[mou] Hwy. 28 -westcentral MN

[aabier]

Yesterday I drove on Hwy 28 between Sauk Center and Morris.  On the 
UMMorris campus I saw yellow-rumped warblers and chipping sparrows.  I 
also 2 birds with head markings like chippings but backs were very 
light brown, close to gold.  A breeding variant of chippings?
I headed back east about 6:30 pm.  In the first pond on the north side 
of the road, at the west end across from Lake Minnesaska were a bunch 
of shore birds - I think they were Lesser Yellowlegs.  Also there were 
ducks there, also on a pond near Westport, with white patches that in 
the book look like Blue-winged Teals, the sun was too low to get a good 
look at much more than the white patches on head and wings.   Please 
confirm my IDs if you can.  There were also a number of Franklin Gulls 
in the second pond from the west around 2 pm, and they were flying away 
on the return trip around 7.   We saw several pheasants in fields, and 
one grouse in a field near Starbuck, didn't stop to check it out, any 
idea what kind it probably was?  We saw Coots on several different 
lakes.  There were Red-winged Blackbirds everywhere, and Mourning 
Doves, and little brown birds flying north that I assume were sparrows 
but couldn't get a good look.
We also saw 2 beautiful Great Egrets near Lake Minnesaska, and another 
flying above the ditchline near Westport.
Anne Bier
Virginia (MN, not VA)