3.25.2009

Songs of the Corridor



During the night, early spring migratory birds continued to push northward into southern Wisconsin. When NexRad really begins to ignite, I'll try to remember to post a few animated maps that illustrate what evening exodus looks like. So, after a visit with the barber this morning, I headed off to the Pheasant Branch stream corridor. Upon arrival, I found the east trail access blocked by high water from all the rain we got yesterday. It's simply too dangerous to cross, so I headed down the west trail.

The corridor was filled with jubilant trills of Dark-eyed Juncos punctuated by occasional melodious Fox Sparrow songs. Adding to the exquisite spring choir were Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows, and American Robins. Surrounded by busy Brown Creepers, hyper Golden-crowned Kinglets, and stationary Cedar Waxwings on the perch, we've entered the stage of birding season those that can identify birds by ear simply love. Further down the trail I found a slightly skittish Eastern Phoebe near the first bridge. A short distance past the bridge, I found my first Hermit Thrush of the year. The amount of bird activity was wonderful to behold, but I was running out of time. I checked my watch - my hour of birding was over for another day.

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 3/25/09
Number of species: 30

Wood Duck
Mallard
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Hermit Thrush © Mike McDowell