Sunrise at Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota 5-27-2016
I’m calling this the North Dakota Trip, but since we’re travelling through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and spending the first night in South Dakota – well, we’re birders so we start birding when we see birds. But alas, the title “North Dakota Trip” rolls off the tongue a bit better than the “Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana Trip”. Semantics aside, let’s get on with it……
After more than a year of kicking around the idea of a birding trip to North Dakota, all the ducks (fitting right?) fell into place. This was somewhat of an easy trip to plan because the Northeast Wisconsin Birding Club has this unique combo of GPS/bird guide/wildlife photographer/bird expert-extraordinaire; I highly recommend that each bird club out there get their own “Neil”! A “Neil” is someone who has decades of birding experience, can navigate multiple states with little reference to maps, and is willing to introduce new birding locations to others. Not to mention helping each of us collect some new lifers. And NO, you can’t have our clubs Neil – get your own!
Do you have a “Neil”? I highly recommend one! Neil working to get photos of Bank Swallows – Sand Lake, South Dakota 5-27-2016
The four of us, Neil, Vicki, Lynn, and myself left Appleton at 5am on Thursday, May 26th. A few weeks earlier, Neil had provided an itinerary, both Lynn and Neil booked hotel reservations, I scoured the internet for bird sights from the Dakotas, and Vicki well, Vicki didn’t do anything (hahaha Vicki!). Wait, I take that back Vicki brought the alcohol. Leaving early ensured we’d arrive at our first night of lodging before evening and gave us an opportunity for a bit of birding along the way. By the afternoon we had travelled and birded through Wisconsin and Minnesota, crossed the Red River into North Dakota, and arrived in Aberdeen, South Dakota shortly after 4pm.
Sand Lake NWR – near Aberdeen, South Dakota – our first nights destination.
On the way into Aberdeen, I got my first looks of what we were in-for: shorebirds galore!!! Oh, and my first lifer of the trip on what was essentially a travel day – an American Avocet.
American Avocet – Sand Lake, South Dakota 5-27-2016Shorebirds!!! Day 1 – a great indication of what we were instore for. Near Aberdeen, South Dakota 5-26-2016
After overnighting in Abeerdeen, we got an early start on Friday morning, May 27th. Witnessing the sunrise over the prairie marsh at Sand Lake is a spectacular way to start the day and was only rivaled by the addition of two more lifers; Franklin’s Gull and Swainson’s Hawk. Although the Swainson’s was to distant to get a photo, there would be ample opportunities in the days ahead and spoiler alert, I got a few decent shots that I’ll share. Some of the other highlights from our morning at Sand Lake:
“The Law” in South Dakota – the birds are not only the highlights here, but enforce the law. Western Meadowlark – Sand Lake, South Dakota 5-27-2016
Western Meadowlark – Sand Lake, South Dakota 5-27-2016
Western Grebes – we counted 37 here, but there will be many more to come! Sand Lake, South Dakota 5-27-2016Digiscoped and heavily cropped Marbled Godwit – Sand Lake, South Dakota 5-27-2016Black-crowned Night-Heron – Sand Lake, South Dakota 5-27-2016Yellow-headed Blackbird – Sand Lake, South Dakota 5-27-2016
From Sand Lake we headed over to McPherson County and stopped at the Ordway Memorial Prairie. This is one of the benefits of having a “Neil” – this prairie is nearly unmarked and located along a highway; a place you could easily drive right by without realizing it was there. Stop number 2, life bird number 3 for the day; Western Kingbird.
Besides being a great tour guide, Neil is a fearless leader and walked us into a gated area with wild buffalo. Although we trust Neil, Vicki and I gave the buffalo a wide berth – Ordway Memorial Prairie, South Dakota 5-27-2016
Buffalo – Ordway Memorial Prairie, South Dakota 5-27-2016
Wilson’s Phalarope – Ordway Memorial Prairie, South Dakota 5-27-2016Marbled Godwit – Ordway Memorial Prairie, South Dakota 5-27-2016Eastern Kingbird – Sand Lake, South Dakota 5-27-2016Grasshopper Sparrow – Ordway Memorial Prairie, South Dakota 5-27-2016
In the afternoon we said good-bye to South Dakota and headed for our overnight lodging in Jamestown, North Dakota. Jamestown is not only home of the world’s largest buffalo (and a shop where it was impossible to control Vicki & Lynn), but is also where one of my uncles favorite authors was born – the American novelist and short story writer Louis L’Amour. And while we did stop to see the world’s largest buffalo, the birds were still the highlights – including my 4th lifer of the day, Eared Grebe!
Ahh yes, nothing like birding a sewage treatment area! But hey, you go where the birds are. Eared Grebe – Jamestown, North Dakota 5-27-2016
Ruddy Duck – Jamestown, North Dakota 5-27-2016
Ruddy Duck – Jamestown, North Dakota 5-27-2016
Travel day + day 1 and I’m 5 lifers in…not a bad way to start a trip!!! Until next time, Bird It Up!
Yellow Warbler – High Cliff State Park, Sherwood, WI 5-6-2016
Well, I’ve finally gotten around to writing about spring migration…just in time for the beginning of the end of summer! I had intentions on writing much sooner (in fact all the photos were uploaded on June 20th), but if you missed all my excuses for not blogging about it sooner, please reference the following blog post as I try and justify my inherent procrastination: Alive and Kickin’!
As the bulk of my birding in May takes place at one place – High Cliff State Park – I thought I’d do a review of the month by focusing on that location and a few of the surrounding ponds. If you’re not familiar with High Cliff SP, it’s located on the Northeast corner of Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin’s largest inland lake. Situated on limestone cliffs, the bluff makes for excellent warbler viewing. At 170 feet above the lake, the bluff affords viewing at the top or above the tree line, meaning no nasty warbler neck, although it can be a different story on the Lime Kiln Trail which runs between the bluff and the lake (this is where Stuart started a count of migrating Baltimore Orioles with the results tallying 55 in approx. 90 minutes!).
Nancy (with camera) looking down towards the lake and avoiding warbler neck. Michael (in shorts) pointing out birds to Stuart and I thereby increasing our warbler neck! Photo courtesy of Mr. Bigby, Ross M. – High Cliff State Park, Sherwood WIOn the top of the bluff – no warbler neck here! But I guarantee you there were tons of birds! Left-to-right; Mary, me, Stuart, and Tony. Photo courtesy of Ross M. – High Cliff State Park, Sherwood WI
Of course viewing is only as good as the birds at a location and this is another area where High Cliff shines. Two things make this a micro-migrant trap. First, when the migrants hit the south end of Lake Winnebago they filter up one of the shorelines and the east shoreline seems to be the one they prefer. By the time they reach the north end of the lake, most come right through High Cliff or over the bluff as they journey north. The second reason this is an ideal spot is lake flies! Journeying thousands of miles – some with many more miles to go – the neotropical migrants time their flight with the outbreak of lake flies. This is a huge source of protein. How huge? Trillions of lake flies!! Don’t believe me? Checkout this article and photos from our local paper: Lake flies return to Lake Winnebago.
High Cliff State Park located at the Northeast corner of Wisconsin’s largest inland lake, Lake Winnebago.
So how productive was High Cliff this spring? Over 9 days, from May 3rd through the 16th, I tallied 99 species, including 23 warblers (I managed to miss Wilson’s Warbler this spring). Normally I would have birded 20-23 days at the park during May, but this year I was off to the Dakotas at the end of May (blog posts on that trip still to come).
Taken on the bluff at High Cliff State Park. Blue-headed Vireo – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-6-2016Blue-headed Vireo – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-6-2016
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two other events from this spring at High Cliff. First, I had the privilege of leading a contingent of birders from the Heckrodt Birding Club on a birding hike. Although it was windy and temps were low, we still had a productive morning, including outstanding views of a Black-throated Blue Warbler. We not only tallied 18 warbler species for the morning, but I believe everyone saw just about every bird!
The second memory, which I’ll always remember, was getting the chance to take one of my great friends out birding with me for the first time. Before buying my house, I spent 2 years living with Beatty and he got to know my love for birds by watching me run out the door to chase a rarity, leaving before down day-after-day during migration to bird before work, or sitting with my laptop looking at bird porn (that’s bird photographs – get your minds out of the gutter!). My birding interests rubbed off on Beatty and soon he was describing birds to me that he’d seen while frisbee discing. Well, this past spring I finally got to take him out and show him the magic of migration and the beauty of the warblers, tanagers, buntings, and grosbeaks. At the end of June Beatty moved to Colorado to start a new career; my going away gift to him was a Peterson’s Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America. I still get text messages of bird photos from him, but I’m proud to say he’s now IDing birds on his own (one of his most recent IDs was an American Dipper!).
Ok, let’s get onto some birds. A little caveat here – I purposely didn’t take my camera with me on a number of days in the field. Leaving the camera behind, especially when the birding is heavy, is a nice sort of freedom; the job goes from trying to get a good photo to enjoying the birds in their natural habitat. So while I had a chance at some other great photo opportunities (like the Black-throated Blue Warbler), I chose to be in the moment and just watch. Do I miss not having those photos? NOPE!
Now kickback and enjoy some photos from the spring migration in Wisconsin:
Horned Grebe. The marina at High Cliff can host grebes, Sanderlings, Osprey, loons, gulls, terns and a host of other waterfowl – High Cliff State Park, Sherwood WI 4-25-2016
Nashville Warbler – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-9-2016American Redstart – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-9-2016
House Wren – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-9-2016
Brown Thrasher – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 4-25-2016
Lunch anyone? Found this Osprey in a nearby field enjoying a fish lunch.
Orchard Oriole – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-3-2016
Looking for lunch in the leafs. Rose-breasted Grosbeak – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-13-2016
Lake fly found! Check the bill – this grosbeak is fatteing up! Rose-breasted Grosbeak – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-13-2016
Black-throated Green Warbler – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-5-2016Palm Warbler – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 4-25-2016Spotted Sandpiper – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 4-25-2016Caspian Terns – near High Cliff, Sherwood WI 4-28-2016Pileated Woodpecker – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 4-25-2016Dunlin & Greater Yellowlegs – near High Cliff, Sherwood WI 4-25-2016Broad-winged Hawk – High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-5-2016Willet – near High Cliff, Sherwood WI 5-3-2016
There ya go, my spring migration recap of High Cliff. As always, I hope to be back sooner than I actually will be. And as appreciation to you dear reader, the woodchuck below wishes you adieu. Until next time, whenever that may be, Bird It Up!
Watching the hummingbird/butterfly garden grow and bloom!
Listening to the babbling pond!
Watching the Baltimore Orioles eating oranges while using #4…..
Not only having your binoculars handy at all times, but using them while conducting work over the phone.
And I’ve saved the best for last: watching a Ruby-throated Hummingbird at eyelevel feeding on the Beebalm 3 feet away. That’s what happened earlier tonight and provided the motivation for this blog post.
Wanna have some fun? See how many bird related items you can see in my “office?” And if you didn’t believe me about the Baltimore Orioles, here’s one that showed up while I was writing this post. Please forgive the horrible photo – it was taken through the window with my phone and then heavily cropped.
Least Flycatcher – Northern Kettle Moraine, WI 5-18-2016
Four months! Yep, four months since my last post and my thoughts are, “Oh my!” So what’s been going on? Well, a whole of birding, reading, yard work, and laziness. And while I’ve been slacking on blogging, I’ve kept some reminders in my inbox from online friends (thanks Shannon) as motivation to get back at it. So with temps in the mid-80s, it seems like an ideal day to sit out back with a fan keeping me relatively cool and the Dave Douglas Quartet providing some audio bliss as I try and catch you up. And while I work to catch you up, I’ll be peppering this post with photos taken during my absence.
Whooping Crane – Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, WI 5-21-2016
Chipping Sparrow – Horicon, WI 4-23-2016
Chipping Sparrow – Horicon, WI 4-23-2016
The bird that started my obsession – Common Loon – Green Lake, WI 4-23-2016
Birding – yes, I’ve been birding pretty intensely the past few months; just haven’t been blogging or editing photos. Once May arrived, all non-essential activities (i.e. cleaning, doing laundry, weeding the garden, grocery shopping, etc…) ceased completely. I was out birding 12 of the first 14 days of the month (and 22 of the 31 overall days) as migration kicked into full gear and most of these excursions were 4-6 hours in length. May was one of the major reasons I decided to move to second shift and it has paid dividends! During the week I was typically out the door by 6am, in the field by 6:15am and then birding until noon or 1pm before heading home to start work. Ahhh yes, it was wonderful to be birding in the parks without the “expendables” – those non-birders whose actions and activities are antithetical to birding (high school kids running around yelling, joggers, little kids, etc…). And yes, I understand how selfish that is, but honestly, I don’t care. I’d be perfectly content to never hear another walker/student/child in a park complaining over a cell phone about some trivilality while missing the natural beauty all around them. See, they frustrate me even when writing about them – it’s one of the reasons I said if I ever win the lottery I’m buying a huge parcel of excellent birding land and opening it to birders only; joggers, walkers, and kids under 16 need not apply (with the exception of Michael and anyone he vouches for of course).
Ahh yes, there is always one stick in the way of a perfect shot! Hooded Warbler – Northern Kettle Moraine 5-18-2016
Wilson’s Phalarope (female) – Horicon, WI 5-4-2016
Wilson’s Phalarope (female & male) – Horicon, WI 5-4-2016
Black-necked Stilt – Horicon, WI 4-23-2016
And I recently completed one of my goals for the year as I spent the end of May and beginning of June in the Dakotas birding. Since returning I’ve been limiting my time on the computer; hence I haven’t even edited a single photo from the trip…..yet. I do plan on at least one, and possibly two, posts covering the trip. Oh, and for those of you wondering, the answer is Yes – I do plan on completing my Costa Rica trip reports.
Great Horned Owl on nest – Calumet County, WI 3-11-2016Red-headed Woodpecker – Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, WI 5-21-2016Trumpeter Swans – New London, WI 3-7-2016While I was neglecting my own housework, this Black-capped Chickadee was getting his order by excavating a nesting cavity – Horicon, WI 4-23-2016
So you know I’ve been birding, but what’s truly been holding me up from blogging? Well, that would be reading. I’ve been in the grips of an insatiable reading marathon for the past 4 months and there is no end in sight. For those avid readers out there, my marathons normally take on a different flavor from most. Without a wife or kids, I can dedicate a number of hours daily to reading because really, if I don’t feel like cleaning there is no one there to complain (thankfully I can’t understand my cats crying so who knows if she’s complaining about living in squalor). So when I haven’t been birding, it’s not unusual for me to spend 4-8 hours a day reading. Yes, an average day is probably in the 4 hour vicinity and on “ideal” days I can easily spend 8 hours engrossed in a book. And for those of you who have been birding with me during this period, thanks for putting up with my repeated diatribes against the government and the 1%.
White-faced Ibis Horicon, WI 5-4-2016
White-faced Ibis Horicon, WI 5-4-2016
Brewer’s Blackbird – Buena Vista Grasslands, WI 5-22-2016Least Sandpiper – Van Patten Road, WI 5-11-2016Great Horned Owl – Outagamie County, WI 5-1-2016
One final note before I sign off, I mentioned above that I’ve been spending less time on the computer, but I’ve also been focusing on spending less time online. Since returning from the Dakotas, I’ve been limiting myself to one day per week on Facebook, and on that day I’ve been trying to keep to under 10 minutes. I basically have been logging on, checking for messages, looking at the Northeast Wisconsin Birding page to see what my local birding friends have been up to, and that’s about it. I was an opponent of Facebook for a long time, but joined in order to keep up with bird sightings and birding friends. Over the past few years I’ve slowely slid into being on it way more than I care to admit. So I’m remedying the situation now and I can honestly say it’s very liberating! Instead of scrolling through my news feed multiple times a day, I’m burning through pages in a book.
Osprey – Green Lake, WI 4-23-2016Greater White-fronted Goose – Calumet County, WI 3-14-2016Clay-colored Sparrow – Buena Vista Grasslands, WI 5-22-2016
That’s it for now – my plan is to post a photo gallery post next week which will be heavy on photos and light on text and then start to work on a recap of my trip to the Dakotas and get back to the Costa Rica reports. That being said, I plan a lot, but don’t always follow the plan. Until next time, Bird It Up!
Ever wonder how the birds can empty a feeder in one day? Raccoon – Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, WI 5-21-2016
Raccoon – Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, WI 5-21-2016
Song Sparrow – Calumet County, WI 3-12-2016Yep, horrible lighting – one of my trademarks! Barred Owl – Mosquito Hill, WI 5-7-2016
White-throated Sparrow – Mosquito Hill 5-7-2016
White-throated Sparrow – Mosquito Hill 5-7-2016
Rough-legged Hawk – Collins Marsh, WI 3-19-2016Pectoral Sandpiper Horicon Marsh, WI 4-23-2016
Yes it’s true – we were movin’ on up, but not to an east side deluxe apartment in the sky. On this day, Sunday, March 22nd 2015, we were movin’ on up towards the Nicaraguan border and a complete change in habitat. This shift in location presented a whole new group of birds and greater opportunity for photos. So buckle up for a photo intensive post – I hope to be sparse with words, but long on photos.
Heliconias Lodge to Cano Negro 3-22-2015. Black line represents approximate travel route to date. Red line is todays travel.
We spent the morning birding the trail at Heliconias Lodge and taking in the suspension bridges which had us near the top of the canopy.
The trail at Heliconias Lodge indicating distance and suspension bridge locations – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Along the trail we came across a number of large Leaf Cutter ant mounds. The photo below doesn’t do justice to just how big this area is – I’d estimate it was 20 feet wide by 15 feet across.
Leaf Cutter Ant Mounds – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Leafcutter Ant Mounds – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
The handy work of Leaf Cutter ants – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
I shot a brief of the ants in action:
Below are some of the birds and flora we came across while on the trail:
Heptatic Tanager – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Our 5th Manakin of the trip: White-ruffed Manakin – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Rufous Mourner – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Rufous Mourner – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Flower – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Northern Barred-Woodcreeper – Costa Rica 3-22-2015My roommate Dar and I on a suspension bridge at Heliconias Lodge. Not sure who gets the photo credit, but I know it isn’t me. Carol possibly?
Not a very good photo, but I was on a suspension bridge and yes, they do swing. Photography from the bridges added a new challenge.
Blue-throated Goldentail – Costa Rica 3-22-2015I believe this is a Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer. Unfortunately, one of the diagnostic field marks is red feet, which obviously can’t be seen in this photo. Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Near the canopy level Tom spotted something below on the canopy floor and being a true birder, he was ready to climb over and jump down. Thankfully Dar was able to ID the species from the suspension bridge thereby saving Tom’s life. Did I ever mention I can be facetious?
After our morning hike, we said a final good-bye to this region of Costa Rica and began our trek Northeast. Although we weren’t moving far, we were movin’ on up (technically we were movin’ on down, but that doesn’t fit the song). As always, we birded a bit along the way and found this cooperative Roadside Hawk right where he should be – along the roadside.
Roadside Hawk – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
The afternoon was our first chance to do some lazy birding; no trails, no mountains, no roadside birding. No, it was time to relax on a boat ride through the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is located just a few miles from the Nicaraguan border and consists of wetlands, rainforest, and swampland. Encompassing 25,000 acres, the refuge is of the most important wetlands in the world and was named Wetland of International Importance in 1991. The diversity at Cano Negro is stunning with more than 350 species of birds, 310 species of plants, and more than 160 mammals! Instead of boring you with more commentary (and at the same time relieving me of having to do so more writing), kick back as we did and enjoy some photos from Cano Negro.
Michael enjoying the boat ride in the Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Little Blue Heron – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Amazon Kingfisher with lunch – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Snowy Egret – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Green Kingfisher – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Green Kingfisher – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Green Kingfisher – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Boat-billed Heron – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Ringed Kingfisher – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Below you’ll see the American Pygmy Kingfisher (male in first two photos, female below). This bird stands out not just for it’s color, but it’s size. Clocking in at a mere 5 inches (13 cm), it’s easy to see where the “pygmy” portion of the name came from. Checkout how tiny the legs are on the male!
American Pygmy Kingfisher (male) – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
American Pygmy Kingfisher (male) – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
American Pygmy Kingfisher (female) – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Gray-necked Wood-Rail – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
A familiar face!! Black-necked Stilt – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Black-necked Stilt – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Black-necked Stilt, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and Roseate Spoonbill – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Great size comparison – Snowy Egret in front, Great Egret in back – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Limpkin – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
“Walk like a Limpkin” – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Limpkin, White Ibis, Pale-vented Pigeon – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Roseate Spoonbill – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Roseate Spoonbill – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Roseate Spoonbill – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Limpkin, Black-necked Stilt, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, and Egrets – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Black-collared Hawk – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Glossy Ibis – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Caiman – Costa Rica 3-22-2015Wood Stork – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Northern Jacana – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
Northern Jacana – Costa Rica 3-22-2015
So, is that enough photos for ya? If not, stay tuned – we’ll be back at Cano Negro in the next installment of the Costa Rica Trip Report. Until then, Bird It Up!!
Wow, we’re already heading out of January and into February!! The past few weeks have flown by and since I’ve been focusing on reviewing my 2015 goals, setting 2016 goals, and the Costa Rica trip reports, I haven’t posted any local updates. I’ve been out birding quite a bit this year and next week I plan to post about my species number and days out birding this January compared to the past few years. It’ll be interesting to see how my new work schedule has affected my birding. But for now, here’s some of the birds I’ve seen so far in 2016.
Earlier in the year I joined Todd, Stuart, and Ross on their weekly Wednesday morning birding trip. Like me, Todd works second shift, but has Wednesdays off. For the past 4 years, he and Stuart have been birding Wednesdays and making me very jealous while I was stuck at work watching them post their findings. Well all of that has now changed and I’m able to join them!
We found a few Red-headed Woodpeckers knocking around. The photo below is heavily cropped in order to show the remaining brown head feathers indicating a immature.
Red-headed Woodpecker – Wolf River Bottoms in Outagamie County, WI 1-6-2016
The following Wednesday, in 0 degree Fahrenheit temps (that’s -18 degrees Celsius for most of the world) we headed for the Buena Vista grasslands. We each added some first of year species, but I had to head back earlier for work and missed on the Greater Prairie Chickens. Oh darn….guess I’ll just have to go back out there this spring!
Buena Vista Grasslands, WI 1-13-2016
Spent some time working on my Calumet County year list – need all the birds I can get if I’m going to keep up with Dar!
A good size flock of Snow Buntings in a tree. Calumet Count, WI 1-11-2016
On January 9th, the Northeast Wisconsin Birding Club was treated to a fascinating presentation on the banding and track of Golden Eagles in Waupaca County. The following weekend, January 16th, was our club field trip where we searched for Golden Eagles in the same county. Although we missed on the Goldens, we did find this immature Bald Eagle feasting in a snow covered field.
NWBC field trip. Bald Eagle – Waupaca County, WI 1-16-2016
Bald Eagle – Waupaca County, WI 1-16-2016
On January 19th, Stuart and I headed down to Oshkosh. Found a nicely perched Northern Shrike and a flock of Cedar Waxwings getting fat on berries.
Northern Shrike – Oshkosh, WI 1-19-2016
Cedar Waxwing – Oshkosh, WI 1-19-2016
Cedar Waxwing – Oshkosh, WI 1-19-2016
Cedar Waxwing – Oshkosh, WI 1-19-2016
The following day Stuart and I did some gulling down in Jefferson County.
Iceland Gull – Jefferson County, WI 1-20-2016
The day after I was working from home – yes, this is why I decided to work from home full-time – when a Cooper’s Hawk visited to hunt sparrows on my brush pile! The photos below were taken while I was on the phone working with a client – working from home and birding will definitely improve my multitasking skills!
Cooper’s Hawk – Menasha, WI 1-21-2016
Cooper’s Hawk – Menasha, WI 1-21-2016
Took two trips to find the worlds fastest animal in Oshkosk, but it was worth it!
Peregrine Falcon – Oshkosh, WI 1-22-2016
So there you have it – a quick recap of some of the birds I’ve seen to date in 2016. Next week I should be back with another Costa Rica Trip Report and a summary of my January birding. Until then, Bird It Up!
Some days on a tropical birding trip are just more memorable than others, and this day happened to be one of them. That’s not to dis any of the days – they were each memorable, productive, exciting, and fun. This day was just kicked up a notch due to an unexpected sighting and the phrase “Forget the horses,” which none of the tour participants will ever forget. But, I’m getting ahead of myself…….
We woke for the last time at the Celeste Mountain Lodge; today, March 21st, 2015, we would be saying goodbye to heaven. If I haven’t made it clear yet, Celeste Mountain Lodge was a place I wanted to stay. So much so, that I did inquire with the owners about a job. But alas, I’m back in Wisconsin. Our guide Richard had tried to reserve rooms for a third night at this lodge, but they were already booked. So after some morning birding and one final delicious lunch, we’d be headed 15 minutes down the road to Heliconias Lodge.
Day 7 – From Celeste Mountain Lodge To Heliconias Lodge 15 minutes down the road.
After some coffee and a bit of birding at the lodge feeders, we headed back across the street to the properties reserve for a pre-breakfast walk where we got excellent looks at a Dull-Mantled Antbird and fleeting looks at a Gray-chested Dove.
Dull-Mantled Antbird – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
We returned to Celeste for breakfast and as would be expected, some birding at their feeders.
Green Honeycreeper (female) at the Celeste Mountain Lodge feeders – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Golden-Hooded Tanager at Celeste Mountain Lodge feeders – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
After breakfast we returned to the nearby road which we birded the day before. When we went to board the bus, an extremely tame White-Nosed Coati was wandering around the driveway. Michael learned just how sharp their claws are as it stood on it’s hind legs and put it’s front paws on his leg, like a friendly dog would. Quickly backing away, Michael let us know just how sharp they were, and he had the small hole in his pants to testify to it!
Michael & Tom investigating a White-Nosed Coati….or was the coati investigating them? Celeste Mountain Lodge – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Keel-billed Motmot on the left, Broad-Billed Motmot on the right. Near Celeste Mountain Lodge – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Your’s truly watching a Blue Morph Butterfly. Can you see the brilliant blue of the butterfly? Costa Rica 3-21-2015. Photo courtesy of Nancy at Bluestar Enterprises.
Although Michael & Nancy spent most their time birding, they were also on a family vacation as Nancy’s husband Lance and daughter Amanda were along for the tour. Most days while we were birding, Lance and Amanda would be off on their own excursions like visiting waterfalls, ziplining, or simply lounging around the lodge or pool. On this morning they were off doing a horseback ride, but little did we know they’d be following the same road we were birding. Around the bend comes Amanda and Lance – with Lance in a memorable pink helmet. Most of us were watching them when Richard uttered those now famous words – “Forget the horses!!” Those words were followed by Umbrellabird and immediately the horses were forgotten.
The Bare-necked Umbrellabird is endemic to Costa Rica and western Panama and is officially listed as endangered. According to Birdlife.org, the breeding population in Costa Rica is estimated at 190-330 mature individuals. Along with Panama’s population, the global population for the Bare-necked Umbrellabird is placed at 1,000-2,499 mature individuals. Stated another way – this is a hard bird to see and likely the rarest I’ve ever seen if global populations are below 2,500 individuals!
Forgetting the horses was easy as this usually hard to see bird sat content in a nearby tree for a good 7-10 minutes. Everyone in the group got excellent looks and Tom shot some amazing video through his scope. This bird deserves some love…..
If Elvis was a bird, he’d be a Bare-necked Umbrellabird. Costa Rica 3-21-2015Bare-necked Umbrellabird – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
I was also able to capture some video through my camera:
With smiles all around after getting killer looks of the Bare-necked Umbrellabird, we boarded the bus in route to another nature reserve. Along the way we found one of my target birds for the trip – Bat Falcon.
Bat Falcon – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Bat Falcon – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
Bat Falcon – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
Bat Falcon – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
Bat Falcon – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
We also crossed a river where the water runs blue…….
Costa Rica 3-21-2015
Once at the nature reserve we were treated to some great looks at a host of birds and flowers. Although I didn’t get a photo of it, one of the highlights was hearing and seeing a nearby Laughing Falcon!
Summer Tanager – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
White-collared Seedeater – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
White-collared Seedeater – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
Banaquit – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Social Flycatcher – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Flower – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Flower – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
It’s kind of fun traveling with the guide that everyone wants to have!! Multiple times throughout the trip Richard stopped to autograph copies of his book – and not just for birders, the other guides were also after signed copies!
Need a guide? Look no further than Richard Garrigues!!!
After saying goodbye to the Celeste Mountain Lodge for the last time, we were off down the road to Heliconias Lodge.
Heliconias Lodge – Costa Rica 3-21-2015A few from our room at Heliconias Lodge – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
One of the benefits of lodging at Heliconias is the hiking trails located right on the property. We spent the afternoon exploring these trails, which includes three suspension bridges – one of them a double bridge which wraps around a large tree.
Dar enjoying some birding near the canopy level on one of the suspension bridges – Costa Rica 3-21-2015I apologize for the crappy, heavily cropped photo, but you can still make out the Black-throated Trogon in a nesting cavity – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
I know the photo below doesn’t do the bird justice, but at Heliconias we ticked off our 7th trogon in 7 days! And with the Resplendent Quetzal it was our 8th species from the Trogonidae family in the first week! Could we complete a trogon slam? Although there are two other trogons found in Costa Rica that we had yet to see, one was out of range from our tour, so that left just one more to find over the next 7 days. If you’re one of those inquiring minds that wants to know whether we got it, well you’ll just have to keeping following these trip reports to find out.
Trogon species #7 – Lattice-tailed Trogon – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Plant – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Flower – Costa Rica 3-21-2015
I thought it would be nearly impossible to compete with our bird of the day – the 10 minute looks of a very cooperative Bare-necked Umbrella bird – but Richard found a way to try; ant swarm #2!! Some tours never come across a single army ant swarm and here we were enjoying our second. A couple of the birds brought in by the swarm:
Spotted Antbird right where you’d expect to find a bird with “ant” in it’s name, at an ant swarm – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Spotted Antbird – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Zeledon’s Antbird – Costa Rica 3-21-2015Your’s truly surveying the canopy on one of the Heliconias suspension bridges – Costa Rica 3-21-2015 Photo credits: Thanks to Dar (I think???) for this photo.
Bare-necked Umbrellabird, a second ant swarm, Laughing and Bat Falcons, if there is one thing this tour didn’t do, it’s disappoint! Spoiler alert – we’ll be leaving this area of Costa Rica in the next trip report; whole new terrain, lots of photos, and some magnificent birds! Bird It Up!
Since I’m sharing only a small portion of my photos, and since those only represent a small fraction of what we saw, below is a list of other notable species from day 7:
Tundra Swans at Jefferson Park – Menasha, WI 1-10-2016
I bet you didn’t expect me back with another post this quick and based on my recent negligence in posting I completely understand. But, we’re already 13 days into the new year so I need to get these out and start working towards them. So, let’s start with my 2016 goals and then we’ll move on to where exactly this blog is headed. And as always, I’ll scattered some photos about to help feed your birding addiction.
2016 Goals:
250 year birds for the state of Wisconsin!
Yes, this is my same goal from last year, but since I failed to reach it in 2015, I’ll keep it for the new year. Further down in this post under “Where this blog is headed in 2016” I’ll explain why I believe I’ll achieve it.
4 county big year with Michael – 235 species!
Although I didn’t have this as a goal last year, Michael and I did a 4 county big year in Wisconsin. We combined our species list for the four counties surrounding us (Outagamie, Calumet, Waupaca, and Winnebago). It was the first time we did this and we set a high goal of 250 species! Although we came up short at 222 species in 2015, I still think we had an impressive year. Well, truth be told Michael carried us last year and picked up a number of species I couldn’t get out to. This year I think we have a legit shot at our goal.
Lead Calumet County in species seen as reported byeBird!
Last year fellow NWBC member Dar crushed the Calumet County big year by coming up with 178 species (actually over 180, but he didn’t get all his checklists in yet – 180+ is even more impressive)! For reference, my high in 2013 was 144 species. Hopefully I can get out in Calumet County more this year – last year I failed to make a single trip to Killsnake which is a great birding spot in the county. Hopefully this goal will help get me back to some county areas I failed to bird last year.
January 100 species mini-goal!
Stuart and I were talking recently and he mentioned something about a 100 species January and I thought that was an interesting goal. This one is going to be really, really tough – especially because I don’t chase to many birds more than an hour or 90 minutes away. However, it sounded like a fun way to get off to a fast start and a goal I could see trying for each year.
Improve my bird songs/calls recognition!
This year I’m focusing on making a big leap in my song and call recognition. For non-birders, learning songs might be even more important than learning field marks. Obviously if a bird is calling but hidden, you can still “recognize” the species by the call. Plus, you can hear calls from a distance and if you can recognize the call, you know what habitat to search and where within that habitat (down low in the scrub, mid-level, top of the tree). I was originally planning on an hour a day working on bird songs, but that might be a bit tough…especially once migration starts. So I’ll divide that in half and shoot for 183 hours of study this year. I’m hoping to track and do a monthly recap throughout the year. I’ll explain more about what tools I use in my January recap.
North Dakota birding trip!
One of the NWBC club members, Neil, has been birding North Dakota for a number of years. He’s offered to take a small group of us out to bird at the end of May and I will be joining him! It’s an exciting opportunity to pickup some life birders and tour the state with someone who knows the area well. Trip reports will follow.
Complete the Costa Rica Trip Reports!
Yes, I realize I’ve been slacking on my trip reports, but fear not – I still have the resolve to complete them. My plan is to have all trip reports completed by May 1st at the latest. That way when I get back from North Dakota I can focus on my 2016 trip.
Finish planting flowers for my hummingbird/butterfly garden!
I have about half my garden to go and I want to finish it off this year! Columbine, Cardinal Flower, Bee Balm, etc… still to be added.
Winter Wren – one of two I found at Heckrodt Wetland Reserve in Menasha, WI 1-10-2016
Where this blog is headed in 2016:
A few posts back I noted that I had made some personal changes that I would elaborate on at a future date. So, here we go…. At the end of November I accepted a new position with my company. Before I took a job with this company in August 2014, I had a lot of flexibility as a technical writer with my former employer; as long as I got my 40 hours a week in, they would allow me to come in late (could bird the mornings) or leave in the middle of the day to do a bit of chasing. When I left that company I went to a straight 7am-3:30pm shift which didn’t have the flexibility to leave in the middle of the day or come in late (hence, one of the reasons my 2015 WI year total is quite low).
Well, all that has been remedied! My new position hours are 3pm-11pm. This allows me to get out early in the AM during spring migration and will allow me to make runs I couldn’t under my old schedule, such as a run to the Lake Michigan shoreline. But working 3-11pm isn’t the only benefit! Now, I will be birding from work as I’m officially working from home fulltime – WOOHOOO!! This is a dream job for me. My desk is setup overlooking my backyard so even when I’m working I can still bird. Some other benefits of this new position – it’s a straight 8 hours (no half hour break included) so I gain 2.5 hours per week right there. Add my average commute time of 2.5 hours per week and I’m now saving 5 hours per week!! And if that isn’t reason enough, how about birding the parks and nature preserves during weekdays when everyone else is at work – to me, this is a huge advantage! No teenagers to deal with who just got out of class and are running around screaming in the parks or having to deal with the massive influx of people with wagonloads of props getting family photos taken. Ahhh yes, life is good!!!
My new office!
So what does all this mean for the blog in 2016? Well, I’m hoping to post more, but with less text. I subscribe to a lot of bird blogs from around the world and the thing I most like is seeing photos of all the birds I don’t get to see; it’s an interesting way to learn about what birds are out there that I’ve never heard of. So although I’m going to have more time for birding, I’m also going to be focusing on other things like enhancing my bird songs recognition and posting more on the NWBC Facebook page. I still plan to do “write-ups” with many of my posts, but I’m hoping to keep them more terse (“hoping” being the operative word here as I can ramble with the best of them). I’m also planning on doing some galleries which will be images only. This will hopefully keep me more active in the blogging sphere and allow you to see more of what matters – birds!!
Ring-necked Pheasant – Calumet County 1-11-2016
So there you have it – my goals for 2016 and where the Bird It Up! community is headed for the next 12 months. Now get off the computer, get out there, and Bird It Up!
Well, 2015 is now in the rearview mirror and we’re full speed ahead into 2016. I thought I’d take this opportunity to look back and review my goals for 2015 and see how well, or poorly, I did. You’ll also find some blog stats below – some of which I found pretty interesting. Barring any serious battles with laziness, I’ll be back in the coming days to post my 2016 goals and discuss where this blog is headed. Oh, and if you needed a reason to stick around, I’ve thrown in a few photos like this Snowy Owl from Outagamie County on 1/4/2016:
Year list (for Wisconsin) = 250 This will be a tough goal to hit, but one I hope to accomplish! Well, I fell abysmally short of 250 in Wisconsin. It’s almost embarrassing to share my true number, but it is what it is. So without further ado, I came in at 204 species for 2015 in Wisconsin (shakes head). My consolation is that combined with my trip to Costa Rica my complete year list stands at 550.
Lead Calumet County for the year
Well, I’m 2-for-2 in missing my goals so at least I’m 100% at something! I should note that this goal is based on eBird sightings as I know some birders who do not eBird, but still tally impressive numbers. In this goal I finished 4th with 122 species. My good friend and fellow NWBC member Dar led the county with a whopping 178 species! Congrats to Dar on an impressive county tally in 2015!!!
Continue planting flowers for my hummingbird/butterfly garden
Well, this one I nailed. Ok, not nailed, but I need a win after failing on my first 2 goals. I did add to my hummingbird/butterfly garden by adding 5 Milkweed plants, 3 Butterfly Weed, another Joe Pye Weed and some more Coreopsis. Still have about half the garden to plant so even though I made progress, there is work to be done!
Costa Rica – I will be going on my first birding specific vacation; two weeks of birding, birding, and more birding (more info to come, hopefully, in the following weeks).
Completed! What a great trip – you can read all my trip reports here: Costa Rica 2015 Trip Report
Most importantly, spending time with the birds and not rushing to “tick” them off my year or life list.
I think I did a much better job with this, but I see it as a lifelong goal. So this will be something I will continue to work on year after year.
Tree Sparrow 1-4-2016
Two key blog statistics I’d like to share:
Although most my sites visitors were from the U.S., Canada, and England, I did have visitors from 54 different countries in total!
I finished with 39 posts in 2015! My target was one a week for a total of 52 so I officially did not meet my goal. However, I was pleased that I kept at it, although sporadically at times, throughout the year.
Red-breasted Nuthatch – Outagamie County, WI 1-4-2016
Finally, let me thank ALL of YOU for stopping by, reading, and commenting!!! It’s a lot of fun blogging when you know others are reading or at least viewing the photos and it’s even better when the discussions occur. So thank you for making 2015 a fun first year of blogging. I hope you each have a healthy, birdy 2016!! I should have my 2016 goals along with some updates posted in a few days, but until then, Bird It Up!
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted, but things are starting to slow down a bit. The holidays not only brought some family and friends to town, but also a personal change which I’ll post about in the coming days. I’m also making headway on the next part of my Costa Rica trip report so stayed tuned for that.
For now, kickback and enjoy a few photos and some brief text of a few recent outings……
Glaucous Gull – the world’s second largest gull. Notice the relatively short-tail and lack of any black markings.
Glaucous Gull – Lake Michigan shoreline – Sheboygan, WI
Great Black-backed Gull – the world’s largest gull species. Seen here it completely dwarfs the nearby Ring-billed Gull.
Great Black-backed Gull – Lake Michigan shoreline – Sheboygan, WI“Feed me Seymour” Great Black-backed Gull – Lake Michigan shoreline – Sheboygan, WI
Although it was cold and snowing at times, it was a typical NWBC November field trip. Much fun was had by all!
From left to right: Stuart, Mike, and myself birding the Lake Michigan shoreline. Photo courtesy of Ross M.Scanning for waterfowl along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Photo courtesy of Ross M.
On this years Appleton Christmas Bird Count (CBC), my mate Stuart was in town for the first time during CBC season and I was fortunate to have him along on my route along with my annual compadre Eric. Stuart’s a gull expert and he’s the one you want standing next to you as you search for rarities.
Gulls over the Fox River during the Appleton Christmas Bird Count – Appleton 12-19-2015
A Snowy Owl is always a nice find on a CBC! This was late in the day in crummy lighting conditions, but still worth sharing.
Snowy Owl impersonating a windsock at the Appleton airport during the Christmas Bird Count – Appleton 12-19-2015
Until I became a birder, I had no idea how lucky I was to have a rubbish dump nearby. Yesterday (Tuesday, December 22nd) Stuart and I spent a few hours sorting through hundreds of gulls. The gulls feed at the dump and then flock to a nearby field to digest. There were easily 500 gulls in the field and on a nearby rooftop and we could see another 500 flying over the dump.
Picking through a thousand gulls is actually quite fun – it’s like “Where’s Waldo?,” but with gulls. As Stuart has taught me – you’re looking for the one (or two…or three) which looks different from all the others. On this day we tallied 5 species of gull (Herring, Ring-billed, Great Black-backed, Glaucous, and Thayer’s).
Even in bad lighting, you can easily see the noticeably darker mantle (back) of the Great Black-backed Gull versus the Herring and Glaucous Gulls.
From left to right: Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Glaucous Gull – Appleton 12-22-2015The two largest gulls in the world: Great Black-backed Gull & Glaucous Gull – Appleton 12-22-2015
Hopefully you’ll hear from me again before the end of 2015, but until then…..Bird It Up!
Bird It Up! 