Wisconsin The Final Post

I could probably make at least 2 more blog posts on my trip to Wisconsin, but instead I am going to attempt to wrap it up in one last post.  This might be a tad long, and will have a lot of photos, but I need to move on to more birding adventures.

Finally it was time to return to the Manitowoc area, but before we did, we wanted to visit a spot that some others had recommended to us when we were at Horicon.  So we found our way to the Sandhill Wildlife Refuge just north of Necedah.  What a great little jewel this place was and it is grossly under birded.  We had heard from these people that it was a great place to see Golden-winged Warblers and that was one species that had eluded us so far.  But that changed quickly at this location.  This bird hybridizes quite easily with Blue-winged Warblers.  And as the BWWA's range has expanded northward, the GWWA's range is shrinking and their numbers are falling.  That is not a good option in the scheme of the avian world.  What a handsome warbler!

As we were driving the road, I finally got my first visual look at a Black-billed Cuckoo, another new life bird.  It was rather surprising that this bird was not as elusive and skittish as the Yellow-billed species found in Arizona.  

After catching fleeting glimpses and hearing Veerys at other spots in Wisconsin, we finally had a couple of them cooperate with us and allowed some photos.

Ovenbirds and American Redstarts were numerous as well.  

A couple of butterflies from this spot:

 Northern Crescent Butterfly

White Admiral Butterfly

Next stop on the way to home base was the Buena Vista Grasslands/Marsh area.  In the winter this location is a good spot for Short-eared Owls, but this time of year, not so much.  So we settled for some birds of the grasslands such as this Grasshopper Sparrow.

Grasshopper Sparrow

We discovered another Least Flycatcher after finding one the day before at Necedah.

Least Flycatcher

Apparently this area is probably good for Greater Prairie Chickens as well after seeing the signs that are posted throughout the area.  

Finally we headed back to the Manitowoc area and made one more stop at the Manitowoc Impoundment where we detected a Great Black-backed Gull.  This bird was a lifer for me earlier in the year when Tommy and I made a visit with Josh to the Canal Park in Duluth, MN.  This one was much closer and allowed for a better photo.

 Great Black-backed Gull

The next day was one of local travelling and checking out the shores along Lake Michigan and surprisingly, Chris spotted another unusual gull and it turned out to be my last life bird on my trip; A Lesser Black-backed Gull.  

 Lessser Black-backed Gull

The birds around water are constantly on the move and are ever changing in diversity.  This day belonged to the Bonaparte's Gull.  We had well over 100 of these birds and this is actually the first time I have seen one in adult breeding plumage.

 Bonaparte's Gull

 Flock of Bonaparte's Gulls

 Bonaparte's Gull

Common Grackles were aptly named as they were very common.  When presented in proper sunlight, they sparkle and look very attractive.

 Common Grackle

Other critters seen  at various spots.

 Crayfish

 Garter Snake

 The beach on Lake Michigan

Red Admiral Butterfly

Finally it was time to head back to Chicago to catch my flight home.  It was bittersweet and ominous as well. because the temperature forecast in Arizona the day after I returned home was 120° F.  That was not something to look forward to.  So on the way back to Chicago, I made one last stop at the Richard Bong State Recreation Area in Wisconsin just north of the Illinois border.  Did not find any new species, but enjoyed seeing a pair of Sandhill Cranes with 2 young in the grass.  Bobolink males and females made a great showing along with a Gray Catbird and I finally had a Common Yellowthroat perch in the open long enough to capture a couple of photos.

 Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane with 2 colts in the grass at lower left.

 Bobolink - Female

 Bobolink - Male

 Common Yellowthroat

Gray Catbird

I ended up with 21 new life birds on this trip.  Missed a few target birds, but got the two rarest birds and plenty more.  Wonder where my next adventure will lead and how much closer can I get to the magical number 700 life birds?

  

Gilbert Riparian Water Preserve - 7 May 2013

Probably one of the most popular birding spots in the metro area of Phoenix and its suburbs is the Gilbert Riparian Water Preserve.  The name has kind of been shortened by many people to be known as the Gilbert Water Ranch, or GWR.  This is a spot where anyone with a bit of interest in birds can go and see probably a minimum of 50 species in one day and most likely at least 60 or more species.  It is an easy access area with very well maintained paths and recently they have did a bit of trimming of trees to allow some excellent viewing.  It is a series of 7 man-made ponds of recycled water and the water levels can vary from pond to pond and from week to week.  It is a winter haven for many winter birds escaping the cold weather up north and it is amazing what rarities seem to show up at this location every year.

For me it is a great place to go if I only have an hour to go birding as I live only about 15 minutes from this gem.  And one day in early May, I had some time to go out after work and I spent about an hour there.  There had been a couple of birds reported there the day before that are not all that common, so decided to check it out after work.  A Bonaparte's Gull had been reported and even though I had discovered one in Navajo County a couple of weeks before, it was nice to find one this close to home.  Plus this one was a bit easier to photograph as it put on quite a foraging show for me.  That is another reason to visit this spot; photography.  It is a great place to maybe capture great photos as some of the birds are quite used to humans.

 Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

This gull was on pond 5 and also on the pond was a small flock of 9 Western Sandpipers.  Yes, I had seen and photographed this species at Glendale Recharge Ponds about a week before, but since it is less common than the Least Sandpiper, plus they are showing breeding colors right now, I love to capture their photo when I can.  Sometimes these 'peeps' can be difficult to photograph with their beaks out of the water as they are usually very active probing in the water and mud.

 Western Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

And since it is spring time in parts of Arizona, many resident birds have already nested and their fledgling offspring can be detected by just being alert to what is going on.  This trip yielded fledglings of both the Killdeer and also a Curve-billed Thrasher.  The Kiildeer chick is pretty much on its own at this stage, but the Curve-billed Thrasher chick was still begging and being fed by one of its parents.

 Killdeer fledgling

Killdeer fledgling

 Curve-billed Thrasher fledgling

  Curve-billed Thrasher adult & fledgling

 Curve-billed Thrasher adult & fledgling

What a great way to spend an hour outdoors and enjoying the wonders of nature.  Some of these birds are birds I see all the time, but it seems that I learn more about them and their behavior with every encounter.  Much more enjoyable than spending an evening in front of a television.