[mou] Salt Lake Birding Weekend: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, White-faced Ibis.

[BillyJoe Unzen]

The weather over the weekend was near perfect and we had 129 species tallie=
d on Saturday night. Total of at least 148 species Friday through Sunday.

On Friday morning I found a White-faced Ibis 3 miles south of Bellingham on=
 Hwy 75. The ibis was present here early Saturday morning, but moved 1 mi=
le to the northwest later in the day were most of the participants got to=
 see it. I could not find the ibis on Sunday.

A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was found by a group heading back to the cities=
 on Sunday around noon. It was found along Hwy 212, about 4 =C2=BD miles =
west of Hwy 75. I checked the area about an hour after the sighting and c=
ould not relocate the bird during the afternoon. I returned in the evenin=
g and again could not find the bird in this area. With pure luck I refoun=
d the bird exactly two miles straight north of the original location at 7=
pm. The bird was utterly magnificent as it sat on the wires and fly-catch=
ed in the full evening sunlight. It dipped low over the road within ten f=
eet of me several times and gave plenty opportunity for photographing it.

Northern Mockingbirds were seen just east of Marietta on Saturday and anoth=
er near the Goodman farm on Friday. Another was at a cemetery on Sunday e=
vening about a mile northeast of the flycatcher location above. If all th=
e mockingbirds are separate individuals, it brings the spring total so fa=
r to five in Lac Qui Parle.

A Cattle Egret was a few miles southwest of Bellingham Wednesday through Fr=
iday and a 2 more were near the Goodman farm on Friday and Saturday.

A lone Ross=E2=80=99s Goose was the only light goose seen and was present 3=
 miles south then three miles west of Madison on both Saturday and Sunday=
 (mile and half east of the flycatcher location).

Over the weekend 15 shorebirds species were found. There is plenty of habit=
at but most just have a few yellowlegs or Pectoral Sandpipers. The best s=
horebird spot found was a wet field just east of the Dawson sewage lagoon=
s that contained 7 Hudsonian Godwits, Dunlin, Baird=E2=80=99s and Semipal=
mated Sandpiper, and Golden Plover.

On Saturday a large group of Smith=E2=80=99s Longspurs was seen and heard 3=
 miles south and 1 =C2=BD miles west of Bellingham.

Birding around Plover Prairie and the surrounding area was very productive =
early Saturday morning. Henslow=E2=80=99s Sparrows have returned to Plove=
r Prairie with at least 5 singing. 15 Prairie-chickens were very active o=
n the lek. A few LeConte=E2=80=99s Sparrows were along the fence lines in=
 the area. A Nelson=E2=80=99s Sharp-tailed Sparrow was singing in a small=
 patch of wet grass next to a cattail marsh along the CR 59 road 1 mile e=
ast of Plover Prairie that heads north through the marshes and dead ends =
at the river. Also in these marshes were American Bittern, BC Night Heron=
, Marsh Wren, and a Sandhill Crane was in the grassland to the east.

An Eastern Screech-Owl was at a woodlot 2 =C2=BD miles north of Nassau. 2 E=
urasian Collared Doves were in Marietta. Unusually early were Dickcissel =
on Saturday and another one back on Thursday. Also a early Bobolink on Su=
nday at Salt Lake.

Other birds seen on Friday include a Ferruginous Hawk along Hwy 212 about 2=
-3 miles east of Dawson, Sharp-tailed Grouse along CR 66 in Hantho Townsh=
ip, American Avocet and Peregrine Falcon at Salt Lake, and Loggerhead Shr=
ike in LQP State Park.

Notable misses include Horned Grebe, Partridge, and Short-eared Owl.


Bill J. Unzen
Bellingham, MN