Brown Pelican in Goodhue County
2012-04-08

'Accidental' in Minnesota - Five or fewer records in Goodhue County for the Spring season

This adult was apparently first seen on April 4 (fide local fisherman who talked to Chris & John Hockema; information courtesy of Dedrick Benz) at the Bay Point Park Marina in Red Wing, which is located just W of downtown on the Mississippi River. It was then relocated and seen by several observers today, with most of the observations near the E tip of Bay Point Park and on some pilings closer to downtown Red Wing along Levee Rd, 1 block W of Broad St. It was still present when I left the area around 2:00pm. This represents the 3rd state record, with the previous records of immatures in Jackson Co in 2005 and Le Sueur Co in 2009.

Kim R. Eckert
(digiscope image through 20-50X Leica spotting scope)