"In June as many as a dozen species of leaf-rollers, leaf-miners, and gall-makers may be at work on a single oak tree... The woodland has become a dense, green apartment house, packed with hidden life."
— Edwin Way Teale
Saturday's birding field trip at Pope Farm Conservancy drew a nice crowd of about thirty people. While bird numbers and diversity were a bit lower than usual, we still managed to tally 40 species. Many of our feathered friends stayed hidden in the dense canopy, making it a "by ear" kind of day, but participants did get a great look at a brilliant Indigo Bunting. They never fail to delight a crowd, even if they don't quite offer the adrenaline rush a hard-core birder gets from chasing a rarity.
Mallard
Wild Turkey
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Killdeer
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern House Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Wild Turkey
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Killdeer
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern House Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
House Sparrow
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
After the field trip, Sue and I headed to the Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor to look for insects. Most of the warblers, thrushes, flycatchers, and vireos are gone, though the songs of Red-eyed Vireos were omnipresent throughout our corridor adventure. Though most everything else has moved north, what stays is always of interest. For warblers there are Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, and Yellow Warblers. Wood Thrushes will serenade the conservancy throughout June and Eastern Wood-Pewee calls will remain through September. Now the corridor is a lush jungle where I can usually find an assortment of insects to photograph. We spotted two Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) and just a single Long-legged Dance Fly (Rhamphomyia longicauda), but both escaped an encounter with my macro lens.
A few sandy spots along the creek frequently attract puddling butterflies after a good rain, and you can usually find Bronzed Tiger Beetles patrolling those same patches. On this particular day, however, the beetles were nowhere to be seen, leaving a single Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) with the entire sandy point all to itself.
I made a fun discovery. Recall the Great Flood of 2018? Covered under vegetation, these blocks of concrete and rock are remnants of the extensive trail damage. For unknown reasons, I didn't think to closely inspect them before, but it is perfect habitat for the Six-spotted Tiger Beetle.
And there they were ...
It's perfect. They can hunt for prey (often ants) on the rocks and if they get too warm they can quickly find shade below a leaf. This beetle, however, used one as a bridge.
Ready to hunt ...
This one is sticking close to shade ...
It's very cool when I whenever I can get super close to them like this ...
Naturally, with both males and females on patrol, the inevitable occurs ...
Mate-guarding after the deed ...
Here's an Ornate Snipe Fly (Chrysopilus ornatus) ...
And a Geometer Moth I haven't yet confirmed ID on ...
Bark Crab Spider (Bassaniana versicolor) ...
Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis) ...
Lunch at Vintage Brewing Co. in Sauk City provided the perfect midday break before we hit a few spots along the Wisconsin River to check on the local tiger beetle populations. The beaches were relatively quiet, yielding only a few Bronzed and Festive Tiger Beetles. However, things should pick up soon; in a few weeks, I expect to find Sandy Stream Tiger Beetles patrolling these same stretches.
The water level has gone down quite a bit since April's flooding ...
May's frantic migration has ended, the woods and prairies are settling into a different kind of rhythm. Summer is upon us, shifting the spotlight from the canopy to the undergrowth, where the season's gems are just getting started. If our trek through the creek corridor was any indication, it should be a spectacular summer for insects.
All images © 2026 Mike McDowell