May is a fabulous time for birders! Flocks of migrators are moving through, and sunrise and sunset are filled with the ethereal songs of thrushes, the mournful wail of doves, and the caterwauling cries of Barred Owls. Mixed in with these common birds are a few rare ones, detectible only by those with some combination of sharp eyes, a deep knowledge of birds, and some luck.
John Latimer and six other birders (the self-named “Magnificent Seven”) were lucky (and prepared, and sharp-eyed) last weekend; they spotted a Summer Tanager! These vibrant red songbirds are rare visitors to Minnesota: John has only seen one three times, despite his 40+ years of closely observing Minnesota’s wildlife.
If you’d like to join the ranks of the Prepared and Fortunate, Minnesota has a plethora of birding hotspots to visit. Here are just a few:
- Hawk Ridge in Duluth
- Sax-Zim Bog (check out “birding the bog” etiquette before you go!)
- Any of Minnesota's 20 National Wildlife Refuges
- The Felton Prairie
- The Minnesota Valley River Trail
- And many more.
Find out more about Minnesota birding here.
Of course, there’s much more than birds fluttering around in John Latimer’s brain; this week’s phenology report has the details on spring flowering and leaf-out, tips on making nectar to support migratory hummingbirds, and much more.
Topics
- Introduction (0:00-0:26)
- “We are wham-bam right in the middle of spring” (0:26-1:30)
- Aspen tree leaf-out (1:18-4:27)
- Shrubs (4:27-10:21)
- Forbs, ferns, and grass-like greenery (10:21-12:46)
- Dragonflies (12:46-13:08)
- Birds (13:08-14:52)
- Black ash flowers (14:52-15:11)
- Summer tanager at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge (15:11-18:31)
- Morel mushrooms, hummingbird nectar (18:31-19:29)
- Conclusion (19:29-19:59)
What have you seen out there? Let us know: email us at comments@kaxe.org or text us at 218-326-1234.
That does it for this week! For more phenology, <b>subscribe</b> to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
