Hello everyone. We went to the Bassponds in Hennepin Co. this morning at about 10:00 to take a look around. Heading for the White-eyed Vireo location between markers 4 and 5, we started to hear an odd call. About 3 other people were there looking for the call as well, but we just couldn't find it. They departed, but we stayed, listening. After awhile it came back to the exact same spot and sang more. Looking up the call in the book the bird we landed on was a Cerulean Warbler. Excited, we must've stayed for forty five minutes. The bird made loops around the area, disappearing, then coming back right to the same spot. After glimpses of white belly, dark band across it's chest, and flashes of color, we finally lucked out and caught a good look at it, confirming almost positively that it was a Cerulean. We spotted some of the people from earlier nearby and brought them over to find it. Happily, they both caught a good look at it, as did another man coming from the other direction. It seems pretty steadily there. It disappears for 8 minutes or so, then reappears in almost the same spot. Terrible to try and find a glimpse of it though. It finds the best places to sit right out of view. It is very, very vocal however, so you can be sure to hear it.
In response to the email of a Black-throated Gray earlier, I'm pretty sure we are talking about the same bird, as I think you were in that spot earlier. However, we positively ID'd it as a Cerulean. On another note, one of the birders there relocated the White-eyed Vireo that we had assumed had left near the bridge over the creek. We went to find it, but couldn't relocate it. Good birding everyone! - Leo Wexler-Mann
