[mou] Nicollett Cnty/Mankato area

[JELLISBIRD@aol.com]

    Lars Benson and I went birding this AM, down along the MN River Valley. 
We failed to find the Cattle Egret at the Nicollet sewage ponds or the Snowy at 
Swan Lake. We did find two E. Towhees at Minneopa Prairie area (but did not 
hear the Henslows.) Had Red Shouldered Hawks at two locations.
    On MN 169 between Mankato and Seven-mile Creek we found two shorebird 
areas E of the road along field edges where the MN River has flooded. One of 
these had 85 Greater and Lesser Yellow-Legs one Dunlin, one Pectoral and one 
Willet, and the other (along a Min Maint road) had 32 Greater and Lesser, 2 
Pectorals and 1 Dunlin. We saw 250-300 W. Pelicans in the Swan Lake area and also our 
first BCNightHeron.
    John Ellis- St. Paul (April 23, '06)