Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area is not continuous but is composed of waysides, four of which are strung along the Minnesota River between Shakopee and Belle Plaine. The various waysides are interspersed with units of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, a part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Map 6 - Henderson to the Mississippi River - of the Minnesota River State Water Trail in Minnesota. Published by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR).
Birds at Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area (SRA) in Minnesota. Published by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR).
Minnesota Valley SRA
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=sra00304#homepage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Valley_State_Recreation_Area
Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area is not continuous but is composed of waysides, four of which are strung along the Minnesota River between Shakopee and Belle Plaine. The various waysides are interspersed with units of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, a part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Birds of MN Valley Rec Area
Sp Su Fa Wi
❏ Black-capped Chickadee
❏ Tuffted Titmouse
❏ Red-breasted Nuthatch
❏ White-breasted Nuthatch
❏ Brown Creeper
❏ House Wren
❏ Winter Wren
❏ Sedge Wren
❏ Marsh Wren
❏ Golden-crowned Kinglet
❏ Ruby-crowned Kinglet
❏ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
❏ Eastern Bluebird
❏ Gray-cheeked Thrush
❏ Swainson’s Thrush
❏ Hermit Thrush
❏ Wood Thrush
❏ American Robin
❏ Gray Catbird
❏ Brown Thrasher
❏ European Starling
❏ Cedar Waxwing
❏ Blue-winged Warbler
❏ Golden-winged Warbler
❏ Tennessee Warbler
❏ Orange-crowned Warbler
❏ Nashville Warbler
❏ Northern Parula
❏ Yellow Warbler
❏ Chestnut-sided Warbler
❏ Magnolia Warbler
❏ Cape May Warbler
❏ Yellow-rumped Warbler
❏ Black-throated Green Warbler
❏ Blackburnian Warbler
C C C C
O
U
U
O
C C C C
O
C C C
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
C
C O
C
C
C C C
C C C O
U
U
U
C
C
O O O
C C C O
C C C
C C C
C C C C
C C C
U
U
O
U
O
C
C
U
U
C
C
U
U
C C C
C
C
U
U
O
O
C
C
U
U
U
U
U
Birds of MN Valley Rec Area
❏ Palm Warbler
❏ Bay-breasted Warbler
❏ Cerulean Warbler
❏ Black-and-white Warbler
❏ American Redstart
❏ Prothonotary Warbler
❏ Ovenbird
❏ Northern Waterthrush
❏ Mourning Warbler
❏ Common Yellowthroat
❏ Wilson’s Warbler
❏ Canada Warbler
❏ Scarlet Tanager
❏ Eastern Towhee
❏ American Tree Sparrow
❏ Chipping Sparrow
❏ Clay-colored Sparrow
❏ Field Sparrow
❏ Vesper Sparrow
❏ Lark Sparrow
❏ Savannah Sparrow
❏ Henslow’s Sparrow
❏ Fox Sparrow
❏ Song Sparrow
❏ Lincoln’s Sparrow
❏ Swamp Sparrow
❏ White-throated Sparrow
❏ Harris’s Sparrow
❏ White-crowned Sparrow
❏ Dark-eyed Junco
❏ Northern Cardinal
❏ Rose-breasted Grosbeak
❏ Indigo Bunting
❏ Dickcissel
❏ Bobolink
Sp Su Fa Wi
U
U
U
U
O
C
C
C C C
O O
C C C
U
U
U
O
C C C
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
C
Birds of MN Valley Rec Area
❏ Red-winged Blackbird
❏ Eastern Meadowlark
❏ Western Meadowlark
❏ Rusty Blackbird
❏ Common Grackle
❏ Brown-headed Cowbird
❏ Orchard Oriole
❏ Baltimore Oriole
❏ Purple Finch
❏ House Finch
❏ Pine Siskin
❏ American Goldfinch
❏ House Sparrow
Sp Su Fa Wi
MINNESOTA VALLEY
C C C
STATE RECREATION AREA
C C C
C C C
C
C
C C C O
C C
U
O
C C C
O
✓
BIRD
Checklist
O O
C C C C
O
O
C C C C
C C C C
C C
C C C
O
O
C C
U
U
U
U
O
U
O
U
U
O
C
C
Date:__________________________________________
C C C
U
Weather:_______________________________________
U
________________________________________________
C C C
C
C
U
U
U
U
C
C C
Observers:_____________________________________
________________________________________________
Notes:__________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
C C C C
C C C
C C C
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Division of Parks & Recreation
O
U
U
U
March 2004
DNR Web Site: www.dnr.state.mn.us
Birding Opportunities at MN
Valley State Recreation Area
The Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area is a
long, linear park comprised of multiple units. It
contains a magnificent combination of habitats
including river lowlands, floodplain forests,
lakes, marsh and prairie all located along the
Minnesota River. Significant portions of this
recreation area stretch through the south
western suburbs and communities of the Twin
Cities metropolitan area. A wide variety of
species can be found here including wading
birds, waterfowl, flycatchers, thrushes, warblers,
vireos, swallows and sparrows. The fall
migration of sparrows is excellent in the grass
and brush habitat.
Season and Abundance Key
The seasons in the checklist are defined as follows:
Sp (Spring) = March, April, May
Su (Summer) = June, July
Fa (Fall) = August, September, October, November
Wi (Winter) = December, January, February
Abundance codes are defined as follows:
C = Common — present, relatively easy to find
U = Uncommon — observed, may be difficult to find
O = Occasional — may or may not be present in
any year
R = Rare — has occurred at least once, may or
may not be expected to recur
The names and taxonomic arrangement of species follows that of
the Checklist of the Birds of Minnesota (January, 2001), prepared by
the Minnesota Ornithological Records Committee.
This checklist contains the names of all birds that have been
documented in the park by reliable observers. It was constructed by
Robert B. Janssen and the MN DNR-Division of Parks & Recreation
using observations of Mr. Janssen, park staff and other observers, as
well as Minnesota Ornithologist’s Union records and data contained
in research reports. If you are interested in the specific sources used
for a particular park, contact the Parks Division Resource Manage
ment Program Coordinator by telephone at 651-297-1158 or by mail
at MNDNR-Parks, 500 Lafayette Road, Box 39 St. Paul, MN 55155-4039.
“Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Minnesota Department of
Natural Resources is available to all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national
origin, sex, marital st
