In response to recent posts and phone calls, I'm chuckling, and ignore this as you wish:
There seems to be a winter birding drought---of birds, particularly new and special ones, or of birder enthusiasm, particularly for posting, or of time for the above, it's hard to say which is the most important factor. Rather than lament the condition, I prefer to think of this as a pregnant pause before the fecundity of spring birding, a time to nail the taxes (darn it) and do some dreaded spring cleaning (groan), so there's more outdoor time later. (Yes, I'm trying to talk myself into for such virtuous pursuits.) That said, I still rejoice over what may seem boring to many: this morning our urban St. Paul suet feeder delighted me with two flickers. Flickers are unusual right in my immediate neighborhood; I hadn't had but one at birdbath or feeders, and only for the first time a few weeks ago. I'd been hearing flicker sounds for a week before I caught sight of one. Now there are two. Are they migrating, and making a pit stop, or do I dare hope that the local urban forest is maturing enough to offer potential cavities? Could they be mates? All I know is, I was struck by their beauty in the morning sunlight (and I hope that knocking sound against my roof and woodwork won't become a problem). And yes, there were birds both days of the weekend, but little time to post. On Saturday we walked with Craig Mandel at the Wilkie unit of the MNRVWR. It was the last day for awhile that the Blue Lake area will be open to the public. We enjoyed some close looks at trumpeters and saw some ring-neck ducks, a FOY for me. Then we went to the ponds at Veterans Park in Shakopee, and found the 2 Greater White-fronted Geese (lifer for me) and 2 American Black Ducks (FOY, and I was able to pick them out quickly, a small but satisfying accomplishment). Hats off again, to Craig and to those who recorded the geese earlier. On Sunday, we were part of a group that made a private trip downriver to Wabasha. A young eagle had had to be "de-greased" at The Raptor Center and was ready for release. We did the release at Colvill Park in Red Wing, and as many times as I've witnessed that process, I still found it moving. Most of us proceeded to the Eagle Center at Wabasha, stopping at Camp Lacupolis and Reed's Landing, and enjoying the many eagles in flight along the way. While I would have liked to see some fishing, thieving, or courting behavior, it was still interesting to compare the many stages of plumage development among the young eagles. Both Saturday and Sunday we saw eagles with pronounced dark bands at the ends of their tails, something I'd never observed before. Though we loved the many Red-tailed hawks, as always, the only other birds we saw were "the usual", except for one lovely, rough-legged hawk we found perched near the Vermillion River, late in the day. But what actually topped the day off was this: we had with us the youngest member of my Tuesday volunteer clinic crew from The Raptor Center, a student at the U. We had organized the whole trip because of his love of eagles and his yearning to see the Eagle Center, and his excitement and joy were absolutely palpable. There are few things more rejuvenating than seeing the ordinary good things in life through the eyes of someone new to them. If I ever fail to catch the contagion of wonder from fellow learners, you'll know I have "one foot in the grave." Take a kid birding. Linda Whyte ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
