as far, plus Rebecca who was on her very first MBW. Of course, we all thank Craig as well for co-leading, and we appreciate the photos shared by Mariann, Joanne, Darcy, Dana, and others.

BIRD LIST: 137 composite species total (incl 1 in Mahnomen only)

• N = Norman County, June 20-21 (126 species)

• C = Clay County, June 21-22-23 (115 species)

• species not annotated N or C = found in both counties  

Canada Goose

Trumpeter Swan

Wood Duck

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler          N

Gadwall          N

Mallard

Green-winged Teal          N

Canvasback

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Lesser Scaup

Bufflehead          C

Hooded Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Wild Turkey

Greater Prairie-Chicken          C

Gray Partridge          N

Ring-necked Pheasant

Pied-billed Grebe

Eared Grebe          N

Rock Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Mourning Dove

Black-billed Cuckoo

Chimney Swift

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Sora

American Coot

Sandhill Crane

Killdeer

Upland Sandpiper          C

Marbled Godwit          C

White-rumped Sandpiper          N

American Woodcock     (only in Mahnomen by Ron & Craig)

Wilson’s Snipe

Spotted Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs          N (also in Becker)

Wilson’s Phalarope          N

Red-necked Phalarope          N

Caspian Tern          C

Black Tern

Common Loon

Double-crested Cormorant

American White Pelican

American Bittern          N

Least Bittern          N

Great Blue Heron

Green Heron

Turkey Vulture

Osprey          C

Northern Harrier

Cooper’s Hawk          C (also in Mahnomen)

Bald Eagle

Broad-winged Hawk          N

Red-tailed Hawk

Great Horned Owl          N (also in Mahnomen)

Belted Kingfisher

Red-headed Woodpecker          C

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

American Kestrel

Merlin          N

Great Crested Flycatcher

Western Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Alder Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Yellow-throated Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

Black-billed Magpie          N (also in Mahnomen)

American Crow

Common Raven          N

Black-capped Chickadee

Horned Lark

Bank Swallow

Tree Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Purple Martin

Barn Swallow

Cliff Swallow

Cedar Waxwing

Red-breasted Nuthatch          C

White-breasted Nuthatch

House Wren

Sedge Wren

Marsh Wren

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

European Starling

Eastern Bluebird

Veery

American Robin

House Sparrow

House Finch

Purple Finch          N

Red Crossbill

American Goldfinch

Grasshopper Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow

Field Sparrow          C

Vesper Sparrow

LeConte’s Sparrow          N (also heard in Mahnomen)

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Bobolink

Western Meadowlark

Orchard Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Common Grackle

Ovenbird          N

Black-and-white Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler          N

Scarlet Tanager          

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Dickcissel

PHOTO GALLERY

Mariann Cyr photo

Mariann Cyr photo

Joanne Dial photo

Mariann Cyr photo

Joanne Dial  photo

The 2009 MBW summary follows the summary of the 2024 MBW.

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NORMAN pre-MBW & CLAY MBW SUMMARY

June 20 - 21 - 22 - 23, 2024

INSET: Top to bottom...

Upland Sandpiper

Clay-colored Sparrow

Eastern Kingbird

American Kestrel

INSET: Left to right...

Bobolink

American Goldfinch

PHOTO by Dana Sterner

Dana Sterner photo

Dana Sterner photo