January 2012

Kelly will discuss the efforts of the Minnesota Purple Martin Working Group to help reverse the diminishing Purple Martin population.  The Minnesota Purple Martin Working is dedicated to the preservation of the Purple Martin, more specifically the martins located in Minnesota.  Their goal is to provide information that is specific to attracting and keeping these birds at colonies in Minnesota and it's surrounding states.  Kelly will present the latest state of art techniques for creating thriving Purple Martin colonies along with the secrets for successful colonies.

 
  February 2012

Never let a kind word go unsaid
Al Batt of rural Hartland, Minnesota is a birder, writer, speaker, storyteller and humorist.  Al writes four weekly humor and nature columns for many newspapers and magazines, and does a show three times per week about nature on a number of radio stations.  He writes a number of popular cartoon strips that are syndicated nationally.  He has written for a number of magazines and books, including the Chicken Soup For the Soul series.  He is a contributing author to the book, Minnesota Bird Watching and is a trustee of the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines, Alaska. He has written for the movies. He speaks at various festivals, conferences and conventions all over the United States and Canada. He has received the Ed Franey Conservation Media Award from the Izaak Walton League, was named birder of the year by WildBird magazine, was honored with the National Eagle Center's Hero Award, received an award from Bluebirds Across Nebraska for outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation, is a member of Ray Brown's Talkin' Birds Hall of Fame, is the Official Staff Ornithologist for the Bulletin Board in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, was honored by Modern Woodman for conscientious and dedicated community service, is a member of the Freeborn County Softball Hall of Fame, serves on the board of the Environment for the Americas, and was given the Thomas Sadler Roberts Award by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.  Al speaks to anyone who will listen.  His mother thinks he is special.

  March 2012

Jon Stravers will present his work on the conservation and status of both Red-shouldered Hawks and Cerulean Warblers.  Jon has been working on inventory and monitoring projects involving Red-shouldered Hawks and other birds along the Upper Mississippi River since 1982, Jon has developed an inventory for Red-shouldered Hawk nesting along the Mississippi River and subsequently located and documented Red-shoulder Hawk nests in 58 sites along the Upper Mississippi River.  He has maintained a 25 year record of monitoring the reproductive success of 12 active Red-shouldered Hawk territories within the “Driftless” region of northeast Iowa.  Since 1982, Jon has also conducted inventories for neo-tropical migrant bird species within the Bird Conservation Area of northeast Iowa.  These surveys have had a special emphasis on species that area listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Concern, such as Cerulean Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, and Veery.

  April 2012

Sparrows of Minnesota and Olmsted County
How many times have you heard someone say “It was just a sparrow, they all look the same to me”.  Well there are actually 21 species of sparrow which come through Olmsted County and Minnesota every year.  Some of which are migrating farther north, while others are nesting and in the case of 2 species they are here just for the winter.  Jerry Pruett, an experienced local birder along with assistance of several other local birders, will help us begin to enjoy our local sparrows much more.  We will not only cover basic physical identification tips, but we will discuss their unique vocalizations, habitats, and behaviors.

  May 2012

"Bird Safari on the People Mover”.  Open to all ages. Join us for a ride through Chester Woods on the new people mover wagon.  We’ll picnic first so bring food to pass (shelter location TBD).  Then we will explore the park and search for new late spring birds who are either migrating thru or setting up breeding territories.

  June 2012

Bug Program.  Join the group to learn all about bugs.  Open to all ages.

  July 2012

Chimney Swifts of Southeastern Minnesota – “The sun is setting in a clear summer sky when your eye is drawn skyward by an odd twittering sound. Even stranger, you observe a gathering of some flying creatures wheeling above an old brick chimney. Around and around they circle, with a few individuals dipping suddenly toward the chimney top then returning to the rest. Their darting dipping movement and the twittering sound reminds you of bats, but something is wrong: bats emerge at dusk and fly away—these flyers seem to be congregating. Then, one or two drop abruptly into the chimney, and soon the whole wheeling darting flock spirals suddenly into the chimney like a small tornado being sucked down a manhole; like something out of Harry Potter. Now the air is empty and silent. What have you seen? They’re not bats, and they’re not chimney sweep birds, they’re Chimney Swifts.” (www.suite101.com/birds).

Greg will discuss this interesting bird and how to observe this unique behavior.  He will present his observations on the current state of the Chimney Swift in SE Minnesota and the danger they face due to destruction of old chimneys and their need for new roosting sights.

  August 2012

Banding Monarch Butterflies - Join us and learn about the fascinating Monarch Butterfly as it prepares for its long journey back to Mexico.  We will have a hands-on experience of tagging the butterflies and learn about this incredible creature.