After a wet morning finding nothing special, but enjoyable birds in quiet wet, wet paths in a park in central Dakota county, I found Dickcissels! I found two first of the year Dickcissels at Randolph industrial park (Hwy 56 & 284th St).
After the industrial park I went to a gravel pit west of Randolph hoping to document Northern Rough-winged Swallows for the Breeding Bird Atlas. I had already confirmed that Bank Swallows were breeding in a colony at the gravel pit, but I also found five holes in a sand pile a couple of hundred yards from the Bank Swallows that I figured were being used by the Rough-wings. Rough-wings also nest in banks and gravel pits like the Banks, but usually nest in single pairs or small groups. It took a good half hour of waiting, before I got a good look at a Rough-winged Swallow. At least two of the five holes are in active use. Also at the gravel pit I found five species of shorebirds. Two are probably breeding there (Killdeer and Spotted SP). Three were unquestably migrants: Dunlin (3), Semi-palmated Plover, and Least Sandpiper. I turned away and they took off. I believe I got a new yard bird today, finding a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. I have seen some interesting moths lately around the yard: white-striped black (a little day flying butterfly-want-to-be), a plume moth (known in latin-american as a "Jesus Christ moth") and one of the looper moths.-- Steve Weston [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
