‘Birding’ Category
Early May Sparrows
If you have bird feeders at home, right now you should be looking for three birds on the ground below your feeders: White-throated Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, and Harris’s Sparrows. White-throated Sparrows began appearing under the Interpretive Center’s feeders during the last week of April. Notice the bird’s bright black-and-white striped crown with a clear yellowish area [...]
Spring Robins (by the hundred)
Right now is peak time for visitors to the Linnaeus Arboretum. Winged visitors, that is. For the past few days there have been several hundred, maybe even over a thousand, American Robins flying around the Interpretive Center and feeding on the leftover crabapples and cranberries. Some of these days are just downright noisy with all [...]
Return of the Goldfinches
Yesterday saw an increase in birdfeeding activity at the Interpretive Center. The warmer temperatures, south winds, and increasing daylength have been noticed by our avian friends. Amidst the feeding frenzy this little guy appeared at the feeder outside my office (photo taken through screened window): This is the first American Goldfinch I have seen in the [...]
Winter Finches
This winter southern MN has seen an irruption (increase in number) of three winter finches: Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, and White-winged Crossbills. These species breed mostly in Canada and can be found in winter as far south as Duluth most years. Some winters, however, food sources up north become scarce, causing the birds to venture [...]
47 Species in Two Days
Bird migration is progressing well through the Linnaeus Arboretum. In fact, the last two days have been nothing short of amazing in terms of both the number of species and the number of individuals. The following is a list of the species that have been observed in or from the arboretum over the past 48 [...]
Warbler Wave!
Last night’s cold front brought with it several new migrants into the arboretum. This morning I found the following 8 species of warbler among these migrants: Nashville Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Redstart, Mourning Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and Wilson’s Warbler. A “wave” is the term used when you come across a large [...]
New Hire in the Linnaeus Arboretum
The Linnaeus Arboretum has hired its new Naturalist to start in August. Bob Dunlap is an ‘08 graduate of Gustavus with tremendous experience in both plant and bird identification. He brings with him vitality and excitement and will surely do a wonderful job in the position. His knowledge of birds is amazing and as you [...]
A Great Day of Birding
Yesterday afternoon was amazing for birding in the Arb! We had excellent looks at several uncommon species, and the weather was absolutely beautiful. Here’s a list of what we found: American Crow American Goldfinch American Robin Bald Eagle Barn Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Brown Thrasher Brown-headed Cowbird Chipping Sparrow Common Grackle Cooper’s Hawk (heard calling briefly) Eastern Bluebird European Starling (apparently nesting in a wood duck box!) Field Sparrow House Finch House Sparrow House Wren Killdeer Lark [...]
Birding in the Linnaeus Arboretum
What a beautiful afternoon it was for birding! Migration is definitely well underway, as we found several species now passing through the Arb. Here’s a list of what we saw today: American Crow American Goldfinch (nearly in full yellow summer plumage!) American Robin Black-capped Chickadee Brown Creeper Brown Thrasher (at least two within earshot of the Interpretive Center) Cedar Waxwing Chipping Sparrow Common Grackle European Starling Golden-crowned [...]
Birding Club
We had great weather for birding in the Arb this afternoon. We found: American Crow American Robin (hundreds!) Brown Creeper Canada Goose Chipping Sparrow Common Grackle Dark-eyed Junco Eastern Phoebe Field Sparrow Golden-crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush House Finch House Sparrow Northern Cardinal Ruby-crowned Kinglet Tree Swallow Join us next Tuesday…it only gets better from here! Birdman (Bob Dunlap)