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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:
November 2, 2024 - Bird walk at Quarry Hill
The weather was crisp and sunny on our walk at Quarry Hill this morning. Most of the leaves had fallen in the high winds a few days ago - we miss them - but it's also easier to spot the birds now. Out of the 20 species we found today a small flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets and a pair of female Purple Finches were our best birds. We also noted several Robins and White-threated Sparrows still in the area. Juncos have arrived and should stick around for the winter. Most of the regular resident birds were seen, but we were a bit disappointed not to find more sparrow species. No hawks were flying this morning either - but they were likely waiting for things to warm up a bit more before heading out to search for today's lunch. Many thanks to Sandy Hokanson and Brendan Lanpher for leading today's walk. And thank you to the new participants who reminded us just how beautiful our common Blue Jays really are. Species list: Canada Goose, Mallard, Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, House Sparrow, House Finch, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal Photos by Sandy Hokanson Don't miss the surprise bonus photos from Terry Grier at the end of the photos! October 22, 2024 - Seed Dispersal Program by Joel Dunnette
Are you fond of breathing? Then thank a plant as they provide us with oxygen we need to live. Last night at the Quarry Hill Nature Center Joel Dunnette talked to us about the world of plants and specifically about the ways they disperse their seeds. Joel brought dozens of dried plants gathered from local prairies for us to handle. He even and even used a small fan to simulate the wind blowing seeds around the room. It was a very interactive experience! Over the millennia plants have evolved many ways to spread their seeds including flying on the wind, floating down rivers and streams, propelling them up to 10ft away, and being carried off by insects, birds and animals (just walk through the woods on a fall day wearing a fleece jacket and see how many seeds you come back with). Some seeds need "special" processing (being eaten and pooped out) to be viable. Others, like Porcupine Grass, have a unique method of planting themselves. The seed head is attached to an "awns" which expands and contracts with variations in temperature and moisture, and this action drills it the seed into the soil. You can watch a 2 minute YouTube video of it doing just that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVOlYLNcFNQ Thank you Joel for such a fascinating look into the world of seeds! 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 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
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