[mou] Least Bittern, Juv Hummers at Old Cedar Ave Brdg - Hennepin Co

[Hans Koch]

At 8 pm on Wednesday evening (8/31), a spectacular example of an adult
male Least Bittern posed for my spotting scope for 20 minutes just 30
feet directly off the end of the boardwalk that is 0.25 mile Southwest
of the Old Cedar Ave Bridge at Long Meadow Lake in Bloomington MN, on
the Hennepin County side of the Hennepin and Dakota County border
created by the Minnesota River. The bird was perched on a reed 12 inches
above the water, patiently waiting for dinner to swim by. His patience
went unrewarded, and he finally flew Southeast about 200 feet into the
reeds with a loud squawk.

I also saw 8-10 very noisy Common Yellowthroat working the reeds along
the sides of the boardwalk, a lone Common Nighthawk flying overhead, and
12-15 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, mostly juveniles, feeding from the
numerous Spotted Touch-me-not (Jewelweed) growing along Bluff Trail
about 450 feet beyond (Southwest of) the turnoff to the boardwalk. One
curious youngster wanted a closer look at me and perched two feet from
my face, examining me for a full minute before flying off to continue
feeding nearby.

Also on the boardwalk was a gentleman who said he grew up on the apple
farm that Bloomington's Appletree Square business area at the North end
of Long Meadow Lake is named for, and he told stories of waterfowl
migrations on the lake that darkened the sky for hours at a time in the
1940's and early 50's prior to the area's sewer system creation.

The trailhead of the portion of Bluff Trail that leads to the boardwalk
at Old Cedar Ave Bridge is located at the Southeast corner of the
parking lot at the Southern end of Old Cedar Ave in Bloomington MN. The
turnoff to the boardwalk is to the left about 150 feet Southwest of the
trailhead. Bluff Trail is part of the Long Meadow Lake Unit of the
Minnesota Valley NWR. Additional information, directions and a trail map
of the area is available at
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/minnesotavalley/long_meadow.html

Here are some Lat/Lon waypoints from my GPS:

Bluff Trail trailhead
N44.83010 W93.24495

Far End of Boardwalk
N44.82797 W93.24494

Spotted Touch-me-not area of Bluff Trail
N44.82946 W93.24664

Regards,

Hans Koch
Minneapolis MN
Hennepin County
hans@imagenmicro.com