I was at Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge near McGregor, MN yesterday and logged 95 species without trying very hard. It was a very "birdy" day there, yet I never met another vehicle the whole time I was driving their auto tour. Fine with me, but it was too bad too, because the birds were plentiful and not difficult to find, as leaves are just beginning to open.
I had 16 species of warblers, and was able to watch several of them at eye level - I think the wind was keeping them out of the tree tops - that was a treat - no warbler neck. Thrushes were abundant - all were either Swainson's or gray-cheeked. I was surprised to see 6 bobolinks on the back side of the drive, but on inspection of their bird checklist, they are listed as abundant. I wasn't really thinking about seeing them on a refuge that has so much tamarack bog, lake and hardwood forest, but there are ag lands nearby too. It's a gorgeous refuge - you should visit! As an aside: I drove Hwy 47 north from Ogilvie, and along the east side of Mille Lacs lake, there were MANY temporary wetlands (i.e. standing water in people's yards, edges of fields, ditches) and it seemed that every other one had a shorebird or two in it - for several miles - primarily, greater and lesser yellowlegs, and solitary sandpipers. It took me a lot longer to get to Rice Lake than it should have! I flushed many small flocks of chipping sparrows from the roadsides throughout Aitkin County. The large-flowered trillium blossoms are beginning to open - when they're in full bloom, it's going to be an absolutely spectacular display! Lucky for birders, I think this will likely occur after fishing opener. I'm glad Hwy. 47 has wide shoulders - birders don't have to become a traffic hazzard! After leaving Rice Lake, I wandered over to Deerwood for a late lunch with Steve & Jo Blanich at their home on Agate Lake. I hadn't been there for years, and forgot what a great yard they have for watching birds! Lunch wasn't a brief thing, as all 3 of us had to take many binocular breaks! Besides all the orioles, grosbeaks, sparrows, etc. that were around their feeding area, warblers were flitting around the edges. I added 3 additional warblers to my list for the day there, bringing my total to 21 species. Thanks, Steve and Jo! Did I mention how much I LOVE being back in Minnesota? Betsy Beneke Sherburne NWR & Avon, Stearns Co. ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
