Birded this morning in the Osceola bottomlands of Chisago County and found a Prothonotary Warbler about 1/3 mile north of the "Welcome to MN" parking area just before the Hwy243 bridge over the St. Croix River(across from Osceola Landing). I found it on three different occasions (perhaps a 2nd male Prothonotary (45min later when coming back), which was brighter colored by my reckoning than the first sighting, but didn't observe both at same time). Feeding heavy at mid-story young Silver Maples, not singing, although I believe it was singing around 8am, easily muddled with the many Redstarts, Yellow, and Com.Yellowthroat warblers.
If you go: catch the "mid-trail" deer-footpath, work your way under the canopy of Silver Maples until you reach the narrow "spine" where you can observe the St. Croix River(E) and backwater marsh(W). Look for a floodwater draw in the middle with a fern-topped "ridge-line," a huge cottonwood snag along the river, an agitated Hairy Woodpecker on the marsh side, just before a huge 40"+ downfall SilverMaple across the deer-foot path, or the northside of the sandbar in the river. GPS finder on MOU website is ~45.32589 92.70846. Also of note: Veeries singing & calling, RBGrosbeaks & Song Sparrows all over the place, a Least Bittern heard calling and flying up into north backwater cove where the Sandhill Cranes were, and a Catbird and female Redstart duking it out for claiming rights to the downfall Silver Maple, a Canada Warbler to boot. Warbling Vireos. Mosquitos present, not heavy. 45species 6am-8am. mjb ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
