Date: 8/1/26 4:31 pm From: Sushma Reddy <000019571518fa52-dmarc-request...> Subject: [mou-net] Bell Museums Expeditions Program Aug 11-15 — come see birds from a different perspective
MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL, MN—Bell Expeditions returns to the Bell Museum on August 11–15, 10am–3pm. Throughout the week, visitors will have the opportunity to observe bird, mammal, plant, insect and fish dissections and preservation techniques by the Bell Museum’s scientists.
Learn about our natural history collections and our ongoing research projects while watching science in the process. Specimen preparation highlights for the week include preparing a swan, raccoon, otter, owl, and more!
These specimens are collected from Salvage Wildlife, a project helping turn tragedies into scientific data by recovering samples in the wild, and Stop the Thud, a project that monitors and helps reduce the number of window collisions across the University of Minnesota campus.
Funding for Salvage Wildlife was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
Please feel free to reach out for event images or if you have any questions.
Date: 7/29/26 10:51 am From: C. E. <cegelhoff...> Subject: [mou-net] Lots of Green Herons!
Today at the Lily Preserve - Dodge Nature Center, I found 6-9 Green Herons competing for the best hunting spots on the lake. There were clearly 6 Herons at the north end and I saw three more at the south end. But they were moving around a fair amount so I'm not sure of the actual number.
In the past week, I've seen Green Herons at St Paul Municipal Airport marsh, Kaposia Landing, Lebanon Hills Park and now, at Lily. After a Spring in which Green Herons were hard to find, it is wonderful to see them in so many places.
Date: 7/25/26 7:13 am From: DAVE ZUMETA <00005287632b8317-dmarc-request...> Subject: [mou-net] Carolina Wren and Brown Creeper at Crosby Lake Park
At 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 23, I heard a Carolina Wren singing its characteristic rollicking, three-parted "teakettle, teakettle, teakettle" song at Crosby Lake Park in St. Paul. The bird was in dense undergrowth on the extreme western end of the small lake that is west of Crosby Lake. The bird sang for about five minutes, but I was unable to see it. At 9:00 a.m. on Friday, July 24, I returned to the main parking lot at Crosby Lake Park and immediately heard a Carolina Wren singing several hundred feet to the south in the bottomland forest between the parking lot and the Mississippi River. Using the Merlin app on her phone, another birder named Sharon confirmed that the song was that of a Carolina Wren. Sharon and I looked for the bird for about 20 minutes as it sang intermittently from dense undergrowth and gradually moved south along the fence line separating the western border of the park and the boat marina to the west of the park. Through our binoculars at a distance of 30 to 40 feet, we finally saw it perch for several seconds on the top of a large cottonwood trunk that was on the forest floor. The bird was considerably larger than a House Wren but a similar shape. Its crown, back and wings were a uniform, rich cinnamon color. Its breast and belly were white or whitish buff. It had a distinctive white stripe over its eye. The bird continued to sing in the same area until about 9:30 a.m.
At about 9:25 a.m., 100 feet east of where we saw the Carolina Wren, Sharon and I saw a Brown Creeper about 20 feet up on the trunk of a large cottonwood. We both observed it through binoculars at a distance of 30 feet: a small bird with a very thin body, white underparts with a mottled brown back. The bird was silent as it spiraled up the bark of the cottonwood.
Dave ZumetaSt. Paul
Date: 7/20/26 1:30 pm From: Samantha Nelson <slburger7264...> Subject: [mou-net] MOU State Fair Booth Volunteers
Good Afternoon,
We are still looking to fill volunteer shifts at the MOU Booth at the State Fair DNR Building. If you love talking to the public about birds, this is a fun opportunity! Volunteers receive a complimentary ticket to the Fair. You can sign up to volunteer at this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4BACAB28A3FAC16-63272495-2026#/
Please email me with any questions: <slburger7264...>
Date: 7/7/26 7:06 pm From: Thomas Greseth <thomas.greseth...> Subject: [mou-net] Summer Birding at Sax-Zim Bog?
Hi, I was thinking about going on a trip to Sax-Zim Bog in early August. I know that the bog is an excellent place to bird in winter, but several interesting species like the Bobolink, Western Meadowlark and even apparently Magpies appear to be there in summer. This would be my first time birding there and I would appreciate any tips or suggestions. Please contact me if you have any.
