a kingbird?????? *DELETED*

[MARINERMAGNUM]

Post deleted by MARINERMAGNUM

[Steve Foss]

Mag:

Yes, an eastern kingbird.

Yellowthroats are common, if that's what you've got (as opposed to the yellow-throated warbler, a different species and one much less common in Minnesota.) Yellowthroats have a fairly loud "whitcheti whitcheti whitcheti" song. They are very small, and the males have yellow on throat and under tail, with mostly dull greenish gray the rest of the body. Bold black face patch with white border on upper side is distinctive. Generally near water in brushy habitat.

Love those indigos.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

just checked the book,it was a "common yellow throat" he was small,but what a voice! i will try to get a picture of him.

[Dotch]

Nice pic of the kingbird, very common here in the pastures around greater Bugtussle. Lots of grasshopper nymphs to devour. We've had the common yellowthroats living in the plum/sumac thicket since we moved here 20 years ago but rarely see them because of the density of the cover, not to mention the density of the mosquitoes. Don't see the little fellers out in the open much. Can hear them tho and stcatfishes' rendition of the song is a very apt description. Great little tune to hear on a warmish summer day in So. MN or anywhere for that matter.

[MARINERMAGNUM]

i deleted the 1st post = picture so the page would load faster for everyone,don't want to cause any probs. didn't see too much today: brown thrasher,goldfinches,great crested flycatchers,kingbirds,red breasted nerthatch + the usuals.where do you guys look right now to see the good name brand stuff=warblers,etc.? i set up my pop up deer blind in front of my feeder,sat in there and baked until i was done-zero,i even put out some extra goodies which a squirrel boosted when i went to get a pepsi. please don't tell me the more rare birds are where most of the skeets are too. it seems like near our river there is alot more bird action-the heat?

[Steve Foss]

If you're after warblers, feeding stations aren't the best places. Warblers rarely eat what people put out, since they're not seed eaters, generally. Sometimes warblers come into feeders because of the bird activity, but the best time to prowl for warblers is in May (it varies depending on how far south you are), when the trees bud and leaf out. That's the prime northern migration.

I live in an area that boasts the most nesting warbler species of any place in North America, yet I haven't added a single warbler to my life list. That's because I found all the same species that nest here during the spring migration in, of all places, the Red River Valley of N.D. Even species that don't nest there come through then, and because most of them are woodland species, anyplace on the prairie you find significant woods draws them like magnets.

Next May, scope out riverside woods and brushy wet areas and get out the binocs. On the right kind of day you don't even have to walk around. If you find a good spot and sit still where you can see low thick cover, mid-range trees and mature trees, you may be able to find a dozen warbler species.

Look at the maps in your bird guide and you'll see that a huge number of warbler species that nest farther north migrate thorugh most portions of sothern and central Minnesota, and several species that tend to nest south of the state sometimes can be found down where you are.

What a blast warblers are.