Twin Cities bird opportunities?

I live in Minneapolis Minnesota and get out for bird photography all

too infrequently. Does anyone who photographs birds here know if

anywhere within an hour or so is 'hot' right now? I usually just go

somewhere at random and hope for the best. Sometimes I get lucky,

but more often not.

 

I'm considering trying out Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge

tomorrow. I drove through it once several years ago in the peak of

summer, but I don't know what it'll be like in april.

 

Where would you go in April, or anytime for that matter. Thanks for

your advice!

Carlos Avery is HOT. Red Wing (just about anywhere)is Hot. Black Dog Perserve is Hot. Hell, Even Calhoun is HOT. Just about anywhere there are trees and water is HOT right now. Should last for at least a month. 45 min aways in WIS is Willow River State Park. Along the St. Croix is good. Along the Minnesota by St. Peter is ussually good this time of year (haven't been there yet so don't know fer sure).

Greg,

 

I would also suggest Crosby Farm park along the Mississippi River in Saint Paul. You can enter the park off of Shepard Road immediately east of Highway 5. I often go there to hike and shoot, and routinely see and hear brids of many varieties.

 

 

Regards,

 

Jason Kaufman

Greg,

 

I would also suggest Crosby Farm park along the Mississippi River in Saint Paul. You can enter the park off of Shepard Road immediately east of Highway 5. I often go there to hike and shoot, and routinely see and hear brids of many varieties.

 

 

Regards,

 

Jason Kaufman

Thanks! I guess I'll start off at Carlos Avery in the morning, and pick a direction from there...I'll let you know how it went.

http://biosci.cbs.umn.edu/~mou/birdloc.html

Check in with the people at the Minnesota Nature and Photography Club in the Twin Cities. Their website is www.minnesotanature.org. They have a fine newsletter that may be downloaded.

Greg,

 

I wouldn't rule out Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. There should be some Sandhill Cranes back by now and maybe an Eagle as well.

As nice a place as Sherburne is wouldn't go way the heck out there when you'll see sandhills cranes at Carlos. And eagles? You want to see eagles go hangout by the Lake street bridge over the Mississippi, or just about anywhere along along the Minnesota River, especially down by Fort Snelling.

Heres a website you might like to check out.

http://moumn.org/

Thanks Robert, Alex, J for those links, They'll definitely be useful.

 

Yesterday I spent about 8 hours in Carlos Avery WMA, and had a great time. I got some nice sandhill crane and Redwing Blackbird shots. I also saw 2 young bald eagles fighting, but they were too far away for good photos. There were several types of Ducks around, Mallards and other smaller ones that I still have to ID. There were Canadian Geese of course. I'm not so hot with bird ID yet, but there were also fast small birds catching insects over the water. I tried for a while to photograph them in flight...fun but not fruitful. I also got one shot of a great blue heron as he took off (They are VERY skittish at Carlos Avery).

 

Also, there were 2 separate types of larger-than-geese white birds, quite far off. Perhaps one pair was swans, they had white bodies but their necks became rusty colored as toward their heads, they had black bills, the black extends to their eyes. I saw other white goose-like birds take off and they had dark brow or black on the outside part of their wings.

 

Let's see...Oh, I saw one common loon fishing. I got a mediocre photo, but then he moved off.

 

I didn't see many smaller birds other than a few sparrows. It was quite a windy day however, so they may have been holing up if they were there.

 

I hope to post a photo or two later on today.