(Posted by Jason Frank <[email protected]> via moumn.org) Northbound flocks of Canada Geese were moving through southern Lac qui Parle and northern Yellow Medicine Counties yesterday afternoon.
The current count at Lac qui Parle Refuge is around 1000, though most of these over- wintered. Mallards, and my FOY Common Mergansers, were present around the dam. I would expect quite a few of them arriving this week. The male Evening Grosbeak that has been visiting the feeders at the LQP State Park visitor center is still present, as of yesterday. There's a Sharp-Shinned Hawk that overwintered there as well. Cedar Waxwings were also present. I was able to locate the Townsend's Solitaire that's been in the cedar groves around the Lac qui Parle Mission since the CBC. There was one Rough-Legged Hawk hovering in the State Park, and people are still seeing Snowy Owls around Milan, Appleton, and Correll as of this week. An injured Snowy from Madison was brought to the Raptor Center last week. Fred Eckhardt has FOY Harris's Sparrows in Boyd. At home on the border in Gary SD, I've had 50 to 70 Redpolls at my feeders, round the clock, for 2 weeks now. Most are Common, but there are still 2 or 3 Hoaries showing up with them. Also have a dozen House Finches, around 20 Goldfinches, and a few Pine Siskins. Still have a Red-Breasted Nuthatch. Red Bellied Woodpeckers are chirping. There is still a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers in the gulch just west of town. Still haven't had a single Junco in the yard this winter. Red-Tailed Hawks are back in greater numbers, Rough-Legs are mostly gone, but the Kestrels disappeared when it got cold and haven't returned yet. It's been 2 weeks since I saw a Northern Shrike. I had a massive flock of Snow Buntings near Canby a few days ago. 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
