During a noon walk around the bass ponds on Tuesday I saw a Wilson's Snipe between Hog Back Ridge Marsh and Hog Back Ridge Pond. It was attempting to feed along the partially-thawed ground between the trail and the water and eventually flew east.
Other species: Great Blue Heron (4) Ring Billed Gulls Scaup (3) Song Sparrows (4) American Crows Northern Cardinal Coot (several) Red-Winged Blackbirds (several) Barred Owls (2, calling just west of the lower parking lot) American Goldfinches (several) Black-Capped Chickadees (many) Pileated Woodpeckers (2) The highlight, in addition to the snipe, was a lone mink and muskrat Susie and Sam. The trail that leads east toward Big Bass Pond between Little Bass Pond and Long Meadow Lake toward was flooded. Access to those ponds is only by the upper trail, which begins at the shelter and still is snow covered. Good birding to all. Rob Daves South Minneapolis ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
