Over lunch hour drove the general area of Crooked Lake WMA in Isanti County - certainly not an "A" birding spot - but close to the office for a short get away.
About two blocks east of Potassium Road and two blocks north of Isanti CR 5, noticed a bird with a yellowish cast, first on a power line, then an oak tree. I was struck by the length of the bird (say, 7-8 inches) combined with a lanky appearance, by the fact that it's head and shoulders were a faded yellow while the abdomen and sides were a faded grey/brown, by the somewhat darker wings, and by a bill that was substantially larger than expected (not quite grosbeak, but I did consider that option for a bit). I would describe the yellow and gray combination as being similar to a faded female goldfinch in the late fall (although the bird was considerable longer than same). I'm somewhat comfortable calling it a female tanager, but am wondering about the molt on a female Scarlet. Should it not be more consistently yellow all over, particularly at this time of year? And the bill was, frankly, closer to a Summer - but I've only observed males in the past. We've had Summers in Sherburne Refuge during 2005-2006, which is not that terribly far away.... Or, for those of you who can visualize the second paragraph well, should I be looking at non-tanager options (lanky, 7-8 inches, light yellow head and shoulders, grayer/browner body, darker wings)? Brain cramped in Princeton, Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties
