I headed back to do some atlasing (atlassing sp?) in the Deer Creek area again today. I finally found a Blue Grosbeak, a persistently singing male with a female nearby. I checked out the same area a couple of weeks ago without seeing or hearing any Blue Grosbeaks, but it might have been later in the day.  

The field with all the Dickcissels and Grasshopper Sparrows is a beautiful sight right now and filled with colorful wildflowers. Those two species are unbelievably abundant in that field.   

I was only able to locate one Bell's Vireo today. It sang fairly persistently as I came and went through the area. At one point it started singing in a tree with a begging cowbird fledgling. I thought "oh no!" until a Common Yellowthroat came to feed it. I like yellowthroats, but better that bird be the "parent" than the Bell's. Hopefully the other male Bell's is still around. It was on private property and I couldn't go poking around looking for it.

The wetlands today hosted 3 Great Egrets. I've seen at least one every time I've been in the area, but never more than that. There must be a heron rookery in the area somewhere, but I still don't know exactly where it is. Perhaps next April it will reveal itself before all the trees leaf out.

Please email me if you're headed that way and need directions to anything and are willing to post your sightings and times at the OBBA II website. 

Bob Royse

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