I just had a telephone call from Jim Mattsson, requesting that I post that he found a Western Sandpiper in Greenvale Township, in far southwestern Dakota County. The location is along 320th Street, approximately 1/4 mile west of Holyoke Avenue. From the Twin Cities, take 35W S to the Rt. 19 exit (Northfield) and go east 2 miles to Holyoke--- Turn left and drive 1 mile north to 320th Street. Turn left again, and go about 1/4 mile west to a wetland on the south side of the road. There were 11 species of shorebird there including Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, etc. The bird is an adult in breeding plumage and apparently very distinctive compared to the other birds. Jim will post additional details later, along with photos. He first saw the bird at 4:00 PM, and observed it for 20 minutes or more.
Drew Smith Eagan, Dakota County ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
