At 11:45 AM today, I saw a first year Golden Eagle soaring about 200 feet above the bike trail 0.5 miles east of the Spring Lake Park West Trailhead, Dakota County. The bird was a rich brownish color with hints of gold, lighter in color than a 1st or 2nd year Bald Eagle, with light tan translucent stripes under each wing in a symmetrical pattern and a light tan patch at the base of the tail. The habitat was a restored prairie with scattered trees. Spring Lake Park Schaar's Bluff Trailhead is about 4 miles further east along the bike trail. Earlier this AM I saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch in an extensive conifer grove 0.5 miles south of the Schaar's Bluff Trailhead and southeast of the bike trail in the same area where I saw a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Great Horned Owl on March 27.
Dave Zumeta ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
