While out birding in Marquette County a Barred Owl flew up off the ground and perched in a tree just in front of me. I’m not sure what it was on to but I took a couple of quick photos and continued on. It was a cloudy day with pleasant … Continue reading
The County Grounds in Milwaukee County has had a handful of Cuckoos this past week both Yellow-billed and Black-billed. My visit there this time focused on the Black-billed Cuckoo. Like always, these birds are hard to find in the open without sticks or branches in front of them or even … Continue reading
My first birding stops this morning were going to be the beaches along Lake Michigan in Milwaukee for shorebirds. McKinley Beach had 4 Ruddy Turnstones feeding on an algae mat at the beach. They were finding things to eat at the beach on the mat, fueling up for more of … Continue reading
There had been some reports of Cuckoos at the Milwaukee County Grounds so I decided to put that on one of my early birding stops for the day. When I arrived there was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo right in a tree near the parking lot. It was about 100 feet away … Continue reading
While out birding in Marquette County I flushed a Wild Turkey and my first thought this time of year that there is a nest close by. About 20 feet away from me under an old fallen tree was a nest. I took a couple of quick photos and left the … Continue reading
At this time of year it is all about warblers but when you run into a Scarlet Tanager it take precedence as they are so stunning beautiful! A Scarlet Tanager was present while I was at there at Lake Park and it gave great views. It hung around about a … Continue reading
While birding Lake Michigan on the lakefront in Milwaukee a Franklin’s Gull gave great views. It was by itself on the beach on May 17, 2025. It was partly cloudy, cool temps around 50 degrees and light winds. Images were taken on May 17, 2025.
While birding Lake Park in Milwaukee I came across a Eastern Kingbird. It was continually going from tree to tree catching insects near or at ground level. I’ll say it put on a nice show in front of me until it moved on to a different area at the park. … Continue reading
It is warbler time and I had most of my luck at Lake Park and Wehr Nature Center so far this year. Wehr has been slower the last couple of years but Lake Park did well. Every year is different. I saw most species of warblers that we see here … Continue reading
I have been following a location in Waukesha County that has had 6 Killdeer adults on it. I stop often hoping to see the little chicks running around. This morning as I looked the area over I spotted 3 young chicks doing just that. There is still an adult on … Continue reading
This time of the year I check the beaches on the Milwaukee Lakefront in case anything has shown up. Birds come and go but when I got to Bradford Beach I spotted with my bins some American Avocets pretty far to the north on the beach. Being a cold and … Continue reading
On one of my birding stops today a bird caught my eye flying to a branch but then didn’t move on. As I took a better look it was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and it was bringing in lichens to use in the construction of a nest. Two birds took turns … Continue reading
The bird of the day was a White-eyed Vireo at Scout Lake in Greendale in Milwaukee County. It sang beautifully on and off while I was there. Considered rare for the area as it’s normal range is a little south of here. We do see a few every year in … Continue reading
One of my birding stops along the lakefront, McKinley Beach in Milwaukee provided great looks at 3 Willets. The actual location was Pebble Beach which is just north of the flag pole. They fed while I was there getting things to eat in the wave action. It was sun and … Continue reading
The birding highlight of the day was the Wilson’s Snipe. There were about 15 of these shorebirds on Pennsylvania Avenue, some in the ditch and some in the field. They forged along the ditch and field and found things to eat while I was there, probing the ditch bank and … Continue reading
I heard a report of a Eared Grebe on the Milwaukee Lakefront. This is considered a rare bird for this area as it’s normal range is the Mississippi River and west. I am starting to do more birding on the Milwaukee Lakefront now that migration has begun so it was … Continue reading
While I was out birding I had a Common Grackle right outside my car window on a small tree so I took that opportunity to get a photo. It was displaying nicely which made for a nice capture. When you see a large blackbird with that yellow gold eye, it … Continue reading
Out doing some general birding in Waukesha County and I stumbled across a Great Horned Owl nest. There were 2 owlets in the nest from what I could see. I did not see any adults around but I’m sure they were close by. Always fun to find a new nest … Continue reading
I got a tip on a Great Horned Owl nest with maybe owlets on it. I did not pass up the opportunity. When I found the nest there were 3 owlets sitting so cute. I took a couple of quick photos and left the location. It was a nice day … Continue reading
One of my birding stops this morning gave nice looks at 2 Killdeer. I’m sure they will be nesting at this location, looks like they are ready to as the habitat is perfect, gravely area with some grass spots around with full sun. We will see.It was a nice morning … Continue reading
