I enjoyed a nice walk on Wednesday morning on part of the Douglas Trail, from 75th Street NW (town of Douglas) north to 90th Street. I have never seen so many Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks in my life. Probably close to 20, and well over that number of Baltimore Orioles. Also found an Olive-Sided Flycatcher and a pair of Orchard Orioles near 90th Street. Tennessee Warblers were numerous, plus a few Nashvilles, several Yellows, a Swainson's Thrush and a few Brown Thrashers.
Yesterday (Thursday) at Willow Creek Reservoir in southwest Rochester I walked the loop around the lake and found several more Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, both Orioles (at least 4 Orchards in two locations), a pair of adult Bald Eagles, Eastern Kingbirds, many sedge wrens, Blue-Winged Teal, Field Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Red-Eyed and Warbling Vireos, Rough-Winged Swallows, Great Crested Flycatcher, Savannah and Grasshopper Sparrows, Nighthawk, a pair of Eastern Meadowlarks and much more. At Keller WMA southwest of Rochester were Barred Owls, more Grosbeaks, Clay-Colored Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Coopers Hawk, Thrasher, Yellow-Throated Vireo, Great Crested Flycatcher, and many fireflies. Horned Larks and Vesper Sparrows found throughout the backroads of south/southwest Olmsted County. To cap the night off, around 10 pm at my parents' house were both calling Barred and Great Horned Owls. In all the years I've lived and visited back home, I'd never seen or heard an owl (let alone two) in our neighborhood! Kyle TePoel Saint Paul ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
