[mou] Glenwood BBS

[Robert_Russell at fws.gov]

I ran the Glenwood BBS route on 13 June 2008, one of my favorite routes
because it actually has topography and beautiful views of Lake Minnewaska
and a better than average diversity of birds.  Unfortunately the day was
windy and distant calls hard to pick up and comparing such days to calm
days of past years is probably not reasonable.  I finished with 74 species
with the average for the count being 75 species.  The count has now been
run 12 times.  The count begins at Grove Lake, Kandiyohi County and heads
west on the ridge below Lake Minnewaska, past Glacial Lakes State Park
where restoration efforts are beginning to bear fruit, and ends south of
Lake Emily.  I only had 680 birds average being over 1300) with most
woodlots either very quiet or too windy to hear except  the close birds.
Highlights included an American Bittern, a pair of Sandhill Cranes at Grove
Lake, 3 Northern Harriers (tied all-time high), a very out of place Merlin,
and 11 Marsh Wrens (2nd high).  Low lights were too numerous to mention but
the one Bobolink (average 17) was depressing, especially when I came to
their favorite grassy field and found it all in sad-looking 2-inch high
corn, even on the steepest hills which have at least a 30 percent slope and
should never have been plowed. The corn on these steep hills was virtually
non-existant.  Glacial Lakes had a few meadowlarks and a good variety of
sparrows and harriers which seem to have taken up residency there.  Bob
Russell, USFWS, Ft. Snelling
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