Shall I have rendez- here again are we having fun at the Minnesota State Fair or what?

You know I'll be back trying some new state fair foods.

I've been sneaking time to try to figure out where they are and I can't find them I think they're under this guy's head.

I'm gonna go see well sure food at the fair is fun, but you know it's really fun a geography quiz >> Fine, we're going to do it anyway.

So right now, Minnesota's favorite bird person is up on the stage.

>> Bird chick, bird chick, bird chick, bird chick, bird chick, bird chick, bird chick, bird chick, bird chick, bird chick, bird chick.

>> I have to say, in our 40 years of all menac, we've never had a guest have a chant.

They're for a guest.

>> You made my day, thank you.

Oh my gosh.

All right, y'all, it's State Fair time, right?

And did you know that overhead, warblers, virios, cat birds are on the move?

They're leaving people, they're leaving Minnesota.

And I am crushed personally because it means it falls right around the corner.

We have an expert that can help us identify the sites and sounds in the air this time of the year.

Sharon Stightler is here, many folks in the birding world know her as bird chick.

This is your first time at the fair for Onalmanac.

Onalmanac, I've done a lot at the fair.

I usually work the ask us about bird's booth at the DNR and I've been on other stations.

And you're a crop art artist.

Yes, I crop up for the first time this year and it's on the wall.

It was a life goal since I first moved to Minnesota over time years ago.

So yeah.

So as I say, I am deeply depressed right now because birds are leaving.

- Yes, but the great thing about migration is that it lasts for months.

I mean, migration kind of started at the end of July.

Hawk Ridge started their annual Raptor count just a week or two ago.

And we can watch first migrate all the way through November.

- How late do I have to stay up to keep track of the migration?

Do they fly at night or all times a day?

- They do.

There's a great website called birdcast.org and it will give you forecast for when the birds are going to move at night.

A lot of songbirds move at night because there aren't as many birds of prey out.

Last night in Ramsey County, we had over 650,000 birds fly over Justice County.

-Wow.

-Yeah, so it will give you that kind of information.

You can put in whatever county you're in and it'll tell you like the peak of migration birds were flying at an average of 1,600 feet.

Wow.

Yeah, it's really amazing.

It's just why we should keep outside lights off for friends up there.

It's a good idea and you know, not only Is it a danger for birds to fly into but bright lights can also be a distraction for their navigation a real classic example is the tribute and light that happens on September 11th Sometimes they have to shut that off periodically because birds will get caught in it.

Google Birds Trapped Intrute to Light, it's insane.

It looks like there's a thousand dragonflies in there.

It's all birds.

Wow.

Wisconsin and Minnesota are studying a die off of loons.

What?

They probably are.

I mean, we've had a drought this year.

We've had a lot of things going on.

So the Red Wing Blackbirds in the wetland right outside where I live in St.

Louis Park, they had complete nest failure this summer.

I was like, why am I not hearing baby blackbirds?

They're really, they're not.

They're not favorite birds.

What's the result of a failure of the nest?

It could be lack of food.

I mean, because I asked Ben about this, Sven Sengard, meteorologist, and I said, what was going on in May when they would have been feeding chicks?

He was like, well, it was super dry.

like that would affect insect production and if they don't have enough insects to raise their young, they're not going to be successful.

Oh my gosh.

See, we haven't really done this all-man-act at the fair.

This particular thing we're going to do.

We're going to go out in the audience and take questions for you.

Are you okay with that?

Okay.

I love it.

Okay.

Oh, Mary, Where are you?

Mary Lahammer Yeah, I'm in the audience.

I'm guessing we have a go for fan or alum with a question here.

My question is how often do birds and squirrels exchange nests?

We had that happen in tree right outside our house.

That's a really great question.

It's something that happens.

It's not super common.

But I have seen a lot of great horned owls take over old squirrel nests.

So, you know, birds are resourceful.

If they see an opportunity, they're going to make a nest out of it.

But that's really interesting.

I wonder which bird species you had.

Why didn't know that?

Good question, by the way, Mary.

Another one?

Yeah, we have another one right here.

Right?

This is kind of a dream of mine.

But I have a colleague, and she's now been attacked by a Red Wing Blackbird twice.

Oh, two years in a row.

So do you have any advice on how to maybe avoid that situation?

Yes, it's super easy.

don't walk next to a Red Wing Blackbird nest.

(laughter) That's how you know where they're nesting.

Sometimes I find it really hilarious that birds get really angry, sometimes violent around their nests.

And it's like, you know, if you weren't, if you weren't so uppity like that, you know, people wouldn't know where your nest is.

But yeah, if you know where that Red Wing Blackbird is gonna nail you or your dog, just give it about 10 feet.

- That is interesting.

I did not know that.

- Say Mary, you're out there way in the back.

- So there's a lot of development being planned along the river in our city.

How can our community best approach development in a way that is going to help bird species, especially migratory birds, is it about bird-safe glass, is it about building hikes?

- It's about all of it, but I will say one of the number one best things that you can do is plant some native plants.

Get trees, get shrubs.

They don't even have to be berry bushes.

You want all kinds of things because oak trees not only do the acorns provide food, but the insects that feed on the leaves, that's an important source of food.

So we need to look at windows.

We need to be better about how we do architecture and height and lights.

But the number one thing all of us can do is commit to plant one native plant in our yard this fall.

OK, so that helps in terms of natural food sources.

Is that why sometimes you put out feeders during the summer and really nobody visits?

They're busy eating something else?

That's usually more you have older, bad food.

But no, no.

So to press to go back-- I'm sorry to realize that was your question, Kathy.

All right, that's fine.

I'm shamed now.

But no, these plants also provide shelter, not just for-- they provide nesting material.

So they're way more multifaceted than a bird feeder.

And it's food that will last no matter what.

You know, my flowers, when I go out of town, they still feed my hummingbirds.

So I don't have to worry about keeping that feeder clean.

Mary's got one.

Here we go, more from our brilliant audience.

Hey, bird chick, I'm wondering what's up with the red of the Santa El Cranes.

I've never had them in my area.

I'm in the Western suburbs.

And this morning, they gave me a fond farewell off to the fair.

I was about 10 feet from them in my driveway, too, a pair.

You are so lucky.

That's one of my favorite sounds.

I love it so much.

I have a tattoo of a Santa El Cranes on me.

We have done such a great job of habitat preservation and doing all sorts of things like, like not putting out as much DDT.

Sand Hill cranes would have been affected by that too.

And so we provide great habitat.

We give the birds space to grow.

We don't shoot them willy-nilly.

And now we have so many sand Hill cranes in Minnesota that I don't need to drive into Brasca to go see them in March.

>> I mean, it's incredible.

We're really a fortunate state that knows how to take care of Wild Bird.

>> They are cool, cool birds.

Okay, so you mentioned you've been at the fair before.

The DNR don't they have bird shows here?

They do, I think.

>> They do, sometimes they do have a bird show them back.

The booth that I have worked in that, I'm going to go visit a friend of mine there after I'm done here, is called the Ask Us About Bird's Booth.

And it's birders from all over the state, and we will answer your questions.

And we love to share the weirdest questions.

I bet.

So by the way, Hawkridge, Duluth, go up there right now, right?

My question.

And secret to doing that, go on days when Windsor out of the Northwest.

That's when you're going to see the most hawks.

If you get up and you're like, I'm going to Duluth and the Windsor out of the South, go eat some food down in Canal Park.

You're not right.

Bird Chick everybody.

Yeah, she's the best.

We love you.

Thanks Sharon.

[APPLAUSE]