Today, I went on a much needed birdventure. There has been a Yellow-throated Warbler (Dendroica dominica) hanging out near Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge for quite some time now. Today I decided to go take a little birdventure, before looking for free wifi so I could do my homework (my wifi died yesterday). On the way, I thought I’d found a backroads kinda route. When I turned to where I’d cross the river, I realized I’d have to take a Ferry. I didn’t realize that Ferries were still a thing along the Willamette. Anyway, we paid the $3.00, because what’s a birdventure without a random Ferry ride? Once on the other side we were mere minutes from Ankeny. In the short hour plus that we were in the refuge, I saw 44 species. Not a record setting day, but great for the short period of time I was there. There is a woman near the refuge that puts suet out for the warbler every day and hosts, what I am calling, warbler parties a few times a week. She is a most gracious hostess, and has coffee, no-bake oatmeal cookies, grapes, chocolate covered almonds and water bottles available. Her daughter and 10-year old German shepherd seemed delighted by the ever changing groups of people that show up. We didn’t have to wait long for the warbler to show up, its yellow throat virtually glowing in the winter lighting. It hung out in the trees at at the suet feeders for quite a while, before I had to leave to work on some homework and research for my dissertation. The woman who’s house we were at said we were the largest crowd at any one time she’s had yet. What an interesting research project, mostly a sociological one, her records could turn into. Demographics and whatnot. What a lovely end to the second week of my PhD. Cheers!