[mou] Park Point & Aitkin County book

[Cindy Risen]

Hello All,

Yesterday afternoon Cindy and I were getting our shots and meds at the Duluth travel clinic for an upcoming trip to South Africa and had a few hours at Park Point near the end of the day. Like Kim & Mike we had a great deal of fun with the numbers of warblers we encountered and a surprisingly diverse set of shorebirds.

The only warbler we can add to Mike & Kim's list is Palm Warbler (a single bird just south of the bus turn-around). I was enjoying the number of Blackpoll Warblers we were finding, so I kept a running total. As we neared the park, Blackpolls were replaced by an amazing number of Cape May Warblers (as noted by Kim). Although we found 37 Blackpolls for the afternoon I wish I had started a tally of Cape Mays as they were far more numerous. All in all in was a great time.

We spent only a minimal amount of time scanning the lake/bay so waterfowl are conspicuously absent on our list of birds. But, because of low water on St. Louis Bay, we had shorebirds in small groups all along the bay side of the point from the boat house to the airport. Extensive sand flats around Hearding Island were also productive. A single White-rumped Sandpiper was on the bay side near the airport, Stilt Sandpipers were at Hearding Island and bay side near the park and airport. Individual Baird's Sandpipers were found at half a dozen locations along the bay side of the point, with groups of 4-8 at the airport and Hearding Island.

As we drove along the shore to Park Point about 3:00 PM we started to encounter large groups of Common Nighthawks. At one point over the Central Hillside area there were hundreds in view sweeping and flopping through the skies. Between 4:00 and 6:30 PM a steady stream of them could be seen traveling south along the point. Huge concentrations of birds were noted between the southern end of the ball fields and the airport and near Lafayette Square. Most were silent, but a few birds were giving a coarse, buzzy 'bzzzrrt' call. In the still, foggy air the calls carried quite well.

Lastly, as some of you may be aware, Cindy, myself, Warren Nelson and Michelle McDowell have been working on a book to the birding & natural areas of Aitkin County & Mille Lacs Lake. The book has finally been printed and the first copies will arrive in McGregor tomorrow or Friday. We can't wait to see it.

Aitkin County Naturally! is the first, full color county birding guide for Minnesota. 92 pages filled with color photos and maps, loads of information on the area and detailed bird finding information that will be helfpul to anyone who chooses to visit Aitkin County. This project has kept Cindy and I busy for most of the last year and a half. To say we are looking forward to seeing it may be the understatement of the year.

The book is only half of the project, however. The entire book (maps, photos and all) is available on-line in two different formats. There is a web-navigable version and a viewable/printable .pdf version. This is the first comprehensive birding guide in Minnesota that is available to the public on-line. In the coming months, the on-line content will be expanded to include information that had to be edited from the book, additional reference material that we're still working on completing and more information on other natural wonders of Aitkin County, most notably butterflies and wildflowers. The web version will be kept updated as changes are brought to our attention and works in progress are completed (most exciting are an annoted checklist to the birds of Aitkin County with photos and photo galleries of butterflies, dragonflies and wildflowers). There is a link to the guide here:
http://naturescapenews.com/

For those who are interested, copies of the book will be available through the Friends of Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge at a minimal cost (far less than what it would cost to print out the 92 pages yourself!). The Friends of Rice Lake is a non-profit organization formed to support and enhance the Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding area. They help educate the public about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' role in fish and wildlife habitat protection and to foster the public's use and enjoyment of the Rice Lake Refuge. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the book go into a fund to be used to print the second edition. 

Please note: Cindy and I do NOT receive any benefit from the sales of these books. 

Kim & Cindy Risen
Tamarack, Aitkin County

       



     
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