I spent the past two days in west-central Minnesota (Chippewa, Lac Qui Parle, Yellow Medicine, Swift & Big Stone counties) with Esther Gesick, Denis Ostroot and Susan Hartley. Waterfowl migration is in full swing.
There are impressive numbers of geese, ducks and swans throughout this area. The highest concentration was found in the wetland areas around the Swift-Big Stone county line. One could easily drive within a few miles either side of the county line and find literally thousands of geese, swans and ducks. White-fronted Geese predominated with thousands seen in several flocks over the weekend. Snow Geese were far fewer in number but there were a couple of flocks numbering in the hundreds of birds. Ross Geese could be found easily by anyone with a scope and the patience to comb though a flock of geese. Tundra Swans were numbered in the hundreds. Flocks of geese, swans and ducks paraded overhead throughout both days. It was an impressive spectacle. Also of note: Two Short-Eared Owls were found both in Lac Qui Parle county on Sunday: 1 at the Plover Prairie SNA and 1 at Big Stone NWR (C.R. 40 - 4 miles east of S. D. border) An out-of-range Eastern Meadowlark was singing in the grasslands just west of Granite Falls on Saturday. Regards,,,, ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
