At Marsh Lake this morning with Kathy Mattsson, I spotted a single Buff-Breasted Sandpaper on the Marsh Lake mudflats, between Louisburg and Correll.
This was along the Minnesota River Scenic Byway route. The road has 3 names: if you're north of the lake, it'll either be listed as T-156 or 615th Ave; if you're south of the lake, it's 225th. Copy/paste the coordinates below into a search engine to get an idea of the exact spot. It was on the drier, southerly portion of the flats, where the emergent reeds are thickest. 45.213317, -96.197363 We were scoping a huge mixed flock of Dunlins and Pectoral Sandpipers (several hundred birds, adults and juveniles) when I noticed the Buff-Breasted walking by itself on the outskirts of the flock. It didn't associate with any of the other birds. Erect posture, short black bill, little black eyes, dark/light "diamondback" pattern on wings, back, tail and crown distinct from the Pectorals; breast a clean "buffy" ochre, belly paler, with yellow legs. It was too far out for photos; someone would've needed at least a 600mm lens to get a decent doc shot. -- Jason M. Frank Ortonville Public Library Founder & Vice President Luddite Ornithologists League (LOL) Big Stone County, Minnesota ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
