Trent and Jack Robbins, Andrew Krenz and I got out for ab Hey birders, Trent and Jack Robbins, Andrew Krenz and I got out for about 4 hours of birding on Sunday morning. Here are the highlights:
The Blue Grosbeak continues to sing from the treetops by the gravel quarry on the south side of Hwy 68 west of Minneopa State Park. He sang from the Box Elder on the southwest corner and some of the trees in the quarry itself. We also had Lark, Clay-colored, Chipping, and Field Sparrows as well as Eastern Towhee and Warbling Vireo there. We relocated three young Common Gallinules (formerly moorhens) at the previously mentioned location (535th Ave south of Hwy 60) along with a female Ruddy Duck with 3 young. We visited the new Lincoln WPA at the corner of CR32 and CR128 to see if there was any shorebird habitat. There was. Enter on the gravel drive off of CR128 and you will find a little water. We had both yellowlegs, Solitary, Spotted, and Semipalmated Sandpipers there as well as Bobolink and Western Meadowlark. There were probably about 30 shorebirds there total. This WPA is still under construction and largely consists of dead weeds right now. Those of you who remember when the Perch WPA was under construction and the amazing shorebirds there at that time may want to add this site to your "places to check out". We then drove quickly over to the Cobb River WPA and vicinity to look for more shorebirds. The awesome CR16 flooded field is almost dry. There were a few Killdeer and Semipalmated Sandpipers there though. The CR168 pond to the east of there (past Lakewood Drive) is excellent. We had over 100 shorebirds including Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted, Least, Semipalmated, Pectoral, and a single Stilt Sandpiper. There were also several Canada Geese, Ring-billed Gulls, and some Franklin's Gulls. One other bird worth mentioning: Eurasian Collared-Dove in Lake Crystal near the martin houses along CR60. Happy birding! Chad Heins Mankato, MN "But ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" --Job 12:7, 9 ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
