Yellow Medicine County ~ 18 October 2024 ~ Nancy Henke photo

Bird List

• Composite total = 98 species

• Yellow Medicine County = 83 species

• Redwood County = 81 species

Y = Yellow Medicine only, Oct. 17-18

R = Redwood only, Oct. 19-20 (incl. 1 on Oct. 18)

(no annotation = species seen in both counties)

Greater White-fronted Goose (130 overhead near Swedes Forest SNA; 370

@Westline WMA)

Cackling Goose Y (8 @Wood Lake sewage ponds)

Canada Goose

Trumpeter Swan

Wood Duck

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Gadwall

American Wigeon R

Mallard

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal Y

Canvasback

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Hooded Merganser Y

Ruddy Duck

Wild Turkey R

Gray Partridge R (group of 15 near Belview sewage ponds Oct. 18 en route to

Redwood Falls)

Ring-necked Pheasant

Pied-billed Grebe

Rock Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-Dove (incl >40 in Granite Falls)

Mourning Dove

rail, sp. Y (probably a Sora @Curtis Lake)

American Coot

Killdeer

Wilson’s Snipe

yellowlegs, sp. Y (probable Greaters @Miller Lake)

Franklin’s Gull Y

Ring-billed Gull

Double-crested Cormorant

American White Pelican Y

Great Blue Heron Y

Turkey Vulture

Golden Eagle Y (scoped in flight by all for several minutes near former Upper

Sioux Agency state park)

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Bald Eagle

Red-tailed Hawk

Eastern Screech-Owl R (heard loudly & nearby but not seen @Ramsey Park)

Great Horned Owl R (heard by John only @Ramsey Park campsite)

Barred Owl R (delayed response to recording @Lower Sioux Agency Historic

Site)

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker R

American Kestrel

Merlin Y

Eastern Phoebe Y

Blue Jay

American Crow

Black-capped Chickadee

Horned Lark

Barn Swallow Y

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Cedar Waxwing

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Northern House Wren R

Marsh Wren R

European Starling

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

House Sparrow

American Pipit

House Finch

American Goldfinch

Lapland Longspur R

Field Sparrow Y

Fox Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Harris’s Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow R

LeConte’s Sparrow (eventually seen well by all; total of 5, 2 in Y + 3 in R)

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Eastern Towhee R

Eastern Meadowlark Y (“the usual spot” along 306th Ave. just west of Granite

Falls)

Western Meadowlark

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Rusty Blackbird R

Brewer’s Blackbird R (large flock in corn stubble near Daubs Lake)

Common Grackle

Orange-crowned Warbler

American Redstart Y

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Northern Cardinal

Indigo Bunting R (female-plumaged bird @Lower Sioux Community sewage

ponds)

YELLOW MEDICINE & REDWOOD COUNTIES MBWs SUMMARY

October 17-18 & October 19-20, 2024

Mariann Cyr photo

John Quinn's J.T.L. Membership Application Essay & MBW Summary

(including edits – mostly deletions! – by KRE)

Yellow Medicine County, Thursday: "Blown Away"

Yellow Medicine County is named after the Canadian Moonseed, a plant used by Native Americans for its medicinal properties. How many counties in Minnesota have a Native connection? I was blown away to learn most of them do.

Our first stop near Granite Falls had some activity along the Minnesota River – Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Northern Cardinal, White-throated Sparrow. I took a few minutes to marvel at some of the world’s oldest known rock – 3,800,000,000 years old. Backtracking through town, we found a group of 40+ collared-doves, and a local-in-western-MN Eastern Meadowlark called just west of town. We worked our way to Clarkfield’s WTP, which yielded close views of American Pipits working the grassy bank while bobbing their tails. Their high-pitched call notes were heard even while Blowin’ in the Wind.

Seeking shelter from the day’s increasing wind, our fearless leader put an optimistic spin on our battle, and we sought our birding liberation farther west at Stonehill Park / Del Clark Lake. I could find no information on who Del Clark was, but Hubert Humphrey was instrumental in creating the park and lake. It’s now a landmark property winning several accolades and awards including “Seven Wonders of Engineering Award in 1986”. There, our revolutionary leader determined a path for us to follow – the Ho Chi Minh Trail. How this trail was named is beyond me. However, the cheekiness of this name, in light of Humphrey’s loss of his liberal base for supporting Lyndon Johnson’s Vietnam War efforts, is a worthwhile mediation when the birding is slow. We marched down Ho Chi Minh to the creek and finally out of the wind to add Yellow-rumped Warbler, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, White-breasted Nuthatch, and several other day birds.

With quick stops at Canby WTP and Oraas Park trying to buck the wind, we headed back to Granite Falls via a final stop at the Hanley Falls sewage ponds. Nothing on the ponds, but a brush pile nearby yielded Lincoln’s, Harris’ s, and White-crowned sparrows – a decent way to end the day.

Yellow Medicine County, Friday: "Police Report"

I arrived at Prairie’s Edge Casino, having stayed at the camper cabin in Memorial Park, to see squad cars in the parking lot. Someone had prowled through in the night and Kim’s car was one of those victimized. Unbelievable that his scope was not stolen – nor any of his Damn Books. But he was delayed for part of the morning dealing with that.

Under Craig’s capable leadership, we proceeded out of the parking lot. We practiced the rural paparazzi evasive maneuver with a double flip around, a pause in a no-parking zone, then another flip around. Kim’s safety is assured if the media arrives to investigate the break-ins. There were waxwings and robins flitting from tree to tree, along with an Eastern Bluebird. We proceeded towards Memorial Park. Even more robins and a Brown Creeper were the highlights as we walked through the campground to the marshy wetland, and along the river. As we stood in the parking lot contemplating our next stop, a flock of forty Northern Pintail flew high overhead. I love fall migration.

Determined to add to our day list, Kim scoped out three Franklin’s Gulls on Wood Lake, visible from Timm County Park. We left the park and wandered in the uncanny way that Kim eats up time in the field. An eagle soared close to Jan and Brett’s car. I got a good look at it and observed white at the base of the tail and some white on the underwing and decided it was an immature Bald. Getting back in the car, Brian, an unassuming but knowledgeable birder said, “that’s interesting, white tail base, could be a Golden.” I radioed Kim and thankfully the bird came back into view. Kim immediately identified it as an immature Golden Eagle. The white tail base was distinct, and the white in the wing on a Golden is confined to small area on the outer primaries. It stayed in view as it circled overhead, and everyone got good looks at its golden nape through the scopes as well.

(As a side note, learning to better identify birds requires me to practice writing down and saying out loud the characteristics of the bird. I often struggle to articulate what I’m looking at because I have not practiced. Describing birds out loud is like learning a new language. You’ll make mistakes. Keep at it until an experienced birder gives you the stink eye or you’re wrong so often that rereading your field guides is required.)

Swedes Forest SNA is a treasure. The Sacred Heart Granite juts out and up in the landscape and combined with oaks, ponds, and meadow it creates a unique landscape. Importantly, there is weedy habitat for sparrows. We stopped for Harris’s Sparrows, then exited the vehicles to search for LeConte’s and Nelson’s. Of course, I could have looked at my bird book before the trip, but noooo, why prepare when “you’re probably not going to see the bird anyway.”

Almost immediately a sparrow flushed and flew into the shrubs. Kim worked his way along flushing Song Sparrows but not the bird first seen. After several minutes, we continued down the trail. As my father taught me while pheasant hunting without a dog, I needed to bird dog the weeds and shrubbery in a zigzag pattern. It was a pleasure walking the landscape, beautiful in fall plumage, yellows, tans, russet, ochre, and chocolate all providing cover for one tiny bird we needed. A sparrow flew up and flew weakly to a perch in the low grass. A Song Sparrow flushed and flew farther but this bird sat still. My mind raced, what does a Nelson’s Sparrow look like – chunky, flat head, like a Henslow’s only different? I picked up the radio and tried to describe it to Kim. He answered: “How orange is the facial pattern? Is the head stripe gray or white?” Now, those field marks were important – what color was the nape, was there a black line behind the eye, was the back dark, striped, or mottled? “Uh, hmm, uh” I stuttered.

After a flock of 130 white-fronted geese unexpectedly flew over the SNA. On the way back to the casino, a stop at the Wood Lake sewage ponds hosted a group of Cackling Geese, and the brush piles there yielded several sparrows. We also learned there are three counties that use letters for their county roads – Dodge, Ramsey, and Yellow Medicine. Ahh, the trivia a JTL must master. The adages “do your own research” and “never let the truth interfere with a good story” apply here. One author, Steve Riner, said: “Don't go here unless you want the rest of your day to be lost.”

I returned on my own later to Swede’s Forest SNA as I was determined to relocate the LeConte’s and confirm my identification. I ended up walking extensive portions of the SNA, discovering among other things a partially decomposed 6-point buck. Oh, deer, how it smelled! I stopped to rest as a light rain came in from the west, and I turned east to discover a double rainbow. No LaConte’s. No Nelson’s.

Tired after a long day, I proceeded to my campsite at Ramsey Park – at 256 acres, the largest municipal park in Minnesota. Originally Alexander Ramsey State Park, named after Minnesota’s first Minnesota Territorial Governor. There is much history here.

Redwood County, Saturday: "Untitled I"

This county is named for the river, and its name is believed to refer to the reddish bark of dogwood growing along streams, but it may also be a reference to red cedars or red war paint applied to the trees. I woke early to the call of jungle fowl crowing from Ramsey’s small zoo. As I lay there in my sleeping bag reviewing my many responsibilities as JTL, I heard Great Horned Owls dueting in the distance. They called back and forth for several minutes. A good way to start the day.

The group returned to Ramsey Park. The Agitator 5000 awoke the attention of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, and more. In a moment of quiet, Brian said isn’t that a real screech-owl? One or two kept calling. We all craned our necks and binoculars to find the bird(s) but without success. We proceeded down the hill to the main park. After parking our cars by the park’s zoo, I quickly ticked off Indian peafowl, red jungle fowl, and Muscovy duck.

Next, we birded the productive brush piles and woods by the Redwood Falls sewage ponds, headed west on a back road along the Minnesota River, and arrived at the Belview sewage ponds. A Vesper Sparrow flew off displaying white tail feathers, then a Canvasback sat with some Blue-winged Teal, and American Pipits were conspicuous. A few folks discovered Lapland Longspurs, and I hustled down as I needed that bird for the year. We were racking up the count intent on besting the Yellow Medicine group’s total.

After a late lunch in Belview, we stopped at Westline WMA to see an unexpected concentration of 370 Greater White-fronteds. Gales Lake WMA was next, where we found not one but two LeConte’s Sparrows which are the size and coloration of toasted marshmallows stuck together. Everyone got looks, but Rose wanted a Nelson’s for her birthday, so we continued on.

I left the group as they split up for their dining options back in Redwood Falls. Discovering that my headlamp was broken, and that beanie-weenies and s’mores were not on the menu, I picked up take-out and proceeded back to the screech-owl site at Ramsey Park. As I pulled into the parking lot, I could hear it calling. A flash of chunky body and stubby silent wings flew out and off into the park. A good end to the day, and thus preventing me from pulling an owlnighter.

Redwood County, Sunday: "Untitled II"

Brian, our local expert in these counties, was not feeling well and stayed home, so I got a promotion. But I was still significantly junior to Craig’s rank.

Nelson’s Sparrow was on the top of everyone’s mind as we headed towards the Lower Sioux Agency Historic Site. Well worth a visit, even if you’re not looking for owls. True to form, five minutes after we had quit playing owl calls, a Barred Owl finally called back, and a few saw it swoop back into the woods. Three owls for Redwood County!

We finally convinced Kim we were serious about Nelson’s Sparrows, so we proceeded to the most likely hot spot: Lamberton WMA. At 1,361 acres, our chances there were a mathematical equivalent to finding agates in a gravel road. We drove to the end past the gravel pit pond. No birds. Off to a rocky start. As I turned the truck around a sparrow flushed. The short tail, fluttering flight and short travel distance told me it was not a Savannah. We formed a circle and closed in until a LeConte’s was less than 10 feet from Jan and Nancy. We walked the rest of the grassy areas as a team but failed to find a Nelson’s. And my suggestion, since Nelson has hundreds of flora and fauna named after him, is that we call it Shea’s Sparrow instead. Please submit the topic of bird names for discussion on Discord’s texting platform for birders. I can assure you it will Knot be Red by Kim.

We drove back to Redwood Falls to complete the checklist. Knowing I had started at zero for the county, I was excited to see my new totals. 58 species on my Redwood eBird account. Compared to the 67 species in Yellow Medicine, I was unsure if I could be of two minds – I was on the Yellow Medicine winning team but failed to live up to my promise of delivering a Nelson’s Sparrow for Mariann and Rose. All winter I’m going to study my bird books, bird songs, chip notes, feather structures, habitats, and migratory patterns. Next year we’ll find that bird.

Mammal List: White-tailed Deer, Red Squirrel, Eastern Cottontail, Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel, Fox Squirrel, Gray Squirrel. Amphibian/Reptile List: Leopard Frog, Tiger Salamander, Garter Snake.

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Addendum (for those who think the summary above isn't long enough already!)...

People for whom birds are named

• John Lawrence LeConte, 1825–1883

– http://leconte-woodmanston.org/discovery-lecontebirds.html

– LeConte Family History at LeConte-Woodmanston Plantation and Botanical Gardens

• Edward William Nelson, 1855-1934

– https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/auth_per_fbr_eacp192

• Links to a challenging perspective on bird’s names

– https://matthewhalley.wordpress.com/2020/06/16/the-literal-skeletons-in-the-closet-of-

american-ornithology/

– https://matthewhalley.wordpress.com/cv-2/