Nov. 7: Bust some Bloomington buckthorn with MRVAC
Hey, MRVAC members, remember that box you checked when you joined (or rejoined) MRVAC? The one about volunteering for habitat restoration. Here’s your opportunity. Members and other habitat-minded folks are welcome to join us for a Bloomington city Buckthorn bust.
The city of Bloomington is having a buckthorn bust at Forest Glenn Park from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 7. Questions? Contact Meg Molan, MRVAC’s new volunteer coordinator at meganmoland28@gmail.com. You can sign up on your own at https://cityofbloomington.volunteerlocal.com.
Nov. 19 is the MRVAC auction
The Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter’s holiday auction is back Thursday, Nov.1 9 at Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington!
Monica Rauchwarter also returns as the head auctioneer, raising funds for MRVAC’s grant program.
The auction begins at 7 p.m. Come early to drop off your items to be auctioned, get first pick on low-priced books, get your bidding strategies down, and socialize a bit. There will be snacks and drinks and of course lots of really nifty things up for grabs. We'll have vintage and brand new binoculars, scopes, donations from local grocery stores, artwork, birdhouses and feeders, wine baskets and even coupons for personal services. Doors open at 6 p.m. You can bring your items to be auctioned, too. Or just show up early and volunteer to be a runner or general helper. More info? Give one of the board members a shout or check out the upcoming Trumpeter newsletter. All the proceeds will go toward MRVAC’s grant program, which helps fund local conservation education and birding projects. For more information, check out mrvac.org/news.
Richardson Nature Center is at 8737 E. Bush Lake Rd. in Bloomington. Click on the events tab to see the map.
MRVAC is a 501 (c)(3) organization.
Sept. 24 MRVAC program: Stan Tekiela's back with bird trivia
The Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC) invites you to join us for Minnesota naturalist and best-selling author Stan Tekiela's Bird Trivia, Thursday, Sept, 24, We'll have a reception at 7 p.m. with the program at 7:30 p.m.
In this audience-participation talk Stan Tekiela will engage everyone with fun, challenging, and often hilarious questions about birds. Each answer comes with a factoid that is guaranteed to make you smile and expand your knowledge of North American birds. It's based on Stan’s book, Bird Trivia: Funny, Strange and Incredible Facts about North American Birds.
This meeting will be in person at the Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge visitor's center in Bloomington and simulcast via Zoom. The visitor center is at 3815 American Boulevard East in Bloomington and is accessible after a short walk from the METRO blue line. All MRVAC meetings are free and open to the public.
The meeting will be simulcast on Zoom beginning at 7:30 p.m. To join the Zoom meeting click on this link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82561242973?pwd=OvPA9hOCjl1Laxyj3Ex9AQDowXyloC.1
Meeting ID: 825 6124 2973
Passcode: 229736
One tap mobile: +16469313860,,82561242973#,,,,*229736#
Save these dates, too:
Thursday, Oct. 22 - Craig Blacklock: Minnesota’s premier nature photographer, Lake Superior: An Abstract Art Journey
Note: the venue will be Northern Star Scouting Base Camp at nearby Ft. Snelling.
Thursday, Nov. 19 - MRVAC's annual auction
Note: this will be at the Richardson Nature Center in Bloomington
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Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC)
PO Box 20400
Bloomington, MN 55420-0400
June 25 Meeting: Potluck picnic and birding in Cuba with Laura Erickson
The Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC) invites you to join us for our annual potluck picnic and special Cuba birding program with Laura Erickson, Gregg Severson, Rob Daves, Steve Weston and others Thursday, June 25, at 6 p.m. at the Minnesota River Valley Wildlife Refuge visitor center.
We will be joined by recent participants on birding trips to Cuba. We will share stories, insights, and photographs by extraordinary photographers. MRVAC members will welcome Laura Erickson back. She is a long-time friend of MRVAC, a National Geographic photographer, author of more than a dozen books and seasoned birding educator.
Come hungry and bring a dish to share. This meeting will be held only in-person at the refuge and neither broadcast via Zoom nor recorded for later viewing. The refuge visitor center is located at 3815 American Boulevard East in Bloomington and is accessible after a short walk from the METRO blue line. All MRVAC meetings are free and open to the public.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Link to May 28 program: Ferin Davis Anderson, "Healing Fire Leading to Cultural Revitalization"
The Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC) invites you to join us for Ferin Davis Anderson (Ojibwe). Minnesota pollinator expert and author on "Healing Fire Leading to Cultural Revitalization," Thursday, May 28 at 7 p.m. for a reception and the 7:30 p.m. program.
Learn about fire as an ecological and cultural tool to achieve beneficial and healing outcomes. She will discuss our relationship with fire and the importance of balance, understanding its potential for both harm and renewal, and how intentional fire stewardship shapes resilient landscapes and supports healthy plant and wildlife communities.
The meeting will be in-person at the refuge and simulcast via Zoom. The refuge visitor center is located at 3815 American Boulevard East in Bloomington and is accessible after a short walk from the METRO blue line. All MRVAC meetings are free and open to the public. It will be simulcast on Zoom beginning at 7:30 p.m. To join the Zoom meeting click on this link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82561242973?pwd=OvPA9hOCjl1Laxyj3Ex9AQDowXyloC.1
Meeting ID: 825 6124 2973
Passcode: 229736
One tap mobile: +16469313860,,82561242973#,,,,*229736#
Link to April 23 program: What's the Buzz About Native Bees?"
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Pileated Woodpeckers: Citizen Scientists Needed
By Kara Snow
NRRI’s Avian Ecology Lab is reaching out to birders, naturalists, and amateur ornithologists to help locate nesting cavities of Pileated Woodpeckers in Minnesota.
The Pileated Woodpecker is a keystone species in our forests. The cavities they create provide critical habitat for many other wildlife species. By documenting where they are nesting, we can better understand their habitat use and help inform conservation and forest management.
You can help us by reporting potential nest cavities!
What to report:
We are looking for active nests. These can be reported using this Google Form:
PIWO Nest Cavity Documentation
(Please note this requires a Google account.)
What details to include:
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Location (GPS coordinates or a pinned map location)
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Photos of the cavity and surrounding habitat, if possible
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Notes on activity (e.g., feeding behavior, presence of young, signs of predation, or when the nest becomes inactive)
Where to look:
Pileated Woodpeckers typically nest in large trees that are dead or have signs of decay. Nest cavities are large, round or slightly oval openings, unlike the rectangular holes they create while foraging.
Please observe ethically:
Always keep a respectful distance and avoid disturbing nesting birds.
Lab members may follow up with additional questions. In some cases, we may also coordinate visits to confirmed nest sites in the fall, after nesting is complete.
If you have questions or would like to share this with your community, feel free to reach out.
Thank you for helping us better understand and conserve this important species.
March 26 meeting recording: The Search for Lost Birds
The Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter (MRVAC) hosted John Mittermeier of the American Bird Conservancy for "The Search for Lost Birds," Thursday, Mar. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Around the world, nearly 120 bird species are currently “lost,” meaning they are not considered extinct but there has been no confirmed documentation of their existence in 10 or more years. What are these lost birds, where do they live, and why can’t anyone find them? Do they matter for conservation? The Search for Lost Birds project is a collaborative effort by conservation organizations to find these birds. Join John C. Mittermeier to learn more about this large scale project and the efforts underway to rediscover bird species around the world. The Black-naped Pheasant-pigeon pictured was captured only partially on a trail camera!
This meeting was only via Zoom and not in person. All MRVAC meetings are free and open to the public.
John's presentation recording is here:
Feb. 26 program recording: The Red-tailed Hawk Project
The recording of Bryce Robinson's Red-tailed Hawk Project presentation Thursday, Feb. 26, is available below.
Bryce outlined the work of the Red-tailed Hawk Project, including many stories of surprising things the working group has learned in their investigation into the unknowns of this common species. He co-created the Red-tailed Hawk Project, a group that aims to fill gaps in our understanding of the life history and evolution of the species. Bryce W. Robinson, Ph.D., is postdoctoral researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where his research focuses on the evolution of diversity in the Red-tailed Hawk.
It's time to Give to the Max
Tomorrow is Give to the Max Day, the day when many of us help organizations that do good deeds for the environment, especially our beloved avian population.
Birders and other MRVAC friends have united to fund local projects that educate our children about the importance of pollinators, conservation, wildlife rescue, and help MRVAC speak truth about the importance of conservation legislation. But there’s so much more to do.
Give to the Max Day is one way. Please take a moment, use the green tab at the top of the home page and make your contribution to MRVAC either directly or through Give to the Max. Your gift will help fund MRVAC’s conservation education grant program.
This past year MRVAC provided grants to other local, non-profit organizations for installing pollinator gardens as a part of a school science curriculum, habitat restoration, binoculars or feeders for education, bird house building projects, avian research, youth birding clubs, books for Little Free Libraries and signage at birding locations.
Already made a gift? Thank you for your generosity!