[mou] Birding about the metro

[Steve Weston]

I am seeing lots of Horned Larks in the farm areas especially in Dakota 
County, but also in western Hennepin County.

A Northern Flicker has been coming to my feeders all winter.  One or two 
Pileated Woodpeckers are also regularly coming to the suet feeder.  I 
usually hear them pounding on the suet, rather than seeing them flying.

Today I checked the south side of the Science Museum in St. Paul for the 
fourth time without seeing the Solitaire.   I hope I am able to follow this 
with a successful fifth visit.

Yesterday I found an interesting buteo along Highway 55 in Eagan near I-494. 
At first I thought this dark hawk was a Rough-legged, but after a look from 
the other side and watching it fly, I ID'd it as a juvenile Red-tail.  It 
had a very dark belly band.  Its wings were almost as long as its tail, 
indicating that this was a western sub-species.  Its plumage was a close 
match to an illustration in Sibley that agreed with that ID.

Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN
sweston2 at comcast.net