Every winter Minnesota is visited by two particular western bird species. Townsend's Solitaire and Varied Thrush are the visitors. The former is at home in mountainous regions from Canada south to Arizona. It routinely wanders as far east as central South Dakota in the winter, so it's not much of a stretch to be here. The thrush breeds throughout Alaska and through British Columbia to the northern edge of Washington. It winters along the coast, Minnesota a fair wander for this bird. Four solitaries have been reported so far this season. Two were seen in Two Harbors in late October. Another is being seen just south of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge near Ann Lake (one mile east of Sherburne CR 5, road opposite CR 4 western turnoff, often seen around the parking lot there). A solitaire, perhaps the same individual, has been seen in this location for the past several winters. A fourth solitaire is being seen at Lake Vadnais northeast of the I-694-Rice Street interchange. Observers park at the small lot on the south side of County Road F, east of Rice and walk the paved road to the lake. The bird feeds on cedar berries in the cedar trees on the right side of the road, where the road meets the lake. Caution: a special bow hunt for deer is being conducted in the park Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 16 and 17. The photo of the Varied Thrush was taken last winter in St. Paul. I'd include a photo of the Vadnais solitaire if the bird had been more cooperative this morning. I saw it playing tree angel atop a tall deciduous tree near the cedars, where it would have photographed easily. As I was silently urging it to come down, it flew away. (It returned to the cedars later in the day, according to other observers.) The solitaire shown (second photo) was photographed several years ago in Colorado.
