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From: Laura Coble [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 1:39 PM To: '[email protected]' Subject: Gray Partridge, Dakota County To follow up on Steve Weston's report, I saw 8 Gray Partridges this morning at 6:30 am in the same location at 180th St. and Joan Ave. I had seen them yesterday in the mid-morning with Tanya Beyer, after a couple reported seeing them between the very small cedar tree rows. However, they had flushed when we checked for them, and they weren't found again until Steve and the group saw them last evening. The group with Steve included included Tanya, Diana Doyle and Eric (sorry, I don't know your last name). I didn't return yesterday evening. I arrived this morning just as light was beginning to appear in the sky, and drove slowly west on 180th from the intersection. Very suddenly, my headlights showed me the birds, fairly close to the road, and I quickly turned off the engine and lights. They didn't flush, but for about 10 minutes, I watched them digging under the snow to find seeds, occasionally staying under for a while, then hopping out and digging again. Sometimes they would lie still for a while. The light was very low, but I was beginning to see their chestnut bars and faces when they flushed. Tanya and her friend Bill arrived about 10 minutes later, and unfortunately missed them. The birds had flown over the hedgerow, to another field a good distance away, or were hidden, and they didn't return. It is worth coming back if you miss these birds, and even if you've already seen them; they are fun to watch! Thanks to Scott Loss for posting his sighting on 2/21! Laura Coble Cannon Falls ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
