Category Archives: Bird Categories

Warblers at Wehr Nature Center in Franklin Wisconsin on May 2, 2018

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I made a brief stop at Wehr Nature Center this afternoon to see if there was some warbler action and there was. Warblers seen were Magnolia, Orange-crowned, Black-throated Green, Palm, Yellow-rumped, Black-and-white, Blackpoll, and Northern Waterthrush. They put on some great shows feeding while I was there. A warm afternoon with partly cloudy skies and low winds. Images were taken on May 2, 2018.

Black-throated Green Warbler diving to a gnat…

Blackpoll Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Palm Warbler looking for the next gnat

Orange-crowned Warbler

Northern Waterthrush

Black-and-white Warbler ready to get a gnat…

Black-throated Green Warbler

Magnolia Warbler looking for the next gnat

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Northern Waterthrush

Blackpoll Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler looking for the next gnat

Palm Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler looking for the next gnat

Black-throated Green Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler looking for it’s next gnat…

Blackpoll going to make the leap…

Blaclpoll making the leap…

Palm Warbler looking at you…

Black-throated Green perched pretty…looking for the next gnat…

Eastern Screech-Owl in Southeastern Wisconsin on April 29, 2018

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While out birding I came across a Eastern Screech-Owl sitting in a natural cavity. The owl sat there not doing much but was keeping track of a couple of Grey Squirrels that caught its attention. I will say it is the year of the Eastern Screech-Owl, this is the 5th different one I have seen. It was another cool day with temps in the upper 50’s midday, with plenty of sun but with an east wind made for a chilly day for this time of year. Images were taken on April 29, 2018.

Eastern Screech-Owl resting peacefully in a natural cavity…

Eyes on a Grey Squirrel a tree away…

Looking out yonder…

Looking below at another Grey Squirrel…

Great Horned Owl with Owlets in Southeastern Wisconsin on April 27, 2018

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While out birding this morning along the lakefront in Milwaukee I received a tip of Great Horned Owl with 3 owlets. Birding was a little slow along the lakefront where I was with nothing really going on so I made the drive to check these cuties out. When I arrived there were 3 owlets in a row on one limb. The adult female stopped in a couple times to check on the little ones but did not hang around. I’m not sure how old these owlets are but I’m sure they will be flying some soon and spreading out in the tree some too. It was a nice opportunity to see the first owlets of the spring. It was a bright sunny day with little wind but chilly at first. Images were taken on April 27, 2018.

The 3 Great Horned Owl owlets…

The one on the right is looking at the adult female off in a tree…

Great Horned Owl, adult female off a ways in a tree…

Great Horned Owl, adult female…

Just a pair cuddled up…

Red-throated Loon in Breeding Plumage at McKinley Marina on April 20, 2018

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Birding along the lakefront in Milwaukee today I ran into John Miller who in talking had never seen a Horned Grebe. I said I had seen 3 at McKinley Marina on the about an hour ago. We were at Lake Park and it was quiet so we meet over at the McKinley Marina. We walked out the concrete pier about a 1/4  mile with not much seen other than the Long-tailed Duck which was not close, male which was still hanging around. On our way back to our cars I spotted a couple of Horned Grebes. John started photographing them. While he was busy doing that I used my bins and checked out north of the big pier. I spotted what I thought was loon out quiet a ways. I knew this was a loon I had never seen before, I thought OMG, it is a Red-throated Loon nearing full breeding plumage. It dove 5 times and stayed under for long periods of time. Each time it surfaced, it was a couple hundred feet more out in the lake until it was pretty much hard to make out anymore details. I never thought I would have ever seen one of these as we typically see the none breeding plumage Red-throated Loons, it must be the weather! A fun time out which started out slow. Still present at the marina, 100 Bonaparte’s Gulls, Long-tailed Duck, adult male, and noticed a nice raft of about 25 Ruddy Ducks near Bradford Beach. Finally a gorgeous day out with plenty of sun, felt like 60 and no wind.  It has been along time since I could go with out my snow boots and winter coat, how sweet! Images were taken on April 20, 2018.

Great Egrets at Humboldt Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin on April 19, 2018

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One of my birding stops today was at Humboldt Park in Milwaukee. There have been a couple of Great Egrets hanging around there and they were still present today. They did a little fishing but for the most part remained perched in some trees on one of the islands there. A nice stop over for them there as they won’t be around long. Along with the Great Egrets, a few Red-breasted Mergansers, Blue-winged Teal and Mallards were present. A nicer day than what we have had in the past with some sun and temps near 40 degrees. Images were taken on April 19, 2018.

The beauty of two Great Egrets looking for a place to perch…

Fishing

More fishing…

A flyby…

Perched on an island…

Focused on the next meal…

Ruddy Ducks on the Fox River in Waukesha on April 18, 2018

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My first stop of the day was in downtown Waukesha at the Fox River just north of the dam. Four Ruddy Ducks, 3 males and one female have been hanging around the last couple of days. They were moving around a lot and at times would be following the female around. They dove a little at times feeding.  A Common Loon was also present but remained in the middle of the river to the north. It stayed low in the water the time I was there as once in awhile Mallards and Ring-billed Gulls harassed it lightly. It did do a little feeding at times. A mostly cloudy day with a stiff wind from the northwest temps around 30 degrees, still felt like winter with 5″ of snow on the ground. Images were taken on April 18, 2018.

Ruddy Duck, the stunning male with it’s blue bill in breeding plumage…

Ruddy Duck

Binomial name: Oxyura jamaicensis

Category: Ducks, Geese, and Swans

Size: 15” long, 18.5” wingspan

Weight: 1.2 Lb

Ruddy Duck, female

Ruddy Ducks, male front and female

Ruddy Ducks, the males chasing the female…

Tail up, sign of courtship display…

The mouth open…

Pair of males…

Coming in to shore following the female…

Full speed ahead following the female…

Caspian Terns at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee Wisconsin on April 18, 2018

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Birding along the Milwaukee lakefront I found my first Caspian Terns of the year. From the parking lot I saw 3 on the beach nearby a flock of Ring-billed Gulls. When I got on the beach area, 1 lone tern was present as pedestrians were in the area and must have flushed the other 2 birds. The bird took to the sky twice as I stood at a distance and observed. Only new birds for the year I saw today. A cloudy day, still cold around 30 degrees with the wind out of the north with more snow expected. Images were taken on April 18, 2018.

Caspian Tern

In flight…

Northern Flickers eating Staghorn Sumac seeds at Lake Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin on April 17, 2018

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While birding Lake Park in Milwaukee one of the highlights was watching the Northern Flickers, yellow-shafted feeding on a couple of clumps of Staghorn Sumac plantings in a ravine. 3 or 4 different Northern Flickers hit these plants hard for seeds probably with anticipated snow coming and the ground having 4″-5″ of fresh snow down now. I have never seen Northern Flickers on sumac before. Very many American Robins and Black-capped Chickadees hit these plants hard too while I was there, even a brief stop by a pair of Eastern Bluebirds even checked out the seeds but did not stay. I think of the different species of birds that have hit these plants over the years is amazing, and this is just a couple of plants I am sort of watching. It was a cloud day with brief sunlight, cold temps around 30 degrees and winds off the lake, made for a cold day out there. Images were taken on April 17, 2018.

Northern Flicker, Yellow-shafted

Binomial name: Colaptes auratus

Category: Woodpeckers and Allies

Size: 12.5” long, 20” wingspan

Weight: 4.6 Oz

American Woodcock Foraging at Lake Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin on April 17, 2018

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One of my birding stops today was Lake Park in Milwaukee. As I stood on a ravine top, out of the corner of my eye a bird flew up from below and landed a couple hundred feet away. I knew this was a new bird to the area.  From a distance it actually looked like a large hummingbird flying up. Well, I knew it was not that, but in a minute I knew it was an American Woodcock. I knew I was not going to be chasing this bird around the park. Walking around the park some more I noticed movement in a ravine off a bridge. It was a couple of the American Woodcocks foraging in open running water in the ravine probing down deep with their long bills. One took to the higher ground on the side of a ravine and walked around some but ended up back near the bottom of the ravine. This one foraged near rocks and an old stump thinking it was finding things to eat. I thought it was all pretty exciting, the whole show these 2 birds put on. A total of 4 birds seen, the other 2 were up the ravine just foraging and resting.  A nice day to be out, some sun, a good wind, still felt like winter with temps in the mid 30’s. Images were taken on April 17, 2018.

A short flight here…

American Woodcock

Binomial name: Scolopax minor

Category: Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies

Size: 11” long, 18” wingspan

Weight: 7 Oz

The walk..

Foraging

Mud on the bill from probing…

Foraging

Foraging

Foraging

Foraging at the base of a rock….

Foraging on a ravine slope…

Foraging at the bottom of a ravine in the running water…

Foraging at the bottom of a ravine in the running water…

Foraging at the bottom of a ravine in the running water…

Bonaparte’s Gulls at McKinley Beach in Milwaukee Wisconsin on April 16, 2018

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Stopping at McKinley Beach this morning gave nice views of Bonaparte’s Gulls feeding in the wave action hitting the shore. We see them for a very short time in spring in migration so I tried to capture some of what they do while they make brief stops in the area heading north. It was a light snow flurry day with cool temps and still winter coat weather even though it is mid April with good snow on the ground. Images were taken on April 16, 2018

Bonaparte’s Gulls lined up along the wave action on the shoreline finding things to eat…

Something to eat in the bill….

Watching and waiting for the next piece of food….

Just waiting for the sight of food…

Feeding on the wave…

It’s a matter of survival, in search of food, it’s all eyes…

Looking and waiting for food…has something on the left…

One on the left has something…

On shore, did some preening….

Something in the bill…

Trying to balance here…

Just flew in…

It is all about getting something to eat…

Just flew in…

Got something to eat here..

Reaching for something….

Long-tailed Ducks at McKinley Marina in Milwaukee County Wisconsin on April 16, 2018

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Doing some birding along the lakefront in Milwaukee right after a good snow I did not except to see much. 6 Long-tailed Ducks were doing some feeding at the McKinley Marina was probably the highlight for the day. It looked like 2 males and 4 females, they were spread out in the area. They continually feed while I was there giving a few nice views.  It was a cloudy and chilly with winds from the west and snow flurries coming down non stop all day, temps around 31 degrees. It looked like Milwaukee had 5-6″ of snow on the ground from the last 2 days, it suppose to be spring? Images were taken on April 16, 2018.

Long-tailed Duck, adult male, just up from a dive

Long-tailed Duck, adult male just cruising along…

Long-tailed Duck, adult female in non-breeding plumage

Long-tailed Duck, adult male

Long-tailed Duck, adult male just looking around…

Long-tailed Duck, adult male

Long-tailed Duck, adult male looking pretty…

The dive…

Long-tailed Duck, adult male with flurries coming down…

Closeup…just up from a dive…

Brown Thrasher, Fox Sparrow and Song Sparrow, yard birds in Waukesha County on April 15, 2018

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With the snowy day outdoors I stayed home but I did get some nice birds right out the kitchen window. 2 Song Sparrows which hung around all day. 2 Fox Sparrows showed up around noon and are still here. A Brown Thrasher showed up in the late afternoon for about 5 minutes. It spent it’s time below a pedestal feeder digging in mulch and leaves eating possible grubs, bugs or seeds. A lot of activity in the yard today for birds. Other birds we see daily, Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees, Red and White Breasted Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers were also present overall putting on a great bird show. Images were taken though the glass not disturbing the feeding activity today. Images were taken on April 15, 2018.

Enjoying some grains (birdseed) in the snow…

Brown Thrasher, mud on the bill from digging in the mud getting worms, insects, or seeds…

Fox Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Black-crowned Night-Heron at Veterans Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin on April 13, 2018

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Even though it was a gloomy and rainy day I birded along a small part of the Milwaukee lakefront. Beaches Mckinley, Bradford and Lakeshore State Park had only a hand full of Ring-billed Gulls. A glance at Veterans Park provided distant views across the lagoon of a single Black-crowned Night-Heron. With rain coming down I took a distant shot of the FOY bird. A day of showers and sprinkles with little wind on a gloomy day with temps in the upper 30’s. Image was taken on April 13, 2018, a little early for this species arrival.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Hooded Merganser at the Fox River in Waukesha on April 8, 2018

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On a second stop of the day at this location birding on the Fox River in Waukesha appeared a Hooded Merganser. This stunning male spent his time checking out the female Mallards one by one. I think this could be the famous Hooded Merganser “Hollyhood” that was here just over a year ago? Well, not really, who knows for sure, but it put on a great show while I was there giving nice views while following female Mallards around on the river. I am almost convinced there is some connection between male Hooded Mergansers and female Mallards as this is my 3rd time I’ve witnessed this behavior with these two species.  What is it with the Hooded Merganser wanting a companion, a mating thing, or ?? It was a cold day with winds out of the northeast, temps below freezing and very little sun. Images were taken on April 8, 2018.

Hooded Merganser, male…crest partially down

His eyes on another female Mallard…

The Hooded Merganser starred at the female Mallard out of the corner of his eye for about 20 seconds, is this the one….

Crest down on this Hooded Merganser swimming over to check out another female Mallard…

Going to check out another female Mallard…crest down…

Cruising over to a female Mallard to see if she was the one!

Crest down…

Crest up…

Crest partially down…

Coming into shore…

Just moving along…

Horned Grebe and Northern Shovelers at the Fox River in Waukesha on April 1, 2018

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I stopped at the Fox River in Waukesha late morning to see if anything new had come in since yesterday. A stunning Horned Grebe almost in full breeding plumage gave nice views for a couple of minutes and then moved north on the river. Another new species present were a pair of Northern Shovelers, male and female. The male shovelers are so beautiful this time of year. As walkers and joggers started to appear, they all moved to the middle of the river which is the norm there. Another cold day with temps starting out at 19 degrees with a pretty good wind at times, felt like January. The sun was out but I did not feel much heat coming down from it. Images were taken on April 1, 2018.

Horned Grebe

Horned Grebe

Horned Grebe

Horned Grebe

Horned Grebe

Northern Shovelers, female front, male back

Northern Shoveler, male

Northern Shoveler, female

Eastern Phoebe in the South Kettle Moraine in Waukesha County on March 25, 2018

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Doing some birding in the South Kettle Moraine today the highlight was a FOY Eastern Phoebe. It was at Paradise Springs off in a distance actively feeding, eating some type of insects above the water, the few that were there. The short time I saw it, it was perched most of the time, I’m sure waiting for some insects to come around. Other bird species to note out that way, a pair of Sandhill Cranes off in a distance, and a couple of Turkey Vultures up high, pretty quiet overall. It was another cold day with steady east winds, the sunshine hardly felt warm. Images were taken on March 25, 2018.

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Phoebe

Black-capped Chickadee eating Staghorn Sumac seeds at Lake Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin on March 19, 2018

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Birding Lake Park this morning in Milwaukee the highlight was a Black-capped Chickadee eating Staghorn Sumac seeds at a group of plants. An American Robin also made a brief appearance for some seeds but did not hang around. What a great native plant as this species provides food for so many bird species in the spring of the year. It was a bright sunny day but the northeast steady wind off the lake made for a cold almost spring day. Images were taken on March 19, 2018.

American Robin gets the worm at Greenfield Park in Milwaukee County Wisconsin on March 12, 2018

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Doing a little birding at Greenfield Park around noon I came across an American Robin working on a worm. It pulled it out of the ground just before I arrived but then I watch it stab the worm numerous times killing it. The story ends as it ate the worm whole. A cool spring like day with plenty of sunshine with temps in the lower 30’s. Images were taken on March 12, 2018.

Tossing the worm around checking if it was still alive

Looks like another stab to the worm…

Looking the worm over….

Getting the worm straightened for eating….

Getting a grip on the worm…

The start of eating the worm. Bumps in the worm are the places the bird stabbed the worm killing it…

Going down pretty good it looks like…

And down the worm goes…

Eastern Screech Owl in Milwaukee County Wisconsin on March 10, 2018

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Nice to see this Eastern Screech Owl in Milwaukee County. The owl came up from in the hole and gave nice views but never opened its eyes while I was there. Just looking cozy up in a natural cavity. It was a beautiful morning out with plenty of sunshine and mild temps. Images were taken on March 10, 2018.