See the 2014 and 2011 MBW summaries following the summary
of the 2016 MBWeekend. Note that these MBWs included
Lac Qui Parle County which will not be part of the 2025 MBW.
__________
LAC QUI PARLE MBWEEKEND & YELLOW MEDICINE CO. PRE-MBW
MARCH 25-26-27, 2016
While the weather on both Friday and Saturday made for difficult birding at times, it could have been worse. After all, this first MBWeekend of the season was in March – a month that’s often more like winter than spring. And indeed it was more spring-like when the sun came out and the wind moderated on Sunday. It was especially pleasant that morning at Bolland Slough where at least a couple thousand Canvasbacks were concentrated, and at Salt Lake as northbound flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese passed overhead while Tundra Swans rested and vocalized nearby. I suppose warblers in May are nice enough, but migrant waterfowl on the prairie in March – now that’s what spring is really all about.
In all, we came up with a composite total of 79 species during these three days: 61 in Yellow Medicine County on Friday's pre-MBW (including 5 not found on the main MBW), and 74 on the main MBW on Saturday-Sunday (including 18 not seen on the pre-MBW) which included parts of Chippewa, Swift, Big Stone, Lac Qui Parle, and Yellow Medicine counties. Although Friday’s species list in Yellow Medicine was relatively modest, the birding that day at Miedd Lake was the foremost highlight of the weekend. Not only were an estimated 2,800 Greater White-fronted Geese, 240 Tundra Swans, a few Ross’s Geese, and a good variety of other waterfowl there that day, but (save for some of the white-fronteds) they were still present on Sunday afternoon along with an early group of Baird’s Sandpipers.
Elsewhere on Friday, we found a Chippewa County snag with both a Wood Duck and a Pileated Woodpecker simultaneously watching us from their respective nest cavities, and a Great Horned Owl nest was found just outside of Montevideo. On the main MBW, our best finds were the Loggerhead and Northern shrikes on Saturday afternoon, in Swift and Lac Qui Parle counties respectively. This was especially memorable considering that I can only remember one other time (maybe two) when I was ever able to see both shrike species on the same day. Other highlights on Saturday included the flock of Lapland Longspurs grounded into view in Chippewa County so we could observe some handsome near-breeding-plumaged males, an unexpected Herring Gull at Marsh Lake, and on Sunday some were able to spot an early Yellow-headed among a flock of blackbirds near Dawson.
(I was even able to add 3 species to my Lac Qui Parle County list, but since I’m not a county lister I’ll deny this if you tell anyone!)
BIRD LIST
• pre only = seen only on Yellow Medicine Co pre-MBW (March 25)
• MBW only = seen only on main Lac Qui Parle MBW (March 26-27)
Greater White-fronted Goose (incl 2,800 on Friday at Miedd L)
Snow Goose
Ross's Goose (at least 10 at Miedd L both Friday and Sunday)
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan (MBW only; Bolland Slough, Lac Qui Parle Co)
Tundra Swan (incl 240 at Miedd L)
Wood Duck (incl a nest in the same snag with Pileated, Chippewa Co)
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal (pre only)
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback (incl 2,200 on Sunday at Bolland Slough)
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye (MBW only; Milan sewage ponds, Chippewa Co)
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck (MBW only; Salt Lake, Lac Qui Parle Co)
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey (MBW only)
Pied-billed Grebe (MBW only)
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron (MBW only)
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Killdeer
Baird's Sandpiper (MBW only; 5 at Miedd L on Sunday)
Wilson's Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull (MBW only; Swift Co portion of Marsh L)
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl (nest found by Deb & Janet, Chippewa Co)
Belted Kingfisher (MBW only)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker (MBW only; spotted by those in Jeff’s car in Dawson, Lac Qui Parle Co)
Pileated Woodpecker (pre only; incl a nest in the same snag with Wood Duck)
American Kestrel
Loggerhead Shrike (MBW only; Swift Co Rd 51 W of Appleton)
Northern Shrike (MBW only; Lac Qui Parle Co)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper (pre only)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (pre only)
Eastern Bluebird (incl Miedd L on Sunday)
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing (pre only)
Lapland Longspur (incl a grounded flock with breeding-plumaged males, Chippewa Co)
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow (MBW only; Chippewa Co)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (MBW only; Salt Lake, Lac Qui Parle Co)
Harris's Sparrow (MBW only; near Lac Qui Parle L dam, Chippewa Co)
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird (MBW only; spotted by Kathy near Dawson sewage ponds)
Rusty Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird (MBW only; Chippewa and Lac Qui Parle Co's)
Common Grackle
House Finch (MBW only; Chippewa Co)
House Sparrow
* * *
Lac Qui Parle MBW & Yellow Medicine Co pre-MBW
April 18 - 19 - 20, 2014
(Summary by Craig Mandel)
Our Friday spent in Yellow Medicine County was great, with OK weather and lots of fun birds. The light- and dark-morph Swainson's Hawks observed in flight right next to each other at Stone Hill Regional Park were the highlight of the day for me. The time spent at Upper Sioux Agency State Park also provided some nice birds, especially with an oak tree filled with over 40 kinglets. The 20 species of waterfowl were also nice, especially the Greater White-fronted and Snow geese at the Canby sewage ponds. Some early Western Grebes, lots of Horned Grebes, Bonaparte's Gulls, an American Pipit, lots of Western Meadowlarks, a few Yellow-headed and Rusty blackbirds, and others provided us with plenty of birds to study throughout the day.
On the main Lac Qui Parle County portion of the MBW, we were able to see a good number of birds not found in Yellow Medicine Co. Waterfowl were still present in large numbers, with the flocks of Greater White-fronteds and the two Ross's Geese being some of the more interesting species observed. The Snowy Egret that appeared on cue was also a treat, and then to find a second one just minutes later was also very exciting. We did a little better with shorebirds, with the winter-plumaged Dunlin and Wilson's Phalarope being some of the species of interest. While warblers were few, we did observe 8 species of sparrows with some nice looks at Fox Sparrows at Lac Qui Parle State Park. And of final note, the wind died down and it even made it into the 70s on both days.
BIRD LIST
Y = found in Yellow Medicine Co, April 18 (82 species)
L = found in Lac Qui Parle Co, April 19-20 (95 species)
Greater White-fronted Goose YL (~50 at the Canby sewage ponds; ~75 at Maderna WMA)
Snow Goose YL
Ross's Goose L (2 at Maderna WMA)
Canada Goose YL
Wood Duck YL
Gadwall YL
American Wigeon YL
Mallard YL
Blue-winged Teal YL
Northern Shoveler YL
Northern Pintail YL
Green-winged Teal YL
Canvasback YL
Redhead YL
Ring-necked Duck YL
Lesser Scaup YL
Bufflehead YL
Common Goldeneye L
Hooded Merganser YL
Common Merganser YL
Red-breasted Merganser YL
Ruddy Duck YL
Ring-necked Pheasant YL
Wild Turkey YL
Common Loon YL
Pied-billed Grebe YL
Horned Grebe YL
Western Grebe Y (Stone Hill Regional Park)
Double-crested Cormorant YL
American White Pelican YL
Great Blue Heron YL
Great Egret YL
Snowy Egret L (2: the first at Sweetwater WMA along CR 12, and the second along CR 7 just south of CR 12)
Turkey Vulture YL
Bald Eagle YL
Northern Harrier YL
Sharp-shinned Hawk L
Cooper's Hawk YL
Broad-winged Hawk L (great close-up look in flight at Lac Qui Parle State Park)
Swainson's Hawk YL (incl a dark-morph at Stone Hill)
Red-tailed Hawk YL
American Coot YL
Killdeer YL
Greater Yellowlegs YL
Lesser Yellowlegs YL
Dunlin L (early at Salt Lake)
Baird's Sandpiper L
Pectoral Sandpiper L
Wilson's Snipe YL
Wilson's Phalarope L (Salt Lake)
Bonaparte's Gull YL
Franklin's Gull YL
Ring-billed Gull YL
Rock Pigeon YL
Eurasian Collared-Dove YL
Great Horned Owl (heard-only in Chippewa Co)
Belted Kingfisher YL
Red-bellied Woodpecker YL
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker YL
Downy Woodpecker YL
Hairy Woodpecker YL
Northern Flicker YL
American Kestrel YL
Eastern Phoebe YL
Blue Jay YL
American Crow YL
Horned Lark YL
Tree Swallow YL
Barn Swallow L
Black-capped Chickadee L
White-breasted Nuthatch YL
Brown Creeper YL
Golden-crowned Kinglet YL
Ruby-crowned Kinglet YL
Hermit Thrush YL
American Robin YL
European Starling YL
American Pipit YL
Yellow-rumped Warbler YL
American Tree Sparrow YL
Chipping Sparrow L
Vesper Sparrow YL
Savannah Sparrow L
Fox Sparrow L
Song Sparrow YL
Swamp Sparrow YL
Dark-eyed Junco YL
Northern Cardinal YL
Red-winged Blackbird YL
Western Meadowlark YL
Yellow-headed Blackbird YL
Rusty Blackbird YL
Common Grackle YL
Brown-headed Cowbird YL
House Finch L
Purple Finch Y
American Goldfinch YL
House Sparrow YL
* * *
Mountain Bluebird, Swift Co, afternoon of April 10 (alas! – too late to include on this MBW's trip list)
LAC QUI PARLE MBW (incl YELLOW MEDICINE CO PRE-MBW) SUMMARY
April 8 - 9 - 10, 2011
Paul and I only wish that male Mountain Bluebird we found Sunday afternoon on the way home had been available to the whole MBW group to see, but at least Herb & Linda happened to still be in the vicinity and could share in the observation. So, we can't really add this to our official list (same goes for our Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Herb's early Forster's Tern, both seen in Morris after we adjourned), so we ended up with an even total of 100 species for the 3 days.
Among this MBW's highlights was the weather: overcast, wet at times, windy, and on the cold side for all 3 days. Remember, though, this is Minnesota in early April, so we can't whine too much. However, it was disconcerting on Sunday to be in wet and windy 40-degree weather while it reached the 70s in Minneapolis.
There were plenty of avian highlights as well, of course. A very early American Avocet was a surprise along Lac Qui Parle CR 7 on Saturday, as was that equally early Cattle Egret near Herman on Sunday. Other unexpected, earlier-than-normal finds included 2 American Bitterns in Swift Co, Friday's Swainson's Hawk in Yellow Medicine Co (plus another on Saturday in Lac Qui Parle Co), American Golden-Plovers in Lac Qui Parle Co, and Marbled Godwits in Big Stone Co.
We finally caught up to the tail-end of the goose and swan migration on Sunday in Traverse Co, which included a spectacular concentration of perhaps 5,000 Tundra Swans near Wheaton, with an estimated 3,400 of these in one flooded field. Of note as well were all those handsome, breeding-plumaged male Lapland Longspurs which posed nicely for us in Lac Qui Parle Co (even if no Smith's Longspur could be detected in the flock).
As always, thanks to all of you for coming along on this first MBW of our 26th season. It was especially nice to have Bill, Pete M, and Kurt along on their very first MBW, and, of course, we all appreciated Paul's patience (with me!) and co-leading skills (with Paul available to help out, Craig is definitely fired!).
BIRD LIST
Notes:
April 8 pre-MBW option mostly in Yellow Medicine Co (Y)
April 9 in Swift (S), Big Stone (B), and Lac Qui Parle Co's (L) = my group
April 9 in Lac Qui Parle Co only (L) = Paul's group
April 10 mostly in Grant (G) and Traverse (T) Co's = both groups
Greater White-fronted Goose G,T
Snow Goose T
Ross's Goose T (total of 7 at 3 sites)
Cackling Goose G,T
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan G,T (~5,000 total near Wheaton!?)
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail (why so few?)
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup S,B
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Gray Partridge T (2; Paul's group)
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey Y only
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
American Bittern S (2; my group)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret G (spotted by Jeff near the Brant site)
Black-crowned Night-Heron G (3; Paul's group)
Turkey Vulture Y only
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Swainson's Hawk Y,L
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
American Golden-Plover L (Paul's group)
Killdeer
American Avocet L (along CR 7)
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Marbled Godwit B,L (total of 4; my group)
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock L (Paul's group)
Bonaparte's Gull
Franklin's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull B (probably on the SD side of Big Stone L)
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove Y (Hanley Falls, Canby, Burr), S (Appleton), G (Herman), and in Milan, Chippewa Co
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker only on April 8 flying over Montevideo, Chippewa Co
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper Y only
Winter Wren S,L (heard-only; my group)
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush Y only
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Lapland Longspur best views in L
Snow Bunting L (Paul's group)
Yellow-rumped Warbler G (2; my group)
American Tree Sparrow why so few?
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow L (Paul's group)
Fox Sparrow the most common sparrow in Y
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco why so few?
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird S (female w/dark iris IDed by Jeff)
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
House Sparrow
