I had a fantastic day birding in Aitkin County on 5/30/10. I was able to tally 85 species from early morning to about 3:00pm. This is a very high total for me. Here are some of the highlights of my fun day:
Sharp-tailed Grouse- A fantastic find just 2 miles in from the Carlton County border on Hwy. 210 on the north side of the road around 5:15am. This was a single bird perched on a haystack strutting his stuff with his tail cocked towards his head. I was able to use a large bush as a blind and therefore watched the bird undisturbed for some time. This was the best view I've ever had of this great species. Yellow Rail- I was able to hear three birds in different locations on the east side of Hwy 65 in McGregor Marsh. I ventured out into the marsh to see if one would flush. It was farther away than I thought and stopped calling once I got about 25' away and was in a deeper part of the water. There went my 1st pair of socks for the day! This is the first time I have heard this species but I only add birds to my life list when I see them so this bird will have to wait another day. Upland Sandpiper- I found 4 (or 5) at the Aitkin Airport. This was a countable "life" bird for me and what a bird it was! They were chasing each other and flying around with splendid behavior. I had heard this bird reported on the RBA 1 or 2 years ago at this location and did not know if it would be a regular find here but apparently so. The airport was pretty deserted when I was there and the worker didn't seem to mind that I was out observing the birds but I tried to stay in an appropriate area. You do not need a scope. Red-headed Woodpecker- This was the biggest surprise of my day as I have never seen them before in 4 years birding the state! This bird was at the VFW wayside just north of the city of Aitkin and along the Mississippi River. I never thought that the first time I saw one in MN it would be way up in Aitkin Co.. If anyone tries for this bird keep in mind that county road 1 is closed north of this area (and there are no signs about this until you are actually at the road closure). American Bittern- Three birds were flying over me on Gun Lake Rd. north of Hwy 210. They kept circling slowly above me low in the air. Ruffed Grouse- This was funny because this female was taking a dust bath in the middle of the road and the tiny newborn chicks were on the side of the road. I pulled my car to within 15' of the female and she continued to bath as if my car coming towards her was the least of her worries. This was north of Palisades. American Woodcock- Where the road crosses the river in Rice Lake N.W.R.. I know this species isn't rare but it is fun to find at midday. I was trying to "pish" out what was either a scolding House Wren or a Baltimore Oriole (the latter actually seems to have a scolding call that is similar) when I flushed the Woodcock. It landed close by and I had great views. Wood Thrush- North of Palisades along a wooded riverbank. This is the farthest north I have heard this bird in the state. Connecticut Warbler- I "think" that I heard 2 on the trail that is south of Pietz's Road but I was not able to see them. I am still learning warblers calls and I know I missed at least 3 species that I didn't recognize. I had a total of 9 species including nice views of Golden-winged Warblers on territory. Other notes: Tons of Bobolinks Sandhill Cranes- Heard and seen in many locations, probably at least 10 places. Semipalmated Sandpiper- a small flock foraging with a Spotted Sandpiper in a flooded patch of field. This and the pelicans were the only non-resident species that I saw. A. W. Pelican- Large flock flying over Rice Lake. Canada Goose- Many large flocks flying over which seemed strange to me this time of year. Notable Misses: Downy Woodpecker Red-breasted Nuthatch- I can't believe I didn't even hear them. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher- I probably did hear these but didn't realize until later that the call is similar to Least Flycatcher which I heard a ton of. Overall I would have to say that Aitkin County has some great birding! Happy Memorial Day! Thanks also for the British Isles report this morning. Very interesting. Jason Caddy South Minneapolis [email protected] _________________________________________________________________ The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with Hotmail. http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multiaccount&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_4 ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
