[mou] Odd G-C Kinglet

[Julian Sellers]

At Courthouse Park in Waseca County today, I saw what at first seemed like a strange warbler.  I soon realized that it was a Golden-crowned Kinglet without any yellow.  I watched it for several minutes at close range as it foraged in a spruce.  It had the typical bold black markings on the head and the usual wing pattern, but the top of the head and the wing feathers that should have shown yellow were a dull white.  I know that some birds can be missing a pigment, so I guess that's the case with this one.  Any other thoughts?

Warblers in the park today were:  Yellow-rumped, Black-and-White, Nashville, and Pine.  The Pine Warbler is a long-overdue addition to my Waseca County list (not many pines in that county, and this one was in an oak).

As my wife and I sat quietly enjoying the new spring greenery and the LeSueur River, an Osprey that we hadn't noticed dropped from a nearby tree and cannonballed into the river.  It came up empty, but returned to its perch for a few minutes and had better luck on the next plunge.

The spring ephemeral wildflowers are near their peak.

Julian Sellers
St. Paul

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