I went to McLeod County with Milt Blomberg to find the Swan. Nothing on the pond that even resembled a Swan. A few ducks, shorebirds, and a lone Great Egret. No Swans. Went to the farm owners place that owned the pond and found two ECD's. After we left, because the farmer was not home, we found another Collared Dove just into Wright County off from Hwy 5. We decided to go to Cocato to look for more species. Serendipity paid off. We were going back to the intersection of Common Street and Peyton Avenue where we took some back roads. I looked out my window and saw a bird with an red-orange beak on a pond. I knew it as a Common Moorhen. Good bird to find. We went back to the farm to look for the Swan and met the owner. I think Milt and I created a new birder after we filled his mind with Gallinule's, Collared Doves and Mute Swans. He took us to his Fathers, who is at least 85, and we found a Collard Dove at his house. I hour later we left after we gave the two guys a whole lot more info about Mute Swans, Collard Doves and Common Gallinule.
The moral is if we would have found the Swans when we first got there all the other events wouldn't have transpired. I usually get down trodden when things don't work out. Today I was glad we didn't find the Swan or I may not have found two new friends and a Gallinule. Frank Gosiak Little Falls, Mn P.S. Milt left the info for locating the Gallinule and the Collared Doves are at the location where the Swans use to reside. Look on the lines near all three neighboring farms. They all had Doves. ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html