a correction and yellow warbler
howard bruner
First off some naturalist housekeeping: I reported the stonefly Amphinemura wui from Bald Hill last week. Bill Gerth (an alert reader) pointed out that A. wui does not occur west of WV and Kentucky. His best guess is that it is genus Zapada , possibly species cinctipes. So all of you that downloaded the picture and printed a poster for your wall please amend the ID. Many apologies and a giant hat-tip to Bill.
Luckiamute Landing South
High ice sheets divided the vault and occasionally dimmed the winter sun. It was a hissing reed type of day; the north wind came down any natural alley with vigor and chill. A flock of at least 10 western meadowlarks flew from edge trees onto the plowed and mucky field then would startle up and fly like small pheasants back into the branches.
The path from the new parking heads back to the original egress onto the floodplain passing the berry hedge which is full of sparrows and above in the crazy angles of the branches of the old oaks wb nuthatches and kinglets.
At the moving (sluggishly) water I got into another mixed species flock: A batch of de juncos and gold-crowned sparrows included a bright female YELLOW WARBLER. The warbler was in deep thickets and was very actively moving from shrub to tree. I did not get a long uninterrupted look but I saw it well enough to eliminate lesser goldfinch and oc warbler, as the most obvious possibilities. The clinching attribute was the strong white edges on the primaries contrasting with the yellowish wingbars and the lemon yellow front.
Robins were scattered across the open fields like windblown confetti - leaning into short runs all which way across the slanting sunlight. I walked to the backside of the pond and found a rough path into the mysteries of the woods. I walked slowly and audibly splishing and responding to various bird inquiries. The path sputtered out at the base of one of the pioneer oaks that grew in open conditions but now are in a tight stand of trees. On a horizontal limb as old as most the other trees around it there sat the most beautiful tiny Bobcat. No larger than a tabby but when our eyes met I felt a thrill no housecat can elicit. It sat and stared as I stood and stared and the sun came through the sticks and leaves and old grass.
H
