At T.S. Roberts Bird Sanctuary in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, at 4:35 p.m. today, about 20 minutes before sunset, I saw a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher with 2 Black-capped Chickadees about 40 feet above the forest floor in a tall cottonwood. I observed these birds from a distance of 80-90 feet with 8x40 binoculars in good light conditions. The gnatcatcher was about the same size as the chickadees, but slimmer with a considerably longer tail. The gnatcatcher's tail had clear white outer tail feathers on both sides of the tail. The bird had plain gray back and wings with white underparts. It was actively feeding in the deciduous tree canopy. This observation was made 100 feet west of the eastern boundary of the sanctuary, on the south side of the access road that runs west into the sanctuary and along which major sewer line reconstruction was recently completed. From outside the sanctuary at the northwest corner of the Peace Garden the signs on the gated east entrance to this access road (100 feet east of where I made the observation) read "Please Use Other Entrance" and "Athletic Field Entrance," with the word "Athletic" mostly whited out. I have seen this species many hundreds of times in Minnesota and many other states in the Midwest and East. Based on a survey of MOU and eBird on line records, this appears to be the second latest fall date that this species has ever been recorded in Minnesota. Previous November records include 11/15/00, Houston County, Reno (The Loon 73:98); 11/5/94, Cook County, Grand Marais Campground (Howard Towle); 11/2/01, Knife River, Lake County (James W. Lind); and one other record from early November, 2000 (per Bruce Fall). Janssen (Birds in Minnesota, 1987) lists a record for 10/27/82, Duluth, St. Louis County.
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