While out birding I came across a couple of Long-eared Owls just perched pretty. I took a couple of quick photos and off I went. It was a cloudy day with light winds and mild temperatures for mid December around 34 degrees. Images were taken on December 14, 2024.
The Long-eared Owl, just perched and looking around…
One of my birding stops today was to see if Sandhill Cranes were present at the Bark River in Delafield. There were a pair of them in the middle of the river looking for a couple of things to eat, preening and just standing around. A Great Blue Heron was also present in the background. The heron did not move at all when I was there, thinking it was just conserving energy. It was cloudy skies, a little wind and temps around 45 degrees. Images were taken on December 7, 2024.
The pair of Sandhill Cranes in the Bark River…
Some preening…
More preening…
More preening…
Moving around some…
Looking for things to eat…
The Great Blue Heron in the background…
While birding I came across an Eastern Screech Owl, red morph high in a tree cavity. It was a partly cloudy morning with mild temps around 45 degrees with low winds. Image was taken on December 7, 2024.
High up in the tree cavity the Screech Owl sits…
I had found a Northern Saw-whet Owl almost a month ago and thought today I would do a follow up visit. The Northern Saw-whet Owl was still at the same location just perched pretty enjoying the beautiful day. It was a mild December day with light winds, mild temps around 48 degrees, some clouds and sun. Image was taken on December 7, 2024.
This was an exciting, very rare bird for Wisconsin! A Sage Thrasher has been being seen only a few times a day at a private residence for about a week. I struggled to get up to see this bird sooner with no results. This bird’s normal range is Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico and west of these states, so it is way off course. I got to the stakeout at 7:30 AM, watched from the car for a while as I had excellent views of the yard and where it had been seen. Quite a few birders showed up as time went on. About 9:40 the bird was spotted coming out of some Yew plants alongside the home and into a thick hedge about 20 feet away. The bird remained silent and no moving around in the hedge for about 15 minutes plus. Then all of the sudden the bird flew up into a couple of short trees in the hedge and gave excellent views for all present. The bird moved around some in front of us for a couple of minutes but then went back into hiding it seemed. My opinion is that the bird spends it’s nights and off times at the basement outside wall as there might be some heat coming off of the concrete there as that appears where it came from when first seen today. It does come out on occasion and then it is seen. I did try for the bird 2 days earlier for 5 hours with no luck. What a birding moment!! A BIG THANK YOU goes out to the homeowner for being so kind and letting birders come visit to see the rare visitor on their property. UPDATE 12/1/24, visiting now only from the roadside. It was a cold day, mostly cloudy, some wind at 25 degrees. Wisconsin Life Bird #381. Images were taken on December 1, 2024.
The Sage Thrasher giving nice looks here…
The bird blends in so well, at some times I could not see it…
When the bird first came out in the open…
Where the Sage Thrasher flew to when it came out of the Yew bush. 15 minutes in here before seeing the bird fly up to a branch on a small tree. The bird was impossible to see in there. I think this habitat is similar to Sage Brush habitat what Sage Thrashers like??… maybe one reason it might be hanging around.
It went to the ground twice…blends in well, it moved around quickly in most cases…
Many times it was in behind branches, etc, moving from one spot to another…
Giving nice looks here, so exciting…
Looking around to move…
The Sage Thrasher before it went back into hiding…
A Snowy Owl was present this morning at Lakeshore State Park. It was giving great views from a distance. It seemed like it was in a safe area there from being disturbed below large rocks near the water where people will not go. So nice to see this species again along the lake. It was a pleasant day for later November with cloudy skies, temps around 45 degrees and low winds. Images were taken on November 23, 2024.
The Snowy Owl closeup…
The Snowy Owl at a distance…
Most Great Blue Herons have headed south for the winter but today at Greenfield Park I found this one. This juvenile just perched on a log was just hanging out. I have not seen any lately here at the park so this one could be headed south too, just taking a break here. A small handful hang around all winter only if they have some open water and can find food. It was a cloudy day with mild temps around 45 degrees and light winds. Image was taken on November 22, 2024.
I have been looking for the last few weeks for the Northern Saw-whet Owl. Today I was rewarded finding one in a pine. It is a feeling like no other. When you are digging around in parks etc and you look up and you are looking one, it is like your heart sinks. A lot goes through your mind in split seconds. Then you take a breath, hold the camera up and take a couple of shots. And that is how it went finding this tiny owl about 8″ tall. One of the worlds smallest owl, these owls are nocturnal hunters that are fierce and silent. They hunt mice, small mammals, small birds, and sometimes insects. I will tell anyone, they are out there, sometimes you have to look in the places most people don’t. It was a cloudy day, mild temps around 50 degree, low winds. The images were taken in Southeastern Wisconsin on November 15, 2024.
While out birding I heard some talk of a Western Cattle Egret near Big Bend. I took a drive out there and it was present. It hung around with a couple of cattle eating ticks or flies off the legs of these animals. It seems to be right at home in the little farm yard there. The cattle wanted nothing to do with this bird and on a few occasions they swung their heads at the egret. This is a 1st year bird, it either hatched here or wandered north to Wisconsin after the breeding season. It was a pleasant morning with temps around 65 degrees with good winds with a warm day ahead. Nice for this time of year but a change of weather is coming. This bird was previously named a Cattle Egret, recently it has been changed to Western Cattle Egret. Images were taken on October 30, 2024.
The Western Cattle Egret…
Here just hanging around and looking for ticks or flies…did not sit still much…
Picking a tick or fly off the back of the cattle’s leg…
Waiting for something to eat…an insect…
Blurry photo but catching something here to eat…looks like a stink bug..:)
One of my birding stops this morning was Lakeshore State Park. Greeting me at the entrance of the park when I arrived was a Harris’s Sparrow perched on top of a crab apple tree. Not a rare bird, but a bird you are typically only going to see 1 or 2 a year here in Wisconsin if you are lucky. Their range is more west of Wisconsin. This has been an unusual for them as there have been many seen throughout the state in the last month. It was there for 10 seconds, enough for a photo and then it flew north. I hung around for another 45 minutes as other sparrows were present but it never showed again. It was a beautiful fall morning with nice sun, low winds and mild temps. Image was taken on October 21, 2024.
It was a fun day photographing the beauty of the Wood Ducks in Milwaukee County. The fall colors add an extra dash of color to these beautiful ducks. They were very active at times and sometimes just doing nothing but hanging out. It was mostly sunny with temps at 44 degrees to start. Images were taken on October 17, 2024.
Wood Duck, male
Wood Duck, male
Wood Duck, juvenile female
Wood Duck, juvenile male
Wood Duck, juvenile male, the reflection…
Wood Duck, male with a berry…
Wood Duck, male
Wood Duck, juvenile male with a berry…
Wood Duck, male
Wood Duck, juvenile female
Wood Duck, juvenile male
Wood Duck, juvenile male with a berry…
Wood Duck, male, the colors are stunning!
A couple of stops on the Milwaukee lakefront provided great looks at some migrating shorebirds. Lakeshore State Park had 3 Buff-breasted Sandpipers and 3 Black-bellied Plovers. Pebble Beach near McKinley Beach had 5 Semipalmated Plovers, 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers and 2 Sanderlings. The shorebirds at Lakeshore State Park moved around from the beach to the inland short grass area a couple of times near the beach while I was there. Nice to see these birds stopping along the lake on a beautiful morning with some sun and cool temps around 50 degrees. Images were taken on September 8, 2024.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper…
Buff-breasted Sandpiper…
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, something in the bill…
Black-bellied Plover…
Black-bellied Plover, preening…
Black-bellied Plover, shaking off…
Black-bellied Plover, finding things to eat…
Buff-breasted Sandpiper bathing…
Buff-breasted Sandpiper …
Buff-breasted Sandpiper after bathing…
Semipalmated Sandpiper…
Semipalmated Sandpiper finding things to eat…
Semipalmated Sandpiper, just looking pretty…
Semipalmated Plover…
Sanderling…
Sanderling…
Sanderling…
I was surprised to find a Praying Mantis while looking through some wildflowers. It gave nice looks for enough time to get a couple of photos before letting it go. I can’t remember the last time I found one of these. It was a cloudy day some winds and temps around 78 degrees. Images were taken on August 28, 2024
The Praying Mantis…
Albino Squirrels are not common at all so I took advantage of getting some images of this one I found in Waukesha County. I made one stop a week after initially finding this one on August 16, 2024 and it was still present in the same area just eating an acorn off the path. Weather has been stable with temps in the mid 80’s, some sun, and low winds. Images were taken on the 16th and 23rd of August 2024.
The Albino Squirrel high in a tree appeared to be sleeping on and off while I was there…
A stop a week later, it is sitting here eating an acorn, after that it just disappeared into the woods…
Scientific name: Sciurus carolinensis
Type: Mammal
Albino: Albinism, is a mutation on a gene that codes for pigmentation. Eyes are red in color on albino mammals.
Habitat: They prefer large areas of mature and dense woodlands.
Average life span in the wild: Adults can live to 6 years. Records that have been keep they may survive much longer.
Size: Bodies run 9.1″ to 11.8″ long plus the tail, tails averaging about 8″-10″ long.
Weight: 14-21 oz
Diet: Tree berries, buds, bark, nuts, acorns and seeds. They are also known to eat seeds at bird feeders and vegetables from gardens.
Range: Midwest to the eastern US and southeastern Canada.
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 nice moisture and has continued well into the summer. I have never seen wildflowers so tall and with so many blooms as this year.
Large-flowered Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum
Shooting Star, Dodecatheon meadia
Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
Spring Beauty, Clayonia virginica
Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica
Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense
Prairie Phlox, Phlox pilosa
Fire Pink, Silene virginica
Foamflower, Tiarella cordifolia
Golden Alaxanders, Zizia aurea
Wild Hyacinth, Camassia scilloides
Yellow Star Grass, Hypoxis hirsuta
Wild Blue Phlox, Phlox divaricata
Pussy Toes, Antennaria neglecta
Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum
Jacob’s Ladder, Polemonium reptans
Jack in the Pulpit, Arisaeme triphyllum
Spiderwort, Tradescantia ohiensis
Wild Lupine, Lupinus perennis
Wild Blue Indigo, Baptisia australis, IL and south
Bradbury’s Bee Balm, south central US, Monarda bradburiana
Smooth Phlox, Phlox glaberrima interior
Pale Purple Coneflower, Echinacea pallida
Purple Milkweed, Asclepias purpurascens
Tennessee Coneflower, Echinacea tennesseensis, Tennessee native
Prairie Milkweed, Asclepias sullivantii
Wild Petunia, Ruellia humilis
Cup Plant, Silphium perfoliatum
New Jersey Tea, Ceanothus americanus
Butterfly Milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa
Wild Iris, Blue Flag, Iris virginica
Rosen Weed, Silphium integrifolium
Royal Catchfly, Silene regia
Compass Plant, Silphium laciniatum
Obedient Plant, Physostegia virginiana
Michigan Lily, Lilium michiganense
Nodding Onion, Allium cernuum
Yellow Coneflower, Ratibida pinnata
Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis
Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta
Meadow Blazing Star, Liatris ligulistylis with a Monarch Butterfly
It was a different subject today photographing a Common Garter Snake. There was one that gave nice views and I did not turn it down for a photo. It was out for about 30 seconds and then back in the rocks it went. It was a beautiful morning with plenty of sunshine, pleasant temps early with little wind. Images were taken on July 7, 2024.
The Common Garter Snake…
When found…
That tongue…
I received a tip on Pileated Woodpeckers feeding their young in a natural cavity at Lapham Peak in the south Kettle Moraine State Forest in Waukesha County. I checked it out and it was an exciting event to witness. There were the two adult birds and 4 young, I only saw 2 young when i was there as some had already left the nest. The adults came in many times in the time I was there to feed the young. The feeding time was about 20-30 seconds long. The feeding took place roughly 3/4 to 1 1/2 hours apart. It was a gorgeous weather with plenty of sunshine, cool temps early on and low winds. The birds had all fledged as of June 14th. Images were taken on June 11-14, 2024.
Pileated Woodpecker adult feeding a young male…
Pileated Woodpecker adult feeding a young male…
Young male waiting for food…
The young, female on top, male below waiting for an adult for food…
Adult Pileated Woodpecker, male just landed on the nest hole tree with young below…
Young male waiting for an adult for food…
Young male top, female bottom waiting for an adult for food…
Here a young male is leaving the nest, just coming out…1 second later it was heading into the woods around me…
While birding the Milwaukee County lakefront I came across a couple of Killdeer chicks. 2 adults were close by with one sitting on a nest. It was a beautiful morning with plenty of sunshine, cool temps early and low winds. Images were taken on June 3, 2024.
Killdeer chick stretching…
Adult Killdeer on the nest close by…
Killdeer adult just in the area…
I got a report that the Crested Caracara was seen a second day at Marengo in Ashland County. This bird is so rare to Wisconsin as this is only the 2nd state record! The bird’s normal range is southern Texas, Mexico and south into South America, it is a long way from home! My wife Deb and I were traveling to central Wisconsin from Waukesha when the report came in. She said, let’s just go try for the Crested Caracara! I’m on board so we continued on the ride for the total 5 1/2 hour trip. Upon arriving at the known location, the bird was in a tree on the other side of a large field. After about 20 minutes it flew to the north to another field and landed as it was onto something. I never saw it pick anything up. After another 25 minutes or so, the Crested Caracara flew farther away and landed in a dead tree on the other side of the field it was in. After a few minutes we decided it was time to head south and continue on our daily plan. It was a beautiful morning with plenty of sunshine, low winds and a pleasant temperature at around 60 degrees. It was so exciting and another Wisconsin life bird #380!
The Crested Caracara…
I went on a hunt for Cicadas this morning an one of the places I heard they might be at is Lyons Wildlife Area in Walworth County. They were there, my first stop. I could hear the sounds of the Cicadas as I open my car door. It was an extreme sound just buzzing in my ears, it never stopped. In fact when one landed on my sleeve or shoulder, it sounded like it was screaming into my ear. It seems like there were millions of them everywhere you looked. Some on the grasses, they were on trees, some were flying around and some were climbing trees. There were old skins scattered around on the ground where I walked. An amazing event to witness. The last time Cicadas emerged in this area was in 2007. It was a pleasant morning with little wind, partly sunny skies and temps around 60. Images were taken on May 28, 2024.
The Cicada…
A Cicada skin…
