|
|
2013 Field Trip & Workshop List
* Rice County Waterfowl and other spring migrants, Dave Bartkey will be leading a tour of spots in Rice county for early waterfowl migrants on Saturday, March 23rd. Please meet Dave at 7am at the Dairy Queen west of the freeway along Hwy. 60. Park at the trail head for the Sakatah Singing Hills Bike Trail. To start, this trip will focus on Wells Lake, where the group hopes to find many species of common ducks and some geese. In the late morning/early afternoon (if weather conditions are favorable) the group can do some hawk watching at River Bend Nature Center. Golden Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Sandhill Crane, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, American White Pelican and Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks are very possible! You never know what you'll see! If interested, please contact Dave directly by email ( greathorneddave@hotmail.com ).
* Dakota County Park Miesville Ravine, Come bird with MOU trip leader Kevin Smith at Miesville Ravine on Saturday, April 13 to look for early migrants at the park. The group will meet me at 8:00 am at the south parking lot by the Cannon River. No park sticker is required for Dakota County Parks. Drive to this part of the park by taking 280th Street a little over 4 miles east off of Hwy 20 (Cannon Falls Blvd). The tour will start in the deciduous forest along the Cannon River & Trout Brook. Then check out at least one native prairie area and the edge habitat. Target species expected include early season migrants like Ruby & Golden-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Hermit Thrush and Yellow-rumped Warbler are good possibilities in the lowland forest. Wood Duck & Hooded Merganser are likely in the streams. The edges along the prairies we are hopeful that we can find several species of migratory sparrows along with the expected Song & Chipping. If interested, please contact me by email to ask questions or just let me know you will be there. Contacting me beforehand is not required. (ksmith9961@gmail.com). I will be there even if it rains. After birding at Miesville Ravine we may stop in Cannon Falls for lunch on the way to check for waterfowl or shorebirds at the western end of Lake Byllesby. (a scope is very helpful here)
* Arden Hills Armory in Ramsey County, Tuesday, June 11th Your guide will be Bob Holtz The trip will begin at 8am and last until about 11am. Don't miss your opportunity to see inside AHATS (the old arsenal area). It is a great field trip site and is rarely open to the public. Its habitat includes open water with marsh, wooded areas and grasslands and rolling hills. This is a walking tour with little shade. Come prepared for a hike out in the open. Species we will likely find include Common Loon, Osprey, Wild Turkey, several woodpecker species, a few sparrow species, including nesting Grasshopper Sparrows, Trumpeter Swans, Eastern Kingbird and Bank Swallow, among others. The site, is just off MN Hwy 96 between 35W and Lexington Ave. Go north on Hamline Ave. a few hundred feet to the first gate on the right. Just inside the gate there will be parking space. The group will be limited to 16. To sign up, contact trip leader Bob Holtz at bobholtz33@comcast.net. Heavy rain, but not a mist, will cancel the trip.
