Tammah Watts – Program – Recording Available

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** Co-Sponsored with Land of Lakes Bird Alliance **

Link to Webinar Recording

Registration Link and Zoom Meeting Info

Birds are beautiful, funny, mystical, and enduring, just like we are. Like them, we come in varying colors, shapes, and sizes and it is our differences and what we have in common that serve as our greatest strengths. -Tammah Watts

Join Tammah Watts as she weaves together personal story and avian life to reveal the marvelous phenomenon shared among us. This interactive presentation invites the audience to become acquainted, or perhaps re-acquainted, with the many benefits one experiences connecting with our feathered friends at home, in the community, and beyond.

Learn about and explore:

  • the many benefits of spending time in nature, and in particular with birds, for one’s physical and mental health, and overall well-being
  • how spending time with birds in a mindful way can deepen one’s appreciation for our feathered friends as well as enhance our connection to the natural world, and to ourselves
  • ways to develop heightened awareness and acceptance for birding in various settings and capacities from at home to far distant lands and,
  • how one’s story about life and birds can foster a sense of community that honors what we have in common as well as celebrates our differences

Experience birds in a whole new way wherever you are and whenever you wish- all you have to do is look up, take notice, and open your heart and mind.

Tammah Watts (she/her), is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide, California Naturalist, birder, and advocate for equitable access to nature, health, and mental wellbeing. 

KEEP LOOKING UP: Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching, (Hay House), is her first book–a narrative memoir and guidebook with contemplative exercises– that chronicles her journey towards healing by meaningfully connecting with birds. 

Tammah serves on regional and national boards dedicated to conservation and environmental stewardship including Audubon CA, San Diego Bird Alliance and Cornell Lab of Ornithology Project FeederWatch + DISES Dayer Lab Project. 

She is an Associate Licensed Mental Health Counselor at a local college where she supports student mental health and personal development across the lifespan and integrates mindfulness and nature therapy. 

Tammah is passionate about collaborating with diverse groups and organizations to advance environmental, social and intergenerational justice, amplify community belonging, and foster healing connections between people and the natural world. 

Her work and perspective have been featured in a variety of media outlets, including The New York Times, Therapy for Black Girls, Ray Brown’s Talkin’ Birds, Washington Post, The Bird Joy Podcast, and Psychology Today and has included being a speaker for Biggest Week In American Birding, Birdability Week, San Diego Bird Festival, Black Birders Week and Wild Bird Feeding Institute, among other venues. 

She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, Harrison, and their little dog Sophie Cat, all the while trying to combat empty-nest syndrome by visiting (and birding) with their children and grandchildren whenever possible. 

Books: Keep Looking Up: Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching

Winter Bird Count Draws a Record 132 Participants

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Saturday, December 20, started out at 27 degrees F. By 5 pm, the temperature had dropped to 12 degrees. Molly Jo Miller, Team Leader for Area 15 Pig’s Eye, said, “We could all feel the biting wind get colder and colder as the day went on.” She thanked her bird counters for their perseverance.

Kiki Sonnen & Greg Burnes – Saint Paul Bird Alliance volunteers, conducted this year’s Winter Bird Count, also known as the Christmas Bird Count, on Saturday, December 20, 2025. Our Count Circle is centered at County Road B and Dale Street and radiates 7.5 miles out in all directions. We have our Count Circle divided into 15 areas. Teams of volunteers search their assigned area, tabulating all birds seen or heard. 

132 birders found a total of 54 species of birds in this year’s Count. A total of 14,392 individual birds were reported. Mallards won the count by a long shot with 7,306  (Thanks to those who took the time to carefully count thousands of Mallards). Rock Pigeons came in a distant second with 1,104, followed by Robins at 905 and House Sparrows at 897.

Several area teams found Great Horned Owls on this year’s Count. Jim Rogers said, “Spent a (very cold) morning with the delightful people of Saint Paul Bird Alliance, taking part in my first Christmas Bird Count…The best spotting was a pair of Great Horned Owls at Hidden Falls Park.” Another team in Roseville, led by Greg Burnes, saw a Great Horned Owl fly overhead while an 11-year-old girl and her mom were present. Even though they are regular visitors to the Raptor Center, they were so excited to see their first owl in the wild! 

John Zakelj and Kathy Janis headed up the Area 10 team, finding 22 species, including Trumpeter Swans, ducks, Mourning Doves, and woodpeckers. Above is a picture of a Tree Sparrow John took.

While the project’s goal is to count birds, equally important is the connection we build with one another and with the birds we see. After the Count, 15 birders who were up for it came to the Post-Count Party. We talked about the day’s adventures, the sightings, the fun, and the cold. 

Mark your calendars – next year’s Winter Bird Count will be Saturday, December 19, 2026.

Bird’s Eye View – January 2026

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Hello Friends- 

It’s been a rough start to the New Year. I’ve been very shaken up by  Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) supervisor Jonathan Ross shooting protestor Renee Nicole Good in the head and killing her on a south Minneapolis neighborhood street on January 7. I know you too are upset at seeing masked gunslingers shoving people around and targeting people of color.  It is just all too much!

But once again birds and being together with our birding community gives me hope for the future. I hope you had the chance to hear Tammah Watts’ inspiring presentation on our Bird Alliance Webinair program on January 8. She gave us advice on how to handle and react to the tragedy of the shooting. She had us breathe in and out to center ourselves – not to forget about the tragedy, but to acknowledge we can rise to remain supportive of our community during this critical time.

Tammah told us how birdwatching helps us all calm down and improve our mental health.  Now more than ever birding in our parks, green spaces and at backyard feeders helps us see the bigger picture. She had us think about our earliest memory of a bird. And in so doing, we remember family members, earlier times, old neighborhoods, important connections.

Tammah Watts is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide, California Naturalist, birder, and advocate for equitable access to nature, health, and mental wellbeing. Keep Looking Up: Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching, is her first book–a narrative memoir and guidebook with contemplative exercises– that chronicles her journey towards healing by meaningfully connecting with birds.

If you missed her talk or want to see it again, look for it on our YouTube channel.

If you would like to engage in birding adventures check out our events on our Saint Paul Bird Alliance website. We have had a lot of fun recently on our January birding events. 

On New Year’s Day we gathered at Kap’osia Landing Park in South Saint Paul to watch scores of Bald Eagles. We saw some Eagles on nests already! Many people, new to our group, joined in the fun. One young woman using our loaner binoculars watched a Common Goldeneye on the Mississippi . Suddenly she shouted, “I just saw a Duck eat a Fish!” The joy was contagious.

A few days later we were at the Visitor Center at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington to celebrate National Bird Day. A mom and her young son Liam sat with us watching the Center’s expansive feeder system. Liam drew a marvelous side silhouette of one of the Tom Turkeys at the feeders. He has begun his Big Year tabulating species after watching the movie of the same name.

We’re looking forward to making new connections at upcoming birding events including Owl Prowls in Arden Hills,  Winter Birding at Silverwood Park in Saint Anthony, Birding and Wildlife Tracks at Pig’s Eye Chôkan Tanka Park, and return trip to the Visitor Center for feeder watching at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington.

Stay positive. Stay connected.

Art: Kiki Sonnen

National Wildlife Refuge – Resounding Success

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Kiki Sonnen – The Visitor Center event was a resounding success. We had a young mom with a young boy, Liam, who saw the movie Big Year and is embarking on his own Big Year in 2026. Liam – I think he was maybe about 8 – brought his sketchbook. He drew a fantastic side silhouette of a Wild Turkey. He and his mom learned the difference between Hairy & Downy WP. Sandy & Wally were there, and Carolyn was so happy to sit inside, comfortable, and watch all the birds at the feeder.

Another young man in his 20’s came from the St Cloud area. He’s following the Mississippi to Red Wing, looking for Eagles. Another man was there to see the turkeys. There were 2 Tom Turkeys at the feeders off and on. So he was glad to see them. We also saw staff bring out seeds to replenish the feeders. The two Tom Turkeys rushed to their side like puppies begging for treats.

The Visitor Center’s Head Naturalist, Tanner, gave us a brief overview of the Refuge. He said this National Wildlife Refuge is the most urban-centered in the country. Their primary goal is to protect key habitats and natural areas that are critical to wildlife. He provided us with binoculars and thanked us for coming. He agreed that SPBA was welcome to return on Friday, the 13th of February, for birding and sketching to celebrate the Great Backyard Bird Count. So mark your calendar for more fun ahead!

A Look Back at 2025 and a Look Forward to 2026

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By Kiki Sonnen

The Saint Paul Bird Alliance achieved numerous milestones this past year by engaging our diverse community to enjoy, understand, and protect birds and the habitats necessary for all living things to thrive. You can review our annual report here. 

As an all-volunteer organization, these milestones wouldn’t have been possible without everyone’s dedication and hard work. Let’s celebrate our accomplishments and recognize that we can do even more. 

How? By encouraging more of you to get involved. We can use volunteers to support our program, field trip, and grants committees. If you have a background in communications (e-newsletters, websites, etc.), we would greatly appreciate your help. We need speakers, writers, presenters, and artists who can engage schoolchildren, seniors, civic groups, and others. Please send us a note sharing your passion for birds and how you would like to get involved.

2025 milestones included:

  • 38 field birding events (with over 650 attendees) throughout Ramsey, Washington, and Hennepin Counties. These included our first “accessibility” events (in collaboration with Land of Lakes Bird Alliance), which we plan to expand in 2026.  
  • Provided ~ $25K in grants to non-profit organizations that align with our mission.
  • Significant progress for our Kestrel Project. A new nest box was installed at a new location in Pig’s Eye Park. Volunteers installed two new nest boxes, which replaced older existing boxes, at Rice Creek, North, and Tamarack. Young were successfully fledged at these locations for the first time. Overall, Kestrel nesting pairs successfully fledged at six out of eight nest boxes in 2025.
  • Nine speaker programs taught us about the wonder of birds. My favorite was Lee Pfanmueller’s exciting debut of an update to the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas. Our December program was fabulous, with Stan Tekiela’s talk about how wonderfully different birds are from us. If you missed him, make plans now to hear him speak at the May 2026 Warbler Weekend in Lake City.
  • Habitat Restoration work at Arden Hills Army Training Site and Como Park’s Cardinal Woods.
  • Support of the Big River Journey that saw 1,600 + 4th graders learn about conservation and birds.
  • Advocacy work focused on Saint Paul’s adoption of bird-friendly building ordinances and the Keystone WMA.
  • Continuation of Warbler Weekend with record attendance.
  • Many organizational process improvements.

As 2026 begins, let’s commit to doing more to protect birds. Our planet needs us because when we save birds, we also save ourselves.

Here’s what 2026 looks like:

  • We will continue collaborating with the Land of Lakes Bird Alliance to produce nine engaging speaker programs.  Do you have ideas or speakers you think would be a good fit?  Contact us.
  • We’re planning 61 Birding Events – our traditional ones, plus new ones involved with Darner Dragonfly Migration, Winter Eagles, Feeder Watching, River Waterfowl, Big Lake Waterfowl, Sketching Birds, and more.
  • We will continue collaborating with our special partners Urban Bird Collective, St Paul Public Libraries, Friends of Swede Hollow, Pig’s Eye Park Friends, Land of Lakes Bird Alliance, Upper Mississippi National Audubon, Friends of St Paul and Ramsey County Parks and Trails.
  • We will sponsor 11 Birds & Beers at Sweeney’s in St Paul.  Please check out the events calendar for more information.
  • We will sponsor Warbler Weekend.
  • We will be tabling at the Twin Cities Urban Bird Festival in Brooklyn Park on May 2 and at the Landscape Revival Plant Sale in Lake Elmo on June 4. 
  • We are continuing to strengthen our Board of Directors, Advocacy & Conservation Committee, Education Committee, Program Committee, and internal operations. 

You’re invited to join in the fun! Contact us 

Up Close and Personal with the Great Gray Owl – Recording Available

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YouTube Recording Link

Join us for a presentation on Great Gray Owl biology and ecology by Dr. James Duncan. Jim has been studying this “Phantom of the Northern Forest” for over four decades in Manitoba, Ontario, Minnesota, and California. One of his most recent discoveries is how this owl overcomes an auditory illusion when hunting small mammals under thick snow.

Jim Duncan obtained a Ph.D. in 1992 from the University of Manitoba for research on the Great Gray Owl. Throughout his biology career, Jim was active in diverse local, national, and international conservation initiatives until his retirement in 2018 as Director of Manitoba’s Wildlife and Fisheries Branch.

Jim claims that his various jobs were simply a way to support his obsessive habit of studying owls with his life partner and fellow zoologist, Patsy. Together, they have researched owls for 40 years, have banded over 2,500 owls, and have published hundreds of articles, papers, and several symposium proceedings on owls. Jim’s three beautifully illustrated books on owls of the world are an example of the importance Jim places on sharing scientific knowledge with the public in an engaging manner.

In 2018 Jim established a social enterprise called Discover Owls which conducts education, research and conservation programs on owls in Manitoba and around the world. To date he has delivered over 600 live owl presentations to school classrooms and other venues and has delivered over 180 lectures and talks on owls and conservation.

https://www.facebook.com/discoverowls.ca

www.discoverowls.ca

Please Join Us Protect Birds and Habitat

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We are a welcoming community that values and protects birds and the natural environment.

Please Donate Today!

The Saint Paul Bird Alliance is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to building a diverse community that values and protects birds and the habitats we all need to thrive. 

Your generous donations: 

  • Support grants to local organizations focused on conservation, education, and environmental action and education.
  • Bring speakers to our monthly chapter meetings (Sept-May) that educate and excite our passion for birds and the environment.
  • Create and supply educational opportunities for students.
  • Support critical community science activities.
  • Protect populations of at-risk bird species through habitat restoration and special projects.
  • Provide informational and fun field trips and birding events.

To learn more about our programs, field trips, and volunteer opportunities, visit our website. 

Please Donate Today!

Take Action to Prevent Bird Strikes

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Join us at an upcoming St Paul City Council public hearing on October 15, Town Hall meeting on River Issues with Mayor Carter. 6:30 pm (check-in at 6:00 pm) Highland Park Community Center, 1978 Ford Parkway, St Paul, MN 55116.

A billion birds die each year in the United States from window strikes. Most all collisions are fatal. Even those birds who are stunned, come to, fly away, and usually die soon after from concussion, brain bleed, and trauma.

Why do birds fly into windows? Birds do not recognize glass windows, or highly glazed building walls, as obstacles. The birds see reflections of the sky or nearby trees and think it is safe to fly ahead. Instead, they hit the window or wall head-on at high speed.

What to do if a bird strikes your window?
Collect them into a paper bag or box and get them off the sidewalk or yard. Keep them away from dogs, cats, children. Do not try to feed or water them. Take them to the nearest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center as soon as possible. In the Twin Cities the WRC is at 2350 N. Dale, Roseville, MN 55113.

What more can be done to prevent bird strikes?

Join with your local neighborhood group, student group on campus, or conservation groups like Saint Paul Bird Alliance, Land of Lakes Bird Alliance, Friends of the Mississippi River. We all need to stand up together for more bird safe measures in our community.

We are blessed to live in the area of the Mississippi River Flyway where over 325 species migrate North in the Spring and South in the Fall. Other flyways in North America are the East Coast Flyway on the Atlantic Ocean, the Central Flyway along the Rocky Mountains, and the West Coast on the Pacific Ocean. It is thought our Mississippi River Flyway hosts 40% of all the migrants.

Hosting these birds on their journey brings responsibilities to all of us. We need to preserve critical habitat up and down the River for migrating and resident birds. Just like people, birds need clean water, clean air, green space, secure resting places, safe transportation routes, and bird-safe buildings.

We are responsible to do what we can to make our buildings safe for birds. Minnesota law now requires bird-safe glass in all new construction using state bonding funds.

We need stronger legislation so that bird-safe glass and bird-safe buildings are required in all new construction in the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area. And we need local and state legislation requiring bird-safe buildings throughout Minnesota whenever and wherever public funds and incentives where government bonds or tax increment financing are being used.

Many cities around North America already have bird-safe building codes. These include New York City, Washington DC, Madison WI, Berkeley CA, Mountain View CA, Portland ME, Portland OR, Middleton WI, San Francisco CA, Austin TX, and Evanston IL. Oakland CA, Chicago and Detroit are studying bird-safe building codes.

Won’t you help in making Minnesota a bird-safe state? Join us at an upcoming St Paul City Council public hearing (date to be determined) and at the October 15 Town Hall meeting on River Issues with Mayor Carter (6 pm Highland Park Community Center, 1978 Ford Pkwy, St Paul, MN 55116).

Avian Influenza in Minnesota – Presentation Recording Available

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Co-Sponsored with Land of Lakes Bird Alliance

Click to View Recording

Avian Flu is in the news again.  This talk will provide a brief overview of avian influenza in Minnesota and discuss the current state of the disease in the state.  Ms. Baker will also discuss key actions you can take to prevent contributing to the spread of this deadly disease.

Liz Baker is a member of the Wildlife Health Program within the Minnesota DNR. She has been with the program since August 2022, and her position focuses on data management and disease response activities.

Pig’s Eye Update – Kiki Sonnen

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Multiple agencies manage Pig’s Eye Park. The lake itself spans 600 acres. The wild land around the lake and to the north is also approximately 600 acres, making this one of the largest parks in Ramsey County. The parkland north of the lake is Pigs Eye Park, which is a property and jurisdiction of the City of St. Paul. The Ramsey County Parks Department owns the lake and surrounding lands and is part of the Battle Creek Regional Park. 

Pig’s Eye Lake is a public water under DNR jurisdiction. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has designated Pig’s Eye Island #2 as a Scientific and Natural Area and Sanctuary for the colonial water bird rookery. Historically, the colony was the breeding and nesting site of Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, and Double-crested Cormorants. Sometimes Yellow-crowned Night Herons, Snowy Egrets, and Little Blue Herons also nested there. Now, two pairs of Bald Eagles are nesting on the island.

About two years ago, the Pig’s Eye Heron colony collapsed, and the birds left. The Eagles stayed, and some of the Double-crested Cormorants stayed too. All the Black-crowned Night Herons are gone. However, 42 Great Blue Herons moved upstream and are nesting on Pig’s Eye Island # 1. I asked someone at the DNR if the SNA designation could travel to the herons’ new home. No, they said.

Why did the Rookery collapse? Did the Corps of Engineers’ Island building disturb the birds? Was there a spill or chemical leak into the water or contamination of the fish the birds are eating? Probably not, since we would have found bodies. We do know that Black-crowned Night Herons are experiencing a complete population crash across the state. The Great Blues are also seeing a steady decline statewide.

Pig’s Eye Park remains an important nature sanctuary in the middle of our vibrant city.  It is home to a host of animals, including endangered Blanchard Crickets and Patch Bumblebees, along with a long list of nesting birds, mammals, fish, and insect populations.   

Endangered Blanchard Cricket Frogs are found at the south end of Pig’s Eye Park. This summer, Kathy Sidles spotted the endangered Rusty Patch Bumblebee in the northern part of the park—eight pairs of Bald Eagles nest in the Pig’s Eye area. Pelicans, Sandhill Cranes, and Trumpeter Swans are here during migration, as are warblers, shorebirds, and many songbirds. Grassland birds like Dickcissels, Meadowlarks, and certain Sparrows breed here. Year-round resident birds such as Crows, Cardinals, Chickadees, and Nuthatches also breed here. Beavers, Coyotes, white-tailed deer, mice, skunks, raccoons, voles, and shrews live at Pig’s Eye. Leopard Frogs, toads, and garter snakes are present. Many kinds of butterflies, moths, dragonflies, grasshoppers, katydids, and cicadas are here as well. Pig’s Eye Lake is a vital spawning ground for River Fish. The baby fry stay in the lake, which serves as their nursery until they are strong and big enough to live in the main channel of the Mississippi River. These fish include Bigmouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Catfish, White Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, panfish, Carp, and more.

Pig’s Eye Park Friends have been carefully monitoring the work of the Pig’s Eye Dump Commission. Established by the State Legislature several years ago, the Commission is tasked with recommending the cleanup of the dump beneath the Pig’s Eye area and restoring the land for the future. The Commission includes representatives from the MPCA, DNR, the State Department of Health, the Corps of Engineers, the Met Council, the Cities of St. Paul, South St. Paul, and Newport, as well as Ramsey and Dakota Counties. I believe they are considering four or five options. Pig’s Eye Park Friends prefer the most expensive option, which involves a complete cleanup of all hazardous materials and substances, removal to a licensed, regulated haz-mat dump, and restoration of the land to natural resource habitat, such as wet meadows, pothole habitats, and forested floodplains. While this option may be the costliest, it is the only way to fully clean up Pig’s Eye once and for all. We envision low-impact recreation, including birding, wildlife watching, and hiking. We hope the cleanup and restoration will be staged so that existing mature trees and natural landscapes can shelter wildlife in one area, while another area is cleaned up and restored.

At the Park entry is a park welcome sign to Pig’s Eye Park. Chôkan Tanka is Dakota for Big Middle. Pig’s Eye is situated between Prairie Island, the homeland of the Dahkota on the South, and the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers on the North. The confluence is the Dahkota’s storied origin place. Chôkan Tanka was the traditional summer home of the Dahkota. It was a place to fish, hunt, and gather. It was a place where travelers from other tribes could meet to exchange supplies, share stories, news, and ideas. The Big Middle binds all of us together.

These recent features are part of a Star Grant Councilmember Jane Prince and Pig’s Eye Park Friends secured for the park:

  • Wayfinding signs showing how to get to Pig’s Eye are now in place on Warner Road and at the tricky intersection of Childs Road and Pig’s Eye Lake Road. 
  • The entryway has giant logs separating park traffic from Woodchipper traffic.
  • The park parking lot is a nice feature. Since the signs and parking lot were installed, we’ve seen many new park visitors. 
  • Still to be done is the removal of the mountain of Water Department sewer sludge soil. The slowdown is that the soil has to go to a licensed dump that accepts contaminated soil.
  • Eventually, the Park will have a bike rack, seasonal satellite restrooms, and a Kestrel nest box.

This week, 20-30 U of M Fall semester students studying landscape architecture will tour Pig’s Eye Park. We hope you, too, can make a trip to Pig’s Eye and experience this gem for yourself. Pig’s Eye Park Friends meet regularly at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays in the parking lot and explore the trails for an hour or two. All are welcome.