[mou] BGBY MN Spring data request

[Richard Wood]

Hi all,

I biked and birded along the Hastings Trail System, starting at my home and following the trail along the river and back, with stops at Lake Isabel, Bull Frog Pond, and C.P. Adams Park, and then home.

The highlight has to be without question the singing CERULEAN WARBLER that I heard at C.P. Adams Park.  At first, I thought it was just a Black-throated Blue, but upon consulting a SECOND field guide at home (Sibley, I use Kaufmann in the field) , and then relistening to ALL the warblers in iTunes, I realized it wasn't a Black-throated Blue, but a Cerulean instead.  The habitat there is perfect; it's along the river, and it's somewhat high up.  He was in the tall trees at the very top near the building that is across 291 from the Mn. Veterans Home, and on the same side of the street as the park.  I was standing in the tall grass looking up at the trees, which are on an embankment (there are stairs that go down to the river to the right of where I was; I parked my bike in the blocked off driveway of the building I was near) .  I even went back to look for him after I decided it WAS a Cerulean, but all I heard was his song.   He wouldn't let me see him,
 which is a "trait" of a Cerulean.

With that find, two of my nemesis birds have been eliminated in less than a week: Prothonotary and, now, Cerulean.  Yippee!

I only wished I could have seen this bird as I know there are going to be "doubters" out there.

Perhaps this is to make up for the Cerulean nesting survey I missed out on in Maryland last year?

 
Here's the list of what I saw while self-propelling (in no particular order):

Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Bluebird
Northern Cardinal
Gray Catbird
Black-capped Chickadee
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Crow
Mourning Dove
Bald Eagle
Great Egret
House Finch
Great Crested Flycatcher
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Goldfinch
Canada Goose
Common Grackle
Great Blue Heron
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Blue Jay
Killdeer
Mallard
Common Nighthawk
White-breasted Nuthatch
Baltimore Oriole
Eastern Phoebe
Rock Pigeon
American Redstart
American Robin
Chipping Sparrow
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Barn Swallow
Tree Swallow
Brown Thrasher
Cerulean Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Cedar Waxwing
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Downy Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
House Wren
Common Yellowthroat

The Cedar Waxwings were seen off of my deck this morning, which was mainly what inspired me to get my Trek out for the first time this year and ride.  It's really hard to get on that bike the first time; it makes me wonder how I ever managed to ride 45 miles in three clock hours that one time....

Good birding,
Richard

Richard L. Wood, Ph. D.
Hastings, MN
rwoodphd at yahoo.com



----- Original Message ----
From: Frank Berdan <fberdan3 at yahoo.com>
To: MOU-NET <mou-net at moumn.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 1, 2008 8:02:53 AM
Subject: [mou] BGBY MN Spring data request

The official Big Green Big Year website <http://www.sparroworks.ca/bigby.html> 
claims that 25 Minnesotans are doing a BGBY this year.

If you have started your BGBY, please reply by Wednesday, June 4.  The data requested below were selected to eventually indicate efficiency and effectiveness of the BGBY process inMN.  If you have suggestions, please reply also.

Starting point (City, County)
Number of species observed, Walking
Number of species observed, Self-Propelled
Number of species observed, at starting-point Feeders if included in the above
Your name (or “Anonymous” if so preferred in the summary)

     Optional data:
Names of most productive sites visited
Your range per outing in miles and/or longest trek of the season
Best birds observed
Any estimates of # outings, miles or hours spent
Any noteworthy story(ies)

Please include your data during 1/1/08 – 5/31/08.  

Thank you,

Frank Berdan, self-appointed MN BGBY compiler & publicist  ;)



      


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