I birded the southern section of my Milwaukee walking BIGBY route: Veterans Park, the harbor behind the art museum, and Lakeshore State Park. Not particularly birdy, although I did manage to pick up my 152nd Milwaukee BIGBY species.
Some highlights:
* Not bird-related, but I did see some things a little out-of-the-ordinary today in Lakeshore State Park. First I saw a Milwaukee police officer on horseback slowly making his way through the park. Then I saw a Milwaukee fire department boat briefly cruise the harbor by Discovery World. Then a Milwaukee police boat cruised all the way into the small inner harbor that's part of Lakeshore State Park. As I was leaving, another fire department boat was near Discovery World. Made me wonder if something had happened in this area recently.
* Late Monday afternoon I heard, and then saw, several Rusty Blackbirds at the south end of the Veterans Park lagoon. Milwaukee walking BIGBY species #152.
* There were also a few American Black Ducks in the same area.
* Lots of Canada Geese and American Coots. The geese were in the Veterans Park lagoon, grazing on the lawns, and in the harbor. Hundreds. The coots are in the harbor behind the art museum. Maybe 200+.
* Two Pied-billed Grebes. One was a loner. The other hung out with the coots as if it thought it was a coot.
* The coots frequently get aggressive towards one another. One coot suddenly takes a serious dislike towards another coot and all hell breaks loose. Happens all the time. Today I watched a coot take umbrage with a much larger Herring Gull. The coot harrassed the gull to the point where the gull took flight.
* Haven't seen the local Common Goldeneye in several days. He's been a regular behind the art museum since August 3.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
An odd sort of bird ID challenge :-)
An odd sort of bird ID challenge...
Last week I took a photo of one of the most picked clean bird carcasses I've ever seen: http://bit.ly/doYq1F. What is it?
I'm pretty sure I know what species it is, but then I had the advantage of studying it in person. The colors are kinda bleached out by the harsh sunlight, but I wasn't about to pick it up and move it to a spot with better lighting. :-)
And if you know something about fish, I'm curious to know what species this picked-over carcass is: http://bit.ly/ddfID9
It was maybe 10-12 inches in length. I sort of think I might know, but I'm not very sure.
Last week I took a photo of one of the most picked clean bird carcasses I've ever seen: http://bit.ly/doYq1F. What is it?
I'm pretty sure I know what species it is, but then I had the advantage of studying it in person. The colors are kinda bleached out by the harsh sunlight, but I wasn't about to pick it up and move it to a spot with better lighting. :-)
And if you know something about fish, I'm curious to know what species this picked-over carcass is: http://bit.ly/ddfID9
It was maybe 10-12 inches in length. I sort of think I might know, but I'm not very sure.
Milwaukee Lakefront - Four new BIGBY species
My computer was in the shop for some repairs, so I haven't had much in the way of e-mail access. Just wanted to give a quick BIGBY update. I added four new 2010 Milwaukee walking BIGBY species last Thursday (10/7), bringing my Milwaukee count to 151 species. I added these four species near the beginning of my walk and had visions of a big day dancing in my head. No such luck, though...nothing new for the rest of the day. But it was still a very nice day for a walk.
Here are the new BIGBY birds:
* Fox Sparrow. Milwaukee walking BIGBY species #148. Near the entrance to Lakeshore State Park.
* Vesper Sparrow. BIGBY #149. Near the south end of Lakeshore State Park.
* Lapland Longspur. BIGBY #150. At south part of Lakeshore State Park. This was also species #197 in my 2010 "combo" BIGBY list. My goal of 200 species for 2010 isn't far from reality! (What's a "combo" BIGBY? See: http://bit.ly/a2HhKW).
* American Tree Sparrow. BIGBY #151. Saw several more of them later in my walk.
And a few non-BIGBY highlights from 10/7:
* I noticed a flock of small birds headed my way through some brush. I stood still as they approached me. They slowly foraged past me with several birds within arm's length. Golden-crowned Kinglets. They are really cute birds up close.
* It just now struck me that, for the past couple of weeks, I have been regularly seeing and hearing more Red-breasted Nuthatches than White-breasted. This is an experience I've never had before. Pretty cool!
* There were quite a few Winter Wrens out and about on Thursday. They really are mouse-like in their movements.
Here are the new BIGBY birds:
* Fox Sparrow. Milwaukee walking BIGBY species #148. Near the entrance to Lakeshore State Park.
* Vesper Sparrow. BIGBY #149. Near the south end of Lakeshore State Park.
* Lapland Longspur. BIGBY #150. At south part of Lakeshore State Park. This was also species #197 in my 2010 "combo" BIGBY list. My goal of 200 species for 2010 isn't far from reality! (What's a "combo" BIGBY? See: http://bit.ly/a2HhKW).
* American Tree Sparrow. BIGBY #151. Saw several more of them later in my walk.
And a few non-BIGBY highlights from 10/7:
* I noticed a flock of small birds headed my way through some brush. I stood still as they approached me. They slowly foraged past me with several birds within arm's length. Golden-crowned Kinglets. They are really cute birds up close.
* It just now struck me that, for the past couple of weeks, I have been regularly seeing and hearing more Red-breasted Nuthatches than White-breasted. This is an experience I've never had before. Pretty cool!
* There were quite a few Winter Wrens out and about on Thursday. They really are mouse-like in their movements.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
My 2010 "combo" BIGBY birding effort is approaching 200 species
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I was keeping a combined walking BIGBY list for 2010. I lived in southern Indiana through the end of July, and have lived in Milwaukee since the beginning of August. (What's a BIGBY? See: http://bit.ly/cn3cbv).
I went out on a limb and set a 2010 "combo" BIGBY goal of 200 species. Then I started worrying that maybe that was unrealistic...that the overlap between my Indiana and Wisconsin lists was greater than I thought, and I'd wind up short of my goal.
The other day I had the time to set up a spreadsheet for my "combo" BIGBY. I had 158 species on my Indiana list, and 147 on my Milwaukee list. The overlap was smaller than I thought. After weeding out the duplicates I came up with 196 BIGBY species so far in 2010!
So, the countdown is on! :-) I have three months left, and just four species to go. I'm pretty sure that with waterfowl migration just beginning, the ducks will push me past the 200 mark fairly soon.
I'll provide a more detailed breakdown once the list hits 200 species.
I went out on a limb and set a 2010 "combo" BIGBY goal of 200 species. Then I started worrying that maybe that was unrealistic...that the overlap between my Indiana and Wisconsin lists was greater than I thought, and I'd wind up short of my goal.
The other day I had the time to set up a spreadsheet for my "combo" BIGBY. I had 158 species on my Indiana list, and 147 on my Milwaukee list. The overlap was smaller than I thought. After weeding out the duplicates I came up with 196 BIGBY species so far in 2010!
So, the countdown is on! :-) I have three months left, and just four species to go. I'm pretty sure that with waterfowl migration just beginning, the ducks will push me past the 200 mark fairly soon.
I'll provide a more detailed breakdown once the list hits 200 species.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Milwaukee lakefront, 10/2-10/4 - Three new BIGBY species, plus gulls in a hackberry tree
I added three new species to my Milwaukee walking BIGBY list this weekend, bringing my 2010 Milwaukee BIGBY count to 147 species.
This weekend was kinda frustrating in one respect. I'd been looking forward to looking for new waterfowl species behind Milwaukee's art museum...I was curious to see what the recent cold front might have brought in. But the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department had sealed off my favorite vantage point for viewing waterfowl behind the museum on both Saturday and Sunday. A helpful deputy informed me that the "American Idol" TV show was holding auditions in the newer part of the museum, and that the show's producers did not want people wandering around behind the museum. I never ever thought my birding plans would be thwarted by "American Idol". :-)
Here are a few highlights from the weekend:
* Bobolink. Milwaukee walking BIGBY species #145. Several birds in the prairie of Lakeshore State Park on Saturday. The weather was pretty nasty. Strong winds. Chilly temps. The adult nonbreeding-plumaged birds kept popping up out of the prairie plants and diving back in.
* Pied-billed Grebe. BIGBY #146. Hanging out with the coots behind the art museum this AM.
* Field Sparrow. BIGBY #147. In Lake Park today, near the North Point lighthouse.
* Gulls in a hackberry tree, eating hackberries. Today. South end of Bradford Beach. I've never seen a gull perched in a tree before. But three of them were awkwardly balancing themselves in a smallish hackberry tree and dining on the berries.
* Golden-crowned Kinglets. Everywhere, from Veterans Park to Lake Park.
* Palm Warblers. All over the place at North Point (north of Bradford Beach). In fact, they were the only species near the North Point algae mats. No gulls. No shorebirds. No Harlequin Duck. Heck, not even any algae mats.
* Dark-eyed Juncos. Many in Lake Park. One flock had 50+ birds.
* Ran into Jim Edlhuber in Lakeshore State Park this AM. He was trying to find a Gray Fox to photograph. He had to settle for a Red Fox. :-)
This weekend was kinda frustrating in one respect. I'd been looking forward to looking for new waterfowl species behind Milwaukee's art museum...I was curious to see what the recent cold front might have brought in. But the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department had sealed off my favorite vantage point for viewing waterfowl behind the museum on both Saturday and Sunday. A helpful deputy informed me that the "American Idol" TV show was holding auditions in the newer part of the museum, and that the show's producers did not want people wandering around behind the museum. I never ever thought my birding plans would be thwarted by "American Idol". :-)
Here are a few highlights from the weekend:
* Bobolink. Milwaukee walking BIGBY species #145. Several birds in the prairie of Lakeshore State Park on Saturday. The weather was pretty nasty. Strong winds. Chilly temps. The adult nonbreeding-plumaged birds kept popping up out of the prairie plants and diving back in.
* Pied-billed Grebe. BIGBY #146. Hanging out with the coots behind the art museum this AM.
* Field Sparrow. BIGBY #147. In Lake Park today, near the North Point lighthouse.
* Gulls in a hackberry tree, eating hackberries. Today. South end of Bradford Beach. I've never seen a gull perched in a tree before. But three of them were awkwardly balancing themselves in a smallish hackberry tree and dining on the berries.
* Golden-crowned Kinglets. Everywhere, from Veterans Park to Lake Park.
* Palm Warblers. All over the place at North Point (north of Bradford Beach). In fact, they were the only species near the North Point algae mats. No gulls. No shorebirds. No Harlequin Duck. Heck, not even any algae mats.
* Dark-eyed Juncos. Many in Lake Park. One flock had 50+ birds.
* Ran into Jim Edlhuber in Lakeshore State Park this AM. He was trying to find a Gray Fox to photograph. He had to settle for a Red Fox. :-)
Friday, October 1, 2010
Early signs of waterfowl migration, plus TWO gray foxes in Milwaukee's Lakeshore State Park
It was a relatively quiet morning on the southern part of my Milwaukee walking BIGBY route. No new BIGBY birds, but still some nice highlights:
* TWO gray foxes were seen in Lakeshore State Park. More details at the end of this note.
* There's a spruce tree full of small cones east of the Veterans Park lagoon. This tree seems to be a magnet for chickadees, nuthatches, etc. Quite a few species on it today. Sort of looked like a Christmas tree festooned with passerine ornaments.
* The American Coot numbers have increased behind the art museum. For the past two weeks the count has been at a steady 10-12 birds. This AM I'm guessing there were ay least 60 coots (counting coots can be a challenge since they're constantly diving underwater and popping back up). Maybe a sign that waterfowl migration is ready to kick into gear?
* The Common Goldeneye population behind the art museum has doubled, increasing from one to two birds. :-) There's been a male hanging out there since early August. This morning there was a female goldeneye swimming and diving with the coots. Interestingly, the male goldeneye was nowhere near the female. Normally he hangs out in the area where the female was this AM. Today he was farther north in the harbor, near Veterans Park. Wonder if this new goldeneye is a harbinger of additional birds that might be coming in with this weekend's cold front?
* Lots of Palm Warblers foraging in the prairie area of Lakeshore State Park. They flew up and down and in and out of the prairie enough that I didn't attempt to count them. They didn't seem to be fazed at all by the foraging Gray Fox (the fox seemed more interested in grasshoppers).
As I noted earlier, TWO gray foxes were seen in Lakeshore State Park today. I was tracking one at the south end of the park, trying to get close enough for cell phone photos. A woman stopped and watched with me for a bit, and then headed north. She came back 10-15 minutes later to tell me she'd seen another one at the north end of the park. I was following "my" fox that whole time at the far south end of the park, so there definitely was a second one to the north. Here are a couple of cell phone photos of "my" fox: http://bit.ly/9BSzwD and http://bit.ly/bjxMZu
While these photos are clearer than the one I posted a week or so ago (you can actually tell its a gray fox this time) they're still nothing to write home about. But I was shooting blind because the sun's glare washed out the view screen, so I guess they're not all that bad. I need to get me a digital SLR. :-)
One final note on these foxes. From what I've read, Gray Foxes are nocturnal animals that like forested, brushy habitat, away from human habitation. Lakeshore State Park is a 17 acre tract in an urban area with a frequent human presence. No trees. The tallest vegetation is probably goldenrods. Interesting.
* TWO gray foxes were seen in Lakeshore State Park. More details at the end of this note.
* There's a spruce tree full of small cones east of the Veterans Park lagoon. This tree seems to be a magnet for chickadees, nuthatches, etc. Quite a few species on it today. Sort of looked like a Christmas tree festooned with passerine ornaments.
* The American Coot numbers have increased behind the art museum. For the past two weeks the count has been at a steady 10-12 birds. This AM I'm guessing there were ay least 60 coots (counting coots can be a challenge since they're constantly diving underwater and popping back up). Maybe a sign that waterfowl migration is ready to kick into gear?
* The Common Goldeneye population behind the art museum has doubled, increasing from one to two birds. :-) There's been a male hanging out there since early August. This morning there was a female goldeneye swimming and diving with the coots. Interestingly, the male goldeneye was nowhere near the female. Normally he hangs out in the area where the female was this AM. Today he was farther north in the harbor, near Veterans Park. Wonder if this new goldeneye is a harbinger of additional birds that might be coming in with this weekend's cold front?
* Lots of Palm Warblers foraging in the prairie area of Lakeshore State Park. They flew up and down and in and out of the prairie enough that I didn't attempt to count them. They didn't seem to be fazed at all by the foraging Gray Fox (the fox seemed more interested in grasshoppers).
As I noted earlier, TWO gray foxes were seen in Lakeshore State Park today. I was tracking one at the south end of the park, trying to get close enough for cell phone photos. A woman stopped and watched with me for a bit, and then headed north. She came back 10-15 minutes later to tell me she'd seen another one at the north end of the park. I was following "my" fox that whole time at the far south end of the park, so there definitely was a second one to the north. Here are a couple of cell phone photos of "my" fox: http://bit.ly/9BSzwD and http://bit.ly/bjxMZu
While these photos are clearer than the one I posted a week or so ago (you can actually tell its a gray fox this time) they're still nothing to write home about. But I was shooting blind because the sun's glare washed out the view screen, so I guess they're not all that bad. I need to get me a digital SLR. :-)
One final note on these foxes. From what I've read, Gray Foxes are nocturnal animals that like forested, brushy habitat, away from human habitation. Lakeshore State Park is a 17 acre tract in an urban area with a frequent human presence. No trees. The tallest vegetation is probably goldenrods. Interesting.
View from my Lake Park sparrow spot
At the very southern tip of Milwaukee's Lake Park there's a bluff filled with foxtails.
I've been checking this spot on a regular basis during migration, with fairly decent results: White-throated, White-crowned, Savannah, Song, Swamp, and Lincoln's (only one of the latter). It can be a challenging spot since you're looking down a steep hill...it's not like checking out a level plot of grasses. Sometimes there's nothing. Other times you can hear the darned birds chirping down in the foxtails, but you never really see anything. But every now and then patience pays off.
Anyway, the other day I was trying to get a visual of some chirping birds and I looked up and was struck by how beautiful this spot can be. Funny how sometimes we can be focusing on the small details of birding and miss the big picture.
Here's a photo I took with my cell phone: http://bit.ly/cyc3xS
I've been checking this spot on a regular basis during migration, with fairly decent results: White-throated, White-crowned, Savannah, Song, Swamp, and Lincoln's (only one of the latter). It can be a challenging spot since you're looking down a steep hill...it's not like checking out a level plot of grasses. Sometimes there's nothing. Other times you can hear the darned birds chirping down in the foxtails, but you never really see anything. But every now and then patience pays off.
Anyway, the other day I was trying to get a visual of some chirping birds and I looked up and was struck by how beautiful this spot can be. Funny how sometimes we can be focusing on the small details of birding and miss the big picture.
Here's a photo I took with my cell phone: http://bit.ly/cyc3xS
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