Many Birds Observed at Our First World Migratory Bird Day (2024)

Humans were sparse, but birds were abundant for our first World Migratory Bird Day on May 11th!  Global Big Day is a yearly event put on by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where birdwatchers from all over the world team up to see how many different bird species they can spot in just one day. This year's spring event was on May 11th, right about peak time for migration in Minnesota. Our birding team observed 58 different species of birds at the Chapter during the event, and many of them were nesting!  Check out the full list and some great photos below. 

Special thanks to Paul Raymaker for taking photos, and Steph MacPhail and her birding team for creating this event and for counting so many birds! Steph observed a total of 78 species of birds around the Bush Lake area- now that is a Big Day!

Birds Need Your Help

Much of the work we do here at the Chapter is "for the birds."  From removing invasive plants, planting native plants, putting up bird houses and maintaining them, putting decals on windows to prevent bird strikes and working to Get the Lead Out of hunting and fishing- our conservation efforts help wild birds.  

You can help too!

• Make your windows safer- day and night. Up to 1 billion birds are estimated to die each year after hitting windows in the USA and Canada. At night, close your blinds and limit outdoor lights
• Keep cats indoors! Predation by domestic cats is the number-one direct, human-caused threat to birds in the United States and Canada.
• Reduce your lawn, plant native plants.
• Build a birdhouse and monitor and maintain it. Avoid buying cheap junky ones from big box stores as they don't last long and may even harm wildlife.
• Avoid pesticides, fertilizers, and chemicals is your yard and garden. This helps water quality too!
• Get the Lead Out of Fishing and Hunting (use non-toxic alternatives)
• Do not use poison to control rodents
• Drink bird friendly-certified shade-grown coffee
• If you feed birds, keep those feeders and bird baths clean!  
• Volunteer at/Donate to the Raptor Center, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, or other great organizations (such as the Bush Lake Chapter!). 

Species Observed (* indicates nesting)

Baltimore Oriole

Spotted Sandpiper

Palm Warbler

Tree Swallow*

Common Loon

Double-crested Cormorant

Eastern Kingbird

Yellow Warbler

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue Jay

Mallard

Brown-headed Cowbird

Great Egret

Wood Duck

Song Sparrow

Great-crested Flycatcher

Red-tailed Hawk

Eastern Bluebird*

House Wren

Red-winged Blackbird

Pileated Woodpecker

Wilson's Warbler

Eastern Phoebe*

Canada Goose

Mourning Dove

American Goldfinch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-throated Vireo

American Redstart

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Hooded Merganser

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Scarlet Tanager

Chimney Swift

Warbling Vireo

American Robin*

Ring-billed Gull

Northern Flicker

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Killdeer

House Finch

Magnolia Warbler

Chipping Sparrow

Barn Swallow

Tennessee Warbler

Bald Eagle

Black-capped Chickadee

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Cardinal

American Crow

Common Yellowthroat

Trumpeter Swan

Least Flycatcher

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

White-throated Sparrow

Barred owl

Photos from the event below: Eastern bluebird eggs in one of our houses, a Scarlet tanager, , Great egret soars over East Bay Pond, a tree swallow on its house, Steph and her team look and listen for birds,