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

Weird!

From a high of 70 today, to a low of 12 on Sunday.

 

More later ... 

It's March!

"Never are voices so beautiful as on a winter's evening, when dusk almost hides the body, and they seem to issue from nothingness with a note of intimacy seldom heard by day."

— Virginia Woolf

A hike at dusk is a uniquely immersive Nature experience that transforms familiar trails into an enchanting adventure, as senses shift from sight to sound, making you acutely aware of the nocturnal world awakening around you. 

 

I've been observing large evening flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds and American Robins moving around, likely heading to communal roosts for the night. March is a volatile, transitional month where winter's grip finally breaks and the world seems to hold its breath before bursting into life. Spring bird migration is well under way, but tiger beetle season could begin in just a week or two, perhaps even this coming weekend. I'll probably go to Sauk to check.

An inch of snow fell Saturday but has since melted. These photos are from Friday evening at Pope Farm Conservancy, where the birds included American Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, and a few Red-tailed Hawks. As the sun sank in the west, repeated tinkling trills of a lone male Horned Lark were the day's final note, a tiny, silver bell rung before the great, quiet curtain of night fell.

It won't be long now ...

Eastern Kingbirds, Orchard Orioles, Yellow Warblers, and so much more ...

They'll keep their promise, here, and everywhere else ...

 

Will we? 

Go outside and welcome them back!

All images © 2026 Mike McDowell