Errands close by led to a check for Prothonotary Warblers at the Watergate Marina, next to the west entrance of Crosby Park, in case yesterday's birds were hanging out there, as they did last year. Neither song nor sight of them rewarded the effort, but there was the delightful compensation of seeing a (male) Harris' Sparrow, a species I've missed the past few years. It was feeding atop the east (left) edge of the bay, a few yards beyond the first set of steps down to the docks. There were also White-throated Sparrows in the vicinity, but its black face stood out in the crowd.
On the east end of Crosby, there was a riot of song akin to "Dueling Banjos", but a few newer, single voices could be heard: Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ovenbird, and Black-throated Green Warbler. There were contact calls exchanged between the Barred Owls, that sounded as though the birds were across the river. When I first arrived, there was a snatch of song that seemed to be Prothonotary, but it did not occur again, and time did not allow for an extended visual search. If anyone has the chance to check tomorrow, please post results. Linda Whyte ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
