Hi All, Last night about 6:30 p.m. two COMMON GALLINULES were spotted by volunteer roving interpreters, Robin DeLong and Penny Stuckey, on the Prairie's Edge Wildlife Drive. The birds were on Big Bluestem Pool, the first bit of open water past the observation platform, just before mile marker 2.5. They were at the edge of the cattails on the far side of the open water. This is the same location where this species has nested successfully for the past several years. I was on the drive this morning and the birds were really putting on a show - out in the open, enjoying the sun, and singing like crazy. A lark sparrow was singing at the beginning of the wildlife drive - just behind the restroom. Another was at 2.3 miles, singing from a snag on the right side of the road. At 1.9 miles a black-billed cuckoo sat on top of an aspen sapling on the right side of the road - completely in the open. I watched it for about 2 minutes and drove on, leaving it to sit in the warm sun. At 2.4 miles a LeConte's sparrow was singing from beside the viewing platform. At Nelson Pool, several cormorants were sunning themselves, but I didn't see the small one in the group. The loons have two new chicks, and were very close to the road just past mile marker 4.0 A pair of sandhill cranes with a new colt were near mile marker 4.5. At 5.0 a pair of blue-gray gnatcatchers were flipping around in a brush pile near the road, while I listened to red-eyed, warbling and yellow-throated vireos, veery, grosbeak, golden-winged and black-and-white warblers, scarlet tanager and great-crested flycatcher. The bald eagles on Stickney Pool were feeding their two young ones, which are getting to be good-sized. I had 74 species on the drive in a 1.5 hour-long trip. Beautiful morning! Betsy Beneke Sherburne NWR
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