(Posted by Andrew D. Smith <[email protected]> via moumn.org) I made a second trip out to Douglas County yesterday morning for a second try at the Baird's Sparrow. I arrived before 7:00 AM, and stayed until about 10:00 AM. The winds were unpleasant, and the diversity of birds different than last week. There seemed to be fewer singing birds, but I did hear the Baird's sing about a half dozen times. So, it's still present at that location. It sang earlier in the morning, but the last hour or so that I was there I didn't hear it at all. Perhaps due to the increasingly hotter temperatures and humidity as the morning progressed. Other species had stopped singing as well.
I did not see the bird. There were lots of smaller sparrow sized birds flying over the prairie, often chasing one another, then diving into the vegetation. No way to make an ID with that scenario. With the winds, it was impossible to pinpoint a singing bird, even if it was perched up in a taller plant. I would recommend trying on a calmer day. Also, this species has been found singing into mid-July at other locations in MN previously, so it's possible this bird could hang around for awhile. The only thing to consider is that the landowner could cut the field for hay, in which case this bird would likely disappear. Drew Smith Eagan, 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
