Prairie Therapy

A morning excursion to the prairie at Governor Nelson State Park produced one of my favorite birds – the Grasshopper Sparrow. Clear blue skies gave way to clouds and the sparrow seemed to be more prone to posing when light was obscured. Still, it's hard to complain. It's uncommon for this species to offer such a close-up inspection of the intricate detail of its plumage:

Bobolinks, Eastern Kingbirds and Eastern Meadowlarks complimented the sparrow's insect-like song to form a veritable grassland bird chorus. Content with what I could get for photos, I spent the remainder of the morning exploring the woods and oak savannah. But before leaving, I paid a final visit to the Grasshopper Sparrow and admired it through my spotting scope for a while. The bird's business of flying from one perch to another to belt out its song provides the kind of enjoyment and entertainment no movie or book can capture - it's just you and the bird amid a sea of waving prairie.

Governor Nelson State Park - May 31st, 2008:

Canada Goose

Turkey Vulture

Red-tailed Hawk

Sandhill Crane

Mourning Dove

Chimney Swift

Belted Kingfisher

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Tree Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

House Wren

Sedge Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Eastern Bluebird

Wood Thrush
American Robin

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

American Redstart

Mourning Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Field Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Bobolink

Red-winged Blackbird

Eastern Meadowlark

Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

Orchard Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

American Goldfinch

All images © 2008 Mike McDowell

Birdy Backyard

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

There were some enjoyable feathered surprises in our backyard today. After finishing a few important projects in my office that required the computer, I spent the rest of the day on our deck listening (and sometimes watching) for birds while reading Bridget Stutchbury's book, “Silence of the Songbirds” (recommended reading, by the way). A Magnolia Warbler first heard very early this morning was present. I never did get to see it, but judging by the direction of its songs, the warbler was pretty busy doing laps around our yard most of the day. The only other warbler present was an American Redstart. Then another song caught my attention and I recognized its peeup peeup notes almost immediately - it was a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. If my recollection is correct, this is the first time we've ever had one in our backyard. Hours passed before I finally decided to document the flycatcher and hauled out the digiscoping gear, capturing it in late afternoon light.


Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Backyard Birds – 05/26/2008:

Turkey Vulture

Cooper's Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Mourning Dove

Common Nighthawk

Chimney Swift

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Warbling Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Tree Swallow

Bank Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

House Wren

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Cedar Waxwing

Magnolia Warbler

American Redstart

Chipping Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

House Finch

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow

All images © 2008 Mike McDowell

Beautiful Places

Baxter's Hollow

I spent most of Saturday and Sunday birding with Sylvia, Dottie and Mark at natural areas in Dane, Sauk, Iowa and Rock Counties. Though I do the majority of my birding at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, there are places in Wisconsin within an hour's drive of Waunakee that are simply too beautiful to miss this time of year. Though we found 100 bird species, the only digiscoping I did was a video of a Hooded Warbler at Baxter's Hollow - it was a real treat to watch. With so many birds, wildflowers, insects, scenic vistas, creeks and waterfalls; it's difficult to know what to write and I'm too tired to put much energy into this rather diminutive post.

Spring Green Prairie

Governor Dodge State Park

Hooded Warbler

Images and video © 2008 Mike McDowell

A Short Break

Blue-winged Warbler

The "problem" with enjoying spring migration so completely (birding mornings and evenings) is that there's little time left for blogging (or much of anything else, for that matter). So, as Jeff Bouton would say, this is an official "blogligated" post. Well, there are a few things I can mention. First, after a slow start, we ended up with 19 warbler species on the Madison Audubon field trip yesterday. This morning I decided to take a break from birding. Yes. You read that right. May 14th, peak of spring migration, and I took the morning off. Ever since the cold virus I had a few weeks ago my lungs have been giving me a little grief, but I'm feeling a bit better today after sleeping in this morning. I'll be substituting for Jesse Peterson on tomorrow's Audubon warbler walk at Pheasant Branch with Aaron Stutz. This time I promise we won't cross Century Avenue.

Do you manage your time well during spring migration?

Bird too much? Not enough?

Blue-winged Warbler © 2008 Mike McDowell

Sunday Evening Birding

Scarlet Tanager (male)

Arriving home from the Horicon Marsh Birding Festival yesterday, I read a report on the Wisconsin Birding Network that several Black-throated Blue Warblers were found at Pheasant Branch Conservancy. This is probably the warbler I covet the most. I called Dottie and Sylvia, but had to leave each of them a message about the birds at the stream corridor. Off I went!

Within minutes of arriving, I was able to find a beautiful singing male Black-throated Blue, but the bird disappeared before I could get my digiscoping gear setup. About 20 minutes later Dottie’s husband Mark showed up and we continued to bird the east section of the corridor trail hoping to relocate the elusive warbler. Eventually Dottie, Sylvia and a few other birders joined in the search, but it was beginning to look like the others wouldn’t get a glimpse of the bird.

Scarlet Tanager (female)

Birding the west trail, we found a pair of Scarlet Tanagers that made very cooperative photographic subjects. We also found a Magnolia Warbler, a few American Redstarts and a gorgeous Bay-breasted Warbler. After a while, it seemed like we were finding the same birds over and over, so we went back to the east trail. I was getting tired of lugging my spotting scope and tripod around, so I stashed it in my car before giving the Black-throated Blue a final search effort.

I explored the upper trail while the rest of the group was just below on the main trail. Within minutes, I could hear excited birders celebrating. I made a mad dash across the stream, hopping over a line of partially submerged rocks. Sure enough, the Black-throated Blue Warbler reappeared for the group. I followed it up to a side trail where we enjoyed watching it forage from only 20 feet away in great light. It would have been an outstanding digiscoping opportunity, but I’ll settle for the tanager images this time!

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 5/11/08
Number of species: 54

Wood Duck

Mallard

Turkey Vulture

Cooper's Hawk

Mourning Dove

Great Horned Owl

Barred Owl

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Least Flycatcher

Great Crested Flycatcher

Blue Jay

American Crow

Black-capped Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch

Carolina Wren

House Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Veery

Wood Thrush

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

Golden-winged Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Northern Parula

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Palm Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

American Redstart

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush

Common Yellowthroat

Scarlet Tanager

Song Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Brown-headed Cowbird

Baltimore Oriole

American Goldfinch

Scarlet Tanager images © 2008 Mike McDowell

World Migratory Bird Day

Which is correct?

Harris's Sparrow, Harris' Sparrow, or Harris Sparrow?

"We are as often injured as benefited by our systems, for, to speak the truth, no human system is a true one, and a name is at most a mere convenience and carries no information with it. As soon as I begin to be aware of the life of any creature, I at once forget its name. To know the names of creatures is only a convenience to us at first, but so soon as we have learned to distinguish them, the sooner we forget their names the better, so far as any true appreciation of them is concerned."

- Henry David Thoreau

Do you agree with Thoreau?

Scarlet Tanagers Return!

Ahhh! There's nothing quite like a Scarlet Tanager in the sunlight!

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 5/6/08
Notes: Stream Corridor
Number of species: 67

Wood Duck

Mallard

Double-crested Cormorant

Turkey Vulture

Ring-billed Gull

Mourning Dove

Great Horned Owl

Barred Owl

Chimney Swift

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Least Flycatcher

Yellow-throated Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Tree Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Carolina Wren

House Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Swainson's Thrush

Wood Thrush

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Blue-winged Warbler

Golden-winged Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Northern Parula

Yellow Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Cape May Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Palm Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

American Redstart

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush

Common Yellowthroat

Scarlet Tanager

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Brown-headed Cowbird

Baltimore Oriole

Purple Finch

House Finch

American Goldfinch

Scarlet Tanager © 2008 Mike McDowell

Garlic Mustard

Garlic Mustard

Every spring I observe birders with good intentions pull Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, but then leave piles of the invasive plant along the trail. This is a particularly nasty and 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 may still set seed and by doing so you may be 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 may 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. 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 © 2008 Mike McDowell

A few weekend Photos...

Yellow-rumped Warbler


Palm Warbler


American Pipit


Wilson's Phalarope

All images © 2008 Mike McDowell

No Border Wall

As many other birder bloggers are doing, I'm posting about the completely asinine Texas Border Wall our federal government plans to install along the Rio Grande River. In the process, they're going to severely compromise and destroy sensitive habitat, and literally hand Sabal Palm Sanctuary over to Mexico. Many other natural areas and wildlife in the region will be adversely impacted and you can read about the whole awful mess at No Border Wall website and blog. It may be too late to do anything about it, but there is now an on-line petition you can sign to express disapproval of the planned destruction.

Link: Sign the Audubon Action Petition

Link: Sabal Palm Sanctuary

Link: No Texas Border Wall

May 1st Field Trip Results!

Participants of this morning's Madison Audubon field trip at Pheasant Branch were thrilled to see a beautiful male Cerulean Warbler foraging low. We had 9 other warbler species this morning, including Blue-winged Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler (sang later), and both waterthrush species. Thanks to all who attended and helped make it a special day!

Here's a frame/screen capture last night's bird migration on NexRad:

Link: NexRad (radar) Ornithology Tutorial

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 5/1/08
Notes: Madison Audubon Field Trip
Number of species: 55

Wood Duck

Mallard

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Killdeer

Ring-billed Gull

Mourning Dove

Great Horned Owl

Barred Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Least Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Blue Jay

American Crow

Black-capped Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Carolina Wren

House Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Veery

Gray-cheeked Thrush

American Robin

Gray Catbird

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Blue-winged Warbler

Golden-winged Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Palm Warbler

Cerulean Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Northern Waterthrush

Louisiana Waterthrush

Eastern Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Baltimore Oriole

Purple Finch

House Finch

American Goldfinch

Cerulean Warbler © Robin Street-Morris