NEWSLETTERS ~ CURRENT NEWS ~ BUTTERFLY COUNT ~ CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT ~ NATIVE PLANTS & PRAIRIE ~ VOLUNTEER
Current News
April 12, 2024 - Woodcock Walk at Chester Woods
The rain stopped, the skies cleared up a bit and the winds calmed down just in time for our Woodcock Walk at Chester Woods last night. About 20 people came out to learn more about these small birds that "peent", do a funny walk and spiral high into the sky on spring evenings. While waiting for the show to start we heard and saw several other birds including Pheasant, E Meadowlark, Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackles, Canada Geese, Pied-bill Grebe, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, N, Shoveler, Coot, Scaup, Sandhill Cranes, Song Sparrow, and Tree Sparrow. We started hearing the Woodcocks shortly after 8pm. We estimated that there were 12 - 18 birds calling in the area west of the horse trailer parking lot. We waited patiently and soon they started shooting into the sky! They were tough to see, but most everyone got a few good looks (and lots of quick glimpses). The Woodcocks will continue doing their sky dance through April so you have plenty of time to go see them. Listen to their calls and learn more about Woodcock here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Woodcock Thank you to Mike Degerstrom for leading the walk. Photos by Sandy Hokanson April 6, 2024 - Bird Walk at Quarry Hill
About two dozen folks enjoyed a wonderful bird walk around Quarry Hill this morning. We saw or heard 27 species and were surprised by some of the things we did and didn't see. We were happy to see a Great Blue Heron fly over the pond. We saw several first of year Brown-headed Cowbirds and were astonished to see a Wild Turkey fly over us (and several more in the woods). We rarely see turkeys at Quarry Hill and can only guess that the mild winter has their population soaring. We didn't see many sparrows. Junco and House Sparrows yes, and we heard a single Song Sparrow. But we had hoped to find some White-throated, White-crowned and maybe Harris's Sparrows - no luck today. We'll keep our eyes out as they should arrive by the end of the month. We also didn't see any kinglets - but again - we're sure they'll be arriving soon. Species list: Canada Geese, Mallard, Killdeer (heard only), Great Blue Heron, Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Crow, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee. Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Wild Turkey, American Robin, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe (heard only), Goldfinch, House Finch, Song Sparrow (heard only), Dark-eyed junco, Pine Siskin, House Sparrow, Northern Cardinal Thanks to Joyce and Terry Grier for leading today's walk. Photos by Sandy Hokanson & Lucas Lin March 30, 2024 - Seeding Native Plants
This morning Joel Dunnette led a group of Master Naturalists and Zumbro Valley Audubon volunteers in planting native seeds at Prairie Crossings Park in NW Rochester. This work is a continuation of the oak savanna restoration that Rochester Parks started a few years ago. Today's volunteers hand tossed a wide variety of seed mixed with wood shavings & sawdust over selected parts of the 8.5 acres park. Our next rain will settle this seed into the ground and then we wait. When repeated for a few years, this process has proven very effective in restoring natural areas. Rochester Parks have been putting a lot of effort into this area, cutting and burning invasive Buckthorn, removing invasive plants, creating walking paths and more. Many thanks to Joel, Rochester Parks and all the volunteers who came out to help today - you made a difference! The birders in the group also noted 18 species of birds as we walked along, including a Woodcock which surprised us all and a Sandhill Crane flyover. Birds list: Turkey Vulture, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, American Woodcock, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Crow, Black-capped chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Brown-headed Cowbird, Starling, House Finch, House Sparrow Photos by Sandy Hokanson March 26, 2024 - Birding Under the Influence
What a journey! Last night's talk by Dorian Anderson was full of adventures (and birds). Dorian told us how he loved birds as a young child, but lost interest when he was consumed by the challenges of medical school and the need to be perfect. He dreamed of being a professor but somehow along the way he got mixed up in alcohol and drugs. He was successful in his field but very unhappy, and eventually gave up his career, got sober and returned to the birds he loved. In 2014 he challenged himself to do a low impact "Big Birding Year" via bicycle. He traveled across the United States, tallying 17,830 miles by bike, 493 miles (at least) by foot, had 34 flat tires, ate countless pizzas, raised $49,000 for conservation, and met many new lifetime friends. Oh - and he also saw 618 species of birds. What a story! Dorian is now a Birding Advocate, Author, Guide and public speaker. You can read more about his story in his book "Birding Under the Influence" available via his website at https://www.doriananderson.com/ Dorian, thank you for sharing your journey with us! March 4, 2024 - International Owl Festival
We had a great time at the International Owl Festival in Houston, MN this past weekend. It was invigorating to talk with hundreds of people who were interested in owls, (really all birds), and wanted to learn how they can help preserve habitat and help them survive in these changing times. A big thank you to our ZVAS volunteers and all the staff and volunteers from The International Owl Center and the city of Houston - your hard work made for a fun and informative festival once again. March 2, 2024 - Bird Walk at Quarry Hill
Sunny skies brought 29 people to Quarry Hill Nature Center on Saturday morning for our monthly bird walk. The temperature was very mild, more spring than winter, like so much of this past winter. Walk leader Joyce Grier gave out binoculars for some to use and Minnesota bird lists for people to keep track of what they see. We took our time starting out in the sunshine at the feeders by the nature center and saw many of the common resident birds including 5 Northern Cardinals at one time. Mixed in with our locals birds were a few wintering Pine Siskins on finch feeders and Dark-eyed Juncos on the ground. The pond, which was covered by ice 2 days ago, was totally open and ice-free. Some Canada Geese and Mallard Ducks had already discovered that as well as a Muskrat who was out enjoying his newfound freedom. It was a very nice morning for a nature walk. Thanks to Joyce and Terry for leading the trip! Species list: Muskrat (in the pond) Canada Geese (in the pond) Mallard (in the pond) Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy woodpecker Northern Flicker Blue Jay American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse (heard) White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper House Finch Pine Siskin American Goldfinch Dark-eyed Junco Photos by Terry Grier February 28, 2024 - From Billions to None
Last night's talk by Joel Greenberg on the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon was fascinating! It's just crazy to think that a bird could number in the billions in 1800 and be extinct on Sept. 1, 1914 - when Martha - the last one died. And we did that. Humans killed them all for cheap food. We killed them even though they benefitted farms with free fertilizer for their field. They were an important part of the ecosystem and we still killed them. Did you know that before "clay pigeons" were invented, hunters trapped and used used live Passenger Pigeons for target practice? Humans were like the asteroid that killed the Dinosaurs. Hopefully we can stop ourselves from repeating this tragedy in the years to come. Our insects, our oceans, in fact most life on earth is struggling because of us. But there is some hope. When we put our minds to it we can do great things. We saved the whales, we brought back the Sandhill and Whooping Cranes, we're working on the Condors, and hopefully we can save the Monarch Butterfly. Small successes that add up. Please support the environment and the other lives we share this planet with - they need space and resources, too. Learn more about the story of the Passenger Pigeon here: http://passengerpigeon.org/ Thank you Mr. Greenberg for spreading this important message. Watch the video on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjwyO5BGluI February 3, 2024 - Quarry Hill Bird Walk
A small group of Pine Siskins made an appearance at the Nature Center feeders on our walk around Quarry Hill this morning - our bird of the day! We'd hoped to find the Tufted Titmouse and Hermit Thrush that were spotted earlier in the week near the Prairie House - but no luck today. Gray skies and a chilly wind kept our group of 20 on the move but we didn't see anything else of note - just the regular winter resident birds (which are still great, of course). We did enjoy watching Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Juncos, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Cardinals, Blue Jays, a pair of Canada Geese, Crows, House Sparrows, Goldfinches and dozens of House Finches. Plus we had a Bald Eagle fly over just as the walk was starting. As a bonus we also got a quick look at a muskrat in the pond with the geese. Thanks to Terry & Joyce Grier for leading the walk. Photos by Lucas Lin and Sandy Hokanson. January 20, 2024 - Golden Eagle Survey
Our team was very hopeful that we'd find some Golden Eagles today during the National Eagle Center's annual survey. The morning started out in the extreme cold range (at one point our car registered -17 degrees), be we thought the clear sunny skies would certainly get a few birds up in the air. Our first stop was a favorite perching spot on Middle Valley Road where we've found Goldens in years past - but this year a Bald Eagle was sitting in that spot - not good. Throughout the day we drove 80 miles up and down, criss crossing the bluff country around Rollingstone, MN. We found Red-tailed Hawks, a Kestrel, Bluebirds, Flickers, Starlings, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Robins, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, 4 Pileated Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, Rock Doves, Juncos, Chickadees, House Sparrows and more than 220 Bald Eagles (most of the Bald Eagles were seen near Lock & Dam #5 on the way home) - but no Golden Eagles today. Disappointing to be sure - but that doesn't mean they weren't there - just that we weren't in the right place at the right time. We'll try again another day - half the fun is in the searching Photos by Lucas Lin & Sandy Hokanson January 6, 2024 - Bird Walk at Quarry Hill
The sun made a brief appearance on our walk at Quarry Hill this morning - then it was back to our familiar gray skies. No wind and temps in the upper 20s made for a pleasant winter walk but the woods were unusually quiet. The majority of the 15 species we found were near the bird feeders. The best bird of the day was a Brown Creeper - but it didn't linger and not everyone got to see it. Terry & Joyce had brought a dead Black-capped Chickadee (for show and tell) and everyone get a closeup look at the wings and feet (they have super long claws). He explained to us how those long claws and their strong grip make them very difficult to extract from bird banding nets. And our leaders were quick to point out other interesting finds along the trail. We found parts from a fallen wasps nest, green growing garlic mustard (a very invasive plant), and a recently fallen hollow tree trunk filled with grassy material - something had been nesting in there! All in all it was a nice day for a walk. Thanks to Terry and Joyce for leading the way! Species list: Canada Geese (flying overhead), Crow, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, House Finch, Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Rock Dove, Junco, House Sparrow, Brown Creeper Photos by Sandy Hokanson & Lucas Lin January 1, 2024 - Whitewater Christmas Bird Count
This morning several teams of ZVAS birders celebrated New Year's Day by participating in Whitewater State Park's Annual Christmas Bird Count. One of the best birds of the day was seen at the Visitor Center just before we headed out to our territories - a Sharp-shinned Hawk. It was perched near the feeders and several people watched as it suddenly flew out and caught a Downy Woodpecker. What a sight! Skies were gray, temps were in the 20s, and the roads were mostly clear giving us easy access to our favorite birding areas. My team covered Section 3 and we struggled to find just 20 species before noon. We especially noticed a lack of waterfowl. Most teams gathered back at the Visitor Center for lunch and to compare notes. After lunch at the Visitor Center - where we found a Chipping Sparrow which is rare for this time of year - my team drove around some more and found a few more notable birds including a Common Snipe, a Tufted Titmouse and a Rough-legged Hawk. Here's what my team found throughout the day: Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese, Mallards, Ring-necked Pheasant, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Kestrel, Wilson's Snipe, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker. Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Robin, European Starling, American Tree Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, Goldfinch, House Sparrow Other teams added: Merlin, Shrike, Golden Eagle, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin (and probably many more). I'll post the list when the final tally is available. Many thanks to Jeremy Darst, Whitewater SP Naturalist, for organizing the count and providing muffins for snacks. Report by Sandy Hokanson. Photos by Lucas Lin and Sandy Hokanson. |