Chet Meyers writes: This morning (Aug. 27) I visited the Jirek sod farms near Empire and the Castle Rock sod farms south of Fairmount. Total of eight shorebirds: pectoral and semi-palmated sandpipers. The Jirek farms have groomed their barren fields for for fall seeding and they are as flat as a billiard table (previously lumpy and full of wet spots). Does not bode well for the fall. One stripped area along 66 held the few birds I saw. Castle rock... not even killdeer. Also very few birds at 180th marsh and 140 marsh is now too full of water. Maybe west of the cities, where there were torrential rain, there are shorebirds. Please report in if anyone finds fairly good concentrations. This spring was not great for shorebirds and many of us are hoping for a better fall. Chet Meyers, Hennepin County
