On May 8, I realized that I had not seen a Dark-eyed Junco for about 5 days, and
that I had not seen a White-throated or White-crowned Sparrow in about 2days.I
suspect the weather changesduring the previousweekconvincedthebirds to continue
theirmigration north.


I heard the first Great Crested Flycatcher in the backyard. Later that day my
wife Diane and I walked along the Minnesota River bottom at Crosby Farm Park,
west of the Highway 110 bridge in St. Paul, where we heard or saw FOY (First Of
the Year) Baltimore Oriole, FOY House wren, Hairy and FOY Downy, FOY
Red-bellied and FOY Pileated Woodpeckers, Yellow-rumped and FOY Palm Warblers,
FOY American Redstart, FOY Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Bald Eagle, FOY Cooper's Hawk,
Brown-headed Ccowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Mallard, Giant Canada Geese, Great
Blue Heron, FOY Lesser Yellowlegs and Barn and FOY Northern Rough-winged
Swallow. I did not see any Bank Swallows near the cliff where we got off of
Highway 110 at Shepherd Road. hopefully they will arrive soon.

At 1:30 PM that afternoon the first ever House Sparrow male arrived at the
feeder in the meadow behind our house. I've seen House Sparrows about a block
away, near Inver Hills College, but never in our backyard. Evidently they do not
stray far from areas inhabited by humans. To show that the habitat in the
backyard is more suited to rural than suburban birds, at 2:47 PM a Cooper's Hawk
flew across the meadow behind the house.

AT 11:15AM this morning I heard a familiar sound outside, and when I looked out
the window I found that the first Red-winged Blackbird arrived at the bird
feeder. The hen Mallard, which sits on a nest of about 12eggs between a small
spirea bush and a downstairs window, is still sitting on her eggs. If the eggs
are viable I suspect they should hatch soon, because she has been sitting for
about a month. Total Backyard Sightings for 2011 – 35; Total Statewide Bird
Sightings- 68.

In my Wildlife Activity Research Project (WARP) in northeast Arkansas, where I
can watch six different feeders by remote web cam, on approximately 1000 acres
of unfenced wildlife preserve, I have been watching as many as four different
Black Bears at the feeders. At least two and possibly three of these bears weigh
in excess of 350 pounds, and will probably weigh in excess of 400 pounds by
fall.

Enjoy the Great Outdoors, and God bless,

T.R.