| BIRDS OF THE HENDERSON/SIBLEY
COUNTY AREA |
|
|
| DUCKS, GEESE, WATERBIRDS |
|
|
| Common Goldeneye |
Spring Migration – Coachlight Pool,
Buck’s Lake |
| Hooded Merganser |
Spring Migration – Coachlight Pool,
Buck’s Lake |
| Common Merganser |
Spring Migration – Coachlight Pool,
Buck’s Lake |
| Mallard |
All seasons – unfrozen water areas |
| Northern pintail |
Spring/Autumn migration, MN Rvr floodplain |
| Teal, blue winged |
Spring/Autumn migration, MN Rvr floodplain |
| Teal, green winged |
Spring/Autumn migration, MN Rvr floodplain |
| Northern shoveler |
Spring Migration, MN Rvr floodplain,
Scenic Byway route |
| Lesser Scaup (bluebills) |
Spring migration, MN Rvr floodplain |
| Canvasback |
Spring/Autumn migration, area lakes |
| Redhead |
Spring/Autumn migration, area lakes |
| Common Goldeneye |
Spring migration, Coachlight Pond |
| Bufflehead |
Spring migration, Coachlight Pond |
| Woodduck |
March – October, MN Rvr, Buck’s
Lake, Lakes adjacent to MN Rvr |
| Canada Geese |
All seasons Huge flocks autumn, winter
Katzenmeyer Nature Area |
| Cackling Geese |
Autumn, Winter Katzenmeyer Nature Area |
| Tundra Swan |
Spring migration in area flooded fields |
| Trumpeter Swans |
Nesting pair, undisclosed Sibley County
Lakes |
| American Coot |
Spring/Autumn migration, Sibley County
Lakes |
| Western Grebe |
Spring migration, Sibley County Lakes |
| Cormorants, Double-Crested |
March-May/August-September, Buck’s
Lake, |
| American White Pelican |
Spring/Autumn migration, buck’s
Lake, Lake Titloe At Gaylord, Silver Lake,
MN Rvr backwaters |
|
| GULLS |
|
|
| Herring Gull |
Spring/Autumn migration, Sibley County
Lakes |
| Ring-billed Gull |
Spring/Autumn migration, Sibley County
Lakes |
| Franklin’s Gull |
Spring/Autumn migration, Sibley County
Lakes |
| Forster’s tern |
Spring/Autumn migration, Sibley County
Lakes |
| Common tern |
Spring/Autumn migration, Sibley County
Lakes |
|
| BUTEOS |
|
|
| Red-tailed hawk |
MN River Valley forests |
| Rough-legged hawk |
November-March, Prevalent along Scenic
Byway route, Summer/Autumn MN Rvr |
| Broad-winged hawk |
Area marshes, summer months |
|
| OSPREY/EAGLES/HARRIERS/ACCIPITERS/VULTURES |
|
|
| Osprey |
April/May – August/September, MN
Rvr, Buck’s Lake |
| Bald Eagle |
All seasons, especially March-April and
while MN Rvr Remains unfrozen |
| Golden Eagle |
March/April – sporadic sightings |
| Northern Harrier (Marsh Hawk) |
April-September area marshes, prairies |
| Turkey Vulture |
March-October Throughout MN Rvr valley
area |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk |
All season but especially Nov-April,
area cities-feeders |
| Cooper’s Hawk |
March-October Forested areas, MN Rvr
area |
| American Kestral |
March-October Area electrical wires,
especially prairie Areas |
|
| OWLS |
|
|
| The following owls can be
found in the forested areas of the valley
throughout the year: |
| Great Horned, Long-eared,
Eastern Screech and Barred Owl. |
| The Great Gray Owl irruption
occurred during the winters of 2005-2006.
The Snowy Owl appears intermittently dependent
upon food shortages in the north. |
|
| QUAIL/PARTRIDGES |
|
|
| Northern Bobwhite Quail |
Sporadic appearances, prairie, shallow
woodland areas |
| Gray Partridge |
Rather common in west Henderson cropland |
| Chukar |
Introduced, sporadical sightings |
| Ring-necked Pheasants |
Increasingly common area fields 2006-7 |
| Wild Turkeys |
Common all area fields and forests, Male
displays March, April and May |
|
| LARGE ADING BIRDS |
|
|
| Great Blue heron |
common all shallow water areas Heronry
established south end, Buck’s Lake |
| Sandhill Crane |
passes spring/autumn migration – nesting
pair east LeSueur |
| Great White Egrets |
Sporadic appearances summers on shallow
waters, Large flocks in MN Rvr Valley each
September |
| Cattle Egret |
Sporadic appearances, spring migration,
floodplain |
| Little Green Heron |
Common May-Sept all area shallow lakes,
ponds |
| Black-Crowned Night Heron |
Sporadic, Buck’s Lake area |
| American Bittern |
Sporadic appearances, Sibley County Lakes |
|
| RAILS |
|
|
| Sora Rail |
Area shallow ponds |
| Virginia Rail |
Area shallow ponds |
|
| PLOVERS |
|
|
| Killdeer |
Common, March-September, shallow area
lakes, ponds, MN Rvr beaches |
|
| SANDPIPERS |
|
|
| Yellow-billed cuckoo |
Area deep forests and ravines, May-September |
| Black-billed cuckoo |
Area deep forests and ravines, May-September |
|
| NIGHTHAWKS/WHIPPOORWILLS |
|
|
| Common nighthawk |
Frequent above area small towns at duck
and dawn |
| Whippoorwill |
May, Rush River Wayside Park calling
during night |
|
| KINGFISHER |
|
|
| Kingfish, belted |
All seasons if MN Rvr remains unfrozen
Nests along bluffs adjacent to MN River |
|
| WOODPECKERS |
|
|
| The following woodpeckers
area found with frequency in area forests
and towns: |
| Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy
and Pileated |
| Red-Headed |
Becoming increasingly rare but continues
to be found West of City of Henderson close
to forested areas |
| Yellow-bellied sapsucker |
April-September, Area forests, especially
near fruit trees, elms |
| Northern flicker |
March-October Farmland ditches, trees
throughout Valley |
|
| HUMMINGBIRDS |
|
|
| Ruby-throated hummingbird |
May-September Area woodlands/sugar feeders |
|
| THRUSHES |
|
|
| Eastern bluebird |
Common, bluebird trails throughout Sibley
County |
| Veery |
MN River Valley forested areas |
| Wood thrush |
Uncommon, deep woods, MN Riv Valley |
| Varied thrush |
very uncommon yet has been observed |
| American robin |
Abundant |
| Brown thrasher |
Becoming very uncommon, area forests |
|
| CREEPERS |
|
|
| Brown creeper |
Common during November-February, area
towns and Forests |
|
| SWIFTS |
|
|
| Chimney Swifts |
May-September, Found over all area small
towns, Primarily morning and evening hours,
nests in Henderson, LeSueur business district
chimneys |
|
| SWALLOWS |
|
|
| The following swallows are
common in the area May-September |
| Purple martin |
Increasingly uncommon |
| Tree swallow |
Common along wires near water areas,
bluebird houses |
| Barn swallow |
Farm areas |
| Cliff swallow |
Homes built under all area bridges |
| Bank swallow |
Frequent builders along MN Rvr high banks |
|
| KINGBIRDS |
|
|
| Eastern Kingbird |
May-September, area forests |
| Western Kingbird |
May-September, area forests |
|
| PEWEES/Flycatchers |
|
|
| Eastern phoebe |
April-September, area forests |
| Olive Sided Flycatchers |
April-September, area forests |
| Least flycatcher |
May-August, area forests |
| Great Crested Flycatcher |
June-August, area forests |
|
|
|
| SPARROWS |
|
|
| American tree sparrow |
November-March, very common, hedgerows,
forests, fields |
| Chipping sparrow |
April-September, common city bird |
| Savannah sparrow, field sparrow |
Common |
| Swamp sparrow |
Common |
| Harris’s sparrow |
Sightings forest during migration periods |
| White crowned sparrow |
Sightings forest floor migration periods |
| Fox sparrow |
Sightings forest floor migration periods |
| Song sparrow |
Common summer visitor, field edges |
|
| VIREOS |
|
|
| Warbling and red-eyed vireos |
May-August area forests |
|
| The following are birds common
to the Henderson/Sibley County area |
|
|
| American robin, Eastern bluebird,
hermit thrush, veery, wood thrush, brown
thrasher, gray catbird, NORTHERN SHRIKE
(November-February) cedar waxwing, Horned
lark, (November and February), blue jay,
American crow, black-capped chickadee,
white-breasted nuthatch, house wren, march
wren, ruby and golden-crowned kinglets. |
|
|
| May-July visitors often include
the yellow warbler, PROTHONOTARY WARBLER,
Northern Parula, Myrtle warble, Cape May
Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, yellow rumped
Warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, blackburnian
warbler, yellow-throated warbler, oven
bird, northern waterthrush, common yellowthroat,
AMERICAN REDSTART, SCARLET TANAGER, WESTERN
TANAGER, eastern towhee |
|
|
| Additional common birds include
the starling, red-winged blackbird, yellow-headed
blackbird. |
|
|
| With the additional areas
of CRP, the bobolink, eastern meadowlark
and dickcissel are Experiencd with some
frequency. |
|
|
| Starlings, grackles, cowbirds
are pesky common sightings. |
|
|
| We welcome the northern oriole
and orchard oriole along with the rose-breasted
grosbeak and Indigo bunting late April-September |
|
|
| Juncos are with us from October
through April. The snow buntings whisk
through in January And February |
|
|
| House finches spend the entire
year, while the purple finches and pine
siskins may visit in December, along with
the common redpoll in January and February. |
|
|
| Goldfinches, cedar waxwings,
northern cardinals all spend twelve months
in the area. |
