-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*March 30, 2017
*MNDL1703.30

-Birds mentioned
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Northern Harrier
Rough-legged Hawk
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
American Kestrel
Merlin
Northern Shrike
Eastern Bluebird
Bohemian Waxwing
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll
Pine Siskin
Lapland Longspur
Fox Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
-Transcript

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: March 30, 2017
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru ([log in to unmask])

This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Thursday, March 30,
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.

Spring seems to have really come to the northwest as temperatures are
getting into the high 50's each day, and happily the winds have stayed
light for the last few days. Snow has almost all disappeared and rivers
are mostly opening up. Birds are streaming in with the skies full of
waterfowl, now including tundra swans and several species of ducks.
Tundra swans have reached all counties in western Minnesota. The rice
paddies in eastern Clearwater County on Sunday held hundreds of tundra
swans and Canada geese with a few ducks mixed in. We expect to see the
duck migration numbers to swell in the next few days. Dark-eyed juncos
have increased greatly in numbers this week. American kestrels, and
red-tailed hawks are also back.

In Clearwater County on March 26, Shelley Steva and I found both
TRUMPETER SWANS and TUNDRA SWANS and hundreds of CANADA GEESE on the
rice paddies. Several AMERICAN KESTRELS were also observed.

Gary Tischer , driving through Marshall County on March 25, heard
SANDHILL CRANES there, and on the 29th , he saw a dark ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
5 miles north of Newfolden. A NORTHERN HARRIER was seen in Marshall
County on March 27, and a pair of BUFFLEHEADS were observed on the river
in Newfolden on March 29. A flock of TUNDRA SWANS stopped to feed and
rest a few miles north of MN 1 along CR 12 on March 30.

Gary Tischer saw a GREAT BLUE HERON in Pennington County on March 26.
Here along the Red Lake River east of Thief River Falls, I saw the first
HOODED MERGANSER on March 28, and the first WOOD DUCKS on March 29.
Today, March 30, I saw a flock of BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS, and heard a
KILLDEER.

A HERRING GULL was seen by Gary Tischer 8 miles south of St Hilaire in
Red Lake County on March 26.

SANDHILL CRANES were seen by Shelley Steva and I in eastern Polk County
on March 26. On March 28, Sandy Aubol reported GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GOOSE, SNOW GOOSE , TUNDRA SWAN, LAPLAND LONGSPURS, RING-BILLED GULLS,
and several species of ducks in western Polk County on March 28. On
March 25, she saw a NORTHERN SHRIKE and a MERLIN in Polk County.

Becca Engdahl reported FOX SPARROW, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and COMMON
GRACKLE on March 29 in Hubbard County. A HOARY REDPOLL was found among
the COMMON REDPOLLS and PINE SISKINS. On March 30, she saw BELTED
KINGFISHER, RUSTY BLACKBIRD, and the overwintering LINCOLN'S SPARROW.
Marshall Howe reported a large influx of DARK-EYED JUNCOS in Hubbard
County that day, and also noted TUNDRA SWANS flying north. Connie Cox
observed SANDHILL CRANES, AMERICAN WOODCOCK, and EASTERN BLUEBIRD around
Itasca State Park this week.

Wayne Perala reported that the Grotto Lake Rookery in Fergus Falls,
Otter Tail County, was very busy with DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, GREAT
EGRETS, and some RING-BILLED GULLS on March 27. A BARRED OWL was seen in
Fergus Falls on March 25.

At the North Ottawa Impoundment, Wayne found many species of ducks, 100
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 30 SNOW GEESE, and even a few SHARP-TAILED
GROUSE on March 27.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by email, no later than
Thursday each week, at [log in to unmask] 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, April 6,
2017.


Jeanie Joppru
Pennington County, MN