I checked out Eagle Lake east of Mankato in Blue Earth County this afternoon and found very few gulls. It appears that most of the gulls present there yesterday have migrated farther north with today's warm south winds. Needless to say, the only gulls I saw were Ring-billed Gulls.
There were however several Horned Grebes on this lake as well as a couple Red-necked Grebes; also present were lots of diving ducks and a few Common Loons. In Nicollet County, I found a Common Loon on the east side of Oakleaf Lake just west of Saint Peter on Hwy. 99. This is a difficult species to find in the county, as there are very few lakes deep enough to attract loons during migration. But with the loon bonanza occurring in southern MN over the past week, I figured this was my best chance at one, and lo and behold. Also on Oakleaf Lake were several Horned Grebes. The ice is finally gone from southern Minnesota's lakes! Bob Dunlap, (less than two months left!) in Nicollet County
