Just got back from a good two hours in the woods next to my townhouse. After getting some very good comments on my recent observations - this is how we learn - I decided that maybe the rust was not fully off my 2007 birding skills soaking indoors for a full winter - and went back out to confirm both the thrush types and the woodcock - why not see them again anyway.
I did not refind the American Woodcock and began to doubt that it was indeed that since I have never even seen a snipe. Well, lo and behold!, while I stood for over 45 minutes in one spot in the woods, letting Brown Creepers nearly use me as tree trunk, fox sparrows nearly digging under my shoes, and both Ruby-Crowned and Golden- Crowned Kinglets dance about my head, up walks a Common Snipe! My first ever! The Muhammed Ali of birds if I ever saw one - bobbing and weaving as it strode through the leaf litter and fallen wood near a soggy bottom. It finally figured out I was something "un-natural" and popped straight up and over behind a nearby log and stood motionless watching me with one eye from over the log. Wow and amazing! The Common Snipe (as I identified it) was different from the bird I ID'd as a woodcock in that the other bird (American Woodcock) was light colored on the breast and did not have horizontal markings through the eyes - that were so apparent with the snipe. Plus they were in different habitats - one hear soggy water and the other in the woods with the soft, thawing soil. I tried to distinguish between wing or vocalizations upon take off but the snipe made sounds too on take off although but the other bird's (supposed woodcock) sound lasted a bit longer. I could be totally wrong with the ID and have no problem either way - and for now it goes down as a "have to see it again to make sure" bird list. I will let you know. As to the Swainson's Thrushes - I took books out with me and went over the differing markings on the very numerous thrushes that are around. The differences are subtle and in my mind could be variations within the species or completely different birds. I clearly ID'd several Hermit Thrushes with their red tails, brownish to olive green back, bold spots and distinct eye ring. Some however, had less than clear spots though not faded and had the eye rings but looked like whiter areas that I could construe as spectacles - perhaps Swainson's. I could be wrong. Plus their tails were not as red as the obvious hermits - but tinged red nonetheless. Then I saw several that had faded spots, appeared all red on their backs and had less than distinct eyerings - Veery-ish. My conclusion? How would I know? This is nature just messing with me. Probably the same way I felt when I first tried to distinguish the sparrows that I actually got pretty good at last year. I bet there have to be some Graycheeks in this population of thrushes just to keep me in the "I don't know" place in birding ID. It is easy to be humble when you fumble. Of additional note - Casually watching a Cooper's Hawk visit the tree outside my window and noticed how the overly numerous Fox Sparrows magically disappeared - and as I watched the remnants of the hawks tail disappear over the neighbor's house, a wave of Yellow-Rumped Warblers took over my wooded view and then they move on with a few stragglers for confirmation. Warblers! Yeeehaaaaw! Plus some outrageous Red-bellied Woodpecker behavior and what felt like the Cooper's Hawk following me around as it seemed to show up in each area I went as I backtracked home. Thomas Maiello Angel Environmental Management, Inc. Maple Grove, MN -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://moumn.org/pipermail/mou-net_moumn.org/attachments/20080414/bebc6d1e/attachment-0001.html
