My family went out with me today to look at the countl Hey birders, My family went out with me today to look at the countless waterfowl being seen in the Lake Crystal area. The following sites are worth visiting currently: O.A. Vee WMA, Loon Lake, Crystal Lake, and Lily Lake.
Lily Lake had 5 species of geese (I just couldn't find a Brant!). There were also numerous Redheads, Ring-necked Duck and assorted dabblers. Crystal Lake had 4 species of geese including a blue-phase Snow Goose, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Ring-billed Gull, Common Merganser. Loon Lake had 4 species of geese (no Cackling could be determined thanks to distance and heat shimmer), Tundra Swan (thanks for the heads up Andrew Krenz), Common Goldeneye, American Coot, Common Merganser, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup O.A. Vee WMA is mostly mudflat with lots of Northern Pintails and Green-winged Teal mixed in with the Mallards. All locations had Greater White-fronted Geese. There are probably close to 800 (conservative estimate) on these lakes. I found one Ross's Goose on Loon Lake with a dozen Snows and a group of 4 Ross's on Lily with Snows. Other migrants: Eastern Bluebird, Killdeer, and Red-winged Blackbird. Happy birding! Chad Heins Mankato "But ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" --Job 12:7, 9 ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
