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There were 400+ shorebirds of 9 species at Hegg Lake State Wildlife
Area (west end of lake) and Waterfowl Production Area (east end)
yesterday. The lake is located 1 mile NE of Kensington (of runestone
fame) and is best birded from a county road along the north side. The
state area can be observed from the road but the Federal area is best
walked from a parking lot provided for visitors by the USFWS. Water
conditions are such that some mud and water should persevere for at
least the next week and likely longer. Just east of here I watched a
Yellow-billed Cuckoo perch on a small roadside elm with a 3" wiggling
frog in its mouth !!) but the grand prize for birds gone wild was at a
nearby pothole when I saw a large brownish pheasant-sized bird with a
long tail fly towards me and hover for several seconds over the pond,
then land with feathers arched on the water and supporting the bird as
it sat on the water and picked at something, then flew back to shore.
Visions of sun bitterns and strange tropical families I had only seen
in books quickly dissolved when I realized it was just a pheasant!!
The Kensington Cafe is friendly with drinkable coffee and breakfast
specials. Bob Russell
