Nelson's Sparrow in Ramsey County
2012-09-13

Five or fewer records in Ramsey County for the Fall season

The best photo I could muster of one of at least two Nelson's Sparrows near the shoreline of the White Bear Lake public beach on the northwest side of the lake (the beach/park is accessed from Hwy. 96 east of Hwy. 61). The birds stayed mostly hidden in the reeds near water's edge but occasionally popped into view on the bare mudflats lining the shore. These migrants represent (as far as I know) the second record of Nelson's Sparrow for Ramsey County, as I found a singing bird on its way north in mid-May of this year in the southern part of the county.

Robert M. Dunlap