"It is the glistening autumnal side of summer. I feel a cool vein in the breeze, which braces my thought, and I pass with pleasure over sheltered and sunny portions of the sand where the summer's heat is undiminished, and I realize what a friend I am losing."
― Henry David Thoreau
I didn't photograph a single tiger beetle this weekend! Actually, I didn't photograph any insects. This weekend was spent looking for southbound migratory birds. Yesterday around a dozen or so people joined me for a birding hike around Pope Farm Conservancy. There were south winds the previous night so my exceptions were set pretty low, but it turned out to be a pretty decent outing (checklist at the bottom of this post). Eastern Bluebirds were among the most numerous of all the birds present, but we also found a fair selection of warblers: Palm, Black-and-white, American Redstart, Magnolia, Common Yellowthroat, and Tennessee Warbler.
Look! Rare photographs of me leading a field trip:
This morning I went to the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor to see what warblers were there ― I tallied 14, which is pretty good for this time of year. There were also a couple Philadelphia Vireos, a single Yellow-throated Vireo, and a few Red-eyed Vireos. The only catharus thrush I encountered was Swainson's, which were numerous. Other birds included Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Great Horned Owl, Tufted Titmouse, and many other creek corridor nesters and regulars.
The warbler species were:
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Golden-winged Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
The water's fine, Mr. Nashville Warbler ― take a dip!
Sneezeweed and New England Aster.
Pope Farm Conservancy, Dane, Wisconsin, US
Sep 11, 2021 7:15 AM - 9:15 AM
2.0 mile(s) 41 species
Canada Goose
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sandhill Crane
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-headed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Black-and-white Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Palm Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Most images © 2021 Mike McDowell