From Sunday through Tuesday I was at the Mount Olivet Retreat Center located at 7884 - 257th St W, Farmington, Dakota County. A Tufted Titmouse has been seen there since the end of October. It came regularly to feeders in the mornings. The Center has a large feeder, best viewed from the dining room. Visitors are welcome but please check in at the desk. Hours are 8-4:30.
They have great numbers of feeder birds. Much of the time the feeders were very busy. There were at least this many of the following: Downy Woodpecker 6 Hairy Woodpecker 4 Red-bellied Woodpecker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Blue Jay 5 Crow at least 25 in the trees White-breasted Nuthatch 4 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Black -capped Chickadee 11 Titmouse 1 Cardinal 16 Junco 12 I saw no Goldfinches, House Finches, House Sparrows, Starlings or any winter finches. It was very cold with icey trails and fresh snow so I did very little walking. Saw a Red-tailed Hawk over the marsh. This is a great place for birds at all seasons of the year. It has a lake, marsh, woods and open fields. The staff appreciated visitors letting them know what has been seen. Manley Olson