Manitoba – The Final Frontier, Part 1 of 3, May-June 2025

When it came time to start planning my big spring 2025 birding trip the destination was quite obvious – it had to be Manitoba.  That was my last state or province that I hadn’t birded extensively.  To paraphrase the Star Trek intro – Manitoba, the final frontier.  (Then again I haven’t yet birded Canada’s more distant and less accessible territories – Nunavut, Northwest, and Yukon.)

With an existing province list of just 61, there were lots of potential new province birds waiting for me in MB.  And if I flew into Grand Forks, ND, I could also fill a few gaps in my MN and ND lists before or after the MB portion of the trip. 

I reached out to my good birding friends Bill and Anita Hooker who went with me on my trip to FL back in January 2025, and they agreed to come along on this trip as well.  It was all coming together.

One last big picture decision to make was whether to include a trip to Churchill in our MB itinerary.  I’ve heard so much about Churchill over the decades, starting back in the late 1900’s when Ross’s Gulls nested there.  I know Ross’s haven’t been seen there in a while, but birding continues to be great there.  So we talked ourselves into making the extra round-trip flights from Winnipeg to Churchill, though it made for a pricey add-on to the trip.

I spent several months planning the trip, including searching for the best birding hotspots in MB to maximize our species total, and looking for specific one-off targets near Grand Forks in MN and ND.  I came up with a 13-day itinerary where I could add at least 140 species in MB to break 200 for the province, add perhaps only 4 in ND, and hopefully 2 in MN.

These next 3 blog posts summarize the MB portion of the trip, with this post summarizing our birding efforts from May 29th through June 1st.  The previous post summarized the MN and ND legs of the trip.

5/29 – Southwest MB – Grasslands

The MB grasslands are located in the far southwestern corner of the province.  After a morning of birding in eastern ND, and a 4-hour drive to reach MB, we knew we wouldn’t be reaching the area until mid-afternoon on the 29th, which wouldn’t be the best time to listen for singing prairie birds.  Instead, we would go to the best prairie spots early the next morning, and look for a couple specific non-singing targets on the afternoon of the 29th – Burrowing Owl and Ferruginous Hawk.  Burrowing Owls are exceptionally rare in MB, and their locations are a well-kept secret.  But most sightings in previous years appeared to be in the Broomhill area so that would be our target search area.  On the other hand, our other target, Ferruginous Hawk, has nested for several years at a well-known location in the grasslands.

We arrived at the border at 2:30 PM, and as we were being interviewed by a Canadian customs officer we were serenaded by a Least Flycatcher and a Western Kingbird.  That’s a nice initiation to MB!  My Canadian province and territory map for Least Flycatcher is inserted below.  Provinces where I’ve seen this species are shaded in light blue – I’ve now seen Least Flycatcher in all 10 provinces.  Cross-hatched jurisdictions are those in the Least Flycatcher’s regular range where I’ve yet to see it.  I’ve never birded in Canada’s three northwestern territories (yet!) so none of these will be shaded in for any of my Canada maps.

We then started our drive to Broomhill through farming country with patches of prairie and wetlands.  With just 61 species on my province list, most everything we saw was new.  We picked up a few dabbling ducks, Coot, Pied-billed Grebe and Black Tern in pothole ponds.  And added Swainson’s Hawk, Western Meadowlark, and Bobolink foraging in the fields.  Plus some typical “road” birds like Mourning Dove and Brewer’s Blackbirds.  By the time we reached the Broomhill WMA I had added 17 new province birds, bringing the total to 78.

We drove around the roads in the WMA looking for overgrazed fields with animal burrows where Burrowing Owls might be taking up residence.  We first found one overgrazed cattle pasture in the distance but saw no holes or dirt mounds.  Then after a bit more driving, we came upon what looked like the perfect field – overgrazed with little vegetation, and a colony of ground squirrels with quite a number of burrows.  But despite extensive scanning we couldn’t locate any little Owls.  As of mid-June there are still no sightings of Burrowing Owl in the province with the exception of one in April far east of the grasslands. 

But not all was lost as we searched for the Owls, as we added 17 new species to my MB list while driving through the area.  Key additions were birds of the prairie like Upland Sandpiper, Willet, Horned Lark, and Vesper, Clay-colored, and Grasshopper Sparrows.  That brought my list to 95. 

Next we were on to the site of the Ferruginous Hawk nest, mentioned in several eBird reports as located in a nearby cottonwood.  There were only a couple cottonwoods at the site, so it didn’t take long to locate the large stick nest.  Here’s a distant shot of one of the adults on the nest.  The haze in the picture is from thick smoke that was in the air due to the many forest fires ongoing throughout MB.

As we situated ourselves to get a better look we flushed a Sharp-tailed Grouse that surprisingly landed high in the same cottonwood where the Ferruginous nest was located.  And finally, a perched pair of dark-phased Red-tailed Hawks in the distance was a nice find. (MB #96-98)

With our birding done for the day, we headed into the little town of Melita to check into our hotel.  Our two key targets in Melita were Eurasian Collared-Dove and Chimney Swift, both near the edge of their ranges.  As we drove through town I noticed a bird perched on top of a telephone pole, which a quick binocular view revealed to be the Dove.  Collared-Doves are considered to be a rarity in MB per Sibley's range maps.  Hence the reason why it's shaded using a darker blue color as compared to lighter blue in the western provinces where this species is regular.

A bit later we spotted Swifts flying around the town museum, which not surprisingly has a large chimney.  While riding around town we added several others like Purple Martin, Starling, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and Ring-necked Pheasant.  (MB #99-107)

While riding out of town we spotted this statue.  We were told that summers in Melita are warmer than anywhere else in MB.  So warm in fact, that you could grow bananas there.  At least that’s what we were told.

In our late afternoon of birding in MB we had 63 species, adding 46 species to my province list.  And including our initial stops in ND, we had 112 species for the day.

5/30 – Second Day of Grasslands with Nearby Riparian Areas

For our big day of grassland birding we headed to a roughly 4-mile by 2-mile area west of the small town of Lyleton.  In the last few years this area has had the greatest concentration of our target species, though there had just been 1 or 2 checklists so far this year.  On the way to the area, we spotted a couple Gray Partridges along the roadside – a very nice start.

Soon we arrived at Road 4N, with excellent prairie habitat on both sides.  And after a short ride we spotted the first of several Chestnut-collared Longspurs.  Finally, 1 sat cooperatively on the fence just a short distance away for photos.  As I admired this gorgeous bird I noticed something white moving in the grass in the background.  I changed my focus and realized that the moving white objects were the tails of dancing Sharp-tailed Grouse.  We had just found a large lek!  Here’s a shot of the prairie where the Grouse were displaying in the distance.

As we watched the Grouse dancing I picked up 2 singing Baird’s Sparrows on the other side of the road.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get any visuals of them.  A bit further on we heard a Sprague’s Pipit calling high overhead.  And with a bit of work I was able to spot a second silent bird hovering well above us.  As we were leaving the area we lucked onto a Loggerhead Shrike perched on the fence, giving us a clean sweep of our prairie targets.  Rounding out our additions for the morning were Brown Thrasher and Cedar Waxwing in small wooded islands, and a Wood Duck in a nearby pond.  I've now seen Wood Duck in each province in its regular range except Alberta, plus I've seen it as a rarity in Newfoundland.

That gave me 8 new species, bringing the MB total to 115.   

Next, we visited a number of riparian areas along the Souris River that can form nice oases of trees surrounded by the prairie.  By far the best stop was at Coulter Park.  The site has quite some history, as reported by the Manitoba Historical Society Archives – “In November 1928, pioneer Francis Coulter donated to the Arthur Pioneers Association this site south of Melita where he had settled, in April 1882. It became known as Coulter Park, or Sourisford Park, after the nearby crossing on the Souris River.”

The heavily wooded site was quite birdy, starting with the Say’s Phoebe we saw right in the road as we arrived, along with calling Willow Flycatchers.  This is one of the few places to find these species in the province.  We also added Yellow-throated Vireo, Orchard Oriole, Great Crested Flycatcher, Great Blue Heron and Rough-winged Swallow to my MB list. (MB #116-122)

On an evening walk in the heavily wooded Gerald W. Malaher PWMA I didn’t add anything new for my list.  But I did have a calling Merlin, confirmed by Merlin.  (I’ve always secretly wanted to have Merlin identify a calling Merlin.)

Although we quit birding in the heat at lunchtime (remember that Melita Banana Belt story?), we still had 75 species for the day, and I added 15 to my province list, bringing the total to 122. 

5/31 – Whitewater Lake, Oak Lake

This was our first of 2 key days on our trip for waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wetland species.  While doing eBird research on Whitewater and Oak Lakes I reached out to local birder Sandy Hominick for birding advice.  And she in turn connected me with Gillian Richards.  Gillian is a regional reviewer and knows the area like the back of her hand.  But better than just giving us advice, Gillian offered to bird with us around the area – an offer that would prove to be invaluable to us.  Gillian would bring Sandy and their friend Jackie Dixon along as well, giving us lots of eyes to look for our targets.

Our birding started in the parking lot of our Melita hotel with a calling Kingfisher (MB #123).  Then after a short drive, we arrived at our meeting place along the west side of Whitewater Lake, with extensive mudflats that were loaded with shorebirds.  This was just the first of many stops that Gillian led us to around Whitewater Lake.  Here’s one of the best shorebird spots on the north side of Whitewater Lake.

And a shot of the flats at Sexton’s Point that were also full of shorebirds.

By the time we were done birding in and around the wetlands on both the north and south sides of Whitewater Lake I had added 25 new species.  Of our 18 species of waterfowl key additions included Eared and Horned Grebes, Ruddy Duck, American Wigeon, Ross’s and Snow Geese.  And our 17 species of shorebirds featured these additions - Avocet, Sanderling, Dunlin, Red-necked Phalarope, Stilt Sand, Baird’s and Pectoral.  Gulls and Terns were represented by Ring-billed, California, and Forster’s.  And passerines included Nelson’s Sparrow and Lark Sparrow. (MB #124-149)

Next, we were onto the Bethel Road woodlands where as predicted we added breeding Red-headed Woodpecker.  Here’s one of Anita’s pictures of the Woodpecker.

Plus we heard, or should I say “felt”, a drumming Ruffed Grouse (MB #150-151)

Our last few stops of the day were around Oak Lake where I added Western Grebe and White-faced Ibis to my province list (MB #152-153).  And I couldn’t pass on pictures of this distant but cooperative Red-necked Grebe, even if it wasn’t a new species. 

We ended the day with 106 species, including 31 new birds for my MB list, now standing at 153.  I can’t thank Gillian, Sandy, and Jackie enough for all their help!  We would never have been able to find all those great birding spots, and great birds, on our own.

6/1 – Brandon, Riding Mountain NP

We were lucky enough to have Gillian and Sandy offer to show us around the Brandon area the morning of the 1st.  But before we could make it out of the hotel parking lot I added a new bird - a singing House Finch (MB #154).

Our first stop was the Wesman Salvage hotspot where we picked up a rare Red-breasted Merganser which had been spotted there recently (MB #155).

Next, we headed to Douglas Marsh, home of the Yellow Rail.  I couldn’t resist taking this picture of the Douglas Marsh sign with the morning sun eerily shining through the heavy smoke from nearby forest fires.  We probably should have worn masks.

It was a long shot, but we played some tape anyway hoping for a Yellow Rail to respond.  We also tried Le Conte’s Sparrow but with no luck.  Sure looks like a nice marsh though.

Our next stop was the Douglas quarry with its many manmade ponds and lakes.  At one of our first stops we were lucky enough to have an American Bittern fly overhead (MB #156).  Later we found a second one along a small stream.  Plus we got nice looks at this Bank Swallow colony. 

Our last stops of the morning were along the Glenboro bluebird box trail where we hoped for both Eastern and Mountain Bluebirds.  But our first addition was a singing Eastern Wood-Pewee.  Later we finally ran into our first Eastern Bluebirds, and eventually a nesting pair of Mountain Bluebirds. (MB #157-159) Here’s a distant shot of one of the Mountain Bluebirds in the smoky haze.

And a picture of a most cooperative Lark Sparrow – not a new one but still an attractive bird.

It was now time for us to leave the southern tier of MB and start heading north to Riding Mountain NP.  We couldn’t thank Gillian and Sandy enough for all their help putting us on so many birds over the last day and a half!  Here's a shot of the 3 of us - very happy birders!

We arrived at Riding Mountain in the mid-afternoon heat (though at least the smoke had abated).  After a short break at the hotel rooms, we took a stroll around the property picking up Dark-eyed Junco and Common Nighthawk.  (MB #160-161)  Then a quick ride around town and the Wasagaming Campground yielded some nice warblers like Magnolia (MB #162) and multiple Tennessees and Blackburnians. 

Next we were off to the trails around Ominnik Marsh, where we picked up Virginia Rail (MB #163) but couldn’t find the recently reported nesting Trumpeter Swans.  Would we need a return trip to find them? 

And our last new species of the day was a pair of Common Mergansers swimming in the waves of Clear Lake in the distance (MB #164).

We finished the day with 90 species, adding 11 to my province list, now standing at 164.

Minnesota Statebirding Trip – “Reportable Plus 15”, July 2016

I don’t get to the upper Midwest very often, so when a business trip to Minneapolis came up in July I naturally started to think about statebirding possibilities.  My MN list was at 226, which was 8 over the old ABA reportable threshold of 218.  One of my original statebirding goals was to be over the ABA threshold in each state.  Those thresholds, last published by the ABA in 2011, were one half of the total list for each state.  And since the overall state lists slowly inch up as new species are added, the thresholds slowly rise as well.  For instance the most recently published MN list (as of 12/31/13) is 441, so the new threshold would be 220.5.  That also means I’m only 5 ½ over the latest threshold using 2013 data.  As a result of this slow rise in the state thresholds, I revised my goal to be 15 over the old 2011 ABA threshold in each state – I call it “Reportable Plus 15”.  Although somewhat arbitrary, my hope is that by reaching that goal I would stay above the state threshold for many years to come.  And all that means that I wanted to add at least 7 more birds to my MN list.

Now it was time to do some research.  I set up an eBird Needs Alert for MN which revealed that there were quite a number of possible new statebirds within a couple hours’ drive of Minneapolis, though the targets were scattered southeast, southwest, and northwest of the Twin Cities area.  I figured that with a couple early morning stops before work and evening stops after work I could have a shot at several of these targets.  But then I realized that a few of these potential targets southeast of Minneapolis were actually not too far from IA.  I’ve only birded in IA twice before, and with a statelist of just 178, my statebirding potential was of course even greater there than in MN.  Now I started to consider coming into Minneapolis a couple days early to be able to bird in IA as well as MN.  Like I said – I don’t get to this part of the country often so I may as well take advantage of these trips when I get them.

I did a quick search through the range maps in the field guides and made a long list of possible IA statebirds by season.  Not surprisingly I had gaps throughout my list that could potentially be filled on a summer trip.  However, July is frequently thought of as a slow month for birding - landbird targets can be tough to find since it is late in the season for breeders to still be singing, and it is early for most shorebirds that might be passing through.  Then again the optimist might find this as a great time – breeding birds are still around plus the early shorebirds are just arriving – a nice confluence of both breeding and migration seasons.  Ever the optimist, especially when it comes to statebirding, I was hopeful that I could find quite a number of new birds for my IA list, as well as for my MN list.

After digesting all that research I came up with this itinerary making a large loop down to IA and back –

• Day 1 – land in Minneapolis midday, bird in MN toward the southwest in the afternoon and evening
• Day 2 – bird in north-central IA for prairie birds, drive to the eastern end of the state that evening
• Day 3 – start in northeastern IA for woodland birds, then try for targets in southeastern MN on the way back toward Minneapolis

Plus I would still have early mornings and late evenings available while working the next couple days to try for some local targets in the greater Twin Cities area if I missed them earlier.

Then again you need to be flexible when planning a trip such as this one.  As I was sitting in the Boston airport waiting to leave I checked my eBird MN Needs Alert and noticed new posts of 3 needed shorebird species– Baird’s Sandpiper, Willet, and the very rare Black-necked Stilt.  The birds were in a couple spots in southwestern MN which would require a bit of a diversion from my planned route and more driving time, but likely worthwhile if I could squeeze it all in. 

With that revised itinerary I expected to get 6 new birds in MN.  Though I sure hoped to be able to stretch that total just a bit to get 7 and reach the Reportable Plus 15 goal. 

This post details the MN portion of that trip; the next post details the IA (and WI) part of the trip.

Day 1 – Southern MN

My first stop was just a half hour drive southeast of the MSP airport at a landfill east of the 140^th Street Marsh where up to 2 Blue Grosbeaks were reported on eBird as recently as a week earlier.  Dickcissels were reported here as well, though they were reported at most every one of my future stops too so certainly not a rarity.  Directions were quite detailed, so I was hopeful that I might add 2 species at this stop.  When I arrived along 140^th Street I ran into a couple other birders also looking for the Grosbeaks.  But not only had they not seen the birds, but one birder mentioned he had been there each of the last 7 days without seeing them.  Plus he said the Dickcissels had moved out of the area too.  Unfortunately an example where eBird can paint a picture than is rosier than reality.  I allocated a full hour at this spot, but given the negative news, I gave up after 45 minutes without seeing the Grosbeaks.  Though I did see and hear a couple Dickcissels (MN statebird #1).

Next I was on to the 180^th Street Marsh area just 15 minutes to the south where Loggerhead Shrikes have been seen all summer, including two family groups seen just the day before my visit.  All the sightings were along just a few miles of roadway, and all the posted pictures had Shrikes perched along powerlines and fencelines right along the roads.  So again I was optimistic.  But once again I came up empty despite spending the better part of an hour slowly searching the roadsides and adjacent land for perched Shrikes.  I finally threw in the towel on the Shrikes, and stopped to plug in the GPS coordinates of the location of my next target birds.  I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, having missed 2 of my first targets, as I headed out of the area and toward the highway.  Just then I happened to look up and there was a Loggerhead Shrike above me on the wires – at least a mile west of all the recent sightings (MN #2).  Goes to show you that you’ve got to keep your eyes open!  I’ve now seen Loggerhead Shrike throughout most of its present range, as well as in a couple northeast states where it was a former breeder (see my statebird map below).

My next targets were Swainson’s Hawks, which were a bit of a long shot.  Even though there were a few sightings in a reasonably small area, and sightings occurred both this summer and last summer, the sightings were very sporadic and no specific location(s) were offered.  But since this spot was on my route, it was worth at least a quick try.  In route to this spot I had a flyover Osprey (MN #3), which I was most happy about since I had no pinned-down locations for them now that they were no longer on their nests.  A few minutes later I arrived at the area of the Swainson’s sightings - the area was mostly cropland with an occasional small patch of trees.  I checked the trees that seemed to be suitable as raptor perches and scanned the skies, but no raptors were in sight.  I was thinking of running through the area again, but wondered if it was better to shorten this stop and use the extra time to look for those shorebirds in the southern part of the state.  Given that my first stops were lengthy ones, I decided to call it quits here and crossed my fingers that things would pick up in southern MN, though I hated to give up on yet another target.

The Black-necked Stilts were first reported the day before I arrived in MN in wetlands between the towns of Jackson and Windom.  And the morning I arrived they were reported again, this time giving a distraction display, suggesting that they were breeding at the site.  So along with explicit directions in that morning’s post, I was hopeful that I would find this rarity.  As I neared the site I spotted a Mockingbird along a hedgerow – not a new one for my MN list but a nice rarity for the day.  As I pulled up to the suggested viewing location I looked to the wetlands to the west.  And despite the miserable sun angle, I quickly spotted a large shorebird.  With the scope I confirmed it as a Stilt (MN #4) - quite the rarity in MN, and likely nesting too.  My statebird map is indicative of both this species’ expanding range as well as its tendency toward vagrancy.

Sure glad that one came quickly given the long stops earlier in the day.  Although I wanted to bird this spot longer, it was already past 7 PM and I still had a couple more MN targets to search for.  So it was off to the next spots.

There were several eBird reports in the area from the previous day where one birder reported some nice concentrations of shorebirds in what appeared to be flooded fields.  One spot about 20 minutes from the Stilt location had a Willet in with a few more common shorebirds, and another location a short distance farther away had a pair of Baird’s.  On my way to the Willet spot I came upon another flooded field with quite a number of shorebirds.  I made an unscheduled stop here and found good numbers of Yellowlegs and Pectorals, along with a nice flock of Franklin’s Gulls, but nothing unusual.  Next I went to the Willet spot and found the flooded field was teeming with shorebirds – many times the number reported from the day before.  I scanned through the many Lesser Yellowlegs, and picked out a couple Greaters, but couldn’t come up with the even larger Willet.  While making that scan I noticed quite a number of peeps in another part of the field, so I returned to scrutinize that area, counting 30 Pectorals.  And then I noticed 3 slightly smaller peeps which were Baird’s Sandpipers (MN #5).  Sure seemed like there was a lot of turnover in these fields – my numbers were quite a bit higher than the day before, the Willet had moved on, and Baird’s had dropped in.  Although I was tempted to head to the spot where the Baird’s was reported the day before, I decided to call it a day since I still had an hour drive to get to my hotel in IA.  Although I missed a couple MN targets, I was happy that the shorebirds came through for me, and I hoped I was on my way to getting the 7 new birds I needed to reach Reportable Plus 15 in MN.

Day 2 and Early Morning of Day 3 – IA and WI

See my next post for the details of the IA and WI portion of the trip.

Day 3 – Southeastern and Central MN

I finished my most successful eastern IA birding by mid-morning, and was now on my way into southeastern MN in search of 3 specific targets – Acadian Flycatcher, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Yellow-throated Warbler.  I had heard all 3 species singing at dawn that morning in eastern IA, so there was room to be optimistic that they might cooperate in MN as well.  The Flycatcher and Waterthrush were regular nesters at Beaver Creek Valley State Park.  I was lucky that both are mentioned on the park’s website since I didn’t realize that the Waterthrush was at this spot until I went onto that website looking for a trail map for my Acadian search.  Based on eBird reports both had been heard and seen regularly in the park this summer through 6/27.  But there were no reports from the park since that time.  So now nearly a month later, and in the late morning on this warm summer day in the doldrums of mid-summer, I wondered how cooperative these birds might be.  So I put my chances at 50% to find each bird.

I pulled into the parking lot of the park headquarters to pay the day-use fee, and within seconds of getting out of my car I heard an Acadian calling (MN #6).  That was amazingly easy!  I also had a couple potential locations for Acadian closer to Minneapolis, so no longer any need to try to try to squeeze in those stops before or after work later in the week.  The park ranger was also helpful in suggesting spots for the Waterthrush so this was definitely a worthwhile stop.

I took the ranger’s advice and headed to the Beaver Creek Valley Trail.  The beginning of this trail crosses over Beaver Creek which was an amazingly clear stream that ran through some excellent riparian habitat.  Not a surprise that Louisiana Waterthrushes would like this spot.

After crossing the creek the trail paralleled the creek but first a distance away through some nice upland habitat.  Not good for Waterthrushes but I did hear 2 more calling Acadians here.  Then the trail returned to the creek valley, and now that I was back in good Waterthrush habitat, I stopped to listen.  Within seconds I heard a bird giving sharp chip notes a short distance downstream – was it the Louisiana?  Then not 30 seconds later it started to sing – bingo – a Louisiana Waterthrush (MN #7).  I’ve now seen this species in 33 states virtually throughout its regular range.

I had added two nice MN birds in less than 30 minutes.  And with my 7th new bird for MN I had reached the Reportable Plus 15 goal.  But there were more targets to pursue…

The next potential MN statebird was a Yellow-throated Warbler that had been reported since May at Whitewater State Park east of Rochester.  The bird was being seen in the vicinity of the Nature Store, with earlier reports mentioning the bird right at the store, though the most recent 2 reports said it was seen in white pines in the picnic area just north of the store.  I wondered if that meant the bird was now more likely at the picnic area rather than at the store, especially since I’m used to seeing this species in the southeast in pine woodlands.  Then again, the last report was from more than 2 weeks ago, so who knows what the bird’s preferences may be now, assuming it was still around of course.  As an afterthought I reminded myself that even if I missed the Yellow-throated here, there was another one being seen in downtown Minneapolis that I could try for later in the week.

I pulled into the parking lot for the Nature Store to get my bearings.  The trees around the parking lot were mostly mature deciduous trees with a few white pines sprinkled in, and I could see the picnic area adjacent to the lot to the north.  Giving more credence to the most recent reports I headed to the picnic area first to give that spot a try.  The woods there were more open, and there were at least a couple dozen mature white pines shading the picnic tables.  So I started slowly walking through the picnic ground spending a minute or two staring up into each individual pine tree looking for movement.  Some 45 minutes later I had taken two laps through the picnic area, finding quite a number of birds foraging in the pines (including pewees, bluebirds, orioles, and sapsuckers), but no Yellow-throated Warbler.  At one point I came upon a pine of a different species looking more like the pines of the southeast.  But despite spending some extra time at this tree, still no target bird.  Then I decided to walk back to the nature center parking lot and made a lap through that area, but again came up empty. 

I figured it was time to call it quits on this bird, and as I started to walk back to the car parked in the picnic area I was already thinking about which early morning before work would be best to try for the Minneapolis bird.  Just then I heard a sharp chip note in the trees above me at the edge of the lot.  I looked up and heard it again, but despite 30 seconds of searching saw no birds at all.  Just like the Waterthrush earlier at Beaver Creek, I was pretty sure I had the target bird, but was reluctant to check it off just based on chip notes.  Then a few seconds later I spotted movement and there was the Yellow-throated Warbler (MN #8), sparring with a Pewee of all things.  Interestingly the bird stayed in deciduous trees and was never even close to a pine.  MN was my 33rd state for Yellow-throated Warbler – my statebird map is very similar to the one for the Waterthrush.  But one difference is that Yellow-throated Warbler is more prone to vagrancy – the bird was a rarity in 8 of the states where I’ve seen it in the midwest and northeast. 

When I was initially planning my trip I had included Tufted Titmouse as a possible target bird in southeastern MN based on the field guide range maps.  But there were few recent eBird reports, and I traded e-mails with a homeowner of one of the more reliable series of reports only to find out that his family group had moved on after nesting was complete.  So although I saw several Titmice a short distance to the south in IA, this one was no longer a realistic target for MN.  And that meant that the Yellow-throated Warbler was my last target for the southeastern part of the state.

My 2 remaining target birds were Least Bittern about an hour northwest of Minneapolis and Western Grebe another 90 minutes farther to the northwest.  Initially I was planning to try for both.  But it was a long drive just to get into Minneapolis, and then I hit some nasty traffic around the Twin Cities.  And since I had already reached my Reportable Plus 15 goal, I decided to just try for the nearer Bittern.  Several had been reported recently, but likely the most reliable location was at Sherburne NWR.  And although none of the recent reports included details on locations, a couple reports from a month earlier mentioned birds near mile marker 3 on the wildlife drive.  It was a good thing that I found those notes because there were many locations along the wildlife drive with large beds of cattails that could have harbored Bitterns.  And in fact maybe there were Bitterns all along the drive.  But I keyed in on the area near mile marker 3, first scanning the marsh and edges of the open water for quite a while with no luck.  Then I found a slightly elevated spot and watched the marsh for a while hoping for a Bittern to fly by, again coming up empty.  Then a few seconds later I thought I heard a Bittern calling a short distance up ahead.  I drove a bit farther along to get closer to the bird - and this time I heard the Least Bittern giving its 3-note call right next to the car (MN #9).  Unlike a couple of my earlier statebird maps where I had seen the species in most all its regular states, I still need Least Bittern in a number of states in its regular range.

As I continued on the wildlife drive I counted 25 Trumpeter Swans, including this one quite close to the road.  A great way to end the trip.

MN Trip Summary

I finished the MN portion of my trip with 84 species, including of course 9 new statebirds.  Especially given my slow start, that was much better than expected.  My MN list is now at 235, 17 over the old ABA reportable threshold.  That makes MN my 38th state reaching my Reportable Plus 15 goal.  I have 7 other states where I’m over the threshold but not Reportable Plus 15, so I’m not far from my goal in those states as well.