[mou] Easter around Mankato

[Chad Heins]

Hey birders!

My wife and I had a little cabin fever so decided to
do a "mini" big day from noon until 6 p.m.  The
birding was great; the weather was not with lots of
drizzles and misting.  

We ended up with 87 species and here are the
highlights:

4 grebes (mostly on Swan Lake in Nicollet county)
including a Horned Grebe on a small pond along Hwy 12
about a mile north of Hwy 14 in Nicollet county

16 ducks including Canvasbacks, all 3 mergansers,
Redhead, and many dabblers (Lake Wita, Swan Lake,
Oakleaf Lake, Gilfillin Lake)

4 gulls (Ring-billed, Bonaparte's, and Franklin's seen
in the fields at the intersection of Hwys 26 and 27 in
Blue Earth County and a lone 2nd summer Herring Gull
along Hwy 22)

Both species of yellowlegs and Wilson's Snipe were
found at the boat launch on the east side of Swan Lake
feeding in the grass.  Greater Yellowlegs were also
seen at the Horned Grebe location mentioned above. 

6 hawks including multiple harriers and a Cooper's on
a nest in Mankato.

9 sparrows were seen including my first Vesper of the
year, White-throated and a single Lincoln's Sparrow.

Lastly, we had a single Canada Goose with partial
albinism that gave it the look of a blue-phase snow
goose.  This bird was seen just west of the entrance
to the Lake Wita boat launch on the north side
(located off of Hwy 2)

Mankato Bird Club's waterfowl trip the day before also
had Forster's Tern and Pectoral Sandpipers so
migration is happening in spite of the weather.

Happy birding!

Chad Heins
Mankato, MN

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo
http://search.yahoo.com