Yesterday (Saturday) while driving through Dakota Co on my way to Prescott, I made a few stops. Shorebirds were difficult to find with many of the reliable spots birdless.
Jirik sodfarm east of Farmington had inviting habitat, but no birds at all. Lake Byllesby had high water with no sand or mud visible. I tarried there briefly saw a few gulls, a flock of cormorants, and a small blob of white Pelicans. It was not encouraged enough to unpack my scope. The Great Northern Industrial Park by Randolph was quiet except for the wind and a few Meadowlarks (both kinds) and Red-winged Blackbirds. I did not see a single sparrow battling the wind. U-More Park provided the best birding which included a copulating pair of Kestrels, E. Meadowlarks, and a couple of unidentifiable wary grassland Sparrows, either Vesper or Henslow's by their chips. I was very disappointed that I was blocked from my drive through the area as the road closed for winter has yet to be opened. I chose not to walk in on 190th for some good shorebird habitat. Best bird of the day was a FOY Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I finally reached my goal: the Visitor's Center at Prescott. I set my scope aimed towards Hastings, swung my aim south from the Target sign (on the far west side of town), and found what I was looking for: a heron rookery with an Egret sitting on a nest. The rookery is south east of Hastings in the river bottom forests along the Vermilion River. I am looking for any observations of its residents from the last five years to add to the Breeding Bird Atlas. If anyone has any sightings from this rookery, please let me know. Steve Weston On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN [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
