I got out for a little this afternoon (Sunday). I found the shorebirds (which I did not expect to) at CR47 & 210th as posted earlier. Then I started looking for some birds in Dakota Co. that I targeted for the Breeding Bird Atlas. Most I did not find, but I found Brewer's Blackbirds at the entrance to Schaar's Bluff. I heard a Virginia Rail at 180th Street Marsh. And, lastly I found a Red-breasted Nuthatch at Vermillion Highlands county park. This is the only RBNU that has been reported in the region (Dakota, Scott, Carver counties) for the three years of the BBA. I plan to check for another pair at Acacia Cemetery where they are reliably found in winter. I also stopped at Randolph industrial park (Hwy56 & 284th St). The birds there were the same mix of quality grassland birds that I have been seeing. The highlight was not the birds, but the beautiful Penstemom (prob. P. grandiflorus) with its spectacular large purple flowers. These were at the NE corner of the industrial park.
Other notable finds this week included an irredesent emerald tiger beetle, a small ichneumon wasp with a lethel looking ovipositor about the same lenght as its body, and a large fly with irredescent ckear wings, which was probably a dobsonfly. I have seen several interesting butterflies, but haven't ID any. I don't know if anyone else would be interested in these odd insects. Vermillion Highlands is the newest Dakota County park. It is totally undeveloped. And its good trails, where you can find them are mostly overgrown with grass. I accessed it from the Lone Oak Trail parking area. No other directions will be given and you will have to go to the web to find out more.-- 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
