Máistir Nádúraí: Just an Hour...

10.20.2018

Just an Hour...

Fox Sparrow

Conditions were too windy for bird photography this morning. There was just enough time to get an hour's hike around the prairie before a snowstorm moved in. The only warbler species I encountered was a pair of Orange-crowned Warblers. Most of the White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows seem to have moved on. I expected to see American Tree Sparrows, but found none. There was an increase in Fox Sparrows, and they were beautiful in the early morning sunlight. The above photograph was taken during the fall of 2015. On this morning I didn't bother to carry my digiscoping rig with me―I just wanted to get in a quick check on avian activity before heading in for the day.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, Wisconsin, US

Oct 20, 2018 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

34 species

Canada Goose

Blue-winged Teal

Mallard

Ring-necked Pheasant

Mourning Dove

Sandhill Crane

Killdeer

Ring-billed Gull

Red-tailed Hawk

Downy Woodpecker

Blue Jay

American Crow

Black-capped Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch

Winter Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

House Finch

American Goldfinch

Field Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Red-winged Blackbird

Orange-crowned Warbler

Northern Cardinal

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 firearms. Once a gigging musician, collecting Fender Stratocasters is a recently revived interest—most prized being a 1957 Vintage Custom 'Mary Kaye' White Blonde. A former IT Professional, he's spent the last 24 years employed in the sport optics industry and has more binoculars than you.