|
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 3, 2025 - Wildflower Walk at Izaak Walton Wetlands
Our annual spring wildflower walk took place this afternoon at the Izaak Walton Wetlands on the west side of Rochester. A mostly cloudy morning turned into a beautiful sunny day and our group of 13 found plenty of blooming and almost blooming plants to examine while we leisurely strolled through the woods. Spring wildflowers only last a few weeks and our timing was perfect. We found large areas covered with bluebells, false rue anemone, trout lily, spring beauty and much more. Some plants, like the Bloodroot are already going to seed while others like nodding trillium haven't fully opened yet. We hope you have the time to see them before they are gone for this year. Many thanks to Sandy Hokanson, Carmen Noman and Jim Sullivan for identifying plants and birds along the way. Photos by Jim and Sandy. Plant species included: Virginia Bluebells, Bloodroot, Buttercup, Blue Cohosh, False Rue Anemone, Rue Anemone, Violets, Ground Ivy, Wild Geranium, Blue Flag Iris, Jack-in-the-pulpit, May Apple, Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, Wild Ginger, Jacobs Ladder ... and so many more that are just small shoots Birds seen or heard: Canada Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, Ring-necked Pheasant, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern House Wren, American Robin, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Northern Cardinal May 3, 2025 - Earthfest Expo at Cascade Meadows
Today Earthfest was celebrated at Cascade Meadows and ZVAS volunteers were there with our display and bird wheel and even hosted two bird walks around the wetlands.. We had a good turnout at the booth - over a 150 kids and adults stopped to talk about plants and birds and it seems that awareness of issues facing birds is growing. On the two bird walks we had a combined attendance of about 23, mostly first time, but very enthusiastic birders. Birds seen or heard included: Spotted Sandpiper, Purple Martin, Canada Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Black-capped Chickadee, Bank Swallow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, American Robin, House Sparrow, House Finch. American Goldfinch, Swamp Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Northern Cardinal Report and photos by Mike Degerstrom May 3, 2025 - Quarry Hill Bird Walk
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, Orange-crowned Warblers and White-throated Sparrows were just a few of the 33 total bird species that our group of 18 found at Quarry Hill this morning. It was a cool and cloudy to start off and not much was moving around, but eventually we got some sun and that helped get the bugs flying and the birds moving so we could find them. We didn't get a lot of closeup looks as everything seemed to be either high up in a tree or behind a tangle of brush. And we hoped to find more warblers but only found two species (Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped). We are confident that many more will be arriving in the next 10 days so get outside and see them. Many thanks to all the experienced birders who helped out on today's walk! Photos by Sandy Hokanson Bird Species: Canada Goose, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern House Wren, Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Field Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 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
|
