Eastern Phoebe
What beautiful weather and birds! Phenological patterns seem just a little late, but a delayed leaf-out bodes well for seeing and photographing birds. I scoured parts of Pheasant Branch Conservancy for several hours today, including the south creek corridor, confluence ponds, and the North Fork marsh. I never made it to the prairie, though. I didn't think I would tally 60 bird species, but that's what I got. Still, when I left the field I couldn't help but feel as though I had missed something.
Brown Creeper
I didn't see any American Tree Sparrows today, but no doubt some are still around. Also, I know from other reports there are American Woodcock at the prairie parcel, but I didn't expect to find any during daylight hours. Eastern Phoebes are taking up residence near wooden bridges that cross the creek. There's a Carolina Wren I usually hear singing before 8:00 a.m. at the second bridge east of Park Street. I wonder if this is the same bird that I was seeing last fall.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
The most interesting observation today was the numerous Golden-crowned Kinglets foraging on or close to the ground. Carefully watching them through my spotting scope, I could see that they were catching tiny insects on patches of snow. Kinglets are insanely difficult to digiscope, but I managed to get a few acceptable shots of the lively little sprites.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Towhee
Near the large cottonwood trees on the west trail, I heard a familiar reee call belonging to an Eastern Towhee emanating from the dense tangle of fallen branches. I sat on a tree that had fallen during the December blizzard and waited for the towhee to make an appearance. I knew it would only be a matter of time. Sure enough, the bird popped into the open and made his way to higher perches, singing at each stop.
Eastern Towhee
Wilson's Snipe
I followed the trial all the way west to the confluence ponds. Near the end of the trail is a marshy area called the North Fork. This is the location where there were over 30 nesting Marsh Wrens last summer. There are no wrens yet, but plenty of Song Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds. In addition to a few Tree Swallows, I saw my first Barn Swallow of spring. At the big pond there were Buffelhead, Hooded Mergansers, American Coots, Lesser Scaup, Mallards, and over a dozen Northern Shovelers.
Northern Shoveler
Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Apr 7, 2013 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
60 species
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Wilson's Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Louisiana Waterthrush
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Vesper Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
All images © 2013 Mike McDowell