[mou] Dakota County Birds (Dickcissel, etc.)

[Richard J Specht]

This morning I was rollerblading along Co. Road 46 (160th Street) and
heard a Dickcissel singing at the corner of Co. 33 (Diamond Path) and Co.
46 on the south side of Co.46.  This was a pleasant surprise since there
has been so much construction on the North side of Co. 46 between Diamond
Path and Pilot Knob.  The past few years I have been rollerblading along
this stretch and have heard and seen approximately 6 Dickcissels each
year singing in the tall grass on both sides of the road.  It will be
interesting to see how many pair nest in this area this year since there
is little grass left on the north side of Co 46.

Also, Jeanne and I birded at the 140th street marsh on our way to a
picnic at Spring Lake Park on Friday night.  Some of the birds we saw:

140th Street: (37 species total)
@ Green Heron
@ Cooper's Hawk
@ 6 species of shorebirds (Killdeer, Semipalmated Plover, Lesser
Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Least & Semipalmated Sandpipers)
@ Common Nighthawk
@ Willow Flycatcher (singing on the south side of the road in the
willows)
@ Eastern Kingbird
@ Warbling Vireo
@ Loggerhead Shrike (just east of the pond area)
@ Brown Thrasher
@ Clay-colored Sparrow
@ Yellow warbler

Spring Lake Park (picnic area)
@ Warbling Vireo
@ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
@ Scarlet Tanager
@ Brewer's Blackbird (along entrace road)
@ Baltimore Oriole

Rick Specht