"If the spirit has passed through a great many sensations, possibly it can no longer be sated with them, but grows more excited, and demands more sensations, and stronger and stronger ones, until at length it falls exhausted."
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I mean, it's almost April! It was a record snowfall. In fact, some areas in Dane County recorded over 13 inches of snow ― our heaviest single-day snowfall in a decade. Because temperatures coasted into the mid-forties, there's already been considerable melt. However, there was still plenty of snow around this morning. After breakfast and a cup of coffee, I decided to check ponds around Middleton (Esser, Graber, Stricker's, Tiedeman, etc.) for waterfowl and whatever else might be present. Shallower ponds had already iced over again, but there were open areas to scan.
A roosting Sandhill Crane ...
It was taking a snooze when it heard another crane call from across the field on the other side of the pond. I don't know that this particular retention pond has a name, but it's part of Deer Creek which eventually meets up with Pheasant Branch Creek.
Anyway, upon hearing the call, it quickly snapped to attention and gave it right back.
Did you know some birds can walk on water?
Just a thin layer of ice to support its weight.
This Killdeer looks like it'd rather be in Florida.
After thoroughly checking the ponds, I headed over to Pheasant Branch to see how many Song Sparrows were around. It didn't take long to find several of them counter-singing away the morning.
"Do I really have to?"
"Well, OK ... zileep-zileep-zong, che-che-che-che, krinklchip!"
Well, that's kinda what it sounds like to me.
For my last stop I went to the shoreline at Governor Nelson State Park where part of Lake Mendota was completely free of ice. There were scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, Redhead, Canvasback, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, various mergansers, Mallards, and more. I thought I might find a Common Loon, but none were seen or heard.
That's about as close as they'd get for photography.
Did I just get the bill from a goldeneye?
The Canvasback were waaaaay out there. A bit too much mirage to capture any clarity. The State Capitol is exactly 4.55 miles from where I was on Mendota's northwest shore. If a person was walking down the sidewalk I think I could spot them, but perhaps not identify them. But it might be a fun experiment to have a couple of my friends stand there and see if I can tell which is which. Many years ago a very naughty Mr. McDowell wanted to see if a laser could reach the capitol dome from the drumlin at Pheasant Branch ― indeed.
So, not quite 50 species, but a good morning of birding nonetheless. The coming week's temperatures will be in the 40s and 50s, so that should quickly melt the snow. Probably not fast enough for many of the spring migrants that have returned to southern Wisconsin.
Middleton Area: Dane, Wisconsin, US
Mar 26, 2023 7:00 AM - 10:30 AM
47 species
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Wild Turkey
Mourning Dove
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Horned Lark
White-breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
House Finch
Lapland Longspur
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Northern Cardinal
All images © 2023 Mike McDowell