I decided to bird the McGregor marsh very early this morning and bird Aitkin
County for some time in the morning.  I observed 100 species by 11 am.  Here
are a few highlights:

Nelson's Sparrow - 1 bird singing on the west side of Hwy 65, between .1 &
.2 mile S of 210 around 4 am; it was far off the road and tough to hear and
I found no other individuals between 210 and the Soo Line

Yellow Rail - I heard several on the E side of the road in the same general
stretch as the Nelson's Sparrow

Upland Sandpiper - 1 individual foraging on the ground near the runway at
the Aitkin airport, not very easy to spot at the time

White-rumped and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plover - pretty good
numbers of White-rumpeds and a few of the others along CR 15 at the second
flooded field you come to after leaving Aitkin; the first field had a few
peeps that were out of range (for me, at least)

Greater Yellowlegs - 1 late individual at the previously reported wet fields
on CR 1...the only shorebird I found along CR 1

Barred Owl fledgling - on the main entrance road (literally sitting on the
road) at Rice Lake NWR around 5:30 am

Notably not found:  LeConte's Sparrow was one of my targets for the morning,
but I never heard or saw a single individual despite trying nearly every
pasture and sedge meadow of significant size I encountered.  I have no idea
whether they are not present or whether they just were not singing, but I
thought the species would be easier to find.  I did not attempt to lure one
in with a recording.

-- 
Shawn Conrad
www.itascacnfbirding.com

----
Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net
Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html