[Mnbird] Birding About the Metro

[Steve Weston]

On Wednesday we had 5 Great Egrets on the lake and a couple of Pine Siskins
in the tree top at Quigley Lake.

Friday;  The usual flock of ducks, Woodies, Hoodies, Mallards, and honkers
(Canada Geese) are congregating along out shore.  Wood Ducks in our trees
make it difficult to approach our back windows. A small number of
Ring-necks dive a little further from shore. We had a pair of Titmice
(Titmouses just don't sound right) interacting in the apple tree next door.
I haven't heard them call and they don't hang around.  I hope they are here
for the season.  Also, FOY Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Saturday I was up and out before dawn to find Sandhill Cranes.  I
coordinated the count locally and had three teams out in and around Dakota
County. They all found cranes (by Lake Byllesby, in U-More near the radio
station, and just over the county line near the Vermilion River near
Etter), but I was not successful checking out 180th Street Marsh and Lake
Rebecca by Hastings.  In the afternoon a mother with a couple of kids out
birding found a crane on nest at Lake Rebecca.

After the crane count, I joined the fun at Carpenter Nature Center at the
Hastings Birding Festival.  It was a great success with even more
participants than last year.  Highlights for me included Horned Grebes,
Bonaparte Gulls, Pectoral Sandpipers, RC Kinglet, and a flock of
Yellow-rumped Warblers all at Lake Byllesby, Lapland Longspurs, both
Meadowlarks, and displaying Horned Larks at the Great Western Industrial
Park by Randolph.  In the afternoon we went to 180th Street Marsh where we
had good looks at Wilson's Snipe, hidden in plain sight, Swamp Sparrow,  a
great variety of waterfowl, and a Great-horned Owl with two or three owlets
on nest.  Others found Yellow-headed Blackbirds.  I had found a Greater
Yellowlegs there when I came looking for cranes, but it was not around in
the afternoon.  On the way out we found the Loggerhead Shrike along 180th
further west and displaying Eurasian Collard Doves in Vermilion.  Back at
Carpenter, there was a steady stream of hawks overhead including a
Red-shoulder Hawk and a Coopers Hawk in the tree tops.

One highlight that I did not share was the ermine that I saw flash across
the road in the industrial park. This was the first one I had ever seen.
It was in a habitat that I really did not expect to find it. It was near
the grain elevator and probably fed on rodents and gophers.  I also saw a
dirt pile that suggested a badger is probably also enjoying the habitat.


Steve Weston
On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN
sweston2 at comcast.net
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