After church this morning my family and I went to Sherburne NWR with hopes of pine siskins. The refuge drive was closed because of hunting, so we drove along some other nearby promising-looking roads instead. As we pulled into the Lake Ann Campground road, I noticed a bird sitting on a wire. At first, I assumed it was a female house finch, but something wasn't quite right about it. Then I saw the white eye ring and my heart rate starting increasing. I got my scope on it, and sure enough, it was a Townsend's solitaire (other good field marks included the intricate wing pattern, white outer tail feathers, and longer tail length - I got a photo of it.) It flew around in the same general vicinity before flying a little ways off the road into the pine forests. The time was about 12:00 noon.
DIRECTIONS- >From Big Lake, go north on Sherburne County Rd 5. Follow this until you reach 253rd Avenue, also known as Lake Ann Campground Road (I believe there is a sign for this). Turn right on this road. The bird was about a block or so in sitting on the telephone wire on the north side of the road. I last saw it fly off further in that same direction. Other good birds included red-breasted nuthatch and Bonaparte's gull Keith Pulles, Wright County
