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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:
April 23, 2024 - Birding in Colombia
Last night about 40 people came out to Quarry Hill Nature Center to hear Jerry Pruett talk about birding in Colombia. Besides the fantastic photos of colorful tropical birds, Jerry also talked about the country itself. Colombia is a modern country and walking down the street in the capitol of Bogata felt the same as walking in Chicago or New York. But there are also some more remote places where horses are still used more than cars. Many of the remote small towns are adding solar power - and he even heard one man complaining that the kids just want to watch cartoons on TV instead of being outside! Jerry saw more than 750 different birds while in Colombia which is the size of Texas and California combined. The country hosts 1,900 species (20% of the world's bird population! In Minnesota you can find about 300 species - if you really work at it. Colombia is a rich and beautiful place with coastal and interior mountains, tropical forests, high mountain plains and deep river valleys. Thank you Jerry for sharing your trip with us! April 21, 2024 - Armstrong Wetlands / Rice Lake State Park Field Trip
Recent rains raised the water level and benefitted our group of 11 birders today on our field trip to the Armstrong Wetlands and Rice Lake State Park. It was bright and sunny, if a bit chilly, at just 30 degrees when we met up at 7am for the drive. We took the back roads and encountered several interesting birds along the way including Turkeys, 4 Great Egrets perched in a tree, Red-breasted Mergansers, Kingfishers and Eurasian Collared Doves. When we arrived at Armstrong Wetlands we found a great selection of waterfowl, some Sandhill Cranes, 2 Northern Harriers and got a brief glimpse of a Yellow-headed Blackbird. Shorebirds were mostly absent except for a trio of Lesser Yellowlegs and a few Killdeer. Continuing on to Rice Lake State Park we were happy to see a large flock of Pelicans, cormorants and more ducks. We tallied our only warbler of the day, a Yellow-rumped, heard a Pileated Woodpecker, and found a single Greater White-fronted Goose. We also noticed many spring wildflowers in full bloom including False Rue Anemone, Bloodroot, Cutleaf Toothwort, Trout Lily, Violets, Wild Blue Phlox, Spring Beauty, Ramps, Mayapple and more. Although the wind got stronger as the day went on the temps also climbed into the 50s and we enjoyed a picnic lunch at the park. Traveling back to Rochester we decided to stop at the East Kalmar Reservoir and visited a nearby Great Horned Owl nest (mom and 2 chicks seemed to be doing fine). Then we heard about a Sanderling sighting at Cascade Lake Park so had to stop and check that bird out. We ended the day with a final stop at St Mary's Park where we got pretty good looks at a Merlin, and that brought our total for the day to 66 species! Many thanks to Terry and Joyce Grier for leading today's adventure. Photos by Lucas Lin and Sandy Hokanson Species list: Greater White-fronted Goose, Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Ring-necked Pheasant, Wild Turkey, Pied-bill Grebe, Grebe species (likely Horned), American White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Merlin, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Sanderling, Common Snipe, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird April 20, 2024 - Rochester Reservoirs Walk
A lucky group of 13 hardy birders went to 6 reservoirs spread around Rochester. The morning was brisk, starting at 30 degrees, but it was the biting 15 mph NW wind that made birding a challenge. That's springtime in Minnesota for you. We did find a good variety of the water birds that we expected to find, including 15 different duck species, as well as many other birds that use the water and shorelines. More surprising were the raptors, including a Great Horned Owl on a nest with young, Northern Harriers, and even an early Broad-winged Hawk, which we only see in migration. The Broad-wings do sometimes eat small mammals, but mainly rely on snakes, frogs, amphibians and large insects, so are having a problem with the cold weather. Warmer weather will be welcomed by birds and bird watchers alike! 52 species were seen by the group: Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Wild Turkey, Ring-necked Pheasant, Pied-billed Grebe, Mourning Dove, American Coot, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, American Kestrel, Blue Jay , American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee , Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, American Robin, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird. Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal Photos by Lucas Lin & Terry Grier 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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