Note that this 2012 MBW included Lincoln and Lyon counties

which are not scheduled to be on the 2024 MBWeekend.

__________

Yellow Medicine - Lincoln - Lyon Counties MBW Summary

October 19 - 20 - 21, 2012

Friday's weather in Yellow Medicine Co was certainly challenging – not only was it too cold, windy, and wet, but it was relatively dark as well, and just seeing and identifying the birds out there was difficult much of the day. But at least things brightened up considerably over the next two days in Lincoln and Lyon counties, and overall it became a pretty decent weekend. We eventually came up with 98 species, and our composite list would have hit an even 100 if part of the group had the time to check Curtis Lake on the way home on Sunday. (Lesser Yellowlegs and Long-billed Dowitchers were present there among a nice assortment of shorebirds and would have been added to our list; these two would have also made it 10 shorebird species, pretty impressive for this late in October.)

Most of you did have the time, though, for some screech-owling at Camden State Park on Saturday evening, and eventually two responded where Joel had found them a couple years ago, with one of them posing for us on a bare branch in Roy's flashlight beam. Another highlight earlier that day was the Northern Shrike which we found in pursuit of meadowlarks, and one of the meadowlarks surprisingly flew up to that utility wire and perched next to the shrike at one point.

Even more memorable that day, of course, were the Surf Scoter at Perch Lake (an apparent first for Lincoln Co) and the Harlan's-type Red-tailed Hawk which flew overhead near Hendricks. (Roy managed some identifiable photos of the hawk which I showed to Hawk Ridge bander Frank Nicoletti, and he concurred in that identification.) Then on Sunday we had distant but identifiable views of that first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull at the landfill, and at the same time a calling Smith's Longspur flew by in front of us while we were gull watching. Remarkably, still another Smith's flew by us at Russell's sewage ponds giving its diagnostic rattle, and eventually Ben and Dale got better looks and listens at some 50 Smith's there! 

BIRD LIST

Y = seen/heard in Yellow Medicine Co on Oct 19

Li = seen/heard in Lincoln Co on Oct 20

Ly = seen/heard in Lyon Co on Oct 21 (with 1 species on Oct 20)

Cackling Goose        Y, Li

Canada Goose        Y, Li, Ly

Trumpeter Swan        Y

Wood Duck        Y, Ly

Gadwall        Y, Li, Ly

American Wigeon        Y, Li, Ly

Mallard        Y, Li, Ly

Blue-winged Teal        Li, Ly

Northern Shoveler        Y, Li, Ly

Northern Pintail        Ly

Green-winged Teal        Y

Canvasback        Y, Li

Redhead        Y, Li

Ring-necked Duck        Y, Li

Lesser Scaup        Y, Li

Surf Scoter        Li (Perch Lake; apparently a first county record) 

Bufflehead        Y, Li

Hooded Merganser        Li

Ruddy Duck        Y, Li

Ring-necked Pheasant        Y, Li, Ly

Common Loon        Li

Pied-billed Grebe        Y, Li

Double-crested Cormorant        Y, Li

Great Blue Heron        Li

Great Egret        Y

Bald Eagle        Y

Northern Harrier        Y, Li, Ly

Sharp-shinned Hawk        Li, Ly

Cooper's Hawk        Li, Ly

Red-tailed Hawk        Y, Li, Ly (incl a "Harlan's" Red-tailed south of Hendricks in Lincoln Co) 

American Kestrel        Li, Ly

Merlin        Li

American Coot        Y, Li

Black-bellied Plover        Y, Li

American Golden-Plover        Li

Killdeer        Y, Li, Ly

Greater Yellowlegs        Y, Li, Ly

Least Sandpiper        Li

Baird's Sandpiper        Y

Pectoral Sandpiper        Li

Wilson's Snipe        Y, Li, Ly

Bonaparte's Gull        Y

Franklin's Gull        Y, Li, Ly

Ring-billed Gull        Y, Li, Ly

Lesser Black-backed Gull        Ly (1st-winter bird at Lyon Co landfill)

Rock Pigeon        Y, Li, Ly

Eurasian Collared-Dove        Y, Li

Mourning Dove        Li

Eastern Screech-Owl        Ly (after 15-20 minutes, finally heard & seen at Camden State Park)  

Great Horned Owl        Li

Belted Kingfisher        Y, Li

Red-bellied Woodpecker        Y, Li, Ly

Downy Woodpecker        Y, Li, Ly

Hairy Woodpecker        Li, Ly

Northern Flicker        Y, Li, Ly

Pileated Woodpecker        Y, Li

Northern Shrike        Y, Li

Blue Jay        Y, Li, Ly

American Crow        Y, Li, Ly

Horned Lark        Y, Li

Black-capped Chickadee        Y, Li, Ly

White-breasted Nuthatch        Y, Li, Ly

Brown Creeper        Y, Li

Golden-crowned Kinglet        Y, Li, Ly

Ruby-crowned Kinglet        Y, Ly

Eastern Bluebird        Y, Li, Ly

American Robin        Y, Li, Ly

European Starling        Y, Li, Ly

American Pipit        Y, Li, Ly

Cedar Waxwing        Y, Li

Lapland Longspur        Li, Ly

Smith's Longspur        Ly (fly-bys calling at Lyon Co landfill and Russell sewage ponds)

Orange-crowned Warbler        Li

Yellow-rumped Warbler        Y, Li, Ly

American Tree Sparrow        Y, Li, Ly

Chipping Sparrow        Ly

Field Sparrow        Y, Ly

Savannah Sparrow        Y, Li, Ly

Fox Sparrow        Y

Song Sparrow        Y, Li, Ly

Lincoln's Sparrow        Ly

Swamp Sparrow        Y, Ly

White-throated Sparrow        Y, Li, Ly

Harris's Sparrow        Y, Li, Ly

White-crowned Sparrow        Li, Ly

Dark-eyed Junco        Y, Li, Ly

Northern Cardinal        Y, Ly

Red-winged Blackbird        Y, Li, Ly

Western Meadowlark        Y, Li, Ly

Rusty Blackbird        Y, Ly

Brewer's Blackbird        Y, Ly

Common Grackle        Y, Li, Ly

Brown-headed Cowbird        Li

Purple Finch        Y, Ly

House Finch        Y, Li, Ly

Pine Siskin        Y, Li

American Goldfinch        Y, Li, Ly

House Sparrow        Y, Li, Ly