This has been the season of the finches! In the last ten days I have seen most of the finches.
Goldfinches have been found everywhere, although in reduced numbers. Redpolls have also been most everywhere from Christmas Day in Sax-Zim to most of my Christmas Bird Counts to my own feeders here in Eagan (yesterday). We found Hoaries on the Pine Co. count. Pine Siskins, just like Redpolls, although with no large groups. They were here yesterday and today. Purple Finches were found in Wacouta during the Redwing CBC and near Hastings during that CBC. House Finches, not as plentiful as in the past, but I have found them most of the CBC's. They are reliably hogging my feeders. Pine Grosbeaks were found at Sax/Zim and Pine County CBC. Others found them at the Cedar Creek Bog CBC. White-wing Crossbills I found in Woodbury, during the Afton CBC. Last night we had two large bucks wander past the house. One was a ten point buck. The other I could count through the snow and reduced visibitlity. A new mammal for the yard list: Meadow Vole under the feeder. I did not expect it in this forest habitat. Six Christmas Bird Counts done (Bloomington, Cedar Creek Bog, Pine Co., Hastings, Redwing, Afton). Lots of good birds! On the Afton Count we had WW Crossbills and Siskins about a block apart. In Redwing we had 14 species of waterfowl and flocks of Bald Eagles, 483 in total and we did not count any of the eagles that were flying over the river. Saturday I will do one of my favorites: Wabasha. Birds I have found in the past on the count: Snowy Owl, Varied Thrush (twice!), Long-eared Owl, Saw-whet Owl. If you are not doing a CBC, you are missing some great birds. Good birding! -- Steve Weston On Quigley 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
