I made a quick loop around the Prairie's Edge Wildlife Drive this morning, from 6:30 to 7:45. Birds are still singing like crazy, and sparrows are abundant (grasshopper, field, clay-colored) or very common (vesper, song, chipping, swamp), with many perched in the open and close to the road. And me with no camera! I counted 26 dickcissels singing around the entire loop - crazy numbers of these birds this year! A gentleman was perched at the gallinule spot at 2.5 miles and said he saw one bird early - probably 6:30 or so. There were 72 cormorants perched in trees on Nelson Pool. Several pairs of sandhill cranes, only two pairs had a colt or colts. Scarlet tanager singing from a dead tree in the open at mile marker 5.0 - woodland area. Really cool non-bird sighting was a black bear swimming across Stickney Pool at approx. 5.3 miles. And the Stickney bald eaglets (2) were both perched in the tree, looking larger than their parents. Wildflowers are awesome right now too - especialy along the first 2 miles of the drive. I've been off work the last month recuperating from back surgery, so this morning was a wonderful way to start back. Betsy Beneke Sherburne NWR
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