Today I went on my first MOU (MN Ornithological Union) sponsored bird hike. Here is a photo of us walking through the woods at Kathio State Park near Mille Lacs Lake. We also went to Father Hennepin State Park. All in all, we saw 37 species. Our focus was warblers. I thought warblers were frustrating in the spring. It's worse in the fall because they hide behind the leaves. Warblers act like they have ADHD. They never sit still. Before you can focus your binoculars, they're off to a new spot. Here is the list of birds we saw in order: ruby throated hummingbird, American redstart, cedar waxwings, chestnut sided warbler, Tenessee warbler, yellow throated vireo, gold wing warbler, red eyes vireo, white breasted nuthatch, peewee, oriole, American Robin, crow, red breasted nuthatch (who sounds like a tin horn), black and white warbler, bluebird, goldfinch, brown creeper, common yellow throat, hairy woodpecker, Nashville warbler, black capped chickadee, yellow warbler, Blackburnian warbler, Parula warbler, golden crowned kinglet, turkey vultures (we saw a kettle of 15 vultures flying high around something that probably smelled bad), chipping sparrow, savanna sparrow, broadwinged hawk, scarlet tanager, turkeys, Wilson's warbler, Magnolia warbler, yellow throated warbler, pileated woodpeckers, downy woodpecker and cormorants. Not too shabby for five hours of birding. I carpooled with the leader of the hike. It's not every day that I get to ride in a green Cadillac! We had a lot of expert birders in this group. They would say things such as "I saw the tail but not the head" or "He had a black cap and streaked sides" or "It was a yellow wash-not a vibrant yellow" or "He's on the left branch of that green tree over there." I know the birds are watching us too. What are they saying about us? "There goes a knock kneed tan hatter," or "Look at those glass eyes," or "I see a bare legged beard face."
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