www.birddigiscoper.com

Appreciating a Songbird - Cedar Waxwing

2012-01-16T10:22:00.004-06:00

Digiscoped Cedar Waxwing

That Cedar Waxwings often perch nearly motionless for extended periods makes them perfect bird portraiture subjects. But for their high-pitched and forlorn calls, they're quiet sentinels of the branch. When hearing a waxwing call, I'm never too sure how many I've stumbled upon until I actually look up and count them. Their calls are so soft that they blend together sounding like a single bird. They're exhibit a high degree of sociality during winter, so it's not uncommon to find a dozen or more of these elegant little birds perched together in a single fruit-bearing tree during winter. You can find such flocks almost anywhere there are trees with berries, even in your own backyard. Check out this poem I wrote a few years ago about waxwings!

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Jan 14, 2012 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
30 species

Canada Goose
Red-tailed Hawk
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Lapland Longspur
American Tree Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Cedar Waxwing © 2012 Mike McDowell

January Birding

2012-01-11T13:04:00.002-06:00

Digiscoped American Robin

The cold temperatures didn't last long. While this unseasonably warm weather streak has been pretty bizarre, it's coming to an end tomorrow with a winter storm warning. We're expected to get up to 8” of snow. I hope we get it so I can go snowshoeing at Pheasant Branch or Pope Farm Conservancy.

With all that's been going on with Operation Migration and my job, I haven't had time to report on my weekend birding. Like many other Wisconsin birders, there are a number of sightings that seem more befitting of spring than January. On December 31st I found a Gray Catbird at Pheasant Branch which was still present on Sunday. I saw a post to the Wisconsin Birding facebook group that Tom Prestby found a Common Yellowthroat at the 1918 Marsh near Picnic Point yesterday. While not totally unexpected, I found a Belted Kingfisher at the new pike breeding site, a Hermit Thrush, Fox Sparrow, and Winter Wren over the weekend at PBC. Though there have been other reports in southern Wisconsin, a pleasant surprise for me was a flock of Common Redpolls found at the Conservancy Condominium feeders. It's been a couple of years since I've seen one. There's also a large flock of American Robins moving about the conservancy in search of berries. Mostly, though, they're feeding on Buckthorn Berries, which isn't exactly good food for them, but it helps get them through winter. In this flock are two leucistic robins; one has a completely white head while the other is more speckled. Hopefully I can get a photo of either of them at some point.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Jan 8, 2012 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
30 species

Canada Goose
Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

American Robin © 2012 Mike McDowell

Let the Cranes Fly!

2012-01-07T12:46:00.016-06:00

Update:

Told ya! From the FAA's facebook wall...

"The FAA has granted an exemption to Operation Migration that will allow pilots to continue to aid the whooping crane migration. Normally, the FAA limits light sport aircraft and pilots to personal flights without compensation. Because the operation is in 'mid-migration,' the FAA is granting a one-time exemption so the migration can be completed. The FAA will work with Operation Migration to develop a more comprehensive, long-term solution."

I have always regarded everyone at Operation Migration as heroes, especially the ultralight pilots who accept the risk of flying the endangered Whooping Cranes down to Florida. As many of you know by now, Whooper Class of 2011 is stalled in northern Alabama waiting for Federal Aviation Administration to grant OM pilots a waiver. At issue is whether the pilots are flying for hire or the benefit of a nonprofit organization. Ultralight planes are licensed as sport aircraft and FAA rules prohibit flying them for hire. Once OM is granted a waiver by the FAA (which they will undoubtedly get), the pilots and cranes will be able complete their migration, with help from many friends, closing yet another chapter in this amazing and unique wildlife reintroduction program.

But I wonder how Chris Gullikson's legacy and reputation will fare once the propeller dust settles. As identified by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Chris is the disgruntled former Operation Migration employee (and pilot) who filed complaints to the FAA against OM. As such, Chris well knows the vast majority of hours worked by the pilots, year round, does not involve flying at all. They're not only pilots. The job requires unfailing patience and dedication, working with the cranes at all times. And even when they are flying, their main focus is the cranes. They must be in costume, are not allowed to talk, and must avoid coughing and sneezing as much as humanly possible. Even during the peak of migration, they are on duty 24/7 while only being in the air a few hours at most, and only on the days when weather permits flying.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, "The FAA scrutiny came after a former Operation Migration employee filed a complaint. The FAA office in Milwaukee told Operation Migration officials that the migration could go forward. But when a second complaint was filed at the regional level, the agency opened an investigation." Clearly, for Chris it's no longer about saving an endangered species; it's all about him and his personal vendetta against OM.

To me it doesn't seem like Chris has carefully thought through all the repercussions of going after a former employer, especially one as popular in the public eye as Operation Migration. I don't know the particulars and circumstances surrounding his termination with OM, but I was taught long ago never to burn a career bridge. So, what about any future prospective employers? Are they likely to hire someone who might turn on them should things sour?

There is an outpouring of support from people from all around the world calling for the FAA to act quickly to get the whoopers back into the air. One would hope Chris would have anticipated how unpopular his ill-intended actions would go over with the public and just moved on with his life instead of going after a nonprofit during troubled economic times. Though Chris may have scored a few legal and technical points, he will not have earned any moral points through his heartless and selfish behavior.

Link: New York Times article

Link: Huffington Post article

First Outing of 2012

2012-01-03T14:12:00.001-06:00

We finally have below freezing temperatures but still no snow cover. Despite the blustery weather and extremely slippery ice-covered trails, I initiated my 2012 birding year yesterday at Pheasant Branch Conservancy. As usual this time of year, there was a lot of activity near the conservancy condominiums because of all the feeders placed on balconies. A few Northern Cardinals were singing and the chatter of chickadees, nuthatches, goldfinches, and other songbirds made the winter day seem a little more cheerful. In addition to expected winter emberzids like American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, I also found a Fox Sparrow and a few White-throated Sparrows. Perched right where they're supposed to be, I saw two roosting sentinel Barred Owls. The male tends to hold the same spot in the trees just north of the condominiums, while the female typically rests on a ledge at the entrance to their nest cavity.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Jan 2, 2012 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
27 species

Canada Goose
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2012 Mike McDowell

2011 Ends

2011-12-29T12:42:00.004-06:00

Looking back at 2011...

Middleton became an official Bird City Wisconsin. This fall I entered my 500th eBird checklist for Pheasant Branch Conservancy since I began entering my sightings in 2007. For the year, I made 144 birding visits, recording 176 species, which is my highest ever year-count for the conservancy. New were Prairie Warbler and Red Crossbill. Sadly, I missed the Black-throated Gray Warbler by mere minutes, which is arguably the best new species observed there (see Eric Wood's excellent photograph). With the Red Crossbill found during the Madison CBC, I'm pretty sure my master list for Pheasant Branch is now at 222 bird species, but I have yet to confirm the total.

Most years I consider myself fortunate if I see just one Prothonotary Warbler at Pheasant Branch. This spring, however, several were present from April 24th to May 15th along the creek corridor. For a while I was beginning to think they might stay, but perhaps the habitat wasn't quite what they were looking for and moved on. The Picnic Point Prothontary Warblers returned to find newly installed nest boxes and successfully fledged young late June. A Kentucky Warbler spent most of the summer at Hoyt Park in Madison.

For the first time at my apartment I enjoyed having Baltimore Orioles visit my balcony for grape jelly from early May through the end of June. Even an Orchard Oriole made a couple of appearances but didn't stick around as long as the Baltimores.

Coming upon hundreds of Tiger Swallowtails mud-puddling at Baxter's Hollow was a special spring treat. I've always wanted to experience this particular butterfly phenomenon but never expected to see so many attracted to one place.

During the summer doldrums I began working on my family ancestry. I found the identities of all my great grandparents and most of my great-great grandparents. I discovered that my maternal grandmother, Edrie L. Darrow-Kellerman, was related to the famous Scopes Trial lawyer Clarence S. Darrow. With a lot of electronic digging through various online vital records databases, I traced some of my family ancestral lines back to the early 1600s in Scotland and Holland.

This year's Snowy Owl irruption is getting a lot of press. The arrivals seemed to peak in late November and early December, but there are still a number of Snowy Owls in Wisconsin. Reports have significantly tapered off the past few weeks. The last time I saw the Waunakee owl was on December 20th, but someone spotted one at Governor Nelson State Park on the 25th. It might be the same bird.

Approaching 300 members, the Wisconsin Birding facebook group I created is thriving. It's become a great way to share reports, stories, photographs, and videos from birders all around the state. There was a brief scandal concerning an image I chose to use for the group's profile picture. Though I was under no obligation to do so, I eventually changed the group name and the profile image. I also created a facebook group about digiscoping.

This blog will begin its 8th year of publication in February 2012. Since January 1st of this year, 18,207 people have visited with over 4 million hits to the birddigiscoper.com domain.

See you in 2012!

Snowy Owl Video from Cornell

2011-12-29T06:45:00.001-06:00

Here's a cool video about Snowy Owls from the The Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Field Guides never looked so good!

2011-12-28T13:58:00.007-06:00

Sibley Guide for iPad

I recently put my Digiscoper of the Year prize money toward the purchase of an iPad2 . Though I've been using Sibley and iBird Pro on my iPod Touch since early spring, the apps look so much nicer on an iPad. My eyes really appreciate the larger size and I'm certain my field trip participants will love the larger bird and range map images. My paper birding field guide of choice for years has been the Eastern Sibley, but what if I want to be able to identify butterflies, dragonflies, and wildflowers, too? I don't enjoy lugging around several books in the field, so in addition to Sibley and iBird Pro, I have various flora and fauna field guides installed as well. With an iPad or iPod, the conundrum over what field guides to bring along is gone! These handy gizmos easily fit inside a backpack or back pocket.

iBird Pro on iPad

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

PBC CBC

2011-12-18T19:45:00.003-06:00

Hermit Thrush

We had a successful Christmas Bird Count at Pheasant Branch Conservancy yesterday, part of Area 21 for the Madison CBC. There were a few misses (Winter Wren and Belted Kingfisher) but some nice surprises as well. The Hermit Thrush I've been keeping tabs on for the past few weeks was still present at the southeast corner along the boardwalk. Raptor-wise we saw a Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks. Though most of the time I have no trouble finding Great Horned Owls, the only owl we found was a Barred Owl, which was perched at one of its usual roosting sites. The biggest surprise of the day was a flyover Red Crossbill, my first for Pheasant Branch!

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Dec 17, 2011 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
39 species

Canada Goose
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Common Merganser
Ring-necked Pheasant
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
American Kestrel
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Hermit Thrush © 2011 Mike McDowell

December Birding

2011-12-10T21:33:00.002-06:00

Red-tailed Hawk

It was a clear and very cold morning with a strong breeze, so it felt even colder than 11 degrees. I didn't get up in time to watch the partial lunar eclipse, but this was intentional. I figured it wouldn't be as good as the opportunity I had back in February 2008 for photographs.

After making a quick trip to Waunakee to show Sylvia Marek the Snowy Owl, I hiked my usual route at Pheasant Branch Conservancy and observed 32 species. Birds I found last week but missed for today's eBird list were Northern Shrike, Winter Wren, and Rusty Blackbird. On the plus side, I found a Hermit Thrush and Belted Kingfisher. Perched on a limb at the southeast bridge by Century Avenue, a Red-tailed Hawk had its eye on something in the grass. Its back was to me while I was watching it, but just before taking flight it turned around and I was able to get a nice digiscoped photograph of it.

After Pheasant Branch, I stopped at Marshall Park to scope parts of Lake Mendota. There were Tundra Swans, Canada Geese, Common Mergansers, Common Loons, Common Goldeneye, Rudy Ducks, Bufflehead, Canvasback, American Coots, and Mallards.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Dec 10, 2011 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
32 species

Canada Goose
Bald Eagle
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Red-tailed Hawk © 2011 Mike McDowell

Dakota is back home!

2011-12-07T22:18:00.004-06:00

"The great horned owl spirited away from an Oconomowoc wildlife rehabilitation facility last month was finally captured Wednesday morning. He was dehydrated, very thin and tired though otherwise appeared healthy."

Link: Keep reading at the Journal Sentinel

Photo courtesy of the Wildlife In Need Center

Waunakee Snowy Owl

2011-12-04T16:11:00.008-06:00

Shortly after I finished birding at Pheasant Branch Conservancy this morning, my co-worker Tom Kuenzli called me with some interesting bird news. Apparently, someone spotted a Snowy Owl sitting right up along side of a building in the Waunakee Business Park. They were concerned about the bird’s condition and either called Waunakee Police or the Dane County Sheriff. Renee, Tom’s girlfriend and Dane County Animal Services officer, was called to the scene to assess the situation. When she approached the owl, preparing to capture it, she saw that it was merely guarding a freshly killed rat. The owl gave up its prey and flew across the parking lot to a patch of grass.

Renee had already left by the time I arrived and the owl had returned to the kill site where a few non-birders were watching it. I was told that the owl had eaten something, presumably the rat it was guarding. Moments later, the owl flew back to the patch of grass near the parking lot where I was able to get a few digiscoped photographs of it. Two American Crows flew in and began harassing the owl causing it to flee across the street where it perched on the roof of a building. The taunting crows were unrelenting and the owl took off behind the building. Eventually, I was able to relocate the snowy, which was hunkered down in tall grass about 30 yards from the road. A man from one of the nearby buildings wearing binoculars came down to look at the owl and told me it has been at this location since Friday.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Dec 4, 2011 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
36 species

Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Northern Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
American Robin
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Rusty Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Snowy Owl © 2011 Mike McDowell

Relevant

2011-11-28T18:30:00.000-06:00

"There is nothing which can better deserve your patronage than the promotion of Science and Literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness. In one in which the measures of Government receive their impression so immediately from the sense of Community as in ours it is proportionality essential."

~ George Washington

Snowy Owls!

2011-11-25T10:45:00.012-06:00

It's definitely an irruption year for Snowy Owls. According to Ryan Brady, expert birder from Ashland, so far the owls that have come down to our neck of the woods are immature birds of both sexes. He said this suggests "a good year of productivity and subsequent dispersal/migration of these hatch-year birds to the south." Brady says this movement of owls may not be tied to current lemming populations on the Arctic breeding grounds but added, "If we start seeing a significant influx of adults ... this probably would be more indicative of lower prey populations up north."

Check out this map of Snowy Owl sightings!

Another birder from Madison, Jessie Ellis, created a nifty google map plotting sightings of the Snowy Owls across the upper Midwest [now the entire US]. There have been a number of Snowy Owl sightings just north of Pheasant Branch Conservancy over the years, in particular near the intersection of Fisher Road and Pheasant Branch Road.

While these birds provide excellent opportunities to educate non-birders about birds, migration, and conservation, nothing brings out cuckoo birder behavior quite like an northern owl. The last time a Snowy Owl visited the Middleton area, some photographers trespassed on private property and flushed the owl in order to get pictures of it in flight. One farmer was pretty upset after a photographer frightened his cattle, walking along the barnyard fence line to the owl perched atop a silo.

Should you encounter a Snowy Owl during the day, please view it from a respectable distance, no closer than 30 to 50 yards. Better yet, watch it from the inside of your car. If the bird appears to be hunting, turn off your car engine – the noise may hinder the owl’s ability to hear potential prey. If you want to try and photograph it, use your car as a blind – it works great! When in doubt, go with ABA's birding ethics: "Everyone who enjoys birds and birding must always respect wildlife, its environment, and the rights of others. In any conflict of interest between birds and birders, the welfare of the birds and their environment comes first."

Snowy Owl © 2011 Mike McDowell

Digiscoper of the Year 2011 - Winners!

2011-11-24T14:07:00.001-06:00

For Shrike's Sake!

2011-11-21T19:54:00.006-06:00

Yesterday Bill Grimm and I relocated the Northern Shrike that's been hanging out at Pheasant Branch Conservancy since early November. The shrike was scouring the thicket of grass and young oaks along the southern slope of the drumlin, flying from tree to tree. Coming up empty, it perched atop one of the taller oak trees and scanned the horizon. Suddenly, something at near big springs caught its attention. It darted off in an undulating flight, gaining speed as it traveled, flying about a dozen feet above the ground. I've seen shrikes fly substantial distances before, but never one going so fast as this bird - it was as impressive as it was beautiful. We lost track of it when it dropped behind the tall prairie grass near the main trail. Moments later, it reappeared overlooking the springs from another tall perch. For the shrike's sake, I was hoping to watch it catch something. That said, the bird was looking pretty spry and healthy, so I'm confident it's been eating well.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Nov 20, 2011 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
32 species

Canada Goose
Mallard
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Northern Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
American Robin
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Northern Shrike © 2011 Mike McDowell

Some of their best customers

2011-11-14T13:54:00.020-06:00

Your favorite sanctimonious curmudgeon is back with more to ponder as you're driving your car in pursuit of the next rare bird. Have you ever dissected a gallon of gasoline to see who we're all paying to sustain our bird chasing hobby? For my calculations below, I assumed a vehicle that gets 30MPG and $3.25 for the price of a gallon of gasoline. According to stats from the US Energy Information Administration, here’s how and who we're financially supporting for every 10,000 of bird chasing miles put on our vehicles:

Service Stations: $32.50 (3%)

Naturally, they get the smallest slice.

Taxes: $119.17 (11%)

This money is used to keep our roads in good and safe driving condition.

Transportation & Marketing: $75.83 (7%)

As advertised.

Refineries: $140.83 (13%)

This is for the process of taking crude oil to fuel.

Crude Oil: $715.00 (66%)

Who gets the biggest slice? Oil producers like ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, Marathon, etc., as well as oil companies controlled by countries like Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Venezuela. So, what have they done for the environment lately? To say I dislike the above companies is an understatement. I know it would weigh on my conscience if I had to handwrite personal checks to these places each month, but all I have to do is swipe my debit card at the gas pump and everyone gets paid. Isn’t it nice to know who we’re paying to support our birding hobby?

Oil chart © 2011 Mike McDowell

Who's watching me?

2011-11-14T07:10:00.002-06:00

Sandhill Cranes haven't left Pheasant Branch Conservancy yet and won't until December, but they return at the end of February. Only three months! That doesn't seem that far off, actually. It makes the approaching winter somehow seem more bearable. Yesterday, I walked the relatively leafless November woods, enjoying a melodious duet between Fox Sparrows. Among the goldfinches, tree sparrows, cardinals, chickadees, and woodpeckers, I heard the delicate call of a Brown Creeper. When I turned to look for it, I noticed a large bird was watching me. Concealing its big dark eyes, the Barred Owl's eyelids were half open, but it was very much awake. Pretending not to notice the owl, I calmly prepared my digiscoping rig. For over a decade there's been a Barred Owl pair at this particular spot at the conservancy and I felt certain I've photographed this bird before. Coming upon an owl in the woods is always a special experience and once content with my views and photos, I let it be.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Nov 13, 2011 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM
30 species

Canada Goose
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Barred Owl © 2011 Mike McDowell

It's a Winner!

2011-11-10T12:51:00.005-06:00

I recently learned that my Pheasant Branch Prothonotary Warbler image (above) placed 10th in the top 20 for Swarovski's Digiscoper of the Year 2011 contest! This year, digiscopers from around the world submitted 1,200 images for the judges to consider. When I saw Tara Tanaka's incredible Roseatte Spoonbill photo, I knew coming in 1st wasn’t a possibility – what an amazing shot!

Congratulations to all 20 winners!

Prothonotary Warbler © 2011 Mike McDowell

Weekend Birding

2011-11-07T15:30:00.002-06:00

I went birding at Pheasant Branch for a few hours yesterday, searching the prairie, creek corridor, and confluence ponds near Deming Way. I found a Northern Shrike, Chipping Sparrow, lots of American Tree Sparrows, only a few White-throated Sparrows, and several Fox Sparrows. At the ponds by Deming Way there were 9 Hooded Mergansers. Other birds included Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Bluebird, Brown Creeper, Tufted Titmouse, and a fly-over American Pipit.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Nov 6, 2011 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
38 species

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Hooded Merganser
Ring-necked Pheasant
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
American Pipit
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

The Impulse to Chase

2011-11-01T13:24:00.007-05:00

A second report of Wisconsin’s first Inca Dove spotted yesterday in Ozaukee County prompted a birder I know to make the comment, "Dammit... I guess I'm heading over on Wed." There it is. The emotional reaction that underlies the impulse and compulsion to chase immediately following a rare bird report. It almost renders a feeling of obligation for the chaser to chase, not unlike a veritable psychological addiction. But unlike problematic behavioral addiction, the question remains open whether or not there are harmful consequences to health, mental state, or social life. Anecdotally, chasing birds can and does put strains on relationships. I know this from personal experience, stories I’ve heard from other birders, as well as books and articles about chasing birds. However, I’m unaware of any studies on the subject.

When I stopped chasing rare birds several years ago, I continued to feel the impulse to chase whenever a rare bird was reported to the listserv, quite similar to a legitimate withdrawal syndrome. This lasted for a migration season or two, but waned over time and eventually disappeared. In the process of overcoming the chasing impulse, each time I ran through what became a predictable series of emotions, chief among them was envy and a sense of entitlement; everyone will get to see the bird but me and I didn’t want to feel left out! Whether out of subtle bragging (sharing?) or keeping birders informed, we want others to know we got to see the bird and that it’s still present. When I didn’t chase a particular rarity, reading follow-up reports by other birders who did see it was initially frustrating because the impulse maintained a strong hold on my psyche. Denying this impulse was initially difficult, but the more determined I was to resist it the easier it got.

Quitting the chase wasn’t something I did out of personal necessity, but for birding ethics and general stewardship I felt toward Nature. As I’ve written in the past, until I started road bicycling, I didn’t know the number of birds that are killed along our roads and highways every year. So I looked it up. According to at least one source, as many as 80 million birds are killed annually by automobiles. As a bicycling birder, I noticed the living birds as well as the dead ones, and there were lots of the latter. It was heartbreaking to see freshly killed Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Eastern Kingbirds, Northern Flickers, Indigo Buntings, Savannah Sparrows, Common yellowthroats, Soras, Yellow Warblers - a dead bird every 20 to 40 yards.

Mile after mile, roads are songbird graveyards, but they aren’t the only critters that perish on them. When speeding along at 60MPH, you’ll see dead raccoons, porcupines, foxes, deer, skunks, woodchucks, etc., but you won’t notice the tiny songbirds. However, when biking past a feathered corpse, you'll see all the blood and grizzly bits of feather and bone; the squashed skull, its broken beak, the bent wings, the splayed out feathers and entrails protruding out of its flattened body. Being sickened by what I observed during my bike rides, I knew I had to change: stop chasing birds and drive less. This, along with the carbon footprint argument, compels me to suggest that any pursuit of birds, which as its core premise encourages people to get into their cars and drive for several hours at a time, can't be viewed as environmentally and conservationally compatible with the interests of birds.

Everyone has a right to chase birds if they want to. But when I suggest that other birders might want to consider decreasing the amount of chasing they do, you might suppose from their defensive reactions that I’ve asked them to throw their binoculars in the garbage. One hears a variety of justifications:

"What about food delivery jobs? Trucking jobs? Couriers? These all require driving. How about people who don't want to live in the city but work in the city? They have to drive on a daily basis. Besides, out here, away from the big city, if you want to go anywhere, you have to drive. I went birding this morning. Drove 50 miles. Why? Because trying to bird along the same stretch of road with no flocks gets extremely boring. Birding itself away from cities is about driving. Covering ground."

Here’s another:

"I respect your opinion, but I think it's rather Utopian. In the world in which we all currently live, I think people being willing to burn up fossil fuels going out to look at birds (as opposed to the millions of other more environmentally negative ways they might release carbon) and other people seeing that they are willing to do so (I'm talking about all manifestations of ecotourism, not just weekend chasing) is actually one of the BEST hopes for the interests of birds being looked out for at all."

Chasing birds via automobile is thus justified because everyone else drives and an single individual‘s CO2 contribution makes virtually no difference in the long run, therefore chase. I realize many things we as a society need out of practical necessity requires us to use various forms of transportation that burn fossil fuels, but this is not my argument; an element of necessity is absent in the case of chasing birds. Chasing birds is unnecessary. Perhaps even worse, given its cost, it's a luxury that isn't affordable to everyone, which can seem somewhat classist. Truly, no type of hobbyist birding is necessary. That's why when I go birding today it it's my aim to leave as small of an ecological footprint as I possibly can.

My point is that constantly driving around the state to chase rare birds may do more harm to creatures we admire than benefits them. And then there's the public impression we give as birders. Chasing, to my way of thinking, sends a potentially non-green message to non-birders that to chase you must drive an automobile, but to do it well you must drive more, and to be the best you must be on the road most every day. Birding doesn't necessarily have to be green, but I feel strongly that the premise of chasing is philosophically anti-environmental and psychologically narcissistic.

Sure, chasing is fun, sporty, and exciting. It's what gets a lot of people interested in birding in the first place. I know I should step off my soapbox and allow individual birders evolve their interests at their own pace, just as I did. That's our right. I chased and it was fun and exciting, but I really do find it somewhat shallow when it seems to be done almost out of habit and addiction, hence the above birder’s reaction to the Inca Dove being seen again. It’s practically a lament. It's as if a birder has to drop everything and go get the “good” bird out of mere obligation. Well, you really don't. You can just let it go. You can give your $40.00 in gas money to Marge Gibson at REGI so she can rehabilitate injured birds that are in her care on account of things we've done to them.

Drive less, bird locally. Let the rarity come to you.

"I myself have never made a dead set at studying Nature with a notebook and fieldglass in hand. I have rather visited with her. We have walked together or sat down together, and our intimacy grows with the seasons. What I have learned about her ways I have learned easily, almost unconsciously, while fishing or camping or idling about. My desultory habits have their disadvantages, no doubt, but they have their advantages also. A too-strenuous pursuit defeats itself. In the fields and woods more than anywhere else all things come to those who wait, because all things are on the move, and are sure sooner or later to come your way."

- John Burroughs

Link: Mapping Traffic’s Toll on Wildlife

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Last Sparrow

2011-10-30T14:28:00.007-05:00

American Tree Sparrow

The American Tree Sparrow is a bunting. Emberizids in Europe are called buntings, but in North America most species of this family are called sparrows even though these nifty birds are not closely related to Old World sparrows (passeridae). Whether categorized by us as sparrows or buntings doesn't change my affection for these exquisite little birds. Over the past few weeks Clay-colored, Chipping, and Field Sparrows have departed from Pheasant Branch for the season; I won't see them until they return in the spring. Though there can be occasional exceptions, the American Tree Sparrow is the only member of the genus spizella to remain in Wisconsin for the duration of our frigid winter.

Some fall colors remain.

Whether it's sunny, rainy, snowy, mild or freezing, these exceptional winter birds have adapted very well to the challenges Nature has imposed on them. Sometimes I'll visit Pheasant Branch during a blizzard and observe how these durable sparrows fare in harsh weather. Fortunately, there is sufficient cover in the form of thickets, brush piles, and tall grass. With an abundant supply of goldenrod and ragweed seeds, there's plenty for them to eat. Northern Shrikes, Cooper's Hawks, and other birds of prey are on the prowl looking to make a meal out of the sparrows, and at least one shrike has been present at the prairie for about a week. Right now the shrike has a variety of songbirds to choose from and chase down, but come December and January, sparrows will be its primary food targets.

Northern Shrike (digital sketch from photo)

Yesterday during the Madison Audubon field trip at Pheasant Branch, an American Goldfinch was perched mere feet from a Northern Shrike. This was interesting. It seemed like the goldfinch was waiting for the shrike to make the first move so it could react in an evasive manner rather than giving the shrike an opportunity to match its escape path. Without a sound, the shrike darted after the goldfinch and made quick gains, but its speed was no match for the goldfinch's flying agility and escaped. A few of the field trip participants cheered on the goldfinch, but I confess I was hoping to see the shrike catch a meal.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Oct 29, 2011 7:15 AM - 9:45 AM
35 species

Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Mallard
Ring-necked Pheasant
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
Lapland Longspur
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Boreal Birds at Risk - Report

2011-10-26T10:58:00.008-05:00

Look a Palm Warbler in the eye and tell it "My species is more important than yours!" Come on, I dare you! The health and integrity of Canada's boreal forest is critical to the survival of hundreds of bird species. Ninety-eight percent of the global range for the Palm Warbler lies within the boreal. As its habitat is diminished, fragmented, and destroyed, birds can't simply go someplace else. Instead, they'll just perish. This comprehensive report shows just how critical the boreal is to birds that are at risk from the pressures of industrial development. Please take time to read it and then support those organizations that want to change conservation objectives in order to protect all the amazing wildlife the depends on the boreal forest for survival.

Link: Boreal Birds at Risk

Palm Warbler © 2011 Mike McDowell

Final Fall Field Trip!

2011-10-25T11:15:00.003-05:00

Migrant Fall Songbirds
Pheasant Branch Conservancy
Saturday, October 29th @ 7:30am

We'll scour the prairie parcel of Pheasant Branch Conservancy for sparrows during my final Madison Audubon field trip of 2011. Expect American Tree, White-throated, White-crowned, Fox, and a few others. A Northern Shrike has been in the area the past few days, so hopefully it will make an appearance during our outing. We will look (and listen) for other late fall birds like Lapland Longspur, American Pipit, Hermit Thrush, and migrating raptors. Meet at 7:30am at the Dane County Unit of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, about 1.5 miles north of Century Avenue (Middleton) on Pheasant Branch Road. This the third parking lot on your right for the conservancy as you're heading north out of Middleton, or see the yellow locator pin on this google map!

White-throated Sparrow © 2011 Mike McDowell

Zonos under the Moon

2011-10-21T19:17:00.002-05:00

Sometime during the night the roaring northwest winds subsided. Clouds moved through and gave way to clearing skies. The morning was freezing and a thick frost covered the prairie's grasses and plants. The sun was still below the horizon and the waning moon appeared as a shining jewel against the darkest part of the early morning sky. Even at a fair distance, I could hear the first beep-beep-beep calls of waking zonotrichia sparrows emanating from the line of willows and dogwood near the small springs.

White-crowned Sparrow

The morning light worked to melt the frost and warm the sparrows as they perched in open branches like ornaments of feathered puffballs. After a while their beeps changed over to song fragments. The White-crowned Sparrows were doing a better job staying true to their tune, but in fairness to White-throated Sparrows, their melody isn’t quite as sweet. Geese and cranes passed over, rendering even more magnificence to the choir beneath the sun and the moon.

White-throated Sparrow

Only time spent in Nature provides me with such a profound primordial calm and moments of transcendence. Time seems to stop when I’m walking the paths at the prairie, admiring its bountiful and beautiful flora and fauna. Newly arrived birds I encounter feel like old friends, even though I realize such a sentiment is one-sided. It doesn't matter. It's more a connection and deeper understanding with myself, I suspect. I feel of no particular age and all my physical and emotional pains melt away.

White-crowned Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Juncos!

2011-10-19T10:53:00.003-05:00

We had our first Dark-eyed Junco of fall migration below our feeders at Eagle Optics this morning. I encountered a flock of them on September 30th along the creek corridor of Pheasant Branch, only a few days shy of my record early date for this species at the conservancy:

2007-09-27
2008-10-04
2009-10-04
2010-09-30
2011-09-30

Pretty reliable little birds, aren't they? Check out Laura Erickson's blog post from yesterday for an interesting read about Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows!

Dark-eyed Junco © 2011 Mike McDowell

Windy Prairie & Sparrows

2011-10-17T06:44:00.002-05:00

Strong and steady winds kept sparrows fairly low in the sticks and vegetation over the weekend. Thursday night's cold front and northwest winds brought millions of sparrows down from Canada. I remember how amazed I was when I first learned that the majority of songbirds migrate during the nighttime hours. I realized there were nocturnal birds like owls, nightjars, etc, but songbirds flying beneath a canopy of stars captivated my imagination. Like other birders, I've tried to picture in my mind what it would be like to be up there with them.

White-crowned Sparrow

Early Friday morning at Pheasant Branch prairie there were newly arrived White-crowned Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Eastern Towhees, and Dark-eyed Juncos. Protected from the wind on the eastern slope of the drumlin, I observed dozens of Field Sparrows, Song Sparrows, and Chipping Sparrows, perched together in the young oaks. I strongly suspect these concentrated birds were migrants because their numbers were higher than the prairie's breeding season population of these species.

Fox Sparrow

There were also White-throated Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrows, and Fox Sparrows. Though the Lincoln's Sparrows were relatively quiet with their little cricket-like buzz calls, White-throated Sparrows and Fox Sparrows were occasionally bursting into to full song. The Fox Sparrow's melodious tune is one of the sweetest birdsongs I know. Hearing their cheerful sweeping notes emanating from scrubby edges was a highlight of my morning walk.

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Quick Impression

2011-10-12T12:34:00.007-05:00

Seasoned birders only need a quick glance at the bird pictured above and will instantly recognize it for a first-fall White-crowned Sparrow. Identifying birds in this manner becomes possible by spending hundreds of hours in the field, from one migration to the next. No longer relying upon a methodology of taking serial steps and deduction via comparing similar looking species pictured in a field guide, an experienced birder's mere glimpse of a species is often enough to make an instant identification. In astonishment, and perhaps somewhat skeptically, a new birder might ask, "How do you know? It's crown isn't even white and looks just like an American Tree Sparrow."

Sometimes it's less about particular plumage colors and more about size, shape, behavior, habitat, and seasonal timing. Like me, I've heard other experienced birders say it can be challenging to compose the precise words that conveys a meaningful ID description to a novice. I don't use a field guide when I'm birding alone and haven't for years. Since I don't run through the descriptive words for a given species in my mind, I'm probably out of practice when asked to do so. "Um, it's a, well, just look at it! It's a White-crowned! How about that crest, eh?"

It's a more holistic process. I think it comes from our innate ability to recognize patterns. After all, there was a time in the history of our species when being able to recognize forms in nature was pretty darn important to our survival. It remains with us. Perhaps this helps explain our fascination with birds, other animals, and plants when going for a hike through the woods or prairie. It's obvious to me that the human spirit thrives best when immersed in nature's realm. Being able to identify many kinds of birds isn't a contest. For me, it's an assurance that renders a particular sensation stemming from a time when we were more meaningfully connected with nature.

White-crowned Sparrow © 2011 Mike McDowell

October Calm

2011-10-07T15:13:00.002-05:00

Yellow-rumped Warbler

It's been mostly Yellow-rumps now, but we're still seeing a few exciting species like Cape May, Black-throated Green, and Black-throated Blue Warbers at Pheasant Branch. Extremely mild weather and southern winds have stalled migration, but White-throated Sparrows continue to arrive in prodigious numbers. When the next cold front moves in, it should push lingering neotropical migrants southward. After a mixed-flock of songbirds moved through the creek corridor this morning, I went to Owen Park and spent the remainder of my time before work photographing stunning fall colors:

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Early October Sparrows

2011-10-03T21:42:00.008-05:00

How many times have I witnessed the sun rise over Pheasant Branch Conservancy? How many times have I stood at this same spot and aimed my camera at the distant drumlin? I am indescribably attached to this parcel of land. My light source is 93 million miles away and begins its skyward ascent, making it seem as if the Earth has been working all night for this moment. I ready my gear as my subjects begin to seek morning perches. To them, I'm a strange dark silhouette that doesn't quite belong; I might be worth risking a closer inspection, which is fortuitous for my intentions. The sun's reflection is a tiny speck of light in their dark and curious eyes. Eventually, I know, they'll get used to my presence.

I usually take a few practice shots on nearby leaves – everything is good. Too early, and the images are too warm. Too late, and the sparrows will have retreated to the ground to begin feasting on seeds and insects. The streaked songbirds gather into a semicircle around me. I take position with my spotting scope and listen to their voices. Some vocalizations are attempts at singing, but mere fragments of spring song. Still, when all their diminutive calls and notes finally blend together, it begins to resemble something less discordant and more delightful. It's faithful enough to let me know all the members of Nature's morning choir.

White-throated Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Fall Field Trip!

2011-10-01T11:46:00.004-05:00

Lincoln's Sparrow

How would you like to see a Lincoln's Sparrow this close? Join me on Saturday, October 8th at 7:15am for a Madison Audubon Society field trip at Pheasant Branch Conservancy! The emphasis will be migratory sparrow species, including White-throated, White-crowned, Clay-colored, Lincoln’s, and several others. We will also look for late warblers, flycatchers, thrushes, and other fall migrants. Meet at the Dane County parcel of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, about 1.5 miles north of Century Avenue in Middleton on Pheasant Branch Road. This is the third parking lot for the conservancy on the right as you drive north out of Middleton.

Lincoln's Sparrow © 2011 Mike McDowell

Photography fun with fall leaves!

2011-09-30T13:23:00.007-05:00

Curlew Caper Resurrected!

2011-09-28T16:02:00.034-05:00

In all likelihood, the Eskimo Curlew is extinct. However, a controversy regarding a particular image of this species, credited to Don Bleitz, lives on. For my part, I thought this issue concluded nearly six years ago. Apparently, it's still very much alive in the minds of a few ABA bloggers. The controversy in question stems over a manipulated image of an Eskimo Curlew (see Fig. 5 Photomontage on page 30 of the September 2011 issue of ABA's Birding magazine - Vol. 43 No. 5).

If you don't have the magazine, here's what I noticed back in 2006. The original website with the color image is now offline, but you can still view it here. However, the Fig. 5 photomontage in Birding shows two Eskimo Curlews, which is new to me; I had only ever seen the cropped version showing a single bird. Anyway, I don't believe I stated or inferred that Don Bleitz intended to deceive the birding public regarding the validity of his entire series of Eskimo Curlew images. In fact, in my second of two blog posts about it, I wrote:

"I believe the top three photographs are authentic, but I’m convinced the 4th shot (bottom picture) was assembled/manipulated from the top image."

As far as I can tell, everyone seems to agree on this, but it didn't stop Martin Collinson from writing the following in his September Birding article Setting the Record Straight:

"Furthermore, other observers have noticed the apparent discrepancies between the photos, and have suggested an attempt to deceive. In this regard, see the recent online commentary by M. McDowell (tinyurl). This has led to a discussion on internet-based forums and media that there is something suspicious about the photographs..." [emphasis added].

Oh really? Where?

On the ABA blog, Ted Floyd asks a poignant question, "Why publish an article on the field identification of an extinct bird?" He answers:

"And there's another reason. It's deeper. It's more important. It is relevant to our everyday affairs as bird lovers. At the end of his article, Collinson defends the legacy of one Donald Bleitz, who was the first—and as far as we know the only—person to publish photos of Eskimo Curlews in the wild. The authenticity of Bleitz's work has been questioned, but Collinson 'dispel[s] any lingering rumors that the birds were mounts and not the original birds observed in 1962...'"

Who did such a thing!? Who tried to tarnish the legacy of Bleitz's work? Who questioned the authenticity of his work? Well, there was one anonymous rant on my second blog post, signed only with "Michael." He wrote:

"This is a very intriguing subject. I now think that the Eskimo Curlew could have been extinct long before 1962. After reading the posts on this site, I downloaded the five photos of the Curlew and used my computer to manipulate them so I could see the details much better. It now appears to me that the bird is a mounted specimen."

I hope Martin and Ted didn't confuse this anonymous 'Michael' with me. Anyway, I never once thought Donald Bleitz used a mount of an Eskimo Curlew for any of the birds in his series of photographs.

What concerns me is the way my name appears in Collinson's article. How many people who read the magazine article will bother to visit the link to my blog to see what I wrote? Also, why the attention on this at this moment? This conversation occurred online almost 6 years ago. Has it really "led to discussion on internet-based forums and media that there is something suspicious going on about the photographs"? If it's there, I haven't been able to locate it.

I asked this question on the pertinent ABA blog post whether or not my blog posts were used as the singular source regarding Collinson's article, but there was no reply. I googled the subject and found nothing other than my own blog posts. Whatever sources were used to make assertions of accused deceit and tarnished legacy, I'm not too thrilled with the way my name appears in Collinson's article; it makes it seem like I was the one accusing Bleitz. To really set the record straight, it is simply untrue. Unless I can be shown additional online conversations on this particular topic, it would be more accurate for Collinson to say:

"Furthermore, at least one observer noticed the apparent discrepancies between the photos, and suggested an attempt to deceive. In this regard, see the Feb. 2006 online discussion at Mike McDowell's birding blog (URL)."

Smartweed Sparrow

2011-09-27T17:17:00.006-05:00

Nelson's Sparrow perched in smartweed.

Personally, I preferred the name "Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow" (Ammodramus nelsoni) for the elegant bird pictured above. I was fortunate to see a couple of them perched in smartweed earlier this morning at Lake Barney; it's been a few years since I last saw one at Nine Springs. The best chance to see Nelson's Sparrows in southern Wisconsin is during fall migration (from late September to mid October) when this species can be found at wetlands with large patches of smartweed. Now that the habitat at Nine Springs has become somewhat less favorable for Nelson's Sparrows, I was pleased when Steve Theissen reported finding several of these birds at Lake Barney a few days ago. I didn't hesitate on my day off today for a chance to get a glimpse of them. The beautiful arrangement of pumpkin-orange plus warm brown tones, punctuated with flashes of white on the belly and back make it one of the most spectacular of all little brown jobs!

Nelson's Sparrow © 2011 Mike McDowell

Autumnal Equinox

2011-09-23T07:22:00.002-05:00

Sparrows Return!

2011-09-21T13:44:00.006-05:00

White-throated Sparrow

The first White-throated Sparrows of fall migration have reached Pheasant Branch Conservancy. Some of these beautiful sparrows will remain at the conservancy throughout winter, but most will continue traveling south. By mid-October, the prairie will be teeming with migratory sparrows that have come to our neighborhoods from the northernmost parts of the boreal forest of Canada.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Most likely a summer resident, I adore the buffy coloration of Clay-colored Sparrows in basic plumage. Though they belong to the genus spizella, in this particular molt I find them nearly as striking as members of ammodrammus, such as Nelson's or Le Conte's Sparrow. They're a fairly curious bird and make excellent photography subjects. On the other hand, you have to be pretty quick to get a picture of the far less gregarious Lincoln's Sparrow.

Lincoln's Sparrow

Right now the prairie is filled with various goldenrods, asters, and many other late summer wildflowers. It's a beautiful time of year; not just for the nature photographer, but for anyone who desires a walk in Nature's exquisite parade of colors. It's worth our while to get outside and enjoy this temporal scenery. Not only does time spent in nature help improve our overall wellness, it also helps boost our cognition. Really! Check out Richard Louv's reasons why children and adults need Nature.

Showy Goldenrod

Katydid on Showy Goldenrod

Smooth Aster

Smooth Aster

"I am not always in sympathy with nature-study as pursued in the schools, as if this kingdom could be carried by assault. Such study is too cold, too special, too mechanical; it is likely to rub the bloom off Nature. It lacks soul and emotion; it misses the accessories of the open air and its exhilarations, the sky, the clouds, the landscape, and the currents of life that pulse everywhere."

John Burroughs – The Gospel of Nature

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Sep 20, 2011 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
55 species

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

On the other hand...

2011-09-16T14:38:00.013-05:00

Blackpoll Warbler

From WISBIRDN (9/15):

From the lack of reports the past 2 days of any major fall outs I assume I'm not the only one who was disappointed on morning walks looking for migrants. The radar may be lit up but the birds must keep right on going. Maybe our neighbors to the south are experiencing all those "radar birds"? Oh wait, Chris West had a RB Nuthatch in his yard. That's a fall out for him! Wayne Rohde can't even get a Indigo Bunting in a corn field these days. What disappointment.

Patrick Ready
Not very birdy Stoughton
Dane Co.

What difference does eyeballing NexRad every night and morning make in my birding behavior and field observations? Regardless of what radar shows, I still go birding. I compiled some of my recent PBC creek corridor eBird data (first two weeks of September) and created two graphs. This first shows the total number of individuals by outing (red line) and the number of species for that same outing (blue line):

The second graph has the same criteria, but only warbler species:

Weather-wise, the past two weeks have been fair with strong and weak nights of migration, that is, according to NexRad. Considering the graphs and data, there really hasn't been a morning that didn't live up to its NexRad promise. Though there were some dips in warbler numbers by total individuals, each morning produced similar results. Disappointing? Not at all!

2011 seems about average for Sept. 1st - 15th:

Link: Weather: Fall Birding Basics at eBird

Blackpoll Warbler by USF&WS

2011-09-15T10:48:00.001-05:00

Warbler Migration and Nexrad!

2011-09-06T19:01:00.005-05:00

Nashville Warbler

What's been going on? Lots of birding, of course! Though it seems to me like overall numbers of birds are down, so far this month I've encountered 18 warbler species at Pheasant Branch Conservancy:

Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Golden-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson's Warbler

At present I think migration is running a little behind on account of the warmer weather we experienced last week. Weather plays an important role in migratory behavior. Nocturnal migrants favor a tailwind which allows them to virtually double their flight speed as well as preserve their fat stores. Some songbirds will migrate during unfavorable winds, but they'll do so at lower altitudes, thereby increasing the chance of colliding with man-made structures.

I use two meteorological websites to make birding predictions: Weather Underground's Wind direction/speed and Nexrad (Next-generation Radar). Many birders have heard how Nexrad can be used to view and track the movements of birds during the night. It serves as somewhat of an indicator of how "good" the birding may be the following day. However, lack of Nexrad activity during nighttime doesn't necessarily translate to slow birding in the morning. For example, inclement weather may have kept birds from migrating, so the woods might still be filled with migrants that travelled from previous days.

The above image shows highly suitable winds over the central US for bird migration the evening of September 4th. Later that night, about an hour after sunset, you can see how migration patterns after the wind direction and system fronts:

Professional ornithologists also use Nexrad to track migratory birds. Density estimations give ornithologists the ability to count the number of birds involved in migratory movements, specific direction routes, timing, speed, elevation, and correlation with weather patterns. Birds can detect storms by sight, smell, sound, humidity, and pressure. They'll attempt to fly around the storm cell, reverse direction, and possibly be forced to land. All of this can be detected and viewed live on Nexrad (check out the link to the primer below).

My favorite online Nexrad website is the National Center for Atmospheric Research/Research Applications Program - Real-time Weather Data or NCAR/RAP. To see live Nexrad maps, change the "Product" to "Regional Reflectivity" and leave the "Background" set to the default "black" option. For a quick snapshot, leave the "Loop Duration" set to "Single image." At this point you can either click on an individual radar station (three-letter codes across the states), or to see an entire map of US Nexrad data, select "Contiguous U.S." at the top.

Link: NCAR/RAP Nexrad

Link: Weather Underground Wind speed/direction

Link: Nexrad Ornithology Primer

Nashville Warbler © 2011 Mike McDowell

Late Summer Song

2011-08-29T15:43:00.002-05:00

American Redstart

Some southbound warblers continue to sing during late August. Depending on the species or individual, a warbler's song during fall migration isn't always recognizable. Most male American Redstarts I've encountered this month are singing pretty much the same song they do during spring, they're just less emphatic. Some warblers will sing familiar fragments, like Tennessee and Canada Warblers do, but others may produce jumbled or diminutive notes that are completely unrecognizable to even the best birders.

Black Swallowtail

Most warblers have given up on singing altogether. But all continue to vocalize call notes that can help reveal their identity, like the unique smacking note of a Magnolia Warbler or the loud alert of a waterthrush. Sometimes these single syllables can offer enough of a clue to help make the correct identification, or at least let you know there's something worth stopping for before continuing on down a trail. Though more challenging than spring migration, fall warbler watching (and listening) can be just as enjoyable.

Evening Primrose

Yesterday Dottie Johnson and I found nine warbler species along the Pheasant Branch Conservancy creek corridor: Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, and Wilson's Warbler. They're on the move!

Great Blue Lobelia

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Aug 28, 2011 7:30 AM - 10:00 AM
52 species

Wood Duck
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Field Trip!

2011-08-23T06:58:00.003-05:00

"The migrants are starting their pilgrimage back through Wisconsin. Join MAS for a free field trip led by Mike McDowell at Pheasant Branch Conservancy on Thursday August 25th at 7:00 am to welcome the warblers, vireos, and other migrants!"

We will meet here.

Something to sing about!

2011-08-22T08:19:00.003-05:00

"This is a record-setting year for Kirtland’s Warbler. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will soon announce officially that the 2011 census of singing males tallied 1,828 birds: 1,805 in Michigan, 21 in Wisconsin, and 2 in Ontario. This total edges past the previous record of 1,826 in 2009."

Link: Continue reading at the ABA Blog

Kirtland's Warbler © 2011 Mike McDowell

Creek Corridor Beauty

2011-08-20T21:24:00.003-05:00

The warbler waves are forming in the north. Ashland birder Ryan Brady found 13 warbler species this morning. With suitable tailwinds, these birds should begin arriving in Dane County in about a week or so. Apart from resident and summer birds, things are still pretty quiet here.

During the apex of migration when birds are plentiful, I'm so busy looking for the next feathered gem I sometimes forget to appreciate Pheasant Branch for its own natural beauty. It seems I get bird sightedness at times. I'm blind to the trees; rather than looking at them I'm looking in them for birds.

So, while the birding is comparatively slow, I've been taking some time to photograph the creek corridor during recent walks. It's a veritable jungle this time of year. When I'm here it's easy to forget that this mile-long narrow stretch of habitat is surrounded by homes, schools, gas stations, and mini-malls.

I've seen aerial photographs of the creek corridor and sense what birds must see as they approach. With all that's here it's really no wonder there are such high concentrations of migratory birds during spring and fall. It's an oasis in the middle of a city.

These images represent some of my favorite spots. Can you imagine birding here? Coming up on two decades of birding at the conservancy, the place has structure and form that's so familiar to me it feels like kind of home – it's very comfortable. I'm sure you must know what I mean if you bird the same location day after day. Maybe it's an aesthetic thing, but there are particular spots that just stand apart from others.

Other spots are extra special for the regulars one encounters!

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Summer Wanes

2011-08-15T15:00:00.005-05:00

A visit to a southern Wisconsin woods during mid August is rich with sublimity and sensations of reminiscence. The vegetation remains green and lush, but changes are taking place. There's something unique about the fragrant air; a mix of late summer wildflowers and traces of moist decay. Freshly fallen cottonwood leaves are starting to gather along the trail. Even the sky seems bluer this time of year. All of this, plus the cooling temperatures, are some of the most enjoyable signs of the impending fall and still reminds me of going back to school. But now my classroom is outside and I enjoy teaching others the subtleties of confusing fall warbler identification.

Along with serenading crickets and cicadas, Eastern Wood-Pewees are the most visual and vocally obvious birds of the creek corridor. However, the cool weather from the north brought a few migrant songbirds with it. At Pheasant Branch Conservancy on Sunday I found a Canada Warbler and Black-and-white Warbler, neither of which had given up on singing just yet. Most other birds I encountered during my outing belonged to species found throughout summer at Pheasant Branch.

Coming around a corner, I found a gorgeous young Great Blue Heron regally perched in the morning sunlight. It remained motionless for two exposures before flying up the corridor for a more secluded spot. If I'd had more time I would have oriented the camera portrait-wise so not to clip off its feet, but I'm content with the photograph I got!

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Middleton = Bird City!

2011-08-11T05:58:00.003-05:00

The Bird City Wisconsin project announced today that it was recognizing nine additional communities in its unique statewide program to encourage urban bird conservation. The awards brought to 29 the number of cities, villages, towns and counties committed to making their communities a better place for people, birds and other wildlife. The newest Bird City communities range widely and include the cities of La Crosse, Manitowoc, Middleton and West Bend; the villages of Newburg, Elm Grove and Trempealeau, along with Taylor County and the Town of Grafton. Each will receive a special Bird City Wisconsin flag, plaque and street signs to be erected at their boundaries.

Link: Bird City Wisconsin Website

Nine Springs Shorebirds

2011-08-07T21:18:00.002-05:00

Spotted Sandpiper

The water levels are somewhat high at Nine Springs, but I found one suitable pond that had nice mudflats for shorebirds. Plus, there was a convenient window through the cattails to aim my spotting scope through. Peering in, I could see Least Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpipers, one Stilt Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Killdeer.

Spotted Sandpiper

I wish I had gotten out earlier, but I neglected to charge my camera batteries overnight, so I didn't get going until 10:30AM. By the time I started scanning the lagoons the temperature was already in the low 80s. Sweat running off my forehead dripped on my camera as I digiscoped peeps and plovers.

Least Sandpiper

The Least and Spotted Sandpipers were pretty accommodating distance-wise, but they were pretty quick working the edges of the mudflat. It's a challenge keeping with them through the camera's viewfinder.

Least Sandpiper

The Stilt Sandpiper and some of the other larger shorebirds stayed at the far side of the pond, so I wasn't able to capture as much detail as I would have liked. The heat started getting to me after about an hour, so I called it a day. Winds are out of the north tonight, so I'm betting most of these birds are in flight as I type.

Stilt Sandpiper

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Summer Project

2011-08-04T13:11:00.012-05:00

I haven't been doing much birding or nature photography lately due to the exceedingly uncomfortable hot weather we've been having. Instead, I've been catching up on some reading as well as working on a new summer project, my family ancestry.

Grace and Allison Miller (great grandparents)

My dad helped by providing me with data on his side, but I knew next to nothing beyond my mom's parents. With the help of several online genealogy databases, county census records, historical societies, and other resources, I've been able to trace my relatives back to the 1600s to countries like Scotland, England, Netherlands, Germany, and France.

Clarence S. Darrow

It's interesting to know names, birth and death dates, and geographical locations for all 8 of my great grandparents, and 12 of my 16 great great grandparents. One of the most fascinating discoveries is finding I'm related to Clarence Seward Darrow, the famous lawyer who defended John Scopes during the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925. Clarence and my maternal grandmother (Edrie Louise Darrow b. 1908) are both decedents of Jedediah Darrow (b. 1721). I read Clarence Darrow's book Why I am an Agnostic and Other Essays several years ago, not knowing our shared ancestry.

William T. Sterling

On my paternal grandmother's side, I'm a decedent of William T. Sterling (b. 1808), who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and platted what is now the village of Mount Sterling, WI. I have a few relatives who fought for the Union Army during the Civil War, and one relative who fought under George S. Patton at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.

Mt. Sterling - 1915

At present I have around 200 individuals in my family tree, some going back 11 generations. Often times a particular lineage will stop cold, but I still have a lead on my Scottish ancestors that could go back to the thirteenth century. I recently found a 1st cousin (once removed) on Facebook who is going to provide me with additional information on my ancestors from Canada and France.

Hiram Allison Miller (great great grandfather)

© 2011 Mike McDowell

July Ends

2011-07-31T22:52:00.003-05:00

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Jul 31, 2011 - 50 species

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Green Heron © 2011 Mike McDowell

Where's mine!? ;)

2011-07-28T16:07:00.003-05:00

Mike,

Finally Jim Williams wrote and apologized for trying to sell one of my images to you. It turns out he was just trying to discourage you from using the image, so he set a high price! I think some of the Wisconsin birding group is also concerned about using the same image for your facebook site, but that is beyond my area of concern!

Just wanted to let you know that the "illegality" of the situation is satisfied from my point of view.

Cheers,

George

Dr. George C. West
www.birchsidestudios.com
www.FriendsofMaderaCanyon.org
www.HumMonNet.org
Green Valley or Pinetop, AZ

The First Migrants

2011-07-18T10:39:00.007-05:00

Least Sandpiper

It's hard to believe at this time of year fall bird migration has already been underway for a few weeks. Genetically honed and adapted to Earth's natural cycles, shorebirds like the Least Sandpiper began leaving their Canadian breeding territories in late June, just after the summer solstice. I first noticed a few southbound shorebirds last week (Least and Solitary Sandpipers). Not far from my apartment, there's a drainage pond with good shorebird habitat where I can view and photograph these spectacular migratory birds. Though they've come far already, they still have a long way to go.

Tall St. John's Wort

Given the rather uncomfortable hot and humid weather this week, I probably won't spend much time outside. Before it got to warm yesterday morning, I went birding at Pheasant Branch Conservancy via bicycle and found 67 species (mostly by ear). The prairie has reached its summer apex and is adorned with wildflowers like Bergamot, Tall St. John's Wort, False Sunflower, and Purple Cone Flower. It's a beautiful sight, I just wish it wasn't so hot out!

Bergamot

There are still Yellow Warblers and American Redstarts singing, but their songs have become slightly less emphatic. I noticed that an Indigo Bunting was singing only fragments of his full song. I saw Eastern Kingbirds and Baltimore Orioles feeding their recently fledged young. Dickcissels are still singing along Deming Way, creating a lovely grassland rhythm from Song Sparrows, Savannah Sparows, and Eastern Meadowlarks.

Song Sparrow

"As a species, we are most animated when our days and nights on Earth are touched by the natural world. We can find immeasurable joy in the birth of a child, a great work of art, or falling in love. But all of life is rooted in nature, and a separation from that wider world desensitizes and diminishes our bodies and spirits. Reconnecting to nature, nearby and far, opens new doors to health, creativity, and wonder. It's never too late."

Richard Louv - The Nature Principle

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Jul 17, 2011 8:00 AM - 9:45 AM
67 species

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Pheasant
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Of Listservs and Facebook

2011-07-12T10:31:00.019-05:00

A long time ago on a big network, a few Wisconsin birders got together and created a Facebook group to share their state bird sightings. The group was without form and ultimately failed to flourish. Subsequently, along with thousands of other non-active old format Facebook groups, it was scheduled to be archived and faded away into obscurity.

After a couple of server outages on the Wisconsin Birding Network listserv last month, I decided to create a brand new group of the same name on Facebook and invited a bunch of my birder friends from Wisconsin. For a profile picture, I lifted the listserv image (a drawing of a Western Sandpiper found only here) on the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology's website. At the time I thought of the group as a possible adjunct or maybe even a potential replacement down the road. Naturally, as a nature photographer, I'm sensitive to copyright issues but assumed the image belonged to WSO. Since I'm a member and there was no credit or copyright mark on the image, I didn't think it would be a big deal to use as a group profile image.

Today the new Facebook birding group has nearly 100 users with almost daily activity; even the first photograph of the Horicon Neotropic Cormorant was posted to it before it was on the listserv. Though the popularity of Facebook cannot be denied, there are lots of old timers who will never use it; the listserv still has ten times the user base and activity. Though somewhat experimental, I find the new Facebook group to be a more convenient way to share eBird reports, Pheasant Branch sightings, bird images, blog posts, etc., to Wisconsin birders. Others agree.

Why use Facebook? There are clear advantages:

Easy to share multimedia.
Virtually no downtime or lag time.
Virtually no administrator maintenance.
Members can add their friends.
Members can approve new users.
Email reports can be sent to the group, just like a listserv.
Convenient discussion threads.
Photo albums.
Document archives.
You don't have to sign your posts!
Charter won't block you!

There are probably others not coming to mind.

Anyway, yesterday I received a rather alarming email from Jim Williams in MN:

"It's come to my attention that you are using one of my photographs without my permission. The sandpiper image used with WisBirdNet is mine. Only that network has my permission to use it. Please remove it from the Facebook page. Use is available for $250, which would cover one-time use for that purpose."

Gack! Well, even before responding to Jim I immediately removed the image and put up a crude replacement of my own creation. But I still desired something nicer for the group's profile picture. I wanted a drawing so I began searching the web for royalty-free stock images. To my surprise, I found the very same Western Sandpiper image available on various stock photo websites between $2.00 and $9.00. I contacted one of them to see if I could discover who actually owned the image. After talking to a representative at fotosearch, I learned that the creator of the image was someone other than Jim. After emailing the real artist with my story, he wrote back:

"Can you give me the name or business that is trying to sell my image for $250? All of my drawings are on a commercial web site and I believe that Fotosearch is associated with that site ... I do not know how much CanStockPhoto charges for images - but less than $250 and less than $9 in most cases as I only get a few $$ for each image sold. I would like to inform Fotosearch and CanStockPhoto about this event as it constitutes stealing of copyrighted material and profiting from the theft."

Since the sandpiper drawing didn't belong to Jim, I emailed him again and asked what exactly his objection was. After a few missives and letting him know I knew who the real artist was, the true reason for his email was revealed:

"Yes, widely available [the sandpiper image]. It's the idea here. Use of that image implies that your Facebook site is somehow affiliated with WisBirdNet, which is not true. You misrepresent the situation by use of that image."

Oh, is that all? Well, I guess that's sort of true. Perhaps it's like how Jim misrepresented himself as the owner the sandpiper image in the form of a threat to get his way, which I think is a far worse offense. There's nothing like pointing out alleged mistakes of others by employing dishonest tactics in the process. Anyway, I the more I thought about it the more put off I was at Jim's phony $250 "offer." I bought the sandpiper image from fotosearch, renamed the group by dropping "network" from it, and gave the image a slightly different look from the listserv one.

Link: Wisconsin Birding on Facebook

© 2011 Mike McDowell

P&S Digital Cameras for Digiscoping

2011-07-08T13:08:00.007-05:00

Apart from adding a carbon fiber tripod a couple of years ago, I haven't changed my digiscoping gear since 2006. I'm still using an older generation Swarovski ATS80 HD, 20-60x zoom, Swarovski DCA, and a Nikon Coolpix 8400 (discontinued, but still available) for all my digiscoping. For all the macro shots on my blog I use a Nikon Coolpix 4500 (also discontinued). I've yet to spend time with the Canon SD4000 IS we have at the store, but if my 8400 died today it's the camera I would likely replace it with. As I've mentioned in previous posts, unless I've used it extensively, it's difficult for me to recommend particular camera models, though I can tell you what others are using. While just about any DSLR with a 50mm f/1.8 lens will work, here are three point-and-shoot digital cameras recognized by the digiscoping community that work well:

Where to get camera recommendations:

Link: Yahoo Digiscoping Tech Group

Link: Facebook Digiscoping Group

© 2011 Mike McDowell

Peace and Pace

2011-07-06T21:21:00.010-05:00

"For the awakened, there is only one world, and they all share it. Sleeping people live each in his own world, and cannot stop fidgeting."

~ Heraclitus

Spring Green Preserve

The path through oak barrens opens up to a veritable field of dreams. For me, Spring Green Preserve is one of Wisconsin's most unique natural areas to be experienced on a multitude of layers, mixing senses of science, spirit, and art. The citizen scientist will catalog the prairie's rich flora and fauna and submit data where appropriate for insect and bird species. My spiritual sense embraces the hugeness and beauty of nature which feels timeless and full of possibilities. The artist hopes to capture these moments in images and then share them with an audience like a performance. These layers converge and I find my peace with the world, if only for the hours of my visit.

Lark Sparrow with food.

Though I've arrived early just after a dense fog has lifted from the prairie, I see signs in the sand that it's already been a busy morning of eating and evading. I see a Lark Sparrow carrying food suggesting young birds, perhaps a second brood. Abundant Grasshopper Sparrows continue to sing and patrol their territories, chasing away any intruders who cross borders invisible to our senses.

A Grasshopper Sparrow belts out his song.

Listening as I walk, I identify the songs of several other bird species before they're seen, and some before they've even seen me, but most are aware that I have entered. There are Eastern Meadowlarks, Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhees, and Brown Thrashers. The grassland sparrows sing a variety of songs; some are reminiscent of insects, others more staccato and finch-like, while a few deliver notes that could be called a tune.

Big Sand Tiger Beetle

Though I don't want to miss anything flying over the clearing, my eyes must alternate and scan the ground as I walk because there are interesting critters at my feet. Tiger Beetles, Velvet Ants, Robber Flies and even lizards are present to the careful observer. This day I decided to try and photograph as many different Tiger Beetles as I could. According to The Nature Conservancy, there are eight at the prairie, but I was only able to find half of them during my treasure hunt.

Obliqued-lined Tiger Beetle

Six-spotted Tiger Beetle

Festive Tiger Beetle

The sand prairie's wildflowers are between peaks, but some colorful ones are still in bloom like Prickly Pear Cactus, Lead Plant, and Spiderwort.

Lead Plant

Prickly Pear Cactus in bloom.

Five hours have passed before I know it. My visit is over. I probably won't return to Spring Green Preserve again until sometime next year. Meanwhile, there will be fade, migration, hibernation, death, decay, and eventual rebirth. And one day next April or May the prairie will be on parade once again.

Farewell...

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Close to Home

2011-07-04T13:31:00.010-05:00

Dickcissel

It's been a wonderful summer for watching Dickcissels in southern Wisconsin; I'm finding them at prairies and fallow fields I've not observed them at in years past. Have you been seeing or hearing them? Enjoy them for the remainder of July because they'll be a lot harder to find in early August when males begin to reduce their song output.

Without a doubt, birds are the most obvious wildlife photography subjects and it's pretty easy to find common ones (if you're not too particular) even in your own backyard. There's a great deal of diversity out there, more than the average person might guess. Within a few miles of my apartment I can find close to 80 species during this time of year. Of course, I have Pheasant Branch Conservancy and other natural areas close by.

Vesper Sparrow

Sometimes birds even find you. While sitting at a picnic table at Pope Farm Park yesterday afternoon, I spotted a Vesper Sparrow meandering through the mowed grass toward me. Well, it wasn't actually coming at me but had its eye on a dry soil spot in the grass for a dust bath. Birds do this as a way to clean their feathers and skin from parasites. It would have been cool to get a video clip, but I wasn't sure what the bird was up to until it was too late to switch my camera's recording mode. I know how many dial clicks it is from aperture priority to image previews, but I have to look whenever I set it to video.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Singing Clay-colored Sparrow

A layer of high altitude clouds thickened as the afternoon progressed and eventually began hampering the light for digiscoping, but I still managed to get some good images of Clay-colored Sparrows. They were very active and vocal with their diminutive buzz-buzz-buzz songs.

Here's a Red Milkweed Beetle. Both parts of its binomial Latin name, tetraopes tetrophthalmus, translate to "four eyes" for the way the beetle's antennae bisects its compound eye. When disturbed, these beetles make a squeaking sound by rubbing together rough areas on the thorax.

This is a Stink Bug nymph, but I'm not sure which species. I think it might be Brown Stink Bug (Euschistus servus).

In addition to this Widow Skimmer dragonfly, I also saw Common Whitetail, Halloween Pennant, and Twelve-spotted Skimmer. Monarchs and Black Swallowtails were the most prevalent butterflies, but were too active to be photographed.

Here's fireworks from Nature for the 4th of July:

Milkweed from above!

Fiery Butterfly Milkweed

St. John's Wort

Hoary Vervain and a Honey Bee!

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

The Witchety-witchety Warbler!

2011-06-30T21:45:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I gave a talk to Friends of Pheasant Branch prairie restoration volunteers on the importance of habitat for birds, the perils of migration, and other threats to their livelihood. During the hour I couldn’t help but notice several male Common Yellowthroats chasing one another around near the parking lot. So, early this morning I decided to return to the prairie parcel to digiscope them.

At first all I could manage to get were backlit shots but soon realized these images were kind of neat in the way sunlight outlined the birds and how their legs and beaks glowed with translucence. As the masked warblers repositioned and protected their territorial borders, I eventually got a few shots of them with the sun to my back. They’ve been very busy the past few months and you can see they have noticeable feather wear, but their voices remained as determined as the first week of May.

And that brings us to July...

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

June Sightings

2011-06-27T12:30:00.006-05:00

Prothonotary Warbler

For much of June I've been keeping tabs on the Prothonotary Warbler nest boxes at Picnic Point. While birding with Dottie and Sylvia yesterday, we discovered that the young fledged sometime between Saturday and Sunday morning (they were still in the box Saturday morning). The gawky juvenile birds bear little resemblance to their stunning parents, and without seeing an adult feed one I doubt I would have been able to identify it. They appeared as many other young songbirds do with short tail feathers and a bold yellow gape, but had green (head, nape, and back), white (belly), and gray (wings) plumage colors.

Common Spring Moth - did not become food (as a caterpillar)!

Our best guess is 2 or 3 fledged young, but they were a little difficult to keep track off. As the male and female caught insects and caterpillars for them, the young would follow the adults distances from 2 to 20 feet. The young birds seemed to favor dense mid-story vegetation. The male and female would sound alert calls whenever there was some kind of intrusion, be it a grackle, blue jay, squirrel, etc. The young kept quiet until they were being fed (begging calls). It was quite amusing watching the male bang caterpillars against branches with his mandibles. There's still time for a second brood, so I'm going to continue to check in on them during July.

Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie

Part-two of our Sunday nature excursion was a visit to Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie to see if the Wood Lilies were still in bloom. Birds at the prairie included typical grassland species like Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, and Horned Lark. I also heard a Yellow-throated Vireo singing from the woods nearby.

Dickcissel

All great birds are capable of admiration and study, but we were there for the dazzling display of wildflowers. To our delight, the fiery Wood Lilies were still very much in bloom. Once used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, to me they're still therapeutic as eye-candy to relax the mind. I think they'll probably be done before the end of this week, so hurry if you want to see them.

Wood Lily

Other wildflower favorites included Blue Lobelia, Hair Bell, Thimbleweed, and Death Camas (yep, poisonous).

Death Camas

Thimbleweed

The Dogbane Leaf Beetle is fairly common at the summer prairie and is one of my favorite insect macro subjects to photograph because of their incredible iridescence. They feed on roots and leaves of dogbane and other milkweed plants and are very docile. Don't pick them up, though, because they're capable of giving off a foul-smelling secretion when touched!

Dogbane Leaf Beetle

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

It's like a Time Capsule

2011-06-24T11:50:00.018-05:00

I recently came into possession of a near-mint condition 1961 edition of Wisconsin's Favorite Bird Haunts by Sam Robbins (thanks Ben!). Last night I paged through the Dane County section and was surprised to learn a few things about the avifauna from 50 years ago; it's like reading a time capsule on birds. In the section intro Robbins writes:

"The city of Madison is especially favored as a haven for birds because of its lakes and marshes. Its natural setting and large wilderness areas owned by the state combine to concentrate the birds."

Fortunately, this remains true today. I've observed 268 bird species in Dane County and around 220 at Pheasant Branch Conservancy alone. We're lucky to have places like Cherokee Marsh, UW Arboretum, Owen Park, Nine Springs, Picnic Point, and other great places to watch birds. Some places had different names:

"No doubt one of the most productive marshes near Madison has been Hammersley's marsh (area "J"), now slated to become part of a new real estate development project. In addition to the ducks and rails, a great variety of shorebirds annually visit this marsh. Willets, Knots, Wilson's Phalaropes, and Hudsonian Godwits have been seen here in recent years."

Today area "J" is Odana Marsh, now adjacent to a golf course. The present habitat is unlikely to attract any of these particular shorebird species, but it's still a songbird hotspot during migration. The last time I had a Red Knot in Dane County was at Nine Springs almost a decade ago. Both Hudsonian and Marbled Godwits are occasionally reported there (Nine Springs) during spring migration.

Then there was this surprise:

"The general vicinity of Hoyt's Park (area "F") attracts the Bewick's Wren,despite the recent platting of the general area. Its song can be heard here in the early spring most years."

Bewick's Wren!? I didn't know they had been regular visitors to southern Wisconsin! I checked Birds of North America online and found that there haven't been any breeding records here since 1966 (Robbins 1991). Perhaps in another 50 years my blog will be a kind of time capsule as well. I wonder what changes there will be by then?

Bewick's Wren courtesy of USF&WS National Digital Library

Settling into Summer

2011-06-22T12:29:00.005-05:00

Grasshopper Sparrow with ... a grasshoper!

While a few migratory bird species are just getting started, some will soon disperse. In fact, Common Grackles are already forming flocks. Yellow Warblers begin to clear out of their breeding territories mid July. Species with multiple broods will continue producing young throughout summer. A bird carrying food (like this Grasshopper Sparrow) can infer the presence of young, but it might also mean courtship feeding. I highly suspect young, though, because it was particularly concerned with keeping an eye on me – perhaps being cautious I wouldn't follow where it was bringing the meal in order to protect the nest. I got the picture and left so it could get back to work without having to worry about me.

Sedge Wren's bill is quicker than the eye!

During two hours of birding yesterday, I tallied 64 species at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, 8 of which were sparrows, 5 swallows, and 3 wrens. The lower-mandible of the a Sedge Wren moves so fast while singing that it's nearly impossible to freeze its action even when photographing them under good lighting conditions. We're a little low on Sedge Wren numbers, but I think more will arrive soon. Actually, I think it's the anomaly when they're in high numbers at the prairie in late May. Like Pheasant Branch, Pope Farm Park tends to experience a surge in Sedge Wren numbers near the end of June or early July. Young Sedge Wrens are among the most curious birds I've ever encountered. It's not uncommon for them to come within a few feet when inspecting me for threat-level. One move, however, and they quickly retreat deep into the grass and wildflowers.

Pasture Rose

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Jun 21, 2011 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
64 species

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Pheasant
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Solitary Sandpiper
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Spring Ends

2011-06-20T12:44:00.006-05:00

Late spring woods.

For the final weekend of spring I stayed close to home and birded a few places around the Madison area. Birding mostly by ear, Saturday evening I biked the entire trail system of Pheasant Branch and came up with 59 species. I discovered several Marsh Wrens singing at a cattail marsh on the far west end of the confluence ponds; a pleasant surprise as this isn't a species I often encounter at the conservancy. Other birds included an American Redstart, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Indigo Buntings, several Dickcissels, Eastern Kingbirds, and Eastern Meadowlarks.

On Sunday, Dottie, Sylvia, and I visited a couple of spots to check up on the breeding and territory status of a few previously seen warblers. Conditions felt tropical and a variety of interesting mushrooms were popping up from the moist forest floor. In some areas the trails were covered with tiny toads, so we had to be careful where we stepped.

Prothonotary Warbler scans for bugs.

We were thrilled to see that the Prothonotary Warbler pair were carrying fecal sacs out of their nest box. Most of the time the male was perched above us in the branches to sing and keep keeping an eye on the female as she caught caterpillars and other insects to feed her young. During song breaks, the male occasionally joined in on the hunt and returned to the nest box with juicy green caterpillars. While we were watching the warblers we also observed a pair of Green Herons catch and eat tadpoles while a mother Wood Duck and her ducklings paddle by.

Hooded Warbler pauses between songs.

We returned to Hoyt Park to check in on the Kentucky Warbler but failed to relocate it. However, as soon as we arrived I heard a singing Hooded Warbler very close to the playground. It only took a few minutes for us to locate the bird and got wonderful views of it. While Dottie and Sylvia continued to watch the Hooded Warbler, I walked the trails in search of the Kentucky to no avail. However, a birder friend of mine told me he found it later on in the day, so we at least know it's still there.

False Solomon's Seal

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

What I'm Doing

2011-06-14T20:33:00.008-05:00

There's a fable about a powerful king who assembles his sages and asks them to render an object that will make him happy when he is sad and sad when he is happy. They ultimately forge a ring for their king bearing the inscription "This too shall pass." For me that object is a bird. When I visit a woods or prairie filled with birds I know I'm generally seeing them at their best, which is how I like to capture them with my photography. Before I was a serious birder, however, I had no idea how much trouble birds are in. As the naturalist matures, it's a rather depressing moment when realizing all is not so well.

Whenever I come upon a Dickcissel, I can't help but think about how badly they're treated by farmers in Venezuela where they're considered agricultural pests. Because Dickcissels winter there in huge concentrated flocks, it wouldn't be difficult to wipe out a substantial portion of their entire population with a single poisoning event. Sometimes I'm amazed any exist at all, so I'm very grateful when one is perched in front of me singing away the afternoon at a panoramic grassland. It gives me a little hope.

On some days (the lucky ones) I'm able to trek down a path and get into a groove where it's just the sound of my footsteps on grass or dirt, my breathing, wind, insect sounds, and birdsong. As I’m walking, my mind catalogues all the birds I hear almost subconsciously; it’s just me, the ground, and the bird. There’s a Field Sparrow! Who was the first person to hear a Field Sparrow’s song and knew it belonged to the little bird with the pink bill?

During such treasured moments I forget the plight of birds, the city where I live, the fact that I can visit a place like this because I have a good job, etc. But there are reminders, like a siren or airplane that can pull me out of my meditation, but only temporarily. The hypnotic rhythm of my step quickly returns me to my zen with nature. I love losing myself like this and imagine what these experiences must have been like for early explorers and naturalists. Isn’t this what we should all be doing?

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Prothonotary Encounter!

2011-06-12T21:42:00.005-05:00

Today, and for the second time in my life, I was “checked-out” by a Prothonotary Warbler, but this time it was an absolute stunner! I had been birding with Dottie Johnson and Sylvia Marek most of the day and on our last stop we wanted to check in on a nest cavity belonging to a pair of Prothontary Warblers.

We stood on the trail within sight of the cavity and watched the warbler pair through our binoculars. The male poked his head out, looked in both directions, and then made a quick dash to our left. Moments later I heard a few tsp-tsp call notes from close by. I put my bins down to look and to my utter astonishment the male was perched on a thin branch looking directly at us from several feet away.

At this particular point, neither Dottie nor Sylvia noticed just how close the bird had gotten to us and continued to watch the cavity through their binoculars. Standing behind the two of them, I tapped Dottie on the shoulder and whispered, "Look!" Without extending my arm, I pointed to the bird. We froze. The golden swamp sprite hopped a branch closer and then again to another branch even closer still, and kept coming until it was no more than a foot away from Sylvia's face.

Cocking its head, the warbler silently inspected us and seemed to be paying careful attention to our faces. I couldn't believe it! I had a huge grin on my face while this was happening! Suddenly, an insect caught the bird's attention and flew across the trail to catch it. When Dottie and Sylvia turned around I could see that their cheeks were covered with tears of joy. Truly an amazing experience the three of us will never forget!

Prothontary Warbler © 2011 Mike McDowell

Come see Bobolinks!

2011-06-07T19:11:00.005-05:00

Curt Caslavka and I scouted the fields at Middleton Municipal Airport this morning ahead of the Madison Audubon field trip scheduled there for this Saturday at 8:30AM. We found around 50 BOBOLINKS, close to 30 EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, and dozens upon dozens of SAVANNAH SPARROWS. We thought we heard a DICKCISSEL far off (I know there are some along Deming Way right now). Other birds on the property included EASTERN KINGBIRD, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, YELLOW WARBLER, WARBLING VIREO, and some GREEN HERONS.

If you're planning to attend this Saturday, you should:

Bring drinking water.
Bring insect repellent.
Wear long pants.
Wear waterproof hiking boots.

The field trip will provide a rare opportunity to see an impressive concentration of Bobolinks and other grassland bird species. I think it's cool there's a place so close to town where they are flourishing like this. Thanks goes out to Middleton Public Lands, Richard Morey (Airport Manager), and Curt for getting permission for us to lead a field trip on this interesting property!

Addendum 06/13/11:

Here's Rich Morey's contact info if you want to send him a 'thank you' note:

Richard Morey
8300 Airport Road
Middleton WI 53562
cfiirich@tds.net

Bobolink image © 2011 Mike McDowell

To the Prairies!

2011-06-04T16:00:00.016-05:00

Dickcisssel

Summer is still a few weeks away but it sure feels like it's already arrived. Yesterday, temperatures were in the mid-90s with high humidity to boot. The memory of our unusually cold spring has been baked away!

Biking home yesterday from work, I discovered a few singing Dickcissels along Deming Way. They weren't there Thursday, or the day before that. It's one of my favorite grassland species and a bird I'm grateful to have frequent observations of throughout June and July during my bike rides. In reference to spring's beauties, John Clare said, "The careless observer would laugh at me … he does not give himself the trouble to seek them out." If only the developers knew what they are wrecking along Deming Way. Would they care? Wisconsin is open for business, don't you know.

It's pretty hot again today, so I went birding before conditions became uncomfortable. As many of my longtime readers know, during June I tend to retreat from the creek corridor at Pheasant Branch and do more birding and nature photography at local prairies. For the most part, birdsongs are more insect-like but there is still a lot of interesting and colorful avian diversity to behold, plus prairies are adorned with ground fireworks in the form of wildflowers and fascinating insects.

Spiderwort

I chose Pope Farm Park in the Town of Middleton, which is located less than two miles west from my apartment. It's a very lovely spot and Spiderwort was in bloom today. As a prairie restoration in progress, it's quickly becoming quite the sparrow factory. A few days ago I was surprised to hear a Henslow's Sparrow singing there. But a birder I know who monitors the bluebird trail has found them during breeding season at the park in the past. Other emberizids included Savannah Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Chipping Sparrow.

Flying for stretches at a time, I saw a few newly arrived Dickcissels that seemed to be looking for the perfect spot to claim. I also heard an Orchard Oriole calling from one of the large Oak Trees. There isn't a huge variety of bird species there, but what is there is special and grassland species need all the help they can get in the form of new habitat.

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

May Ends

2011-05-31T22:30:00.004-05:00

Common Yellowthroats and Yellow Warblers are plentiful, and some American Redstarts remain, but the other warblers are to our north now. I think it's fair to say May is the month birders enjoy the most. In many ways this particular May will be remembered as one of the best spring migrations I've ever witnessed. For starters, I recorded a personal monthly record for number of species at Pheasant Branch (since I've kept track via eBird):

May 2011: 131
May 2010: 127
May 2009: 111
May 2008: 118
May 2007: 114

Though I didn't encounter a Hooded Warbler at the conservancy this spring, I tallied 32 warbler species along the creek corridor. Numbers aside, from the pure pleasure of birding with binoculars, close-up views of warblers made this May stand apart from others. The last time I saw anything like this was the cold snap of May 12th, 2002, but that lasted only a day. Again, cold and wet weather made it possible to have such spectacular views, but I realize birds have to take whatever nature hands them, so migration was probably more difficult than usual.

Common Yellowthroat © 2011 Mike McDowell

Kentucky Warblers in Madison!

2011-05-28T20:01:00.007-05:00

My records indicate May 26th, 2004 as the last time I saw a Kentucky Warbler ... until today! A few days ago, Charles Naeseth called to tell me he heard one singing at Owen Park, and then this morning Jesse Ellis posted a sighting on the Wisconsin Birding Network; one has been present at Hoyt Park for the past several days. I decided to try and find this bird because Hoyt is a lot closer than Wyalusing State Park. I'm sure this species still nests in the Baraboo Hills, but I haven't had one at Baxter's Hollow in a long time.

I went to Hoyt Park after work today and could hear the Kentucky Warbler singing just as soon as I opened my car door. Entering the woods, I walked a short distance down the trail in the direction of its repeating "prr-reet prr-reet prr-reet" song. As the singing grew louder and louder, I knew I was getting pretty close to the bird. And then, all of a sudden, there it was, perched on a branch and looking directly at me!

Not that I'm big on listing these days, but having a Kentucky Warbler for 2011 leaves only Worm-eating, Kirtland's, and Yellow-breasted Chat for Wisconsin Warblers this year. Though two Black-throated Gray Warblers have been reported in the Madison area this spring, I'm certainly not counting on seeing one, but you never know!

Kentucky Warbler © 2011 Mike McDowell

Baxter's Hollow Sights

2011-05-22T20:03:00.009-05:00

Baxter's Hollow - Otter Creek

Baxter's Hollow in the Baraboo Hills is a very special natural area where I've come to expect the unexpected. Without a doubt, watching over sixty Tiger Swallowtails mud-puddling was the highlight of my weekend excursion there. Actually, as a lifelong admirer of the Lepidoptera, this was an experience I've longed to witness for decades; I'm glad it happened at Baxter's with a small group of friends to share it with.

Mud-puddling Tiger Swallowtails

The discerning nature enthusiast will find so many colors and shapes to behold at Baxter's Hollow that it can almost be a distraction from birding. I'm fortunate that I've studied birdsong long enough that my eyes can fix upon insects, snails, snakes, and wildflowers while my ears always remain ready to identify even the most diminutive chirp or call.

White-lip Globelet (I think!)

Northern Brown Snake

Scarlet Tangers were singing throughout the day. We heard both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos and were treated to fantastic binocular views of the latter. Rose-breasted Grosbeak males were busy singing to attract mates and a Winter Wren's energetic song announced its presence with its series of complex notes and phrases.

Scarlet Tanager

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

I spent a great deal of time photographing wildflowers. Yellow Lady Slippers were not yet in bloom, but there were plenty of other fantastic ones like Nodding Trillium, Columbine, Jacob's Ladder, and Spring Beauty.

Nodding Trillium

Spring Beauty

Jacob's Ladder

Columbine

By the end of the day on Sunday I felt a little like this Pine Squirrel:

Ready for nap!

Location: Baxter's Hollow SNA
Observation date: 5/21/11
Number of species: 54

Wood Duck
Great Blue Heron
Black-billed Cuckoo
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Winter Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Canada Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Prairie Visit

2011-05-20T10:45:00.006-05:00

Friends of Little Blue: wildflower enthusiasts!

Just 12 miles from Middleton, Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie is a great place to see a rich diversity of native wildflowers throughout spring, summer, and fall. Yesterday I joined Friends of Little Blue for a leisurely evening stroll consisting of birds and flowers.

Singing Grasshopper Sparrow

There were Savannah Sparrows, at least one singing Grasshopper Sparrow, plus Eastern Meadowlarks, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Bluebird, and a Black-billed Cuckoo we heard calling from the treeline to the west. The hillsides are covered with Birdsfoot Violets, Blue-eyed Grass, Wood Betony, and Shooting Stars. I brought along my Nikon Coolpix 4500 for its great macro capability:

Hoary Puccoon and Birdsfoot Violet.

Wood Betony.

Shooting Star.

Yellow Star Grass.

Birdsfoot Violet.

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Garlic Mustard

2011-05-19T15:32:00.004-05:00

Garlic Mustard

Every spring I observe well-intentioned birders pull Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, but then leave piles of the invasive plant along the trail. This is a particularly resilient plant and to say that garlic mustard is prolific along the corridor trail is an understatement. If you're going to pull the plants, please bag and remove them from the conservancy – do not simply leave them lying on the ground. Plants that are pulled and left behind will still set seed and by doing so you are unwittingly contributing to the garlic mustard infestation along the stream corridor.

One of the many Garlic Mustard Gardens at Pheasant Branch

When it rains, running water wash the pulled plants (or seeds) off the gravel trail back to the soil. Also, not everybody who walks the trail knows what these piles of plants are and may kick them off the trail. With hundreds of thousands (probably millions) of garlic mustard plants, pulling a few dozen of them isn't going to dent the problem (unless you get the queen plant! j/k). But those who are pulling the plants out by the hundreds should plan on bringing bags and carrying them out of the corridor.

These plants might wash into the stream next rainfall.

Link: Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Thoughts on Audio Apps

2011-05-18T12:31:00.012-05:00

End of the line for this Sibley Guide (digiscoped).

A few days ago at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, I spotted a Sibley Eastern Guide to Birds floating in the creek. Well, it wasn't a lifer, as I already have a copy. My hunch is a birder set it on the bridge railing and inadvertently knocked it off. I, too, ditched my paper field guides recently, but they're at home on my bookshelf. I've gone digital for good. So far I've used BirdJam, iBird Pro, but my favorite is the Sibley Guide for iPhone/iPod Touch. There are plenty of user reviews of these apps on the web, so I'd like to focus more on the ethics of their use in the field.

As a field trip leader for Madison Audubon, I think these digital devices and apps are a wonderful educational tool for my participants. An illuminated image works extremely well in a dense woodland or overcast days, but the screens can be a little difficult to see well when it's sunny outside. However, the main issue some birders and naturalists have is the fact these apps contain audio recordings of songs and calls and can be played loud enough for birds to hear. On the opening page of the Sibley app it states: "Please consider the birds and other birders before playing audio recordings in the field." Anyway, there have been a few recent articles on the interwebs about how these devices are upsetting birds.

Last year during spring migration at Pheasant Branch, I experimented with warblers using BirdJam on my iPod Nano with a portable iMango speaker system. Common Yellowthroat and Yellow Warbler are the only warbler species that nest along the creek corridor, so I was careful only to play songs and calls to birds that were very unlikely to nest at the conservancy. Also, I didn't loop the songs to play them continuously. My conclusion? When playing a track or two, most warblers seemed oblivious to it.

There were notable exceptions. I got an incredibly aggressive response from a Northern Waterthrush when I played a version of that species song and a Mourning Warbler became pretty agitated, too. Having hits and misses put questions in my mind. Was it because Dane County isn't far from their breeding range and the bird's "nearly home" hormonal cycle would make an aggresive response more likely? Was it a specific quality of the recording I played? Are these particular warbler species more inclined to respond to recordings in an aggressive manner?

Thinking back to Donald Kroodma's book about birdsong The Singing Life of Birds, I recall the chapter on neighboring Song Sparrows with regard to song “type matching” versus “repertoire matching” and aggression level response. When playing recordings to warblers, I noticed often times the version of a song on my iPod was discernibly different from what that particular species typically sings in my geographical location (even when considering alternate songs). For example, I wonder whether or not a Chestnut-sided Warbler song recorded on breeding territory several states away might be different enough not to be recognized by the same species in Wisconsin. Or, is the subtle difference precisely what agitates it because it's deemed an intruder. The truth is, I was unable to predict how any particular bird would respond to recordings and I don't think I want to become an expert in this area.

When used responsibly and respectfully, these digital audio apps are helpful to birders inexperienced with identifying birds by ear. For example, this spring a Cerulean Warbler was singing a fair distance away, but a birder I was with was unable to hear the song. Though I emulated and described it, she still couldn't get on it. When I played the song (quietly) via my iPod, the next time the warbler sang she instantly picked up on it. I've done the same during some of my field trips this spring with similar "ah ha!" moments. To be sure, there is a dark side to this technology. I know of a photographer who blasts bird songs so loud and repeatedly that target birds have attacked his camera lens. The poor bird perches at the end of a twig and sings over and over responding what it perceives as territorial challenger.

What's been your experience with the use of song recordings in the field?

© 2011 Mike McDowell

Every shade of Green

2011-05-17T06:32:00.004-05:00

An American Redstart belts out his song.

American Redstarts and Chestnut-sided Warblers are the dominant wood warblers at Pheasant Branch Conservancy right now, which signals only a few weeks remain of spring migration in southern Wisconsin. From lime to emerald, most every shade of green is represented in the spring woods. It may not be quite as breathtaking as fall's fiery colors, but it has a newness and crispness that's unique during the month of May. By June, the darker summer greens will begin to take over the forest landscape.

A day ends at Pheasant Branch Conservancy.

Though there remains more birding to be done before the nesting season begins in earnest, this spring will be fondly remembered for breathtaking views of warblers that came down to the ground to forage because of cold weather. Some species were present in unusually high numbers. I don't recall seeing so many Baltimore Orioles, Canada Warblers, Mourning Warblers, Wilson's Warblers, and Blackpoll Warblers. It isn't that there are more of these particular species overall, they've been stalled and more concentrated on account of unsuitable weather for migration.

It shouldn't go unrecognized that this spring's harsh weather probably culled flocks somewhat. Personally, I saw no evidence of birds so weak they were unable to forage, but for injured or sick birds, working extra hard for food probably wasn't an option. As I write, the early morning temperature is only in the mid thirties. I just set out fresh grape jelly for the orioles and nectar for the hummingbirds - the feeders became busy within seconds. It's a small role to play and a bird can't express gratitude for such gifts the way we do, but they still seem pretty relieved to have a convenient meal waiting for them at the start of their day.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Backyard Baltimore Orioles!

2011-05-15T20:31:00.004-05:00

I tripod mounted my Nikon Coolpix 8400 on my balcony and used its remote controlled shutter to photograph Baltimore Orioles today. I've have to say this is some of the easiest bird photography I've ever done! I was lying on my couch waiting and whenever an oriole flew in to feast on jelly, I pointed the remote at the camera (through the window) and fired off exposures. Unfortunately, I don't have good lighting on my balcony patio since my apartment faces north, but I'm still pretty thrilled with the results. I first spotted one of the orioles on May 11th as it tried to get nectar from my hummingbird feeder. I quickly set out a little bowl with jelly (strawberry and grape) and within minutes the oriole returned. Now I have as many as four individual birds (three males and at least one female), sometimes all at once! Many people I know are saying it's been a great spring for watching orioles in their backyards.

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

It's International Migratory Bird Day!

2011-05-14T05:55:00.002-05:00

Warbler Parade

2011-05-12T14:20:00.002-05:00

How I usually see a Cape May Warbler!

Here in southern Wisconsin, we've been pretty spoiled by low and eye-level views of warblers for the past few weeks. Now that we've had rain showers and warmer temperatures, the forest canopy is finally beginning to fill in. Insects are attracted to sticky or flowering buds and the birds follow, making them more difficult to see. Fortunately, at the same time, more birds are singing, so they're relatively easy to identify if you know their songs.

The "bee-buzz" bird: Blue-winged Warbler.

Mixed songbird flocks tend to move together along the creek corridor in a particular direction. Depending on the wind speed/direction or quantity of insects, they'll either rapidly move on or linger for a while. As my friend Dottie says, “It's a warbler parade!” as various species move through our viewing area. Speaking of warblers, you might be interested in this entertaining and informative article on the forthcoming taxonomic rearrangement of North American wood warblers.

White Trillium

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 5/12/11
Number of species: 72

Wood Duck
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Great Horned Owl
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Canada Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Lots of Warblers!

2011-05-09T14:05:00.006-05:00

A Blackburnian Warbler comes down to the water.

What a great birding weekend! There were at least 25 warbler species at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, which included Northern Parula, Golden-winged Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Canada Warbler, and Prothonotary Warbler. On Sunday a male Summer Tanager made a brief appearance.

Prothonotary Warbler perched in the sunlight.

Sparse foliage is providing birders with fantastic views of birds; some of the warblers were foraging low or even on the ground. I got kind of used to seeing Prothonotary Warblers along the creek corridor, but apparently they finally left Saturday night for more suitable habitat. It's also possible they moved to the north side of the conservancy where it's a bit more swampy. I'll probably go look there at the end of May or early June.

Trout Lily

While the tree canopy is still pretty bare, more wildflowers are blooming and decorating the forest floor. There are thousands of Purple Violets, a few large patches of Virginia Bluebells and White Trillium. We were somewhat surprised to find Trout Lilies; the first I've ever seen at the conservancy.

Virginia Bluebells

"The meadow glows with buttercups in the spring, the hedges are green, the woods lovely; but these are not to be enjoyed in their full significance unless you have traversed the same places when bare, and have watched the slow fulfillment of the flowers."

~ Richard Jefferies

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

FOY Scarlet Tanager!

2011-05-06T15:46:00.003-05:00

Sometime in late February or early March, this male Scarlet Tanager departed the forests of northwest South America (Colombia, Ecuador, or perhaps Peru) and began its journey north. The life of a migratory songbird from the neotropics means spending daylight hours refueling/resting in suitable habitat and flying (at night) around 150 to 200 miles a stretch. I've been visiting Pheasant Branch Conservancy nearly every day since March to document the parade of migratory birds that stopover there. My daily walks through the creek corridor are usually between 2 and 4 miles long depending on how much time I have and what birds I'm finding. The tanager and I finally met up this morning. His arduous journey is nearly over; perhaps he and his mate will find a good spot to nest at Indian Lake Park or Baxter's Hollow.

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 5/6/11
Number of species: 65

Canada Goose
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Cooper's Hawk
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Scarlet Tanager © 2011 Mike McDowell

Taken from the Trail

2011-05-02T22:34:00.006-05:00

A Baltimore Oriole prepares to sing.

"It [Pheasant Branch] seems to be one of the best, if not the best, warbler spots in Wisconsin."

~ Max Witynski

Purple Violets cover the ground.

"All hail the Pheasant Branch: One of my best warbler mornings in a long time and definitely better than anything the last two years. I ended the 'morning' with 16 species of warblers including the Black-throated Gray, Black-throated Blue, Prothonotary and more Orange-crowned Warblers than I've seen in the last 3 years! Also pine siskin, swainson's thrush, grosbeak, catbirds, scarlet tanager (heard?), etc. Tons of birds and all feeding right along the ground. If I were a photographer it would have been amazing!"

~ Andy Paulios

A Prothonotary Warbler foraging on rocks.

"Cheers and great birding. Oh, and Andy P. is right. All hail Pheasant Branch. Andy, Jess and I birded for a few hours after the Black-throated Gray commotion (see Andy's post). Whoa. What a day!"

~ Eric Wood

A fantastic pose!

"No Mega rare warbler at Pheasant Branch today?? Whats wrong with you guys? I call Swainsons by the end of the week."

~ Tom Prestby

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Wow!

2011-05-01T21:17:00.005-05:00

Prairie Warbler © 2011 Mark Johnson

What a wonderful but unusual weekend of birding at Pheasant Branch Conservancy. I had 77 species along the creek corridor trail on Saturday, and 68 on Sunday. It all began with favorable winds from the south that finally opened up the floodgates. All night Friday and into early Saturday morning, millions of birds poured into southern Wisconsin. Then on Saturday night and into Sunday, moderate to strong winds were from the southwest and west. Conditions were primed for an influx of migratory birds, but I never would have anticipated a Prairie Warbler (Saturday) and a Black-throated Gray Warbler (Sunday) would find their way to Middleton's nature conservancy. Fortunately for the WSO Records Committee, the two rarities were extensively photographed by local area birders.

Black-throated Gray Warbler © 2011 Eric Wood

Though I missed the Black-throated Gray Warbler, I was very pleased to see the Prairie Warbler. I probably would have been able to see the black-throated gray, but I was helping a couple of Girl Scouts earn their "All about Birds" Girl Scout IPA (Interest Project Award). I was told about the rare warbler shortly after entering the trail at Park Street. Rather than hurry my group along or make a dash for it, I took my time with the kids and helped them identify birds they had never seen before; for them nearly every bird was a lifer. Despite seeing numerous warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and other songbirds, they were most thrilled by seeing a Great Horned Owl. I've seen Black-throated Gray Warblers in Arizona, so it wasn’t a lifer for me. But it still would have been a nice one for my personal records. However, I'm just glad so many birders are coming to Pheasant Branch Conservancy and telling me it's some of the best birding they've experienced in years.

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 4/30/11
Number of species: 77

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Solitary Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch

April Ends

2011-04-30T04:42:00.003-05:00

A very cold and rainy April comes to an end. Highlights include early Northern Parula and Prothonotary Warbler, but I won't forget the impressive number of Yellow-rumped Warblers that were stalled at Pheasant Branch Conservancy for several days. One day I estimated 15 to 20 individual birds every 100 feet for nearly 2 trail miles. Conservatively, that's nearly 1,500 yellow-rumps just along the creek corridor trail, but no doubt there were thousands more spread throughout the 500 acre conservancy. I observed male yellow-rumps displaying super aggressive behavior, which included a harsh rapid series of chip-notes I don't recall ever hearing before. My counts for Pine Warbler were above average as well and I was finally able to get nice photographs of this species.

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Golden Swamp Warbler!

2011-04-25T03:21:00.009-05:00

Prothonotary Warbler strikes a pose.

After being captivated by three Pine Warblers foraging together in the grass near the Parmenter Street bridge on Sunday, Dottie Johnson and I simultaneously locked on an even brighter yellow bird perched in the thicket along the creek bank. We were rendered speechless for a few seconds as our minds worked to make the identification of the bird. I finally acknowledged "Prothonotary Warbler!" We weren't expecting that!

While the record-early for Prothonotary Warbler in Dane County is April 16th, I typically don't see them (if at all) at Pheasant Branch Conservancy until the end of the first week of May. This dazzling 'golden swamp warbler' spent most of its time foraging in the grass along the bank. To our delight, we also got to watch it bathe and preen.

Preening after a bath.

Certainly one of the most stunning birds you can see in southern Wisconsin, Dottie mentioned this was the species that got her interested in birding in the first place. As a few other birders joined us, a few non-birders stopped and asked what we were watching. I let them use my binoculars and even got the bird in my spotting scope for them; they were amazed by the bird's awesome colors. A memory now recorded in photographs, you can see why this exquisite bird has inspired people to become more interested in birds.

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 4/24/11
Number of species: 55

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Green Heron
Cooper's Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

In the Snow

2011-04-20T12:57:00.007-05:00

With yesterday's harsh wintery weather, I wondered if birding this morning would be a gloomy experience. Would I find Ruby-crowned Kinglets struggling on the ground searching in vain for insects that weren't there? I wondered how the birds were faring in the cold and snow, but I thought it might be too depressing to watch. The curious naturalist eventually won over the sentimentalist and I'm happy to report that the birds are doing fine. I observed Yellow-rumped Warblers eating dead insects on frozen puddles. Kinglets were finding bugs on honeysuckle. Hermit Thrushes were turning over leaves and finding food items. Insects that hadn't succumbed to the overnight cold were under bridges where Eastern Phoebes and Yellow-rumps were making meals out of them. Another group of Yellow-rumps were hunting through the rocks under the Parmenter Street bridge, just like the one in the video during the bad weather on Saturday. It was also interesting how comparatively easy it was to spot thrushes on the snow-covered forest floor.

Hermit Thrush © 2011 Mike McDowell

The Next Day...

2011-04-17T19:35:00.004-05:00

Ever since 2002 when I started digiscoping, it's become a tradition of mine to capture a stunning Yellow-rumped Warbler portrait each spring. There are a couple reasons I do this. First of all, it's fun! Secondly, it gets me warmed up for the swarm of migrants that will pour in late April and May – it's really good practice for fast-moving birds. And it's also a way to gauge my progress over the years. Just look at 2002's Yellow-rump portrait for a comparison! This morning I'm content that the above image is 2011's. He's a beauty, isn't he? Naturally, I'll still digiscope a Yellow-rump if I find a cooperative one in inviting light, but for now I feel like I've accomplished this seasonal goal.

Bloodroot

Though the strong winds didn't die down overnight, we at least had clear skies and lots of sunshine today. The temperature was still in the low 30's in the morning, but it warmed up to the upper 40's by noon. The warbler flock I was with in the sleet yesterday was still present near the Parmenter Street bridge. The sprightly birds looked quite a bit more comfortable and there were lots of midge flies for them to eat. They'll need it. We're supposed to get around an inch of snow tonight, so food will probably be difficult for them to find in the morning. Once it warms up, they'll be back in business. The Pine Warblers were also still present and I was able to get some nice images of them today:

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 4/17/11
Number of species: 52

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Pheasant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Nasty Weather!

2011-04-16T19:39:00.009-05:00

Yellow-rumped Warbler looking for insects.

Chilling winds carried a vile mixture of rain, sleet, and snow for most of the day. Overnight weather was unfavorable for bird migration. I anticipated that a mixed songbird flock I saw yesterday along the creek corridor near the Parmenter Street bridge would still be there today. But going against my usual rule of digiscoping only on sunny days, I decided to bring my gear along.

Black-capped Chickadee watching the snow.

Not surprisingly, most of the warblers (and other birds) were foraging on or near the ground because there were very few insects to be found up in the trees. There were dozens upon dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers flitting around. Sorting through them, I also found an Orange-crowned Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and two Pine Warblers:

Pine Warbler

Getting pelted with rain, sleet, and snow.

The birds had it a little rough today, but I feel confident they'll endure. Stalled at Pheasant Branch isn't such a bad fortune for them; it's a very suitable migratory stop-over point while they wait for favorable weather so they can continue north.

Hermit Thrush

I was getting soaked from being pelted with sleet, so I went under the bridge to wipe the water droplets from my glasses, binoculars, camera, and spotting scope. To my astonishment, I discovered I had company. Several Yellow-rumped Warblers were searching for insects around the rocks:

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 4/16/11
Number of species: 38

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch

All images & video © 2011 Mike McDowell

A few recent images...

2011-04-14T15:35:00.002-05:00

Major Migration!

2011-04-11T06:18:00.006-05:00

One glimpse at Saturday night's NexRad map over Wisconsin and I knew Sunday morning was going to be good. You can see migration over Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana, but the birds were stopped in southern Wisconsin by a strong thunderstorm. Sure enough, I went from a previous high outing total of 47 bird species to 59. New birds included Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Louisiana Waterthrush, Swamp Sparrow, and more. There were major influxes of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Northern Flickers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Chipping Sparrows, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.

Link: Radar Ornithology Tutorial

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

The unseasonably warm weather (82 degrees F.) brought insect hatchings as well; I saw my first Mourning Cloak and Red Admiral butterflies of spring. This Round-lobed Hepatica was my first wildflower of the year:

© 2011 Mike McDowell

Common but Grand

2011-04-10T05:55:00.005-05:00

Over the past several days more Yellow-rumped Warblers have been passing through Pheasant Branch Conservancy on their return journey to the northern forests. There are no leaves yet making it a lot easier to view and photograph these particular woodland birds. The males tend to migrate before the females and that's all I've been seeing so far.

In terms of evolution and adaptation of a species, yellow-rumps are a grand success, but with that there is a loss of love by birders. Our tendency is to appreciate biological success stories less; the emotions we experience when spotting a bird that's rare, given a small population size or outside of its normal range, are much more powerfully felt. When the first yellow-rump returns it's "Hey! The yellow-rumps are back!" but by mid-May as we sort through a dozen warbler species or more it becomes "Oh. It's just another yellow-rump, sorry."

This sentiment is interesting, but it's true for other species, too. Everything is rare somewhere, I suppose. You're certainly not going to see me get too excited over my first Ring-billed Gull of spring migration, but I really enjoy the time the yellow-rumps are with us. During spring, we see these beautiful warblers in southern Wisconsin in only April and part of May. It's the only time of the year we get to hear their songs and see them in their striking alternate plumage.

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

First Chippie!

2011-04-07T21:07:00.003-05:00

The creek corridor trail was teeming with activity and song this morning. There were newly arrived Tree Swallows circling over the confluence ponds and I found my first Chipping Sparrow of the year near the end of Clark Street. "Chippies," as some like to call them, are common throughout most of North America during the spring and summer season. Though abundant, I find them to be delightful and spunky backyard characters, replacing the Dark-eyed Juncos that kept me company throughout the winter season.

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 4/7/11
Number of species: 47

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Chipping Sparrows © 2011 Mike McDowell

Kinglets!

2011-04-06T06:52:00.007-05:00

It's raining this morning, but last evening there was a mixed-flock of songbirds that included Yellow-rumped Warblers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, a very early Northern Parula, and my first Ruby-crowned Kinglet of spring. The birds were actively feeding on what appeared to be a hatching of midge flies. Speaking of kinglets, did you know that despite their current taxonomic placement, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned kinglets are not particularly closely related within Regulidae?

The 2 North American kinglets (Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned) are probably not closely related sister taxa. They differ in scutellation pattern of toe 4, a pattern that Golden-crowned Kinglet shares with the Eurasian species (Clark 1974, pers. comm.). Electrophoretic studies (Ingold et al. 1988) produced a substantial genetic difference between Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned kinglets, a distance typical of different passerine genera … a comprehensive study of all species of Regulus, both biochemical and behavioral, is needed to define correct affinities.

~ The Birds of North America

Yellow-rumps Return!

2011-04-04T13:58:00.007-05:00

Small branches and twigs littered the creek corridor trail from last night's powerful hailstorm. Clumps of nickel-sized hailstones still remained even though it's been above freezing. As I walked down the corridor trail, I was relieved to hear so many songs of birds. I checked in on the owls – they were fine. A male Great Horned Owl had his wings drooped at his flanks to dry them out. Judging from the number of individuals and species, the birds seemed largely unaffected by the hail. Kingfishers were busy zooming around and wood ducks were cruising down the creek – all was well!

Continuing on, I found a flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets foraging in the understory. There were more Eastern Phoebes and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers than the previous day, so at some point during the night more birds moved into the conservancy. A little further down I heard a familiar chip-note belonging to a Yellow-rumped Warbler. The first one is always exciting because it's the leader in a succession of warbler waves to come. Though they're one of the most common warblers in North America, these birds are no less a participant in one of the greatest animal migrations on Earth. Common or not, they're beautiful birds to look at.

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 4/4/11
Number of species: 36

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch

Yellow-rumped Warbler © 2011 Mike McDowell

Incredible Hail!

2011-04-04T05:19:00.004-05:00

Severe thunderstorms rolled through southern Wisconsin last night and dumped the largest hailstones I've ever seen. Unfortunately, my car was outside when the storm hit. Moving as quickly as I could, I put on my heavy-duty rain gear, ran outside, and got my car into the garage. I knew from the loud impacts the hood and roof were being dented. I got thwacked on the head a few times in the few seconds I was exposed. Storms like this cause me to ponder what happens to birds and other wildlife that can't find shelter in time, or at all. I sure hope I don't find any dead critters this morning at Pheasant Branch.

© 2011 Mike McDowell

Nightingale Island Oil Spill

2011-04-03T15:58:00.002-05:00

The crisis:

Link: How you can help!

March Ends

2011-03-31T22:19:00.010-05:00

Cooperative Wood Ducks!

Shades of brown dominate the woodland scenery, but April's greening will soon begin to render its stirring colors. It's still below freezing most mornings and patches of snow remain in pockets of shadows along the creek corridor trail; warmer weather should be here in another week. Even so, April can whip up an unwelcome snowstorm, so this isn't necessarily the last of wintery weather.

This morning I covered my usual route and got some digiscoped images of Dark-eyed Juncos, American Robins, Tufted Titmouse, and a Song Sparrow. But my favorite was this photograph (above) of Wood Ducks perched in a tree – what a perfect subject to accent the drabness of the early spring forest. I also found my first-of-spring Eastern Phoebe enthusiastically proclaiming its territory with its diminutive song; naturally, right next to a bridge.

Eastern Phoebe returns to Pheasant Branch.

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 3/31/11
Number of species: 30

Wood Duck
Mallard
Cooper's Hawk
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Winter Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Late March Birding

2011-03-27T21:09:00.000-05:00

Combining Saturday and Sunday, I spent over 8 hours birding at Pheasant Branch Conservancy this weekend - 47 bird species were found. Here are a few observation highlights:

First daytime American Woodcock I've ever seen at the corridor.
First-of-spring Great Blue Herons & Hermit Thrush.
Several hop-scratching Fox Sparrows.
Singing Winter Wrens.

I spent some time digiscoping Cedar Waxwings feeding on buckthorn berries:

You'll notice the shallow focal depth due to my close proximity to the birds. For over an hour, in groups of 10 to 20 individuals at a time, the waxwings cycled through roosting, eating, drinking, and occasionally bathing. While I was busy with the waxwings, an American Robin flew in and perched on a small stump close by:

On my way home on Saturday, I came across a Sandhill Crane foraging in one of the agricultural fields adjacent to the conservancy. Digiscoping from my car, it kept coming closer, and closer, until I gave up trying to get an image of the entire bird. Actually, I think the body shot shows wonderful texture and color:

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 3/26/11 & 3/27/11
Number of species: 47

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Is this Spring?

2011-03-24T13:50:00.000-05:00

Trying to stay warm!

Hey, is it Spring yet? You wouldn't know it from the cold weather we're experiencing in southern Wisconsin today. American Robins were greeted with unpleasant temperatures early this morning. Though I cannot speak robin, their loud squeaks and thurps outside my bedroom window sounded like appropriate complaints. Fewer robins foraged in the frost-covered courtyard grass and sought berries and birdseed instead. Once the sun rose over the apartment building, the robins stopped feeding and took up positions where they could warm themselves for awhile.

Courtyard birds 3/24/11:

Canada Goose
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
European Starling
Song Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

American Robin © 2011 Mike McDowell

Image Sharpening

2011-03-22T23:02:00.000-05:00

Original crop (click for larger version)

I always sharpen my digiscoped images for web presentation, and for good reason, as I hope to demonstrate in this blog post. The House Finch image above is an unprocessed crop of the original .JPG file captured with my Nikon Coolpix 8400 and Swarovski 80HD scope. You can see from this particular section how much feather detail the exposure captured. (Digiscoping is impressive, isn't it?)

This next image was resized with no sharpening from its original 2592x1944 pixel resolution down to 950x713, which is a size I often use for my website. Sure, it looks pretty good, but a lot of feather detail was lost in the resize step.

No sharpening (click for larger version)

In this last image, I started with the original image, but did a slight Unsharp Mask, then resized the image down by 50%, applied a Smart Sharpen value of 18, resized one last time down to 950 pixel width, and did one final Smart Sharpen. Now compare this image to the previous one (open them in separate tabs and go back and forth). It makes a pretty noticeable difference, doesn't it?

Sharpened (click for larger version)

In conclusion, the original full resolution capture of the finch contains maximum detail, but it was lost in a single resize step. Try sharpening a little as you resize images; I think you'll like the results. However, be mindful to avoid over-sharpening an image that feather structure looks jagged or smooth areas overly pixilated. Again, I only follow this sharpening technique for web presentation. When I print images, I use the highest resolution image for maximum print dpi.

All images © 2011 Mike McDowell

Super Moon?

2011-03-21T07:48:00.000-05:00

As an amateur astronomer, I observe and photograph the moon more than the average person. While some celestial events are indeed rare, I find it a little annoying the way the media spun the so-called 'super moon' as if it was visually exceptional and if you didn't get off your couch you won't see anything like it again in your lifetime.

Perhaps I'm being a bit of a curmudgeon and shouldn't be critical of anything that gets people outdoors away from their big screen televisions, but the 'super moon' hype was just that. Even worse, sensationalizing it brought out the wackadoodles quick to blame the 'super moon' for the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

If shown images of the moon at apogee and perigee, the lunar disc size differential seems substantial, but this isn't how we experience full moons month to month. I created the above image so you can compare the size of full moons in recent months as well as April. Keep in mind that the disc size of the full moon in the sky is equivalent to holding out a pea at arm's length. Do you really think you could tell them apart? Click on the above image and stand 10 to 12 feet from it.

Years ago, when there was another 'super moon,' I conducted a simple experiment by projecting images of a full moon onto a wall in a dark room. The two images were sized to approximate a 'super moon' and an average sized full moon. None of my participants could tell them apart when projected one at a time. In all likelihood, you'd notice nothing unusual about the 'super moon' of March. If you missed it, have another look in April when the full moon is a mere arc minute smaller.

For amateur astronomers, the moon is always an interesting celestial object to look at!

© 2011 Mike McDowell

Canon SD4000IS for Digiscoping

2011-03-20T20:28:00.000-05:00

Kevin Bolton has been digiscoping with the Canon SD4000IS the past week or so and I’m thinking seriously about buying one based on his results. The SD4000IS will attach to bracket style adapters (Zeiss scopes), but it will also work with a DCA (Swarovski ATM/STM, Kowa Prominar, Vortex Razor scopes) by using the Vortex PS-100 attachment. The camera has a 3.8x optical zoom, 10-megapixel CMOS sensor, 720p HD movie capability, and a large LCD monitor so you can nail the focus. Best of all, you can find this camera brand new for around $220.00.

Spring Equinox

2011-03-20T09:09:00.000-05:00

Eastern Bluebirds!

2011-03-19T22:39:00.000-05:00

The male spent a lot of time foraging from posts.

With freshly charged camera batteries, today after work I headed over to Pope Farm Park to see if any Eastern Bluebirds were there. With reports of bluebirds from other parts of the state, I figured this particular bluebird trail would have some activity by now. I'm pretty happy with the results; the late afternoon lighting was effective for capturing pleasing portraiture.

He also kept a close watch on the house.

Nice pose!

Show us those lovely bluebird colors!

The contemplative bluebird.

The female just prior to preening.

Eastern Bluebirds © 2011 Mike McDowell

Meadowlarks Return!

2011-03-17T16:13:00.000-05:00

I recall seeing (and hearing) my first Eastern Meadowlarks at my grandmother's farm in central Wisconsin during the early 70's. Decades later, it remains one of my favorite grassland birds to return to Pheasant Branch Conservancy, and it's nice to have such a neat bird come back as early as mid March. There's a fairly respectable population of meadowlarks in the fallow fields just west of the confluence ponds at the end of the creek corridor trail. I've been checking for their arrival each morning since last week and finally spotted four of them on Tuesday, singing sweeping notes at the top of their lungs. The meadowlark's powerful voice compliments the morning prairie choir like no other grassland bird. I think most of us are familiar with it, especially if you've spent any amount of time on a farm here in the Midwest. They're not super shy birds and are easy to spot perched atop a short tree, fence post, or similar structure. Whether at Pheasant Branch, Spring Green Prairie, or Pope Farm Park, the melodious whistles of meadowlarks will be a part of nature I cherish throughout spring and summer.

Eastern Meadowlark © 2011 Mike McDowell

Sound Digiscoping Advice!

2011-03-15T11:35:00.001-05:00

From Stephen Ingraham of Zeiss:

Q: Should I buy a scope and camera or a long lens?

You don't buy a scope to take pictures of birds. You buy a scope to look at birds. That is what it was made for. You carry it the field while birding to look at birds. If you have an interest in photography as well, you can attach a camera to the scope to take pictures of birds. It is a lot of fun, will produce some amazingly satisfying images, and adds very little weight or expense beyond what you are already carrying. And, you can take photos of the birds you see from fairly long distances, casually, without much special effort beyond attaching the camera. That's digiscoping.

You don't buy a lens to look at birds. You buy a lens to take pictures of birds. That is what was made for. You carry it in the field while photographing birds. That involves a whole set of skills, mostly centered on getting close enough to the bird to fill the frame. If you want to also look at birds, you carry binoculars and use them when you get close enough (because you certainly are NOT carrying both a spotting scope and a long lens, and you are not getting very satisfying looks at birds through your long lens). With experience and skill your images of birds will be beyond satisfying...they will be stunningly detailed studies of the living creature. That's bird photography.

There are three reasons a photographer might buy a spotting scope and small camera instead of a lens, if he or she is willing to accept the level of image quality possible with digiscoping. Working from a distance, image quality with digiscoping will be as good as and generally considerably better than a long lens working much beyond frame filling distance (arguably, but that is my experience), but it will never equal the quality of a frame filling bird taken at 12 feet with 600mm lens, or even at 24 feet with a 2X extender. The three reasons: 1) indeed, to work from greater distances than a long lens allows, 2) to limit the weight and bulk of the equipment carried (a scope and camera is always going to be lighter and easier to carry than a long lens), and 3) to control expense (Even the best digiscoping rig will cost half what a 600mm IS lens does).

There are no reasons why a birder would buy long lens instead of a spotting scope. :)

Where you see yourself and your desires and needs in all that will answer your question.