I just returned home from a vain Monday night search for whip-poor-wills. My route led me to Great River Bluffs State Park in southern Winona County, where I enjoyed the nighttime "chorus" of a Henslow's sparrow in the grassland.
This species is known to often sing at night. Ta-slick. Hurrah! That wasn't as surprising as the absence of whip-poor-will song in the wooded bluffs of Cedar, Pickwick and Little Trout valleys in Winona County. It was a calm night. These valleys are quiet and sparsely populated. I made about 24 stops in 20 miles, and all I heard were spring peepers, two barred owls and a woodcock. According to Janssen's "Birds in Minnesota," the whip-poor-will is "most numerous in the southeast along the Mississippi and its major tributaries." He also says its "migration peaks in early May." Regards, Jeff Dankert 908 Parks Ave Apt 158 Winona MN 55987-5330 (507) 454-0033 [email protected]
