birds – East Metro Water

Caddisfly prints and bird costumes bring creativity to annual Brown’s Creek event

By: angiehongmn September 18, 2026

Aquatic Biology, Keeping water clean, Partners and Updatesaquatic macroinvertebrates, birds, Brown's Creek, Brown's Creek Watershed District, caddisfly, featured, Sustainable Stillwater MNLeave a Comment

When Brown’s Creek Watershed District hosts its annual Community Watershed Celebration & Bird Festival this Saturday (10am-1pm at Brown’s Creek Park in Stillwater), visitors will have the opportunity to take home something unique that they may not be expecting – their very own handmade caddisfly print.

If you really, really love birds, you can even dress up as your favorite bird and enter the second annual Bird Costume Contest. Costumes of all skill levels are welcome, from simple DIY outfits to elaborate feathered creations.

In addition to bug prints and bird costumes, the festival will include interactive stations led by local conservation groups, crafts, games, and interactive experiences designed to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. The event is free and easy to get to by bike, on foot, or by car.

Heron, heron, heron, egret

By: angiehongmn March 6, 2026March 6, 2026

Uncategorized, Wildlifebirds, black crowned night heron, egret, featured, great blue heron, green heron, migration, Minnesota, Mississippi RiverLeave a Comment

Way down south along the Mississippi River, great blue herons are on the move. This week they crossed the border into Missouri. By the end of the month, we’ll welcome them back to Minnesota.

Live, love, laser loon

By: angiehongmn February 23, 2026

Uncategorized, Wildlife, Yards and Landscapingbirding, birds, featured, lakes, lakeshore, lead-free, loons, Minnesota, nature, photography, shoreline landscaping, travelLeave a Comment

2026 = Lead out, natural shorelines in!

Learn about Minnesota’s strange but beloved loon.

Meet our 2025 Natural Shoreline Award winners!

We are excited to announce the winners of our inaugural Natural Shoreline Awards, sponsored by the East Metro Water Resource Education Program and Lower St. Croix Watershed Partnership. These awards recognize Minnesotans who are protecting lake, stream, and wetland habitat in Chisago, Isanti, Ramsey and Washington Counties.

Good for the goose and gander

By: angiehongmn June 20, 2025June 27, 2025

Wildlifebirding, birds, Canada goose, featured, geese, lakes, lawns, Minnesota, nature, travel, Wetlands, Wildlife, wildlife recoveryLeave a Comment

Given their current abundance, you might be surprised to learn that Canada geese were a rare novelty in the 1920s. In fact, state and federal agencies actually worked together to breed and re-introduce them to the wild during the 1950s.

Tips for dry feet and healthy wetlands

By: angiehongmn April 11, 2025April 11, 2025

Aquatic Biology, Outdoor Adventures, Wildlifebirds, bogs, featured, marshes, Wetlands, WildlifeLeave a Comment

Though Minnesota might be known as the “Land of 10,000 lakes,” we could just as easily call ourselves the “Land of 1,000,000 wetlands.”

Darks skies, birds fly

By: angiehongmn March 14, 2025March 13, 2025

Wildlifebirds, featured, lights out, migration, springLeave a Comment

Currently, an estimated 41,100 birds are crossing Minnesota every night and this number will climb to 18 million by mid-May.

One important and easy action you can take to protect birds during their spring and fall migration is to turn out the lights.

Always the right time to plant a garden

By: angiehongmn March 7, 2025March 5, 2025

Yards and Landscapingbirds, Chisago County, featured, gardening, native plants, pollinators, trees, Washington County, workshopsLeave a Comment

To plant a tree or a garden is an act of hope. We hope that the snow will melt and the sun will return. We hope that that neighborhood deer and rabbits will find enough food to eat, though not so much that our garden fails to grow. We hope that the earth will keep spinning, and the rain will fall, that there will be a warm home to live in, and hands to do the work. It’s a small act of courage in an uncertain world, though really, when you think about it, not so small at all.

Interpreting the past and future through feathers, fur and bones

By: angiehongmn February 21, 2025February 19, 2025

WildlifeBell Museum of Natural History, birds, deforestation, endangered species, featured, habitat restoration, passenger pigeon, WildlifeLeave a Comment

Researchers at the Bell Museum study the ways animals adapt to environmental changes, the spread of zoonotic diseases, impacts of pollution, and declining species.