[mou] MOU Mille Lacs Trip

[Pastor Al Schirmacher]

One wonders what makes for a good field trip:  Finding the expected birds? 
Numbers of species?  An ID puzzle?

If so, this was not the best trip.

However, if excellent cameraderie - beautiful weather and scenery - and 
unexpected species make a trip - it was a rousing success.

Certainly the highlight of the trip was the unexpected Boreal Chickadee. 
No, make that two.  Even better, they were found by sixth grader Ben Stubbs, 
a birding star in the making.  Diagnostic looks were had by all, and their 
song was clearly heard as they moved south along the lake.  A couple of 
photos can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/10317865@N02

Other birds of interest included Snow Buntings - Lapland Longspurs - 
American Pipit - Northern Pintails - single Pelican - Black-bellied Plover - 
Orange-crowned and Palm Warblers - and a single Rusty Blackbird.

There may have been a Red-throated Loon present in Garrison, but no one had 
a definitive look.

Good birding to all!

Al Schirmacher
Princeton, MN
Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties