4.30.2012

Prepare for May!

"Oh pretty bird! Oh, fluff and feathers, beak and bright eye, alliterative name in my throat!"

~ Juliana Gray, Rose-breasted Grosbeak



One of the most stunning spring birds you're likely to encounter in your own backyard is the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak; black-and-white with a vivid red chest perched in the verdant canopy of leaves with a joyous song to boot. I saw my first of spring grosbeak on Sunday. There were many other returning migratory birds over the weekend and more continue northbound on their incredible journey. At Pheasant Branch yesterday, my group was fortunate to find several warbler species including a male Cerulean Warbler singing away from the treetops. It was a beautiful day for an extended walk along the conservancy trails with fellow birders and kindred spirits. Tomorrow brings May – the month of a billion promises kept. Go out to the woods and cheer them on!

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Apr 29, 2012 7:00 AM - 1:00 PM
67 species

Canada Goose 
Wood Duck 
Mallard 
Blue-winged Teal 
Green-winged Teal 
Pied-billed Grebe 
Great Blue Heron 
Green Heron 
Cooper's Hawk 
Broad-winged Hawk 
Red-tailed Hawk 
American Kestrel 
Sandhill Crane 
Killdeer 
Spotted Sandpiper 
Bonaparte's Gull 
Ring-billed Gull 
Mourning Dove 
Great Horned Owl 
Belted Kingfisher 
Red-headed Woodpecker 
Red-bellied Woodpecker 
Downy Woodpecker 
Hairy Woodpecker 
Northern Flicker 
Eastern Phoebe 
Warbling Vireo 
Blue Jay 
American Crow 
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 
Tree Swallow 
Barn Swallow 
Cliff Swallow 
Black-capped Chickadee 
Tufted Titmouse 
White-breasted Nuthatch 
Brown Creeper 
House Wren 
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 
Eastern Bluebird 
Hermit Thrush 
American Robin 
European Starling 
Northern Waterthrush 
Orange-crowned Warbler 
Nashville Warbler 
Cerulean Warbler
Yellow Warbler 
Pine Warbler 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
Black-throated Green Warbler 
Eastern Towhee 
Chipping Sparrow 
Song Sparrow 
White-throated Sparrow 
Northern Cardinal 
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 
Red-winged Blackbird 
Eastern Meadowlark 
Common Grackle 
Brown-headed Cowbird 
Orchard Oriole 
House Finch 
Pine Siskin 
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak © 2012 Mike McDowell