I made what was to be a quick stop at Easter Lake this afternoon on my way to get groceries. From the far SW shelter area there is a nice trail that goes a few feet to a small stream and I've often had some decent birds in this area. As I started down the path, right by the gate, there was a Townsend's Solitaire just above eye level (for me anyway). It stayed fairly close to the path and at eye level for about 15 minutes and then disappeared. Pam and Reid Allen turned the car around and got ahold of Danny Akers and when they all arrived we worked the area more. It responded once, and only once, to a taped call but did fly in overhead. For the next hour we had fleeting looks at it as it worked the area to the south of the path in denser cover.
As I waited for everyone to arrive, I was thinking about my first Iowa solitaire in Cerro Gordo County many years ago. It was -20 and the snow was knee deep and tough walking. I'm kind of liking this winter birding in shorts and a t-shirt! Ann Johnson Norwalk, IA --- Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members make it! --- Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 --- This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Membership available on-line at http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/membership.asp. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
