[mou] Salt Lake Festival

[Steve Weston]

I was able to enjoy the Salt Lake Festival this weekend, experiencing the 
optimal weather, good company, and a slightly different mix of birds than in 
the Metro Area.

Some of the highlights included:
A flock of Smith's Longspurs flying by
The display flight of Marbled Godwits
Good shorebirds
Cattle Egrets on Sunday a couple of miles south of Ortonville on 400th.
White-faced Ibis

Shorebird conditions were excellant with a plethera of flooded fields.  The 
most common shorebirds were the Yellowlegs and Killdear.  The later 
sometimes in dry areas.  We had one flock of Hudsonian Godwits that hung 
around for the Sunday birders.   I found two large flocks of Golden Plovers 
(74+ & 24).   At one wet site we had Snipe flying and whinnowing all around.

Phaesants and Turkeys were particularly abundant this year, while I only saw 
not even a half dozen Crows.   This undoubably reflects the impact of West 
Nile, which has a higher incidence on the western border.

Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN
sweston2@comcast.net