On our rambling way to the new Carver Highlands Interpretive Center (not yet open) Thursday, we did a bit of car-birding at Geis Lake on Highway 242 and Zumbrota Avenue. Perched on a tree at the south end of the lake was what appeared to be a Swainson's hawk. It took off across 242, to the south, and landed in a tree on the other side of a field. While we were pondering its identity, another hawk landed on the original tree, where it stayed for some time. We were able to get this one in the scope, and check its marks against both the Sibley and a raptor book, and concluded it, and also the first hawk, were Swainson's.
Also present on or around Geis Lake: Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Common Loon Horned Grebe Great Egret American Kestrel American Coot American Robin Starling Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird In ponds by the Thompson Ferry Bridge in Jordan, there was also a good mix: coots, mallards, buffleheads, scaup, ring-billed ducks,gadwall, shovelers, pie-billed grebe, and pelicans. A red-tail, a turkey vulture, and some tree swallows patrolled the airspace above robins and red-wing blackbirds. When we finally arrived at Carver Highlands, the interpretive center was so lively, we almost abandoned the hike for a Big Sit, but we managed to tear ourselves away to the river and the trail. We saw over 30 species including purple finches at the center; a pair of kingfishers and staggering numbers of coots, cormorants and pelicans on Rapids Lake; a gang of bachelor wood ducks on the river, and swarms of tree swallows above. Barred owls called from across the river, flickers worked the open areas, and the brush was rife with different sparrows, including song, fox and white-throated. Altogether there were well over 30 species (not including the garter snake) on a relatively short walk, and we know we'll be visiting this site again. Linda Whyte -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20080418/d165c92e/attachment.html
