Hey birders,
Trent Robbins and I got out into the field (first time for me in 6 weeks) and were able to get a taste of spring. The lakes around Lake Crystal are largely open though it looks like some of them have been more open than they are now. Lily and Crystal were the two best lakes. Lily Lake had a large flock of Greater White-fronted Geese, Canada Geese, and a single Snow Goose. There were also Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall, and Northern Pintail with a few scattered Common Goldeneyes, Hooded Mergansers, and Common Mergansers. Crystal Lake had a large flock of Canvasbacks, Redheads, Common Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, a couple of Greater Scaup, and both Mergansers as well. We even found a small flock of Green-winged Teal on the eastern end. A pair of Herring Gulls were wrestling over a morsel there as well. Loon Lake had a few scattered goldeneye and mergansers but is largely open and viewable from the boat launch on the south end. Tim's Slough near O.A. Vee WMA also had Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall, and lots of Mallards and Canadas. Lincoln WPA had lots of waterfowl but much of it was hidden in the weeds. Watonwan WPA had lots of Greater White-fronted Geese. CR13 which was flooded last fall is now passable though I will miss the Black-necked Stilt on the road in September. We had a lot of Mallards in that area and a small flock of Northern Shovelers. One of the best waterfowl concentrations was at the infamous Madelia Goose Magnet which is located east of Hwy 60 between 320th and 330th Streets. Large flocks of all three geese mentioned above plus many of the ducks and gobs of Mallards. I normally get there by taking CR30 past the Watonwan WPA and keep heading west. Lots of birds in the air and on the ground. Happy birding! Chad Heins Mankato *Chad Heins* Assistant Professor of Biology Bethany Lutheran College 700 Luther Drive Mankato, MN 56001 Office: 507.344.7327 | Toll Free: 800.944.3066 [email protected]| www.blc.edu ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
