Overall bird activity has increased here in Grand Rapids, MN and the past few days have yielded many first of season birds. My wife and I usually visit Bass Brook WMA in Cohasset, MN about 4 times a week - this WMA is unique in that management of the area is centered on non-game wildlife. We have not yet heard/seen any red-eyed vireos; where are they?
Yesterday here at home (Saturday 5/12/2012): my wife and I watched an olive-sided flycatcher sally after insects and we also watched a Harris's sparrow eat dandelion seeds. Friday (5/11/2012) here at home during the drizzly cold morning, my wife and I counted 16 species of warblers: golden-winged, orange-crowned, yellow, Cape May (3!), northern waterthrush, northern parula, yellow-rumped, black-and-white, American redstart, Tennessee, Nashville, magnolia, palm (small flock), chestnut-sided, Wilson's, and ovenbird. Also a beautiful Harris's sparrow, least flycatcher, and other colorful visitors such as Baltimore oriole and mating rose-breasted grosbeaks. Thursday (5/10/2012) at Bass Brook WMA (highlights): eastern kingbird (first of season (FOS) for me), least flycatcher, great-crested flycatcher (FOS), swamp sparrow, northern cardinal (I heard 2 today - last spring/summer none, my impression is that this species is now breeding at the WMA), yellow-throated vireo (supposedly this is one of the northern-most breeding colonies), blue-headed vireo (no red-eyed vireos yet !?!), black-and-white warbler, Nashville warbler, blackburnian warbler (FOS), magnolia warbler (FOS), chestnut-sided warbler (FOS), ovenbird, golden-winged warbler, American redstart, Tennessee warbler (FOS), yellow-rumped warbler, palm warbler, black-throated green warbler, northern waterthrush, common yellowthroat (FOS), winter wren, rose-breasted grosbeak, hermit thrush, yellow-bellied sapsucker, common goldeneye, hooded merganser, broad-winged hawk. Wes Bailey Grand Rapids, MN (Itasca County) jwbp54 AT gmail dot com ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
