[mou] Lac Qui Parle

[Sharon Stiteler]

I went pelican banding (also banded ring-billed gulls and cormorants) at Lac
Qui Parle with a group from St Cloud and MN DNR.  In the past I have
insisted that vulture vomit is the stinkiest thing on the planet, but after
taking my third shower and still have a hint of pelican vomit on my finger
tips, my opinion has changed.

We found the following nests or chicks:
white pelicans
double-crested cormorants
ring-billed gulls
black-crowned night herons
great egrets
gadwall
Forster's tern

On one of the islands we did find a Hudsonian godwit that appeared to be
scolding us as if a nest were nearby but we were unable to locate a nest or
chicks.

Other birds seen include:
yellow-headed blackbirds
western grebes
Franklin's gulls

I also have a new respect for cormorants.  They always looked a little goofy
out in the field sunning and fishing, however trying to place a leg band on
one of these guys without losing an eye is a challenge--they are aggressive
little suckers.

Sharon Stiteler
Uptown, Minneapolis