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We believe in connecting people with nature.
Most of our programs are FREE and open to the public. Check our calendar and join the fun! Recent happenings:
May 6, 2024 - Bird Walk at Kutzky Park
Birding was a bit slow at Kutzky Park today on our first "Lunch Hour" walk of the season. Maybe the birds were napping - the weather was perfect for a mid-day snooze, But eventually our group of 22 people teased out 32 species. Our favorite was a Blackpoll Warbler - one of eight warbler species we found today (see list below). Orioles were chasing each other and one person spotted an Orchard Oriole but it was gone before the rest of the group got a look. Migration will be hitting it's peak by the end of this week so we expect species numbers to continue to rise. Our next Kutzky Park walk is Wednesday, May 8 at 6:45 am. Meet near the picnic shelter. Thanks to Lance Vrieze for leading today. Photos by Sandy Hokanson. Species seen: Mallard, Mourning Dove, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Hairy Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Gray Catbird, American Robin, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Orchard Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Northern Waterthrush, Tennessee Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak May 5, 2024 - Root River Walk
A bright sunny morning greeted the 16 people who came out for this morning's walk around Root River Park. Because the group was so large we decided to split into two groups and walk the trails from opposite directions. We compared notes when we met in the middle - and we mostly saw the same birds - though not everyone saw everything. We saw or heard at least 45 species (I may have missed a few in the list below). Some favorites of the day were Yellow-throated Vireo, Magnolia warbler, Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a Red-headed Woodpecker. A Blue-winged warbler was seen by one person and heard by a few more - but we were unable to relocate it. Spring wildflowers are still blooming, too - though we only found one lonely Snow Trillium. Bluebells and Wild Blue Phlox are going strong, May Apple is getting tall and Trout Lily has started blooming. We also found some unexpected Bishop's Cap and a small patch of Cutleaf Toothwort. Birds are streaming into the area this week during the peak of migration. Get out there and see them! Many thanks to Jim Sullivan for doing some early scouting, to Joel Dunnette, Terry and Joyce Grier for sharing their plant and birding expertise, and to Sandy Hokanson for leading the trip and taking photos. Other photos (marked) were taken by Terry Grier and Kambiz Kalantari. Bird Species: Ring-necked Pheasant, Mourning Dove, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Vireo, Veery, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Field Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Ovenbird, Blue-winged Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak Flower Species: May Apple, Jacob's Ladder, Violets, Rue Anemone, False Rue Anemone, Spring Beauty (not much left), Wild Blue Phlox, Bishop's Cap, Cutleaf Toothwort, Trout Lily, Trillium, Wild Ginger, Virginia Bluebells, Buttercup, Snow Trillium, Yellow Bellflower And no doubt there were many more (birds and flowers) that we missed! May 4, 2024 - Wildflower Walk at Izaak Walton Wetlands
Ten people braved the cloudy, misty weather this afternoon to search for spring wildflowers at the Izaak Walton Wetlands. The mist stopped shortly after we arrived and we even enjoyed an occasional burst of sunshine while we walked. Many plants were in full bloom while others, like Bloodroot, had already finished blooming and yet others hadn't started yet. We were happy to find a new flower that we hadn't seen in the park before called Cuckoo Flower - also known as Ladies Smock. It's fairly rare in Minnesota so it was a great find. We were able to identify 22 species (but are sure we missed many more). The complete list is below. Many thanks to our guides, Terry & Joyce Grier and to everyone who helped identify the birds and plants along the trail. Wildflowers seen: Baneberry, Bellflower, Bloodroot, Blue Flag Iris, Buttercup, Canada Anemone, Cleavers (Bedstraw), Cuckoo Flower (Ladies smock), False Rue Anemone, False Solomon's Seal, Jack-in-the-pulpit, Jacobs's ladder, May Apple, Rue Anemone, Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, Trillium, Violets, Virginia Bluebells, Wild Blue Phlox, Wild Ginger, Wild Geranium Bird Species seen or heard: Canada Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, Wild Turkey, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Gray Catbird, American Robin, Chipping Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Cardinal Photos by Sandy Hokanson Zumbro Valley Audubon needs your help to pay for programs, printing brochures and outreach supplies to teach kids and adults about nature. Donate to Zumbro Valley Audubon via giveMN.org
© ZVAS 2023 - Zumbro Valley Audubon Society - PO Box 6244 - Rochester, MN 55903
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