March Ends!

"March, when days are getting long, let thy growing hours be strong to set right some wintry wrong."

— Caroline May

And that's March! It goes by so quickly ...

 
Part I: Baxter's Hollow

 

Sunday, Baxter's Hollow in the Baraboo Hills. It was warm enough to draw out the first blooms of Round-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica americana) — this is the earliest I've ever found them open. Baxter's seemed like a good idea on how to spend a quiet Sunday in Nature. Again, there weren't a lot of birds yet, but April is sure to bring more our way. I was kind of hoping for an early Louisiana Waterthrush, but none were detected. There were, however, plenty of Eastern Phoebes.

 

That recent post (the diminutive Freiday quote) on tech birding apparently struck a chord, drawing significant traffic to this blog. Regular readers know I've long been critical of technology's growing role in the field. I'll be blunt: an over-reliance on these apps and devices comes at the cost of true immersion in Nature. The last thing I want is a digital ping or an AI voice dictating my experience, constantly pulling me to a screen. 

 

While birding the creek corridor a few weeks back, Sue and I were approached by a couple curious about what we were looking at with our binoculars. I mentioned Fox Sparrows and Golden-crowned Kinglets. Then the man eagerly pulled out his phone to show me the Merlin app. "It lets me know what birds are here!" he said, marveling proudly at the technology. I feigned ignorance and let him show me how it all works. Part of me wanted to say something like: I know something even better ... what's going to be here tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day after that. Lost is the immersion, the skill of deep listening, the development of intuition, and other field skills. I hear the same excuses that it's just a way to get started, but they didn't even have binoculars.  

 

I feel fortunate that my connection to the natural world started early and without crutches. I began collecting fossils at four, stargazing as an amateur astronomer by ten, and endlessly captivated by insects, birds, and other wildlife. Plants and wildflowers were a later endeavor, but for years, my approach was always to observe, document, collect, and learn. I used to be a pinner (butterflies), but I stopped doing that ages ago. If you're my age and you're just starting now, well, you've missed a lot. Perhaps an app is the best you can do, but it's like flash cards. This is why I agree with Freiday: tech-assisted birding doesn't produce the same caliber of naturalist.  

I do use my smartphone for blog photography, like nearly all of my landscape shots ...

And digiscoping birds, like this Eastern Phoebe, with an antiquated mirror-less digital camera ...

Ultimately, the choice isn't necessarily between technology and tradition, but between two different kinds of connection. One offers instant identification, a digital shortcut to a name. The other demands patience, attention, and the slow cultivation of a deeper sense of place. When we trade the quiet work of listening and observing for the immediate gratification of an app, we may gain a checklist, but we lose the profound satisfaction that comes from earning the knowledge ourselves. We risk becoming tourists in Nature, rather than inhabitants of it, forever looking at a screen and pixels instead of truly seeing the world around us. 

 

Part II: Sauk Prairie State Recreational Area

 

And since it's so close to Baxter's, a quick tiger beetle check was in order.

You may recall that a few Oblique-lined Tiger Beetles emerged on March 8th. During this visit there were probably 30 or more on the prowl for ants and other small insects. 

This is as close as I can get with my macro rig ...

Just portraits of Sauk Rec's awesome tiger beetle habitat on a gorgeous day ...

That's all for now ... see you in April!

 

All images © 2026 Mike McDowell

March Bug Hunt!

"When you see something excellent or something very beautiful, a silent astonishment will be the greatest word one can ever say to celebrate this excellence!"

― Mehmet Murat ildan 

Saturday's near-80° heat at Spring Green Preserve prompted a bug hunt instead of birding. With temperatures set to drop Sunday by 40 degrees, it was a prime opportunity to search for early tiger beetles and other insects. You may recall I had a difficult time finding Splendid Tiger Beetle last spring, and eventually found just one individual. Although I saw more during their second emergence in late summer, I began to worry they were disappearing from the bluff. Another tiger beetle enthusiast suggested I might be looking at the wrong time, as they could be emerging earlier than the April timeframe I typically search for them.

 

Perhaps he was right.

But first, a Green Stink Bug ...

And a small Wolf Spider ...

At the top of the bluff, the breeze was strong enough to keep the tiger beetles hidden, so I moved to a lower, more sheltered spot out of the wind. This area, facing the sun directly, was also noticeably warmer.

And there they were!

This is the earliest I've ever observed Splendid Tiger Beetle by nearly a month.

Collecting portraits ...

I like the lichen it's on. Although the beetle would explore other parts of the rocky outcropping, it consistently returned to this particular perch.

 

Uh oh ...

That's a male Claybank Tiger Beetle attempting to mate with a female Splendid Tiger Beetle. As longtime readers of my blog may recall, hybridization between these two closely related species does occur, according to Pearson et al. In fact, some DNA studies suggest that the Splendid, Common Claybank, and Green Claybank are not separate species at all, but rather variations of a single species.

 

Here's a handsome Claybank ... 

As I moved closer for a better photograph, I startled it, and it flew off toward the top of the bluff.

 

I uttered an expletive.  

Above and below, some Festive Tiger Beetle Portraits ...

This is astonishing. To find four tiger beetle species already, and it's not even April, is a clear sign that something may be fundamentally shifting. But that's the critical question, and it's easy to second-guess a surprising observation. Am I just noticing something that's always happened on the occasional warm March day? But when you see this kind of diversity this early, it seems like more than just an unusually warm day. 

 

Despite the heat, I expected to see more butterflies, but the only one was a single Mourning Cloak Sue spotted. I also came up empty on Oblique-lined Tiger Beetles, finding none at all. While other insects were around — some small bees, flies, and a few Cuerna fenestella sharpshooter hoppers — the hoppers were too skittish to photograph.

Though it was a weekend of bug hunting, there were FOY aves:

 

Carolina Wren

Eastern Phoebe 

Tree Swallow

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Great Blue Heron

 

All images © 2026 Mike McDowell

Birding in the Age of AI

"Will all the tech make people more interested in birds? I think not. It might tap a market not yet reached. But birding tech will ultimately make more people less interested in birds and less knowledgeable about them. The result is that humans will spend less time outdoors watching and listening to birds. And humans will care less about protecting birds."

— Don Freiday

I agree 100%

Look for the full article in the March 2026 issue of ABA Birding Magazine.

Happy Spring!

"Spring is the time of plans and projects."

― Leo Tolstoy

The Spring Equinox is finally here, and it feels like a hard-won victory over winter's last, desperate stand. After Monday's blizzard, it seemed the world would be frozen indefinitely, but the predicted swift melt has reclaimed the marshes and prairies, opening up the stage for the season's main event. But Wisconsinites know better — we're not done with March, and April can render wintry surprises as well.

 

So far I've had a pretty successful waterfowl year ― there are several nearby ponds I check on my way to and from work. They've had Wood Ducks, Northern Pintail, Canvasbacks, Redhead, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, a variety of geese, all the mergansers, scaup, Tundra and Trumper Swans, and more.

 

On the other hand, my passerine observations are a bit sparse so far, but I haven't given it much effort. For sparrows I have American Tree, White-crowned, White-throated, Fox, and Song. Naturally, I include other emberzids like Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, and Dark-eyed Junco. This weekend I won't be surprised if I find Swamp Sparrow, Field Sparrow, and perhaps even and early Chippie. No warblers yet for me, but there are Yellow-rumps around. 

75° tomorrow! WTF?

Wood Duck © 2026 Mike McDowell

Dumped on!

We got around a foot of snow in southern Wisconsin, while people I know in Marathon County to the north got 2 more feet, and that's exactly how this major winter storm played out across the state over the past 24 hours. The snowstorm dumped significant accumulations from south to north, with Green Bay breaking its daily record with 17.1 inches on March 15th alone and Wausau seeing 22 inches by noon Sunday. Some central locations also reported over 20 inches with isolated spots potentially hitting 30+ inches. Mountain, WI, near where Sue's cabin is, reported 34!

And now, once again, we go back the other way ...

All images © 2026 Mike McDowell

It's a Record!

"Yes, but it’s, you know — every year, you're all, 'March! This is going to be great! Start of spring!' But it's definitely not, right? Because there will be a weird, freak snowstorm, and it's like winter's started all over. Unexpected things happen in March."

― Kate Clayborn

With temperatures reaching the upper 50s on Sunday, conditions were suitable for tiger beetles to emerge from their winter burrows. Our destination: Sauk Prairie State Recreational Area, one of my top spots for insects. Beyond multiple tiger beetle species, the sandy habitat hosts Velvet Ants, robber flies, nifty jumping spiders, sand wasps, butterflies, and a host of other captivating critters. 

Despite breezy conditions, a long berm shields the southern part of the sandlot. Would the sun warm the ground enough to draw the beetles out? I thought the odds even, but if they appeared, it would be my earliest-ever late winter tiger beetle emergence. 

Sue and I carefully scoured the area for several minutes, and for a moment I thought it might still be too early, but then I spotted one warming itself in the sunlight.

They began emerging at 1:00 p.m. with an air temperature of 55 degrees. The Oblique-lined Tiger Beetle (Cicindela tranquebarica) is among the first to emerge in southern Wisconsin. March 8th beats my previous record of March 14th set in 2024. In the past, before I learned more about their ecology and phenology, I wouldn't expect to find any emerged tiger beetles until late April or early May. 

The beetles were a bit wobbly-legged at first, but it didn't take long for them to begin making high-energy escape flights if I got too close too quickly. For me, sneaking up on tiger beetles is part of the fun. Once I'm in position to photograph them, often times I watch what they do from my camera's viewfinder while snapping photos here and there.

The process of collecting portraits ...

Finding Oblique-lined Tiger Beetles this early felt like uncovering a secret, a private audience with a season that hadn't officially begun for anyone else. It was more than just a sighting; it was a validation of the subtle shifts in temperature and light, a tangible reward for paying close attention to the land's quiet stirrings — knowing exactly when and where something is going to be given the right combination of sun, slope, and soil.

The definitive portrait ...

With time to kill before our tiger beetle search, we hiked along Otter Creek at Baxter's Hollow; going to Sauk Rec too early would have meant just walking around a cold sandlot, so why not take in some captivating views and sounds while letting the sun do its work?

Although the only birds detected were Black-capped Chickadees and a Pileated Woodpecker, this time of year is ideal for seeing Baxter's Hollow's scenic, rocky terrain before the foliage blocks the views, making it one of the most beautiful spots in the Baraboo Hills.

Round-lobed Hepatica, but no flowers yet! 

 

And Skunk Cabbage ... 

Some type of large-leaved moss ...

With every spring comes a slate of aspirations, yet the world outside erupts with a force that commandeers all attention. The tempo of the natural world accelerates, making it easy to become fixated on a single fascination, like tiger beetles. That is the quiet virtue of March — it offers a slower, more reflective cadence than the feverish rush of April and May. The next tiger beetle species may not hold the same thrill, but my satisfaction at finding early Oblique-lined was intense!

All images © 2026 Mike McDowell