With birding still slow I stopped at a rookery that I have not been to for a few years to see if the Great Blue Herons had returned. Yes they did with about 10 birds and about 9 active nests. The birds were just standing on nests when I arrived … Continue reading
A Great Horned Owl nest in Milwaukee County is starting to show signs of life. The nest is holding 2 owlets as the mother keeps her eye on the nest from a long distance. It was a nice day with some sun, lows winds and temps in the 40’s. Images … Continue reading
My last birding stop of the day was to check on an old nest off a highway in Waukesha County. This nest was not used last year. Present was an adult Great Horned Owl which flew from the nest before I got a photo off and an owlet which of … Continue reading
One on my birding stops this morning provided nice looks at a pair of Killdeer. They were mating or called the a cloacal kiss and finding a few things to eat too. I have one photo of the two birds mating. It was a nice morning with some filtered sun, … Continue reading
I saw another amazing birding event today in Delafield in Waukesha County. Sandhill Cranes painting themselves by preening mud on and into their feathers. They are known to do this to change their colors to blend in more with their surroundings at nesting time. It is said that iron oxide … Continue reading
I did a little birding in Waukesha County this morning and saw 5 Sandhill Cranes. Locations of the Sandhill Cranes were Brookfield and South Kettle Moraine. Two were in a marsh far off the road and 3 were closer at two other locations and I took a couple of photos. … Continue reading
A stop at the Fox River in Waukesha provided nice views of a pair of Redhead Ducks. The male and female centrally located themselves in the middle of the river with pedestrian traffic and dog walkers but it was nice to see a new species of duck there. A few … Continue reading
One of my birding stops today was Greenfield Park. Not much has been going on there but I saw a flock of Mallards land in on a little open water so I thought I would take a closer look. One beautiful looking male Wood Duck was in the flock swimming … Continue reading
Word was out that the Mandarin Duck that was seen last December and early January had returned to South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee this morning. If it is the same duck, probably is, it was hiding somewhere else for about the last month. Anyways it put on a nice … Continue reading
While out birding it was a nice surprise to come across a Barred Owl perched in a tree. It did not seem to mind me being there and was looking around while I took a photo of it. A day with some sun early with mild temps of 28 degrees … Continue reading
A known location of these owls in Wisconsin produced 3 perched in trees. Images were taken on January 16, 2023.
One of my birding stops today gave nice views of a Mute Swan at Frame Park on the Fox River in Waukesha. The Mute Swan fed the whole time I was present except for a minute when it did a little preening. The river was fully open with no ice … Continue reading
One of my birding stops today provided nice looks at 2 Trumpeter Swans at the Bark River Trail in Waukesha County. The Trumpeters fed the whole time I was present. It was stirring the water with their feet, diving and eating what they stirred up. A few Mallards were present … Continue reading
I have put together a collection of some of the Wisconsin birding moments from the year 2022. The collection includes vagrants, special visitors, or just the beautiful birds that nest here or migrate through the state of Wisconsin. All images were taken in 2022. It was a very exciting year … Continue reading
Doing some general birding in Milwaukee County I spotted a Barred Owl. Surprisingly I had already walked passed this owl not noticing it but some Black-capped Chickadees were together on a small tree and it rang a bell in my head that their presence might mean a owl is close … Continue reading
Word was out that a Mandarin Duck was present at South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee. I have never seen one and being considered one of the most beautiful ducks I decided to make a run down to see if it was present. Yes it was, along with other birders … Continue reading
On a birding run I found a pair of Great Horned Owls just doing what they do, perched pretty in Waukesha County. It was a day of snow flurries with cool temps in the mid 20’s. Image was taken on December 22, 2022.
Spending a couple of days in Marquette County it was nice to see a Red-headed Woodpecker still hanging around. Every year is different, this species is hit or miss here in central Wisconsin if they hang around for the winter. We are down to one bird as of now. It … Continue reading
While out birding I came across a Long-eared Owl just perched pretty. I took a couple of quick photos and off I went. It was a beautiful day for November with temps around 40 degrees, full sun and with winds that kicked up once in a awhile. Images were taken … Continue reading
While out doing some everyday birding I stumbled across a red morph Eastern Screech-Owl. What a surprise to be walking slowly through some woods and to look up and see this bird up in a tree right in front of you but only the back of it at first. Backing … Continue reading
