Few More Birds From Here and There

Great Crested Flycatcher

A few days ago we were up in MN and we decided to stopp at a few rest areas to bird but the first two we came up empty handed, until the last rest area. We walked all the way around not seeing anything new for us and walked by the fenced in Indian Mounds and through the chain linked fence caught sight of a Great Crested Flycatcher! #283 Wow i really like the way our number is climbing!

Western Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

The next day in Tomah, WI we stopped at the Walmart and there happens to be four ponds there and water in the ditch that goes between two of them next to the back of the store. We have been here before and saw Mallards, Blue-winged Teals, Great Blue Herons, Spotted Sandpiper, Canada Geese, and some others that I can't think of right now, but the other day we got a lifer there! I love when we get a lifer and we are not even trying to get one. The Western Sandpiper decided to make an appearance and what a great looking bird. We also saw Canada Geese with their young (6 or 7 chicks), Pectoral Sandpiper, Mallards, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, and Least Sandpiper. All birds we already gotten, but I thought I'd share a photo of the Least Sandpiper.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Next we traveled through IA toward Texas and stopped off at a rest area that had a nice little pathway back to the river. On the path we heard a loud bird singing in the tree ahead of us. We spotted it and another lifer for us! The bird I've been wanting to get for a while; Rose-breasted Grosbeak! The photos didn't turn out as well as I would have liked but that always seems to happen when we first take a picture of a new bird. The trail started through the woods was began to go downhill and when trucking you are always on a schedule and since I have asthma; we knew it would take longer to climb back up this hill then we had to spare. So unfortunately we had to turn back. But we will have to go back there someday.

Philadelphia Vireo

The last bird we got at a rest area in IA as we stopped at a rest area so Simon could smoke a cigarette; and we 'power bird' together. Power birding is just what you might think; kind of like power walking only with a camera and birds. We spotted this Philadelphia Vireo up in a tree singing away! So that vireo took up all our time but was worth it since it was another lifer! #286.




Happy Birding!!