On Fri, Sat, and Sun mornings, I volunteered on a Spruce Grouse survey based out of Norris Camp in Lake of the Woods County. Unfortunately, the areas I surveyed resulted in "no detection", but I did manage to find a Spruce Grouse on Thursday evening before starting the surveys and because the surveys were conducted very early in the morning, I had all afternoon to bird some areas in northwest Minnesota. Here are some of the highlights, aside from the great species diversity I found:
4/19 - Lake of the Woods County Red Crossbills - a small flock flew over Norris Camp (also had a lone individual fly over this morning along Butterfield Rd near the Beaver Dam Cemetery) Tundra Swans - at least 200 along with many species of ducks at the rice paddies along Hwy 72 just north of CR 1 (there today as well) Short-eared Owl - 2 of them along the Norris-Roosevelt Rd at Winter Road Lake Peatland SNA Spruce Grouse - hen just east of Norris Camp at the bend on the Butterfield Rd at Nick Maude 4/20 - Roseau County Red Crossbill - flyover at River Forest Rd near Hayes Lake SP Greater White-fronted Goose - 5 at Nereson WMA, 1 at Roseau sewage ponds (w/many species of ducks and 2 Cackling Geese) Snow Bunting - 6 at Roseau sewage ponds Marbled Godwit - ~dozen at Greenbush sewage ponds and Roseau sewage ponds (also at Lake Bronson sewage ponds in Kittson County) 4/21 - Lake of the Woods County Northern Saw-whet Owl - singing well before sunrise at the Spruce Grouse spot above, probably the same individual heard singing from Norris Camp that evening Snow Bunting - lone individual on Roosevelt Rd (also a lone Snow Bunting in Beltrami County along Hwy 89) 4/21 - Marshall County Marbled Godwits - 3 along 131 north of Agassiz NWR (Agassiz was not worth visiting at all--virtually every gate was locked [disappointing!] and the pools visible from CR 7 had few birds) Franklin's Gulls - though I saw these in other locations, the hundreds of them--along with some Ring-billeds--landing in tight flocks on various parts of CR 49 NW of Thief Lake was amazing Tundra Swans - saw them at every stop along Thief Lake Peregrine Falcon - watched it nab a yellowlegs along the access road where the Thief River exits Thief Lake just north of the Sanctuary HQ Numerous kinglets of both species along with other passerines - fun to watch such a large group in the spruces at the Thief Lake HQ taking refuge from the high winds and sporadic cold rain Shawn Conrad ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
