Hello Birders,
Our final tally for the Salt Lake Birding Weekend can be found here: https://moumn.org/saltlake/ We had 130 species this year, with upwards of 150 birders canvassing the Lac qui Parle/Big Stone region. Morning weather was tough, but lots of shorebirds started showing up after lunch, with Salt Lake being one of the highlights. There we found Wilson’s Phalaropes, with Stilt Sandpipers and Long-billed Dowitchers feeding side-by-side. All five of our core Grebe species were located, with multiple pairs of courting Western Grebes spotted in the Refuge and on the scattered potholes lakes of Big Stone County. Other highlights included Sandhill Cranes, a Spotted Towhee in Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge. Snowy and Cattle Egrets, along with Black-necked Stilts, were located on Sunday. Shorebird migration is now peaking in the area, and there is even more standing water in the fields than there was last weekend. Thanks again to all of our participating birders, my fellow guides Ken Larson, Steve Weston, and Trey Weaver, and to the cities of Marietta and Madison, the Marietta Legion Auxiliary, Madison Mercantile and Kris Shelstad, and the Sons of Norway Lodge for hosting and feeding us. Jason Frank Ortonville MN ---- General information and guidelines for posting: https://moumn.org/listservice.html Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.