My wife and I saw the Brant this morning between 9:45 and 10:00. It was on the water, close to shore, at the observation deck by the Bayfront Festival Park pavillion (just west of the Aquarium, for others from out of town). We found its behavior to be somewhat wary. The bird was swimming towards us when we first saw it at about 200 yards distance. As we approached and it became aware we were looking at it, it did an about-face, and swam away and up the canal channel on the west side of the park. Moving in as close as we dared, the bird again did an about-face after going about 25 yards up the canal, and swam back towards the lake harbor. It nervously clattered its bill repeatedly as it swam past our position, but we couldn't hear any vocalizations. It swam out about 20-25 yards into the the lake, heading east. As we turned to go, the bird lifted off, and flew in several wide circles around the grassy area at the pavillion, but never landed. We were hoping it would land and feed to get views out of the water to study the halix on the right leg. There was a group of young people playing some organized frisbee game on the grass, and once the bird came close to flying through the path of the thrown frisbee (to cries of , "Get the goose, get the goose!"). It then flew back over to the lake and headed west towards the industrialized area, about a quarter mile distant, and landed there near the shore. Drew and Becky Smith Eagan, Dakota County
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