After seeing 3 days of a reported rare bird for Wisconsin, the Black-billed Magpie at the Superior Landfill I thought I would take the chance and try for it. The Black-billed Magpie’s normal range is the Dakota’s, Nebraska and Kansas and west then up into Alaska. The reports on ebird … Continue reading
One of my birding stops today along the Milwaukee lakefront at Bradford Beach on Lake Michigan gave nice views of 8 Sanderlings. They were feeding along the waves coming in and out along the beach shoreline. They move fast on the beach back and forth and pick very small things … Continue reading
A beautiful American Golden-Plover was giving great views this morning at Pebble Beach which is just north of McKinley Beach. The bird was feeding on the algae mats along the waters edge finding things to eat. They walk, stop, must listen, then make a quick poke in the algae getting … Continue reading
There was one report of a Red-necked Phalarope at McKinley Marina 2 days ago 8/30. Yesterday on a Lakefront birding run I thought I would check it out, I did not find the bird and thought it moved on. Mid-morning today 9/1 I heard the Phalarope was seen again by … Continue reading
Shorebirds have been migrating south and my stop this morning at McKinley Beach gave nice looks at 3 species of them. Ruddy Turnstones, Semipalmated Plovers and Semipalmated Sandpipers were present. I also saw a Sanderling but by the time I got over to it walkers unknowingly flushed it out over … Continue reading
One of my birding stops today was Lakeshore State Park in Milwaukee. It is a great place to do a walk in search for birds, you never know what you will come across. The highlight today was a Great Blue Heron walking a big rock shore on the island. It … Continue reading
At 6:00 AM I received a text message that a juvenile Wood Stork was seen at Mud Lake State Wildlife Area in Dodge County yesterday. The normal range for this species is Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. I pretty much jumped in the car and was in the area. … Continue reading
One of my stops on the Milwaukee lakefront was Lakeshore State Park. Nice views of an American White Pelican was the highlight. This bird is considered rare for this date and location, so that makes it even more special. Other times of the year it would be considered normal. It … Continue reading
I saw a report of a rare to the area, Short-billed Gull being seen at Whitefish Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan in Door County on July 23. I made 3 trips up to Door County over the last week to look for this gull and on the 3rd try … Continue reading
I heard a report of a Piping Plover, a molting adult bird in Milwaukee County yesterday. I checked out the location this morning and it was still present. This species is considered endangered in Wisconsin. At one time it was said there were 500 to 800 pairs of Piping Plovers … Continue reading
Today I decided to do some birding along the lakefront in Milwaukee and my first stop was Lakeshore State Park. While doing a walk around there on the island I found a Common Grackle feeding a young. The Common Grackle caught a crayfish, pulled off the claws and fed it … Continue reading
I have tried to capture some of the recent beauty of some spring to summer blooming native wildflowers. Wildflower images have been taken in the yard here in Waukesha or Marquette County. Most wildflowers here are native to Wisconsin. The spring started out with some nice moisture and has continued … Continue reading
I found a Northern Flicker nest cavity back on June 1 of this year in Waukesha County. The adults were stopping at the cavity once in a while; I knew something was going to be going on there in the days ahead. Some time has passed and today I stopped … Continue reading
I had not been up to Horicon Marsh yet this year so a last minute decision was made early in the morning to make the trip up. I arrived at about 6:00 AM. I hit the auto tour first and there were some nice species to be seen. My next … Continue reading
I stopped at a Great Blue Heron rookery in SE Wisconsin to see if there were any herons present. There were about 12 active nests and the little chicks were getting big. The adults came and went bringing in food to the chicks, regurgitating partially digested food. Always fun to … Continue reading
A super rare gull, a Kelp Gull is currently nesting with an American Herring Gull on Milwaukee’s Lakefront. The nest is on top of a cargo warehouse on Jones Island along Lake Michigan. The Kelp Gull is typically found in Southern South American, Africa, New Zealand and Australia, so it … Continue reading
I had gotten a tip on Red-shouldered Hawks nesting in Waukesha County. To go out and find this nest was my goal today, with a little luck, it all came together. I observed the nest from a very long distance. There were 3 chicks and at one time there was … Continue reading
One of my birding stops today was Retzer Nature Center to see if the Bobolinks were present. They were and are nesting as usual. I did see a couple of males moving around in the field there, but only saw one female. I’m sure they are at the nest. Always … Continue reading
With spring migration winding down I decided to focus on nesting birds today. Just walking around in a couple of parks I found 3 location with either a bird on a nest or a nest cavity with active birds. One of the nesting places was a pair of Northern Flickers. … Continue reading
As I was walking through a park in Waukesha County a Great Horned Owl landed near me. It looks like it is a young owl maybe past the owlet stage. Other species surrounded this owl in the tree, they were harassing it vocally. Usually you get some American Crows, but … Continue reading
