Journal archives for February 2020

February 24, 2020

Lake Hiawatha Park

Lake Hiawatha Park
Minneapolis, Hennepin county, MN
mixed use park bordering Lake Hiawatha
associated with Hiawatha Golf Course, Minnehaha Creek (Ericsson Neighborhood)

Park Notes
The park surrounds the 55 acre Lake Hiawatha and Minnehaha Creek flows into and out of the lake at the southern end.

The eastern side is mostly conventionally mowed public park space with a park building, playground, basketball court, swimming beach, wading pool, picnic tables, bike and walking paths, and ball fields (converted to ice rinks in the winter). The western side is (currently) the public Hiawatha Golf Course. Along the southern edge of the lake, there is a very marshy, unmanaged area that abuts a stand of trees. Additionally the shoreline is allowed to grow wild with cattails and various shrubs. The Golf Course is open to the hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing in the winter.

Wildlife Documented in the Park and Adjoining Golf Course
Birds: Migrating waterfowl visit the lake in the spring and the southern marshy end and along the creek outflow from the lake gets a fair number of migrating sparrows and warblers. There are quite a few summer and/or winter resident birds.

Mammals: Coyote, Red Fox, Northern American River Otter, American Beaver, Eastern Gray and American Red Squirrels, Muskrat, Common Raccoon, Eastern Cottontail, American Mik, Meadow Vole, Eastern Chipmunk and North American Deer Mice.

Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish: American Toad, Painted Turtle, Spiny Softshell Turtle, Common Snapping Turtle, European Carp, Bluegill, Northern Pike, Bowfin, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow

Misc (iNat species counts as of 1-2022):
74 species of insects, 6 species of mollusks, and 10 species of archnids.
98 species of plants and 12 species of fungi.

approximate bounding box for Lake Hiawatha Park and the adjoining Hiawatha Golf Course

Minnehaha Creek; Ericsson Neighborhood, east of 28th Ave
Minnehaha Creek enters and exits Lake Hiawatha at its southern end. As it enters, the Creek marks the border between the park and the golf course. At this point, only a small portion of the Creek is accessible from the Park although, in dry times, one can follow it out to the delta and sandspit opening to the lake.

Soon after exiting Lake Hiawatha, the Creek flows under the 28th Ave S bridge, leaving Lake Hiawatha Park but (re)entering its own Minnehaha Creek Park. Along this 1.4 mile section through the Ericsson Neighborhood, all the land along the Creek is park land. Most of the area is mowed but there are a number of large trees in the park and the banks of the Creek are allowed to grow wild, thus offering habitat for birds, insects, and spiders. Additionally, the Creek itself hosts a variety of wildlife and plants and, at times, it can be shallow and slow enough for easy wading. Many of the mammals found at Lake Hiawatha have also been seen along the Creek.

Many of my visits to Lake Hiawatha Park have been combined with a walk eastward (and back) along the Creek.

As Minnehaha Creek makes its way to the eastern boundary of the Ericsson Neighborhood, it enters the Minnehaha Regional Park, a large 167 acre area with extensive amenities and nature observation. Ultimately the Creek will find its way to the Mississippi River.

useful links/info:
official address: 2701 E 44th St, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Minneapolis Parks & Rec Board webpage
eBird Hotspot reports
MN DNR info on fish in lake
Friends of Lake Hiawatha
Hiawatha Golf Course; Winter Activities Info

feel free to add/correct info in the comment sections below.

Posted on February 24, 2020 05:47 PM by mmmiller mmmiller | 47 observations | 1 comment | Leave a comment

Fish Creek Natural Area

Fish Creek Natural Area (Googles uses the name: Fish Creek Bluff Preserve)
Maplewood, Ramsey county, MN -- adjacent to Ramsey County's Fish Creek Open Preserve
70 acres; Prairie and Woodland

Park Notes
from the City of Maplewood website: An asphalt trail takes you to the bluff top, through woodlands and restored prairie, on both City and County land. Part of the Mississippi River flyway, the site is frequented by raptors, songbirds, and wildlife species such as fox, coyote, and deer.

There is minimal parking at the trail head but it's on a dead end so one can park along the road. The main loop is just under one mile. The path is wide and paved and we weren't worried about ticks nor bothered by any biting insects. There were some slight hills but I wouldn't consider this a difficult hike at all. There was at least two benches along the trail (with a possible third on a loop we didn't walk) and a port-a-john at the trail head. Noise from the nearby freeway was loud at beginning of trail but diminished as we got further into the park.

Visits
(late) July 2019
There was a nice mix of wildflowers and seed heads and lots of pollinators (butterflies and bees) and insects (dragonflies, damselflies, beetles, and grasshoppers) to observe. It would be hard to hear birds at beginning of trail.
Bird species seen: Bald Eagle, Lark Sparrow, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, House Wren, Gray Catbird, American Goldfinch, Field Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow, Eastern Towhee.
Insect species seen: Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee, Carolina Grasshopper, Migratory Grasshopper, Punctured Tiger Beetle, Six-spotted Tiger Beetle, Halloween Pennant Dragonfly, Meadowhawk xx Damselfly, Bluet xx Damselfly, Black Swallowtail Butterfly, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, Monarch Butterfly, Red Admiral Butterfly, Wooly Bear caterpillar (Isabella Tiger Moth), Clouded/Orange Sulfer Butterfly, long-waisted type wasp not identified

March 30, 2020
It was a bit early for birds but we saw Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, American Robins, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Song Sparrow, and a Bald Eagle soaring across the river basin.

We did turn over some logs in the woody area just south of the paved path and found lots of millipedes and centipedes. A butterfly and two very small moths were briefly spotted (but not identified) as well as a Wooly Bear caterpillar.

Useful links/info
trailhead location: 1487-1507 Henry Ln, Maplewood, MN 55119
City of Maplewood website
Trail Map pdf
eBird hotspot reports

Posted on February 24, 2020 09:59 PM by mmmiller mmmiller | 33 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment

February 26, 2020

Woodland Trails Regional Park

Woodland Trails Regional Park
Elk River, Sherburne county, MN
427 acres; oak woodland, wetlands and restored native prairie habitats

Park Notes
The park has a mixture of paved and non-paved trails. A 2017 source said "nearly eight miles of bituminous trails and over seven miles of natural mowed trails." The paved trails were wide and vegetation had been mowed about 2 feet back from the pavement so one could hike without tick protection on those trails. Mosquitoes weren't bad but we used spray. The non-paved trails looked wide enough not to have to bushwack but I would suggest using tick protection on those trails. There were benches along the paved path. (We didn't walk the mowed paths).

Trail maps were available but, on our visit, they had gotten wet from a recent rain and were not usable. There were maps posted along the paved trails and we did alright by them for the most part (we got turned around once). Reviews of the park mention people getting lost in the non-paved trails in the eastern part of the park due to multiple paths coming together at one point.

There is a good sized paved parking lot with a port-a-john.

Traveling through Woodland Trails Park is the Great Northern Trail - a 4.5 paved trail located on an abandoned railroad grade. See links below for more info on that trail.

Visits
early Sept 2019
We hiked the paved Prairie Loop and Poplar Loop trails which was a doable hike. Warblers had been seen further north on the Great Northern Trail which runs through the park but we didn't want to hike that far from the only access point we could find. (the parking lot at the address below). [Edit to add: @eknuth has added info on how to access the Great Northern Trail either just north or just south of Woodland Trails Regional Park - see that information below in her comment]

Birds seen: Turkey Vulture, Common Yellowthroat, Canada Goose, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Red-eyed Vireo, Eastern Pheobe, Cooper's Hawk, American Redstart, Gray Catbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Black-and-white Warbler, American Robin and possibly either a Cuckoo or Great Crested Flycatcher - couldn't get a good look at it in the leaves.

Insects seen: Painted Lady butterfly, Monarch butterfly, Giant Swallowtail butterfly, White-faced Meadowhawk, Scudder's Bush Katydid, Carolina grasshopper.
Fungi: can't identify these but there was lots!
Other: Gray Tree Frog (lots)

We'd gotten a good start on the day and decided to drive north 20 minutes and visit Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge after eating lunch in the parking lot.

Useful links/info
entrance to parking lot : 20135 Elk Lake Rd NW; Elk River, Minnesota 55330
Woodland Trails Park : unofficial Facebook page
Woodland Trails Park : Elk River site (links to trail maps available at this page)
eBird hotspot reports
Great Northern Trail : TrailLink site
Great Northern Trail : Elk River site
info on how to access the Great Northern Trail either just north or just south of the Regional Park can be found below in a comment from @eknuth.

Posted on February 26, 2020 07:35 PM by mmmiller mmmiller | 8 observations | 2 comments | Leave a comment

February 27, 2020

180th Street Marsh

180th Street Marsh
Vermillion Township, Dakota county, MN
about 50 acres; Marsh

Spring 2022 update:
We visited this site for the first time in a couple of years. The gravel road bed has been elevated so, going forward, flooding will be less of an issue. But the elevation did not include any shoulders and the private land at either end is marked 'No Parking/No Trespassing'. People are still birding there but I don't know where they are parking.

In Feb 2020: an announcement was made at a Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter meeting that the 180th St Marsh has been purchased and will be developed as a natural area with some enhancements for birdwatching. At the time (and subsequently), I didn't have any more details on which entity purchased the land and I can't find any news of this online. There was a sign in the marsh area that indicated some natural/preservation status but stating the land was still private. Contrary to providing 'some enhancements for birdwatching', the area is, in my opinion, less optimal for bird-watching. The only way I can see that one can bird watch here is to park in the street and move if a car is coming. Not something I'm comfortable doing. If someone wanted more info on how to bird this area, I would suggest finding someone who has made recent observations at the marsh and ask them for guidance.

iNaturalist observations made at or near 180th St Marsh

Marsh Notes
This area is a low marshy spot with farms on each side. There are essentially four 'pools (two on each side) surrounded by native vegetation. Some birding can be done with binoculars but a scope will be needed to see deeper into the marsh pools.

The marshes and the lands on all sides are private so it is important to be respectful of the land owners while visiting and all birding is done from the road only.

One accesses the marsh by driving along 180th St and parking on the (quite narrow) shoulder of the gravel road which isn't highly traveled but all traffic (besides birders) is likely all from the nearby residents (making it important to be a respectful visitor) and can include farm equipment.

Birds: "This is one of the few surviving wetlands in this agricultural area of the county. Portions of the wetland have deep water where diving ducks find a place to feed during migration. The numbers of individuals using the wetland are astounding. Spring and fall times really are when you can count hundreds and hundreds of migrating birds. Native vegetation has been preserved on much of the site so a place for breeding birds exists. Sora and Virginia Rails, Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat and Yellow-headed Blackbirds all nest at the marsh. (and..) You never know when a Common Gallinule, American Bittern, Cattle Egret or Long-tailed Duck might show up." (City of Hastings pdf)

Other birds seen by us: Brown Thrasher, Killdeer, Black Tern, Canvas Back, Ruddy Duck, Greater Yellowlegs, Bufflehead, Redhead, Nothern Shoveler, Pied-billed Grebe, Cedar Waxwing, Dickcissel, Bonaparte's Gull

Other Wildlife and Plants: This spot is primarily visited by birders but butterflies and dragonflies can be found here as well as the native vegetation. There are muskrats and we've seen a turtle once and heard frogs in this area but never actually 'seen' them.

note: In very wet years, the entire road can be flooded and it, in fact, remained flooded during the entire summer of 2019. In that case, one must approach from one side of the marsh and bird in that area, then - if desired - drive around and approach from the other side to bird that area. Additionally, this meant that the drive-able road often terminated very near people's houses and driveways. During this flooding, consideration dictated that birders not park very close to their houses and/or use their driveways as turnarounds.

Visits
We've visited this Marsh quite a few times and often combine it with a trip to other Dakota county locations such as 140th Street Marsh, Great Western Industrial Park, Whitetail Woods Regional Park, Lock & Dam #2 (and other nearby Hastings area parks).

Useful links/info
location: 180th St E between Fischer Ave and Goodwin Av; Vermillion Township, Dakota, MN
I found this area on Google maps and dropped a pin then saved it to a list of other Dakota county birding sights.
Google info from my dropped pin:
44°41'17.6"N 92°57'57.3"W

44.688220, -92.965903

City of Hastings info pdf
eBird hotspot reports

Posted on February 27, 2020 10:19 PM by mmmiller mmmiller | 10 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment