Date: 4/14/26 10:01 am From: Natasha Bartolotta <natasha...> Subject: [mou-net] Today at 5pm: Loon Surveys, Le Sueur Co. Volunteer Call
Hi all,
Just sending a reminder that an informational call on loon surveys in Le Sueur County will be this evening at *5pm. *If you are interested, but can't attend the call, please email me!
The National Loon Center is continuing resighting work in southern MN lakes where a "Restore the Call" project translocated young loons about 10 years ago. With a student from Winona State University joining the project this year, we will survey lakes in the early nesting season (May-June) within about a 15km radius of the release lake, Fish Lake, in Le Sueur County.
Volunteers are welcome to help with surveys! If you reside in this area and would like to join, we are hosting an info call April 14 at 5pm. The meeting link is below. You can also email me to receive a calendar invite or with any questions: <natasha...>
Date: 4/13/26 6:36 am From: MacKenzie Cochran <cochran694...> Subject: Re: [mou-net] Loon Surveys, Le Sueur County, Volunteer Call 4/14
Hello!
I am interested in learning more about the Loon Surveys, however, I am unable to attend the call tonight. Is there a way I can watch a recording or receive the info via another means?
Thank you!!
MacKenzie Cochran
Date: 4/12/26 10:59 am From: Jason Frank <jmfrank84...> Subject: [mou-net] Garganey in Lac qui Parle Co. near Rosen
There has been a Garganey drake in breeding plumage hanging out with a flock of Blue-winged Teal at Joe Spors Slough, which is located along LQR CR 7, 1 mile south of Rosen. It's been there since Saturday morning, originally found and photographed by Joe Conley.
The slough is on private property on the west side of the road; those of you who know the area and have experience on the Salt Lake trip likely know this property. It is typically flooded in spring and often hosts a surprising number of species.
The landowners are friendly and are OK with birders stopping and viewing from the east shoulder of CR 7. It is a wide shoulder, so very easy to pull off and safely view from either your vehicle cab or the roadside. Please do not pull into either of the driveways to park, though.
The Garganey has been seen at multiple locations of the slough, sometimes close to the road, and sometimes in the far west corner. Ebird is clocking lots of reports this morning and afternoon. Hopefully it'll stick around for awhile.
They -- three blue-morph and a white-morph -- were there on Saturday late morning, on the grass on the west side, oblivious to nearby walkers, runners, and dogs. (Sorry for the late response.)
A little later, an eagle killed the white morph!... but was unable to carry it off.
Stephen Greenfield
<tapaculo47...>
________________________________
From: Minnesota Birds <MOU-NET...> on behalf of <LISTSERV...>
Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2026 12:00 AM
To: <MOU-NET...> <MOU-NET...>
Subject: MOU-NET Digest - 7 Apr 2026 to 10 Apr 2026 (#2026-25)
There is 1 message totaling 14 lines in this issue.
Date: 4/11/26 6:26 am From: Charlie Greenman <000047b03d2fee12-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [mou-net] Snow Geese
Where?
Sent from my iPhone
> On Apr 11, 2026, at 8:13 AM, Daniel E Cronk <000050b69b5bcf1b-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> They were there as of 5 pm yesterday. West side of lake. They were mostly feeding in the grass but occasionally would get into the water.
>
> ----
> General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
> On Apr 7, 2026, at 9:15 PM, linda whyte <0000004e7b0e779a-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> Belated thanks to all who posted about this wren. It was in vigorous,
> operatic song in late morning, along the path that leads directly past the
> Visitor Center toward Pike Island. Initially perched extremely high in
> trees on the right side, it remained impossible to spot, until it finally
> flew. It dropped to ground in the middle of the dried-up wet area there,
> disappearing among the many fallen branches, where the carpet of leaves
> offers both camouflage and, likely, emergent insect food.
> The singing itself made the search and the wait well worth the time, so
> thanks again to all who posted.
> Linda Whyte
>
> ----
> General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
Date: 4/7/26 7:15 pm From: linda whyte <0000004e7b0e779a-dmarc-request...> Subject: [mou-net] Carolina Wren, Ft. Snelling
Belated thanks to all who posted about this wren. It was in vigorous, operatic song in late morning, along the path that leads directly past the Visitor Center toward Pike Island. Initially perched extremely high in trees on the right side, it remained impossible to spot, until it finally flew. It dropped to ground in the middle of the dried-up wet area there, disappearing among the many fallen branches, where the carpet of leaves offers both camouflage and, likely, emergent insect food. The singing itself made the search and the wait well worth the time, so thanks again to all who posted. Linda Whyte
Date: 4/7/26 2:30 pm From: Natasha Bartolotta <natasha...> Subject: [mou-net] Loon Surveys, Le Sueur County, Volunteer Call 4/14
Hi everyone,
The National Loon Center is continuing resighting work in southern MN lakes where a "Restore the Call" project translocated young loons about 10 years ago. With a student from Winona State University joining the project this year, we will survey lakes in the early nesting season (May-June) within about a 15km radius of the release lake, Fish Lake, in Le Sueur County.
Volunteers are welcome to help with surveys! If you reside in this area and would like to join, we are hosting an info call next week on April 14 at 5pm. The meeting link is below. You can also email me to receive a calendar invite or with any questions: <natasha...>
Date: 4/4/26 9:46 pm From: Keith Carlson <keithecarls...> Subject: [mou-net] Afton State Park Birds
Saw the following during a noon-time hike Sat. 4/4 all on the eastern half of the Bobolink loop except for the Golden-Crowned Kinglet seen near the overlook on the trail segment from "t" to "x"..
Juncos Golden-Crowned Kinglet Shrike ( I was pretty sure it was a Northern Shrike but it 50 to 75 yards away from me) Meadowlark Turkey Vulture
Wow, Steve, and this is data from Minnesota only, right?
Sherry GraySaint Paul, Minnesota
__o
‘\ <;
( * ) / ( * )
On Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 06:49:14 PM CDT, Steve Weston <sweston2g...> wrote:
Thank you to the over 2200 birders, which is close to the record high, who
participated in the 126th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, despite some
challenging weather conditions. They reported more than 233 thousand birds
of 127 species. Both represent somewhat of a drop from recent counts.
The cold weather earlier in December resulted in many lakes in the state
already frozen and a drop in waterfowl numbers and diversity. In addition
many of the winter species numbers were low including crossbills, siskins,
and longspurs. Still a few like Juncos and Pine Grosbeaks were well
represented in the state. While most common winter residents did not have
unexpected numbers, some of the less common birds were definitely more
widely reported than expected including American Robin, Sharp-shinned Hawk,
Cooper's Hawk, Golden Eagle, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Red-winged
Blackbird.
The story of the count was the 28 Eurasian Tree-Sparrow found on 5 counts.
This is up from 3 birds birds a couple of years ago, which shattered the
"casual" designation of species at the time. Later counts at a couple of
the sites indicated that even these numbers were a fraction of the birds at
these locations.
Data entry has been completed with 91 of the 92 counts reporting. The
Philbrook count with over 20 years of counting and Long Prairie count with
over 35 years in central Minnesota will be inactive next year unless a new
compiler can be found. The Philbrook count data was never submitted and I
don't even know if the count was conducted.
A more in depth analysis is in the works.
Steve Weston
On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN
<sweston2g...>
Date: 4/4/26 8:32 am From: Kara Snow <000014e3e51d51c5-dmarc-request...> Subject: [mou-net] Help researchers at UMN find Pileated Woodpecker nests in Minnesota
NRRI’s Avian Ecology Lab <https://nrri.umn.edu/research/avian-ecology-lab>is reaching out to birders, naturalists, and amateur ornithologists to help
locate nesting cavities of Pileated Woodpeckers across Minnesota.
The Pileated Woodpecker is a keystone species in our forests. The cavities
they create provide critical habitat for many other wildlife species. By
documenting where they are nesting, we can better understand their habitat
use and help inform conservation and forest management.
You can help us by reporting potential nest cavities!
Location (GPS coordinates or a pinned map location)
-
Photos of the cavity and surrounding habitat, if possible
-
Notes on activity (e.g., feeding behavior, presence of young, signs of
predation, or when the nest becomes inactive)
Where to look:
Pileated Woodpeckers typically nest in large trees that are dead or have
signs of decay. Nest cavities are large, round or slightly oval openings,
unlike the rectangular holes they create while foraging.
Please observe ethically:
Always keep a respectful distance and avoid disturbing nesting birds.
Lab members may follow up with additional questions. In some cases, we may
also coordinate visits to confirmed nest sites in the fall, after nesting
is complete.
If you have questions or would like to share this with your community, feel
free to reach out.
Thank you for helping us better understand and conserve this important
species.
Thank you to the over 2200 birders, which is close to the record high, who participated in the 126th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, despite some challenging weather conditions. They reported more than 233 thousand birds of 127 species. Both represent somewhat of a drop from recent counts.
The cold weather earlier in December resulted in many lakes in the state already frozen and a drop in waterfowl numbers and diversity. In addition many of the winter species numbers were low including crossbills, siskins, and longspurs. Still a few like Juncos and Pine Grosbeaks were well represented in the state. While most common winter residents did not have unexpected numbers, some of the less common birds were definitely more widely reported than expected including American Robin, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Golden Eagle, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Red-winged Blackbird.
The story of the count was the 28 Eurasian Tree-Sparrow found on 5 counts. This is up from 3 birds birds a couple of years ago, which shattered the "casual" designation of species at the time. Later counts at a couple of the sites indicated that even these numbers were a fraction of the birds at these locations.
Data entry has been completed with 91 of the 92 counts reporting. The Philbrook count with over 20 years of counting and Long Prairie count with over 35 years in central Minnesota will be inactive next year unless a new compiler can be found. The Philbrook count data was never submitted and I don't even know if the count was conducted.
A more in depth analysis is in the works.
Steve Weston On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN <sweston2g...>
Date: 3/24/26 11:32 am From: Miller Johnson <johnson-miller...> Subject: [mou-net] Nesting Red-breasted Nuthatch?
I've had a pair of red-breasted nuthatches overwintering here in Dakota County. Today, one of them was pulling thin strips of "bark" off a cedar tree. I've seen chickadees doing the same for their nests.
I know some birds do some "prep work" before they actually build their nests. What are the odds this pair will stay and nest?
Also, the brown creeper took offense that the red-breasted nuthatch was hanging out in its cedar and chased it away. Does that make the nuthatch's nesting less probable?
Date: 3/22/26 10:35 pm From: Steve Weston <sweston2g...> Subject: [mou-net] MRVAC (Zoom) Meeting this Thursday
he Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC) invites you to join us
for:
*John Mittermeier: Director ofthe Search for Lost Birds at
the American Bird Conservancy"The Search for Lost Birds"*
*Thursday, March 26th - 7:30 p.m. (Virtual on Zoom)*
Around the world, close to 120 bird species are currently “lost,” meaning
they are not considered extinct but there has been no confirmed
documentation of their existence in ten or more years. What are these lost
birds, where do they live, and why can’t anyone find them? Do they matter
for conservation? The Search for Lost Birds project is a collaborative
effort by conservation organizations to find these birds. Join John C.
Mittermeier to learn more about this large scale project and the
efforts underway to rediscover bird species around the world.
The Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon (above) was captured only partially on a
trail camera!
*This meeting will be only via Zoom and not in person.* *All MRVAC meetings
are free and open to the public. *
