Hey birders! Mankato area continues to be exciting for all sort of birds.
My wife and I traditionally do a big day on Memorial Day. This year's Memorial Day was early and you could tell from the list of birds. Total Species: 140 Breakdown: 4 herons, 7 ducks, 4 hawks, 11 shorebirds, 2 owls, 6 woodpeckers, 5 flycatchers, 5 vireos, 23 warblers, 10 sparrows, 8 blackbirds. Highlights: Seven-mile Creek County Park (located between St. Peter and Mankato on the west side of 169) continues to be the place for warblers this spring. Of the 23 warblers, 21 were seen in this park during the 2.5 hours spent there. There were at least 2 singing Cerulean Warblers (should nest there), multiple Mourning Warblers, 1 singing Connecticut, 1 Hooded Warbler (trail 8), 1 singing Louisiana Waterthrush (trail 8 where you have to jump the creek) Kasota Prairie was excellent again. Upland Sandpiper was seen walking along the road. Both meadowlarks were seen and heard over Savannah, Grasshopper, Clay-colored, and Field Sparrows. A Prothonotary Warbler was heard singing along the Minnesota River at the back of Kasota Prairie's corner plot (follow the trail to the river). The only notable miss was Red-headed Woodpecker which is normally found here. Shorebirds were tough to find in general with much of the ponds flooded and many of the farmfields dry. The best pond of the day was on Hwy 111 south of Cty 5 in Nicollet County. That pond had Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Dunlin, Sanderlings, and a single Pectoral Sandpiper on Monday. Kentucky Warbler was singing cooperatively at Williams Nature Park in Blue Earth County. Take 68 west from Hwy 169 and take the first trail to the right. It is not too far from the start of the trail. We also had Blue-winged Warbler, Red-eyed, Yellow-throated, Warbling, and Philadelphia Vireos there. The Bell's Vireo is once again being seen at Minneopa State Park. Take the road through the prairie and watch for Wild Plum clusters along the road. The bird was singing loudly and we didn't need to get out of the car. Lastly, Swan Lake in Nicollet County was pretty good for marsh birds. While unable to find the nesting Eared Grebes, we did manage looks at Western, Red-necked and Pied-billed Grebes. Virginia Rail, both Bitterns, Common, Forster's, and Black Terns were seen there as well. Hope all of you had memorable Memorial Days too. Happy Birding! Chad Heins Mankato, MN __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. http://search.yahoo.com
