A few updates, now that we're back from the field. We were never able to relocate the bird after the initial sighting, though we stuck around for a while hoping for a better view and photos. There's plenty of habitat there that it could be hanging out in, or it could have moved on. It was moving generally west when we saw it, which would be in the general direction of "upriver" at that point along the Mississippi.
I'm the one who technically saw the bird first and noted it as different from the Black and White Warblers we'd seen several of already this morning, but Jeff gets equal credit in the finding of this individual through his photos (the ones in my initial post, from the field). Without them, it would just be my word that we saw a bird with more bold black and white on its head than a BAWW, but also not a Blackpoll Warbler, and with spots on the lores consistent with the Black-throated Gray Warbler. Schaar's Bluff at Spring Lake Park Preserve is a great place for birding during warbler migration, even if this one bird has moved on! However, if you're going to go, note that construction has limited access. Hwy 42 east of Idell Ave. is closed for resurfacing. You can still get there from Hwy 55 at the Hwy 42 intersection west of Hastings (at the moment). There are signs saying the road is closed 1 3/4 miles ahead, but that's just beyond the intersection where you turn off to the park on Idell Ave. -Dale ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
