Today I went out to the Mud Lake area to look for some shorebirds. I did not find the Red Knot previously reported, but there were several hundred shorebirds of 11 species, although none out of the ordinary. To get to the flooded field, go north on the dirt road from Hwy. 117 just east of the South Dakota border. After the dirt road turns north, you'll see the field to the west. Anyway, around 9 A.M. I was walking along the road looking at shorebirds when a Sharp-tailed Sparrow started singing on the east side of the road. You'll see a small island of trees, and the Sparrow was between these trees and the road. It seems to me that the little guy was a little south of his normal range, but it was good habitat for him. The only other bird of note were the two EC Doves in Herman.
Ben Fritchman Long Prairie, MN
