(Posted by Jason Frank <[email protected]> via moumn.org) New ducks at Salt Lake today were American Wigeons, Gadwalls, and Redheads. The huge Mallard flocks are still there, as are the geese. The mudflats have emerged, and they extend over 100 yards out the lake from the MN overlook.
31 Bald Eagles were on the ice at Cory Lake, in Hamlin WMA, 4 miles west of Dawson, a spectacular sight. Found a pair of Wood Ducks on the flooded West Fork of the Lac qui Parle River about 1 mile northwest of Prairie Marsh Farm this morning. Hiking along the beaver dams at the east end of Prairie Marsh Farm, I counted 29 dead or dying Leopard Frogs floating just beneath the surface of a single pond. There are 4 ponds there, and the frogs congregated in the one with the most vegetation, which is mainly watercress. Those that were still alive were nearly comatose. A week of daily highs in the 60's woke them up, but even with some bugs emerging along the shoreline, I'm guessing they weren't able to consume enough calories to get them through the upper-30-degree nights. An eerie and heartbreaking scene. Jason Frank ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
