The Mute Swan that was reported on the 18th by Brian Smith is still in the same area north of Courtland. On Wednesday it had been re-found further north than the original spot (both very small floods spots in ag fields). I spotted it today (Friday) flying over CR12/541st Ave between the two spots. It was first going west over the lake that is split by CR12. It then looped back over the road in front of me and then flew a short distance north and then dropped and disappeared out of sight on the east side of the road. It was a 4 mile route for me to get to the road a mile to the east where the bird went down (marsh with open water) and by the time I got there I was not able to re-find the bird. There are several flooded fields all around the area - especially along CR5 to the north and on over to a lake east of Hwy 111 where the bird might also hang around (a Mute Swan had been seen along Hwy 111 north of CR5 near the Sibley County line in years past).
I also wandered around in Martin County this afternoon and was able to locate a mixed flock of Snow Geese and 7 or 8 Ross's Geese mixed in with some Greater White-fronted Geese west of Watkins Lake in the western part of the county. The flock was in a small flooded area along 20th Ave about a half mile north of 160th St (CR36). There were several lakes in Martin County that had opened up (with the help of strong winds this afternoon). Eagle Lake, on the north side of I90 north of Welcome at 140th Ave & 150th St, was full of several species of migrating waterfowl & a flock of Ring-billed Gulls. There was also a flooded field with several dabbler species located a mile north of Eagle Lake. Bob Ekblad Olmsted County in SE Minnesota http://www.Birding-Minnesota.com ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html