Though tempted to chase the Black-throated blue warbler in Lilydale, I decided to stick to plan, and re-visit some of the upper reaches of my BBA area, above the Lilydale brickyards and Pickerel Lake. It turned out well.
At the east end of the park, near the tennis courts, there are considerable numbers of mature oak trees dotting the bluff top and upper ravines. Among them were yellow-throated and blue-headed vireos, redstarts, chestnut-sided warblers and a pair of scarlet tanagers. The male tanager moved repeatedly through a particular oak, circling around, and approaching within 10 feet just above eye level, in bright sunlight. Further west along the path, there appeared some very sociable magnolia and Blackburnian warblers; for once I MIGHT have gotten a picture---if I'd thought of my cell phone camera. I was just too mesmerized. I was starting to regret my Breeding Bird focus, when justification developed. At the edge of the bluff came the distinct sound of baby birds. Listening revealed the location of their nest cavity, and their ID was confirmed by an adult hairy woodpecker, who appeared at the entrance with food. (The cacophony died down as she fed her brood, but her peace was short-lived.) To top that off, a pair of Cooper's hawks finally gave away their nest site, near the west end of the developed park. A tell-tale set of contact calls caught my ear, and led to the sight of the male offering food to the female. He stayed nearby when she disappeared into a small wooded ravine. Eventually, the female's movements disclosed the nest, with her in residence--a sighting that may not be glamorous, but was certainly satisfying! 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
