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Author: Peter Kasper
Sunday, April 29
Notable Species:
Northern Mockingbird,
American Pipit,
Sharp-shinned Hawk,
Clay-colored Sparrow,
Henslow's Sparrow
The morning started well with a nice and cooperative
Clay-colored Sparrow by Lake Law. I did not notice the Grebe but it was relocated
later in the day. I spent most off the morning checking for grassland
birds with some success. Highlights included the first
Henslow's off
the year (Main Injector ring), a flyover
Sharp-shinned (near Casey's pond), fledgling
Horned Larks, a male
Ring-necked Pheasant (near the
bison pasture) and several
Turkey Vultures perched on the High Rise.
I also received reports of a
Northern Mockingbird along Pine st.,
Common Mergansers on Swan Lake, and
American Pipits at Swenson rd.
Friday, April 27
Notable Species:
Eared Grebe
Still present at Lake Law.
Wednesday, April 25
Notable Species:
Eared Grebe
Still present at Lake Law this morning!
Monday, April 23
Notable Species:
Eared Grebe,
Le Conte's Sparrow
Both were seen within 100 yards of each other at Lake Law this
evening. The grebe was particularly enjoyable, not only because they
are quite rare on site, but also because this one was in full breeding
plumage.
Tuesday, April 17
It was a very pleasant morning of birding at Fermi. The almost
nonexistent wind was a welcome relief from the strong winds of the
past several days. The large flock of
Northern Shovelers was again
together, this time at the south end of A.E. Sea along with a dozen
Ruddy Ducks, several
Blue-winged Teal and a pair of
Gadwall. The male
American Kestrel was again acting as sentinel about 20 yards
from the nest box near the Hedge. Sparrows appear to be increasing
in the Sparrow Hedge area. Seen were numerous
Song Sparrows,
Field Sparrows, and
Swamp Sparrows. Also seen were a good-sized flock of
White-throated Sparrows, a surprise
American Tree Sparrow and the
bird of the day, a
Le Conte's Sparrow (a first spring sighting for
the Lab).
Eastern Towhees and
Brown Thrashers were also quite evident in the area. A
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was found here and in several other locations around the
Lab. As I approached the
Cooper's Hawk nest a
Great Horned Owl burst
out of the woods followed closely by one of the
Cooper's Hawks.
About a minute later I could hear
American Crows join in by mobbing
the owl. The nest was empty but I then heard the agitated calls of
the other
Cooper's Hawk nearby. On my return from the Garden Club,
the hawks were still quite vocal. About fifteen minutes later while
showing the nest to Bob, we found the female settled in on the nest.
The pair of
Osprey were together one pole away from the nest
platform. Several
Wilson's Snipe flushed again from the flooded
grasses along Swenson Road while a
Sora, the first of the year,
called from the cattails across the road. Other birds seen around
the Lab were
Great Egret,
Green-winged Teal,
Wood Duck,
Turkey Vulture,
Barn Swallow (another first),
Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
Hermit Thrush,
Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Savannah Sparrow and
Chipping Sparrow. Finally,
Great Horned Owl nest one had both owlets
being quite alert but I could not see the owlet in nest two. This nest appears quite deep and the owlet looked less advanced than the
pair in nest one. On the plus side there was some fresh white wash
since most was washed away on our weekend visit, this gives me hope
that the owlet is still in there. Dave
An adult male
Blue Grosbeak was hanging around the northern part of
the Education Center parking lot as I left work this evening. This is
a new species for the site list! Peter K.
Sunday, April 15
We had a pleasant morning of birding in mild temperatures although
the strong winds dissuaded us from walking to the Sparrow Hedge. We chose to bird locations less affected by these winds. Lake Law again
had a nice mixed flock of waterfowl including
Northern Shovelers,
Lesser Scaup, and
Ruddy Ducks. Other birds seen in the lakes area
were
Horned Grebe,
Pied-billed Grebe and
American Coot. The Nepese marsh area had
Blue-winged Teal,
Green-winged Teal and several
Swamp Sparrows. Once again, as we observed the
Cooper's Hawk nest, the
female flew in and settled down. Seen in the Garden Club were a
Winter Wren,
Field Sparrows and a good number of
White-throated Sparrows. A
Wilson's Snipe was flushed along Swenson Road. Main Ring Woods was fairly active with a good number of
Yellow-rumped Warblers, some
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, more
White-throated Sparrows and a
Golden-crowned Kinglet. An
Eastern Phoebe confirmed
its breeding status by flying into a nest under an eve by a power
building along Kautz Road. Meanwhile the
Ospreys were busy improving
their nest. Some other birds of note were
Northern Rough-winged Swallow,
Horned Lark,
Chipping Sparrow and
Vesper Sparrow. Dave
Wednesday, April 11
A chilly but pleasant morning (with ice on some puddles) provided
some interesting birding around the Lab. A group of around fifty
Northern Shovelers, probably the same birds seen last week, were on
A.E. Sea. About one hundred
Double-crested Cormorants were in two
groups on Lake Law with another thirty-five on A.E. Sea. Only the
Male
American Kestrel was hanging around the Sparrow Hedge nest box.
Hopefully this means the female was inside brooding. Other birds of
note in the Sparrow Hedge were
Wood Duck,
Ring-necked Pheasant,
Brown Thrasher,
Yellow-rumped Warbler, and
Field Sparrow. Nepese had
several
Blue-winged Teal and a pair of
Green-winged Teal. I checked
the apparent
Cooper's Hawk nest in the area of the Garden Club and
it had definitely been improved since my last visit. While I viewed
the nest through my binoculars, the female swooped in and landed.
Though I did not have a clear view of the whole bird, I assume she
brought in nest material because she then flew off again after a
couple of minutes. A pair of
Wood Ducks bolted from under the new
nest box at the edge of a small pond inside the Big Woods. A
Great Egret flew over the berm near the center
of the ring while three female
Hooded Mergansers swam in the moat.
East Main Ring woods still had a couple of
Dark-eyed Juncos and the
first
Hermit Thrush of the year while the West woods provided well
over a dozen
Rusty Blackbirds. Both
Osprey have now returned to the
nest area, with reports of the second bird's return provided earlier
in the week. Two
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were sparring on a tree
in Kautz Road Woods until a
Red-bellied Woodpecker flew in and
scared off one of the combatants. I finally found a second
Great Horned Owl nest in the hollow of a broken off tree. It appears quite
deep and I could only confirm a single owlet inside. Nest number one
is doing fine. It was hard to tell but it still looks like there is
a pair of young within. Finally, I was able to relocate the
Barred Owl after being elusive for a few weeks. Dave
Thursday, April 5
With temps back into the normal range and moderately strong
northeast winds, the morning began with a chill but it was still a
pleasant morning of birding. It started out with over fifty
Northern Shovelers together in A.E. Sea, with not much going on in Lake Law.
To show how bad the waterfowl migration has been this season, this
was the largest flock of a single species (non-winter species) I
have seen so far. The male
American Kestrel was feeding on a small
rodent near the Hedge nest box. Later the male and female were seen
together. Birds singing in the Sparrow Hedge area were
Brown Thrasher,
Eastern Towhees,
Field Sparrows,
Song Sparrows, and
Northern Cardinals. A
Sandhill Crane was heard, then seen flying low
in a northeast direction almost directly overhead and into the wind.
Nepese marsh had several
Blue-winged Teal while the surrounding area
produced a pair of
Cooper's Hawks, singing
Eastern Phoebes and the
first
Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the year. The Swenson Road horse
wallow had a pair of
Green-winged Teal but the kestrels were not
found in the area. My first
Osprey sighting of the year was one
feeding on a fish atop a post adjacent to the nest platform; so far
this year only one bird has been seen. Added inside the Main Ring were a
Turkey Vulture, a
Swamp Sparrow and a good number of Yellow-
rumped Warblers. The first
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers of the year
were found in a couple of different woodlots. Finally, the
Great Horned Owl nest has been blessed with a pair of fuzzy owlets. Dave
Sunday, April 1
Cloudy, seasonable temps and minimal wind greeted us this morning
for a pleasant morning of birding. The fairly disappointing
waterfowl season seems to be winding down with only
Wood Ducks,
Northern Shovelers, a couple
Gadwall, and a couple of
American Black Ducks, all seen in various locations throughout the Lab. Also seen
were a
Pied-billed Grebe and several
American Coots. The Sparrow Hedge was the most active area we visited, but sparrow numbers
remain low. Sparrows seen in this area were
Song Sparrow,
Swamp Sparrow,
Fox Sparrow,
Field Sparrow,
Dark-eyed Junco, and the first
Vesper Sparrow of the year.
Chipping Sparrow and
Savannah Sparrow were added elsewhere. Other birds in the Hedge area were
Brown Thrasher,
Eastern Towhee,
Rusty Blackbird and the pair of
American Kestrels which appear to be married to the nest box in the area.
Wilson's Snipe were again seen along Swenson Road. From inside the
Main Ring we added
Northern Harrier,
Horned Lark, a
Winter Wren and
several
Golden-crowned Kinglets. As prolific as the Big Woods was on
Wednesday, it was just as strangely quiet this morning. Dave
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