Ner my townhouse is a mowed grass field with tall native grasses growing along one side with a marshy area and cattails on the other side of the native grass strip. There are woods on either end with some taller shrubs in the mix zone between the native grasses and the cattails. The is a yellow breasted and possibly yellow throated bird with a deep brown back and wings - no clear eye ring. I have only been able to get glimpses of the bird as it flits along the grass stems and then disappears into the lower portion of the native grass. I never see it in the cattails. The yellow on this bird is a nice deep yellow. The size is the same as a Song Sparrow which was nearby. I stood for over an hour getting these little glimpses then it would dart across the tops of the grasses to the edge of the woods and flit into sight and out. No calls.
I am looking for possible IDs so I can begin looking for distinguishing characteristics in the brief seconds I have to look at it. The brown back and wings are nearly chocolate compared to the delightful deep yellow. It isn't a Chat for there are no eye markings like that. I am bamboozled and would like to have some direction to begin my sorting. Thomas Maiello Angel Environmental Management, Inc. Maple Grove, MN
