Farmington Bay

Well, I hadn't yet seen any Bald Eagles this season so I headed to Farmington Bay about mid-morning. It was a beautiful day. T-shirt weather as I like to call it. I "only" saw five Bald Eagles, but even if it were just one it would have been worth it. I saw many of the usual suspects, Gadwalls, No. Shoveler, Am. Coots, Bufflehead, Am. Kestrel, several No. Harriers, one lone GBH, Killdeer, Starlings, two Wilson's Snipe, and a female RB Merganser who was sunning herself on a rock and preening. As I left FB and headed WEST, then turned on the first road heading north, at the first set of utilty power towers to the east I saw what Sibley describes as an Intermediate Adult RT Hawk. Nice to see that variation.

However, the reason for this post is to report under the "continuing to be odd year" is that at about 12:45 I was rounding the corner headed north going back towards the ranger offices when just as I rounded the corner what do I behold, a male Yellow-headed Blackbird. Certainly not a rare bird by any means, but I have never seen one this late in the year. Now the nice part about this is just before I rounded the corner I really was thinking, "I really like seeing the YH Blackbirds in the Spring." I come around the corner and there it is! Ah, the power of suggestion. (I did get some photos so no I was not hallucinating : ) ). He was still quite yellow too, just not as bright as in the spring time.