[mou] Shorebirds in Nicollet County

[rdunlap@gac.edu]

On the east side of Hwy. 169 just south of Seven Mile Creek County Park is a
flooded field that has been attracting shorebirds for a few weeks now. Water
levels were dropping after the floodwaters began to recede, but the river is
beginning to flood again from last week's rains, and so there is quite a bit of
water there now, creating decent shorebird habitat. To view this area, drive
down the minimum maintenance road until the road becomes too wet.  Present this
morning were:

Lesser Yellowlegs - a dozen or so
Pectoral Sandpiper - 3
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 4
White-rumped Sandpiper - 2
Solitary Sandpiper - 1
Spotted Sandpiper - 2
Semipalmated Plover - 2

Just south of this area is another section of flooded field that held a couple
dozen Greater Yellowlegs, but there is no area from which to view it other than
the roadside.

Swan Lake's levels are still too high to be attracting many shorebirds around
the accessible parts.  However, while there this morning I observed a large
flock (around 100) of medium-sized to large shorebirds flying over the lake in
the distance, which leads me to believe that Denny Martin's prediction about
there being good shorebird habitat in the middle of the lake where no one can
see it may be true.

Bob Dunlap, Nicollet County