Bird Watching in the Three Rivers Park District

Information from the Three Rivers Park District website.

• Purple Martin colonies - Purple Martin colonies have been established at Baker National Golf Course in Maple Plain, Eagle Lake Golf Course in Maple Grove and at the swimming beach at French Regional Park in Plymouth, according to the Three Rivers Park Reserve website.

• Trumpter Swans – Baker Park Reserve in Maple Plain, Crow-Hassan Park Reserve in Hanover, Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, Carver Park Reserve in Victoria and Lake Rebecca Park Reserve in Rockford. For details on specific viewing locations in these parks, visit the Three Rivers Park District Trumpter Swans webpage.

• Open-site species - Crow-Hassan Park Reserve in Hanover and Carver Park Reserve in Victoria.

• Osprey – Carver Park Reserve in Victoria. Public programs are scheduled each year in July where you can watch chicks receive leg bands, according to the Three Rivers Park District osprey reintroductions webpage.

• Woodland species - Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve in Savage, which has also been designed an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, according to Three Rivers Park District.

• Bald Eagles – Crow-Hassan Park Reserve in Hanover, Fish Lake Regional Park in Maple Grove and North Mississippi Regional Park in Minneapolis are just a few of the spots to sign the bald eagle. You can also travel with the Richardson Nature Center naturalists and The Raptor Center educators on a field trip to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha Aug. 16. Check out the Three Rivers Park District website for details.

Editor’s note: What are your favorite spots for bird watching? What birds are you seeing this time of year in your backyard? Share your bird watching sightings in comments and upload your bird pictures to this post.