Bird Watching

[M.T. Bucket]

All for fun, though I did get to bird for a semester to complete a field journal for an ornithology course I took and I'd love to have a career that involves bird work, whether it is working with game or nongame birds.

This is the longest trip I've ever taken where the focus was birding, though my wife and I made a weekend birding trip to Grand Marais and back in February. It was pretty slow, but we did find a few uncommon species like Harlequin Duck, Boreal Chickadee, and Townsend's Solitaire.

I've found 80 species of birds so far this year (I keep a list with the dates & locations), most of them by bushwhacking around the Chippewa National Forest and checking the Mississippi River and backroads around my area.

New arrivals to Itasca County this week:

- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

- Sandhill Crane

- American Tree Sparrow

- Osprey

- Turkey Vulture

- Broad-winged Hawk

- Northern Flicker

- Eastern Phoebe

- White-throated Sparrow

- Belted Kingfisher

- Common Loon

I saw Sandhill Cranes, lots of American White Pelicans, Cliff & Tree Swallows, and many other birds at Carlos Avery over the weekend.

[M.T. Bucket]

From the Grand Rapids Herald Review. Some of you might be interested. Heck, if you and a few neighbors have some great birdwatching property, put up some feeders, nest boxes, cut a trail, and charge a small admission fee for birders. Sell birdy gifts and lunch there while you're at it!

Bird watchers - the next big tourist boom?

Binocular toting bird watchers could just be the next big break for this area’s tourism industry.

According to Explore Minnesota, formerly known as the Minnesota Office of Tourism, it is not those wearing blaze orange and carrying shotguns who pumped more money into the Minnesota tourist economy last year, but those with bird books in hand, binoculars swinging from their necks, and cameras at the ready who contributed the most money to the state’s economy.

“We are reaching a critical mass that a lot of local communities are figuring out that there is something happening here and there may be some money to be made,” said Carrol Henderson, a non-game wildlife specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Henderson said that more money was spent in Minnesota for all wildlife watching activities than that spent on hunting and fishing – $531 million on wildlife viewing versus $480 million for hunting and fishing.

“What we are trying to do is kind of expand the dimensions and the perceptions of what tourism is to include all of these wildlife viewing experiences,” said Henderson.

Henderson helped give a presentation to more than 50 resort owners, tourism developers and others during a workshop entitled, “Making the most of Mother Nature, a how-to guide for wildlife tourism” in Grand Rapids sponsored by Explore Minnesota, The Minnesota DNR and the University of Minnesota Tourism Center on Thursday.

According to Explore Minnesota, nationwide, wildlife viewers spent $38.4 billion in 2001 generating more than $4 billion in state and federal income tax and creating more than 1 million jobs. Explore Minnesota calculated that wildlife viewers in Minnesota, spend more than $531 million annually generating more than $10.9 million in state income tax revenues.

The average wildlife viewer will spend about $185 for one overnight wildlife viewing trip in Minnesota, which includes lodging, equipment rental for boats and camping, food, drink and refreshments, round-trip costs for transportation, guide fees and public land use fees.

“Wildlife watchers don’t spend as much money (as hunters and fishermen), but there are more of them,” said Henderson.

Wildlife viewers may not be as noticeable as hunters and fishermen either. They do not wear blaze orange or tow a fishing boat behind their SUV. They do not come out in droves on one weekend of the year. Wildlife viewers are active year-round and carry a variety of viewing accoutrements from something as simple as a guide book, moving on to binoculars, zoom-lens cameras, on up to expensive scoping equipment. A survey completed by the University of Minnesota Tourism Center showed that the average Minnesota wildlife viewer has a college degree or higher, makes an average wage of $50,000 a year or more, and will travel an average of 632 miles round-trip to see wildlife.

Many tourists who come to the area may not come specifically to view wildlife, but if they do see wildlife, said Henderson, “they will have an experience that they will remember for their whole life.”

Creating a memorable experience viewing wildlife can be as simple as keeping bird feeders full, and having information available about wildlife in the area, field guides, maps, and contacts of local guides. Establishments may also provide opportunities to rent and purchase wildlife equipment like binoculars or hats, T-shirts and postcards.

Simple services which are offered, and promoted to photographers, educational groups, avid birders or parents with children, like pontoon boat rides, wildflower field trips, tours of bat caves, bluebird trails and more can be viable sources of income for local establishments.

“These kinds of services are very valued,” said Henderson.

Wildlife viewers also are typically early risers, so having hot coffee brewing early in the morning along with a continental breakfast are good ideas along with having bag or box lunches for viewers to take with them into the woods while observing wildlife.

Cheri Bialke, the executive director of the Grand Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau was at the Wildlife Tourism Workshop in Grand Rapids.

She said the CVB will begin working on some birding field trips and packaging with area resorts and lodging establishments as well as start developing more information about wildlife viewing on the CVB Web site.

“It is still in the development stages, but there is so much here – things that we don’t even normally think of that we can do,” said Bialke. “I think there is a lot of opportunities for businesses to package things and make it really accessible and easy to people. We have a tremendous wealth of resources and it’s a matter of pulling it all together in a package.”

Mike Czeck is the owner of Hidden Haven Resort on Bass Lake 12 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. He said that while his business is plenty busy during the summer months, he is always looking for new ways to promote his business this time of year or in the fall shoulder season.

Czeck said, “I think we can play off of some of what Carrol is saying here. We have bird feeders through our resort, but we don’t do a very good job of keeping those full … We just have to work with the chamber and the CVB and hopefully we can promote the area better.”

Developing a plan for wildlife tourism, said Henderson, will help create a niche market opportunity that can be beneficial as well as sustainable for area resort and lodging establishments. While a few simple things can greatly enhance the experience of a visitor to the area and perhaps bring them back for more, wildlife tourism is not going to overhaul the nature of tourism itself.

Henderson said, “We are not trying to totally change the nature of tourism, but what are we doing to capture a few more months of tourists.”

[fishface5]

Hey bird fans, Any last obs. before the summer rutien(sp?) sets in? If something unique shows up at the feeders or passes your eye this summer don't forget to send a quickie. Again, thanks for the posts this past winter! You realy helped pass the season. I learnt' a ton. Thanks guys! Have a good summer.

[fishwidow]

We have a pair of sharp-shinned hawks nesting in a large red pine in our yard for the second year.

[M.T. Bucket]

Sharpies in your yard, eh? We had a Cooper's Hawk--the Sharpie's big brother at our place snagging pigeons last summer--sure hope it comes back!!

Haven't had anything at all at the feeders except a few purple finches lately. Not sure what's going on.

There had been a Glossy Ibis seen just west of the town of Aitkin this week, so I drove there this morning before work (yep, I'm a little nuts) and it had already taken off for happier hunting grounds. I probably won't get another chance at that bird--it's the second one ever seen in Minnesota, the last sighting being in 1990, I think.

Thousands of ducks at the Mud-Goose WMA in Cass County right now.

[The Grebe]

We took a run out to Granite Falls yesterday, beautifull area along the Yellow Medicine River! We seen a multitude of different birds while in transit, topped off by a couple of Turkey Vultures drifting on the air currents, so close, you could see the eyes, those and two Bald Eagles playing out some kind of ritual up in the clear blue Minnesota sky!

Yesterday was cold and windy, but if you were out for a drive, and inside, it was fantastically beautiful out, like being in a post card setting, "Wish You Were Here."

[Dotch]

From Fencelines:

"Made a venture down to the pond to see how it was coming along. More hydric or water-loving plants showing up and there appear to be a lot more ducks nesting than previously thought. Nothing in the wood duck house but could see the tree swallows had stuck some nesting material in it. The ducks swimming on the pond were wary at first but hung around and got used to me. Helps to shower once in awhile I guess. Saw only drake blue winged teal and mallards, 5 and 2 respectively so am guessing there are plenty of hens sitting on clutches of eggs someplace down there. No geese seen but they have been seen off and on. Had a phoebe singing in the yard over the weekend and saw goldfinches decked out in their dazzling summer yellow. Since the end of the month is nearing, rounded up the oriole and hummingbird feeders. May 1 is a good average date for putting them out. Too wet in the garden to be doing much there yet. Amazingly enough, there are still onions in the basement from last year that are just as good as the day they were stored."

Additional feathered friends seen since the last column: Golden plovers around the pond, red breasted nuthatch picking sunflower seeds out of the feeder, a pair of Huns across the road in the worked soybean stubble and several flocks of cormorants moving through this AM.

Note: Have communicated with the site administrator and was wondering if anyone would object to having this topic moved to the General Category under Outdoor Discussion, Clean Ups & Agendas? It probably fits more logically there than under the Open Water Fishing Category. When I first started it, it seemed to work OK with some of the other topics being discussed. Now that fishing season approaches, it tends to get buried pretty deep sometimes. I don't know if I need the blessings of the moderators or not but tell me what you think about the move. I like fishing too and have fished all my life but am not as avid as some who post here due to constraints on my free time & income. Not knocking fishing but I can always watch the birds as part of my daily routine. Aside from what I spend on books, seed, binoculars, etc., it's a pretty inexpensive pasttime. One thing if we do move the topic, gotta promise to keep it civil just like we always have. Bird watching controversy can be brutal...

[fishwidow]

Dotch, I agree with you. I check about 8 different forums several times a day, and even though the Open Water is one of them, I dig through a lot of other threads to find this one every day.

[fishface5]

I'd like to see this thread have a spot on the main page.

[M.T. Bucket]

Saw some good birds today. Red-breasted Mergansers at Winnibigoshish and at Trout Lake. Belted Kingfishers, Bonaparte's Gulls, and a Merlin at Winnie as well.

I'll be heading to Sherburne to watch birds on Friday.

[M.T. Bucket]

Dotch,

I usually see my first hummingbird between May 10 - 15 or so. I'll put my feeders out around May 5.

I heard today that there have been tons of spring migrants--sparrows, warblers, & neotropicals all held up for several days in the latitude around northern Missouri due to the lack of favorable winds for migration. The prediction is that once we get a couple of days of moderate southerly winds, we'll get piles of birds all at once. Can't wait!

By the way, I know the owls were a big topic all winter, and guess what; quite a few of them don't seem to be going back to Canada. They're still hanging around Aitkin, Carlton, St. Louis, & the surrounding counties. I've seen a few in Itasca lately as well. Apparently some are either gunshy about going back north (we don't really know what part of Canada 'our' owls came from) or they just found Minnesota to their liking and intend on breeding here. A Northern Hawk Owl nest has already been discovered. Could be interesting.

[M.T. Bucket]

Awesome news! The Ivory-billed Woodpecker, thought to be extirpated from the United States for over 60 years and extinct for nearly 30, has been rediscovered in Arkansas. Scientists have been searching for this magnificent bird for decades with little hope that it still existed.

Article follows:

I was going to wait until after noon today (when a press conference is going to be held in D.C. on the subject) to post anything about this, but with the NPR broadcast following several days of email chatter on the Web, I guess the cat is out of the bag: The ivory-billed woodpecker has indeed been rediscovered in the vast bottomland forests of eastern Arkansas, an area known as the Big Woods that includes Cache River and White River NWRs.

Unlike the 1999 report from the Pearl River in Louisiana, which was never confirmed despite several attempts, this time the search team, a cooperative effort of the Nature Conservancy and Cornell's Lab of Ornithology, has documented the presence of at least one male ivorybill, thanks to multiple sightings, videos and audio recordings.

The Lord God bird lives.

I was incredibly privileged to have been quietly invited last winter to join the search team for a week in order to write an article announcing the find for TNC's magazine. More than 60 people were in the field for 15 months, operating under such strict secrecy that in many cases, their own families didn't know what they were doing. The secrecy was in part to protect the bird while documentation was gathered and management plans were being crafted, and in part to give TNC time to buy up land to further safeguard the ivorybill. In that short time, the conservancy spent more than $10 million on land acquisition in the Big Woods.

The area in question is in the Mississippi delta, forming a

corridor of swamp forest 15 miles wide and 130 miles long -- big, deep, and difficult to penetrate except by canoe (and even then, you'd better know how to use a GPS). Over the past 20 years, TNC and others have protected more than 120,000 acres there, bringing to more than half a million acres land that's in conservation protection, largely within the two national wildlife refuges and state wildlife

land. It's been a largely unknown conservation success story, and this news is an incredible validation of that work. TNC has plans to buy and restore an additional 200,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest there, including land that was cleared for soybeans in the

'70s and '80s and will be reforested. Things should only get better for the ivorybill. In fact, things have probably been getting steadily better for decades, as the once-cut forests of the South have recovered.

Later today, there will be a lot of information about the events in Arkansas posted at two web sites: <A HREF="www.ivorybill.org">www.ivorybill.org</A>, and on the web site of the journal Science, which is publishing an article documenting the sighting, including a frame-by-frame analysis of the video <A HREF="www.sciencemag.org/sciencexpress/ recent.shtml)">www.sciencemag.org/sciencexpress/recent.shtml</A>.

In a nutshell, the initial sighting came in February 2004, when a Hot Springs kayaker named Gene Sparling was exploring a remote part of the Big Woods, and had a close, unmistakable encounter with a male ivorybill. Gene, a birder and experienced outdoorsman, understood the

significance of what he'd seen. Two weeks late, Gene escorted Tim Gallagher, editor of Cornell's Living Bird magazine, and Alabama photography professor (and longtime ivorybill hunter) Bobby Harrison to the same area, where Gallagher and Harrison both saw the bird. Cornell and the Arkansas chapter of TNC were informed, and immediately launched one of the most intensive wildlife searches I've

ever encountered, all while keeping it almost completely secret. The plan was to announce the findings next month, coinciding with the publication of the magazine article, but someone blabbed over the weekend, and as the ripples started spreading, the decision was made to announce today at the Department of the Interior.

The sightings were all of a single bird, always a male (though there was one undocumented sighting of a possible female). It appears the search team was not operating near the bird's normal home range, since the sightings averaged only about one per month; this is a huge area, and there's lots of room for even a duck-sized woodpecker to disappear. No one thinks it likely that this bird is the very last of

its kind, so it's likely there are more out there in the huge Big Woods region, or in other bottomland forests along the Mississippi Delta.

Interestingly, in contrast to the noisy, fairly tame behavior Jim Tanner recorded for the species in Louisiana in the 1930s, this bird has proven incredibly shy and wary, always vanishing at the first hint of a human. Many people -- and I include myself in this -- had long assumed that if ivorybills survived in the U.S., someone would have found and documented them decades ago. The fact that so many people, backed up with technology like automated recording devices and cameras, had such a hard time getting documentation in the Big Woods, suggests we've been underestimating the difficulty of finding

this species. The "intensive" Pearl River search, for example, involved six people for 30 days; most times that a sighting has been followed up, it's been someone in a canoe poking around for a day or two at most. One lesson from the Big Woods is that we cannot easily dismiss any of the reports elsewhere in the species' historic range,

especially those in South Carolina and Florida which have been persistent for many years. I know scientists are following up on some of those reports even as the news is trumpeted from Arkansas. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.

This is one of the most hopeful stories I've ever had the privilege to report on, and it comes at a time when conservationists need some good news. It shows how incredibly resilient nature can be if we give

it a chance. And it's a second chance that, frankly, America probably doesn't deserve, given our treatment of Southern forests.

My part in this was very small and very secondary, as much as I treasure the opportunity. I want to close this by expressing my gratitude and admiration for the folks who pulled this off in an incredibly professional, collegial manner, including Arkansas TNC director Scott Simon; John Fitzpatrick and Ron Rohrbaugh at Cornell; and Gene Sparling and Prof. David Luneau.

The ivorybill lives. It makes the sunshine just a little sweeter, doesn't it?

[BRULEDRIFTER]

sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but i figured you guys would care. i was fishing on the brule river today and saw a dead bald eagle on the river bank. looked like it washed down stream, but it was right there, for who knows how long. is there anything i SHOULD do? i just left it lay.

[sami0115]

i would call the DNR. they may be interested in looking at it to see what caused the death.

[The Grebe]

115...Last year, I called the raptor center on a dead Bald Eagle that was lying on the shoulder of the #610 bridge that crosses the Mississippi....I never heard anything and no one got back to me?

[sami0115]

sorry to hear that. i would think they would be interested.

[Gus]

My buddy hit an Eagle with his truck last year. The DNR came out and picked it up. Said it would probably be mounted and used for some educational purpose. The eagle flew up out of the ditch as he drove by and sure did a number on his grille and headlight assembly.

[M.T. Bucket]

I think the DNR would be interested in a dead eagle only if it was still intact enough that it could be mounted for educational purposes or would still have some tissue fresh enough to test for lead poisoning or west nile virus. If you're at the Brule River, the USFS might be the place to go with that particular information.

[M.T. Bucket]

Among the birds seen or heard today in the Chippewa National Forest:

- Cooper's Hawk

- Northern Parula

- Yellow-rumped Warbler

- Hermit Thrush

- Turkey Vulture

- Black-throated Green Warbler

- Wilson's Snipe

- Northern Cardinal

- Red-breasted Nuthatch

- Bald Eagle

- White-throated Sparrow

- Broad-winged Hawk

There were several others as well, but I wasn't actually birding, just noted these species while going about other business.

[1DIRTBALL]

I've been watching a bird of prey flying over the field next to my house that I've not been able to identify.(No Jackpine Rob, it is not a meander!LOL) I've also spotted it in a field near Warroad. Sometimes it will fly and hover somewhat close to the ground, like an owl. Other times, it will fly higher and soar like a hawk. It seems to be mostly white with somewhat of a barred pattern. Can't tell for sure because I've been unable to get a closer look at it. The most distinctive feature of it's appearance is the wingtips, which have all black marks on them like a snow goose. I've checked in all the bird books in the Warroad Library but haven't been able to come up with a positive ID. Does anybody(Except Jackpine Rob) have any idea about what it is? Thanks in advance for any info. 1DIRTBALL

[Dotch]

From this week's column:

"What a bird watching bonanza this past week was! Spotted some barn swallows on Tuesday after turning the column in. The tree swallows have commandeered the bluebird houses from the house sparrows with a little assistance from yours truly. Red-breasted nuthatches seem to be staying around as do the downies. Some suspicious looking holes in some of the soft maple and boxelder trees in the pasture where they might be nesting.

Still keeping an eye on the pond for ducklings but haven’t seen any yet. In another week or so it wouldn’t surprise me given the drakes only stag parties to this point. A great blue heron was seen marching slowly along the shallows spearing frogs with his rapier-like bill. Since the weather warmed up, there must be a bazillion frogs down there as they start their chorus every night. Became a little quiet for awhile when lows were in the 20’s.

Was evident the migration was in high gear following Saturday AM’s rainfall. Saw a couple Harris’s sparrows in the yard and the trees were loaded with the long awaited dozens of goldfinches. The brown thrashers and chipping sparrows were singing up a storm and several doves were busy cleaning up under the feeders. Robins were abundant and I thought of them as I planted the trees I picked up a week ago. Friday I put out the hummingbird and oriole feeders and Saturday afternoon I had my first customers: A male oriole and a male ruby throated hummingbird. The oriole tried to hide in the apple blossoms but that bright orange plumage was in stark contrast to the pink and white flowers. Late that afternoon, the sure sign of spring announced itself in the form of a wren singing in the back yard. I think neighbor David is sharing this wren because I heard it singing at his place too. Plenty of birdhouse gourds, wren houses and bluebird houses for them to nest in. On Sunday to celebrate Mother’s Day, a rose-breasted grosbeak was munching on the sunflower seeds. Several years ago my Mom was here for Mother’s Day and we saw the first grosbeak at our feeders. Since then, almost like clockwork, a grosbeak has shown up every Mother’s Day."

[Jackpine Rob]

How about this unauthorized link:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Harrier.html

Seems like this might be a good fit for what you are describing. Much as I would have liked to believe we had a credible meander sighting, sounds like this is a garden variety raptor.

[jonny_redhorse]

thought it was time for a "pic"....haven't seen one posted for awhile.lol!...took this pic of a robin in my front yard about 15 minutes ago....grabbed the fugi....cranked her up to 10x zoom!....(might be a little blurry,took it through the door glass)...new leaves ...new spring!...and this robin just a singin away ...lets get some of those bird sightings on the digital...

[M.T. Bucket]

Like Jackpine wrote, you are seeing a Northern Harrier. The female is brown and streaky, the male is whitish underneath (gray on the back) with dark wing edges. Harriers have long wings and tails and hold their wings in a dihedral (V-shaped, like a turkey vulture) when they cruise fields and marshes. The easiest way to know for sure that you have a Northern Harrier is to look at the rump (the lower back just above the tail). All Northern Harriers have a bright white patch on their rump that can be seen without binoculars from quite a distance. If you get a close look, you will notice that Northern Harriers have a slight facial disk like many owls.

[M.T. Bucket]

I hope I get Harris's Sparrows again this year.