Hi all, Yesterday, on my wife's request after we had our first Ruby-throated Hummingbird at our feeder around noon time (which was empty, by the way),
I went birding at Schaar's bluff. Before that, I decided to hit the 180th St. marsh for the first time this year to see what was there. I knew nothing of the Ibis that had been seen there, so I was surprised when I pulled up after 1 pm and saw three other birders there. We didn't see the Ibis, but I did mange to see TWO Soras (and hear another-bringing my total to FOUR Soras seen or heard this week) and a Lark Sparrow. After staying for an hour, I left and made my way to Schaar's Bluff. I only did a part of the main trail that runs along the river, as it was getting late and it began to rain slightly. So, when I got to one of the new trails, I decided to turn back. Up until that point, I had seen a Rose Breasted Grosbeak and an American Redstart, among others. Little did I know the fun was about to start. I had made my way up this new trail (one that I'd never been on before) that would take me back to the parking lot, when things started to get busy. I saw some warblers to my right, including one that was hanging upside down eating insects. After seeing that guy, I saw a bird perched with YELLOW on its wing. I mean YELLOW. I looked through my field guide (I had a feeling about what it was) and I didn't want it to be this (I've been told I'd never see a Golden-winged in Dakota County by someone on this list, even though this now makes three I'm certain I've seen since moving here in 2007), but it was a male Golden-winged- no doubt about it in my mind. The yellow was too YELLOW (on the wing and not on his side) to be a Yellow-rumped (I also decided the upside down guy (or girl) had to be a Golden-winged as well, as I know they do that, hang upside down and eat insects). After this, I saw a Nashville, some Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and a Yellow Rumped to top it off. I then moved on. Just before the parking lot on my left, more warblers: first a Bay-breasted, followed by a Blackburnian, and then that was followed by a male Blackpoll. The Blackburnian's photo in my field guide didn't do this guy justice. After all this excitement, I made my way to the car. I think I had about 19 new species for the year out of about 50 total, including nine warbler species. Al this erased the disappointment of not seeing the Ibis. For a few moments, I thought the Bay-breasted was a lifer, but I went through my records and I found that I had seen one in April, 2003 in Aransas, Texas. It was probably the day we saw eighteen warbler species on our Big Sit. Good birding, Richard Hastings, Dakota County ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
