[mou] 'spring' in Cook Co.

[jotcat]

On the 9 or so inches of snow this morning were more juncos than we have 
seen since fall.  In the past week they had been coming in two's or three's, 
6 on rainy Saturday, but today it was closer to 60.  I wonder where these 
birds were yesterday?  Didn't think the winds were such to bring any 
migrants north overnight.

Also seen:  first Fox Sparrow of spring
        2 Common redpolls
        20+ Pine siskins
        4 Am. Goldfinch
        6 Purple finch (had 12 yesterday morning, before snow; first one 
seen 4/2)
        2 Am. Tree Sparrow
        1 male Cardinal.  Female who has been here since November has been 
here less often lately.  Male showed up last week.
        2 Eur. Starling (had 18 of these one day last week)
        1 Shrike, probably northern, although it zipped off before I got it 
in binocs.  Some of the juncos obviously inexperienced with shrikes, 
although these are almost all adult male juncos.  3 of them stayed in a 
little crabapple tree after all other birds beat it into heavy cover, shrike 
perched only 20 ft. away.  The shrike made a desultory swoop in their 
direction, but missed them all as they finally flew away.  Later in the day, 
I looked out just as all the birds took off, and saw a bird carrying a junco 
out of my backyard and behind the garage.  Could be the same shrike, but 
hard to tell.  This is the first shrike seen here since last fall.
        3 Gray jay, regulars almost daily for handouts
        1 Com. grackle
        3 Redwinged blackbirds seen Sunday.
        The all-winter tough guys - black-cap. chickadees, lower numbers in 
the past week since last month's snow melted, extras off to the north. 
Red-breasted nuthatches traveling in pairs, ditto for Downy Woodpeckers, 
Hairy Woodpeckers.  No other woodpeckers in yard lately, but saw one 
Black-backed Woodpecker along Gitchi-gami bike trail in Tofte recently. 
White-breasted nuthatches feed here in winter, nest elsewhere, so they have 
gone now.

Carol Tveekrem,
Schroeder