Apparently seeing a Violet Green Swallow in Minnesota is SUPER RARE. According to this article from Naturalist, Al Batt, this bird has only been seen twice statewide in Minnesota throughout recorded history (1942 and 1990) … until this morning and my sighting.  Yup, this morning while birding Mud Lake, I saw a Violet Green Swallow. First … my images (eBird report has been submitted), then more commentary.

I had planned on birding Morgan Park’s Slag Point, but the strong NE winds blowing in off Lake Superior made me realize that effort would be useless. Instead I hiked the Western Waterfront Trail and the old Railroad tracks till I reached Mud Lake. I knew where the tracks burst free from the forest and the tracks led out onto the causeway, the area would be protected from the fierce winds. I was not mistaken, and the number of swallows, including this extremely rare Violet Green Swallow were amazing. See my prior post about the swallows. Here is Cornell’s article about this beautiful bird.

Finally, here is the normal range for a Violet Green Swallow … and now three times in Minnesota. It was a good morning of birding!!!