"I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing."
― Herman Melville
Before meeting up with my birding posse at the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor, I made a stop at the Black Earth Creek Natural Resource Area for newly arrived migrants. It had been a week since my last visit, so I figured prospects were good. There were dozens of Marsh Wrens and among the swallows I picked out a few Cliff. But the highlight was a Sora that was somewhat out in the open.
Given swampy and tangled vegetation, it was virtually impossible to get a clear shot without some obstructing plants, but these are the best Sora shots I've captured in a long time.
What a nifty bird!
Unfortunately, the creek corridor was surprisingly quiet on the warbler front — aside from a handful of Yellow-rumps, a Northern Waterthrush, and a Pine Warbler. We made up for the lack of variety, though, by finding singing Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Carolina Wrens.
After a few hours of birding, we called it an outing and went our separate ways.
Sue and I had more to do, though.
On our way up to Sauk, we detoured to Ashton K Pond to check for shorebirds. It's not a pond per se, but an agricultural field that floods after heavy rains (we've had them, as you know). Once I got the spotting scope set up, I was thrilled to find a pair of Black-necked Stilts, followed by two more further east; since we hadn't realized they'd already been reported, it was a fantastic surprise year bird and my first sighting of the species in about eight years. I think it was Horicon NWR where I'd last seen them.
While we were scanning for other shorebirds, they all started giving alarm calls. I said "There's gotta be a raptor coming in!" Sure enough, the whole shorebird crew took off northward, and I spotted a Peregrine Falcon diving down. It skimmed right over the pond but missed the strike, then landed on the western edge about a dozen feet from the water. I got it in the spotting scope but it didn't stick around long — it took off again and we lost it heading west.
The amusing part was all the birders who kept showing up for the Rare Bird Alert on the stilts only to find they just missed them. That's the life of the chaser, I suppose!
Sauk Prairie State Recreational Area was alive with tiger beetles!
I love it so.
Within minutes, I located several Big Sand, but there were also impressive numbers of Oblique-lined and Festives.
Here's a rather festive-colored Festive.
And some reddish Festives making more ... Festives.
Remember the flooded Wisconsin River?
It was incredible to see how much the water had receded in just a few days. With the shoreline habitat reappearing, Bronzed Tiger Beetles were out in full force — dozens of them were busy hunting and mating along the banks. While the recent flooding likely claimed some of the population, the survivors were out in impressive numbers, carrying on as if nothing had happened.
Nature is resilient.
We considered heading to Baxter's Hollow in search of Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), but ended up finding them right along Burma Road at Devil's Lake State Park instead. If you're planning a trip, keep in mind that while you can head in from Sauk Prairie Recreation Area, you'll eventually hit a gate that prevents vehicle access into the park itself. As a bonus, though, there are on-territory Pine Warblers present.
After a solid day's adventure, we grabbed dinner at Tumbled Rock Brewery & Kitchen. A couple friends had recommend it, and we can report that the food and service was fantastic. The beer was good, too! I had the Devil's Doorway Double IPA. Generally, Sue and I would hit Vintage Brewery on our way back home from our Sauk County excursions, but being right next to Devil's Lake State Park makes Tumbled Rock much more convenient place to plan around.
I highly recommend the walleye.
It's a busy week coming up, so I'm not sure how much birding or blogging I'll get done. There's a wedding to attend, a David Byrne concert, and work. Alas, this likely wraps up the month of April.
I'll see you in May!
All images © 2026 Mike McDowell