2010 Lyon & Lincoln Counties MBWeekend
Lyon-Lincoln Co's MBW (& Redwood Falls option) summary
October 8-9-10, 2010
As the photo above suggests, it was unfortunate that not everyone had the time to bird with us after lunch on Sunday! For reasons I still can't explain, at least 3 Le Conte's Sparrows decided to pose at length for pictures on a fence wire adjacent to the Cottonwood sewage ponds. At least 3 or 4 others were also present in this field – a fitting climax to our "Sparrows-R-Us" MBW.
In all, there were no fewer than 17 sparrow species on our composite list, highlighted by that Spotted Towhee near Lynd on Saturday (which stubbornly refused to reappear for half the group), and by a Nelson's Sparrow (perhaps more than one?) which accompanied still more Le Conte's near the Lake Benton sewage ponds on Saturday.
These certainly weren't our only highlights, although things started out slowly on Friday for those on the Redwood Falls-based option. And little wonder that it was relatively quiet with record-breaking temperatures around 90 degrees that day – no less than 30 degrees above normal! Indeed, we "only" managed a dozen sparrow species, though a quite unexpected Cattle Egret at Cottonwood's Sham Lake was a nice unexpected find to end the day.
Things cooled off nicely into the 70s the next day, and with light winds and low humidity the weather was about as pleasant as it gets in October. Besides that towhee and all the other sparrows, the day's surprises included a very early Rough-legged Hawk seen by some and the extremely late Common Nighthawk seen by all in Tyler. In all, 108 species were turned up during our three days, which was a pretty good composite total considering that the relentlessly uneventful weather that week was not conducive to much migration activity. For example, migrant woods birds were almost non-existent, and even most sewage ponds were relatively empty.
As always, thanks to all of you for coming, with special thanks to Craig (my trusty sidekick!), and to Eric & Herta and Dena & Wendy who were along on their very first MBW. - Kim Eckert
BIRD LIST
F = seen on Friday's pre-MBW option (Oct 8 in Redwood, Brown, Renville, Yellow Medicine, & Lyon Co's)
Ly = seen in Lyon Co (Oct 9-10)
Li = seen in Lincoln Co (Oct 9)
Snow Goose Ly (Sham L on Sunday)
Cackling Goose F,Li
Canada Goose F,Ly,Li
Wood Duck F,Ly,Li
Gadwall Ly,Li
American Wigeon Li
Mallard F,Ly,Li
Blue-winged Teal Ly,Li
Northern Shoveler F,Ly,Li
Northern Pintail Ly
Green-winged Teal Ly,Li
Canvasback F
Redhead F,Li
Ring-necked Duck F,Ly
Bufflehead Li
Hooded Merganser Li
Ruddy Duck F,Ly,Li (incl 330 on Friday at Tyson L, Yellow Medicine Co)
Ring-necked Pheasant F,Ly,Li
Wild Turkey Ly
Common Loon Li (L Benton)
Pied-billed Grebe F,Ly,Li
Western Grebe Ly (McKay L)
Double-crested Cormorant F,Ly,Li
American White Pelican Ly,Li
Great Blue Heron F,Li
Great Egret Li
Cattle Egret F
Turkey Vulture F
Osprey F
Bald Eagle F
Northern Harrier F,Ly,Li
Sharp-shinned Hawk F,Li
Cooper's Hawk Li
Swainson's Hawk Li
Red-tailed Hawk F,Ly,Li
Rough-legged Hawk Ly
American Kestrel Li
Merlin Ly (chasing a N Harrier)
American Coot F,Ly,Li
American Golden-Plover F,Li
Killdeer F,Ly,Li
Greater Yellowlegs F,Ly,Li
Lesser Yellowlegs Li
Least Sandpiper Li
Baird's Sandpiper Li
Pectoral Sandpiper Li
Long-billed Dowitcher Ly,Li (flying over the county line at Gislason L)
Wilson's Snipe Ly,Li
Bonaparte's Gull Li (Perch L)
Franklin's Gull F,Ly,Li
Ring-billed Gull Ly,Li
Rock Pigeon F,Ly,Li
Eurasian Collared-Dove Ly,Li (Lynd and Ivanhoe)
Mourning Dove F,Ly,Li
Common Nighthawk Li
Belted Kingfisher F,Li
Red-bellied Woodpecker F,Ly,Li
Downy Woodpecker F,Ly,Li
Hairy Woodpecker F,Ly,Li
Northern Flicker F,Ly,Li
Pileated Woodpecker F,Ly
Eastern Phoebe F,Ly,Li
Blue Jay F,Ly,Li
American Crow F,Ly,Li
Horned Lark F,Li
Tree Swallow F,Li
Barn Swallow F,Li
Black-capped Chickadee F,Ly,Li
White-breasted Nuthatch F,Ly,Li
Brown Creeper F,Ly
Sedge Wren Li
Golden-crowned Kinglet Ly,Li
Ruby-crowned Kinglet F,Ly,Li
Eastern Bluebird F,Ly,Li
American Robin F,Ly,Li
European Starling F,Ly,Li
American Pipit Ly,Li
Cedar Waxwing F,Li
Orange-crowned Warbler F,Ly
Yellow-rumped Warbler F,Ly,Li
Palm Warbler Ly
Spotted Towhee Ly
Chipping Sparrow F,Ly,Li
Clay-colored Sparrow Li
Field Sparrow F,Ly,Li
Vesper Sparrow F,Ly,Li
Savannah Sparrow F,Ly,Li
Grasshopper Sparrow Ly
Le Conte's Sparrow Ly,Li
Nelson's Sparrow Li
Fox Sparrow F,Ly,Li
Song Sparrow F,Ly,Li
Lincoln's Sparrow F,Ly,Li
Swamp Sparrow F,Ly,Li
White-throated Sparrow F,Ly,Li
Harris's Sparrow F,Ly,Li
White-crowned Sparrow F,Ly,Li
Dark-eyed Junco F,Ly,Li
Northern Cardinal F,Ly
Red-winged Blackbird F,Ly,Li
Western Meadowlark F,Ly,Li
Yellow-headed Blackbird F
Common Grackle F,Ly,Li
Brown-headed Cowbird F,Li
House Finch F,Ly,Li
Pine Siskin F,Li
American Goldfinch F,Ly,Li
House Sparrow F,Ly,Li
