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Wildlife & Bird Sightings
Fergus Falls Wetland Management District Bird Checklist
Wildlife and Bird Sightings - 2009
March
- March 19 – The Prairie Science Class saw a mink today. The mink didn’t see them until it was very close.
- March 23 – Very hard rain, with nearly an inch recorded. Snow is all but gone and frost is out of the ground on the prairie.
- March 24 – Robins singing on deck rails, Snow geese flying over, horned larks, great blue heron, trumpeter swan, lesser and greater Canada geese, red-winged blackbirds, crows, mallards, northern harrier, red-tailed hawk, killdeer sighted.
April
- April 2 - two great blue herons fly over, horned larks,American kestrels and chipping sparrows and juncos still here.
- April 3 - Krider's Red-tailed hawks kettling, American kestrels, chipping sparrows, mallards and geese paired up, pelicans.
- April 8 - chorus frogs calling and grasshoppers on top of the snow. Eastern bluebird, northern harrier, double crested cormorant.
- April 9 - Western Meadowlark singing at parking lot
- April 10 - American tree sparrows, common goldeneye pair, mallards, Canada geese, kildeer
- April 13 - Lesser Scaup, tree swallows, song sparrows, woodfrogs calling
- April 14 - Great-horned Owl perched on barn silo
- April 15 - Pied-billed grebes, turkey vultures, loons in area
- April 20 - Bald eagle
- April 21 - Pelicans, Cormorants, Tree Swallows, Scaup, Clay Colored Sparrows, Wood ducks, Red-winged Blackbird, Killdeer, Crows, Northern Harrier, Northern Flicker, Song Sparrow, Mallard, Bufflehead, American Coot, Common Mergansers, Bluebird, Yellow headed Blackbird
- April 23 - 30 -40 pelicans
- April 28 - Ringneck ducks, song sparrows, savannah sparrow, clay-colored sparrow, tree swallows, mallards, Canada geese, lesser and greater scaup
May
- May 5 - swamp sparrow, red-winged blackbird, Canada goose, blue-winged teal, mallard, sora rail, American coot, tree swallow, pied billed grebe, clay-colored sparrow, song sparrow, yellow-headed blackbird, yellow-rumped warbler, brown-headed cowbird, red-tailed hawk, double-crested cormorant, bonaparte's gull, ring-necked pheasant, robin. Other wildlife: western chorus frogs, water striders, muskrat, green darner dragonfly, whirligig beetles, painted turtles, leeches, Virginia tchenucha caterpillars, bumblebees.
- May 8 - song sparrow,
purple martin,
red-winged blackbird,
tree swallow,
cliff swallow,
house sparrow,
Canada goose,
white-breasted nuthatch,
barn swallow,
common grackle,
white-crowned sparrow,
great egret,
brown-headed cowbird,
clay-colored sparrow,
swamp sparrow
yellow-headed blackbird, American crow, yellow warbler, mallard, American robin, pied-billed grebe, American coot, blue-winged teal,
yellow-rumped warbler. Other wildlife: INVERTS - Formica ants, red mite, "trail" ants, millipede, wood tick, whirligig beetle, various spiders,
water strider, scud, leech, black ant, red ant, woolly bear caterpillar (Isabella tiger moth larva). MAMMALS - 13-lined ground squirrel, plains pocket gopher, Mammal sign: muskrat leg, squirrel nest, plains pocket gopher mounds, mink scat. PLANTS (green, living, growing ones, mainly sprouts), dandelion (blooming), clover, stiff goldenrod, thistle, willow, mugwort, cottonwood, reed canary grass, star duckweed, cattail. - May 12 - mallard, Canada goose, bobolink, clay-colored sparrow
- May 13 - Red-winged blackbird, barn swallow, tree swallow, mallard, purple martin, brown-headed cowbird, cliff swallow
- May 14 - mallard, red-winged blackbird, tree swallow, American robin, turkey vulture, American crow, brown-headed cowbird, yellow warbler, song sparrow, clay-colored sparrow, brown thrasher, yellow-headed blackbird, American coots, northern oriole nest in Mallard oaks
- May 18 - blue-winged teal pair, mallard drakes, Canada geese, tree swallows, pied-billed grebe, wood duck, turkey vulture
- May 27- black crowned night heron, tree swallow, cliff swallow, barn swallow, red-winged blackbird, Mallard, Clay colored sparrow, Marsh wren, Blue winged teal, Robin, Bobolink, Sedge wren, Yellow warbler, Common yellowthroat, ? flycatcher, Savannah sparrow. Grasshopper sparrow, Coot, Yellowheaded blackbird, Cedar waxwings, Sora rail, Canada geese.
June
- June 5 - Bobolinks, clay colored sparrows, chimney swifts, tree swallow, cliff swallow, barn swallow. Blooming - golden alexander, canada anemone.
- June 8 - Bobolinks active, Red winged blackbirds nests with eggs. Blooming plants - white campion, daisy fleabane, hoary alyssum, flax sp. Bear scat observed on trail.
- June 9 - Purple martins, bobolink, common yellowthroats, bald eagle, clay-colored sparrow. Bloomers - flixweed and goatsbeard.
- June 10 - Red-winged blackbirds nestlings, blue-winged teal, sora rail, pied-billed grebe, yellow-headed blackbirds. Dames rocket blooming.
- June 11 - Blooming - hoary puccoon, golden alexander. American toads singing. Red-winged blackbird, yellow-headed blackbird, cowbird, bobolink, mallard, blue winged teal, common yellowthroat, grasshopper sparrow, American redstart, marsh wren, barn swallow, bluebird, brown thrasher, pelican, great egret, house finch, gold finch, tree swallow, cliff swallow, vesper sparrow, clay-colored sparrow, killdeer, robin, swamp sparrow, cormorant, yellow warbler, northern shoveler, canada goose. Lots of TICKS!
- June 12 - Bobolinks, clay colored sparrows, pheasant, barn, tree and cliff swallows, canada geese.
- June 18 - Blooming - prairie rose, bedstraw, oxeye sunflower, blanket flower, spiderwort, dwarf indigo, false indigo, false gromwell, prairie phlox, large flowered penstemon.
July
- July 9 - Blooming - butterfly weed, praire coneflower, blue vervain, hoary vervain, tall meadow rue, pale purple coneflower, purple prairie clover, evening primrose, wild licorice, showy milkweed, common milkweed, monarda, white prairie clover, bullrush, white beardstounge, tube beardstounge, St. Johnswort. Butterflies and moths - brown-eye satyr, common wood nymph, big poplar sphinx, monarch, cloudless yellow sulphur, cabbage white.
- July 23 - Blooming - monarda, tickseed trefoil, wild onion, rattlesnake master, lead plant, cup plant, compass plant, new jersey tea.
August
- August 12 - yellow bear catterpillar, northern harrier, monarch, marsh wren, red meadow hawk dragonfly, leopard frog, blanket flower still blooming, mallards, goldfinches, nuthatch, song sparrow.
- August 17 - American goldfinches, crickets, swallows, backswimmer, crawling water beetle, mallar, painted turtle, chimney swift.
- August 18 - American toad toadlets, 13-lined ground squirrels eating cup plant flower buds, field cricket, bumblebee, bluebottle fly, black beetle, ant, soldier beetle, green darner dragonfly, monarch, white sulphur butterfly, lady bug, blue darner dragonfly, aphid, spiders, crayfish, soldier fly larva, scud, northern leopard frog, gilled snail, water boatman, backswimmers, giant waterbug, damselfly larva, mayfly larva, star duckweed, lesser duckweed, burreed in seed and bloom, water strider, minnows, coontail, smartweed in bloom, crawling water beetle, orb snail, pouch snail, red mite, bloodworm, tree swallows, barn swallows, Canada geese, American goldfinches, American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, gulls, sparrows, purple martin, mallard, northern leopard frog. In bloom: gara, vervain, Monarda, asters, Joe pyewed, Maximillian sunflower, common mullein, prairie onion, goldenrod, white prairie clover, red clover, ragweed, black-eyed Susan, prairie coneflower, stiff goldenrod, bull thistle, perfoliate boneset, purple prairie clover, nightshade, wood sorrel, sow thistle, smartweed, ironweed
September
- September 22 - ambush bug, blue darner dragonfly, lady bug, monarch butterfly, sword-tailed katydid, grasshoppers and field crickets, sow bug, orb weaver spiders, slug, millipedes, tiger salamanders on the move, 13-lined ground squirrel. In bloom: New England aster, sunflowers. In seed: Indian grass, big bluestem, switchgrass, lead plant, sideoats grama, wild bergamot, purple coneflower, cup plant, purple prairie clover. Canada geese, American goldfinches, tiger salamanders, 13-lined ground squirrels, grasshoppers and crickets.
- September 23 - Lead plant ripe, stiff goldenrod and New England Aster blooming, ants, crickets, millipedes and slugs active
- September 24 - Blooming plants: New England Aster, sneezeweed, probable flase aster, black-eyed susan. Purple prairie clover ripe. Birds: double crested cormorant, nighthawk, Canada goose, white-breasted nuthatch, blue jay. Insects: grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies. Tree frog still active.
- September 30 - Gray headed coneflower ripe.
October
- October 1 - New England Aster, cup plant and rough blazing star blooming.
- October 5 - Big bluestem grass, side-oats gramma ripe. Song sparrow, red-winged blackbird, American goldfinch, Canada goose, hawk, black capped chickadee, marsh wren, many sparrows.
- October 7 - American goldfinches, Canada geese, red-winged blackbird, sparrows.
Last updated:
October 14, 2009
