Henslow's Sparrow, Prothonotary Warbler, Etc.

 Our June 18 Field Trip report is posted on the homepage.

Probably Gone, Definitely Not Forgotten

Late last month a wayward bird brought people together in my neighborhood.  See the posts below for details.  

Hundreds of bird-watchers mingled with the residents of Kathryn, Wilfred and Jensen Streets in an un-planned block party.  Rare bird gatherings do not always bring such amicable results; I'm glad they did for us.

My back-door neighbors on Wilfred received many thank-you's, some small tokens of appreciation, and the official recognition they deserve for first recognizing that the woodpecker on their feeder was special: the only sighting ever of this species in the lower peninsula of Michigan!

My chess-playing buddy on Jensen welcomed hundreds of people to his "Important Bird Area" (back yard).  And today my neighbor on Kathryn, a professional artist, brought me this print of a painting he created in honor of the bird.

Lewis's Woodpecker by Bryan Snuffer

Bryan does not paint birds!  You'll see this immediately if you go to his website: bryansnuffer.com.  But obviously he can paint birds!

He also did not paint this one for profit!  However, in asking him if I might post the picture on my blog, I asked if anyone else might order a print if they wanted one.  Yup.  $25 for an 8.5 x 11 suitable for framing.  

There's a slim possibility that the Lewis's Woodpecker is still around, but I doubt it.  I hope it headed west and will soon find where it belongs.  Thanks for leaving us with some wonderful memories!