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We believe in connecting people with nature. Our monthly programs are FREE and open to the public. Most meetings are held the 4th Tuesday of each month at Quarry Hill Nature Center. Our speakers give presentations about a wide range of topics - not just birds.
Recent happenings:
May 24, 2022 - Why birds don't see glass.
Last night's zoom presentation about bird and window collisions was very revealing and disturbing. Did you know that 1.6 MILLION birds hit windows every day - yes EVERY day. And it's not the super tall buildings to blame. Homes and small buildings record 44% of the bird strikes, buildings 4 - 11 stories tall record 56% of strikes. Dr. Bryan Lenz from the American Bird Conservancy talked to us about keeping bird safety in mind during new construction. he described what products have been tested and work best to alter current windows to help prevent bird deaths. Stickers, tapes, and blinds can all help. The goal is to break up reflections and create a visible barrier that prevent birds from thinking they can fly straight through your window. He also talked about how migrating birds are attracted to light and can be distracted off their normal paths. One photo showed thousands of birds circling inside the beams of light created by the 911 memorial, confused and unable to escape. New York has since recognized this issue and turns off the lights during peak migration times. Please turn off your outdoor lights between midnight and 8 am. And all outdoor lights should face the ground (not illuminate the sky. Watch the entire presentation here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gYhrYw6Y9HMuBj3sPI79F872j3ZTGLYw/view Find more tips about preventing window strikes on our links page. May 21, 2022 - Rock Dell Bird Walk
10 birders met this morning for a terrific walk through Rock Dell WMA this morning. Led by Michael Degerstrom and Brendan Lanpher, we tallied 52 species as a group. Highlights were some terrific looks at Red-headed woodpeckers, a Lark Sparrow, Dicksissel, Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tanager and 8 species of warblers, among others. Several spring wild flowers were also blooming and a Monarch Butterfly was spotted. Species list: Canada Goose, Wild Turkey, Ring-necked pheasant, Rock Pigeon, Mourning dove, Killdeer, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed hawk, Red-headed woodpecker, Red-bellied woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Traill's Flycatcher (Alder/Willow), Least flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested flycatcher, Eastern kingbird, Yellow-throated vireo, Red-eyed vireo, Blue jay, American crow, Black-capped chickadee, Horned lark, Northern Rough-winged swallow, Tree swallow, Bank swallow, Barn swallow, White-breasted nuthatch, House wren, Gray catbird, Eastern bluebird, American robin, American goldfinch, Clay-colored sparrow, Field sparrow, Lark sparrow, Song sparrow, Bobolink, Eastern meadowlark, Red-winged blackbird, Brown-headed cowbird, Black-and-white warbler, Tennessee warbler, Common yellowthroat, American redstart, Magnolia warbler, Blackburnian warbler, Yellow warbler, Chestnut-sided warbler, Scarlet tanager, Northern cardinal, Indigo bunting, Dickcissel Photos by Terry Grier, Gary Miller and Brendan Lanpher May 19, 2022 - Kutzky Park Bird Walk
The grass was covered in dew this morning and we all ended up with wet shoes - but did find a lot of birds on our last scheduled Kutzky Park walk of the season. Eight people started the walk at 6:30 am and we were joined along the way by a couple others. It was nice to see a Great Blue Heron fly over early on. We found several American Redstarts, Blackpoll Warblers and Yellow Warblers. Red-eyed, Warbling and Philadelphia Vireos all made appearances along with several flycatchers - including an Olive-sided. We found 10 species of warblers and were hoping to see a Mourning Warbler that had been found by another birder but couldn't locate it. The tree canopy is nearly fully leafed out so although we could hear birds everywhere - getting a good look required patience and timing. Spring migration continues through the end of the month so keep looking for birds! Species list: Canada Goose, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Great Blue Heron, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Oive-sided Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Alder/Willow Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, European Starling, Gray Catbird, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Waterthrush, Tennessee Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak Many thanks to Mike Degerstrom for leading this walk. Photos by Sandy Hokanson May 17, 2022 - Kutzky Park Bird Walk
A good variety of birds, including one rarity, were found this morning during our bird walk at Kutzky Park. The trees are leafing out, which made it difficult to get good looks at the birds, but fortunately two members of our group of 10 were very experienced at birding by ear. Leader Mike Degerstrom and Paul (visiting Rochester for one day) were able to identify many birds by sound alone. Paul was also the first to notice several yellowish warblers feeding in rocks along the bank. One of them fanned its tail and about the middle half of the tail had an obvious white pattern, contrasting with the darker base and ends of the tail. Paul & Mike conferred and knew that this was not a Redstart and could only be a female Hooded Warbler - an extremely rare find for Kutzky! Species list: Canada Goose, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Killdeer, Great Blue Heron (flew overhead), Turkey Vulture, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Alder Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, European Starling, Gray Catbird, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, House Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Tennessee Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Canada Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting Many thanks to Mike Degerstrom for leading this trip. Photos by Sandy Hokanson May 15, 2022 - Field trip to Hok-si-la Park
Seventeen birders found trees full of warblers during our field trip to Hok-si-la Park in Lake City. Blackpoll, Bay-breasted and Cape May Warblers were quite numerous and we all got good looks at these not so common birds. We were also pleased to find a Prothonotary Warbler near the entrance to the park. In fact, birds were so numerous that it took us nearly an hour just to leave the parking lot area. We saw 61 species including 19 species of warblers. Surprisingly, we didn't see a single Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Sunny skies and a cool breeze contributed to a very good day! Species list: Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow-throated Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tree Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, House Wren, Marsh Wren, Gray Catbird, American Robin, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, American Redstart, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Blackburnian Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Canada Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting Many thanks to Joyce and Terry Grier for leading this trip. Photos by Sandy Hokanson and Joanna Park May 14, 2022 - It was a BIG day for birding!
In celebration of Global Big Day our teams of spotters scattered throughout the Rochester area looking for as many bird species as we could find. We concentrated at three main areas - Silver Creek Reservoir, County 9 Marsh, & Chester Woods. Other individual birders created lists from Quarry Hill, Kutzky Park, Root River Couty Park, Izaak Walton Wetlands, Cascade Lake, Cascade Meadows and the Kalmar Reservoirs. When all the lists were combined we totaled 136 species! That's a big jump from 2021 when we found 101 species. Read more, see more photos, and get the complete species list here > 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
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