Yesterday there was a Western Kingbird on the north side of Highway 10, just
west of 196th St., east of Big Lake, Sherburne County. The bird was
alternating between sitting on utility wires and hawking for insects over an
adjacent field. There may have been a second Western Kingbird in the field,
but the look I had was too brief to positively identify this bird.
In Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge there were numerous Grasshopper Sparrow,
a Henslow's Sparrow (at the location reported by others), Lark Sparrow, and one
lone Dickcissel. In the adjacent Sand Dunes State Forest many Eastern
Whip-poor-will were calling. I tried several times during the day and evening
to locate the Common Gallinule that has been seen at Sherburne NWR, but was
unsuccessful. However, my patients was reward by seeing and hearing several
Least Bittern.
The sewage ponds at Princeton have been drawn down (there appears to be
construction or maintenance taking place), exposing extensive mud flats. When
I visited there the only shorebirds I saw were Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, and
Spotted Sandpiper. However, in a county with little mud, this site may be a
attractive resting place for shorebirds and worth checking over the next few
weeks, assuming the sewage ponds remain drawn down. The sewage ponds are
located south of Princeton at the end of 120th St., approximately 0.3 mile
north of 317th Ave.
Douglas Mayo
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