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Author: Peter Kasper
See the following link information concerning the
Current Status of Access to Fermilab
Year List: Contains the list of birds seen so far this year.
Seasonal List: The list of birds recorded on site at this time of year.
Sunday, September 29
This morning, Fermi was clear and refreshingly cool while the
grounds were a little damp from the overnight rain. We spent most
of the morning in the Sparrow Hedge/Lakes region where there was
quite a bit of activity. Shorebird numbers dropped slightly from
Friday. We found
Killdeer,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Least Sandpiper and
Pectoral Sandpiper. Waterfowl included
Wood Duck,
Blue-winged Teal,
Northern Shoveler,
Northern Pintail and
Green-winged Teal.
Palm Warblers were
everywhere as were
Yellow-rumped Warblers but to a lesser degree. Several
Nashville Warblers were also found. Sparrows continue to increase in numbers.
Included were
Eastern Towhee,
Chipping Sparrow,
Field Sparrow,
Savannah Sparrow,
Song Sparrow,
Lincoln's Sparrow,
Swamp Sparrow,
White-throated Sparrow and
White-crowned Sparrow. Several other
birds of note were
Sora,
Philadelphia Vireo,
Marsh Wren (quite a few
singing),
Tree Swallow,
Brown Thrasher, and
Eastern Meadowlark (edge
of Dog
Fields). Denis' group added
American Crow,
Barn Swallow,
Black-throated Green Warbler,
American Redstart,
Rusty Blackbird and
the first
Nelson's Sparrow of the year. Finally, Peter mentioned that he had an
American Woodcock on Thursday evening leaving work. Dave Friday, September 27
Clear skies and mild winds made for great birding conditions this
morning. A fair amount of shorebirds remain and this morning most
were at A.E. Sea. I found
Killdeer (lots),
Greater Yellowlegs (only
one),
Lesser Yellowlegs (lots),
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper, and
Stilt Sandpiper (one). A walk
around the Sparrow Hedge/Lakes area produced some interesting
sightings. Warblers are well past their peak with only a single
Nashville Warbler, several
Yellow-rumped Warblers, many
Palm Warblers and several
Common Yellowthroats. On the other hand the
sparrow migration is ramping up. The walk along the Lake Law berm
produced 15-20
Song Sparrows and
Savannah Sparrows. Other sparrows
found were
Lincoln's Sparrow,
White-throated Sparrows (a good
number), and
White-crowned Sparrow (in a different location). An immature
Bald Eagle was patrolling the south end of A.E. Sea during
my walk down. When I got to the south end of A.E. Sea there was an
American Kestrel perched atop the tallest dead tree along with some
Blue Jays and
Northern Flickers. Soon a
Sharp-shinned Hawk dove at
the kestrel and took its spot on the tree. The kestrel circled
around and took back its original position on the tree. This cycle
repeated for 10-15 minutes with occasional dives at a
Blue Jay or
Northern Flicker thrown in. Eventually, each raptor went their
separate way. Other birds found in the area were
Blue-winged Teal,
Chimney Swift,
Red-eyed Vireo,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Cedar Waxwing,
and
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Found in other locations were
Sora,
Marsh Wren, and
Swainson's Thrush. Also, Denis had an immature
Peregrine Falcon circling Wilson Hall yesterday. Dave Thursday, September 26
I have been gone for several weeks but I'll try to give a brief
review of what has been seen while I've been gone (at least what
sightings have been given to me). First, in a nutshell, shorebirds
continued to be a major highlight until just recently. The warbler
migration, however, was poor around the Lab. Most of the typical
shorebirds (see previous listings) were being seen during the first
half of the month with diminishing numbers. Highlight shorebirds
found were
Black-bellied Plover,
White-rumped Sandpiper,
Baird's Sandpiper,
Stilt Sandpiper, and
Buff-breasted Sandpiper. I didn't
receive too many reports of warbler sightings. What was reported
were
Tennessee Warbler,
Orange-crowned Warbler,
American Redstart,
Mourning Warbler,
Chestnut-sided Warbler,
Black-throated Green Warbler and more
recently the
Palm Warblers and
Yellow-rumped Warblers have
dominated. Marcia and Gail found a
Snow Goose on Main Ring Lake (Sept. 14) which was the earliest fall sighting we've ever had.
Some of the other highlight birds were a
Northern Pintail, a
Peregrine Falcon,
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (still being seen),
Swainson's Thrush (fair number reported), an
American Pipit, a
Lincoln's Sparrow, and a
late
Dickcissel. In addition to Marcia and Gail, I'd like to thank
Al Stokie, Denis and Peter for their input. Dave Sunday, September 1
Early morning fog made effective birding almost impossible. After a
stop for donuts, conditions started to improve. Nonetheless, it
took some time for the fog to completely clear out. It's still
shorebirds that were the morning's focus. Yesterday's rains again
raised the levels of A.E. Sea and DUSAF and allowed the shorebirds
more foraging area. We found
Semipalmated Plover,
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Solitary Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper,
Stilt Sandpiper, and
Wilson's Snipe. Other birds around
the Lakes were
Wood Duck,
Northern Shoveler,
Green-winged Teal,
Cooper's Hawk,
Sora (very good numbers),
Herring Gull,
Marsh Wren and
Savannah Sparrow. Passerine migrants were quite limited with
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the greatest number. Other migrants
found were
Philadelphia Vireo(1),
Red-eyed Vireo (2),
Tennessee Warbler (3), and
Swainson's Thrush (1) all in the Garden Club and
Big Woods area.
Willow Flycatcher and
Cedar Waxwing were also found
on the west side of the Big Woods. Denis and some other birders
also added
Peregrine Falcon (1-adult and 1-Juv) and
Caspian Tern after I went to the Big Woods. Dave Friday, August 30
I was not around during the week but some sightings of note that
were required for the week's list were a
Black-bellied Plover (Al Stokie), a
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Marcia and Gail), and an
immature
Peregrine Falcon (Peter near Wilson Hall). It's a good
possibility that this was the same
Peregrine we had seen last week.
Dave Friday, August 23
Yesterday's rains replenished a considerable amount of shorebird
habitat to both A.E. Sea and DUSAF Pond after the long, dry up
period. Shorebird numbers were still down with no remarkable birds
found only
Semipalmated Plover,
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper and
Pectoral Sandpiper. While viewing shorebirds on DUSAF they suddenly began to
flush. What I first thought was one of the
Cooper's Hawks seen
regularly in the area turned out to be a juvenile
Peregrine Falcon.
After flushing every bird on DUSAF, it headed down the channel
toward A.E. Sea. Soon after I hooked up with Ryan of Facilities Engineering and two of his interns Elise and Zack. We walked down
to the Sparrow Hedge and, after finding a lone
Tennessee Warbler,
spotted the
Peregrine on a dead tree at the south end of A.E. Sea.
We had great looks at the bird through the scope. We did not find the
Black Tern reported on Thursday by Gail. Unfortunately, no other
warblers were found throughout the morning and most locations were
quite quiet. Some of the highlight birds found in various locations
were
Wood Duck (Fem and 4 young),
Green Heron,
Black-crowned Night-Heron (adult - DUSAF),
Caspian Tern,
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Eastern Wood-Pewee and
Eastern Phoebe (both singing),
Red-eyed Vireo,
Sedge Wren,
Marsh Wren,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
Indigo Bunting, and
Baltimore Oriole. Dave Sunday, August 18
A nice, cool morning greeted us but warmed as the day progressed;
more than on other recent visits. Shorebirds still remain the
highlight, but both A.E. Sea and DUSAF are drying up rapidly. The only water remaining at A.E. Sea is at its south end. Many of the
same shorebirds are still present with the two highlights being a
Black-bellied Plover and one or two
Stilt Sandpipers. We could not
relocate the
Red-necked Phalarope, but birds have typically been
moving around throughout the day and may still be around. The highlight bird of the morning was a
Cape May Warbler, our first
warbler of this fall's migration season. There were two other birds
accompanying the
Cape May, but they flew off before we could get on
them. No other warblers were found the rest of the morning.
Overall the morning was very quiet. The only other birds of note
were
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Sedge Wren,
Marsh Wren,
Indigo Bunting,
Eastern Meadowlark,
Bank Swallow,
Tree Swallow and
Barn Swallow. Dave Friday, August 16
Weather continued to be very pleasant for birding. I was with both
Elise and Ellen, interns at the Lab. They will be returning to
school soon. We started out in the Sparrow Hedge area which was
very quiet as was most of the Lab this morning. Not much was found
in this area other than
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Willow Flycatcher,
American Crow,
Eastern Towhee (one of only a few birds
that were singing) and
Indigo Bunting. A.E. Sea and later DUSAF
produced
Semipalmated Plover,
Killdeer,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper, and a
Red-necked Phalarope (this bird was found earlier
in the week and confirmed this morning). Several
Caspian Terns and
a
Herring Gull rounded out the water birds of note although there
are still large numbers of
Great Egrets and
Great Blue Herons wading
the waters. There was an
Osprey on Nest 2 by Nepese but no way to
determine its origin. We found a family of young
Dickcissels and
several singing males. We heard no
Henslow's Sparrows but did find
several
Sedge Wrens still singing. Dave Sunday, August 11
Weather again this morning was beautiful for birding; cool to start
and partly cloudy with minimal wind. Shorebirds on A.E. Sea and
DUSAF remain similar to the last report with
Black-bellied Plover,
Semipalmated Plover,
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper and
Short-billed Dowitcher. There were large numbers of
Great Blue Herons and
Great Egrets in A.E. Sea and an adult
Black-crowned Night-Heron at DUSAF. We also had at
least five
Green Herons around Lake Logo (inside the Main Ring).
Other birds found around the lakes were
Pied-billed Grebe (L.Law),
Blue-winged Teal,
Bald Eagle (in trees SW corner of A.E. Sea),
Caspian Tern and
Purple Martin (several). Overall swallow numbers
have been down over the last week. Other birds found in the
Lakes-Sparrow Hedge area were
Cooper's Hawk (a couple of young
birds),
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Yellow Warbler,
Eastern Towhee (a
couple of young birds), and
Baltimore Oriole. Just a few birds
found in other areas were
Hairy Woodpecker,
Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Marsh Wren and
Indigo Bunting. Dave Friday, August 9
It was another great morning for birding with another Fermi intern,
Ellen. We found a much smaller number of shorebirds than have been
found over the last several weeks even though the variety was still
quite good. Species seen were
Black-bellied Plover,
Semipalmated Plover,
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Solitary Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper, and
Stilt Sandpiper. Other birds
found in the A.E. Sea-DUSAF area were
Black-crowned Night-Heron,
Blue-winged Teal,
Herring Gull and
Caspian Tern. In general all
other habitats were much quieter than in recent visits. Although found in reduced numbers,
Henslow's Sparrows and
Sedge Wrens were
still singing. Some other birds of interest were
Cooper's Hawk,
American Kestrel,
Willow Flycatcher,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
Eastern Bluebird (a good number of young birds),
Cedar Waxwing,
Dickcissel,
and
Baltimore Oriole. Dave Sunday, August 4
A picture perfect morning (although gnats and mosquitoes were a
minor irritation) provided good conditions for both the birds and
birders. Not many changes in the birds found from those over the
last few visits. The shorebirds found between A.E. Sea and DUSAF
were
Semipalmated Plover,
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper (numbers increasing),
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper, and
Stilt Sandpiper (in good
numbers). Other water birds found were the typical (lately)
Caspian Terns,
Wood Duck (two separate families),
Blue-winged Teal, and
Northern Shoveler. Other birds found around the lakes were a young
Cooper's Hawk,
Willow Flycatchers,
American Crow,
Yellow Warblers (in several locations),
Rose-breasted Grosbeak,
Baltimore Oriole,
and a young
Brown-headed Cowbird being fed by a
Song Sparrow.
Though the bugs kept us from penetrating the Big Woods, we did have
some luck walking some of its perimeter. The adjacent grasslands
had singing
Sedge Wrens,
Henslow's Sparrows, and
Dickcissels. On the edge and
inside the woods we had
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
Indigo Bunting and, the bird of
the day, another singing
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Dave Thursday, August 1
Another pleasant morning for birding greeted Calvin, another summer
intern, and myself. No new arrival shorebirds; all species seen
were found over the last few weeks on and off. We found
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Solitary Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper,
Stilt Sandpiper, and
Short-billed Dowitcher. Still found
in the Lakes area were
Caspian Terns (and other ponds around the
Lab) and
Wood Ducks. The major players in the grasslands were
Sedge Wrens,
Henslow's Sparrows, and
Dickcissels. These were all found in
multiple areas. Swallow numbers and variety were considerably down
from what we found on Sunday. We did find several flycatchers
including
Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Willow Flycatcher,
Great Crested Flycatcher and
Eastern Kingbird. Dave Sunday, July 28
It was downright cool this morning and so pleasant that we were able
to do a loop of the Big Woods. Unfortunately, there was not much to
be found in the woods. The shorebird habitat remains excellent at
both A.E. Sea and DUSAF. Unfortunately, A.E. Sea is starting to
get quite grown over and birds are seeking cover in some of this
plant life. Also, birds are moving in and out of the area so
numbers and variety change regularly. The birds we found were
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Solitary Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper, and
Stilt Sandpiper. There still were a good number of
Caspian Terns around A.E. Sea along with several
Wood Ducks.
Willow Flycatchers were still heard singing in several spots. A female
Northern Shoveler was also found on DUSAF. One highlight of the
morning were the number and especially the variety of swallows in
this area. We found good numbers of , in descending order,
Tree Swallows,
Barn Swallows,
Cliff Swallows,
Bank Swallows,
Northern Rough-winged Swallows and one
Purple Martin.
Henslow's Sparrows were still quite active in several locations. Found singing in the
Big Woods were
Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Red-eyed Vireo,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and
Cedar Waxwing. Also found elsewhere were
Green Heron,
American Crow, and
Orchard Oriole. Dave Thursday, July 25
Conditions were great today in the Lab with mild temps, mild winds
and partly cloudy skies. Elise, one of the Fermi summer interns,
was along for the ride this morning. A.E. Sea and DUSAF remain
great shorebird locations although nothing exciting was found.
There were
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpipers,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpipers,
Least Sandpipers,
Pectoral Sandpipers, and at least one
Stilt Sandpiper. Several
Caspian Terns were still around along with a
Herring Gull. A young Coopers Hawk was flushed from a pine tree not too far from the Garden Club nest
site. Several grasslands still had reasonable activity with some
singing
Sedge Wrens,
Savannah Sparrows,
Henslow's Sparrows, and
Dickcissels (still quite a few of these around). A couple of
Eastern Meadowlarks and a lone female
Bobolink were also found. The three young
Ospreys fledged from Nest 1 and were flying around the
nest area along with both parents; it reminded me of a beehive with
all five birds flying around, occasionally landing then taking off
again. Interestingly, we also found an adult
Osprey on Nest 2.
Since we found this soon after being at the Nest 1 site, I'm pretty
sure this was not one of the Nest 1 birds. Not too much else was
found other than a singing
Willow Flycatcher, a
Cedar Waxwing, a
Vesper Sparrow, several
Indigo Buntings and a
Baltimore Oriole. Dave Sunday, July 21
It was warm this morning, still a considerable improvement from hot
weather conditions of the past week. Water levels remain at a very
good level for shorebirds and their viewing in both
A.E. Sea and DUSAF. Birds found in this area by Peter, a group of
local birders, and I were
Semipalmated Plover,
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper,
Stilt Sandpiper, and
Short-billed Dowitcher. We had at least eleven
Caspian Terns in the
Lakes Region and again found the
Yellow-breasted Chat still singing,
in a very subdued manner, in the Sparrow Hedge area.
Sedge Wrens and
Henslow's Sparrows were singing in a couple of locations while
Dickcissels were still singing in many locations. A seldom visited
group of small woodlots on the west side of the Lab produced only
the second
Red-headed Woodpecker for the year along with a
Hairy Woodpecker,
Red-bellied Woodpecker and
Northern Flicker. Also found
in this area was the bird of the day, a surprise
Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
American Kestrels, an
American Crow and
Vesper Sparrow rounded out the morning's birding. Dave Wednesday, July 17
The hot, humid, breezeless conditions did not affect the birds near
as much as the birders this morning. The shorebirds on A.E. Sea and
DUSAF remain similar to my last visit with
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpipers,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Least Sandpipers,
Pectoral Sandpipers, and a
Stilt Sandpiper. There were still large numbers
of
Great Blue Herons, quite a few
Great Egrets, several
Caspian Terns and a flyover
Wood Duck. In the Hedge area
Willow Flycatchers,
Eastern Towhees and
Baltimore Orioles were singing
away. I missed the Chat but did find a
Bell's Vireo which had not
been too vocal this season. All five
Ospreys associated with Nest 1
were present and doing well. The
American Kestrel family along East Wilson was still active, not sure where they came from. The rest of
the morning was used to fill gaps in the Fermi Bird List for the
week. Highlight birds found were
Green Heron,
Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Eastern Kingbird,
Red-eyed Vireo,
Purple Martin (Female-DUSAF),
Sedge Wren singing (South Eola),
Cedar Waxwing,
Vesper Sparrow,
Henslow's Sparrow,
Dickcissel (still singing everywhere),
Bobolink,
and
Eastern Meadowlark. In addition, Marcia and Gail found a
Great Crested Flycatcher and an immature
Black-crowned Night-Heron (along the DUSAF shoreline), only
the first for the year. Also, Peter later added
Greater Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper and
Forster's Tern. Dave Sunday, July 14
The waters are again receding on both DUSAF Pond and A.E. Sea thus
providing good shorebird habitat and viewing. Found were good
numbers of
Killdeer and
Spotted Sandpipers plus a
Solitary Sandpiper,
Lesser Yellowlegs (about a dozen),
Least Sandpipers (over
20),
Pectoral Sandpipers, and two
Stilt Sandpipers. Large numbers
of
Great Blue Herons and several
Great Egrets remain dispersed
around the lakes. Two adult and one juvenile
Caspian Terns were on
A.E. Sea, while Peter had ten of these terns yesterday in the same
location. Other birds of note were
American Kestrels (7),
Cedar Waxwings,
Yellow-breasted Chat (still singing across from Sparrow Hedge),
Vesper Sparrow, and
Dickcissels (still singing in many
locations). Dave Thursday, July 11
After the recent hot weather, today's early morning chill was a
pleasant surprise. A post breeding survey produced a good number of
Henslow's Sparrows in two different locations. There was also a
good concentration of a few
Bobolink family groups inside the Main Injector and
Dickcissels were still singing in many locations. On the downside, no
Grasshopper Sparrows were found and only four
Sedge Wrens were found in one location. Recent rains raised the level of
both A.E. Sea and DUSAF to put a real damper on shorebirding with
only several each of
Killdeers,
Spotted Sandpipers, and
Least Sandpipers found. Although there were five
Caspian Terns and two
Herring Gulls at A.E. Sea and the
Greater Scaup was still on DUSAF.
The female
Osprey and three chicks were feeding on a fish at Nest 1 as
the male watched from nearby. There was a family of at least four
American Kestrels working East Wilson Rd. The bird of the day was a
Peregrine Falcon interacting with a
Red-tailed Hawk southwest of the
Garden Club. Some of the other birds of interest found throughout
the morning were
Green Heron (2 - flying over M.Injector),
Great Horned Owl,
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Great Crested Flycatcher,
American Crow (a surprising 5 found on the east side),
Marsh Wren,
Cedar Waxwing,
Savannah Sparrow, and
Indigo Bunting. Dave Sunday, July 7
There were even more
Killdeer and
Least Sandpipers at A.E. Sea than
on Friday. In addition, some other recent new arrivals found were
Lesser Yellowlegs (A.E. Sea),
Solitary Sandpiper and
Pectoral Sandpiper (both found in DUSAF Pond). A
Stilt Sandpiper was also
reported earlier in the week. A
Caspian Tern was again found in the
area. All of the swallows were found over the lakes, listed in
order of abundance
Tree Swallow (by far the most abundant),
Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
Barn Swallow,
Bank Swallow and
Cliff Swallow.
Other birds found in the Lakes-Sparrow Hedge area were
Wood Duck,
American Crow (3),
Cedar Waxwing,
Yellow-breasted Chat (still
singing) and a singing
Swamp Sparrow. Grasslands produced singing
Sedge Wrens,
Henslow's Sparrows and
Dickcissels. In addition, a
couple of juvenile
Eastern Meadowlarks were flushed. Both
Horned Lark and
Vesper Sparrow were found in the north roads area. Dave Friday, July 5
It was another very nice but slightly warmer morning for birding in
the Lab. Many of the same birds were found in and around A.E. Sea including
Killdeer (lots),
Least Sandpipers (over 30),
Double-crested Cormorants (around 25), a few
Spotted Sandpipers,
about a
half dozen
Great Egrets, and a pair of
Caspian Terns. Also, several
Marsh Wrens were still singing along the south shore of Lake Law.
Some of my time was spent trying to fill gaps in our confirmed
breeding species for the current survey period. I was lucky to find
a twofer when I watched a young
Brown-headed Cowbird being fed by a
much smaller
Yellow Warbler. The
Greater Scaup was again dabbling
around DUSAF Pond among a group of
Mallards. The female
Osprey was
perched on the edge of nest 2. After awhile a call came from a
distance and the nest bird responded. Soon after the male landed
and handed over a fish. The female flew up to the top perch with
the catch and started to eat. A little later the female dropped
down to the nest and the two birds shared the meal. It appears
these birds are very loyal to this nest and it is hoped that they
will return next year to attempt another breeding. At nest 1, I
again found the female
Osprey shading her young with her wing. I
was finally able to confirm the three chicks reported last week.
There were two separate instances of
Eastern Meadowlarks carrying
food and flying into a possible nest area along Eola Rd. The female
Kestrel was atop the nest box at the end of Swenson Rd. while the
male was found further around the outside of the Main Ring. This was one of the few weeks that there was a gap in the
Great Horned Owl records for this period. After trying several locations I was
finally able to fill it. Some of the other birds found were
Hairy Woodpecker,
Northern Flicker,
Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Eastern Kingbird,
Indigo Bunting,
Henslow's Sparrow, and
Dickcissel. Also, a
Belted Kingfisher was reported in the Main Injector area on Wednesday by
other monitors. Dave Sunday, June 30
Birding was very good in the Lakes/Sparrow Hedge area this morning
despite being fairly windy. The temps were perfect for the season.
The morning started out with over thirty
Killdeer and a
Spotted Sandpiper seen from the road in the far north end of A.E. Sea. Many more of both were found further down A.E. Sea. These were joined by
our first southward migrants; about a dozen
Least Sandpipers. An
American White Pelican was also found resting on a flat in A.E. Sea while a pair of
Caspian Terns were fishing in Lake Law. A good
number of
Cedar Waxwings were hawking insects over A.E. Sea among a
large group of Swallows (including a
Bank Swallow found by Denis'
group). The
Yellow-breasted Chat was still singing along the
Sparrow Hedge, while a
Bell's Vireo reluctantly gave a few calls
nearby. The appearance of juvenile
House Wrens and
Willow Flycatchers confirmed breeding for both these species. Other birds
of interest in this area were
Eastern Phoebe,
Marsh Wren,
Brown Thrasher,
Dickcissel,
Bobolink,
Orchard Oriole, and
Baltimore Oriole. The
Greater Scaup was again among a group of
Mallards in
DUSAF Pond. One of the
Ospreys was feeding on a fish on the perch
above Nest 2 but their breeding efforts still appear to be a
failure. Along East Wilson Road we found a pair of
American Kestrels and a couple of
Vesper Sparrows. Dave Thursday, June 27
An early morning start to a grassland, breeding bird survey was met
with great conditions of minimal winds and mild temps. Some of the
target species were well represented including
Field Sparrows,
Henslow's Sparrows,
Dickcissels,
Bobolinks and
Eastern Meadowlarks.
Others were not so well represented including
Sedge Wren (3),
Savannah Sparrow (4), and
Grasshopper Sparrow (1). The
Greater Scaup seen over the last week was again spotted. In addition, the
American White Pelicans (8) seen earlier in the week were found
flying in formation southwest from the Lake Law area. There was
movement in
Osprey nest 1 as the parents watched from a nearby power
pole but I could not determine the quantity of chicks.
Unfortunately, it appears that nest 2 is a failure. There has only
been minimal activity around it recently. The
Cooper's Hawk nest
had two fluffy chicks standing on its rim. Some of the other birds
found during the morning were
Willow Flycatcher,
Red-eyed Vireo,
Horned Lark,
Purple Martin,
Marsh Wren,
Cedar Waxwing and
Indigo Buntings (in good numbers). Dave Monday, June 24
Peter confirmed a report of
American White Pelicans in the Lab this
morning. He found about a half a dozen roosting on A.E. Sea. This our first summer sighting of pelicans on site. Dave Sunday, June 23
It was cloudy, moderately windy and quite warm but it did not appear
that these factors had much affect on the birds. Grassland sparrows
were quite inactive with only a few
Henslow's Sparrows and
Savannah Sparrows found; other grassland birds were a little more active.
The Sparrow Hedge area produced an
American Kestrel,
Marsh Wren,
Cedar Waxwing, and a
Yellow-breasted Chat who was reluctantly
singing. The
Greater Scaup found by Peter last Sunday was still in
DUSAF Pond. It was joined by several
Purple Martins. It appeared
that there were young in the
Cooper's Hawk nest but the view was
obstructed. Again, the female
Osprey on nest 1 was shielding
apparent young with the male nearby. The activity at
Osprey nest 2
was a little more confusing with the female standing on the nest
edge in the beginning then flying off only to return a while later.
Other birds of interest included a
Caspian Tern,
Green Heron,
Ruby-throated Hummingbird and singing
Horned Larks. Dave Tuesday, June 11
Warm temps, mild winds and partly cloudy skies produced perfect
conditions for a Breeding Bird Survey at the Lab this morning. All the major grassland targets were found including
Sedge Wrens,
Field Sparrows,
Savannah Sparrows,
Grasshopper Sparrows,
Henslow's Sparrows,
Dickcissels,
Bobolinks, and
Eastern Meadowlarks. The
Pied-billed Grebe in its breeding area was found carrying food. The female
Cooper's Hawk was still on her nest. It appears the
Ospreys in nest 1 inside the Main Injector have hatched. I did not actually
see the chicks but the female
Osprey appeared to be tending chicks
and even shielding them from the sun with her wing. The female
Osprey was still brooding on nest 2. The female
American Kestrel was atop the nest box at the end of Swenson Road. A
Northern Flicker was found in a nest hole at the edge of the Big Woods. The final breeding indicator was the
Yellow-breasted Chat still singing
away on the edge of the Main Ring Savanna. Other birds of interest
were:
Green Herons (2); a pair of
Blue-winged Teal; Several
Spotted Sandpipers; Singing
Eastern Wood-Pewees,
Willow Flycatchers, and
Great Crested Flycatchers;
Marsh Wrens;
Indigo Buntings; and
Baltimore Orioles. Dave Sunday, June 9
Denis had a class at the Lab this morning and said for the most part
birding was slow. Although they did have several notable sightings
including an
American Woodcock in the Sparrow Hedge area, a
Caspian Tern near A.E. Sea, and the probably the same singing
Yellow-breasted Chat in the Main Ring Savanna. Dave Sunday, June 2
It was cloudy, windy, and cool this morning; not sure if the weather
was the cause but birding was quite slow. The only birds of note in
the Sparrow Hedge-Lakes region were a
Spotted Sandpiper, a
Caspian Tern, a
Belted Kingfisher and a
Yellow-breasted Chat singing
reluctantly. The female
Osprey was still brooding in the
Injector-area nest with the male perched on the nest's edge. It appeared he had just dropped off breakfast. Birds found throughout
the remainder of the morning were Several
Wood Ducks, a
Pied-billed Grebe, a
Great Horned Owl, a second singing
Yellow-breasted Chat (Main Ring Woods), several
Henslow's Sparrows and several
Baltimore Orioles. Dave Thursday, May 30
The majority of this morning's birding was devoted to a preseason
breeding bird survey. Since this was a grassland survey, the
moderately strong winds did have some effect. Much of the effect
was in hearing the songs of some of the grassland sparrows.
Throughout some of the survey points, there was a good mix of key
species including
Field Sparrows,
Savannah Sparrows,
Grasshopper Sparrows,
Henslow's Sparrows,
Dickcissels,
Bobolinks and
Eastern Meadowlarks. All four
Ospreys were in place with the females still
on their nests. The
Cooper's Hawk nest near the Garden Club was
also still occupied. The
Pied-billed Grebe was also still in its
nesting area. The remaining birds of interest were a
Turkey Vulture, an
American Kestrel (near Buffalo Feeder nest box), a
Great Horned Owl,
Marsh Wrens (several locations), and a singing
Yellow-breasted Chat (again at the northwest corner of Main Ring Woods-E). Dave Sunday, May 26
It was another cool day with light winds early which did not bother
the birds. A.E. Sea's level is again lowering to reveal more
shoreline. Though this did not produce any interesting shorebirds,
a
Bonaparte's Gull was found near the Lake Law discharge channel.
Unfortunately, as we watched the bird, a coyote ran along the shore
nearby and flushed the gull. It appeared to fly offsite toward the
southeast. Other birds found in the Sparrow Hedge Area were
Spotted Sandpiper,
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher,
Tennessee Warbler,
Yellow-breasted Chat,
Lincoln's Sparrow, and both
Orchard Orioles and
Baltimore Orioles. A couple of
Caspian Terns were flying inside the Main Ring. Other birds of interest in the
Main Ring area were
Hooded Merganser (confirmed an earlier report of
a female with seven chicks), another
Yellow-breasted Chat (singing),
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and a
Dickcissel (first of the year). Both female
Ospreys were on their nests with the males nearby. Also found, were a
Pied-billed Grebe,
Sora,
Herring Gull, and
American Crow. Additional birds reported on Friday were a
Turkey Vulture, a
Sandhill Crane,
Chimney Swifts (first for the year), and a
Warbling Vireo. Dave Friday, May 24
We had nice cool weather with minimal winds for evening birding
today. To start with the recent rains brought up the water level on
A.E. Sea to eliminate it as a viable shorebird target. The only
shorebird of mention was a
Black-bellied Plover in full breeding
plumage near Swenson Road.
Blue-winged Teal were found in several
locations as were
Wood Ducks. A quick look for warblers in several
locations produced only a
Magnolia Warbler and an
American Redstart. The first two
Common Nighthawks of the year were found
near Lake Law. Finally, both a
Great Horned Owl and
Eastern Screech-Owl were found. Dave Sunday, May 19
The weather did not have any effect on the morning's birding today,
but the mosquitoes made it uncomfortable at times. The warbler and
sparrow numbers have crashed from the last several visits. The only
warbler found was a
Black-and-white Warbler and the only sparrows
were a
Henslow's and a fair number of
Savannah Sparrows. Shorebirds were down to a
Dunlin, several
Least Sandpipers, and a couple of
Semipalmated Plovers; all on A.E. Sea. New summer arrivals were a
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (probably last year's breeder in the same
perching tree), a couple of
Bell's Vireos (Sparrow Hedge area), and
Marsh Wrens (several locations). The day's highlights were
flycatchers including
Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher,
Alder Flycatcher,
Willow Flycatcher,
Least Flycatcher,
Eastern Phoebe, and
Great Crested Flycatcher. Other birds of note were
several
Blue-winged Teal (all males),
American Crow (on the west
side this time), and
Scarlet Tanagers (singing in the Big Woods).
Dave Thursday, May 16
The weather was just about perfect for a morning of birding in the
Lab. The waters of A.E. Sea are at a great level for shorebirds.
Found there were
Killdeer (including 1-Juv),
Semipalmated Plovers (8),
Spotted Sandpipers,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
White-rumped Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper,
Dunlin,
Short-billed Dowitcher, and
Wilson's Phalarope. Both
Willow Flycatchers and
Eastern Wood-Pewees were new arrivals and singing in
the Sparrow hedge area. Sparrows in the area were dominated by
White-throated Sparrows and
White-crowned Sparrows; others were
Field Sparrows,
Song Sparrows,
Lincoln's Sparrows and
Swamp Sparrows. Remaining birds of interest in this area were
Ruddy Duck (L. Law),
Green Heron,
Least Flycatcher,
Yellow Warbler,
Chestnut-sided Warbler,
Black-and-white Warbler,
American Redstart,
Common Yellowthroat,
Yellow-breasted Chat, and
Orchard Oriole.
Warblers found elsewhere (to total 14) were
Tennessee Warbler,
Nashville Warbler,
Magnolia Warbler,
Cape May Warbler,
Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Palm Warbler,
Northern Waterthrush and
Hooded Warbler.
Fourteen species does not really tell the story because they remain
extremely sparse with
American Redstarts being the most numerous
species. Other birds of note in the Lab were
Greater Yellowlegs,
Eastern Phoebe,
Great Crested Flycatcher,
Eastern Kingbird,
Veery,
Swainson's Thrush,
Scarlet Tanager, and
Baltimore Oriole. Dave Tuesday, May 14
During an otherwise pleasant morning, the winds again dictated
birding locations, especially since the main target was warblers.
The first bird of the day was the best bird of the day; it was not a
warbler but a
Willet. It was on A.E. Sea seen initially from
Batavia Rd. though it did move around the lake somewhat. Other birds found in the Sparrow Hedge-Lakes Region were
Gadwall (pr.),
Spotted Sandpiper,
Caspian Tern (up to 6 at one time),
Field Sparrow,
Song Sparrow,
Lincoln's Sparrow,
Swamp Sparrow,
White-throated Sparrow, and
White-crowned Sparrow. There were no
warblers other than the expected
Yellow Warblers and
Common Yellowthroats. Peter later added
Greater Yellowlegs,
Pectoral Sandpiper and
Herring Gull, while looking for the
Willet. A total
of thirteen Warblers were found in several locations. The additional ones were
Tennessee Warbler,
Nashville Warbler,
Northern Parula,
Chestnut-sided Warbler,
Magnolia Warbler,
Black-throated Green Warbler,
Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Palm Warbler,
American Redstart,
Ovenbird, and
Northern Waterthrush. Again, there were not
a lot of warblers. On a positive note, the
Palm Warblers outnumbered all others by far, which should mean there are still
more warblers to come. Both
Osprey nests are still occupied as was
the first
Cooper's Hawk nest with the male nearby. The owlets have
fledged from the Village nest and at the other remaining nest one of
the adults had just dropped off some prey and the owlet was busy
feeding back inside the nest. Some other birds of interest were
Wood Ducks,
Lesser Yellowlegs (Swenson Rd.),
Least Flycatcher,
Warbling Vireo,
Red-eyed Vireo,
Indigo Bunting and
Baltimore Oriole. Dave Sunday, May 12
Strong winds continue to be the major factor affecting the birds,
therefore we limited most of our birding to the woods and leeward
edges. We did OK with warblers finding 15 species, but most were
one's and two's. We also had to search many locations to come up
with this total. The warblers found were:
Golden-winged Warbler,
Tennessee Warbler,
Orange-crowned Warbler,
Nashville Warbler,
Northern Parula,
Yellow Warbler,
Magnolia Warbler,
Cape May Warbler,
Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Palm Warbler,
Blackpoll Warbler,
Black-and-white Warbler,
Ovenbird,
Common Yellowthroat, and
Yellow-breasted Chat. There was a nice mix of vireos including:
Yellow-throated Vireo,
Blue-headed Vireo,
Warbling Vireo, and
Red-eyed Vireo. The only sparrows of interest were the first
Lincoln's Sparrow of the year and several
White-throated Sparrow.
The strangest sighting of the morning was six brilliant
Scarlet Tanagers feeding on a green lawn along Receiving Rd. More
Scarlet Tanagers were found in several other locations as well. Several other birds of interest for the morning were
Eastern Phoebe,
Great Crested Flycatcher,
Eastern Kingbird,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Swainson's Thrush,
Indigo Bunting, and
Baltimore Oriole. We also
found a
Blue Jay on a nest in the Sparrow Hedge Area. The bird of
the day has to be a
Blue Grosbeak. We're assuming this bird was
part of the family that was raised on Lab grounds last year. Dave Friday, May 10
It was cool, cloudy and windy this morning. The wind only affected
birds on the northern edges. The Lakes-Sparrow Hedge Area was quite
productive early on. A.E. Sea produced a nice mix with
Blue-winged Teal,
Black-bellied Plover (3),
Short-billed Dowitcher (3),
Caspian Tern (3) and
Forster's Tern (12). The Sparrow Hedge itself
produced
Least Flycatcher,
Yellow-throated Vireo,
Blue-headed Vireo,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,
Yellow Warbler,
Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Black-throated Green Warbler,
Palm Warbler and
Common Yellowthroat.
To round out the dozen warbler species found today in the Lab (in
various locations) were
Orange-crowned Warbler,
Nashville Warbler,
Northern Parula (two again),
Chestnut-sided Warbler,
Black-and-white Warbler,
American Redstart, and
Northern Waterthrush. Actually a
dozen warblers is not great for the second week of May, and the
overall quantity of warblers was also quite low. The only migrant
sparrows found were several
White-crowned Sparrows. Other birds of
note were
Eastern Kingbird,
Swainson's Thrush,
Scarlet Tanager (another pair),
Rose-breasted Grosbeak,
Orchard Oriole and
Baltimore Oriole. Finally, a
Wild Turkey was reported by a Lab employee near
the Pine St. Entrance. Dave Tuesday, May 7
The weather was just about perfect with mild temps to start and then
warming slightly. Winds were also very mild. Unfortunately, this
did not produce many interesting birds. The only birds of interest
in the Sparrow Hedge Area were a
Pied-billed Grebe,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Solitary Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs, several
White-throated Sparrows and a
Bobolink. The Ed Center Area produced
several
Wood Ducks,
Eastern Phoebe,
Warbling Vireo,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (many other locations also),
Palm Warbler and
Yellow-rumped Warbler. Also here, the
Cooper's Hawk nest found
during Saturday's SBC was reconfirmed. Several
Lesser Yellowlegs were in
the Swenson Rd. flooded horse field. The male
American Kestrel was
hunting nearby, then perched atop the nest box at the end of Swenson Rd. I had only one viable group of warblers all morning. This was
in Kautz Rd. Woods. There was a about a dozen of
Yellow-rumped Warblers and two each of
Nashville Warblers and
Northern Parulas.
Also in these woods were
Great Crested Flycatcher,
Swainson's Thrush, and
Baltimore Oriole.
Northern Waterthrushes were found in
several locations. A pair of
Sandhill Cranes were flying around the
southeast quadrant of the Main Ring; not sure if they were ever on
the ground. The only bird of interest in the Big Woods was a
stunning
Scarlet Tanager that glowed in a shaft of sunlight while a
female foraged nearby. Dave Sunday, May 5
We had a great Spring Count this morning; the weather was a big
positive factor with mild temps and cloudy skies turning partly
cloudy later in the day. The winds were minimal in the morning but
picked up in the afternoon and did affect the open birding areas. A
couple
American Wigeon and a
Hooded Merganser highlighted the
waterfowl and were joined by
Wood Ducks,
Blue-winged Teal,
Northern Shoveler and
Ruddy Duck.
Pied-billed Grebes appear to be nesting
and the first
Green Herons were found. Hawks were well represented
with
Turkey Vultures,
Ospreys (2 pr due to the nests), a
Bald Eagle,
Northern Harriers (3),
Sharp-shinned Hawk (migrating),
Cooper's Hawks (including 2 nests),
Red-tailed Hawks, and
American Kestrels.
Six
Soras and an
American Coot represented the Gruiformes. There was a moderate variety in the shorebirds, but there were some good
numbers including
Killdeer,
Greater Yellowlegs (15),
Lesser Yellowlegs (88),
Solitary Sandpiper (23),
Spotted Sandpipers,
Wilson's Snipe (25),
American Woodcock (8), a
Wilson's Phalarope,
and a
Stilt Sandpiper. After striking out on screech-owls, we found
three
Great Horned Owls and a
Barred Owl. A lone
Red-headed Woodpecker highlighted this family. Flycatchers are starting to
arrive. Seen were
Least Flycatcher,
Eastern Phoebe,
Great Crested Flycatcher and
Eastern Kingbird. Vireos found were
Yellow-throated Vireo,
Blue-headed Vireo and several
Warbling Vireos.
Horned Larks were singing in the fields.
Tree Swallows,
Northern Rough-winged Swallows,
Bank Swallows and
Barn Swallows were found throughout the
Lab. Several
Ruby-crowned Kinglets were found and
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were in many locations. Thrushes were well represented
with
Eastern Bluebirds,
Veerys, a
Gray-cheeked Thrush,
Swainson's Thrushes and
American Robins being found.
Gray Catbirds and
Brown Thrashers were singing in some locations. Warblers were a
disappointment with only 10 species including
Nashville Warbler (2),
Yellow Warbler (11),
Chestnut-sided Warbler (1),
Yellow-rumped Warbler (35),
Blackburnian Warbler (2),
Palm Warbler (73),
Black-and-white Warbler (2),
American Redstart (2),
Northern Waterthrush (5), and
Common Yellowthroat (7). We missed a few
sparrows but did well with
Eastern Towhee (4),
Chipping Sparrow (4),
Clay-colored Sparrow (3 text book specimens in the Garden Club),
Field Sparrows (9),
Savannah Sparrows (12),
Henslow's Sparrow (1),
Song Sparrow (15),
Swamp Sparrow (10), and
White-throated Sparrow.
A
Rose-breasted Grosbeak was singing in a thicket and a female
Indigo Bunting were also found. Also, from the grasslands were
Bobolinks and
Eastern Meadowlarks (24). Finally, the first
Baltimore Orioles (6) were found. When all is said and done we did
quite well with 102 species, well above our pre-count expectations.
Dave Thursday, May 2
It was cooler this morning but the only factor affecting the birds
were the winds in the open areas. Just about all of the waterfowl
of interest have moved on with only
Wood Ducks (over a dozen in the
Big Woods) and several
Blue-winged Teal found. Most of the flooded
fields have drained leaving only several
Solitary Sandpipers and a
lone
Lesser Yellowlegs. Sparrow numbers remain low with moderate
diversity. Found were
Eastern Towhee,
Field Sparrow,
Savannah Sparrow,
Song Sparrow,
White-throated Sparrow and
White-crowned Sparrow (a surprisingly late first of the year). The female
Cooper's Hawk has settled into the nest in the Garden Club area.
Likewise, the female
Osprey was sitting on nest 1 (Main Inj.). Nest 2 (Nepese) still appears to be a work-in-progress. Both
Yellow-rumped Warbler and
Palm Warbler numbers have increased. The other warblers found were
Yellow Warblers,
Common Yellowthroats, a
couple of
Northern Waterthrush and a
Louisiana Waterthrush.
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have moved into several locations around the
Lab. About a dozen
Blue Jays were working the Sparrow Hedge area.
Some new birds for the year were
House Wrens (many locations),
Hermit Thrush (Big Woods),
Gray Catbird (Sparrow Hedge), and a
Bobolink on the Lake Law Berm. Dave Sunday, April 28
It was another pleasant morning of birding with mild temps, cloudy
skies and, most importantly, almost no wind. Waterfowl remained
fairly consistent over the past week with several
Wood Ducks,
American Black Ducks, many
Blue-winged Teal,
Northern Shovelers,
Green-winged Teal, several
Ring-necked Ducks, several
Lesser Scaup,
and
Ruddy Ducks. The bird of the day was an
American Bittern found
along the south shore of Lake Law. The remaining water birds were
Pied-billed Grebe,
Horned Grebe, and several
Caspian Terns.
Shorebirds have improved over the last several days with
Spotted Sandpipers,
Solitary Sandpipers,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs, a
Pectoral Sandpiper,
Wilson's Phalaropes (across
Batavia Rd. from buffalo fields) and
Wilson's Snipes (winnowing
inside the Main Ring). Sparrows also have remained consistent with
Chipping Sparrows,
Field Sparrows,
Savannah Sparrows,
Song Sparrows,
Swamp Sparrows, and
White-throated Sparrows. The
Yellow-rumped Warblers and
Palm Warblers have been joined by new arrival
Yellow Warblers (several locations) and a lone
Pine Warbler (Big Woods).
Other birds found were
Ruby-crowned Kinglets, singing
Brown Thrashers (several locations) and singing
Eastern Towhees. Denis added a
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (new for the year and only a week
late) and another three
Pine Warblers, these in the Garden Club.
Dave Wednesday, April 24
It was again a cool start to the morning, but the calm winds
provided pleasant conditions. The wind did not pickup much until
late morning. One of my first sightings was an
Osprey laboring to
carry a very large fish from the direction of Main Ring Lake/Swenson Rd. area toward the Nepese nest. Waterfowl still remain a
significant part of Fermi's bird interests with several
Wood Ducks,
many
Blue-winged Teal,
Northern Shovelers and
Green-winged Teal,
several
Ring-necked Ducks, a
Lesser Scaup, a good number of
Buffleheads and several
Ruddy Ducks. These were spread throughout
the Lab. Other water birds included five
Horned Grebes (MRL and
across from Buffalo Feeders), several
Pied-billed Grebes,
Double-crested Cormorants, and
American Coots. Also,
Great Egrets are becoming more noticeable around the Lab lately. Shorebirds were
somewhat of a disappointment considering all the habitat left by the
recent rains. I only found one
Greater Yellowlegs and several
Killdeer. Other monitors did help with a couple of
Spotted Sandpipers and a
Wilson's Snipe. In addition, they found
Warbling Vireos and a
Palm Warbler, both firsts for the year. Two of the
Great Horned Owl nests have two owlets each, while the other one
appears empty at this time. A
Barred Owl was also found. Sparrows are becoming more noticeable with singing
Field Sparrows,
Savannah Sparrows,
Song Sparrows, and
White-throated Sparrows. In addition
there were
Chipping Sparrows, a
Swamp Sparrow and a late
American Tree Sparrow. At least two
Belted Kingfishers were in the Main Injector area. Additional birds of interest were
American Kestrels (one carrying a snake near the Buffalo Feeders and a pair inside the
Main Ring),
Hairy Woodpeckers,
Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a
Brown Thrasher (a late first for the year) and
Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Dave Sunday, April 21
The strong winds and cold temps on this early April morning affected
us more than the birds. The temps increased after a time, but the
winds remained the same. Most of our time was focused on the
extremely large volume of water in the lakes, ponds and just about
any other depression. The waterfowl were similar to last Wednesday with
Canada Goose,
Wood Duck,
Gadwall,
American Black Duck,
Mallard,
Blue-winged Teal and
Green-winged Teal (both in good numbers),
Northern Shoveler,
Redhead,
Ring-necked Duck,
Bufflehead (good
numbers in the buffalo fields, strange but true),
Common Goldeneye,
and
Ruddy Duck. Other water birds were
Pied-billed Grebe,
American Coot, and
Caspian Tern. Shorebirds numbers are on the rise with
good numbers of
Lesser Yellowlegs, several each of
Greater Yellowlegs,
Solitary Sandpipers, and
Wilson's Phalaropes. While one
of the Main Injector
Ospreys was atop the nest, the other was
harassing a
Bald Eagle nearby. One of the Nepese
Ospreys was seen
flying to the nest platform with nest material and later fitting it
in place. Four
American Kestrels were found associated to three
nest boxes. Other birds of interest this morning were
Northern Harrier,
Belted Kingfisher (good to see they have become more
regular recently),
Hairy Woodpecker,
Tree Swallow,
Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
Barn Swallow,
Red-breasted Nuthatch,
Golden-crowned Kinglet,
Eastern Bluebird,
Fox Sparrow, and
Swamp Sparrow. Denis' class added
Cattle Egret (inside the Main Injector),
Turkey Vulture,
Cooper's Hawk,
Spotted Sandpiper, and
Wilson's Snipe. Dave Wednesday, April 17
First of all, the best bird of the day was a first for the Lab, a
White-faced Ibis. This bird was at the north end of A.E. Sea, seen
from Batavia Road early in the afternoon. It was in beautiful
breeding plumage. Starting out early this morning conditions were
cool but very pleasant, but by mid morning rain and hail changed
birding conditions considerably. I was away for several weeks;
therefore, I had a good number of new year birds at the Lab today.
Waterfowl numbers were down from my last visit, but there was still
a fairly good variety of species. Waterfowl seen were
Canada Goose,
Wood Duck,
Mallard,
Blue-winged Teal (many locations),
Northern Shoveler,
Green-winged Teal,
Redhead,
Ring-necked Duck,
Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye,
Red-breasted Merganser and
Ruddy Duck. The Swenson Road area produced both
Lesser Yellowlegs and
Greater Yellowlegs. In addition, an
American Kestrel was
perched atop the nest box at the end of the road. Another
American Kestrel was found atop the nest box near the northeast corner of
Eola and Batavia roads. The pair of
Cooper's Hawks were copulating
near the nest from last year in the Garden Club Area. Some other
birds of interest were
Pied-billed Grebe,
Double-crested Cormorants,
American Coots (over 30 Lake Logo),
Caspian Terns (A.E. Sea),
Belted Kingfisher,
Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
Yellow-rumped Warbler (migrant in Sparrow Hedge area),
Eastern Towhee, and
Field Sparrow. Still present, in small numbers, are
American Tree Sparrows and
Dark-eyed Juncos. In the past week and a half, the
Ospreys have returned to the Main Injector Nest site. In addition,
the new nest platform near Nepese marsh is occupied by a new pair of
Ospreys. This is truly amazing that two pairs of a state endangered
raptor would nest in such close proximity. **IMPORTANT NOTE**
Unfortunately, some people have ignored the barricades and signs and
entered the area to get a closer look or picture. I was just there
and reasonable views of the nest and birds can be had from the
barricade. Please, DO NOT ruin it for everyone or worse the birds
themselves, by entering the closed area. Thanks for your
cooperation. Dave Wednesday, March 27
It was still chilly for the season and cloudy with a mild wind, but
none of these factors affected the birds. Most of the same ducks as
Sunday were found, but the overall numbers were down. Found in the
ever-opening waters of the Lab were
Wood Duck,
Gadwall,
American Wigeon,
American Black Duck,
Mallard,
Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal,
Canvasback,
Redhead,
Ring-necked Duck,
Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye,
Hooded Merganser,
Common Merganser and
Ruddy Duck. At least two
Northern Harriers were found hunting
several locations of the Lab. It was a very good day for raptors
beyond the harriers with the usual
Red-tailed Hawks, three
American Kestrels (1 pair near Buffalo Feeder Nest box %26 a male near Main Inj. nest box), a
Cooper's Hawk (calling near last year's nest
site), and the best, a
Rough-legged Hawk (east of South Eola Rd).
In the Garden Club, among the tree sparrows and juncos ,were a half
dozen
Song Sparrows and the elusive
Yellow-rumped Warbler. This is
most likely that same bird seen off and on since November. Both of
the remaining
Great Horned Owl nests continue to be occupied. Some of the other birds found were
Northern Flickers (calling in many
different locations),
American Crow (again on the east side),
Eastern Bluebirds (a bunch in the Big Woods), and a
Turkey Vulture (over the Garden Club). Dave Sunday, March 24
Uncomfortable, was the single best word to describe this morning's
birding conditions. With the cold, windy (out of the north), snowy
and damp environment ,we decided to concentrate on waterfowl. As it
turned out this was one of the better waterfowl outings in quite
some time with divers leading the way. We started out at Lake Law with two large rafts consisting mostly of
Redheads and
Canvasbacks.
The consensus was that these were the largest groups of these two
species ever seen in the Lab. Dabbling ducks still exist only in
small numbers. The other species found in the Lab's waters this
morning were
Wood Duck,
Gadwall,
American Wigeon,
American Black Duck,
Mallard,
Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal,
Ring-necked Duck,
Greater Scaup,
Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye,
Hooded Merganser,
Common Merganser and
Ruddy Duck. The number of
American Coots has dropped from the last several visits and the
Horned Grebe was again found in Casey's Pond. Dave Friday, March 22
More ice? I was hoping I would not have to make that statement
again until December. Most of the openings in the ice were much
smaller than on Sunday. About the same quantity of waterfowl were
present, just redistributed. The early morning was quite cold, but
the sun warmed things up quite nicely while the light wind was not a
factor. Ducks again, were well represented in most open water areas
including
Wood Duck,
Gadwall,
American Wigeon,
American Black Duck,
Mallard,
Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal,
Canvasback,
Redhead,
Ring-necked Duck,
Greater Scaup (at least one),
Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead,
Hooded Merganser, and
Common Merganser. Several
Tundra Swans were found on Lake Logo and a
Horned Grebe, first of the year,
was on the small, open patch on Casey's Pond. A flock of several
each of
Song Sparrows and
Swamp Sparrows, most likely migrants, was
found on the south shore of A.E. Sea. Several
American Crows were
also on the east side of the Lab. Also found were several flyover
Sandhill Cranes and a singing
Dark-eyed Junco; a nice treat.
Unfortunately, the platform
Great Horned Owl nest inside the Main Ring Savanna is now abandoned, while the other two stick nests
remain occupied. Two
Red-tailed Hawk nests were also found to be
occupied. A couple of other monitors added two more year firsts, a
Turkey Vulture (late by 2-3 weeks) and an
Eastern Phoebe (about on
schedule). Dave Sunday, March 17
Below normal temps combined with moderate winds made for chilly
birding conditions but this did not affect the birds. Most of the
Lab's bodies of water are opening more and more each day, we spent
most of the morning searching these openings for waterfowl. Just about all of the expected ducks were found including
Wood Duck (1st
of year),
Gadwall,
American Wigeon (1st of year),
American Black Duck,
Mallard,
Blue-winged Teal (1st of year),
Northern Shoveler,
Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal,
Redhead,
Ring-necked Duck,
Greater Scaup (nice female),
Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye,
Hooded Merganser,
Common Merganser, and
Ruddy Duck. Also among the many
Canada Geese were several
Cackling Geese. There was
also a noticeable increase in the number of
American Coots. Several areas were active with
Sandhill Cranes dropping out of the sky to
feed in the fields, then later taking off again to head north.
Eastern Meadowlarks and
Red-winged Blackbirds were quite active in
many areas; but, interestingly, we have not yet had any of the large
blackbird flocks typically found this time of year. Also of
interest were some
Northern Flickers, a single
Red-breasted Nuthatch (seems most may have moved on), and a lone
Great Horned Owl. Dave Friday, March 15
Though the temps are still below normal this morning, the waters are
slowly opening up with each trip to the Lab. It was a pleasant
morning for birding. Starting out I was greeted by 7-8
Song Sparrows on the Lake Law berm; most likely the first migrant
sparrows of the season. In the Sparrow Hedge area, a
Northern Harrier was hunting through the newly cut pathways cut by the
grounds people. One of the highlights of the morning , also in the
Hedge area, was hearing a
Northern Shrike singing for an extended
period. Also found in the area were the first
Common Grackles of
the year. Waterfowl found in the Lab's waters were
Greater White-fronted Geese,
Gadwall,
Northern Pintail,
Canvasback,
Redhead,
Ring-necked Duck,
Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye,
Hooded Merganser,
Common Merganser,
Red-breasted Merganser (another first
of the year), and
Ruddy Duck.
American Coots were found in several
locations. Interestingly an
American Crow was found feeding on the
ice of Main Ring Lake; typically the crows are only found on the far
east side of the Lab. Some other interesting birds found were
Sandhill Cranes (several flyover contacts),
Great Horned Owls,
Killdeer (several locations), a
Northern Flicker,
Tree Swallows, a
Red-breasted Nuthatch,
Eastern Bluebirds, and
Eastern Meadowlarks (several locations). Dave Sunday, March 10
We had great birding this morning despite not so friendly weather
conditions. Temperatures were moderate and comfortable although
light rain and slush on the ground were minor irritations. We ended
up with nine, new year birds for the Lab and many of these were
several weeks behind typical first sighting dates. The
Northern Shrike was back just south of Lake Law. We then concentrated on
waterfowl finding
Gadwall,
Northern Shoveler,
Green-winged Teal,
Canvasback,
Redhead,
Ring-necked Duck,
Greater Scaup,
Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye,
Hooded Merganser,
Common Merganser,
and
Ruddy Duck in various open water locations around the Lab.
Killdeer were seen and heard in several locations. Three
American Kestrels were found in close proximity to three separate nest boxes;
at the end of Swensen Road, the north side of the Main Injector, and
in the buffalo feeder area.
Sandhill Cranes were heard overhead in
the fog while we searched a north woodlot for a
Sharp-shinned Hawk that was seen. Among all of the
Red-winged Blackbirds seen we could
only find one
Rusty Blackbird. Some of the other birds seen were
Northern Harrier,
American Coot, 2
Great Horned Owls (at nest 3),
Hairy Woodpecker,
Tree Swallow,
Swamp Sparrow, and
Eastern Meadowlark. Dave Friday, March 8
A late afternoon, early evening trip to Fermi today found mild temps
and wind with sunny skies which provided good birding conditions.
With the opening waters, especially Main Ring Lake, around the Lab,
the pattern of divers returning to the Lab for the night was
evident. As the sun went down, the number of birds in MRL continued
to increase. The mostly
Common Goldeneyes and
Common Mergansers were joined by several
Hooded Mergansers. A couple of
Northern Harriers were found along Eola Road along with my main target, a
Short-eared Owl (it was hunting throughout the dog fields). I also
was able to contact an
Eastern Screech-Owl in the Indian Creek area. Dave Thursday, March 7
It was a beautiful morning for birding today at the Lab with partly
sunny skies and the fresh snow. The only location with much in the
way of water birds was Main Ring Lake having
Redheads,
Ring-necked Ducks,
Lesser Scaup,
Common Mergansers, and
American Coots. While the three
American Coots on the Main Injector moat were joined by a
fourth. Other than these, there were just moderate numbers of
Mallards and
Canada Geese in the limited open waters around the
Lab. Due to the snow, when outside the car, I used X-C Skis to do
my birding. The Garden Club was fairly quiet but there were a
couple of
American Crows (they are again sparse around the Lab) and
about a dozen
American Robins. This was the biggest group of robins
of the year outside the heavily wooded areas. An
American Kestrel is still in the Center Ring area; hopefully it will utilize the new
nest box in the area. I checked out the first two
Great Horned Owl nests and both are still occupied with the males nearby. The third
was too hard to access with skis. The highlight of the morning was
relocating the
Barred Owl after not being seen for almost a year.
Dave Sunday, March 3
This March morning started out extremely cold but soon the sunny
conditions quickly warmed it up to just about freezing. Lake Law was again completely frozen over, while waterfowl numbers remain
well below expectations in other areas of the Lab. Lake Law had
American Black Ducks,
Common Goldeneye and
Common Mergansers. We added
American Coots,
Redheads,
Lesser Scaup, and a pair of
Ring-necked Ducks at the Main Injector Moat. Other birds of note
for the
morning were
Northern Harrier,
Long-eared Owl,
Horned Lark (quite a
few),
Red-breasted Nuthatch,
Eastern Bluebird, and
Red-winged Blackbirds (now spread throughout the Lab). Dave Friday, March 1
This morning it was cold, cloudy, snowing and windy, but the only
factor that affected the birding was the wind. The lakes and ponds
are starting to open but they were still mostly barren (there were
also hardly any geese). I was greeted on my entrance into the Lab by 4 male
Northern Pintails in the small opening on DUSAF Pond.
About one-third of Lake Law was open with only a single
Common Goldeneye found. The only other waterfowl found were several each
Redheads,
Lesser Scaup and
Common Mergansers on Main Ring Lake. On the Main Injector Moat only the same 3
American Coots were found.
American Kestrels were found near outbound Pine Street and near the
end of Swensen Rd. (near the nest box). A
Northern Shrike was atop
a tall dead tree inside the Main Ring. The two existing
Great Horned Owl nests were still inhabited while a third was found. The only other birds of note were a flyover
American Crow on the east
side and a fair number of
Horned Larks along the ring roads. Dave Sunday, February 24
A chilly start warmed quickly under a bright sun. A
Northern Shrike greeted us early from several perches among various trees south of
Lake Law. The only water birds of note were several
Redheads, three
American Coots and a
Lesser Scaup all found in the Main Injector Moat. We had four raptors including
Red-tailed Hawks, 2
American Kestrels (one on the nest box by the buffalo feeders), a beautiful
soaring adult
Bald Eagle, and a
Rough-legged Hawk (only 3rd sighting
of the season). The other highlights of the morning were a
Belted Kingfisher (year's first),
American Crows,
Horned Larks,
Red-breasted Nuthatch,
Eastern Bluebird,
American Robins,
Cedar Waxwings,
Swamp Sparrow and
Red-winged Blackbird. Dave Thursday, February 21
A cloudy, cold, morning with mild winds found most waters still
frozen. A very narrow slit in Main Ring Lake provided some swimming
room for 4
Mallards and 3
Canada Geese. The Main Injector Moat added 3
American Coots and 3
Ring-necked Ducks. Also,
American Black Ducks were found on Bullrush Pond.
American Crows (3) were
searching the ice of A.E. Sea for scraps. Found inside the Main Ring were
Northern Flickers, a
Hairy Woodpecker, several
Horned Larks, a
Northern Shrike and a
Song Sparrow. The
Great Horned Owl nest on the platform installed in the Main Ring Woods-East is still
occupied. Another
Great Horned Owl stick nest was found in Main Ring Woods-West, with the male roosted nearby. Dave Sunday, February 17
The sunny, calm conditions seemed to offset the cold start to the
morning. Two days of cold weather closed much of the open water
that was present on A.E. Sea and Main Ring Lake last Friday morning. The only water fowl of note were several each
Greater White-fronted Geese,
Cackling Geese, and
American Black Ducks on
Bullrush Pond. The
Northern Shrike was again found south of Lake Law.
Red-winged Blackbirds were found, in small numbers, in several
locations. The most active areas of the morning were Nepese marsh
and the Garden Club. Among many of the typical winter residents
were
Eastern Bluebirds,
Swamp Sparrows, a
Song Sparrow and the bird
of the day, found by Joe on a one note chip, was a
Yellow-rumped Warbler. This must be one of those found in this area during
December of last year. Denis' group added
Snow Goose and
Ross's Goose to provide a five goose day. They also had a
Ring-necked Pheasant and a
Wilson's Snipe. Dave Friday, February 15
It was a little chilly with moderate winds this morning but the
sunny skies helped warm the spirit. The first major movement of
geese for the year was evident in the opening waters of the Lab this
morning. Intermixed with the many
Canada Geese in A.E. Sea (seen
from Batavia Rd) were about 15
Greater White-fronted Geese (first of
the year), more than a dozen
Cackling Geese and several
American Black Ducks. While viewing more geese further back on A.E. Sea from the Lake Law berm, several
Red-winged Blackbirds (first of the
year) were heard and a
Northern Harrier was seen hunting on the
western side of Lake Law. Later, two additional
Northern Harriers were found hunting just east of Eola Rd. Main Ring Lake continues
to open up and held well over a thousand
Canada Geese, several more
Greater White-fronted Geese, several
Common Mergansers and a pair of
Northern Pintails. Also seen were several
American Coots and 2 male
Ring-necked Ducks on the main Injector Moat and 8
Common Goldeneye on Andy's Pond. Other birds of interest were a
Bald Eagle (over
L.Law),
American Kestrel,
Great Horned Owl,
Long-eared Owl,
Hairy Woodpecker,
American Crow (first for year),
Horned Lark, and Red-
breasted Nuthatch. The observation of the morning occurred on my
way out of the Lab. I observed two coyotes attack an adult deer on
the ice of Lake Law. The two coyotes overpowered and out maneuvered
the deer and feasted on their prize, later joined by two additional
coyotes and a couple of crows. Dave Sunday, February 10
This morning's weather was a mirror image of Thursday's trip to the
Lab with rain affecting birding soon after we arrived. Some breaks
in the rain allowed trips into the field starting with the Nepese
Marsh area with a
Northern Flicker,
Blue Jays,
Song Sparrows and
Swamp Sparrows. A walk along Kress Creek yielded several
American Robins, a
Great Horned Owl and a flyover
Cackling Goose. Much of
the rest of the morning was spent searching the lakes and fields
from the car. An
American Kestrel and
Horned Larks were the only
terrestrial highlights. There was more variety in the water birds
found in Main Ring Lake and the Main Injector moat. Found were
American Coots,
American Black Ducks,
Ring-necked Ducks,
Lesser Scaup,
Common Goldeneye,
Hooded Mergansers, and
Common Mergansers.
Denis' group added
Canvasback,
Rough-legged Hawk,
Ring-necked Pheasant, and a surprise
Savannah Sparrow. Dave Thursday, February 7
The morning started out quite pleasant with mild temps and moderate
winds, but soon the rains started and it became quite miserable. I
started out by watching a
Northern Harrier methodically hunting up
and down the western edge of Lake Law. All the eastern lakes were
still frozen but Main Ring Lake opened up a bit since Sunday and
provided space for about a dozen each
Lesser Scaup (first of the
year) and
Common Mergansers. Main Ring Road also provided a male
Ring-necked Pheasant and
Horned Larks. The Main Injector Moat ,
also open a little more today, had several more
Lesser Scaup and
American Coots. These were accompanied by a very handsome
Canvasback. The Nepese
Marsh area had several
Song Sparrows and
Swamp Sparrows which were quite active. The only activity in the
Big Woods was provided by several
Hairy Woodpeckers. Finally, a
crew from Roads and Grounds found a
Great Horned Owl nesting on a
new
platform placed in Main Ring Woods last year. Dave Sunday, February 3
Light snow, cold temps and a mild breeze greeted us this morning. A
pair of
Common Goldeneyes and an
American Black Duck was the extent
of interesting waterfowl. A
Northern Shrike was in the Sparrow Hedge area and a
Sharp-shinned Hawk at the south end of Eola Road.
In the Main Ring area we found a
Great Blue Heron, a
Wilson's Snipe and 2
Swamp Sparrows (first of the year).
Horned Larks were found
feeding along road edges and around the Buffalo Feeders. Our hike
along Kress Creek produced several
Blue Jays and
American Goldfinches along with very good numbers of both
Cedar Waxwings (first of the year) and
American Robins. Denis added 5
Northern Harriers in various locations and several
Eastern Bluebirds near the
Osprey nest area. Dave Friday, February 1
Despite the very cold temps and windy conditions, bird activity was
quite high this morning probably due to the accompanying bright
sun. Most of this activity was due to the fair number of
Dark-eyed Junco and
American Tree Sparrow flocks found in many areas. Most of
these flocks consisted of a single species while one mixed flock,
found near Giese Road, also contained at least four
Fox Sparrows.
Waterfowl remain sparse due to the ice conditions. A lone male
Goldeneye was in the western most Main Injector Moat while three
females were in the only opening in Main Ring Lake (about a 5 foot
oval). Several
American Black Ducks were mingling with a good
number of
Canada Geese in Bullrush Pond. The only other birds of
note were a
Northern Harrier,
Hairy Woodpeckers,
Red-breasted Nuthatches and a couple of
Great Horned Owls. Dave Sunday, January 27
Temps were a little below normal with moderate winds that did not
seem to affect birding this morning. The morning started out with a
Bald Eagle flyover of Lake Law followed immediately by a male
Northern Harrier. Most bodies of water were still frozen over with
the only waterfowl of interest being 5
Common Mergansers and 2 pair
of
Redheads (very early first of the year sightings) on Main Ring Lake. The only other find of mention was an
American Kestrel near
the center of the Main Ring; a possible second was found later near
the southern edge of the Ring. There was a pretty good amount of
activity among the typical winter birds throughout the Lab. Dave Thursday, January 24
Bitter cold and moderate wind made for uncomfortable but fairly
successful birding this morning. Most bodies of water were
completely iced over save for a small sliver on Main Ring Lake (it
was void of birds) and Bullrush Pond which had a fair amount of
Canada Geese, several
Mallards and a pair of
American Black Ducks.
That was it for waterfowl today. A small number of regular winter
residents were found in the Garden Club plus a couple of White-
throated Sparrows. Possibly the same pair of
Northern Harriers were
again found hunting inside the Main Ring and along the berm. Also inside the Main Ring a
Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen flying gripping
some prey.
Red-breasted Nuthatches remain in good numbers,
especially considering that the first one last year was not seen
until September. Also,
Hairy Woodpeckers appear to be much more
abundant than in the past few years. To round out the morning I had
a couple
Fox Sparrows and a
Great Horned Owl. Dave Sunday, January 20
This morning started out cold, windy and sunny with few birds and
ended cold, windy and sunny but with some good finds. After a
couple of warm days, the lakes are starting to close up again with
today's cold snap. This limited the waterfowl finds to a couple of
Cackling Geese, a pair of
Hooded Mergansers and a half dozen
Common Mergansers. Five
Great Blue Herons were in the Swan Lake - Kidney Pond area.
Horned Larks were found near the Buffalo Feeders and
Red-Breasted Nuthatches were found in several different areas. Some firsts for the year were
Ring-necked Pheasant,
Northern Flicker,
Blue Jay,
Fox Sparrow and
Pine Siskin. The bird of the day was a
lone, calm,
Long-eared Owl that was left undisturbed. Dave Thursday, January 17
A bright cool morning with minimal winds greeted me although the
winds picked up throughout the morning. Passerines were fairly
active with most of the common winter birds of the area found in the
Garden Club. Seen in this area were many
Black-capped Chickadees,
American Tree Sparrows,
Dark-eyed Juncos and
Northern Cardinals;
seen in lesser numbers were
Downy Woodpeckers,
Red-bellied Woodpeckers,
White-breasted Nuthatches, and
American Goldfinches.
Ice has again capped off most bodies of water limiting the waterfowl
highlights to a dozen
Common Mergansers (Main Ring Lake), several
American Black Ducks (Bullrush Pond), and a lone
Common Goldeneye (Andy's Pond). A female
Northern Harrier flew low over the small
open area of Main Ring Lake flushing about sixty
Canada Geese, while
a male hunted the field adjacent to the lake.
Eastern Bluebirds have not been as abundant in the Lab like last year, but I did find
three along south Holter Road. A larger than normal group of over
five
Hairy Woodpeckers was found in the Big Woods. The highlight of
the morning was not a bird, sorry Peter, but a mink found in the
ditch along Road C. It was walking along the ice then dove through
a small hole in the ice emerging again after about 30 seconds. It did this a second time then proceeded to patrol along the edge of
the ice as I followed behind. Dave Sunday, January 13
Temperatures were right at average values with very mild winds which
did not affect bird activity for a change. Most bodies of water had
significant openings due to the recent warm weather which allowed
waterfowl more freedom of movement. Most locations had small
quantities of both
Common Goldeneyes and
Common Mergansers. In addition, Lake Law produced a
Northern Pintail and the Main Ring Moat an
American Black Duck. Both Lake Law and A.E. Sea had good
quantities of gulls, mostly
Herring Gulls, searching the ice for
winter kill fish, while two
Bald Eagles were found patrolling the
ice of A.E. Sea for the same reason. One of the eagles was seen
flying with food while also dining on the wing.
Red-breasted Nuthatches are still around the Lab but not in the quantities seen
several weeks ago. A
Great Blue Heron was seen walking an iced
portion of Casey's Pond. Finally, the largest flock of
Horned Larks seen in several weeks was observed along the gravel margins of Road C possibly because the fields were iced over. Dave Wednesday, January 9
Everything was beautiful about a late afternoon trip to Fermi today
except for the very strong winds which caused the passerines to be
extremely quiet. The Garden Club had an additional reason for
inactivity, that being a
Cooper's Hawk. It flew from the area of
last year's nest and perched at the southwest corner of the site,
then raced after a
Mourning Dove which used the wind to its
advantage to dodge the attack. The hawk then circled and returned
to the woods. The first large population of divers was located on
Main Ring Lake. Along with many
Canada Geese and a few
Cackling Geese there were over 75
Common Mergansers and over 150
Common Goldeneyes. Three additional
Common Goldeneyes were found on
Casey's Pond. A nice pair of
Northern Harriers were fighting the
wind to hunt the eastern area of the Dog
Fields. Later, about 5:00
pm, I found a
Short-eared Owl hunting the same area under much less
windy conditions. I also was able to contact an
Eastern Screech-Owl in the Main Ring Woods (West). Dave Sunday, January 6
We had seasonally average conditions this morning, but a brisk wind
kept the bird activity down. This was even evident in the Garden Club, which has had good activity recently but was quite still
today. We did, however, manage a
White-throated Sparrow there,
among the more common winter residents. The only waterfowl of note
was possibly the same
Common Mergansers in Main Ring Lake from
Thursday and a lone
Common Goldeneye in Casey's Pond. The best
birds of the morning were a
Rough-legged Hawk and
Northern Shrike both inside the Main Ring, a
Wilson's Snipe near the Main Injector,
and a Pair of
Great Horned Owls along Kautz Road(Girl Scout Woods).
Dave Thursday, January 3
It was cloudy, a little windy with average temperatures. In many
locations, especially the woodlots, the birds were very quiet with
the exception of the Garden Club. It was alive with many
Dark-eyed Juncos and
American Tree Sparrows, but no yellow-rumps were found. Very little open water
was found
with most geese observed in the fields, including two
Cackling Geese. The only waterfowl of note were about a dozen
Common Mergansers in one of two small open areas on Main Ring Lake.
Raptors were very good with several
Red-tailed Hawks, three
Northern Harriers, a
Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the bird of the day an adult
Golden Eagle. The Eagle was perched on a dead tree deep inside the
Main Ring; it finally flew high and close to overhead, heading
east.
Red-breasted Nuthatches remain prevalent in most pine
stands. Finally, a
Great Horned Owl and three
Long-eared Owls were
found. Dave Sunday, December 30
Denis was out in the brisk 14 degree temperatures to tally the last
birds for the year. He filled in some gaps for the week and got
Eastern Bluebirds to complete the weekly string for the year.
Long-eared owls were one of the main highlights. He found the
Northern Shrike again then added
American Black Duck and
House Finch for this last week of the year. Dave Thursday, December 27
Conditions for a brief early afternoon trip to Fermi were quite nice
with average temperatures, overcast skies and very little wind.
Most locations were quite quiet except the Garden Club which was
very active with mostly
American Tree Sparrows and
Dark-eyed Juncos. In addition, there is still at least one
Yellow-rumped Warbler in this area. Elsewhere, I also added
Song Sparrow,
Swamp Sparrow and
Fox Sparrow. Interesting waterfowl were a
Lesser Scaup and
Common Goldeneye (Casey's Pond) and 15
Common Mergansers (Main Ring Lake). Other birds of interest were a
Northern Shrike (south
of Lake Law),
Red-breasted Nuthatches, and a pair of
Great Horned Owls. Dave Sunday, December 23
Just about all bodies of water in the Lab were frozen over this
morning. This morning the only waterfowl of mention was a fly-in
Ring-neck Duck to Casey's Pond. A
Killdeer was still around. Oddly enough it was seen flying the Lake Law area with a group of
Rock Pigeons. Four
Northern Harriers were found in several locations
around the Lab and a
Bald Eagle was perched in one of the dead trees
inside the Main Ring. At least one
Yellow-rumped Warbler was still
in the Garden Club. Other birds worth mentioning were a
Belted Kingfisher,
Song Sparrow, and
Swamp Sparrow (Main Injector area),
Red-breasted Nuthatches (several locations), and
Horned Larks (along
South Eola Rd). Dave Wednesday, December 19
There were great conditions for birding this morning with mild,
above normal temperatures, little to no wind and overcast skies.
Waterfowl highlights found on Lake Law were
Cackling Geese,
Northern Shovelers, and
Common Goldeneye; on Nepese there was a
Gadwall and
American Black Ducks; and on Main Ring Lake I added
Hooded Mergansers and
Common Mergansers. The eight
Killdeer and
Least Sandpiper are still hanging around A.E. Sea. Also in this area
there was an adult
Bald Eagle (Peter's on Sunday was an immature) by
Owl's Nest Woods and a
Northern Shrike near the southwest corner of
Lake Law. I had at least 4
Yellow-rumped Warblers in the Garden Club. They were very active feeding on fresh manure piles. Other highlights were a pair of
American Kestrels inside the Main Ring,
several
Eastern Bluebirds,
Red-breasted Nuthatches (found in just
about any pine grove), a
White-throated Sparrow (Ed Ctr feeders) and
a
Great Horned Owl. Dave Tuesday, December 18
A
Least Sandpiper was located along the shores of A.E. Sea this
morning. Dave Sunday, December 16
Out for a short time this morning Peter relocated the
Killdeer from
yesterday's CBC. He also found a
Bald Eagle. Dave Saturday, December 15
The weather was windy and wet for today's Christmas Bird Count.
This greatly affected many aspects of our birding. These factors
aside, we had a species count of 53 birds which was only 2 species
short of the Lab high of 55 birds. The count of total birds,
however, was quite low. All bodies of water were open producing
near-average numbers of
Cackling Geese,
Canada Geese and
Mallards.
The highlight waterfowl of the day were 4
Tundra Swans (it's been 26
years since the last CBC Lab sighting). Also seen were
American Black Ducks (8) and
Northern Shovelers (13). The divers were down
in numbers; the warm weather apparently is still keeping them up
north. Divers seen were
Common Goldeneye (25),
Hooded Mergansers (4) and
Common Mergansers (14). The sighting of a
Northern Goshawk was only the second CBC Lab sighting (the other was 30 years ago).
The
Wilson's Snipe seen was expected but not the 8
Killdeer which
had only been seen once before (34 years ago). Owls found were
Eastern Screech-Owls (2),
Great Horned Owls (5) and
Long-eared Owls (4). Some other significant finds were 16
Red-breasted Nuthatches (another Lab high), 7
Fox Sparrows (tying a previous high), and 30
Rusty Blackbirds (blowing away a previous high of 3). Finally,
other highlights for the Count were
Ring-necked Pheasants (2),
Belted Kingfishers (2), a
Northern Shrike,
Cedar Waxwings (3),
Yellow-rumped Warblers (2),
Eastern Bluebirds (5), and
Pine Siskins (2). Dave Monday, December 10
In the early morning, average temperatures with northwest winds did
keep the birds down somewhat in open areas. The only highlights on
Lake Law were several
Common Goldeneyes and
Hooded Mergansers.
While Main Ring Lake had thirteen
Northern Shovelers and a lone
Common Merganser. The most interesting highlight of the morning
was three
Yellow-rumped Warblers found together in the Garden Club.
A
Sharp-shinned Hawk was found cruising along the South Eola Pines,
while a
Northern Harrier was hunting the adjacent fields.
Woodpeckers seemed to be everywhere including
Red-bellied Woodpeckers,
Downy Woodpeckers,
Hairy Woodpeckers and
Northern Flickers. The Ed. Center feeders, among a good population of birds,
had one each
Fox Sparrow,
White-throated Sparrow and
Pine Siskin.
Three
Great Horned Owls were found in several locations during the
day. Finally,
Sandhill Cranes were heard flying overhead while
walking through the Big Woods. Dave Sunday, December 9
Peter and Denis braved the rainy weather this morning and were
rewarded with a female
Black Scoter on Lake Law and a
Northern Shrike just south of the lake. Dave Saturday, December 8
Jack had the first
Common Mergansers of the season this morning
along with a
Common Goldeneye and a couple of
Ruddy Ducks. In addition, a small flock of
Rusty Blackbirds was found. Dave Thursday, December 6
The temperature, although not as mild as on recent trips, was still
above average with moderate winds.
Northern Shovelers (most bodies
of water) and
Hooded Mergansers (Lake Law) still remain in good
numbers. Also of note on Lake Law were two male
Northern Pintails and several
Common Goldeneyes. No sign of the eagle but a
Northern Shrike was perched atop one of the taller trees south of Lake Law.
An unsuccessful search for crossbills produced the most
Red-breasted Nuthatches I have ever seen in the Lab, around two dozen in several
small groups. Interestingly, over each of my last two visits to the
Lab I have noticed more
Hairy Woodpeckers than I can remember seeing
in any single visit. The only other birds of note were an
American Kestrel (again in the Main Injector area) and a
Great Horned Owl.
Peter also added a
Fox Sparrow while filling the feeders. Dave Sunday, December 2
Very mild temperatures and partly cloudy skies produced October-like conditions with December-like birds. Waterfowl remain similar to
recent visits with highlights of
Cackling Geese,
Hooded Mergansers,
Common Goldeneyes, a
Northern Pintail and still a very good number
of
Northern Shovelers. Probably the same
Bald Eagle as was seen
Thursday was perched in Owl's Nest Woods (in Sparrow Hedge area).
Some
Red Crossbills were still in the South Eola Pines (very
irregular in their presence), along with
Red-breasted Nuthatches.
Inside the Main Ring we found a couple
Northern Harriers and a couple
Ring-necked Pheasants. Additionally, a flock of
American Tree Sparrows contained a couple of
Swamp Sparrows.
Eastern Bluebirds were seen
here and several other locations. Other highlights were a
Cooper's Hawk, an
American Kestrel (Main Injector area), a
White-throated Sparrow (Ed. Ctr. Feeders), and a strangely lone
Pine Siskin in
pines near Roads and Grounds. Dave Thursday, November 29
With mostly clear skies, the cool but warming morning was quite
pleasant for birding. The main affect was on A.E. Sea and Dusaf which being frozen over, were devoid of birds. Lake Law still had
many open areas supporting lots of geese but nothing of interest in
the early morning. A pleasant surprise was an adult
Bald Eagle perched atop one of the tall trees south of the lake. Main Ring Lake still had a good number of
Northern Shovelers and an
American Coot. At least two
Red Crossbills were found among the south Eola pines, while
Horned Larks called from the plowed field behind the
pines. Five
Sandhill Cranes searched for food along the western
edge of this field. Earlier in the week, a Roads and Grounds crew
flushed other
Sandhill Cranes during a controlled burn. A
Northern Harrier was resting on a post west of Main Ring Lake and
Fox Sparrows are still being found in small numbers. Dave Sunday, November 25
Conditions were quite nice this morning with cool temps and little
to no wind, but our trip was short and did not turn up any real
surprises. Highlights on the lakes were
Common Goldeneye and
Hooded Mergansers on Lake Law while Main Ring Lake produced
Greater White-fronted Geese (30-40),
Northern Shovelers, and an
American Coot.
Other birds of interest were a
Northern Shrike (just south of
L.Law),
American Kestrels (1-inside M.Ring, 1-Main Injector area),
and at the Ed Center Feeders a
Fox Sparrow and
Red-breasted Nuthatch. Dave Friday, November 23
A late afternoon/evening trip to Fermilab proved very interesting
despite the cold, windy conditions. Scanning the waters as the
geese returned from the fields for the night, I found
Greater White-fronted Geese (at least fifteen in Main Ring Lake),
Snow Geese (1-blue in MRL and 1-white in Casey's Pond),
Cackling Geese,
Canada Geese (many returning f/fields),
Mallards,
Northern Shovelers (several in
MRL), and
Common Goldeneye (several in MRL). I was surprised to
have a few flocks of
Sandhill Cranes passing over so late in the
afternoon and then even more surprised to have some still going over
more than a half hour after sunset. Several
Killdeer were feeding
at the far northern edge of A.E. Sea along with a very late
Least Sandpiper. At least one
Bonaparte's Gull was at the south end of
Lake Law. My highlight of the trip was a three -owl evening. A
Great Horned Owl was perched in a dead tree inside the Main Ring and
an
Eastern Screech-Owl responded along Indian Creek. The best was
finding a hunting
Short-eared Owl on North Eola Rd fighting the
strong winds. It was pretty dark already and the bird landed on
Eola Rd in my headlights about 20 yards in front of my stopped car.
After watching each other for several minutes the owl took off but
only flew about 20 feet to the edge of the grass and watched me from
there. I had driven the area several times but did not see the owl
until at least 20 minutes after sunset. Dave Sunday, November 18
A very nice windless mid-fall morning greeted us today with
temperatures rising from the low 30's to the mid 50's during our
visit. The highlight of the morning was a "five goose day", with
many
Canada Geese (most to date),
Cackling Geese,
Greater White-fronted Geese,
Snow Geese (2 white %26 1 blue) and a
Ross's Goose. The most interesting aspect of these sightings was first
seeing most of these birds in Lake Law early, then in the fields
mid-morning and finally back to Lake Law as we departed in the late
morning. Other waterfowl seen were
Wood Ducks (well over 25 at the
back of Main Ring Lake),
American Black Ducks,
Mallards,
Northern Shovelers,
Green-winged Teal,
Bufflehead, and
Hooded Mergansers.
Other water-related birds were several
Killdeer and a lone
American Coot (Lake Law). Other birds of note for the morning were several
Horned Larks, a
Red-breasted Nuthatch (at feeders),
Fox Sparrows (several
locations), a
White-throated Sparrow (at feeders),
Snow Buntings (North Roads area), and
Pine Siskins (at feeders). Denis found a
Northern Shrike on his way out along Pine Street. Dave Thursday, November 15
Chilly, partly cloudy but calm conditions provided great conditions
for birding. Waterfowl seen, mostly in Lake Law included
Canada Geese,
Cackling Geese,
Greater White-fronted Geese (Peter had
flyovers),
Mallards (numbers way up from previous visits), a pair of
Wood Ducks,
American Black Ducks,
Northern Shovelers, a female
Bufflehead, and
Hooded Mergansers (still a good number around). The Lake also had some
Killdeer and
American Coots. The Garden Club area had
Fox Sparrows,
Swamp Sparrows,
White-throated Sparrows and a
Yellow-rumped Warbler. Also, included in a large flock of
blackbirds nearby were several
Rusty Blackbirds and
Common Grackles. Peter and I met at Main Ring Lake and were treated to the
best birds of the day. First a young adult
Peregrine Falcon perched
on a dead tree feasting on some prey, then a beautiful dark morph
Rough-legged Hawk was seen hunting the prairie west of the lake. We also had two
American Pipits flyover. Other highlights of the
morning were a
Northern Harrier, two
American Kestrels near the
osprey nest,
Red-breasted Nuthatches (still in very good numbers),
and several
Horned Larks. Dave Sunday, November 11
Mild temperatures and strong gusty winds did affect the birding this
morning but not the results. Some very interesting birds were seen;
some as they were blown through the area.
Red Crossbills (Fermi List Life bird this year) are still around in good numbers but were
a challenge to find at times due to the gusty winds in the South Eola Rd. Pines area.
Pine Siskins and
Red-breasted Nuthatches continue to be seen but are very erratic in location (still the most
Lab sightings over the last several years). A couple of
Snow Buntings were blown by us inside the Main Ring and over the berm
eastward. While spotted in the far reaches of Lake Law were a
Pectoral Sandpiper and
Semipalmated Sandpiper (both late sightings).
Waterfowl of note were a
Snow Goose (Blue in L.Law),
Northern Shovelers, a
Redhead (L.Law),
Gadwall (L.Law),
Green-winged Teal and
Hooded Mergansers (still in good numbers). Other interesting
sightings of the morning were two
Northern Harriers, an
American Kestrel, a
Ring-necked Pheasant (S.Eola Rd), a pair of
Great Horned Owls,
Cedar Waxwings, and several
Fox Sparrows. Dave Friday, November 9
Today was a beautiful late afternoon for checking out some of the
birds at Fermi with mild temperatures and very little wind. A quick
scan of Lake Law did produce a highlight pair of
Horned Grebes.
Waterfowl were not quite as exciting with loads of
Canada Geese,
several
Cackling Geese, the usual compliment of
Mallards and a good
number of
Hooded Mergansers (the numbers have been increasing with
each visit).
American Black Ducks and
Northern Shovelers were
found elsewhere. Also, there were still several
Greater Yellowlegs along the shore. Peter added a
Wilson's Snipe, I assume along Lake Law's shoreline where I left him. Most of the Lab was quiet
(regarding birding) with
the only other highlights being
Red-breasted Nuthatches and several
Fox Sparrows. My main objective was owls and I had only moderate
success. I scanned for both short-ears (it's a little early,
especially as recent records indicate) and great horns as the
darkness approached with no success. I did contact an
Eastern Screech-Owl inside the ring. This species has been tough to locate,
especially since the barred owl sightings over the last two years
(none recently). I also had a couple of non-bird highlights in the
dark including a mink and a skunk which I followed for over a
quarter mile inside the ring with its tail waving in my headlights.
Dave Sunday, November 4
The morning started out cool, cloudy and calm. As the morning wore
on it warmed a little, most clouds disappeared, and the wind picked
up. Birding was not affected by any of these conditions. We were
greeted by a pair of
Tundra Swans on the far west side of Lake Law to start the day. Later, these two birds flew directly overhead and
headed northeast (strange?). Waterfowl are now the only group of
birds that still have significant numbers throughout the Lab. Other waterfowl found were
Canada Geese (larger number than recent
visits),
Cackling Geese,
Wood Ducks (Main Ring Lake),
American Black Ducks(MRL),
Mallards (everywhere),
Northern Shovelers,
Northern Pintail (Sea of Evanescence),
Green-winged Teal (SofE), a
Black Scoter (Bird of the Day! SofE) and
Hooded Mergansers (quite a few on
L.Law). There was also a very crisply marked
Horned Grebe (another
very good bird) on Lake Law. Sparrows are getting harder to find
with
Fox Sparrows again the most numerous species, followed by
lesser numbers of
Song Sparrows,
Swamp Sparrows, and
White-throated Sparrows not to mention the good numbers of our typical winter
visiting
American Tree Sparrows and
Dark-eyed Juncos. Other interesting sightings included a
Sharp-shinned Hawk, a
Cooper's Hawk, two
American Kestrels (inside Ring), a
Northern Shrike (West Wilson), and several
Horned Larks. Dave Thursday, November 1
The second sign of an oncoming winter birding season is seeing a
Killdeer walking on ice early in the morning. It was cool this
morning but still pleasant for birding though the quantity and
diversity of birds continue to drop. Waterfowl show the most
diversity while overall numbers were low. Species seen were:
Canada Geese (numbers holding steady over last week),
Cackling Geese (seemed like more than average today),
American Black Duck,
Mallard,
Northern Shoveler (Sea of E.),
Northern Pintail (Sea of E.),
Green-winged Teal (everywhere),
Hooded Merganser (L. Law), and
Ruddy Duck (L.Law). Sparrows are rapidly fading; after
American Tree Sparrows and
Dark-eyed Juncos,
Fox Sparrows were the most numerous sparrow
followed by
Song Sparrows and
Swamp Sparrows. Other birds of
interest were
Greater Yellowlegs (several in Lakes Region),
American Pipits (about a dozen at south end of A.E. Sea),
Cedar Waxwings (two
flocks approx 20 ea, Sparrow Hedge), and
Rusty Blackbirds (Lakes Region and Garden Club). A continuing surprise was another
flock
of
about 25
Pine Siskins inside the Main Ring. Finally, I had a
Cooper's Hawk dogging a flushed
Great Horned Owl as I walked through
a woodlot. Dave Tuesday, October 30
Windy, best describes the birding conditions this morning. The birds were reluctant to fly and typically, when they did, they were
blown from view. Also, the numbers of both sparrows and waterfowl
were way down from the previous visits. Throw in the fact that
American Tree Sparrows are being seen in growing numbers you have
the formula for a winter birding season. Arriving a little late,
most of the geese had already left Lake Law and more importantly the
Red-necked Grebe was not found either; it was sighted Monday evening. After a quick scan I only found a
Hooded Merganser and
several
Northern Shoveler. I opted out of the Sparrow Hedge because
of the windy conditions and chose to search more protected areas.
Besides the
American Tree Sparrows and
Dark-eyed Juncos, the only
sizeable group of sparrows was a number of
Fox Sparrows in Main Ring Woods. Also, inside the Ring, seven
American Crows were spotted.
This was unusual since crows are usually found along the perimeters
of the Lab.
Purple Finches were still present here along with a
flock of
Cedar Waxwings. Nepese had about a half dozen Yellow-
rumped Warbles come through with some chickadees and goldfinches.
In addition, I had another flock of
Pine Siskins here but, they were
blown away almost as soon as they landed in a couple of cedar
trees. The sighting of the day was a
Peregrine Falcon skirting the
southern tree line of the Lab (along Butterfield Rd). It was
preceded by a crow and followed by a blackbird. After about a minute
it banked south and was gone. Dave Sunday, October 28
Cool and partly cloudy conditions again greeted us this morning for
birding. First of all the
Red-necked Grebe was still present on
Lake Law. Waterfowl numbers and diversity were down considerably
from Friday morning's numbers. New from Friday were a
Common Goldeneye and some
Snow Geese (both on Lake Law). Other waterfowl
seen were
Greater White-fronted Geese (Buffalo fields),
Canada Geese (numbers much lower),
Cackling Geese,
Northern Shoveler,
Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal (in good
numbers),
Bufflehead, and
Hooded Merganser (all in the Lakes Region). Sparrow numbers were way down with
Fox Sparrows the
dominate species in the areas we birded (Denis had some others).
Also, the first
American Tree Sparrows were found on site. Other birds of interest were a
Northern Harrier (inside the Ring); a
Calling
Eastern Towhee and flyover
Rusty Blackbird (both in the
Hedge area) and finally
Purple Finches are still around (these in
Main Ring Woods). Denis' group added two good birds from the
Sparrow Hedge area including an
American Pipit and the first
Northern Shrike of the season, he also added
American Kestrel and
Horned Lark. Dave Friday, October 26
It was a little cool early this morning, but conditions improved
throughout the morning. Birding was good from the start with a
Red-necked Grebe (bird of the day!) found on Lake Law before we went
a
little more than 100 yards from the car. Waterfowl appear to be
approaching a peak with a good variety found, mostly on Lake Law.
The list of birds included
Canada Geese,
Cackling Geese,
White-fronted Geese (over 40 in Buffalo fields and Main Ring Lake),
Gadwall,
American Wigeon,
American Black Duck,
Mallard,
Blue-winged Teal,
Northern Shoveler,
Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal,
Canvasback,
Redhead,
Ring-necked Duck,
Lesser Scaup,
Bufflehead (female - Main Ring Lake),
Hooded Merganser, and
Ruddy Duck. Shorebirds found on
A.E. Sea were mostly
Greater Yellowlegs and at least one
Lesser Yellowlegs. Sparrow numbers remained about the same as earlier in
the week with noticeably more
Fox Sparrows, while
White-crowned Sparrows outnumbered the
White-throated Sparrows. Other sparrows
found in much lesser numbers were
Savannah Sparrow,
Song Sparrow,
Lincoln's Sparrow,
Swamp Sparrow, and
Dark-eyed Junco. The bulk of
the sparrows were found in the Sparrow Hedge area, Nepese Marsh Area, and Main Ring Woods. Other birds of interest were a
Great Horned Owl, an
Eastern Phoebe (between L. Law and A.E. Sea),
Brown Creeper (Main Ring Woods),
Ruby-crowned Kinglets (several
locations),
Yellow-rumped Warblers and
Palm Warblers (again in low
numbers),
Eastern Meadowlarks, and
Purple Finches (Nepese and Main Ring Woods). Dave Monday, October 22
The morning started nice enough but late morning rains did impact
the birding. Birding did pickup after lunch with only spotty showers
and improved conditions. Waterfowl numbers appeared down slightly
(except geese) from the last few visits. Birds seen (mostly in the
Lakes Region) were
Canada Geese (lots),
Cackling Geese (several),
Mallard,
Gadwall,
American Black Duck,
Blue-winged Teal,
Northern Shoveler,
Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal,
Canvasback (one on
Lake Law) and
Hooded Merganser (several on Lake Law). A
Pied-billed Grebe and several
American Coots were also found on Lake Law. There still are some shorebirds in the Lakes Region including
Killdeer,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs, and
Pectoral Sandpipers.
Sparrow numbers have also diminished, but there are some to be found
including
Eastern Towhee,
Chipping Sparrow,
Savannah Sparrow,
Fox Sparrow (numbers were up),
Song Sparrow,
Lincoln's Sparrow (only one
seen),
Swamp Sparrow (numbers were way down),
White-throated Sparrow and
White-crowned Sparrow (both still in good numbers), and
Dark-eyed Junco. Other birds of interest in the Sparrow Hedge area
were several
Northern Harriers, several groups of
Cedar Waxwings,
several
Rusty Blackbirds, an
Eastern Meadowlark and several
Purple Finches (also other locations).
Yellow-rumped Warblers and
Palm Warblers are still around but numbers are way down. Other interesting sightings were an
American Kestrel (north of security
office),
Great Horned Owl,
Eastern Wood-Pewee (tied latest sighting
in Lab),
Brown Creeper and
Winter Wren (both in Main Ring Woods),
and
Hermit Thrush (several in Main Ring Woods). A couple of
interesting observations were made. First, I watched a couple of
Greater Yellowlegs catching and eating small minnows along the south
shore of Lake Law. The second was seeing a male
Northern Harrier fly from the south edge of the Sparrow Hedge with what appeared to
be a vole and drop it in a cut field. The harrier then picked it up
again, dropped it and let it run; repeating this process several
times until it appeared to be dead. It then took it or another vole
(it appeared to be smaller) and repeated the process again about 20
yards away. The strangest part of this exercise was the Harrier then flew off, leaving this prey, to hunt fields to the west with
a couple of other harriers. It did not appear he returned to his
booty. Dave Monday, October 15
The weather was a little cool to start with but still provided a
very pleasant morning of birding with the wind affecting the birds
only slightly. Shorebirds were found on Dusaf Pond and A.E. Sea (mostly on Dusaf) including
Killdeer,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs and
Pectoral Sandpipers.
Canada Goose numbers are
picking up with each visit to the Lab. There were also some
Cackling Geese mixed in with the Canada's. Two
Snow Geese (1-white
and 1-Blue) were found; one in Main Ring Lake, the other in Swan Lake.
Other waterfowl found throughout the Lab included
Wood Duck,
Gadwall,
American Black Duck,
Mallard,
Northern Shoveler,
Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal,
Hooded Merganser and
Ruddy Duck. Several
Bonaparte's Gulls were found on Lake Law (far northwest area).
Another immature
Bald Eagle (story follows) was found perched on a
stump near the east shore of A.E. Sea until a couple of gulls
spotted it and forced it to fly. The gulls persisted to harass the
eagle for several minutes, then got bored and flew off. The eagle
then landed on the east shoreline. A minute or two later the eagle
took flight then swooped down and picked up a fairly large fish
(looked in the 2-3 lb class) from the water and carried it
(laboring) into the small woods not far away and proceeded with
breakfast. Sparrows remain evident in most areas including
Eastern Towhee,
Savannah Sparrow,
Fox Sparrow,
Song Sparrow,
Lincoln's Sparrow,
Swamp Sparrow (still most prevalent sparrow),
White-throated Sparrow,
White-crowned Sparrow and
Dark-eyed Junco (numbers
are increasing). Some other notable sightings were
Great Egret (only
one by Swan L.),
Northern Harrier (a couple),
Cooper's Hawk,
American Kestrel (Garden Club, again),
Great Horned Owl (a surprise
fly-in along the Sparrow Hedge),
Horned Lark,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Marsh Wren (Swenson Rd. Pond),
Hermit Thrush (several),
Tennessee Warbler (three together near Nepese
Marsh), and
Eastern Meadowlark (inside the Ring). The surprise birds of the day were a very late
Eastern Wood-Pewee and a group of 10-15 early
Pine Siskin (feeding
on various wildflower seeds). Both these sightings were in the
Nepese/Garden Club area. Dave Sunday, October 7
We had a very good morning for birding today. True it was a little
cold (if I had remembered gloves it would have been more pleasant) and
windy but, we had some great birds. We started out really good at Lake Law with a
Bonaparte's Gull. Waterfowl seen in the Lakes Region were
Cackling Goose,
Northern Shoveler,
Northern Pintail and
Green-winged Teal. Shorebirds seen in the Lakes Region were
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Stilt Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper, and
Wilson's Snipe. Some warblers are still around (besides the Yellow-rumps and
Palms) including an
Orange-crowned Warbler,
Tennessee Warblers, a
Nashville Warbler (with a nice group of
Ruby-crowned Kinglets), and a
Common Yellowthroat. The highlight group remains sparrows including
Chipping Sparrow,
Clay-colored Sparrow,
Field Sparrow,
Vesper Sparrow,
Savannah Sparrow,
Fox Sparrow,
Song Sparrow,
Lincoln's Sparrow ( in
good quantities),
Swamp Sparrow (most numerous),
White-throated Sparrow,
White-crowned Sparrow, and
Dark-eyed Junco. Some of the
other interesting sightings of the morning were a
Turkey Vulture (gliding southward), a
Cooper's Hawk, a couple of
American Kestrels, a
Sora, an
Eastern Phoebe, a
Barn Swallow, a
House Wren, a
Brown-headed Cowbird, and a beautiful male
Purple Finch. The birding highlight of
the morning was the interaction between an immature
Bald Eagle and a
Northern Harrier. It started out with several sightings of the eagle
during our traverse of the Sparrow Hedge as it patrolled the area. As we then watched the eagle from the south end of Lake Law, it dipped
into the a bay on the western shore and came up chasing a
Northern Harrier carrying some prey. This chase continued for around five
minutes with the eagle matching the maneuvering of the more mobile
harrier most of the time and came very close to grabbing the harrier
at one point. In the end they parted and went their separate ways.
I'm sure the harrier was quite happy when the eagle decided to back
off of the pursuit.
Thursday, October 4
The weather was fantastic for birding at Fermilab this morning. It was mostly sunny with temps starting in the high 50's and ending in
the mid 70's. The lakes have changed during my absence with the Sea of Evanescence now filled, Lake Law much lower and A.E. Sea extremely low. Dusaf Pond is about where it was several weeks ago.
Shorebirds appear quite fluid, moving about much more than earlier
in the season. Seen today were
Killdeer,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Greater Yellowlegs, Pectorial Sandpipers and still several
Stilt Sandpipers.
Great Egrets are still present in good numbers (over 25 in the lakes
region today). Lake Law had a large number of
Canada Geese (Denis had a
Ross's Goose on Sunday), while most all of the ducks were on
the Sea of Evanescence including
Northern Shovelers,
Gadwalls,
Wood Ducks and
Blue-winged Teal (there may have been others but lighting
and distance limited my view). My trip down to the Sparrow Hedge produced many
Yellow-rumped Warblers (they were also just about
everywhere else in the Lab) and
Swamp Sparrows. Also seen were
Eastern Towhees, several
Lincoln's Sparrows, and a
Purple Finch (first of the year). In the Hedge area I added
Eastern Phoebe, Blue-
Headed Vireo,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Magnolia Warbler,
White-throated Sparrow (in good numbers), and
White-crowned Sparrow.
The south end of Lake Law was devoid of all but
Killdeer but walking
through the sedges I continually flushed
Palm Warblers (there were
lots of them). Swenson Road Pond (now bone dry) produced many
Swamp Sparrows, a couple of
Marsh Wrens and a
Sora. The Garden Club had
mostly sparrows, but nothing different from the Hedge area. As for
raptors I had several
Red-tailed Hawks, an
American Kestrel and a
Great Horned Owl. Dave Sunday, September 9
The early morning was the start of an absolutely beautiful fall day;
partly cloudy, cool with a slight breeze. It became more windy
around 8:00, but this did not seem to affect the birding especially
if you were out of the direct wind. Warblers were very good at the
end of the Sparrow Hedge through late morning (when Denis' class was
there). Warblers here were
Tennessee Warbler,
Orange-crowned Warbler,
Cape May Warbler,
Black-throated Green Warbler,
Palm Warbler (only one here but many in other locations),
Blackpoll Warbler,
American Redstart,
Common Yellowthroat and a dreaded
Yellow-rumped Warbler (typically marks a waning warbler season. Hopefully it's a
fluke). Overall this was one of the best warbler days in quite a
while. Several
Soras were found in sedges at the south end of A.E.
Sea. Following a
Veery into Owl's Nest Woods (at the northeast
corner of the Hedge), a group of 10-15
Wood Ducks flushed from some
thick brush into A.E. Sea. A significant sighting in the Hedge area
was a
Red-breasted Nuthatch (first sighting in two years at the
Lab). Shorebirds continue to drop in numbers. Seen at the south
end of Lake Law were
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Least Sandpiper,
Short-billed Dowitcher and
Wilson's Snipe. A
Lesser Yellowlegs was added at Lake Logo. Also in the
Hedge/Lakes region were many
Cedar Waxwings, several
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a flyover
Bald Eagle (adult). I also added several
Magnolia Warblers and an
Ovenbird in the Big Woods area along with a
Philadelphia Vireo (another first for the year), and both
Swainson's Thrush and
Gray-cheeked Thrush. Other birds worth mentioning were
both a flyover
Turkey Vulture and
Belted Kingfisher, several
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (several locations), an
American Kestrel and a
Cooper's Hawk (inside the Ring), and several
Eastern Meadowlarks. I
missed seeing any
Ospreys; our first miss since the last of March (while past records indicate they should still be around for a few
more weeks). Denis' group came up with some additional birds, the
first being the
Osprey I missed, good job Denis! Warblers he added
from the Sparrow Hedge were
Chestnut-sided Warbler,
Bay-breasted Warbler (a third first of the year bird), and
Wilson's Warbler. He also added a
Solitary Sandpiper (I assume at Lake Law),
Chimney Swift,
Cliff Swallow and
Red-headed Woodpecker (at Owl's Nest Woods). Actually, his group also found the eagle. Dave Thursday, September 6
Except for the moderately high humidity, the morning was perfect for
birding with temps in the 60's to 70's and a moderate breeze. The only really productive shorebird habitat was at the south end of
Lake Law. The Sea of Evanescence is almost dry again with very few
birds and most of these were
Killdeer. Lake Law produced
Killdeer (over half of the bird count),
Spotted Sandpiper,
Solitary Sandpiper,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Baird's Sandpiper (Saturday it was at Evanescence,
Pectoral Sandpiper,
Stilt Sandpiper,
Short-billed Dowitcher, and
Wilson's Snipe (first of season). Warblers seen in the Sparrow Hedge area were
Tennessee Warbler,
Orange-crowned Warbler (first of year),
Magnolia Warbler,
Palm Warbler,
American Redstart and
Common Yellowthroat. Other birds of interest in the area were
Pied-billed Grebe,
Chimney Swift,
Willow Flycatcher,
Bell's Vireo (a couple
still singing away), and a
Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Most of the
warblers were in small, one to three bird groups but I did run into
two larger groups with ten to twenty birds each; one in Main Ring woods and the other on the west side of the Big Woods. In addition
to most of the warblers seen in the Hedge area these groups also
included a
Chestnut-sided Warbler,
Blackpoll Warblers, a
Blackburnian Warbler and a
Black-and-white Warbler. Also, with these
warblers were several Empids and a
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. I also had
a couple of
Belted Kingfishers, several
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and a
Great Horned Owl (in West Main Ring Woods). Dave Sunday, September 2
Denis was out this morning and produced an impressive list of birds
(70 Species). Here are the highlight birds that were not seen
yesterday:
Black-crowned Night-Heron,
Turkey Vulture,
Bald Eagle (a
young bird and adult seen independently in the southern lakes area),
Northern Harrier,
American Kestrel,
Purple Martin,
Marsh Wren,
Veery,
Black-throated Green Warbler,
Palm Warbler,
Black-and-white Warbler, and
Wilson's Warbler. Dave Saturday, September 1
This morning was cool and cloudy with a moderate breeze. These conditions made for pleasant birding though the wind may have
affected the warblers a little. Shorebird numbers are still down
but with fairly good variety. The best of these was a
Baird's Sandpiper at the Sea of Evanescence. It was accompanied by
Semipalmated Plovers (Sea of Evanescence),
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpipers,
Solitary Sandpipers,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpipers,
Least Sandpipers,
Pectoral Sandpipers, and
Short-billed Dowitchers. All of these were at the Sea of Evanescence and the
south end of Lake Law. The number of
Great Egrets has dropped
considerably from the high numbers witnessed over the last few
weeks. The
Northern Shovelers were still present, mostly in Dusaf Pond. Highlights in the Sparrow Hedge area were
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Bell's Vireo,
Cape May Warbler (first for year),
American Redstart,
Common Yellowthroat and an
Osprey flying over
(towards the east away from the nest area) with a large shad.
Warblers seen in other areas were
Tennessee Warbler,
Nashville Warbler,
Magnolia Warbler,
Ovenbird and
Mourning Warbler. Again the
Warblers were quite spotty and low in numbers. Peter again spotted
the
Upland Sandpiper and we did see the female
Blue Grosbeak with
young. Some of the grassland fields had good numbers of
Eastern Meadowlarks. As we were leaving, several
Common Nighthawks were
spotted flying thru the Lab. Dave Thursday, August 30
The early morning was quite pleasant with cloudless skies, cool (for
the season) temps and a mild breeze. The breeze picked up later and
kept conditions very nice until early afternoon. Bird activity was
not at its best , but there were still some interesting sightings.
Great Egret still continue to be the most numerous wader in the Lab.
The Sunday rains brought up the levels of all the lakes thus
reducing the amount of shorebird habitat. The good news is that the
Sea of Evanescence is once again a viable shorebird habitat. The overall number of shorebirds is down with
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Least Sandpipers,
Semipalmated Sandpipers, and
Pectoral Sandpipers at
Evanescence and a couple of
Short-billed Dowitchers at the south end
of Lake Law. Now I know why
Solitary Sandpipers got their name. I
was observing one that had its tail feathers flared. As I panned
this bird with my binocs, its tail flared more. Then a second
Solitary Sandpiper came into view and both birds immediately started
to spar, jumping on each other's backs and dueling, then finally
separating. At this point both birds went their separate ways calmly
feeding. The Sparrow Hedge area was quite quiet with little
activity. The only birds of note here were a lone
Blackpoll Warbler (first of year) and a cruising
Cooper's Hawk (this may have been one
of the reasons for the lack of activity). The first
Northern Shovelers of the season were on Dusaf Pond (quite a good number of
them). A
Northern Harrier was standing preening itself in a field
on the east side of North Eola Road.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were
found in several locations
throughout the morning. Warblers were few and far between. Besides the blackpoll , I found several
Tennessee Warblers, a couple of
American Redstarts, and a
Magnolia Warbler. The Female
Blue Grosbeak and a couple of juveniles were again located. Also a
Great Horned Owl was flushed after trying several locations. The highlight of my
morning was watching an apparent young
Osprey trying to hunt for a
meal. I spotted a couple of
Ospreys flying over Casey's Pond. One bird flew off while the other started to dive for fish. It first
tried the deeper parts of the pond then started to dive into the
shallows and sit in the water apparently trying to grab for fish in
the shallow water. After ten seconds or so it would push up and fly
up to dive into another shallow location. It did this more than a
dozen times unsuccessfully in its attempt to attain a meal. It finally flew up shaking off the water and circling the pond to dry
off. It finally flew off still hungry. Dave Wednesday, August 29
An
Upland Sandpiper was spotted twice by Roads and Grounds personal
near Eola and East Wilson yesterday. Peter was able to confirm the
sighting this morning. The bird was not found on Thursday. Dave Saturday, August 25
Twelve
Black Terns were reported flying in the Lake Law area for
several hours on Saturday afternoon (Aug 25). Dave Sunday, August 26
Cloudy conditions provided us with very good birding early this
morning. The initial light rains still provided good birds but the
late morning heavier rains shut us down. To start we checked A.E.
Sea and Lake Law for shorebirds and found
Semipalmated Plover,
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper,
Stilt Sandpiper, and
Short-billed Dowitcher. Warblers were spotty but we
did manage several
Tennessee Warblers, a couple of
Nashville Warblers, a
Chestnut-sided Warbler, a
Magnolia Warbler, a few
American Redstarts, a
Common Yellowthroat, and the first
Mourning Warbler of the year (at the eastern edge of the Sparrow Hedge).
Other birds found in the Sparrow Hedge/Lakes area were
Willow Flycatcher,
Least Flycatcher,
Bell's Vireo (singing),
Savannah Sparrow, and
Grasshopper Sparrow. Huge numbers of
Great Egret continue to be found congregated in Dusaf early in the morning and
then appear to spread out to the other lakes later in the morning
(Earlier in the month they were found in Lake Logo). Peter had some
good birds earlier in the week (most in the Wilson campus area)
including
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and
Common Nighthawk. Also seen
this morning were
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (same dead tree on the
west edge of the Big Woods),
Dickcissel, and
Eastern Meadowlark. The best was yet to come.
We found a family of
Blue Grosbeaks and feel these birds have bred
on site. This is only the second sighting of
Blue Grosbeak within
the Lab, the other being earlier this year (in April). Since these
birds were with young they were quite agitated by our presence so we
left them before we could get an accurate count of the number of the
young grosbeaks. Dave Thursday, August 16
The early morning birding today was slow even before the rain. It was dark (due to the heavy cloud cover) and this seemed to limit
just about all activity and singing throughout the Sparrow Hedge area. Then the rains came and shut down the birds even more until
late morning. The shorebirds did not seem to be affected by the
early conditions but the Sea of Evanesence, being almost totally
dry, had very few birds. Hopefully, today's rains will rejuvenate
this area. Shorebirds seen in the remaining three lakes on the east
side were
Solitary Sandpiper,
Greater Yellowlegs,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper,
Short-billed Dowitcher, and
Long-billed Dowitcher (same three were
together again, this time in Dusaf). It was strange to not find any
Great Egrets in the area, especially with their numbers increasing
over the past several weeks. Then I went to Lake Logo (inside the
Main Ring) to find 90-100 of them (I actually counted 90) in the
ideal wading conditions there. Later, after the rains, the
Great Egrets did move to other locations. This was by far the most egrets
I have ever seen at Fermilab, especially in one spot. Two Osprey's were seen in the Main Injector nest area and one adult was found on
the Nepese platform (after the rain). Several
American Kestrels were
in the Main Injector area and a
Cooper's Hawk flew through the Hedge area. A
Sedge Wren was still buzzing in the Switchgrass and a
Dickcissel was near the Pine St. entrance. Finally, a couple of
Great Horned Owls were out in the open in some dead trees apparently
drying off after the rains. Dave Sunday, August 12
Conditions were great this morning being mostly cloudy, cool with
not much of a breeze. Many of the shorebirds of the last couple of
weeks appeared to have moved on but still present were
Killdeer,
Spotted Sandpiper,
Solitary Sandpiper,
Lesser Yellowlegs,
Semipalmated Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper,
Pectoral Sandpiper, and
three
Long-billed Dowitchers. These birds were spread throughout all of
the east end lakes. Unfortunately, the Sea of Evanescence is just
about dry and numbers here were way down. Hopefully tomorrows rains
will improve its shorebird habitat. Several
Henslow's Sparrows were
still singing in the small field east of the Sea of Evanescence.
All of the swallows were found over the lakes area including
Purple Martin,
Tree Swallow,
Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
Bank Swallow,
Cliff Swallow and
Barn Swallow. A surprise
Northern Harrier flew
across the southern end of A.E. Sea. Other interesting birds in the
Sparrow Hedge area were
Caspian Terns,
Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Warbling Vireo,
Bell's Vireo,
Dickcissel, and
Baltimore Oriole. Lots of herons and egrets were in the area including several
Black-crowned Night-Herons and, the bird of the day, an immature
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. The highlight of the week was the
presence of a pair of
Ospreys on the new nest platform at the
southeast corner of Nepese marsh (just installed early this summer).
Peter has observed the pair and it is independent of the currently
nesting pair inside the Ring area. The pair appears to be a mature
female and a second year male. They have been busy constructing a
nest in anticipation of next year's breeding season, we hope. Dave Sunday, August 5
Pleasantly cool temperatures, for the season, and a mild breeze made
for great birding conditions this morning. Last night's rains
changed the shorebird conditions somewhat by raising most water
levels. Just about all the shorebirds were now concentrated on the
Sea of Evanescence while the overall number of birds for the Lab appeared smaller than the last several visits. All the same
shorebirds seen over the last week were present plus a year first
Semipalmated Plover.
Henslow's Sparrows were singing in the grass
field south of the Sparrow Hedge. Finally, as we returned past Lake Law, two of the
Ospreys were seen flying over the lake toward A.E.
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