It was an unusual year for bird numbers (low) but an average year for species (43). It most cases, the seventeen counters had to work hard and search territory diligently to find birds.
An exception: Trumpeter swans. With streams and some lakes open, the swans were widely dispersed throughout the count circle; no swans at Swan Park in Monticello. Some highlights: Snowy Owl on Lake Pulaski (Jim Ryan) Glaucous Gull (Lake Pulaski) Hooded Mergs, Common Mergs, Bufflehead (again, Lake Pulaski) Wood Duck near Lake Maria (Joel Claus) Barred Owls (4) in Lake Maria State Park Great Horned Owl (2) Northern Shrikes (~6) Common Redpolls (many places) E. Bluebirds (a few) Belted Kingfisher (count week) No Siskins, Buntings, or Horned Larks could be found. -- Claudia Egelhoff Minneapolis, MN ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
