Máistir Nádúraí: Lake Michigan Birding

11.12.2005

Lake Michigan Birding

Long-tailed Duck

Jesse Peterson and I went on a birding trip along Lake Michigan this morning, with stops at Sheboygan, Harrington Beach and Milwaukee. The best finds at Sheboygan were a few LONG-TAILED DUCKS and two WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. An hour or so later we headed to Harrington Beach State Park and right away we found a single DUNLIN hanging out with several SANDERLINGS. They were foraging on the cladophora mats, which also looked very promising for attracting Purple Sandpiper. Off the rocky point we found four BLACK SCOTERS.

Sanderling

There wasn't much to add at Milwaukee's North Point, but we did get a prolonged look at a PEREGRINE FALCON riding the wind - very cool. We also picked up SURF SCOTER for all three species in one day. The winds picked up and we decided to head home. One of our target birds was the previously reported Harlequin Ducks, but it looks like Racine was the place for them today.

Species list for the three stops:

Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Black Duck
Mallard
Canvas Back
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Peregrine Falcon
Dunlin
Sanderling
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull

Harrington Beach

Bio:

Mike McDowell has been documenting southern Wisconsin’s flora and fauna since 1987 and began leading field trips in 2002. Prolific at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, other highlighted natural areas include Pope Farm Conservancy, Spring Green Preserve, and the Baraboo Hills. His nature photography has appeared in various publications, newspapers, magazines and was even featured on a Wisconsin Endangered Resources license plate, a Capital Brewery beer label, and a National Geographic publication. He began journaling nature observations on this blog in 2005. He's the recipient of the 2012 Bronze Passenger Pigeon Award from the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their local communities or state to promote the field of ornithology. He was a finalist in Swarovski’s Digiscoper of the Year photography contest several times. His other interests include insect macro-photography (especially tiger beetles, treehoppers, and robber flies), fossil collecting, amateur astronomy, botany, natural history, and marksmanship with long-range rifles. Once a gigging musician, collecting Fender Stratocasters is a recently revived interest—most prized being a 1957 Vintage Custom Shop 'Mary Kaye' White Blonde. A former IT Professional, he's spent the last 24 years employed in the sport optics industry.