We spent the morning hiking Wind-in-the-Pines Nature Area and the adjacent Falls Creek SNA ( on the St. Croix River, north of Copas, off highway 95, Washington Co.). There was ample song from the Acadian flycatchers along the main creek in the SNA. Also present there, was the Louisiana waterthrush. It was heard in the next ravine over to the south, but finally glimpsed feeding in the bushes on the creek bank, where the main trail in from the SNA first drops down to the water.
At this same spot, which offers much protection due to foliage overhanging the stream, a female Blackburnian chose to bathe and preen in our presence. The thick bushes just above this site frequently attracted foragers, including a hummingbird and the waterthrush, who used their shelter to do a quick post-bath preening when we got a glance at it. Some of the other birds in the area were: rose-breasted grosbeak and indigo bunting (near the highway), scarlet tanager, pine warbler, wood thrush, ovenbirds, redstarts, Baltimore orioles, blue-gray gnatcatchers, red-eyed vireos, warbling vireos, E. wood pewee, Great-crested flycatcher, and least flycatcher. This time of year one can always enjoy some expected species such as catbirds, yellow warblers, and common yellow-throats along Wm. O'Brien SP's river trail, and today was no exception. However, shortly after entering the trail from the beach/picnic parking lot, we were treated to a special sight. In the narrow strip of foliage between trail and riverbank, a vocal male redstart led to our spotting a female bringing food to several fledglings. That, in turn, led to finding a couple of other fledglings: prothonotary warblers being fed by their mother. Happily, one of our party is always armed with camera, and managed to capture both families in pictures. 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
