Swan Lake in central Nicollet County is one of the largest prairie potholes in the contiguous United States, formed over 10,000 years ago as the glaciers retreated and left their melt waters in a series of glacial depressions. Once twice the size it is now, Swan Lake was Minnesota’s largest marsh-wetland ecosystem before being drained for agriculture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Today the lake itself covers about 14 square miles, and along with the many other nearby lakes and marshes that were once part of the greater lake it comprises the vast Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area.
A great diversity of avian species — particularly of waterbirds — is attracted to the shallow wetlands of the Swan Lake complex spring through fall. Just about any of Minnesota’s regular waterfowl species (excluding the sea ducks) can be found in the area during migration, and in summer a plethora of ducks, grebes, herons, and terns use the wetlands as nesting habitat. If visiting the area in fall, be aware that this W.M.A. is a favorite for duck, deer, and pheasant hunters.
For birders, there is no shortage of possibilities at Swan Lake. The problem, however, is in the lake’s access; relative to the size of Swan Lake, only a small percentage of it can be viewed from the few public access point on its shores. A canoe trip on the lake allows for the greatest coverage (and the closest looks at the lake’s birds), but most birders will be content to stay on dry land and use a scope to scan the lake to the best of their abilities. Luckily, Nicollet Bay on the southeast corner of the lake harbors a majority of the lake’s denizens, and two access points make it possible to view most of the vicinity’s water. The first access is gained from the Nicollet Conservation Club about a mile west of the town of Nicollet on Hwy. 14; a grassy peninsula juts north from the shore to provide excellent views (and during migration, watch for migrating songbirds in the trees near the parking lot). Red-necked Grebes are common sights here from late April through early September, as are Yellow-headed Blackbirds, both Forster’s and Black Terns, Blue-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, and Redheads. If you’re present here in the morning or evening during this same time period, listen for the calls of both American and Least Bitterns in addition to the more common vocalizations of Soras, Virginia Rails, Marsh Wrens, and Swamp Sparrows. Note: the best time to view from this access point is in the spring, as the cattails and rushes begin to obscure views of the open water by early June in some years.
Another mile further west on Hwy. 14 is the Nicollet Bay Main Unit; here you’ll find a nice tract of restored prairie on the south shore of the lake (watch for Brewer’s Blackbird here in late April and May). On the east side of the gravel entrance road you’ll see an outlet flowing south from the bay; this causes open water to appear by mid-March most years at this access point, attracting migrant geese and other early waterfowl while the rest of the lake remains frozen. A boardwalk into the marsh is situated to the west of the gravel parking lot, and to find it walk the short grassy trail running west from the gate, listening for Sedge Wren and Orchard Orioles (in summer) as you do so. Before you come to the boardwalk you’ll see a small hill that rises up to your left; scoping from atop this hill provides the best looks at the bay (including areas not visible from the Nicollet Conservation Club). Western and Eared Grebes, becoming somewhat less common on the lake, are best viewed from this hill, and Black-crowned Night-Herons and American Bitterns can sometimes be seen flying up from the marshes in front of you (and be on the lookout for a stray Snowy or Cattle Egret).
The only other productive public access point on the lake is located in its northeastern corner on Currier Bay. This access point is a popular launch for canoeists and other boaters, but also provides looks at birds not visible from the south side on Nicollet Bay. Western Grebes can sometimes be viewed from the dock here as easily as anywhere else on the lake, and both Soras and Virginia Rails (and American Bitterns at night) are commonly seen and heard here. For the canoeing birder, a foray onto the lake is well worth the trip, affirmed by a Common Moorhen about a half mile out from the launch discovered by yours truly in early May 2008.
In recent years, however, the W.M.A. units away from the lake itself have arguably proven more interesting. The Middle Lake Unit, specifically, has been one of the best birding locations in the county (and perhaps south-central Minnesota) since 2008. Located about one mile north of Nicollet on the east side of Hwy. 111, this 80-acre restored grassland sports two ephemeral ponds on the western side of Middle Lake that have attracted a large variety of shorebirds as well as other interesting species. The area begins to merit a visit in early April as the snow and ice disappear; dabbling and diving ducks become common on both the lake and the ponds. During the second week of April in 2010, four Smith’s Longspurs spent a few days in the grasslands between the ponds and the adjacent farm fields, and the year before that a Short-eared Owl was flushed right off the trail going east of the parking lot around the same time of year. A variety of shorebirds begins appearing by late April, and throughout May just about any of Minnesota’s regular species is possible in the shallow ponds or their mudflats (if present); highlights include Black-bellied Plovers and Ruddy Turnstones in 2008, Hudsonian Godwits and a Willet in 2009, a Marbled Godwit in 2010, and an American Avocet in 2011. In both 2010 and 2011, the ponds attracted White-faced Ibis during the first week of May; there are few locations away from the western edge of the state that have attracted this species in more than one year. From late April through mid-May watch for some of the rarer migrant sparrows like Le Conte’s or Nelson’s in the nearby cattails, and from late May throughout summer watch for nesting waterbirds and marshbirds on Middle Lake; the cattails on the southern end of the lake seem to especially attract Least Bitterns. And in the prairie grasses between the lake and the parking lot, look and listen for nesting Grasshopper Sparrows, Western Meadowlarks, and even Gray Partridge (I saw a family group of two adults and twelve young running along the trail ahead of me in 2008).
Another non-contiguous unit of the W.M.A. always worth a check is the Duck Lake Unit, located about one mile east of Hwy. 111 on CR 5. There is a parking area on the south side of the road on the lake’s northwest corner, but the best looks are generally had by pulling your vehicle off on the road’s shoulder and looking south with a scope. This lake is a favorite nesting spot for Trumpeter Swans, as well as more Red-necked Grebes (and the occasional Western or Eared) and terns. Finally, the Little Lake Unit provides close looks at more marsh birds, especially Soras and Virginia Rails (the latter has walked right up to my feet at this location); to get there, drive east of Nicollet on Hwy. 99 for about a half mile and turn north on 451st Ave., followed by your first right onto 460th St. and another left onto 441st Ln., which intersects the marsh and dead-ends shortly thereafter in a wooded area conducive to attracting a few migrant songbirds during migration (at night listen here for resident Great Horned Owls).
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Bob’s birdlist from Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area:
- Greater White-fronted Goose
- Snow Goose
- Cackling Goose
- Canada Goose
- Trumpeter Swan
- Tundra Swan
- Wood Duck
- Gadwall
- American Wigeon
- Mallard
- Blue-winged Teal
- Northern Shoveler
- Northern Pintail
- Green-winged Teal
- Canvasback
- Redhead
- Ring-necked Duck
- Greater Scaup
- Lesser Scaup
- Bufflehead
- Common Goldeneye
- Hooded Merganser
- Common Merganser
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Ruddy Duck
- Gray Partridge
- Ring-necked Pheasant
- Wild Turkey
- Common Loon
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Horned Grebe
- Red-necked Grebe
- Eared Grebe
- Western Grebe
- American White Pelican
- Double-crested Cormorant
- American Bittern
- Least Bittern
- Great Blue Heron
- Great Egret
- Snowy Egret
- Cattle Egret
- Green Heron
- Black-crowned Night-Heron
- White-faced Ibis
- Turkey Vulture
- Bald Eagle
- Northern Harrier
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Broad-winged Hawk
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Rough-legged Hawk
- American Kestrel
- Merlin
- Peregrine Falcon
- Virginia Rail
- Sora
- American Coot
- Sandhill Crane
- Black-bellied Plover
- American Golden-Plover
- Semipalmated Plover
- Killdeer
- American Avocet
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Solitary Sandpiper
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Willet
- Lesser Yellowlegs
- Hudsonian Godwit
- Marbled Godwit
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Semipalmated Sandpiper
- Least Sandpiper
- White-rumped Sandpiper
- Baird’s Sandpiper
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Dunlin
- Stilt Sandpiper
- Short-billed Dowitcher
- Long-billed Dowitcher
- Wilson’s Snipe
- Wilson’s Phalarope
- Bonaparte’s Gull
- Franklin’s Gull
- Ring-billed Gull
- Herring Gull
- Caspian Tern
- Black Tern
- Common Tern
- Forster’s Tern
- Rock Pigeon
- Mourning Dove
- Black-billed Cuckoo
- Great Horned Owl
- Short-eared Owl
- Common Nighthawk
- Chimney Swift
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Belted Kingfisher
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Downy Woodpecker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Willow Flycatcher
- Least Flycatcher
- Eastern Phoebe
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Eastern Kingbird
- Northern Shrike
- Yellow-throated Vireo
- Warbling Vireo
- Red-eyed Vireo
- Blue Jay
- American Crow
- Horned Lark
- Purple Martin
- Tree Swallow
- Bank Swallow
- Cliff Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Black-capped Chickadee
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- House Wren
- Sedge Wren
- Marsh Wren
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Eastern Bluebird
- Swainson’s Thrush
- American Robin
- Gray Catbird
- Brown Thrasher
- European Starling
- American Pipit
- Cedar Waxwing
- Lapland Longspur
- Smith’s Longspur
- Tennessee Warbler
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Nashville Warbler
- Yellow Warbler
- Chestnut-sided Warbler
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Palm Warbler
- Blackpoll Warbler
- Black-and-white Warbler
- American Redstart
- Ovenbird
- Common Yellowthroat
- Wilson’s Warbler
- American Tree Sparrow
- Chipping Sparrow
- Clay-colored Sparrow
- Field Sparrow
- Vesper Sparrow
- Savannah Sparrow
- Grasshopper Sparrow
- Le Conte’s Sparrow
- Nelson’s Sparrow
- Fox Sparrow
- Song Sparrow
- Lincoln’s Sparrow
- Swamp Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- Harris’s Sparrow
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Scarlet Tanager
- Northern Cardinal
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Indigo Bunting
- Dickcissel
- Bobolink
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Western Meadowlark
- Yellow-headed Blackbird
- Rusty Blackbird
- Brewer’s Blackbird
- Common Grackle
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Orchard Oriole
- Baltimore Oriole
- House Finch
- American Goldfinch
- House Sparrow