I didn't find any bluebirds of either variety at the Mima Mounds this
morning, and neither did the other person I saw there with a scope. But
it wasn't a particularly birdy morning, even after the first hour when
the mist finaly cleared. There were a few western meadowlarks singing on
bushes, with several more singing in the grass, and I got good looks at
one savannah sparrow, but that was it for the open country birds. You
know it's a slow morning when you're glad to see a pair of Canada geese
fly over.

I walked the entrance road through the forest in the vague hope of
grouse, and peering up into the conifer canopy for all the little
tweeters I could hear but rarely saw. Wish I was better at birdsong! I
got my first half-decent shots of a winter wren out of it. But my most
grateful thanks of the day go to the delightful rufous hummer, whose
buzzing flight and irritated peeping had me following his path through
the trees, thus leading me to my last bird of the visit - a Hutton's
vireo. That unobtrusive little sneaker was a life bird for me, one I'd
been hoping to pin down for some time!

Plus I can recognise western meadowlarks by song now, with all their
variations.

Louise Rutter
Kirkland

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