Had a fun morning doing the Breeding Bird Survey route at Sherburne. Conditions weren't optimum (wind), but time is growing short to finish up surveys!
The orchard oriole was singing just east of the Oak Savanna Trail/kiosk area. The Bergerson Pool eaglet has fledged, and I watched it trying to navigate with the wind this morning - kind of an interesting sight. A dickcissel was singing across the road from the Prairie Trail - first one I've seen or heard this year. No sign of baby gallinules yet, but they should be out and about soon. The Henslow's sparrow was still singing this morning in the same general area on CR 9 I reported earlier in the week. A black and white warbler was seen/heard singing from the aspens on the north side of CR 3, just a bit east of our maintenance headquarters driveway. Lark sparrows were seen at the Oak Savanna Trail/restroom area of the wildlife drive, on Brande Road near the cemetery (this is the road that goes north off CR 9, just west of the old school house), and in the Oak Savanna development, 2 miles east of refuge HQ. It was sitting on top of the street pole in front of the house that's for sale on the cul-de-sac. And lastly...a mute swan was loafing in the wetland that's just across CR 5 from the turn into the Prairie's Edge Wildlife Drive. Prairie wildflowers are awesome right now! Purple/blue spiderwort is abundant, next to the pink prairie rose and other yellow and white flowers - quite a palette of color out there. Betsy Beneke Visitor Services Manager Sherburne, Crane Meadows & Rice Lake NWR Complex ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
