Here are a few notable weekend birds from Grant/Douglas/Otter Tail counties: 4 Red-necked Phalaropes were seen at Ashby Sewage Ponds (scope required); the ponds are closed, but you can gaze longingly over the padlocked gates. A short distance away where the stream leaves Pelican Lake, we spotted a bird nonchalantly standing knee-deep in the flowing water. An Egret, Heron? Nope, an adult Cooper's Hawk calmly preening, using the stream as a bird bath. Five miles away at Lake Christina in Douglas county the American Coots are gathering. We roughly (and probably, conservatively) estimated 20.000 coots on the lake. Among the coots were a pair of Western Grebes still carrying three young ones on their backs. At the sand and gravel pits on the west side of Lake Christina about a dozen Turkey Vultures calmly loafed and returned our stares, allowing us to reflect upon our mortality. Observers: Dan & Sandy Thimgan, Jeff Schultz, Tom Egeberg --Dan -- Thimgans Battle Lake MN Otter Tail County ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html