One of my birding stops today provided nice views of 2 Ruddy Turnstones at Bender Park. They fed on the big rocks for bugs the time I was there. They moved in and around the rocks non stop finding things to eat. It was a beautiful day with full sun … Continue reading
It is that time of the year and I thought I would check to see if the Bobolinks are back at Retzer Nature Center. There were about 9 of them, they were giving nice views from a distance. Males were chasing around some females. These are interesting birds to follow … Continue reading
My first birding stop of the day was the Fox River Sanctuary in Waukesha to see how the warbler action was. There were a few warblers present but they were all high up feeding. A flash of brilliant red caught my eyes, it was a male Scarlet Tanager. It was … Continue reading
A small collection of some bird photos I captured in Marquette County the last few days leading up to May 10, 2023. Normal birds that can be expected for that area. The highlight was walking by an apple tree and seeing a Ruby-throated Hummingbird getting some nectar. 1st of the … Continue reading
With all the excitement at Sheridan Park with the Flame-colored Tanager there was also something going on nearby at South Shore Park in Bayview. 3 Willets were present getting things to eat and I’m sure also a rest stop in their trip flying north to their breeding grounds. Always nice … Continue reading
After reading some reports late Saturday night of Western Tanager reported that was misidentified and now was considered a Flame-colored Tanager sounded very exciting. From what I heard this species had only been reported a couple times in the south western US, Arizona and Texas so it is so very … Continue reading
One of my birding stops today provided nice views of a Ross’s Goose in one of the fields at Veterans Park. It was hanging with about 15 Canada Geese feeding on the lawn area. I did not come across any other birds to note at my morning stops, just normal … Continue reading
A Northern Mockingbird was reported at Grant Park yesterday April 17th. I decided to make the trip down there today to see if it was still present, it was. It put on a nice show moving around the beach picnic area and then on to the river outlet area, all … Continue reading
One of my birding stops today provided nice views of an Eastern Screech Owl, gray morph. It was resting, its eyes were closed for the most part in a tree cavity. I only hung around for a moment. It was a sunny day with mild temps around 45 degrees, a … Continue reading
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.
