Today while taking my son to school, I saw 4 Rusty Blackbirds sitting at the top of an almost leafless poplar or aspen tree.
Although the look was quick, I am calling them Rusty's because of their large size (as large as or larger than a robin), their plumpness, their lack of long tail -- considering the fact that our grackles have been gone for at least a week. They were definitely too large for Redwing and Brewers, which have also been gone for at least a week, and both of which are more like Cardinal-sized. They were completely black, so not Yellow-headed and wrong habitat -- tho there are YHBB's in the area, but they are gone as well. Juuust right for Rusty, which I have mostly always seen at the tops of trees. The location is just east of exit #129 from I-35, for Hwy 97/Lake Drive, between Columbus/SE Anoka Co. and Forest Lake/N Washington Co. The land is either on or very near the eastern portion of Lamprey Pass WMA, with marshy low lands and somewhat higher wooded hunting land. I will watch for them this p.m. when I head back that way, but I would be surprised to find them still there. Holly Peirson Columbus, SE Anoka Co ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
