[mou] Long Prairie and Philbrook CBCs

[Benjamin Fritchman]

Both the Long Prairie and Philbrook CBCs were conducted on January 1st. Both 
of the circles are located within Todd County. The preliminary results are 
in, and Long Prairie ended up with 40 species on count day, which I believe 
is one behind the record for the count. Three other species were seen on 
count week(Sharp-shinned Hawk, Lapland Longspur, and American Kestrel) for a 
very good total of 43 for our area. Also, a possible Harris' Sparrow was 
reported, but not confirmed as of yet. Highlights included the possible 
Harris' Sparrow, also Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern 
Flicker, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, American Robin, Mallard (only 
one stream for open water), and Belted Kingfisher.

The Philbrook CBC, now in only its third year set a record for number of 
species this year. There was a total of 31 species found, which exceeded our 
expectations. There were many firsts for the count, including Northern 
Cardinal, Northern Goshawk, Lapland Longspur, Great-horned Owl, and Great 
Blue Heron. The Heron was found by Herb Dingman flying along an open ditch 
of water. Also of note were Bohemian Waxwing, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Common 
Raven.

All in all a great day to be out counting birds.
Ben Fritchman
Long Prairie, Minnesota