Little Green Herons have returned to Crosby Park, at least one yesterday, and two, possibly three, were seen today. They were foraging in the flooded marshy area at the east end of the big lake. Also seen there, was one of the sora that have been calling. It was feeding right at water's edge in the flattened grasses.
While yesterday's appearance of a merlin seemed to momentarily silence and scatter most of the birds, today's arrival of two juvenile bald eagles was totally ignored. The thousands of swallows---barn, tree, and rough-winged, plus swifts---continued to hunt when the eagles alighted on the huge dead tree at the west end. Territorial singing continued among the warbling vireos, redstarts, and yellow warblers,and it seemed to have intensified among the orioles, who were engaging in ever more complex and varied songs. They were loud enough that it was difficult to pick out the calls of the C. yellow-throat that was singing in the marsh on the east. The prothonotary, on the other hand, was quiet, and conditions discouraged a visual search for today. Nevertheless, the floodplain woods held another pleasant encounter in store: a most cooperative veery posed in full view, showing first its back, then its front, for several minutes. Much though I would have loved to hear its song, I was grateful for the long looks. 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
