Fins, Feathers and Fungi - 2026 March 04-05 Olmstead, Mower, Fillmore, Dodge and Steele Counties
I needed a break from the personal, local and national insanity, so I booked a Camper Cabin at Forestville State Park, in Fillmore County, for a couple of days. I also knew some of these counties are on our itinerary for our new venture, Minnesota Birding Weekends, mbwbirds.net, so I wanted to start scouting. The weather forecast added extra incentive.
Olmsted County:
The county name recognizes David Olmsted (1822–1861), Minnesota Territorial Council’s first president and the fourth mayor of St. Paul. Rochester is the county seat and third largest city in Minnesota. Yet the transition from city to rural is quick. You can drive in almost any direction and find farmland and natural areas in less than fifteen minutes. Rochester has also made an effort to preserve parks and recreation spots that provide good birding.
Olmsted County (p. 244 of the Birder’s Guide to Minnesota, aka the It’s In The Damn Book”) contains three river watersheds, Zumbro, Whitewater, and Root, all flowing east to the Mississippi. Each with confusing names containing forks and branches. The watershed is interesting as just to the north and west the rivers flow northward to the Minnesota River. Minnesota's watershed basins | Minnesota DNR. This is because Olmstead is in the Driftless Region Do More in the Driftless Region | Minnesota Monthly. The “Rochester Blufflands” are precursors for the more dramatic karst landscape features of pinnacles, escarpments, sink holes, underground streams and caves of Wabasha, Winona, Houston, and Fillmore Counties. Please note: This question will be on the Kim Eckert TLE Quiz. Besides Olmstead what other three Minnesota counties have no natural lakes? (Answer: Mower, Pipestone, and Rock). The next question for those of you curious about geology and waste treatment is why? And is there a connection between geology of lakes and waste treatment practices? The karst geology is one of the major reasons nitrate levels and the use of neonaticides are a significant problem in the Driftless region.
Avoiding the city of Rochester I targeted Oxbow County Park and Zollman Zoo on the western edge of the county just north of Byron, Minnesota, on the “meandering Middle Branch of the South Fork Zumbro River.” I had left Minneapolis in the fog, if not in a fog, and it finally cleared a few miles north of the park.
As I exited my truck coyotes started howling. This would be a sound I would hear at the beginning and end of my trip. These coyotes were in the Zoo. I walked through as many of the conifers as I could throughout the park and camping area. No owls. A Red-breasted Nuthatch was visiting the feeder by the Visitors Center. A nice bird to get this far south. I admired the bison and elk. A single Horned Lark flew up from the pen area. I headed back to my truck. This location has merit for the variety of habitat; I was surprised I didn’t see an overwintering Eastern Bluebird. It is also reported to have 25+ warblers during migration.
I checked eBird. The South and East Landfill Kalmar Reservoirs and the landfill itself were close by. Thinking I might find Cackling Goose (reported) I drove over. I spent too much time looking at various sizes and subspecies of Canada Goose. Luckily a single Sandhill Crane was calling and then walked across the ice into view. That was new for me in Olmsted and the year.
Mower County:
I drove south along Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Highway to get to Fillmore County and the state park so I could enjoy my first of year fly fishing outing before dark. As I crossed the county line into Mower, also named after a member of the Territorial Legislature, I looked at my eBird. I was at 47 species. You know what that means on the MOU website? A black dot instead of a light green color. Three more birds is all I needed. How long can this take?
Now if you’re not already a member of MOUMN.org I encourage you to sign up. M.O.U. - Pay Membership. The site is clunky and hard to navigate unless you spend some time learning the different links. However, MOU has been around for a very long time doing important work for the birding community, science and conservation. It’s a cool club. Every good Minnesota birder is a MOU member. So, sign up, link your eBird login, and start filling in your map. And someday if you convince your pre-teen children to become birders and they devote their entire life to chasing rare birds all over the state they might record enough birds to join the Roberts Club. Unlikely in my lifetime. I am focused on passing the people who died. History of Total Species Seen. Note: The Roberts Club is named after T.S. Roberts who was an early advocate of ornithology in Minnesota and founding member of the MOU.
Kim’s book (p. 225) recommends the Grand Meadows WTP even for woods birds. I didn’t expect to see waterfowl as ice is still present except in areas where the water is moving. You never know with a sewage pond. It’s a half mile walk to the waste treatment ponds along a gravel road. Houses line the north edge of the road, with a few feeders, and farm fields lie to the south. I added House Finch, American Tree Sparrow, and Dark-eyed Junco to the list. Good seasonal birds you would have to get anyway to get to 200 and a red color on your MOU county. I’m green!
It was getting late. I needed to go.
Fillmore County:
Luckily I had called the park office and Ranger Barb agreed to put the key in my camper cabin. I drove straight to the South Branch of the Root River. I’m a birder first and a trout fisher a distant second. Some of this is represented in the financial investment I’ve made in time commitment and gear. However, if I divide the number of birds or even birding trips by the cost of my Swarovski’s and associated gear versus the number of trout I’ve caught or god help me the number per trip by the cost a fly rods (multiple weights are required), reels (they must match the rods), waders, boots, and flies (it’s like stopping at a bakery – I’ll take one of those, two of them, aww hell make it a dozen) then fly fishing is way more expensive. Even if I eat some. Which I do. I don’t hunt birds much anymore. I still buy the full MNDNR license to support the overarching cause of preserving natural spaces.
At one time I was going to start a company that birded in the morning, fished in the afternoon, and searched for fungi when the weather, birds, or fish would not cooperate. Actually, it’s a pun. My fungi finding friend, Barry, hates puns. I bird and fish. And I am entertaining.
This same fishing friend and I have a tradition of a capful of Irish whiskey to salute our commitment and strengthen our resolve to enter the cold water streams that are a result of the unique geology of southeast Minnesota. As I rigged up I could see rises on the water. Hard to believe at 48 degrees that little bugs were hatching.
I often wear my binoculars and eBird when I’m wading. Most of my Cerulean Warblers and only Yellow-breasted Chat have been seen streamside. If I ever fall in the water better be shallow. A rattling Belted Kingfisher call beckoned me creek side. Great Horned Owls dueted in the distance. I thrashed the water for a bit as I worked the rusty kinks out of my cast. I switched to a smaller dark Trico dry fly, tied with feathers. Sometimes I think about that connection as I fly fish. Read The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson if you want to explore the obsession with feathers and fly tying. Or To See Every Bird on Earth: A Father, a Son, and a Lifetime Obsession by Dan Koeppel if you want to assure yourself that you’re not really addicted to county listing.
Curiosity and acquisitiveness are in my nature. There is something magical about a “drop dead gorgeous” bird popping into view. Or when you work hard to find birds and then the trees come alive with color and movement. The same magic occurred when the trout rose and drank in the fly. It’s why I mostly fish with dry flies. Fooling a fish and watching it rise to the take is electrifying. Likely balm for my Neanderthal gene. I carefully netted the fish and returned it to the water. It was almost dark. I still needed to unload and haul my stuff up to the cabin and make dinner.
The weather was pleasant, so I cooked outside over the Coleman. Putting on some farro to simmer while chopping asparagus, garlic, and scallions I added a chicken sausage to add flavor. It was delicious. As most meals are when you’ve been outside all day. Especially when accompanied by a decent chardonnay. My writing, fishing, outdoors idol, Jim Harrison would approve, I think.
I’ve been to Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park several times over the years. It’s a semi-annual mid-winter retreat. I usually bird and fish only park as there is a couple of nice grassland areas down by the old city of Forestville and the mix of old growth woodlands with rivers and creeks that run through it makes for good birding. And a nice walk almost any time of year. Typically this is sufficient for a two day trip. This year I resolved to broaden my search area for birds. Particularly in search of Longspurs.
I woke up early, made coffee and oatmeal while reading the Damn Book for places to bird. I also like to explore what I call “blue pin dot” places. Blue pin dots are those eBird hotspots that don’t get birded regularly. Especially off season.
I ticked off the Eurasian Collard-Dove at the usual place on County Road 5, then committed half-heartedly to learn (really re-learn considering my age) how to navigate from a paper map instead of entering the location in Google.
Goethite WMA was my first destination. The land is adjacent to the South Branch Root River and I drove along 141st Ave from north to south. An enormous Red-tailed Hawk flew across the road. The Northern Cardinals were singing as I stopped to glass the geese in the field to the west. A hen Ring-necked Pheasant flushed and sharply objected to my presence. I thought several times of stopping and hiking the WMA. Instead, I drove to the bridge over the river and was rewarded with two Pileated Woodpeckers and other local birds.
The challenge of birding an entire county is time management. It’s tempting and rewarding to explore areas and enjoy a nice walk, but I had Kappers Ponds to scout and Lapland Longspur on my list of birds to see this spring.
Kappers Ponds is an interesting oasis. It suggests an old mining or gravel pit. I did some online research and found the Kappers family. Older records show Kappers Construction, Kappers Limestone Products, etc. I can only speculate that they converted the existing pits into ponds complete with water monitoring equipment. It’s an amazing place. The construction company doesn’t appear to be in existence anymore. Kappers Fabricating <KFI Products> is located in Spring Valley. The result of their generosity is access to some of the best ponds in Filmore County. It is required that you text them prior to entry. See Kim’s book for the phone number or contact me directly.
I drove the gravel roads to circle the various ponds. Ice in all of them. No ducks. I stopped along the road and walked for a bit. There are woods and conifers in several places. I did see my first of year Red-winged Blackbirds and added American Tree Sparrow to my day list. I’m looking forward to going back there.
I decided that as long I was southwest I would keep going. Looking at the map, the roads became straighter and the section squares regular. Suggesting farms and fields. Longspurs like open areas and particularly wet plowed fields. I headed toward Beaver Creek WMA in the SW corner of Fillmore. For a moment I even thought of crossing into Iowa. However, those birds don’t count.
I drove the backroads ticking off Horned Larks in ones and twos. I recalled from my trip to Texas with Kim the flocks of Horned Larks and Longspurs that frequented the wet fields and pooled water spots. As I drove up to Beaver Creek WMA a large flock of birds flew overhead. Thinking they were Red-winged Blackbirds I tracked them in my binoculars. Too small and the murmuration was more starling like than blackbird. Larkspurs? I drove the roads back and forth seeing a few more Horned Larks. Resigned to returning to the WMA and walking the conifers for owls I turned back. The flock circled overhead and landed in the field, flushed, circled, and returned. I exited the truck, grabbed my scope and waited. I scanned the field. Nothing. I looked again. Nothing. Finally, like mice the Lapland Longspurs crept through the tilled rows. I would find them, then lose them. Several of the males were in near breeding plumage. That mustard yellow eyebrow offset by the chestnut nape is stunning. I counted 40 plus birds as they flushed and settled. Merlin recorded Horned Larks in the mix. I only observed longspurs. In my multiple attempts to Digi-scope I could not capture the Lapland. I scanned for Smith’s and Chestnut-collared. I can only image my Digi-scope panic attack if I had seen anything else.
I parked on the west side of the WMA and diligently walked the conifers for owls. Nothing. The grasslands to the east are big. You can approach them from south or cut through the conifers on the west and walk the fire break along the edge. I look forward to birding this again April 25-26.
It was 11:30. I was hungry. It was time for lunch. I pointed the truck toward Forestville State Park thinking about an afternoon trout expedition. I checked the weather too. An “inch” of rain predicted for Friday morning. No way I want to break camp in a downpour. I stopped at the front desk. Barb confirmed the weather report and kindly allowed me to cancel my reservation provided I exited the cabin right away. While I packed up I cooked the second sausage with stringed carrots and scallions. Packed and ready to fish, I turned in my cabin key and beelined for the stream.
The trout were not rising so I tied on a Wooly Bugger and worked my way upstream. No luck. I switched to a Royal Wulff dry fly with a bead-head pheasant tail nymph dropper (tied by my good friend BJ). Casting just ahead of a rock with an eddy behind the Brown took the nymph, rolled to surface, and threw the hook. Dang. It was a nice fish. Interestingly exaggeration and fibbing is acceptable in fishing. Never when birding. I might think about that.
I worked my way upstream checking my clock. I wanted to make one more stop on my way home. Now if your familiar with fly fisherman you’ll know that Lee Wulff died in a plane crash. At age 86. Why would he risk flying a plane alone at that age? This will be important later in this story.
I switched to a down-wing Hendrickson’s pattern dry fly for the return. Walking and casting my way downstream I heard the call of a Sandhill Crane. I stopped to look up. Circling overhead was a Bald Eagle. Odd. As I continued to watch, the crane rotated into view in the same kettle as the eagle. Bugling regularly.
The key to fishing dry flies when there isn’t a rise is precisely targeting holding water where trout rest and feed with less effort. I could see the rock creating a bulge below the surface and the water streamed on both sides. I cast aiming for slightly upstream. I mended. Before I could adjust my rod, the trout struck. I saw its head come to the surface and gulp the fly. Fish on. A nice Brown came to the net. I returned the fish to the water. A couple of casts later I snagged and lost my fly. Time to go.
Minnesota State Parks has a Hiking Club Trail program, mnDNR.gov/Clubs. If you hike the trail, locate and record the password, then record the mileage in their book, you earn patches at 25 mile increments up to 175 miles and then one for hiking all the trails at the 75 state parks in Minnesota. 197 miles. If you know me, you know I like goals. With rewards. The best reward has been exploring parts of state parks I would not have otherwise. I’ve completed 22 of them to date equaling 57.1 miles. Ranger Barb had awarded me my 25 and 50 mile patches at Forestville State Park.
I had set my sights on hiking Rice Lake State Park, in Steele County, on the way down but got distracted wandering around Olmsted. It was 4:00. An hour and 20 minutes to the park, sunset was at 6 PM. That would require me to briskly hike 2.4 miles to complete the loop by dark.
Dodge County:
I ticked off an American Kestrel on the wire as a drove through the edge of Dodge on my way to Steele. No time to stop. It would be dodgy to dawdle and risk completing my hike in time. To understand how Dodge County came into existence you would need to research Henry Dodge (1782-1867).
Steele County:
The county was named for Franklin Steele. If you live in St. Anthony or Minneapolis you have him thank, or curse, depending on your view of history. Or maybe both. These two articles make different arguments around his legacy. Franklin Steele. Steele, Franklin (ca. 1813–1880). Franklin was instrumental in acquiring land around what would become Minneapolis, including Fort Snelling at one point. It is now known he exploited Native Americans, business associates, and the federal government in his endeavors. At one point he was known as the richest man in Minnesota. He built diversion dams for powering sawmills and flour mills at St. Anthony Falls. He formed a company to build the first bridge across the Mississippi near the present day Hennepin Ave. in 1855. He had nothing to do from what I could find with Steele county itself. He died in Minneapolis and is buried in Washington D.C. More naming of things after old white guys. Let me think; what bird, fish, street, city, place would I like named after me?
I pulled into the boat ramp parking lot of Rice Lake State Park and started eBird at 5:31 PM. The trail was well marked at the beginning. I walked along the edge of the lake watching Trumpeter Swans fly across the lake and listening and looking for Eastern Screech Owls in the mature forest with lots of holes in trees. I turned away from the lake in the gathering dark and walked along the edge of a spectacular prairie area. The tawny and ochre grass glowed in the failing sunlight as I scanned for Short-eared Owls. It was getting darker. I found the password and followed the signs to continue the trail. At the campground the blue dots on the trees seemed intent to lead me astray. I could not find the Hiking Club signage. It was getting quite dark. I looked at the map and followed the trail I found. It got darker. Barred Owls called in the distance. If you’ve not heard them wailing in the dark you might think strange creatures where haunting the woods. It is a combination of hooting and hollering with squawks mixed in. Now I had to use my cell phone flashlight to see the map. I could see occasional signs for the trail, but it was inconsistent or I wasn’t paying attention. I wasn’t exactly lost but by now it was dark and I needed to get back to my truck. That’s when the coyotes started howling and yelping in the distance. Was I afraid? I reflected several times on Lee Wulff’s decision to keep seeking adventure even into his eighties. I have sixteen more years to reach his age. A little adventure is good for the heart. I found the main campground and hiked the circle until I found the exit road. It was pitch dark by then because the cloud cover obscured the moon and stars. As I approached the main road I heard a growl. I looked up to see a woman out walking her large dogs in the dark. She was as surprised as I was to see someone else. I explained my situation and we agreed it was a beautiful evening for a hike. She did not volunteer to walk a strange (but fun) guy to his truck.
I checked the mileage on my eBird app when I got back to the truck. I had hiked 3.65 miles. Unfortunately, you can only claim the hiking club mileage. It was a great walk on a beautiful March day and a good way to conclude my trip.
References:
Kim Eckert’s Book - A Birder’s Guide to Minnesota https://mbwbirds.com/birders-guide-to-mn.html