Acadian Flycatchers have been located in Olmsted County at a Forestry Management Unit south of Marion. Marion is located on Highway 52 just south of the intersection of I90. To get to the management unit, go a short distance south of Marion on Hwy 52 and turn right(west) on Cty 16 and then turn to the left on Cty 116. Follow that road as it goes east and then south and then turn east on Stagecoach Road which is a dead end road. At the end of the road make a sharp right into the Bill Barnacle FMU. Partridge Creek flows through the unit as it winds its way a short distance to the Root River. You can park at the first parking lot on the right and take a long walk to the south along the road that goes through a stream and then makes a turn to the west and up a hill. If you have a high clearance vehicle you can drive through the stream (a foot deep or more) and continue on up to the top of the hill where there is area for a few cars to park (but do not block the gate). Take the path past the gate for about .6 to .7 miles to the location where you can hear the Acadian calling. The path goes up the hill and makes a bend to the right and then continues south on a relatively gentle slope for the remainder of the walk. You will pass a couple of paths to the left and then one to the right. At a second path to the right (about .2mi past the first path to the right) is right near where one of the birds was calling. At this location the path gets fairly close to a planted cornfield to the east. Some people have wandered around the paths in the area and have located one or two additional birds calling. In addition to the flycatcher there are Scarlet Tanagers, Wood Thrush and also Veery calling. It is unusual to find Veery in the county at this stage in the migration/nesting season. The Veery has been heard right near the gate and also about half way to the location where the flycatcher is being heard.
The status of Acadian Flycatchers in Olmsted County is only accidental. To my knowledge, the last one seen in the county by birders was back in 1984. DNR observers apparently located the flycatcher in this area back in 2000. This area with extensive high closed canopy and open understory is fairly unique in the county. Be aware that this area is used by some people riding BMX bicycles. The Lark Sparrow is another species that can be hard to find in the county. There have been some areas of land that have been opened up to access by new housing developments (north of Rochester along Highway 63) where Lark Sparrows have been found. Take Hwy 63 north from Rochester to 48th St and turn right(east). A short distance down the road turn left(north) into a small housing development, called Hadley Creek, where there are a couple of tall green flags. The Lark Sparrows and also Grasshopper Sparrow (often between lots 8 & 14) have been seen along this fairly short dead end road. The Lark Sparrows were also seen from the parking lot of the former golf center building next to 48th St. Another probably more reliable location is found by going south on the minimum maintenance road right across from the Hadley Creek location. The road turns to the west and then passes a road to the left as it enters another new housing development. You can hear Clay-colored and Field Sparrows calling from that area as you pass through to the first houses along this road. The best spots to find Lark Sparrows are between the green house on the right and the blue house on the left and also at the end of the road by the water tower/tank. Bob Ekblad Olmsted County in SE Minnesota http://www.Birding-Minnesota.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
