ITINERARY
Friday – Attempt to bird Clarkfield WTP, Oraas County Park, and Spellman L in the fog, then mostly fog-free Miedd L (all in Yellow Medicine); midday in and around Cottonwood (Lyon Co); afternoon at Timm, Curtis, Tyson, & Wood lakes, Wood Lake WTP, and Timm County Park (all in Yellow Medicine)
Saturday (all in Yellow Medicine) – Clarkfield WTP, Miller L, Canby WTP, Stonehill County Park, Coteau des Prairies, especially Mound Springs Prairie SNA & vicinity (with a rare phoebe & wide vistas); post-dinner option behind casino for woodcock (none) & E Screech-Owl
Sunday morning (all in Yellow Medicine) – mostly along 306th Ave, then Blue Devil Valley SNA, Memorial Park, and woods behind casino
BIRD LIST ~ 102 species total: 98 in Yellow Medicine + 4 in Lyon Co only
Snow Goose (Lyon Co only)
Ross’s Goose (Lyon Co only @Gabriel L)
Greater White-fronted Goose (incl ~350 @Miller L)
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Wood Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup (2 or 3 @Miller L – well, probably)
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Wild Turkey
Ring-necked Pheasant
Pied-billed Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
American Coot
Killdeer
Baird’s Sandpiper (best shorebirding @Stonehill Reg Park)
Pectoral Sandpiper
Wilson’s Snipe
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Bonaparte’s Gull
Franklin’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Eastern Screech-Owl (heard by some behind casino)
Long-eared Owl (Miedd Lake WMA!)
Short-eared Owl (foggy fly-by at Clarkfield WTP)
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Eastern Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe (Mound Spring Prairie SNA @250th Ave!)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Lyon Co only)
Cedar Waxwing
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Lyon Co only)
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
European Starling
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Pipit
House Finch
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Harris’s Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark (singing @306th Ave)
Western Meadowlark (ditto)
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Rusty Blackbird (@306th Ave)
Common Grackle
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
* * *
Lac Qui Parle MBW & Yellow Medicine Co pre-MBW
April 18 - 19 - 20, 2014
(Summary by Craig Mandel)
Our Friday spent in Yellow Medicine County was great, with OK weather and lots of fun birds. The light- and dark-morph Swainson's Hawks observed in flight right next to each other at Stone Hill Regional Park were the highlight of the day for me. The time spent at Upper Sioux Agency State Park also provided some nice birds, especially with an oak tree filled with over 40 kinglets. The 20 species of waterfowl were also nice, especially the Greater White-fronted and Snow geese at the Canby sewage ponds. Some early Western Grebes, lots of Horned Grebes, Bonaparte's Gulls, an American Pipit, lots of Western Meadowlarks, a few Yellow-headed and Rusty blackbirds, and others provided us with plenty of birds to study throughout the day.
On the main Lac Qui Parle County portion of the MBW, we were able to see a good number of birds not found in Yellow Medicine Co. Waterfowl were still present in large numbers, with the flocks of Greater White-fronteds and the two Ross's Geese being some of the more interesting species observed. The Snowy Egret that appeared on cue was also a treat, and then to find a second one just minutes later was also very exciting. We did a little better with shorebirds, with the winter-plumaged Dunlin and Wilson's Phalarope being some of the species of interest. While warblers were few, we did observe 8 species of sparrows with some nice looks at Fox Sparrows at Lac Qui Parle State Park. And of final note, the wind died down and it even made it into the 70s on both days.
BIRD LIST
Y = found in Yellow Medicine Co, April 18 (82 species)
L = found in Lac Qui Parle Co, April 19-20 (95 species)
Greater White-fronted Goose YL (~50 at the Canby sewage ponds; ~75 at Maderna WMA)
Snow Goose YL
Ross's Goose L (2 at Maderna WMA)
Canada Goose YL
Wood Duck YL
Gadwall YL
American Wigeon YL
Mallard YL
Blue-winged Teal YL
Northern Shoveler YL
Northern Pintail YL
Green-winged Teal YL
Canvasback YL
Redhead YL
Ring-necked Duck YL
Lesser Scaup YL
Bufflehead YL
Common Goldeneye L
Hooded Merganser YL
Common Merganser YL
Red-breasted Merganser YL
Ruddy Duck YL
Ring-necked Pheasant YL
Wild Turkey YL
Common Loon YL
Pied-billed Grebe YL
Horned Grebe YL
Western Grebe Y (Stone Hill Regional Park)
Double-crested Cormorant YL
American White Pelican YL
Great Blue Heron YL
Great Egret YL
Snowy Egret L (2: the first at Sweetwater WMA along CR 12, and the second along CR 7 just south of CR 12)
Turkey Vulture YL
Bald Eagle YL
Northern Harrier YL
Sharp-shinned Hawk L
Cooper's Hawk YL
Broad-winged Hawk L (great close-up look in flight at Lac Qui Parle State Park)
Swainson's Hawk YL (incl a dark-morph at Stone Hill)
Red-tailed Hawk YL
American Coot YL
Killdeer YL
Greater Yellowlegs YL
Lesser Yellowlegs YL
Dunlin L (early at Salt Lake)
Baird's Sandpiper L
Pectoral Sandpiper L
Wilson's Snipe YL
Wilson's Phalarope L (Salt Lake)
Bonaparte's Gull YL
Franklin's Gull YL
Ring-billed Gull YL
Rock Pigeon YL
Eurasian Collared-Dove YL
Great Horned Owl (heard-only in Chippewa Co)
Belted Kingfisher YL
Red-bellied Woodpecker YL
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker YL
Downy Woodpecker YL
Hairy Woodpecker YL
Northern Flicker YL
American Kestrel YL
Eastern Phoebe YL
Blue Jay YL
American Crow YL
Horned Lark YL
Tree Swallow YL
Barn Swallow L
Black-capped Chickadee L
White-breasted Nuthatch YL
Brown Creeper YL
Golden-crowned Kinglet YL
Ruby-crowned Kinglet YL
Hermit Thrush YL
American Robin YL
European Starling YL
American Pipit YL
Yellow-rumped Warbler YL
American Tree Sparrow YL
Chipping Sparrow L
Vesper Sparrow YL
Savannah Sparrow L
Fox Sparrow L
Song Sparrow YL
Swamp Sparrow YL
Dark-eyed Junco YL
Northern Cardinal YL
Red-winged Blackbird YL
Western Meadowlark YL
Yellow-headed Blackbird YL
Rusty Blackbird YL
Common Grackle YL
Brown-headed Cowbird YL
House Finch L
Purple Finch Y
American Goldfinch YL
House Sparrow YL
* * *
Mountain Bluebird, Swift County, afternoon of April 10
(alas – too late to include on this MBW's trip list)
LAC QUI PARLE MBW (incl YELLOW MEDICINE PRE-MBW) SUMMARY
April 8 - 9 - 10, 2011
Paul and I only wish that male Mountain Bluebird we found Sunday afternoon on the way home had been available to the whole MBW group to see, but at least Herb & Linda happened to still be in the vicinity and could share in the observation. So, we can't really add this to our official list (same goes for our Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Herb's early Forster's Tern, both seen in Morris after we adjourned), so we ended up with an even total of 100 species for the 3 days.
Among this MBW's highlights was the weather: overcast, wet at times, windy, and on the cold side for all 3 days. Remember, though, this is Minnesota in early April, so we can't whine too much. However, it was disconcerting on Sunday to be in wet and windy 40-degree weather while it reached the 70s in Minneapolis.
There were plenty of avian highlights as well, of course. A very early American Avocet was a surprise along Lac Qui Parle CR 7 on Saturday, as was that equally early Cattle Egret near Herman on Sunday. Other unexpected, earlier-than-normal finds included 2 American Bitterns in Swift Co, Friday's Swainson's Hawk in Yellow Medicine Co (plus another on Saturday in Lac Qui Parle Co), American Golden-Plovers in Lac Qui Parle Co, and Marbled Godwits in Big Stone Co.
We finally caught up to the tail-end of the goose and swan migration on Sunday in Traverse Co, which included a spectacular concentration of perhaps 5,000 Tundra Swans near Wheaton, with an estimated 3,400 of these in one flooded field. Of note as well were all those handsome, breeding-plumaged male Lapland Longspurs which posed nicely for us in Lac Qui Parle Co (even if no Smith's Longspur could be detected in the flock).
As always, thanks to all of you for coming along on this first MBW of our 26th season. It was especially nice to have Bill, Pete M, and Kurt along on their very first MBW, and, of course, we all appreciated Paul's patience (with me!) and co-leading skills (with Paul available to help out, Craig is definitely fired!).
BIRD LIST
Notes:
April 8 pre-MBW option mostly in Yellow Medicine Co (Y)
April 9 in Swift (S), Big Stone (B), and Lac Qui Parle Co's (L) = my group
April 9 in Lac Qui Parle Co only (L) = Paul's group
April 10 mostly in Grant (G) and Traverse (T) Co's = both groups
Greater White-fronted Goose G,T
Snow Goose T
Ross's Goose T (total of 7 at 3 sites)
Cackling Goose G,T
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan G,T (~5,000 total near Wheaton!?)
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail (why so few?)
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup S,B
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Gray Partridge T (2; Paul's group)
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey Y only
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
American Bittern S (2; my group)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Cattle Egret G (spotted by Jeff near the Brant site)
Black-crowned Night-Heron G (3; Paul's group)
Turkey Vulture Y only
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Swainson's Hawk Y,L
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
American Golden-Plover L (Paul's group)
Killdeer
American Avocet L (along CR 7)
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Marbled Godwit B,L (total of 4; my group)
Wilson's Snipe
American Woodcock L (Paul's group)
Bonaparte's Gull
Franklin's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull B (probably on the SD side of Big Stone L)
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove Y (Hanley Falls, Canby, Burr), S (Appleton), G (Herman), and in Milan, Chippewa Co
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker only on April 8 flying over Montevideo, Chippewa Co
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper Y only
Winter Wren S,L (heard-only; my group)
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush Y only
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Lapland Longspur best views in L
Snow Bunting L (Paul's group)
Yellow-rumped Warbler G (2; my group)
American Tree Sparrow why so few?
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow L (Paul's group)
Fox Sparrow the most common sparrow in Y
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco why so few?
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird S (female w/dark iris IDed by Jeff)
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
House Sparrow
Aside from the stubborn fog on Friday morning (we had trouble just seeing the roads, not to mention the birds!), the weather overall was about as nice as one could hope for in mid-April. That Say’s Phoebe was certainly the leading highlight, and I assume several of you got some good photos – so please send us your better images of this and anything else you’d like to share with the group. Those Long-eared and Short-eared owls were certainly noteworthy too, though I doubt anyone could get any decent images of them. Thanks as always to Craig for co-leading, and to first-timers Sarah & Sharon (who still need to be baptized into our MBW cult).
And, finally, if you have nothing to do for the next hour or two, see this JTL narrative link with John’s obligatory and strangely entertaining narrative about the MBW (which has been edited a bit since John sent you his original a few days ago). –KRE
See the 2014 and 2011 MBW summaries following the summary
of the 2025 MBWeekend. Note that those MBWs included
Lac Qui Parle County, which was not part of the 2025 MBW.
__________
Yellow Medicine County MBW Summary
April 11 - 12 - 13, 2025
Mariann Cyr photo