Hey everyone, I went searching for Harris' Sparrow this morning to try and add one to my county list. As it ended up, I found every other sparrow under the sun except Harris'. Did get a new county bird tho! I birded down along the southwestern corner of the county this morning along the WI river. Along the eastern edge of Windward Square Rd, I found a mixed flock of Sparrows, mostly Savannahs, but I did manage to find a single Nelson's Sparrow!!! The warm buffy color on the head, darker cheek patch, flat-headed Ammodramus shape stood out quite well. Unfortunately, it did not pose for photos like Jenny Wenzel's bird did. County bird #229!! :D I hiked around in the Foxtail and managed to kick up a rather unexpected Henslow's Sparrow as well. Sparrows for the morning were: Chipping, Song, White-throated, White-crowned, Vesper, Savannah, Henslow's, Field, Nelson's, House "Sparrow" I also saw my FOS Northern Shrike!! Interestingly, it was in the same place as one that stayed all last winter, but this one appears to be a juvie. Btw, as a side note, over at Mississippi Explorer Cruises, we will be starting our fall migration cruises out of Lansing, IA on Oct 29-30 and running them for 3 weekends. Hope to see some of you out on the river! :D Happy Birding! --Chris W, Richland County Interpretive Naturalist Mississippi Explorer Cruises http://mississippiexplorer.com/chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/ http://www.nabirding.com/http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto "The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again." (From William Beebe's "The Bird: Its Form and Function," 1906) #################### You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn