Major Warbler Influx!

Palm Warbler

It's only May 3rd, but already I've spotted 25 warbler species at Pheasant Branch Conservancy. The big push of migrants that began Monday night continued for a couple of days, coinciding with strong south winds until a cold front came through. With the exception of a few warm days, we're still experiencing colder than normal temperatures. Once again it's cold and rainy. But now the weather is forcing newly arrived warblers from the treetops down to the ground. Such conditions are great for birders who desire spectacular close-up views, but the birds are working extra hard to find food.

Here are the warbler species I've observed so far this spring:

Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler

Warblers and other songbirds are arriving earlier than I've previously recorded at the conservancy. In fact, my April count of 123 species beat my previous high tally of 113 set in 2011. The April 30th influx put me over the top. Yellow-rumped Warblers are arriving in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota where there is still a foot of snow on the ground. What are some of them eating? Check out this video taken by Peter Nichols for the answer:



Palm Warbler © 2013 Mike McDowell

April ends … with a bang!

Look at all those birds!

What an amazing day of birding! One look at NEXRAD last night and I knew it was going to be good this morning. A storm cell likely contributed to the sub-fallout conditions by forcing the birds to cease migrating during the rain. But once the rain ended the birds poured into the creek corridor in search of insects to eat. There were Pine, Palm, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, but some real gems like Hooded Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, and Prothonotary Warbler.


The Golden Swamp Warbler!

I’m too tired to write and it's another early start tomorrow!

Prothonotary Warbler © 2013 Mike McDowell

Pasque Flowers!

It's been a long time since I've seen the Pasque Flowers at Pheasant Branch Conservancy looking this good. The west slope of the drumlin is covered with hundreds of them, maybe even thousands. Check it out if you're in the area!







All images © 2013 Mike McDowell

Spring's Magical Moments

Great Horned Owl

There were some truly magical sights this morning at Pheasant Branch Conservancy. The female owls along the creek corridor were tending to their nests and young. Around a half dozen people (non-birders) asked me if I had seen the owl, but no mention of the seventy or so other bird species present. The owls are easy to see even without the aid of optics, but I do enjoy sharing my spotting scope with others and watching their reaction when they see these magnificent birds of prey at high magnification for the first time in their lives. I wonder what they would think of a Yellow-rumped Warbler, Hermit Thrush, or Ruby-crowned Kinglet.


Barred Owl


Yellow-rumped Warbler

Most of the Yellow-rumped Warblers I've seen so far this spring have been rather drab, but this particular bird really stood apart from the others. A common warbler during April to be sure, but they're still quite stunning and one of my favorite North American wood warblers.



Digiscoping any warbler can be pretty challenging. When a warbler is actively foraging like this one was, I note its return perches after it catches an insect. I'll practice moving my spotting scope from perch to perch and make sure the focus is true because it's totally manual with the setup I'm presently using. Then it's a matter of anticipating the movements of the bird. It's great when all the elements come together for a nice series of images.



By late morning the Bloodroot opened up for my second native wildflower of spring. Yesterday I saw Pasque Flowers in bloom on the west slope of the drumlin at the prairie parcel. I'll post those photographs tomorrow or Monday along with some Purple Finch images I was able to capture.


Bloodroot



All images © 2013 Mike McDowell

Field trip results!

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Around 30 birders endured rain, sleet, and cold temperatures during the Madison Audubon warbler walk this morning at Pheasant Branch Conservancy. We found a single BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, a couple of ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS and a few dozen YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. Other birds included BROWN THRASHER (my first of the year), HOUSE WREN, a singing CAROLINA WREN, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, HERMIT THRUSH, and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS foraging on the ground in wood chips. There were 49 species observed while I was there, but Dan Graham found a ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK just before I arrived. A large flock of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMOANTS flew overhead and an AMERICAN CROW was observed chasing a BROAD-WINGED HAWK. A big highlight for the group was getting great spotting scope views of both BARRED OWLS and GREAT HORNED OWLS, the latter with young.

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Apr 25, 2013 6:00 AM - 8:45 AM
49 species

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Carolina Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Brown Thrasher
Black-and-white Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Ruby-crowned Kinglet © 2013 Mike McDowell

April Delays

Yellow-rumped Warbler

There haven’t been many sunny days this month, and so my photography has suffered. The pace and sensory presence of Pheasant Branch Conservancy more closely resembles March than it does late April. Some trees have buds, but most are still completely bare. The ground is brown and I haven’t seen any spring ephemerals yet. I see a few dozen or so Yellow-rumped Warblers during each outing, but only a couple Palm and Pine Warblers so far. All of this should change this weekend when temperatures reach the upper sixties and low seventies, hopefully putting spring’s engine into high gear. It will be interesting to see how this May unfolds. Will songbirds rush through, or will migration continue to be delayed throughout the month.

“A list of birds seen on a given day is also a form of prayer, a thanksgiving for being alive at a certain time and place. Posting that list online is a 21st-century form of a votive offering. It’s unclear what deity presides.”

~ Brian Kimberling, What Do the Birders Know?

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Apr 24, 2013 6:45 AM - 9:15 AM
64 species

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Sora
American Coot
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Wilson's Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

Yellow-rumped Warbler © 2013 Mike McDowell

Spring Loons & Grebes

I might have had new collection of songbird images today, but I forgot to remove my camera battery from its charger this morning and left home without it. Instead, after lunch and a nap, I went to the pier at the end of Lake Street near Captain Bill's to photograph loons and grebes on Lake Mendota. I was hoping to get a decent shot of an Eared Grebe that was reported by Rick Terrien, but the bird didn't come close enough for close-up portraits. Still, I'm content with the images I was able to get today. Watching Common Loons is always entertaining and they make excellent photographic subjects.


Common Loon


Common Loon


Common Loon


Common Loon


Common Loon


Common Loon


Horned Grebe


Horned Grebe


Eared Grebe

All images © 2013 Mike McDowell

Witness

The sun's rays filter through bare branches; the creek corridor stirs and comes to life with the songs of birds. A Winter Wren's song punched the calm morning air. It's an amazing series of notes that renders astonishment no matter how many times it's heard. It's amazing that a bird so small sings such a big song.


Great Horned Owl

Even before daylight, the nighttime birds retire; resting, but always at watch. This is a male Great Horned Owl. The female was on the nest, but she's been off it a few times this past week. I expect we'll soon see the owlets peering out of the cavity.


Hermit Thrush

A perfectly perched Hermit Thrush! But not for long. He had his eye on something of interest just below. The sprightly thrush bobbed his tail and then hopped off his perch to capture and consume his prey, a bug of some kind.


Hermit Thrush


Eastern Towhee

This Eastern Towhee puffed up his feathers and then began to preen. I think this may be the same towhee I photographed a few days ago, as it was found at the exact location. But when birds are on the move during migration, there's no way to know for sure. Eastern Towhees don't nest along the creek corridor, in fact I don't think there is any place at Pheasant Branch that they do.


Preening Eastern Towhee


Yellow-rumped Warbler

This Yellow-rumped Warbler is inspecting a clump of leaves in search for something to eat. So far the only other warbler I've seen this spring is Louisiana Waterthrush. The warbler faucet has been set to a trickle, but we should start seeing more diversity and higher numbers soon.


Barred Owl 

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Apr 16, 2013 6:45 AM - 9:15 AM
47 species

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Cooper's Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow


© 2013 Mike McDowell

Gloomy and Cold Weather

I saw a thin fresh layer of snow on the ground looking out the window early this morning, but I know it will melt well before the end of the day. At present, temperatures are in the low thirties with freezing rain. The gloomy weather this past week in my neck of the woods hasn't been very conducive for bird photography or very suitable for bird migration. However, last night's southerly winds helped push birds into Wisconsin.

My expectations for new spring arrivals was pretty low when I hit the trail yesterday at the conservancy. I found only one Yellow-rumped Warbler, a couple of Hermit Thrushes, two singing Winter Wrens, a handful of Golden-crowned Kinglets, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The Eastern Phoebes were foraging for insects low to the ground. I hope they're finding enough to eat in this unseasonably cold weather.

The serenading songs of Fox Sparrow were definitely a highlight I enjoyed throughout my walk. The confluence ponds are open and attracting an assortment of waterfowl. The durable winter birds, however, were preoccupied with spring concerns, especially Black-capped Chickadees, excavating cavities in old tree stumps.



The creek corridor Great Horned Owl pair are once again using the large oval cavity in the dead cottonwood tree. The photograph above shows the youngsters from last year. This is the third consecutive year that the owls have used this particular cavity, but an owl expert told me they don't usually reuse them year after year. I guess it's hard to give up a good thing!

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Apr 13, 2013 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM
50 species

Canada Goose 
Wood Duck 
Mallard 
Lesser Scaup 
Bufflehead 
Pied-billed Grebe 
Great Blue Heron 
Cooper's Hawk 
Sandhill Crane 
Killdeer 
Rock Pigeon 
Mourning Dove 
Great Horned Owl 
Belted Kingfisher 
Red-bellied Woodpecker 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 
Downy Woodpecker 
Hairy Woodpecker 
Northern Flicker 
American Kestrel 
Eastern Phoebe 
Blue Jay 
American Crow 
Black-capped Chickadee 
Tufted Titmouse 
White-breasted Nuthatch 
Brown Creeper 
Winter Wren 
Carolina Wren 
Golden-crowned Kinglet 
Eastern Bluebird 
Hermit Thrush 
American Robin 
European Starling 
Cedar Waxwing 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
Savannah Sparrow 
Fox Sparrow 
Song Sparrow 
Dark-eyed Junco 
Northern Cardinal 
Red-winged Blackbird 
Eastern Meadowlark 
Common Grackle 
Brown-headed Cowbird 
Purple Finch 
House Finch 
Pine Siskin 
American Goldfinch 
House Sparrow

All images © 2013 Mike McDowell

Early April at Pheasant Branch!

Eastern Phoebe

What beautiful weather and birds! Phenological patterns seem just a little late, but a delayed leaf-out bodes well for seeing and photographing birds. I scoured parts of Pheasant Branch Conservancy for several hours today, including the south creek corridor, confluence ponds, and the North Fork marsh. I never made it to the prairie, though. I didn't think I would tally 60 bird species, but that's what I got. Still, when I left the field I couldn't help but feel as though I had missed something.


Brown Creeper

I didn't see any American Tree Sparrows today, but no doubt some are still around. Also, I know from other reports there are American Woodcock at the prairie parcel, but I didn't expect to find any during daylight hours. Eastern Phoebes are taking up residence near wooden bridges that cross the creek. There's a Carolina Wren I usually hear singing before 8:00 a.m. at the second bridge east of Park Street. I wonder if this is the same bird that I was seeing last fall.


Golden-crowned Kinglet

The most interesting observation today was the numerous Golden-crowned Kinglets foraging on or close to the ground. Carefully watching them through my spotting scope, I could see that they were catching tiny insects on patches of snow. Kinglets are insanely difficult to digiscope, but I managed to get a few acceptable shots of the lively little sprites.


Golden-crowned Kinglet


Golden-crowned Kinglet


Golden-crowned Kinglet


Eastern Towhee

Near the large cottonwood trees on the west trail, I heard a familiar reee call belonging to an Eastern Towhee emanating from the dense tangle of fallen branches. I sat on a tree that had fallen during the December blizzard and waited for the towhee to make an appearance. I knew it would only be a matter of time. Sure enough, the bird popped into the open and made his way to higher perches, singing at each stop.


Eastern Towhee


Wilson's Snipe

I followed the trial all the way west to the confluence ponds. Near the end of the trail is a marshy area called the North Fork. This is the location where there were over 30 nesting Marsh Wrens last summer. There are no wrens yet, but plenty of Song Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds. In addition to a few Tree Swallows, I saw my first Barn Swallow of spring. At the big pond there were Buffelhead, Hooded Mergansers, American Coots, Lesser Scaup, Mallards, and over a dozen Northern Shovelers.


Northern Shoveler

Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Apr 7, 2013 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
60 species

Canada Goose 
Wood Duck 
Mallard 
Northern Shoveler 
Green-winged Teal 
Lesser Scaup 
Bufflehead 
Hooded Merganser 
Turkey Vulture 
Northern Harrier 
Cooper's Hawk 
Red-tailed Hawk 
American Coot 
Sandhill Crane 
Killdeer 
Wilson's Snipe 
Ring-billed Gull 
Rock Pigeon 
Mourning Dove 
Great Horned Owl 
Belted Kingfisher 
Red-bellied Woodpecker 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 
Downy Woodpecker 
Hairy Woodpecker 
Northern Flicker 
American Kestrel 
Eastern Phoebe 
Blue Jay 
American Crow 
Tree Swallow 
Barn Swallow 
Black-capped Chickadee 
Tufted Titmouse 
White-breasted Nuthatch 
Brown Creeper 
Winter Wren 
Carolina Wren 
Golden-crowned Kinglet 
Eastern Bluebird 
American Robin 
European Starling 
Cedar Waxwing 
Louisiana Waterthrush 
Yellow-rumped Warbler 
Eastern Towhee 
Vesper Sparrow 
Fox Sparrow 
Song Sparrow 
Dark-eyed Junco 
Northern Cardinal 
Red-winged Blackbird 
Eastern Meadowlark 
Common Grackle 
Brown-headed Cowbird 
Purple Finch 
House Finch 
Pine Siskin 
American Goldfinch 
House Sparrow 

All images © 2013 Mike McDowell

March Ends

Song Sparrow

I retraced most of my route from yesterday and came up with 42 species once again. I added Wood Ducks, but missed Belted Kingfisher. There were a few more Eastern Phoebes, another Golden-crowned Kinglet, and even more American Robins. The most obvious change was the increase in the number of Song Sparrows. They were everywhere today! Yesterday I tallied only two, but today there were at least 20 of the spring songsters seen and heard during my hike. I was impressed with Kyle Lindemer's report of around 100 of them at Nine Springs yesterday compared with my paltry two birds. Perhaps the main Song Sparrow influx had only made it to the southeast side of Madison two nights ago.


Song Sparrow


American Tree Sparrow

Speaking of numbers, last year I found 71 bird species during the month of March at Pheasant Branch Conservancy. I'm down this year. This March I'm at 48 species for the month. This isn't surprising given the extended cold weather we've been experiencing so far this spring, but it's actually only a little below average compared with recent years. Last year was definitely the exception given the unseasonably warm weather.

Here's how recent years compare:

2013 (48), 2012 (71), 2011 (57), 2010 (58), 2009 (51), 2008 (47), 2007 (58)


Brown Creeper


American Robin


Red-winged Blackbird


Canada Goose

Bring on April migrants!

All images © 2013 Mike McDowell