This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0123_01C43095.95AB2C20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This weekend Rick Hoyme, Jake Musser, Jeff Stephenson, Chuck Krulas, = Carol Schumacher, and I birded the southwest corner of Minnesota. We = had a spectacular weekend! Friday night enroute to meet the other three = in Jackson County, Rick, Jake, and I stopped by the Red Rock Prairie in = Cottonwood County in hopes of finding longspurs. We found no longspurs, = but we did run across a SPRAGUE'S PIPIT! Thanks to John Hockema for = posting the bird Friday night. We chased the pipit around the prairie = for about half an hour before we finally lost it. =20 Here are the highlights from our trip: Saturday: -Spotted Towhee: Robertson County Park in Jackson County -Ross's Goose: along Jackson CR 86 south of I-90 -Willet: two birds in Jackson Co.--one at Spirit Lake, another at North = Heron Lake -Shorebirds at Luverne sewage ponds (next to the Gold'n Plump chicken = plant), Rock County: -American Avocet -Hudsonian Godwits -White-rumped Sandpiper (among the many Baird's) -Short-billed Dowitchers -American Golden-Plovers -Wilson's Phalaropes -GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES: we found a pair in the marsh on the north side = of the Hills sewage ponds in Rock County--there were at least 3 pairs = here last year (we did not find any Great-taileds in Jackson County) -American Woodcock, Whip-poor-will, Eastern Screech-Owl: all three heard = in the stretch of woods to the east of the gravel pits northeast of = Luverne, Rock Co. Sunday: -another Spotted Towhee! in Blue Mounds State Park (near the beach area = east of the headquarters), Rock County. Jeff also saw a Spotted Towhee = Friday afternoon in Jackson Co. near South Heron Lake, so that makes 3 = Spotted Towhees in SW Minnesota this weekend! -ROCK WREN: Split Rock Creek State Park, Pipestone Co.--thanks to Tony = Hertzel and Paul Schumacher for posting the bird. We learned this = evening that the bird was relocated by Peder Svingen sometime this = afternoon. -Snowy Egrets--we found 3 birds in the wetlands just north of Thompson = Lake, Big Stone Co. These could be the same three that were at Thielke = Lake a few days ago. We had a great time and will definitely do this again next year. If = you're wondering where to go birding this weekend, I'd suggest anywhere = in southwest Minnesota! Good birding! -Bob Dunlap, Carver County ------=_NextPart_000_0123_01C43095.95AB2C20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1226" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>This weekend Rick Hoyme, Jake Musser, = Jeff=20 Stephenson, Chuck Krulas, Carol Schumacher, and I birded the southwest = corner of=20 Minnesota. We had a spectacular weekend! Friday night enroute to = meet the=20 other three in Jackson County, Rick, Jake, and I stopped by the Red = Rock=20 Prairie in Cottonwood County in hopes of finding longspurs. We = found no=20 longspurs, but we did run across a SPRAGUE'S PIPIT! Thanks to John = Hockema=20 for posting the bird Friday night. We chased the pipit around the = prairie=20 for about half an hour before we finally lost it. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Here are the highlights from our = trip:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Saturday:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-Spotted Towhee: Robertson County Park = in Jackson=20 County</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-Ross's Goose: along Jackson CR 86 = south of=20 I-90</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-Willet: two birds in Jackson = Co.--one at=20 Spirit Lake, another at North Heron Lake</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-Shorebirds at Luverne sewage ponds = (next to the=20 Gold'n Plump chicken plant), Rock County:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> -American Avocet</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> -Hudsonian Godwits</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> -White-rumped Sandpiper (among = the many=20 Baird's)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> -Short-billed = Dowitchers</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> -American = Golden-Plovers</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> -Wilson's = Phalaropes</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES: we found a pair = in the=20 marsh on the north side of the Hills sewage ponds in Rock County--there = were at=20 least 3 pairs here last year (we did not find any Great-taileds in = Jackson=20 County)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-American Woodcock, Whip-poor-will, = Eastern=20 Screech-Owl: all three heard in the stretch of woods to the east of the = gravel=20 pits northeast of Luverne, Rock Co.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Sunday:</FONT></DIV> <DIV> <FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-another Spotted Towhee! in Blue = Mounds State=20 Park (near the beach area east of the headquarters), Rock County. = Jeff=20 also saw a Spotted Towhee Friday afternoon in Jackson Co. near = South Heron=20 Lake, so that makes 3 Spotted Towhees in SW Minnesota this = weekend!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-ROCK WREN: Split Rock Creek State = Park, Pipestone=20 Co.--thanks to Tony Hertzel and Paul Schumacher for posting = the=20 bird. We learned this evening that the bird was relocated by Peder = Svingen=20 sometime this afternoon.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-Snowy Egrets--we found 3 birds in the = wetlands=20 just north of Thompson Lake, Big Stone Co. These could be the same three = that=20 were at Thielke Lake a few days ago.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>We had a great time and will definitely = do this=20 again next year. If you're wondering where to go birding this = weekend, I'd=20 suggest anywhere in southwest Minnesota! Good = birding!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>-Bob Dunlap, Carver=20 County</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0123_01C43095.95AB2C20--