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Hello all! We spent the last two days (Wednesday and Thursday) birding Lac Qui Parle and Big Stone county... It was raining and freezing winds were ripping across the fields. We made our first stop by Salt Lake on the South Dakota border and saw no shorebirds what-so-ever, only ducks. (Though there were alot of those) Canvasback, Redhead and Pintail were all present. After two shorebirds showed up, but flew away immediately, we circled the lake to the Minnesota overlook side and spotted our first Eared Grebe in non-breeding plumage mixed in with some Buffleheads on the freezing lake. We then started going south from Salt Lake (We got rather lost...) and stumbled across a road labeled "Road Closed, Bridge Out." We parked and walked down the closed road. There were streams on both sides and Myrtles were flying around everywhere. Then, just before the gap where the river went past, we spotted a White-Throated Sparrow in the underbrush. Pheasants were everywhere as we drove, scared and flying away. We eventually got to Hwy. 75, not having seen a single shorebird since Salt Lake. We decided to drive up to Big Stone County on 75, then swap to Hwy. 21 to lead us north into the lakes above Odessa. On the way to Otrey Lake we spotted our first shorebirds. Some Yellowlegs were in a swamp to our left as we headed north on 21, just before a intersection. Three Snipe flew over us as we watched, a ducks were everywhere. At Otrey lake we spotted: Least Sandpipers, maybe 10 Franklin's Gulls, quite a few, we didn't count though Yellowlegs wandering around in the muck Then, a Marbled Godwit flew over us, screeching and flying away. We drove up to Thielke Lake after that and spotted 3 Western Grebes doing the little neck-dance. The next day was raining super hard, but we didn't stop. We drove up from Ortonville on 75 and went west at Clinton's 6 Hwy. We then drove north again and started driving through the swamps there. Shorebirds were here and there, but in no numbers, and it was hard to see them. After awhile we headed west on Hwy. 54 and had some good luck finally, spotting our first American Avocets. A pair of them were in the lake at the 7 intersection of 54. Later, we drove down 7 and spotted a swamp with a large group of Baird's Sandpipers in it. As we were on 6, driving back to Clinton, we ran into a group of about 30 Lapland Longspurs in the pounding rain. We then headed east of Clinton and looked around there, but didn't see anything. We then headed back to Otrey Lake and spotted a Great Horned Owl nest in a tree nearby with a adult and baby in it. With, that we drove back down 21 and spotted a few Yellowlegs and headed for home. It may have been freezing rain and wind, but we saw some great birds, so were happy. Good birdin' - Leo WM -------------------------------1145630681 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; charset=3DUS-ASCII"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=3Drole_body style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY:=20= Arial"=20 bottomMargin=3D7 leftMargin=3D7 topMargin=3D7 rightMargin=3D7><FONT id=3Drol= e_document=20 face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D2> <DIV>Hello all!</DIV> <DIV>We spent the last two days (Wednesday and Thursday) birding Lac Qui Par= le=20 and Big Stone county... It was raining and freezing winds were ripping acros= s=20 the fields. We made our first stop by Salt Lake on the South Dakota border a= nd=20 saw no shorebirds what-so-ever, only ducks. (Though there were alot of those= )=20 Canvasback, Redhead and Pintail were all present.</DIV> <DIV>After two shorebirds showed up, but flew away immediately, we circled t= he=20 lake to the Minnesota overlook side and spotted our first Eared Grebe in=20 non-breeding plumage mixed in with some Buffleheads on the freezing lake.</D= IV> <DIV>We then started going south from Salt Lake (We got rather lost...) and=20 stumbled across a road labeled "Road Closed, Bridge Out." We parked and walk= ed=20 down the closed road. There were streams on both sides and Myrtles were flyi= ng=20 around everywhere. Then, just before the gap where the river went past, we=20 spotted a White-Throated Sparrow in the underbrush.</DIV> <DIV>Pheasants were everywhere as we drove, scared and flying away. We=20 eventually got to Hwy. 75, not having seen a single shorebird since Salt Lak= e.=20 We decided to drive up to Big Stone County on 75, then swap to Hwy. 21 to le= ad=20 us north into the lakes above Odessa. On the way to Otrey Lake we spott= ed=20 our first shorebirds. Some Yellowlegs were in a swamp to our left as we= =20 headed north on 21, just before a intersection. Three Snipe f= lew=20 over us as we watched, a ducks were everywhere. </DIV> <DIV>At Otrey lake we spotted:</DIV> <DIV>Least Sandpipers, maybe 10</DIV> <DIV>Franklin's Gulls, quite a few, we didn't count though</DIV> <DIV>Yellowlegs wandering around in the muck</DIV> <DIV>Then, a Marbled Godwit flew over us, screeching and flying away.</DIV> <DIV>We drove up to Thielke Lake after that and spotted 3 Western Grebes doi= ng=20 the little neck-dance.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The next day was raining super hard, but we didn't stop. We drove up fr= om=20 Ortonville on 75 and went west at Clinton's 6 Hwy. We then drove north again= and=20 started driving through the swamps there. Shorebirds were here and there, bu= t in=20 no numbers, and it was hard to see them. After awhile we headed west on Hwy.= 54=20 and had some good luck finally, spotting our first American Avocets. A pair=20= of=20 them were in the lake at the 7 intersection of 54. Later, we drove down 7 an= d=20 spotted a swamp with a large group of Baird's Sandpipers in it. As we were o= n 6,=20 driving back to Clinton, we ran into a group of about 30 Lapland Longspurs i= n=20 the pounding rain. We then headed east of Clinton and looked around there, b= ut=20 didn't see anything. We then headed back to Otrey Lake and spotted a Great=20 Horned Owl nest in a tree nearby with a adult and baby in it. With, that we=20 drove back down 21 and spotted a few Yellowlegs and headed for home.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It may have been freezing rain and wind, but we saw some great birds, s= o=20 were happy.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Good birdin'</DIV> <DIV>- Leo WM</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML> -------------------------------1145630681--
