This afternoon I found a flock of about 300 blackbirds north of Swan Lake along CR 5 in Nicollet County. The vast majority were Red-winged Blackbirds, but there were also several Brown-headed Cowbirds present in the flock, along with a few Common Grackles, plus one very late male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD. This is by far the latest I have ever seen a Yellow-headed in MN...I don't think I've even seen one past October. Surprisingly, I did not find any Rusty/Brewer's Blackbirds in the flock. Also in the area was a lingering Horned Lark.
Bob Dunlap, Nicollet County
