admin, Author at Window to Wildlife - Photography by Jim Edlhuber

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Window to Wildlife features the photography of Jim Edlhuber. A lifelong native of Wisconsin, Jim has been photographing wildlife for 20 years. He considers himself an avid photographer and is always trying to capture nature and wildlife through his lens. He is in several photography clubs and has won numerous awards for his work. In recent years, Jim has focused mostly on birding photography and finds it to be the most challenging.

Snowy Owl

By admin | December 3, 2013 - 7:58 am |January 30, 2014 Typical Owls

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Snowy Owl at the Horicon Marsh on Dike Road. Photographs taken on November 26, 2011.

Snowy Owl

By admin | December 3, 2013 - 7:53 am |January 30, 2014 Typical Owls

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Snowy Owl at the Sheboygan Marina, Sheboygan WI. Photographs taken on November 21, 2011

Snowy Owl

By admin | December 2, 2013 - 6:15 am |January 30, 2014 Typical Owls

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Snowy Owl at Waukesha Wisconsin. Photographs taken on January 15, 2009

Great Black-backed Gull

By admin | December 1, 2013 - 10:20 am |December 1, 2013 Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

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Great Black-backed Gull. Photographs taken at Wind Point and Shoop Park in Racine County, Wisconsin on November 30, 2013.

Great Black-backed Gull

Binomial name: Larus marinus

Category: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Description: The largest member of the gull family. White feathers with grayish-black backs and wings. The wings have white wingtips. Pink legs, strong yellow or pinkish-yellow bill.

Size: 25” – 31” long, 4’ 10” – 5’ 7” wingspan

Weight: 1.7 lbs. – 5.1 lbs.

Habitat: Rocky and sandy coastal shorelines, ponds, lakes, and marshes

Diet: 50% or more of their diet is often garbage or human refuse. They also eat fish, insects, crabs, smaller birds, chick eggs, and land animals such as rats.

Nesting: Both parents build several nests on or near stacks of rocks or fallen logs. The female chooses the best one, and it is lined with grass, seaweed, and other vegetation or garbage such as rope and pieces of plastic. The female will lay a clutch of 3 eggs and both parents incubate them for about 28 days. Both parents raise the hatchlings, take turns finding food. The breeding pair will reuse the same nesting site year after year.

Notes: Great Black-backed Gull feathers were used in clothing while feathers were fashionable in the late 1800’s. Once the trend ended, populations began to increase. This trend continues with the increase in refuse sites across North America and Europe.

To view the gallery of images, please click here.

Red-headed Woodpecker Adult and Juveniles Storing Acorns

By admin | November 20, 2013 - 1:18 pm |December 1, 2013 Woodpeckers and Allies

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A Red-headed Woodpecker adult and juveniles storing acorns for the winter in Marquette County, WI. Photographs taken November 19, 2013.

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker pulling acorn from tree top

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker after removing acorn cap by striking it

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker after dodging acorn cap

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker with acorn piece

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker just after storing an acorn piece in tree cavity

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Green Heron

By admin | November 15, 2013 - 4:40 pm |February 26, 2014 Bitterns, Herons, and Allies

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An adult Green Heron at Wehr Nature Center in Greenfield WI. Juvenile Green Herons at Veterans Park Lagoon Milwaukee WI . Photographs were taken in 2011.

Birdwatching in Marquette County

By admin | October 30, 2013 - 5:33 pm |December 1, 2013 Chickadees and Titmice, Emberizids, Jays and Crows, Thrushes, Woodpeckers and Allies

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While birdwatching in Marquette County, I was able to photograph Eastern Bluebirds, a Red-headed Woodpecker, and others on October 26, 2013. Images were taken near a small water source where birds were coming and going, bathing, preening and drinking.

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Red-headed Woodpecker, Juvenile transitioning to the red head

Blue Jay

Blue Jay

Dark-eyed Junco

Blue Jay

Black-capped Chickadee

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Rufous Hummingbird

By admin | October 29, 2013 - 5:00 pm |December 1, 2013 Hummingbirds

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Rufous Hummingbird photographed in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on October 27, 2013.

Rufous Hummingbird

Binomial name: Selasphorus rufus

Category: Hummingbirds

Description: Primarily rust-colored feathers with a small patch of white on the chest. Red-orange patch on throat. Short wings and a slender, slightly sloping bill.

Size: 2.8″-3.5″ long, 3” – 4” wingspan

Weight: 0.071 oz. – 0.18 oz

Habitat: Open broadleaf forests, orchards, meadows, parks, swamps, and yards

Natural Range: West Coast from Alaska to Mexico and Rocky Mountains, wintering in the Gulf Coast and Southeastern Atlantic states. They are occasionally, although rarely, found in cold-weather areas such as the Midwest due to their surprising hardiness.

Diet: Tree and flower nectar, small insects, and hummingbird feeders

Nesting: The males may mate with several females but do not care for the young. The female provides all parental care, building a nest in a protected tree or shrub. They favor either deciduous or coniferous trees such as spruce, cedar, maples, pines, birch, and hemlocks. The nest is made out of bud scales, lichen, spider silk, and dandelion or thistle down. The same nest may be used year after year and not necessarily by its previous occupant. The female will lay 2-3 eggs at a time, laying 1 brood per summer. She incubates the eggs for 15-17 days, and the young remain in the nest for 15-19 days.

Notes: This high-strung bird is considered extremely aggressive and will chase other animals from feeders or its nest including larger birds, chipmunks, and even other hummingbirds. Like other hummingbirds, Roufus Hummingbirds are adept flyers and can hover, dart, and perch with ease. They have even been seen to pluck insects out of midair.

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Whooper Swan

By admin | October 27, 2013 - 8:18 pm |December 1, 2013 Ducks, Geese, and Swans

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Whooper Swan photographed at the Otsego Marsh in Columbia County, Wisconsin on October 27, 2013. At this time it is unknown if this bird is a wild bird or an escapee bird.

Whooper Swan

Binomial name: Cygnus cygnus

Category: Ducks, Geese, and Swans

Description: White body with a black and yellow bill, more yellow than black. Black legs and feet.

Size: 55” – 65” long, 81” – 108” wingspan

Weight: 16 lbs. – 31 lbs.

Habitat: Freshwater lakes, shorelines, slow rivers, wetlands, marshes, swamps, and bogs

Natural Range: Breeds in Northern Eurasia and winters primarily in the United Kingdom and Southern Asia. It is extremely rare to see one in the United States.

Diet: Aquatic plants, leaves, stems, roots, grasses, and sedges. In winter will also eat grains, acorns, and vegetables such as turnips or potatoes.

Nesting: Both parents build the nest out of grasses, leaves, and other plants pressed into a mud flat or reed beds. The male will stand guard while the female incubates the eggs (4 -7 eggs per clutch). Mating pairs will breed for life, and the same nest may be used repeatedly over several years with repairs being made as necessary. Sometimes offspring from previous years will rejoin their parents.

Notes: Although large in size, this bird has comparatively small legs. Consequently, it spends most of its time swimming and scouring bodies of water for food instead of walking on land. It is also the national bird of Finland. The yellow markings on each swan’s bill are unique and can identify a particular bird in much the same way humans may be identified by fingerprints.

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Yellow-rumped Warblers and Cedar Waxwings Sharing Berries

By admin | October 19, 2013 - 9:12 pm |October 19, 2013 Waxwings, Wood-Warblers

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Yellow-rumped Warblers and Cedar Waxwings sharing the berries of a cedar tree in Waukesha County. Photographs taken October 19, 2013.

1st winter Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Binomial name: Setophaga coronata

Category: Wood-Warblers

Description: Both males and females have gray streaks, white on wings, and yellow rumps. Males have black streaking on slate blue backs while females also have brown steaks. Both have black bills and legs.

Size: 4.7″-5.9″ long, 7.5” – 9.4” wingspan

Weight: 0.39 oz. – 0.49 oz.

Habitat: Broadleaf and pine forests, mountains

Diet: Insects such as beetles, ants, aphids, grasshoppers, and spiders, as well as berries, fruits, and seeds

Nesting: The female builds the nest on a conifer branch out of grass, pine needles, twigs, and feathers. The male may help supply materials. The clutch size is 1 to 6 eggs, usually 3 or 4, with 1 to 2 broods laid per season. The female incubates the eggs for 12 or 13 days and the young can fledge after 10 to 14 days.

Notes: Four related species are often lumped together as the Yellow-rumped Warbler: Myrtle Warbler, Audobon’s Warbler, Mexican black-fronted Warbler, and Guatemalan Goldman’s Warbler.

1st winter Yellow-rumped Warbler

Cedar Waxwing

Binomial name: Bombycilla cedrorum

Category: Waxwings

Description: Pale brown on and chest with gray wings and tail. Pale yellow belly with and a bright yellow tip on the tail. Black mask on the face outlined in white and red drops on wings. Black bill and legs.

Size: 5.5” – 6.7” long, 8.7” – 11.8” wingspan

Weight: 1.1 oz.

Habitat: Open woodlands, orchards, and residences, particularly locations with fruit and berry sources

Diet: Berries, fruits, insects, and cedar cones

Nesting: The courtship ritual involves the male doing a “hopping” dance. If a female is interested, she’ll “hop” back. Mating couples will pass small objects between each other such as flowers or food and may rub bills affectionately. Females handle most of the nest-building using twigs, grass, feathers, and animal hair. 4 to 6 eggs will be laid per clutch with 1 to 2 broods per season, and the female incubates them for 11 to 13 days. Both parents will care for the young.

Notes: Unlike most birds, the Cedar Waxwing specializes in eating fruit. Instead of separating and regurgitating seeds from fruit and berries as most birds do, Cedar Waxwings will pass them. Occasionally if fruit has become overripe, Cedar Waxwings may ingest too much and become intoxicated or even die.

Cedar Waxwing

To see the gallery of images, please click here.

Red-headed Woodpecker Storing Acorns

By admin | October 14, 2013 - 7:58 pm |October 19, 2013 Woodpeckers and Allies

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A Red-headed Woodpecker storing acorns for the winter in Marquette County, WI. Photographs taken October 13, 2013.

Red-Headed Woodpecker

Red-headed Woodpecker

Binomial name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus

Category: Woodpeckers and Allies

Description: Red head with black back and white underparts. The wings are black with white wingtips. Adult males and females have identical plumage (sexually monomorphic).

Size: 7.5″- 9.8″ long, 16.7” wingspan

Weight: 2.0 oz. – 3.4 oz.

Habitat: Deciduous and coniferous forests, orchards, swamps, wetlands, and farmland

Diet: Insects, fruits, berries, nuts, and seeds

Nesting: Nests are built by both partners in cavities of dead trees or utility poles. The males do most of the cavity excavation. Females lay 3 to 10 eggs at one time, up to two broods per season. The first brood is laid in May and incubated for 2 weeks, and hatchlings remain in the nest for 24 to 31 days. Red-headed Woodpeckers often reuse the same nesting cavity year after year.

Notes: The Red-headed Woodpecker stores food, only one of four species in North American known to do so. It may hide nuts, seeds, and insects. In fact, Red-headed Woodpeckers awesome store grasshoppers still alive, stuck in tight crevices or covered with bark. The Red-headed Woodpecker was also featured on a stamp from the United States Postal Service in 1996 and from 1999 – 2006.

Red-Headed Woodpecker with acorn piece to hide under bark

Red-headed Woodpecker just finished breaking apart the acorn with its bill in tree limb packet

Red-headed Woodpecker just finished breaking apart the acorn with its bill in tree limb pocket

Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark

Dead oak where Red-headed Woodpecker was photographed

Red-headed Woodpecker hiding acorn piece

Red-headed Woodpecker takes flight to a nearby tree limb to hide the acorn piece behind bark

For the gallery of images, please click here.

Horicon Marsh October 8, 2013

By admin | October 8, 2013 - 4:01 pm |May 2, 2014 Ducks, Geese, and Swans, Stilts and Avocets

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American Avocet and Goose photographed at Horicon Marsh in Fond du Lac/Dodge County, Wisconsin on October 8, 2013.

American Avocet

Canada Goose and domestic Graylag Goose

White-Tailed Kite

By admin | September 30, 2013 - 8:15 pm |September 30, 2013 Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies

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White-Tailed Kite near Leola Marsh, Adams County, Wisconsin. Photographed on September 30, 2013.

White-Tailed Kite

Binomial name: Elanus leucurus

Category: Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies

Description: White with black shoulders and wingtips; elongated wings and tail. Red eyes and yellow legs.

Size: 14” – 17” long, 35” – 40” wingspan

Weight: 8.8 oz. – 13 oz.

Habitat: Coastal areas, marshes, sparse woodlands, and grasslands

Diet: Rodents and other small mammals

Nesting: Both parents choose the nesting site and may participate in building the nest; sometimes only the female builds the nest. The nest is typically in the top third of a tree and is shallow and made with twigs and grasses or leaves. The female will lay an average of 4 eggs at a time, laying 1 brood per season. The incubation period lasts 30 to 32 days and the young remain in the nest for about 35 days.

Notes: The White-Tailed Kite can hover in midair 80 feet above the ground without flapping its wings by facing into the wind. This behavior is called “kiting,” thus the name White-Tailed Kite. From this stationary position, the White-Tailed Kite will plunge straight down to retrieve its prey.

Please click here to see the gallery of images.

Harris’s Sparrow

By admin | September 25, 2013 - 1:12 pm |September 26, 2013 Emberizids

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Harris’s Sparrow photographed at Retzer Nature Center in Waukesha, WI on September 25th and 26th, 2013.

Harris’s Sparrow

Binomial name: Zonotrichia querula

Category: Emberizids

Description: Brown face and back, both overlaid with black markings especially crown, face, and throat. White on wings and underparts. Pink bills and legs.

Size: 6.7″ – 7.9″ long, 11” wingspan

Weight: 0.92 oz. – 1.7 oz.

Habitat: Coniferous forests and tundras adjacent to bogs

Diet: Seeds, especially grass seeds, fruits, pine needles, and flower parts. Scratches the ground to forage for food.

Nesting: Nests are built on the ground under the protection of a coniferous bush or in a bed of grasses. Both parents construct the nest in mid-June using materials such as sticks, grasses, moss, and lichens. The female will lay 3-5 eggs at a time, laying eggs at the end of June to the middle of July. The young remain in the nest for about 3 weeks before becoming completely independent of their parents.

Notes: “Harris’s Sparrow” is named after ornithologist Edward Harris. This bird will live nearly 12 years in the wild if not caught by a predator. And, Harris’s Sparrow only breeds in Canada, the only bird to do so.

Please click here to see the gallery of images.

Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird

By admin | September 18, 2013 - 6:36 pm |September 23, 2013 Hummingbirds

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Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird photographed in Waukesha County on September, 18 2013.

Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Binomial name: Archilochus colubris

Category: Hummingbirds

What is Leucism?

Leucism is an uncommon condition in birds. This condition is caused by a genetic mutation which prevents pigments, particularly melanin, from being deposited evenly in the bird’s feathers. Leucistic birds have melanin elsewhere in their bodies which is why they may have dark eyes, legs, and bills. However, their true color will be missing or greatly reduced due to the lack of proper pigmentation.

What is Albinism?

Leucism is similar to albinism as in both cases the birds may be completely white. However, albinism is defined as a complete absence of melanin in an animal. Truly albino species will have pink eyes as the only color seen will be caused by blood vessels behind their eyes. They will also have pink bills, legs, and feet. Albinism is extremely rare in birds.

Notes:

Leucistic birds are extremely uncommon for a number of reasons. They are not thought to live very long because their white feathers make it difficult for them to hide from predators. If they do stay alive, it is difficult for them to find a mate and successfully pass on their genetic mutation. Additionally, the melanin found in regular birds adds strength to the feathers. Leucistic birds lacking melanin have weaker feathers and thus have a more difficult time flying in severe weather. Last, the reflective properties of white feathers may be problematic for birds who rely on solar energy for heat.

To see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds without Leucism, please visit my posts featuring this bird on Red Bee Balm, Royal Catchfly and Cardinal Flower.

Western Sandpiper

By admin | September 11, 2013 - 6:41 pm |September 11, 2013 Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies

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Western Sandpiper at Bradford Beach, Milwaukee, WI. Photographs taken September 11, 2013.

Western Sandpiper

Binomial name: Calidris mauri

Category: Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies

Description: Brown feathers on back with white underparts. Dark legs and bill.

Size: 5.5” – 6.7” long, 10.2” – 14.6” wingspan

Weight: 0.8 oz. – 1.2 oz.

Habitat: Coastal tundras, shorelines, and mudflats

Diet: Small insects such as flies and beetles as well as spiders, mollusks, and small crustaceans

Nesting: The male builds several nests out of grasses, leaves, and lichens pressed into a mud flat or shoreline. He will then sing to attract a mate, and she will choose the nest. Both parents will incubate the eggs. The typical clutch size is 3-5 eggs. The female may stay and help care for the chicks, or she may leave before the eggs hatch and the male will be the sole caretaker.

Notes: Western Sandpipers breed in Siberia and Alaska, although migration will take them down the West Coast to California. Very rarely are they seen as far east as the Midwest.