I spent 17 days birding in Murray & Pipestone counties for the Breeding Bird Atlas mostly in June, finding 120 species, including seven migrants and confirming breeding for 62 species. Two other species were reported by locals: Screech Owl was confirmed breeding last year, and a Whip-poor-will heard by a resident a few days earlier.
Unexpected summer birds included a Common Loon (in non-breeding plumage) Buffalo Lake in Murray Twshp, Murray Co., a Solitary Sandpiper in Pipestone Co., a pair of Trumpeter Swans at the Big Slough in Murray Co. (first summer record), American Wigeon in SW Holly Twshp along CR 14, Murray Co.(first summer record), and Barred Owl, Pipestone (first summer record). Good birds included: Least Bittern: Murray Co: Doveray WMA in Murray Twshp (1st summer record) Pipestone Co: Engbarth Slough, Rock Twshp (1st summer record) Cottonwood Co: Talcot Lake WMA north of CR14 just east of county line, SW corner of county Marbled Godwit: Murray Co. along east boundary of northern Lowville Twshp Upland Sandpiper: Murray Co. in three townships, including several locations around and ne of Hjerstad WMA in Ellsborough Twshp Pipestone Co. in four townships, including just north and south of Woodstock, and in Altoona Twshp where 221th Street crosses the Flandreau Cr., where I had at least three Sandpipers, including one who repeated flew over to check me out. Blue Grosbeaks Murray Co. in Moulton Twshp, near the top of the hill on 40th Avenue south of CR4. An Upland SP was heard here also. Pipestone Co. on the west side of the farmstead at the corner of Highway 75 and the Lincoln Co. line. Another was seen two miles to the south near the bridge over the Flaudreau Cr. Eurasian Collard Doves: (found in towns) Murray Co: found in Slayton (first summer record) Pipestone Co: found in Pipestone, Holland, and Ruthton Animals of note: Badger, Striped Skunk, Mule Deer, Richardson's Ground Squirrel (two locations), Blanding's Turtle (Pipestone Co), several hugh Snapping Turtles, Grey Fox, several Red Fox, including one group of three kits, and a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a baby Mink, which I could not resist petting. I found some neat plants including death camas, rough false pennyroyal, prairie lilly, a dry prairie fern, that I have yet to ID, and a plant that I have to track down its name that has not been reported in Minnesota before. I wish I had taken a photo of this last one, but I know where to find it. -- Steve Weston On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN swest...@comcast.net ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
