Date: 01/16/2010

Number: 1

On Saturday,January 16th,around 4 PM I was walking along the trail in Bredesen Park, in western Edina, enjoying the bright sunshine and 36 degree temps. I looked to the North and noted a bird sitting right at the top of a cottonwood tree. My first reaction was that it was a robin because we have lots of overwintering robins right there. I stopped to watch and the bird flew right toward me and landed in another tall cottonwood immediately above me. As it came toward me, I immediately realized that the flight-pattern, color and shape were wrong for a robin; i.e., slightly smaller and slimmer, with bright red-orange breast and tail feather markings, very noticeable in the sunshine (the sun was low in the sky, just behind me to the southwest, giving a perfect light angle). I looked very carefully at the bird, which was sitting right above me, and was incredulous to conclude that I was looking at a Baltimore Oriole in mid-January! After a few seconds, the bird moved again and gave its flight call, a short "wheert" as it took off; definitely not the call or flight pattern of a robin. Are Orioles beginning to overwinter like the Cardinals did 35 or 40 years ago? We know for sure that our climate has changed here (to USDA Zone 5 from Zone 4) and perhaps this is part of the growing evidence.

Edina, MN

Latitude: 44.9 Longitude: -93.4

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