Today I passed the same spot west of Chaska (CR10 and Guernsey) and refound the Rough-legged from yesterday perched on the very top twigs of a tree. At rest it appears to be completely black.
Did you know that crows do not like whole wheat bread, but prefer only white bread? I did not. But, when a friend's mother in Cottage Grove puts out stale bread, the crows gather. While they will pick up all the bread, when they are done, all the white bread is gone and the whole wheat remains. I will avoid and not comment on implications that might be drawn from this on society, crows, and Cottage Grove. During the Hastings CBC, I pulled into the drive way of a house we have been visiting for several years. I told the woman walking through the yard that we were here for the Christmas Bird Count. She said, "Oh... My mother will want to talk to you." At that point I realized that it was not this lady who I had talked with in previous years. My neighbor, who I had brought to his first CBC, and I entered the house where the mother asked, "Have you found any Brown Creepers?" The first year we had stopped in because we had seen three creepers and had been able to show them to her. But, we had just arrived, and had not yet looked. We got a full report on what had been visiting her feeders, staying longer than our cramped schedule should have allowed. Walking in the yard and counting at her busy feeders, I found a creeper, like I do most years there. I was able to show it to her daughter, who told me that she had heard all about us and the creepers from her mother. She said her mother was back on her feet after two years of being bed-ridden, which explained why we had not connected with her the year or two before. She thanked me for showing her the creeper and said her mother would be excited to hear that we had found it. Sometimes the people you find on the CBC's are as good as the birds. Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN [email protected] ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
