Birded around Pope County from Friday to Tuesday, mostly in MBBA blocks. Changes over the weekend were almost instantaneous.
Agriculture is finally off the ground – or should I say “into the ground”. On Friday only areas with light soils were worked or planted – By Monday everything was in play, even areas with heavier soils. The ice went off Lake Minnewaska on Saturday, May 11, smashing the previous late ice out record of May 7. However, only the truly tough braved the lake on the Walleye opener. I saw only one boat. Birds were mostly as reported by others. The only uncommon birds seen were a Le Conte’s Sparrow in Walden Township and a Common Tern in a very small pond along Highway 29, 10 miles south of Starbuck. Sparrows are back in force. They appeared already on territories or in the process of establishing one. The most common open country sparrows were: - Song – everywhere, calling - Chipping – also everywhere, calling like mad - Clay-colored – Many, in appropriated habitats, calling - Field – Fewer, perhaps more are coming. The ones there are in trees calling - Swamp – very few. Either they are not back yet or are not yet calling. - Le Conte’s – one bird in a plowed field giving us probably the best look I have ever had of one. I think he was “caught out in the open”. He kept very still probably depending on camo. As I sloooowly tried to fetch my camera, he made a break for the grass. - White-crowned – small groups of 3 to 6 birds in various places. - White-throated – a few birds in mixed flocks with White-crowned and Harris’s. - Harris’s – same as WTSP and WCSP – a few in the mixed flocks. First record of Harris’s on my farm. On Friday and Saturday, we saw only a few Savannah and Vesper Sparrows – By Monday, they were everywhere. I think they may nest at the NEW Lowry Sewage ponds. We found no Grasshopper Sparrows but, then again, I cannot hear them unless the weather is perfectly calm and we had no such calm weather this weekend. Waterfowl: - Canada Geese - Northern Shovellers - Wood Duck - Mallard - Redheads - Ring-necked - Blue-winged Teal - Pied-billed Grebe - Horned Grebe – first ever at the lake on my farm - Double-crested Cormorant – in a very small pond along highway 29 and 10 miles south of Starbuck - Scaup sp - Bufflehead - American Coot - Am White Pelicans - Forster’s Terns – on Lake Minnewaska and the above mentioned small pond - Common Tern – feeding in the small pond with Forster’s - Black Terns – also feeding in the small pond Ground birds: - Wild Turkey - Ring-necked Pheasant – many calling and “flapping” Shore birds; - Greater Yellowlegs – pair in a field along highway 29 - Killdeer – All over – making their presence known with quite a racket Raptors: - Bald Eagle – fly-over the Langhei tsp MBBA block - N. Harrier – several - Red-tailed Hawks – everywhere – 8 to 10 Commons: - Red-winged Blackbirds, Am. Crows, Mourning Doves, Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays Swallows, swifts, and martins: In general, they were active and seemed to be around in good numbers. We saw them hawking insects mainly over small ponds, sometimes snatching something directly from the water. - Tree swallows – lots around (one pair guarding a nest box) - Barn Swallows – seem to be doing fine, good numbers - Chimney Swifts – one flock of about 20 birds flew over while I was in line at the Dairy Queen in Glenwood - Purple Martins – Martins are at all the nest box sites I checked. It is difficult to know if the population is up or down but it seemed to us there were fewer birds. We shall see... Miscellaneous: - Brown thrasher – one singing - Sora – one or two in various wetlands - Yellow-rumped Warbler – many - Yellow Warbler – 15 or 20 birds in 5 or 6 locations - Palm Warbler – a few - Horned Larks – all over on about any road in the county - Common Grackle – all over - Am. Robins – all over – one observed nest building in Langhei Tshp - Brown-headed Cowbirds – Many birds around. We observed one mating pair. My wife was put off by the male bird’s “love ‘em and leave ‘em” behavior. I pointed out that the female is not much better. Quite the conversation for Mother’s Day. - Yellow-headed Blackbird – There is a very promising wetland in an agricultural area dominated by Yellow-headeds – nice to see. - Veery - Warbling Vireo – The bird was back in the same tree he has occupied for the last three years. I think it is the same bird – I recognize his Norwegian accent. Sid Stivland Pope County (and Plymouth, MN) ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
