Spent the last three days in Pope County and was able to squeeze in some birding – if you can call it that. Sunday afternoon was some of the worst weather I can remember, and I grew up there so I can recall a good many snowy April (and May) days. The combination of 20 to 25 MPH winds combined with a mix of snow, rain, sleet, and freezing rain made it impossible to bird outside the car. Scope was out of the question. The only (relatively uncommon) birds seen were Lapland Longspurs and Horned Larks. No matter how many times I see these little guys in this kind of weather, I continue to marvel at their hardiness.
Bird summary: Sunday PM: Horned Larks – in pairs or small groups of three Lapland Longspurs – larger group of 40 to 50 birds feeding in the ditches along highway 55, and a small group at my farm Am. Robins – group of 8 birds feeding in a crab-apple tree outside the church and hanging on for dear life Dark-eyed Juncos – Very large flock of a hundred or more in Lowry House sparrows, American Crows, and Chickadees Monday: still very windy and DRIFTING SNOW, but no freezing rain. There is no open water on any of the area lakes except for the small open areas at culverts draining into the lake. Consequently, all of the waterfowl is concentrated on runoff ponds on agricultural fields (drainage culverts are still frozen). Thousands of geese and ducks are on those ponds and feeding on area corn fields. Canada Geese – Thousands all over in farm fields Greater White-fronted Geese – Dozens mixed in with Canadas Swans – presumably Tundras – I was not able to use my scope. Mallards Ring-necks Shovellers Wood Duck Common Goldeneyes Hooded Mergansers Great Blue Heron – One very cold looking GBHE hunching down, at the small pond feeding Lake Minnewaska near Torgy’s Gadwall – one bird in the small pond in Glenwood keeping the Heron company Canada Geese, Mallards, Shovellers, Hoodies, Goldeneyes and Ring-necks at the game farm pond on SH 28 in Glenwood Killdeer – 4 or 5 running around on the snow at game bison farm Pied-billed Grebe One lonely Ring-billed Gull Along country roads - Lapland Longspurs – they must have moved on – only one small group of 5 birds Horned Larks – all over the place Snow Buntings – 3 or 4 but they were nearly completely in breeding plumage Western Meadowlarks – three birds also hanging on to madly swinging weed tufts Northern Harrier – one pair Red-tailed Hawks – we quit counting at 20 birds. “Richardson’s race” Merlin – Thanks to Drew Smith for ID assistance, as this was not a bird either my wife or I had seen previously. Dark-eyed Juncos – large flocks around and at my farm Blackbirds, Red-wings in large numbers, a few Brewer’s mixed in. Common Grackles Sparrow (sp) Tuesday: Much nicer day. Waterfowl still concentrated in large numbers on farm fields. Pretty much the same birds around. Cooper’s or Sharpie chasing a robin near Starbuck Redheads – 3 pair in the farm fields Blue-winged Teal – in Glenwood American Kestrals - 5 birds between Glenwood and Plymouth (not Pope County) Again, we quit counting Red-tails at 15. One Rough-legged On Tuesday, I photographed 20 or more people ice fishing on Lake Minnewaska, and not right by shore, either. I was told there is still 1 to 2 feet of ice or more on the lake. There is NO SIGN of “gray ice”! Sid Stivland Plymouth, MN (and Pope County) ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
