I chased down the NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD that Paul Adamus reported on eBird
yesterday, and found it in exactly the same place, 0.5 miles down
Sauerkraut Rd, north of Airlie Rd. I did not know that there is a nice
pond there, directly across the road, where there was a Greater Yellowlegs,
Great Egret and some Hooded and Common Mergs.
On the way to Ankeny, north from Buena Vista I saw a beautiful SAY'S PHOEBE
about a mile north along BV Road, just south of 10165 Buena Vista Rd. SAPH
is one of my favorite birds. There was no traffic and there is no shoulder
to speak of so I stopped in the roadway and watched it for awhile, with the
other eye in my rear view mirror
At Pintail Marsh the TRUMPETER SWAN was still there just before noon.
Field marks that don't often get mentioned are a reddish "grin patch"
similar to the grin patch in Snow Goose. I have not seen this in Tundras
and, this time of year at least, yellowish stained head like the same
difference in Snow goose and Ross' Goose. This bird is not very much
larger than the half dozen Tundras there. I saw this TRUS a day or two ago
but forgot to report it when I saw it had been reported already. It has
become less uncommon in recent years to see TRUS away from their
traditional wintering area which is from Airlie to Suver.
Roy Gerig Salem OR
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