Máistir Nádúraí: October Calm

10.07.2011

October Calm

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:

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.