I share Steve's impressions of the spring migration of woodland species. I've birded just about every day in one of the parks or nature areas along the Minnesota or Mississippi River in the Twin Cities. Yellow-rumped Warbler migration seemed normal and perhaps Palms were about normal too, but otherwise I have seen few individuals from other warbler species--just a handful of Magnolias, two or three Ovenbirds, ditto Cape Mays, etc. Did not see or hear a Canada, Mourning, or Connecticut Warbler, though these are always a bit harder. Also thrushes seemed in short supply, except perhaps for Swainson's. Ditto with empidonax flycatchers. Leasts are around, but not in great numbers it seems to me. I have heard some Red-eyed Vireos, but they don't seem to be singing from every tree as in a normal spring.
But remember that last spring was a particularly good one. I think it is not likely that populations of so many species would have crashed in just one year. The wild card in the deck is possibly those severe weather systems that churned through the lower Mississippi Valley the past couple of weeks. Passerine numbers at any particular location (like ours) can fluctuate greatly depending on weather in the region and beyond it. Let's hope our little feathered friends just zipped past the Cities at 15,000 ft. enroute to Canada. Kirk Jeffrey St. Paul ===== Kirk Jeffrey, PhD Professor of History, Carleton College One North College St., Northfield MN 55057 Office tel (507) 646-4215 Home 1182 St. Clair Ave., St. Paul MN 55105 Home tel (651) 698-5198 __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. http://search.yahoo.com
