Brown Thrasher

I knew it was going to be a good day for birding when this was the first bird I saw on the trailhead of Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve, a park in the southern burbs of the Twin Cities that is a large tract of undeveloped, mature woodland. This makes it an oasis for all kinds of birds that require this type of habitat. During this trip I also saw eastern towhee, wood thrush, Cooper’s and broad-winged hawks, common loons, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and a male hooded warbler, which was the most exciting sighting for me (though I couldn’t get a photo of him, only a recording of him singing). While these warblers are common elsewhere, Murphy-Hanrehan is the only place in my state where you can find them. As for thrashers, I don’t tend to see them very often, as my state sits in the northwestern corner of their range. As far as mimids go, catbirds are much more common where I am.