[mou] Eurasian Collared-Dove-Jackson County, etc

[Dennis/Barbara Martin]

Found one Eurasian Collared-Dove today in the town of Heron Lake.  The bird
was feeding on the ground on the west side of the grain elevator and spent
some time sitting on a telephone wire in the same area.  It went to roost
later in the day in a tall spruce tree.  This tree is just across the old
highway to the west in the yard of the blue house that is behind the closed
yellow gas station.  The tallest spruce in the area.

This was a typical bird in the shade of gray being just slightly lighter
than a Mourning Dove and had the typical square tail with the outer black
under-tail feathers.  It was calling from the spruce tree so there may
easily be more birds there.  It seemed to be at home in the area so presume
that it will stay in the area.  We believe that this is a first county
record.

Also seen in Jackson County today were the following:

American Golden Plovers - 180 - the most we have seen in a long long time,
Just north of 420th Ave. and 740th St (Cty 66 and 67)  in a flooded pasture

Ross's Goose - 2 - same location

Great-tailed Grackle - 7 at Sandy Point County Park on the southwest shore
of South Heron Lake, one more at the public access that is about a mile west
and a mile north of this area, none of these birds were acting like nesting
birds yet as there was no new emergent vegation, they could move on to other
areas to nest we presume, we did not find any on Grovers Lake or the
previous nesting area on State Highway 86 just north of County 4

Dennis and Barbara Martin
dbmartin@skypoint.com