I tallied 62 species and added a few additional spring migrants on Saturday, March 22:
WINONA COUNTY: *Red-shouldered hawk - 1 soaring, Middle Valley. *Greater scaup - 1, Prairie Island Road in Winona. There may have been more, but I only had enough patience to extract one obvious Greater from the heaving masses of divers out there. *Ruddy duck - 1 on Lake Winona. *Turkey vulture - 1 Badger State bird soaring bluffs on other side of the Mississippi River in Buffalo Co., Wis. *N. Harrier - 2 in Mt. Vernon Township. *Wilson's snipe - 2 flushed from muddy marsh edge off of Prairie Island in Winona. *E. Phoebe - 1 actively fly-catching along narrow, snaggy roadside segment of Speltz Creek, Mt. Vernon Township. *Tree swallow - 3 flying high overhead, calling and feeding, Prairie Island, Winona. *Eastern meadowlark - 8 birds, seen and heard singing, one gave zzrrt call. *Western meadowlark - 2 birds, seen and heard singing (didn't hear any chuk, or pluk, calls). *Rusty blackbird - 6 in large blackbird flock. WABASHA COUNTY: *Tundra swan - 1, Weaver Bottoms. I tried really hard to enlarge the bill, make the eye disappear and elicit a loud trumpeting. I couldn't see a yellow spot on this bird, but its bill and eye was tundra-sized. *Sandhill crane - 5, maybe more, heard only, Weaver Bottoms and Dunes. *N. shrike - 1 perched in treetop, Weaver Dunes, then displaced by crow at perch. NOTES: All meadowlarks and the two harriers were found in thick, expansive CRP-grass cover in Mt. Vernon Township. I can conservatively estimate that thousands of raptors moved north through the Mississippi River valley on Saturday, mostly bald eagles and red-tailed hawks. Every ridge-top bino scan during a car stop produced dozens of these two species. Kestrels were abundant on perches. Sparrows were weak: Only one tree sparrow, and a few juncos and song sparrows. River is prime now for waterfowl numbers and diversity. Gulls just starting to build. Peace, Jeff Dankert 908 Parks Ave Apt 158 Winona MN 55987-5330 (507) 454-0033 [email protected]
