Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis

The “Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery” presented by Jerry Bahls will be the next joint program of the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis and the Breckenridge Chapter of the Isaac Walton League.  The program will be at the Chapter House of the Breckenridge Chapter, 8816 West River Road in Brooklyn Park, and will start at 7:30 on July 27th.

Please watch for a future announcement about the August 24th joint meeting.

Our chapter has partnered with two neighborhood organizations to work with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board on revitalizing Roberts Bird Sanctuary. Right now, we’re asking for public input on the project. Click here to take a brief survey about Roberts. The survey allows comments. The survey deadline is September 15, 2010.

Also, come to a meeting to give us your input. Three meetings, all open to the public, will be held:

Monday, August 9 from 7 – 8 pm at Lyndale-Farmstead Community Center at 3900 Bryant Av S, Minneapolis

Thursday, August 19 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm at Linden Hills Community Center at 3100 43rd Street W, Minneapolis

Tuesday, September 7 from 7 – 8 pm (public input) and 8 – 9 pm (program on Roberts) at Mayflower Congregational Church at 106 East Diamond Lake Road, Minneapolis  (Note: This is the September ACM program meeting – everyone is welcome)

Go to the Roberts page to read the press release and find out more about the project.

Click here for a pdf of the Roberts Revitalization Project brochure.

Chimney swift tower, St. Louis Park, photo by Robert Papke

The Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis is sponsoring chimney swift towers to provide nesting and roosting space for this species, which has lost habitat as more chimneys are capped or otherwise not available for nesting.

The photograph show a chimney swift tower in Westwood Nature Center in St. Louis Park constructed by Eagle scouts in May 2010, and paid for by an attorney who just like birds. Check out the tower itself for details –  no cost at all for visitors.

Chimney swifts have suffered a serious and critical decline in the past 10 years. Much of this is probably due the continuing removal of hollow trees, old unused chimneys and other common nesting sites.

To counter these losses, efforts are being made to publicize and obgain funds for the construction of chimney swift towers. In the metro area, over 40 towers have been been or will be constructed. Sites are a middle school in Orono, on the Aveda company’s property, the Minnesota Zoo ( 2 towers), a nature area in Golden Valley, and numerous other sites.

For additional information contact: Bob Papke at 763.545.9072

Our chapter will be leading bird walks at Roberts on Saturday mornings at 8:00 am from April 24 through June 5 to catch the migrating birds. There will also be three Saturday 8:00 am walks during the summer to see the local birds on June 19, July 17, and August 21.  All tours will start at the visitors shelter and last one hour. The walks are free and birders of levels are welcome. For more information about the walks and other events at Roberts click on Roberts.

See a licensed bird bander band wild song birds.  Find out why we put bands on birds and what we learn.  The program is FREE!  It is at the Eastman Nature Center in the Northwest Metro Area.  Call (763)-694-7700 for directions or more information.

The programs are continuous from 9:00 a.m. to noon on the following dates:

Saturday, July 10

Saturday, September 4

Saturday, November 13

Here’s the list of spring/summer walks. All will be on Saturdays, meet at the visitor center and will cost  $5.36 (includes tax).  Preregister online at www.anokacountyparks.com if you know you can make it. Any questions call Gary Swanson at 612-209-5405.

Bird Walk Series-Coon Rapids Dam (East Side – Coon Rapids, MN)

May 22, 8:00-10:00 a.m.

May 29, 8:00-10:00 a.m.

June 26, 8:00-10:00 a.m. (nesting species)

July 24,  8:00-10:00 a.m.

August 28, 8:00-10:00 a.m.

Roberts is an enclosed 13 acre site located on the north side of Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. It’s owned by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB). The Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis has adopted the sanctuary through the MPRB’s Adopt-a-Park program. Find out more about the adoption agreement and what you can do to help on the Conservation page.

Check out the Conservation page for information on volunteering at William Berry Woods (located between lakes Harriet and Calhoun), the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis, and the Naturescape on the east side of Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis.

The Urban Birding Festival provides many great birding activities in the Twin Cities area in the month of May. Most of the events are free and many are family-friendly. Look for more information about next year’s festival in early spring 2011.

Jerry Bahls, a founding member of the Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery program (RhWR), will be speaking about the birds and their status on Friday, May 14 at 1 pm at the Minneapolis Audubon Society (MAS) monthly meeting. The MAS meets at Bryant Square (31st Street and Bryant Av S in Minneapolis). Refeshments will be served and everyone is welcome.

Red-headed Woodpeckers are also the focus at the Cedar Creek Reserve in East Bethel on Saturday, May 8 from 1 – 3 pm. Members of the RhWR will provide a guided tour of the reserve to view the birds and their nests. This is a great opportunity to introduce children to woodpeckers and birdwatching! Go to the Non-chapter Programs of Interest page for more information including directions to the carpooling site and the organizers’ phone number.

To learn more about the RhWR, go to Miscellaneous Links and click on Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery program.