Explore Minnesota Birding Report , 8.6.08
In general, August is an excellent time to see Sandhill Crane famiilies emerging from their nesting marshes and traveling to adjacent hayfields and grasslands. Late summer is also a great time to relax by a northern Minnesota lake and listen to the haunting call of a loon, and enjoy the sight of soaring bald eagles and osprey.
The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
On August 1 & 2, a NEOTROPIC CORMORANT was reported at the Bolson Slough rookery at the junction of County Roads 12 and 9 in southwestern Lac Qui Parle County.
A RUFF was at the Ruby Red Peninsula of the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge in Lac Qui Parle County on July 28. To reach the access road, drive south from the Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge headquarters on Big Stone County Road 19. After crossing the river, the road will become Lac Qui Parle County Road 15--look for the second gated road on the left, which is the access road. Walk down the gravel access road to the fork, and take the right fork to the tip of the peninsula.
On August 2, a LARK BUNTING was on a gravel road in Augusta Township, in Lac Qui Parle County. To view this bird, begin at Marietta, travel one mile east on State Highway 40, and continue three-quarters of a mile north on 131st Avenue.
In Jackson County, a BLACK-HEADED GULL was seen on July 28 at the north end of Big Spirit Lake on the Minnesota/Iowa border. The sighting was at the grade along Jackson County Road 2.
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS are being reported across the state. One location with high numbers was the Jirik Sod Farms where more than 70 Buff-Breasteds were seen this past week. The Jirik Sod Farms are in Empire Township at the junction of Blaine Avenue and Dakota County Road 66. Another location was in Lac Qui Parle County along 366th Street, just east of 141st Avenue, where 53 Buff-Breasted Sandpipers were reported on July 28.
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"The information in this report is provided courtesy of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union and Explore Minnesota Tourism."
