I found 3 red-headed woodpeckers in an area east of Sherburne Refuge today - there may have been 4 birds, but I could only see 3 at one time. I watched this area all winter long, but didn't see birds for about 3 months. I was thrilled to see them back! With the warm temps and longer days, we've started to get calls and visitors stopping by, wanting to know the status of the Prairie's Edge Wildlife Drive. The drive will open the middle or 3rd week of April. The Blue Hill Trail is open for skiing, as long as there's enough snow, and for hiking after that. The Mahnomen Trail is currently closed to all visitors, as there's a logging operation going on there - cleaning up trees and deadfall as a result of oak wilt. I'll post a note when Mahnomen is open again - will probably be a couple of weeks yet. Also, our "Sanctuary" period has begun as of March 1, so refuge lands are all closed to the public, with the exception of the hiking trails and wildlife drive, as described above. For more information, please check our web site at: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/sherburne or give us a call. Betsy Beneke Sherburne NWR
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