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2010-11 MINNESOTA BIRDING
WEEKENDS –
– see MBWbirds.com for additional MBWeekends information
• April 3-4 /
Houston & Winona Counties / $40 (Base La Crosse WI)
• pre-MBW option / April 2 / Goodhue & Wabasha Co's
(additional Mississippi River migrants)
/ $25 (Base Red Wing)
An Easter weekend in the southeastern corner of the state for
those anxious for the return of the earliest spring migrants:
especially swans and other waterfowl, raptors, gulls, and woods
birds of all kinds along the Mississippi River Valley.
• May 15-16 /
Rock and Pipestone Counties / $50 (Base Luverne)
• pre-MBW option / May 14 / Nobles Co.
(more waterbirds and wetlands than on May 15-16)
/ $30
(Base Worthington)
The pre-MBW Nobles County portion has been cancelled and an
additional Rock and Pipestone weekend may be added on May 22-23.
Blue Mounds & Blue Grosbeaks, Pipestone National Monument,
Coteau des Prairies grasslands, several sewage ponds, plus a
long history of western U.S. strays: all are features of this
far corner of Minnesota at the peak of spring migration.
•
May 29-30-31 / MBW 25th YEAR CELEBRATION / Deep
Portage Conservation Reserve, Cass Co. / $200*
• pre-MBW option / May 28 / Morrison Co.
(seldom-birded Camp Ripley & Crane Meadows NWR)
/ $30
(Base Little Falls)
Birding (boreal forests, tentative boat trips, Yellow
Rail/Nelson's Sparrow marshes), meals, lodging, programs, and
more all conveniently based at Deep Portage will highlight our
25th year! (*Note: fee includes 3 nights lodging and 7
meals.)
• June 19-20
/ Lake of the Woods County / $50 (Leader Craig Mandel; Base
Baudette)
• pre-MBW option / June 18 / Beltrami Co.
(including vast Upper and Lower Red Lakes boglands)
/ $30 (Base Bemidji)
Though a destination on previous Labor Day MBWs,
this is our first ever in summer with the many boreal
specialties of the Beltrami Island State Forest. We'll also
check Lake of the Woods for water birds (breeding Piping Plovers
included?).
• August
21-22 / Stevens & Traverse & Big Stone Counties / $45 (Base
Morris)
• pre-MBW option / Aug. 20 / Douglas Co. (waterbirds on
L. Osakis plus several other wetlands)
/ $30 (Base Alexandria)
This annual shorebird ID workshop (20 species possible) returns
to Traverse County's Mud Lake and to Stevens & Big Stone Co's
numerous wetlands (and sewage ponds); western Minnesota
woodlands and grasslands birding also included.
• September
4-5-6 / Northwestern Minnesota / $70 (Base Hallock)
• pre-MBW option / Sept. 3 / eastern Roseau Co.
(including Roseau and Warroad/Springsteel Island)
/ $25 (Base Warroad)
Our 8th Labor Day MBW, again including Agassiz NWR, moves its
base to remote Kittson Co. to reach new sites here and in
western Marshall, Pennington, and Polk Co's: 150+ species
likely, including 20 species of both shorebirds and warblers.
• September
25 / Duluth I / $20 (Base Duluth)
• September 26 / Duluth II / $20 (Base
Duluth)
• pre-MBW option / Sept. 24 / North Shore (additional
migrants from Two Harbors to Grand Marais)
/ $25 (Base Duluth)
Join either or both of these one-day trips at
Duluth's Erie Pier, Park Point, Stony Point, etc. The many
possibilities include rare loons & grebes, shorebirds, rare
gulls & terns, jaegers, grounded warblers, sparrows, pipits &
longspurs, and others.
• October
9-10 / Lyon & Lincoln Counties / $40 (Base Marshall)
• pre-MBW option / Oct. 8 / Minnesota River
Valley (unique woodlands & rocky grasslands)
/ $25 (Base Redwood
Falls)
Numerous wetlands, grasslands, and woodlands
provide endless opportunities for migrant waterfowl, raptors,
shorebirds, warblers, sparrows, and other passerines. Western
rarities and strays are possible as we bird along the South
Dakota line.
• October
23-24 / Polk County / $40 (Base Crookston)
• pre-MBW option / Oct. 22 / Mahnomen Co. (several
seldom-birded grasslands and wetlands)
/ $25
(Base Mahnomen)
Nature Conservancy prairies, Glacial Ridge NWR,
other grasslands, wetlands, and aspen groves near Crookston are
home to migrant waterfowl, prairie-chickens & Sharp-tailed
Grouse, Sandhill Cranes, Short-eared Owls, magpies, and more.
• November
6-7 / North Shore of Lake Superior / $35 (Base Duluth /
Grand Marais)
• pre-MBW option / Nov. 5 / Duluth (Park Point, Hawk
Ridge, and other sites not covered Nov. 6-7)
/ $20 (Base Duluth)
Our annual fall search for Harlequin and Long-tailed ducks, all
three scoters, Pacific Loon, Thayer’s and Glaucous gulls,
Townsend's Solitaire, Bohemian Waxwing, grosbeaks, crossbills,
redpolls – and a rich tradition of North Shore rarities.
• January
8-9, 2011 / Duluth III / $30 (Base Duluth)
This MBW tradition features grouse, perhaps a Gyrfalcon, owls
(Great Gray, Snowy, N. Hawk), Black-backed (and Am. Three-toed?)
Woodpecker, Northern Shrike, Boreal Chickadee, Varied Thrush,
Bohemian Waxwing, and winter finches.
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• [JANUARY 16 -
24, 2010 / CALIFORNIA & ARIZONA /
This MBWeek from the 2009-10 schedule is filled
with 8 on the waiting list, and no additional registrations
are being taken; see the listings below for the MBWeeks in
California January 22 - 29, 2011 and in Arizona January 30 -
February 6, 2011.]
• [FEBRUARY 6-14,
2010 / SOUTH TEXAS / This MBWeek from
the 2009-10 schedule is filled, and no additional
registrations are being taken; see the listings below for
the December 27, 2010 - January 2, 2011 South Texas MBWeek.]
• MARCH 13 -
17, 2010 / PLATTE RIVER & SANDHILL CRANES / $100 deposit
This brief, 5-day MBWeek to central Nebraska will witness
the truly unique and spectacular staging of 3/4 of the world's
population of Sandhill Cranes – we will easily see tens of
thousands of them! (A Common or Whooping Crane is also a small
but real possibility.) Given normal weather, similar
concentrations of migrant geese and other waterfowl will be
equally impressive. (Limit 11 participants car-pooling from
Minnesota in 3 vehicles; estimated cost $400 + meals)
• APRIL 10 -
18, 2010 / COLORADO GROUSE / $100 deposit
In addition to Greater and Gunnison sage-grouse,
White-tailed Ptarmigan, Dusky Grouse, and Lesser
Prairie-Chicken, this MBWeek will include Mountain Plover and
McCown's Longspur at Pawnee National Grasslands, and numerous
montane species – including White-throated Swift, Williamson's
and Red-naped Sapsuckers, Clark's Nutcracker, Pygmy Nuthatch,
American Dipper, Cassin's Finch, and possibly all 3
rosy-finches. We could also see Scaled Quail, Lewis's
Woodpecker, Pinyon Jay, Juniper Titmouse, Canyon Wren, Western
Bluebird, Sage and Curve-billed Thrashers, Green-tailed Towhee,
Rufous-crowned and Brewer's Sparrows, and many others.
(Estimated cost $950 + air fare + meals)
• MAY 1 - 9,
2010 / BIG BEND, DAVIS MOUNTAINS, TEXAS HILL COUNTRY / $100
deposit
Remote Big Bend National Park is renowned as the only
U.S. site for Colima Warblers. Also here or in the nearby Davis
Mountains: Montezuma Quail, Common Black-Hawk, Elf Owl, Common
Poorwill, Lucifer Hummingbird, Gray and Buff-breasted
Flycatchers, Black-capped and Gray Vireos, Cave Swallow, Grace's
Warbler, Black-chinned Sparrow, Varied Bunting, and many other
Arizona or South Texas specialties. Besides Big Bend, this
MBWeek will include the scenic Texas Hill Country and the
endemic Golden-cheeked Warbler – plus Chuck-will's-widow,
Ringed and Green Kingfishers, Great Kiskadee, Couch's Kingbird,
Long-billed Thrasher, and Olive Sparrow. (Estimated cost $950 +
air fare + meals)
• JUNE 5 -
13, 2010 / CHURCHILL (plus SW Manitoba option June 13-15) /
$100 deposit
This trip to Churchill, a unique Hudson Bay community
inaccessible by road, will feature a memorable overnight train
trip and unforgettable birds: besides Ross's Gull (at least a
50-50 possibility), the Common (and possibly King) Eiders,
Willow Ptarmigans, Red-throated and Pacific Loons, nesting
shorebirds (and migrant Red Phalarope), both Sabine's and Little
Gulls, Arctic Terns, possibly all 3 jaegers, and Smith's
Longspurs will all be in breeding plumage. An optional trip for
Baird's Sparrow, Sprague's Pipit, and several other
non-Minnesota prairie specialties will also be offered. (Limit
11 participants car-pooling from Minnesota in 3 vehicles;
estimated cost $1,000 + meals / $1,150 including the SW
Manitoba option)
• JULY 5 -
18, 2010 / NOVA SCOTIA & NEWFOUNDLAND / $100 deposit
This MBWeek will be two weeks long with so much to see:
vast seabird colonies at Cape St. Mary's and Witless Bay with N.
Gannets, Atlantic Puffins, Razorbills, Common & Thick-billed
Murres, guillemots, and kittiwakes (some by the tens of
thousands); two ferry crossings for Leach's & Wilson's
Storm-petrels, N. Fulmar, Manx, Greater and Sooty Shearwaters,
jaegers (and possibly a skua or Red Phalaropes); Rock Ptarmigans
in Gros Morne National Park; plus Common Eider, Willow
Ptarmigan, Great Cormorant, Black-headed Gull, Arctic Tern,
Bicknell's Thrush, and Saltmarsh Sparrow – all this plus
Humpback and other whales, caribou, and memorably spectacular
scenery. (Estimated cost $1,750 + air fare + meals)
• JULY 31 -
AUGUST 8, 2010 / SOUTHEAST ARIZONA I / $100 deposit
This will be our 11th MBWeek during the somewhat cooler
monsoon season in Arizona's unique riparian areas, scenic
canyons, and mountains. Montezuma Quail, Gray and Zone-tailed
hawks, Spotted and other owls, Common Poorwill, a dozen
hummingbirds, Elegant Trogon, 18 flycatcher species, Mexican
Chickadee, Bendire's Thrasher, Olive, Virginia's, Lucy's,
Grace's, Red-faced and other warblers, Hepatic and Flame-colored
Tanagers, Cassin's, Botteri's, Five-striped and Black-chinned
Sparrows, Varied Bunting, and numerous others can be expected –
plus a Mexican stray or two? All are unlikely on the winter
MBWeek; many are found no where else in the U.S. (Estimated cost
$800 + air fare + meals)
• DECEMBER
27, 2010 - JANUARY 2, 2011 / SOUTH TEXAS / $100 deposit
Our 25th MBWeek: 2 days shorter than February's trip,
even less expensive, and for those with time off at the
holidays. Muscovy, Chachalaca, Least Grebe, Hook-billed Kite,
White-tailed Hawk, Whooping Crane, Red-billed Pigeon,
White-tipped Dove, Red-crowned Parrot, Groove-billed Ani,
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Pauraque, Buff-bellied Hummingbird,
Ringed Kingfisher, Kiskadee, Couch's Kingbird, Green Jay,
Black-crested Titmouse, Clay-colored Thrush, Tropical Parula,
Olive Sparrow, Altamira & Audubon's Orioles are all regular
here, and no where else in the U.S.! Also likely: strays from
Mexico, up to 200 species, and 70º highs – 50 degrees warmer
than Minnesota. (Estimated cost $650 + air fare + meals)
• JANUARY 22
- 29, 2011 / SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / $100 deposit
This MBWeek and winter vacation
will be expanded to a full week in
California's coastal,
montane, and desert habitats
near San Diego, the Salton Sea and vicinity, and along the
Colorado River. Some 200 species are likely, including a long
list of non-Minnesota species: Brant, White-tailed Kite,
Mountain Plover and other shorebirds, Yellow-footed and other
gulls, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Cassin's Vireo, Oak Titmouse,
California Gnatcatcher, Le Conte's and California thrashers,
Sage Sparrow, Tricolored Blackbird, and many others. Note this
trip will start in San Diego, end in Phoenix, and can be
combined with Arizona for 2 weeks of temperatures averaging in
the 60s!
(Estimated cost $950 + air fare + meals)
•
JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 6, 2011 / SOUTHEAST
ARIZONA II / $100 deposit
As noted above, you can take this MBWeek alone, or combined with
California for a full 2-week winter vacation. Though many
summer Arizona specialties will be absent, the weather is warm
(rather than hot), and we can still see Gambel's and Scaled
Quail, Western and Whiskered Screech-owls, 4 or 5 hummingbirds,
Arizona Woodpecker, Gilded Flicker, Hutton's Vireo, Black-capped
Gnatcatcher, Western Bluebird, Crissal Thrasher, Phainopepla,
Painted Redstart, several towhees and sparrows, Yellow-eyed
Junco, and much more – Ruddy Ground-Dove, Rufous-backed Robin,
and other Mexican rarities are regularly seen. Combined with
California, up to 250 species are possible!
(Estimated cost
$900 + air fare + meals)
Questions? Contact Kim Eckert / (218) 349 5953 /
eckertkr@gmail.com /
MBWbirds.com |
