[mou] around Dakota County

[Richard Wood]

Jill and I did some birding yesterday in Dakota County as well.

We started off around 8 AM at Lake Rebecca Park and saw some good stuff.  I had stopped there on Friday evening and had seen about two dozed Great Blue Herons coming and going.  I figure there must be a roost somewhere nearby.

So, we went back there yesterday and saw quite a treat.  We had Mallards, American Coots, Lesser Scaup, Buffleheads, Common, Hooded AND Red-breasted Mergansers, several Bald Eagles, Red-winged Blackbirds, American Robins and Ring-billed Gulls, as well as the resident Canada Geese.  We had a total of 17 species in the short time we were there.

Later in the morning, on the way to Apple Valley, we stopped at the 180th St. marsh.  As I had only been there as a passenger, I had a little difficulty locating it, but we did and were treated to American Wigeon, Gadwall, a pair of Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Buffleheads, American Coot, and Killdeer.  Near the 42 overpass, we had an American Kestrel and we encountered many Horned Larks on 180th St.  On the way to Apple Valley we took 160th St. and we saw a half dozen Trumpeter Swans lurking in a field.  At first we thought they were snow blobs, but after checking out the Dakota Woods dog park (sans Ginkgo, our papillon), I decided to go back.  I had hoped they were Snow Geese, but they turned out to be Trumpeters.  

After hitting Sam's Club, Petco, Penzey's Spices and Alex PC Tech computer store, we had a Merlin whizz over us on 160th.  We also encountered the TV's on 42 and 55 on our way home.

I managed to get my 150th Minnesota lifer yesterday.  Don't ask me what it was though.

On the subject of Scaup identification, there is a good chapter in the book "Identify Yourself" by Bill Thompson.  He covers tips on how to separate Greater and Lesser Scaup, not only from each other, but also from the very similar Ring-necked Duck.  

Good birding,
Richard
 
Richard L. Wood, Ph. D.
Hastings, MN
rwoodphd at yahoo.com

----- Original Message ----
From: linda whyte <birds at moosewoods.us>
To: mnbird at lists.mnbird.net; mou-net at moumn.org
Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2008 9:56:03 PM
Subject: [mou] around Dakota County

We stopped at the 180th St. marsh. At the top of the hill was a pair of E. bluebirds. There were kildeer in evidence, both on the wing and in the shallows. Among the waterfowl were a bufflehead, a hooded merganser, a blue-winged teal, gadwall, several green-winged teal, coots, and many N. shovelers. The only raptor seen was a red-tail. Heard only, were a sandhill crane or two; the sounds were brief but unmistakable, though we couldn't determine if they were fly-overs we had missed, or they were grazers hidden behind a rise in the fields to our south. 

Lake Byllesby was fiercely windy. There were many mallards, Canada geese, and both mergansers, along with mallards, coots, gulls, kildeer, woodies, grackles, red-wing blackbirds, eagles and red-tails. There was plenty of open water and mudflats, so patience might have yielded more, if comfort hadn't won out.

Driving on Fisher Ave. we had good, long looks at a kestrel that had been buffeted by the winds and stopped to perch on a cable, up against a telelphone pole. Along the same road were several very cooperative horned larks.

We then checked the two ponds north of St. Mark's Lutheran Church on Randolph Boulevard. These gave us close, excellent views of many species, notably, red-head ducks,and a single specimen of what may be an intermediate color phase of a snow goose. If anyone else has seen this goose and has a different ID, please let me know.

On the way home, we spotted a few turkey vultures soaring over the Pine Bend SNA on highway 52. Now it really feels as though spring migration is in force.
Linda Whyte






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