Rare Owl Spotted in Grand Forks

Josh Moe was out walking his dog in Grand Forks late Saturday night (March 21, 2020) when he saw a small owl pounce on a squirrel (note the furry tail hanging below the owl).  He went home to get his smart phone and took a picture.   

Boreal Owl ©Joshua Moe

Who was this tiny owl?  When he got home, he looked it up.   

At first he thought it was a Northern Saw-whet Owl, the smallest owl in the Red River Valley at about 7-inches (an inch or so bigger than a Downy Woodpecker).

Northern Saw-whet Owl ©HvHughes, 2000

Moe sent his photo to Agassiz Audubon Society in Warren, MN asking if they could confirm the owl's identity.

"It isn't a Northern Saw-whet," said Heidi Hughes Agassiz Audubon's education coordinator.  "But," she said, "it's a close relative, a Boreal Owl (8-11 inches), a bird rarely seen in the Red River Valley." 

Boreal Owl ©HvHughes, 2013

In fact, the last time Hughes saw a Boreal Owl was 7-years ago in January, perched on a woodpile at the Audubon Center.

Named for their preferred habitat, Boreal Owls live in the northern forest of North America and Europe.  According to AllAboutBirds.org, these owls venture south during years when prey are scarce.  If you go out for a walk at night, mid-February through April, you just might hear their mating hoots.

For more information about these owls, their range, calls and behaviors, click on this link:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Boreal_Owl/overview

Snowy Owls Winter 2019-2020

©Marie Feldmeier, Kittson County,  Dec 21, 2019

NW Minnesota and the Red River Valley 

are high on the list of the most reliable places to spot Snowy Owls 

in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest

 

Official "irruption" year - or not - over the past decade we've always had at least a few reports, more often - dozens (or more) throughout the winter season.  They're relatively easy to spot from the comfort of your car.  Look for them on power poles along roadsides, on top of grain bins, barns and road signs, and on the ground in the middle of - and along side - "minimum maintenance" roads.

But before you venture out, be sure you and your vehicle are prepared for the cold, your gas tank is full and your car maintenance is up-to-date.  Keep your cell phone charged.  Use your car navigation system and pay attention to road signs - so you know where you are in case you need to call for help.

Always use your flashers and turn signals.  

Use your vehicle as a bird blind - STAY IN YOUR CAR!

Stock your car for winter emergencies.

Drive defensively.

====

The first report of the fall season came in on 24 October.  It was spotted on a very muddy township road near a sugar beet field west of US 75 and south of Euclid.   Several birders went out to document the report with a photo.  Nobody got lucky.

Isn't October too early?  According to the records in Robert Janssen's "Birds of Minnesota" (the new, updated edition of his "field guide to the distribution of 400 species of birds in Minnesota" will be on the bookshelves in 2019), September would be "early."   It's "normal" to start seeing snowies in the Red River Valley in October and November.

Our 2nd report came from Thief River Falls, east of Northland College on Minnesota State Hwy 1.  An owl was spotted on a township road, two days in a row (Nov 11 & 12) - early in the morning.   No photos were taken and the bird was not found again.

The first documented Snowy Owl of the Season was photographed on Nov 12 by Kyra Midderigh - southeast of Crookston.

13 November - we got a report from rural East Grand Forks.  Again, no photographs.

  

 On 13 November, 2019 Leon Thoreson provided cellphone photos of this bird south of Crookston.

              

On Nov 19 we received 2 reports of Snowy Owls south of Crookston on US 75.   Tim Drisoll's Raptor Ecology Class (University of Minnesota - Crookston) provided photos.

©HvHughes, November 26, 2019

© HvHughes, November 26, 2019

 

On 26 November, this owl was photographed - on a power pole and in the middle of the road - south and west of Warren.

Today the number of Snowy Owls reported so far this season is 20 with 14 photos.

© HvHughes, Oct 27, 2018

If you see one, please view them from a distance - for more advice click on this link:
http://www.projectsnowstorm.org/snowy-owl-etiquette/

If you spot one in the Red River Valley of the North, please send us a text (218-745-5663) or email (AgassizAudubon@gmail.com) with the following information:

your name
phone number
date and time of your sighting
location (nearest intersection or GPS coordinates)
and a photo - even if it's not a great photo, it may be useful.

We do NOT post exact locations of owls.

Thank you!!!

Moose west of Warren MN

I don't like to start my day sitting in front of a computer.  But that's where I was on Friday, December 27 at 9:33.  I heard an email "ping" and up popped a message from my friend Bonnie Howard.  When I get an email, call or text from Bonnie, I know she's seen something special.  She had.

Her message was simple and to the point:  "It's not a Snowy Owl, but there's a moose..." 

I've only seen one moose in the wild - ever - and that one was way far off in the distance.

I grabbed my equipment, hopped in my little Toyota RAV-4 Hybrid and headed west.  About 20 minutes later, I spotted 2 cars pulling away from the location Bonnie had sent me.  Oh no, I thought.  Did I "miss" it?

I looked around.   Off in the distance I noticed dark spot on the snow.
Was that the moose? Yes!    But it was way far off in the distance.

What to do?  I considered my options:  go east, go west, or pull off the road, snap a photo and sit still.  Just watch.

I pulled to the side of the road and took a photo, hoping I'd get a better one.  But a lousy "proof of a moose in the distance" photo is better than no moose photo at all.  Then I sat and watched.  What is this creature gonna do? 

A moose north of Warren MN.  ©HvHughes

She started walking east, and moved closer to the road towards my car.   I watched her through my open window.

She stopped several times.   Hard to say who was more curious. 

Moose in the snow  ©HvHughes

All of a sudden, she lifted up her head and took off.

A moose trotting along a rural road near Warren MN  ©HvHughes

She was headed towards a major highway - less than a mile away.

Not good.  Maybe I could head her off at the next intersection - and encourage her to go north.

Moose gathering speed   ©HvHughes

I got to the intersection before the moose did.  She headed towards the tree line north of the farmstead just up the road.

Moose heading to a tree line.  ©HvHughes

Lucky for me, the farmer was out plowing his driveway.  I pulled in, hopped out of my car and went over to talk.   

Would he be okay with me driving through his yard and up to the tree line?   

"No problem," he said.  "That moose you're looking for, it's just to the north of the trees."    I thanked him and hopped back into my car.

Imagine my surprise when I turned the corner at the tree line and moose was right there!

A moose along the treeline ©HvHughes

I couldn't help but realize just how BIG she was - way bigger than my car.   I didn't want to spook her.  

I watched her through my opened window and whispered:  "Here's where ya wanna head north."

Moose by the tree line ©HvHughes

She stood there and posed for one last photo.  Then I slowly backed up my car, giving her plenty of room to escape to the north. 

That's exactly what she did.

Moose heading north away from the highway ©HvHughes

 

First Sighting of a Lesser Goldfinch 
in Minnesota - Near Warren 
December 8 - 11, 2019

Lesser Goldfinch in Warren, MN on
on Sunday, December 8, 2019
 photo ©HvHughes

There are 444 birds on the official 2019 "Checklist of the Birds of Minnesota."   Spotting a bird that's not on the list doesn't happen very often.  But when it does, birdwatchers flock to see it - even when the temperature drops below zero.  That's what happened on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, near the Agassiz Valley impoundment, 8 miles southeast of Warren.

The bird was first photographed at a feeder on Sunday, December 8th.  Experts from the Twin Cities confirmed the identification, first from photographs - then birders came up to see it first-hand.  The lone Lesser Goldfinch spent 4 days hanging out with dozens of Pine Siskins at feeders full of hulled sunflowers.    According to AllAboutBirds.org, these birds are normally found on the west coast, the southwestern states and parts of Central America.  

What's it doing here in Warren, Minnesota?  

It's impossible to know for sure.  It could be it got blown here in a storm.  It could be that they've been coming here every winter here and nobody noticed.  It could be that the bird was directionally challeged.  It could be that this species is expanding its range.  Or it could be another reason altogether. 

No matter where you live, you can help scientists keep track of wild birds at eBird.org  

For more information about Minnesota's wild birds, go to moumn.org.

If you spot an unusual bird in the Red River Valley, Agassiz Audubon Society wants to know.  Call, text (218-745-5663) or email (AgassizAudubon@gmail.com).  Please include

1.  your name and phone number
2.  your email address, phone number,
3.  when and where you spotted the bird and
4.  a photo - if you have one.

Owls

Snowy Owl at Agassiz Valley

It's no secret that the winter of 2013-2014 has been a very big one for Snowy Owls.  Most of our sightings started in January  (we were otherwise occupied over the holidays - moving to a new office in Warren).

On New Year's Eve Day, we spotted the first of more than a dozen Snowy Owls on the Minnesota side of the Red River Valley.   Yesterday Lynne King spotted one about 3 miles east of the Audubon Center, and today I spotted one at the Agassiz Valley impoundment.  Mostly young females... but it was a treat to see a couple of little white males.

old male Snowy

Young female Snowy

We see Snowies every winter in the Red River Valley, but this year has been special.  Get out and look - now!

Last winter the "big" owl irruption was of the smaller kind - the Boreal Owl.  This little guy showed up at our birdfeeders at dusk.

Boreal Owl

A week or so later, this bird was hunting mice at the woodpile.

Boreal Owl

Seeing Boreals is a mixed blessing.  Many of them didn't make it through the winter.  A total of 6 Boreal Owls were found dead in the Warren area last year.

Minnesota's smallest owl species - the Northern Saw-whet Owl was spotted in an evergreen up the road in Radium - near the Snake River.  I suspect there are more - especially during migration.

Northern Saw-Whet

Other owls spotted at the Agassiz Audubon Center the past couple of years -

Short-eared Owls

While these birds are known for being nomadic, they've declined to the point where I didn't see one last year.   Neighbors have complained about people shooting them - despite the fact that they are protected species.  Many succumb to collisions with vehicles speeding down minimum maintenance roads.  Two years ago, I was fortunate to see their wing-clapping display at 3pm on a cloudy spring day - just down the road.

There are records of Long-eared Owls nesting at the Agassiz Audubon Center.  Vanessa Lane spotted one last winter...  We need to call them at dusk...

Long-eared Owl

We have a resident nesting pair of Great Horned Owls too (a mixed blessing as they will eat anything their size and smaller - including other owls).  The little male hangs out on the 40-acre property owned by National Audubon/Audubon Minnesota every fall.

If you do come out to see the owls... please call first - we don't allow visitors to play recordings without permission.

Thanks.

Agassiz Valley Weather Station

Mark Ewens, National Weather Service

When I toured Beltrami Island State Park several months ago,  I noticed they had an an official National Weather Service (NWS) weather station on-site.  I asked Gretchen Mehmel, how do you get one of those?  You have to join the "Cooperative Weather Observer Program," she said.  And she gave me the name and phone number.

I called and talked with Mark Ewens, the program manager.  I recognized his name from WDAZ-TV news.  When there's severe weather, he's one of the NWS spokespersons.  Mark said he'd have to do some paperwork and he'd get back to me once he got the required approval.

It took awhile, but he finally came out today to install the equipment:  a maximum-minimum thermometer and 8" diameter rain gauge.

I had no idea what to expect.  Mark knew exactly what to do. 

First he took a walk around the site, now known as Agassiz Valley weather station #80 in Minnesota.  He found a perfect location for the rain gauge and pounded the base into the ground.  The thermometer would take more time and effort.

trenching and burying the cable

installing a pole for the thermometer

connecting the cable

Bringing the cable indoors

Cables connected - we have temperature!

Before he left, Mark showed us how to collect the data and uplink it.  Nation-wide, more than 11,000 volunteers take observations on farms, in urban and suburban areas, National Parks, seashores, and mountaintops. The data are truly representative of where people live, work and play.

The Cooperative Observer Website

Over the years, there have been only two observers in Warren, Minnesota:   John Pearson and Dr. Wally Lamb.  Collecting weather observations has a long history in the United States.  The first network of cooperative stations was set up as a result of an act of Congress in 1890 that established the Weather Bureau, but many COOP stations began operation long before that time.

The earliest known observations in the United States date back to 1644.  Collecting weather data was a popular "citizen-science" project.  Many people, including George Washington Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson recorded weather observations.  Jefferson maintained an almost unbroken record of weather observations between 1776 and 1816, and Washington took his last observation just a few days before he died.

These days,  data are used by the NWS to define the climate of the United States, to help measure long-term climate changes, and to provide observations in near real-time to support forecast, warning and other public service programs of the NWS.  

Agassiz Audubon plans look at weather data in relation to local phenology observations.

Stay tuned....

 

Banding Kestrel Chicks

American Kestrel nestling ©HvHughes

Last March, PKM Electric Co-operative helped us put 10 kestrel nest boxes on retired utility poles and then installed them around the Agassiz Valley Water Resources Project impoundment and Agassiz Audubon property.

Ben Pahlen, Chris Derosier, Dane Hanson and Joe Marcotte

When the kestrels returned this spring, we had high hopes that they'd nest in our boxes.

American Kestrel on a power line © HvHughes

Aaron Wall and Ben Gubrud check nest boxes

We did our first nest check on June 5th:   5 eggs in one of our boxes!  Another had one egg.

Female with 5 eggs ©Ben Gubrud

On June 18th we checked again.  The box with one egg was a disappointment.  We could smell it before we opened the box.  The egg had been abandoned - and it was stinky rotten.

Abandoned kestrel egg ©HvHughes

The box with the five eggs was in good shape:   Five chicks!

Female Kestrel on 5 chicks ©Aaron Wall

Today we invited the news media and WAO school students to help Tim Driscoll, a raptor researcher from Grand Forks and John Loegering from the University of Minnesota, Crookston install leg bands on each of the chicks.   If these chicks return to nest here next spring, banding is the only way we can identify individual birds.

WDAZ reporter Lezlie Johnson tapes the action

Julie holds a kestrel chick while Tim puts on the band

WAO teacher, Marlys Swanson holds a kestrel chick

WAO students and teachers - and two of the reporters who came to cover the story got up-close and personal looks at the chicks before the birds were returned to their nest box, unscathed.

Katie Davidson, Crookston Times

Check out the story Lezlie Johnson filed... click here.

Feed The Birds This Summer

Baltimore Oriole at Grape Jelly   © Hv Hughes

Now's the best time to feed wild birds.

Why?

Most songbirds feed insects to their nestlings.  When we get a couple of rainy days in a row, birds can have a tough time finding enough food.  Supplemental feeding helps.

There's more to see in the summer.  Their plumage is at its best.  Species diversity is high.  Wait long enough and they'll bring their fledglings to the feeders.

What’s best for summer feeding?  That depends who you want to see.

          Goldfinches:  sunflower (chips/hulled or black oil)

          Siskins:  Nyjer thistle

          Orioles:  grape jelly and sugar water (4 parts water to one part sugar)

          Hummingbirds:   sugar water (4 parts water to one part sugar)

          Woodpeckers:  peanut butter suet

          Bluebirds and other thrushes:  mealworms

Summer is a great time to attract wild birds – but be careful how you do it.  Food can spoil and birds can get sick if you don’t keep your feeders and bird baths clean.  If you don't have the time to keep it clean - just plant trees, shrubs and flowers.  Don't use pesticides and herbicides.  And keep your cats indoors.

Agassiz Audubon is selling bird seed, feeders and poles this summer.  Stop by and take a look at who's been visiting our feeders... and pick up a bag of seed.

Have we got a deal for you:  A 50-pound bag of locally-grown hulled sunflower for only $30!

Email or call first to make sure our seed sales person is on-site ... 218-745-5663.