We had a successful MRVAC field trip in Dakota County finding many of our target grassland birds. We started out at Schaar's Bluff, then hit the Coulee area in Hastings, UMore Park, finishing at Randolph Industrial Park. I hope that anyone of my participants who stayed through the hike into the Coulee are sufficiently recovered and are not cursing my "easy" field trip. The birding was fantastic. The highlight of Schaar's bluff was a pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoos. We also found Indigo Buntings, a nesting Wood Pewee, and Indigo Buntings. We had excellant looks at Brewer's Blackbirds on the road outside of the park. At the Coulee we found nesting Hairy Woodpeckers, Lark Sparrows, and a quiet Olive-sided Flycatcher. At UMore Park we watched as an Orchard Oriole built her nest under the watchful eye of a first year male as a mature male occassionally flew in to mess in. We also had a pair of Eastern Meadowlarks, one carrying food. At the horse park of UMore we found a Grasshopper Sparrow, a field of Bobolinks and Sedge Wrens, one of which did the splits for us, but no Henslows calling. The few birders I who had not dropped in exhaustion, joined me at Randolph Industrial Park. there, I counted at least 18 singing Dickcissels. We also had several western Meadowlarks, and many Savanah Sparrows, a Spotted Sandpiper, a Coot, and Horned Larks. After that I dropped by Lake Byllesby, which is now at summer recreational levels with little sand. There were only five or six pelicans left. I did find a late L. Yellowlegs.
Butterflies seen included white Sulphur, Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Monarch, Viceroy, and a Checkerspot, Flowers in bloom included Lupine, Penstomon (Beardstongue), Puccoon, Kittentails, geraniums, Virginia Waterleaf, Wood and Shepards Sorrel, most of the fruiting trees and bushes, strawberries. Steve Weston on Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN [email protected] ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
