Its always humbling to confidently mis-identify a kind of hard bird that you are pretty sure you've got nailed (THIS year.) This morning, after seeing the Western Tanager in Freeborn County, I went by Minneopa State Park after last week having posted a Northern Waterthrush from below the falls. Two other birders questioned my post on the basis of this having been the location of a pair of Lousiana Waterthrush last year. I confidently assured each of them (on the basis of a yellow wash on the belly of the bird, a supercilium that seemed weak behind the eye, very strong streaking on the breast and song that seemed consistently three-part and repetitive) that I was SURE it was a Northern. Then several posts referred to a Lousiana (seen well by THREE birders) and then TWO Lousianas. DOUBT entered my awareness and stuck there like glue (and other things.) Today there were at Minneopa at least THREE apparent Louisiana Waterthrushes (two in view and another singing) witnessed by myself and two other experienced birders. I am not TOTALLY certain that the first bird I saw was not a Northern but I'm pretty DARN certain that it wasn't. I'm now re-studying my advanced birding book for migration, terns, phalaropes, waterthrushes, etc. I'm sure glad I LIKE to bird.
John Ellis-St. Paul<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> See what's free at http://www.aol.com.</HTML>