Avoiding traffic and a few more warblers

 

Wild Turkey watching me as a rode by

Yesterday was my 15th anniversary at my job! In honor of that occasion and with hopes of getting a few new birds for my list, I decided to bike into work. Unfortunately, the floodwaters are still too high at the river crossing for my usual route, but there's an alternative one that is more hilly and a little longer that is just fine - and that has a nice spot to stop along the way. I hit the road early with high hopes and cool-ish temperatures. 

Check this place out if you're in the Twin Cities - good trails, good birds

The ride into work was pleasant and mostly uneventful, although some of those hills felt steeper than I remembered them being, and I definitely broke a sweat biking up them. It's a good thing there's a shower at my office! A less than average night of sleep may have had something to do with the additional challenge, perhaps. The good news is that warblers were everywhere - there seemed to be a flock of chipping birds around every corner. It killed me not to stop at every flock, but I needed to get into work. I looked forward to hitting the trails at Normandale Lake over lunch, which is easy walking distance from my office. 

This little spring on the trails at Normandale Lake yielded a Northern Waterthrush

The morning flew by pretty quick - another busy day. One of my colleagues and I eagerly headed out when lunch arrived and quickly ran into some warblers. Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, and a couple of Gray Catbirds were feeding on some berries. Not bad. She unfortunately had a work call and couldn't stay very long, but I had another 30 minutes until I needed to be back, so I made use of it. 

Shortly after her departure, I ran into another flock. This one had a few more birds in it. Nashville Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, and a Baltimore Oriole were actively feeding around a low, wet area. Then a Bay-breasted Warbler came into view very close by. I needed that one! I sifted through the flock several more times and didn't find anything else new, so moved a little further down. It got quieter, all that I found after that was a hidden Northern Waterthrush chipping from the undergrowth near a spring-fed stream. It was time to go back. I had to move quickly as I had a call to get on at the top of the hour. 

Closer to the office, the trail goes by a development with some big, mature oaks and a small wetland. More chip notes. I knew I couldn't stay long but I had to look. I'm glad that I did! Two Wilson's Warblers and another Common Yellowthroat chipping from the cattail marsh. There was also some movement in two pine trees on a hill above the trail that caught my eye. Pine Warbler! You may recall my somewhat frustrating excursion during the late spring where one that had been reported near my house turned out to be a Chipping Sparrow. I had pretty much written this species off, so this was a major bonus. I practically had to run back to get on my call on time, but I made it - fired up and ready for the ride home in a few hours. 

Ready for the ride home

The end of the day couldn't come fast enough, and I jumped on my bike and left the empty office - a lot of people were out for the holiday weekend. It was warmer now, but not too terrible. I hoped that the warblers would still be active.

This is the traffic I'd normally be stuck in on the way home - not today!



The trails through Hyland Park where warblers were everywhere in the morning were very quiet now. However, I still had hope. The shady trails at Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area should be nice and cool still, and hopefully active with birds. I powered up the hills, again - guzzling water at every opportunity, making sure I stayed hydrated. I stopped briefly at Flying Cloud airport to scan for Buff-breasted Sandpipers. None there, which was expected. Worth a shot though. 

No buffies here, unfortunately

I got to Anderson, and there was good activity there. I added a Canada Warbler and Black-and-white Warbler to the day list, but nothing else new, but lots of Tennessees and Nashvilles. The habitat looked great, and the trails that were closed earlier are now open. Good news for later. I enjoyed sifting through a few more flocks of warblers, then decided it was time to head out. I'll definitely be coming back here later though. This spot looks really good for Winter Wrens, which will be migrating through later. 

Lots of good stuff like this to explore! 

I picked up two birds for my green list today which was great and logged some solid miles. Still got two more warblers to find - Cape May and Black-throated Green, but there is still time. And of course, still hoping for the floodwaters to recede and reveal some mudflats for shorebirds...time is running out there. Fingers crossed...thanks for reading!  













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