[mou] 2 Male Great-tailed Grackle @ sleepy eye

[Terence Brashear]

Hi

On my way back from my fiance's parents place in
Morton, MN we swung down to Sleepy Eye to see if the
Great-tailed Grackle reported earlier was present.

We stopped at the entrance of the Sleepy Eye recycling
area which is on the north side of the sewage ponds,
and saw one adult male Great-tailed Grackle at 5PM. 
It then flew over to the fence line that separates the
sewage ponds from the recycling area and was joined by
another adult male Great-tailed Grackle on the grass
that lines the sewage pond.

The birds were identified as Great-tailed Grackle
based on their size in comparison to the Common
Grackle that were present, their coloration, tail
shape, beak size and the vocalizations they made.  I
was unable to take photographs since the recycling
area was closed, and the birds moved around quite a
bit.  One male appeared to be staking territory just
south of the marsh area on the north side of the
recylcing area.  Looks like similar habitat to the
area in Jackson County where they have been present
for the last few years.

Other new migrants for me - all seen in the vicinty of
Morton, MN:

White-crowned Sparrow
Turkey Vulture - 20 +
Wilson's Snipe
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Chipping Sparrow
American White Pelican

Regards,

Terry Brashear
Hennepin County, MN
http://tbrashear.imageculture.com
birdnird@yahoo.com


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