Volunteers aid golf course's effort to become Audubon sanctuary

Going birding at Red Wing Lake Golf Course is a bird ride, not a bird walk, for Karen and Tom Beatty.

Almost once a week, just after sunrise, the Beattys travel to the municipal golf course on Prosperity Road, hop in a waiting golf cart and drive along the cart path from hole to hole, looking for birds. They meander by different habitats, from Red Wing Lake to smaller ponds that are golf course water hazards, from marshy or brushy areas to woodlands.

Ordinarily, golfers and birders don't mix it up. Usually only birders like the Beattys, who are golf course volunteers, would get this birding opportunity.

The couple is taking a yearlong survey of the birds on the course as part of Red Wing's application to become a certified Audubon International Sanctuary Golf Course.

The other morning they were out for a about two hours and saw 30 species of birds - every thing from adult and juvenile bald eagles to a tiny golden-crowned kinglet, a first for the Beattys at Red Wing.

As they ride along, Karen Beatty records what they see and where on a tape recorder, occasionally taking photos. The information is passed to Kevin Bennington, Parks and Recreation coordinator for city-owned golf courses, who is compiling the information necessary for Red Wing to become a certified golf course. The census includes not only birds but also mammals, such as deer, foxes and otters, that roam the area.

"We told the Beattys that we'd handle the furry ones, and you handle the feathery ones," Bennington said.

To become certified, Bennington must also present evidence of efforts to reduce the harmful environmental effects of golf courses. That includes not only wildlife management efforts, but also water conservation and water quality management, the reduction of the use of chemicals and fertilizers, as well as outreach education.

For example, Bennington has established low maintenance zones along the edges of the woods that allow grasses and shrubs to grow to provide food and cover for wildlife and a safe corridor from one part of the golf course to another.

In late summer the areas were full of goldfinches feeding on wild plants that had gone to seed, Tom Beatty said. The other morning, a dozen or so little brown chipping sparrows flew from one of the brushy area as we drove past.

The situation is a win-win one for the golf course and the Beattys. The golf course gets its bird census, and the Beattys get to go bird-watching in a setting with lots of habitats, normally not open to birders.

"Most birders don't get to go out on a golf course," said Karen Beatty. "And it's so nice to have such an easy way to get around."

"And," Tom Beatty said, "it's always quiet."

When Karen Beatty spotted the little kinglet the other morning, it brought to 97 the number of species they have seen on their weekly trips since August. Sightings have included any number of red-headed and pileated woodpeckers along with flickers.

In summer, bluebirds and osprey were everywhere, Tom Beatty noted. There seems to be a great blue heron in every pond and ducks and other waterfowl frequent the lakes, too.

The couple will continue for the rest of the year and then go back whenever Bennington wants them.

"We have really enjoyed this so much," Karen Beatty said. "I could go every day."