Despite the MOU powers that be rejecting my Stevens County Bobwhite record of 2 years ago for the trivial reason that it was on a game farm (elk, not pheasant!!) and the bad personal funk that that rejection resulted in, I decided to see what the Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas had found on this species.  Much to my surprise there appear to be at least three Iowa locations where probably wild Northern Bobwhite live within 7 miles of the MN southern border.  One report comes from the Iowa River drainage NNE of Lime Spring, Howard County, Iowa less than 2 miles south of York and Bristol Townships, Fillmore County, MN (if their pin placement is relatively accurate). Another report comes from east of Lake Park, Dickinson Co. Iowa near Spirit Lake within 4 miles of the MN border south of Sioux Valley Township--try on MN state wildlife areas south of the town of Sioux Valley.  The third report is near Lester, Lyon County, Iowa approximately 8 miles south of Steen, Clinton Township, Rock County, MN.  There are also bobwhite reported west of Rock County, MN in South Dakota.  So why not head SW this weekend and try to locate one of Minnesota more enigmatic species that just might be recolonizing areas to our south and poised to slip across the border or may already have.  Bob Russell finally getting over rejection now.

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