|
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:
October 13, 2024 - Bird Walk at Cascade Meadow Wetlands
ZVAS hosted a local Rochester American Heritage Girls troop for a walk as they worked on their bird-related badges. Despite the howling cold wind, we saw a few interesting birds. Most notable, was an immature Great Blue Heron across the pond with some fly-bys of another heron and a Turkey Vulture. Some of us got to see a rooster Ring-Necked Pheasant fly across the meadow. A few American Goldfinch flitted by and several Killdeer were on the shores or flying high above us. We expected a lot of sparrows but only heard a single song sparrow. Our walk the previous day at Chester Woods gave us 11 sparrow species. Our ZVAS mission statement includes: "supporting environmental education of our youth" and we were happy to do that with this outing. We had about 25 join us on this walk and was great to see the girls' siblings and parents join in. Thank you Mike Degerstrom and Dave Gross for leading this walk. Birds seen: Canada goose, Mallard, Ring-necked Pheasant, Killdeer, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Flicker, American Crow, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow October 12, 2024 - Bird Walk at Chester Woods
The sun was out, the fall colors were gorgeous and birds were everywhere on our Global Big Birding Day Walk at Chester Woods this morning. Eleven people came out and found at least 46 species - a very good total! Sparrows ruled the day as we found 11 species of them. Early on we stopped in one location for at least 20 minutes just pointing out sparrows. Best sparrow of the day was probably the Harris's Sparrows - they are good looking birds and quite uncommon here. Later a Vesper Sparrow was sighted but not everyone saw that bird. Other favorites today included a Rusty Blackbird, Tufted Titmouse, Golden-crowned Kinglets and Hermit Thrush. The complete list is below. All the birds were very active feeding and fueling up to continue their journeys south. We will miss them! Many thanks to Mike Degerstrom and Dave Gross for leading this walk, and to the other experts who helped spot and identify birds along the way. Report and photos by Sandy Hokanson. Species list: Canada Goose, Mallard, Wild Turkey, Ring-necked Pheasant, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe (10), Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Bald Eagle, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing (very numerous), House Finch, American Goldfinch, Field Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird, Common Grackle, Orange-crowned Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal October 5, 2024 - Bird Walk at Quarry Hill
Nineteen people had a cool but sunny start to the monthly Quarry Hill Bird Walk this morning. Many of the usual feeder birds were seen near the nature center. The strong south wind made it difficult to find birds, but in a protected area of the woods we found Ruby and Golden Crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. We even found an interesting plant, a Limber Honeysuckle vine with red berries on their opposite leaves that are fused together around the stem. It was a great day for a walk in the woods with other bird people! Species list: Mallard, Turkey Vulture, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal Report and photos by Terry Grier September 28, 2024 - Sparrow Walk at Kalmar Reservoir
The morning sun quickly burned off some low pockets of fog at the Kalmar Reservoir this morning where we gathered for our annual Sparrow Walk. The grass was quite wet but nobody minded as Jerry Pruett lead our group of 18 along the dam outflow, then down to the lake shore and over the fields. We saw lots of birds! Best bird of the day was a very cooperative LeConte's Sparrow that posed out in the open long enough for everyone to get a good look. We also found a single White-throated Sparrow, several Savannahs, a Lincoln's, a Swamp and a Song Sparrow. One person who was looking farther out from the main group spotted a Nelson's Sparrow but we were unable to relocate it when we caught up to him. Jerry also thought he got a brief glimpse of a Henslow's Sparrow, but we couldn't confirm it. Warblers and wrens were also on the menu (see list below), several Meadowlarks were singing, and we enjoyed watching 2 Northern Harriers scaring up a flock of Blue-winged Teal while a Great Blue Heron calmly patrolled the shoreline. We even had a small flock of Sandhill Cranes fly by. In all it was a fabulous morning walk. Many thanks to Jerry Pruett and the other expert birders who helped spot birds on this walk! At least 33 Species (I may have missed a few): Canada Geese, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer. Wilson's Snipe. Ring-billed Gull. Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Blue Jay, American Crow, Barn Swallow. House Wren, Sedge Wren, Marsh Wren, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, LeConte's Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Nelson's Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Yellowthroat, Palm Warble, Yellow-rumped Warbler 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
|