[mou] Little Blue Heron, Scott County

[rdunlap at gac.edu]

This morning around 9:30 I had about a 10-second look at a flyover  
adult Little Blue Heron at Fisher Lake in Scott County. Fisher Lake is  
the large marshy area visible on the west side of the Hwy. 169 bridge  
across the MN River in Shakopee. The lake is also part of the Wilkie  
Unit of the MN Valley NWR. There is a large parking lot for the unit  
just west of 169 on CR 101. From the parking lot, one has a broad view  
of the marsh to the north, and one can also hike east on the paved  
road past the gate. I was about half a mile down this road when the  
heron flew overhead and landed somewhere in the middle of the marsh.  
I'm guessing the chances of refinding this bird in that area are  
pretty slim, but for the adventurous I guess the best bet would be to  
scan the marsh from the parking lot and hope that it flies up, because  
the vegetation in the middle is much too tall even to see any standing  
water. But, herons and egrets are plentiful in this part of the MN  
River valley, so it's very possible it could be found at another,  
hopefully more accessible part of the refuge in the near future.

Bob Dunlap, Carver County