Dare to dream, birders of St. Louis Co.! These are some of my favorite rarity accounts for the county from this month (many of which are admittedly quite dated). The date of my birthday marked the kickoff of the only documented “irruption” of willow ptarmigans into the state, now 86 years ago. Interesting to see the few other records of ptarmigans in the state. Ponder, and be inspired!
- willow ptarmigan (Green & Janssen 1975)
- 1 bird collected Apr. 20 1914 on Springsteel Island
- 1933-1934: Roseau, Lake of the Woods, n. St. Louis Co. (Dec 7 – Apr. 25)
- 1964: 2 birds coming to a feeder in Graceton (Feb. 27-Mar. 12)
Literature Cited
Green, Janet C., and Robert B. Janssen. Minnesota birds: where, when, and how many. University of Minnesota Press, 1975.
Green, Janet C. “The First Green-Tailed Towhee Record for Minnesota.” The Loon 39 (1967): 135.