Susan and I birded Whetstone Creek Conservation Area Sunday morning. We pulled off the road at Pond #3 and were surprised to see a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak perched in a stalk no more than a few feet off the ground (I guess we're used to "seeing" them hiding behind leaves at the tops of trees). The bird flew across the road into a Willow tree on the bank of the pond. Susan peered into the Willow (using her amazing X-Ray vision) and spotted the male's partner feeding a juvenile!

Susan also spotted (X-Ray vision again) a Northern Bobwhite in the woods near Big Lake. Bobwhites were calling all over the area as well as Yellow-breasted Chats and Common Yellowthroats. We saw 36 species altogether and the full list is on CACHE.

Kevin Wehner

Columbia, MO