In addition to the Summer Tanager at Long Lake Park in Watonwan Co, which was reported on Friday to mou-net, the Minn Birding Weekends (MBW) group found a few other birds of note in these three counties this weekend, May 12-13-14.
In all, we recorded 145 species, with 118 of these in Watonwan Co on May 12. Besides the tanager, we found a nesting pair of Red-necked Grebes on Case Lake, a cooperative and visible Least Bittern in the WMA on 360th St just W of CR 12, 17 warbler species (incl a Cape May and multiple Golden-wingeds), and Orchard Oriole at Long Lake Co Park. Shorebirds were hard to find Watonwan Co: only 7 species were found, and the only decent spot was a flooded field at 320th St and 830 Ave. On May 12 we covered parts of Cottonwood and Murray counties but had few highlights, partly due to the warm temperatures, strong winds, and very dusty back roads. We saw fewer warblers that day (14 species), but did better with shorebirds: 14 species, mostly in Murray Co, where there was only one productive area, 2 mi E of Hwy 91 along the Lyon Co line (Am Golden-Plovers, Hudsonian Godwit, Short-billed Dowitchers, Dunlins, and White-rumped Sandpipers). Sunday morning’s birding was less eventful, although we relocated a Henslow’s Sparrow found by Brian Smith the day before in Brown Co at Wood Lake WMA (just W of CR 8, 1 mi N of the Watonwan Co line). Kim Eckert, Duluth mbwbirds.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
