Wisconsin - Part 7

Getting rained out in the search of the Kirtland's Warbler, Chris and I decided to head to Necedah Wildlife Refuge which was not far from Adams County.  Yes, we also had to deal with some rain in this location as well, but we also had many various roads to travel and some of the birding could be done within the confines of the vehicle.  This place was also a high priority spot because it is one of the best places to find the endangered Whooping Crane.  

This bird's population had dwindled to a mere 21 wild and 2 captive birds in 1941.  Through major conservation efforts the numbers of this bird have rebounded to over 400 in the wild and another 150+ in captivity.  At Necedah, there are a few breeding pairs and they are very cautiously monitored.  A quick stop at the Visitor's Center and we quickly got some location information as to where they have been seen most frequently.  So away we went with our target bird in mind and the location imprinted in our minds.  As we followed the roads in the rain, we finally arrived at our destination and quickly discovered, not one, but two, Whooping Cranes.  They were fairly close to the road and since it was still raining, we opted to get photos from the vehicle.  We stayed dry and the cranes were not stressed with people standing nearby.  What a treat to add this endangered bird to my life list within a couple of hours after hearing another threatened bird, the Kirtland's Warbler.  (If you look closely at these photos, you can see the raindrops around the cranes.)

 Whooping Crane

This last photo was taken later in the day, when we made another visit to the original spot.  Appears to be nesting, but cannot be sure.

Whooping Cranes were not the only birds we encountered at this location.  Near the Visitor's Center, we were graced with Red-headed Woodpeckers, which is one of the most dramatic looking woodpeckers in the United States.  One can easily see how it got its name.

 Red-headed Woodpecker

Finally got a decent photo of an Eastern Towhee after seeing many along the way in less than perfect settings for photos.

 Eastern Towhee

House Wren

Near the Visitor's Center we were greeted by a Least Flycatcher; another lifer and another one of those birds from the Empidonax family.  Once again the call notes were the key to identification.

 Least Flycatcher

And finally after hearing the Yellow-throated Vireo just about everywhere we visited, we finally had one that gave us great views.  Of course it had to at the tops of the trees, which allowed for mediocre photos.

 Yellow-throated Vireo

An American Bittern also flushed near us when we were on the boardwalk near the Visitor's Center.

 American Bittern

The butterflies were numerous and very colorful.  Took a while to identify some of them since I am not a butterfly expert and some of these are not found in Arizona.

 American Copper Butterfly

 Common Buckeye Butterfly

 Common Ringlet Butterfly

 Harris's Checkerspot

Red Squirrel

Young White-tailed Deer

Will attempt to wrap up the last of my Wisconsin trip in one more post.  

Wisconsin - Searching for the Holy Grail - Kirland's Warbler

Finally the day arrived for us to search for the 'Holy Grail' of birding in Wisconsin.  This bird is the Kirtland's Warbler.  Wisconsin is not considered the best place to try to locate this bird to add to one's life list as Michigan holds that distinction.  It is estimated that the entire population off this bird in the 1970's was somewhere around 500 individuals.  It requires a very specific habitat for breeding; young jack pine forests.  They winter in the Bahamas and their largest breeding range is the central part of the lower peninsula of Michigan.  Thanks to a very successful intervention of monitoring and protection of this species in Michigan, the numbers have rebounded to over 4000 individuals.  In 2007, three Kirtland's Warbler nests were discovered in Wisconsin and since then, these birds are monitored by the DNR in Wisconsin and they mean business when people try to find this bird.  You cannot just start walking around in the proper habitat once you hear it; you are restricted to the road and trust me, if you don't follow the rules and laws, the resulting consequences will not be pretty!

We had devoted a lot of time and research on this bird months before we left Arizona.  We knew this would be a challenge and we luckily had a couple more birding buddies, that joined us on this quest; Tommy and Josh.  They also had been doing some major homework prior to our visit and with our collaboration of knowledge, notes, and secret (and nameless) contacts, we were at least able to narrow down our search in Adams County.  At least this county is widely known in Wisconsin for the nesting of these birds, but it is a vast county and knowing where to find the correct habitat is key.  Even once you find the habitat, there is no guarantee that a bird will be at that location.  And all you can do, is stand along the side of the road and listen and hope you hear one singing.  If you get that far, then you have to continue to stand there, hoping that individual will fly to a spot along a the road where you are standing so you can actually 'see' it.  We knew our odds for a visual were probably a bit of a long shot as most of these birds had arrived a few weeks earlier and had already set up territories and already mated.

We arrived and we stood along the road and we listened, we waited and listened some more.  Eventually a vehicle pulled up and asked us what we were doing and we advised the young man that we were looking for the 'Holy Grail' Warbler.  He then very politely explained that he was a Kirtland's Warbler nest monitor and then proceeded to advise us on the do's and don'ts, while searching for this bird.  And he thanked us for staying on the road and not walking into the trees.  Just before he headed up the road he also made a comment that stuck with me; "I can't tell you that you are not in the wrong place to hear one."  That pretty much told us we had the location pegged.  Shortly after he left, we did hear one singing back in the trees for a short time.  Then it would quiet down.  This continued off and on during our time there and about an hour after the first young man drove by, a second vehicle pulled up and she also advised us that she had been notified of our presence by the first person and she also reiterated what we already knew and what the first person advised.  She also asked if we had a problem with them recording the license plates of our vehicles and we of course said no problem.  We had been monitoring the weather all this time as a large thunderstorm was moving in and finally it started raining and our party kind of dispersed.  Chris and I headed to Necedah, a place we had not yet been to, as  we had planned another night in the area and decided we would try again the next morning and hope for better weather.  Unfortunately, on that first day, we all decided we were going to have to temporarily live with 'heard only' listing to our lists.

The next morning, Chris and I, headed back out to Adams County and spent some time searching the roads and listening.  The weather was much better, cloudy, but no rain.  We eventually found a spot where we had 2 of them singing across the road from each other.  And finally one of them appeared along the road for our viewing!  Below is the reward! 

 Kirtland's Warbler

This post does not have space for any other birds.  This was too special to dilute with anything else.  Location on this bird will go unpublished to stay in line with all the surveillance that goes with protecting this bird in Wisconsin.  For anyone seeking to see this bird, try Michigan where they have guided tours.  I did manage to make a video of the habitat of this bird and if you listen closely, you can hear it in the distance.

  

    

Wisconsin - Part 5

To get more birds, Chris and I, both knew that we were going to have to make a trip to the central and also the southwestern part of Wisconsin, to get some key birds.  A couple of them were rarities that are hard to find.  So we headed out on a long drive towards the southwestern part of the state and along the way we planned on stopped at Baxter Hollow State Recreation Area near the town of Baraboo.  Google Maps lead us into the north entrance and it was like being lost alone in a forest until a nice young lady from Nature Conservancy came in and told us about the south entrance.  We then ventured to the south entrance per her directions and once there we also had the area to ourselves.  Both spots are great for birding, but the south entrance was a bit kinder as far as birds.  This day was hot and humid and it became pretty sultry by the time we had arrived about noon.  Best photo opportunity was with Indigo Buntings, one of North America's most beautiful blue birds.  They were quite numerous in this location. Ovenbirds were also high in numbers and very vocal, but they sure did not want to pose for any photos.

 Indigo Bunting

From here we headed on to Governor Dodge State Park and by this time the humidity was starting to build and in conjunction with the sun, it was getting a bit uncomfortable.  But we still made the best of it before finally checking in to the local motel.  This is a beautiful park and on the trail to the Steven's Falls for a cool down, we had a fairly cooperative Willow Flycatcher to entertain us.

 Willow Flycatcher

Barn Swallow on nest

Coincidentally, there was going to be a presentation on the bird life of Governor Dodge State Park later that evening, so we decided to attend.  It was very informative and while sitting outdoors we were hearing some of the nocturnal birds such as Barred Owls and the Eastern Whip-poor-will.  The Barred Owl was not a new bird for me, but the Eastern Whip-poor-will was.  

It is one of those birds that a person is more apt to hear and not actually see.  So I attempted to make a recording of one calling.  It is actually a video, so there is nothing to see but black.  However, the incessant calling is quite obvious and the call is one that gave it it's name.  

Also took several other photos of some butterflies as well that were interesting.  

 Red-spotted Purple

 Red-spotted Purple

 A field of wild lupines.

Steven's Falls

Viceroy (Not a Monarch, but it looks similar)

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

The next day we headed for Wyalusing State Park which is located in the southwestern part of the state.  Our goal here were a couple of desired warbler species.  While trying to locate the warblers, we were pleasantly surprised to hear an Acadian Flycatcher, which belongs to the infamous family of Empidonax flycatchers.  Like most in this family of birds, this one has a distinct call. kind of like it is saying 'peeet-sah'.  (Very similar to pizza.)

 Acadian Flycatcher

Then the 'fun' part began, trying to see and locate warblers with dark, rain laden skies.  Besides hearing and catching glimpses of Prothonotary Warblers, we also got Cerulean and Kentucky Warblers.  Both gave us less than satisfactory looks and even worse photos.  However, what we get sometimes in this scavenger hunt for birds, is not always having the bird displaying well for us.  (As you will see on a future post for this trip.)

 Cerulean Warbler

Kentucky Warbler

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

One more stop on this day took us to Mill Bluff State Park; probably not considered a high point for most birders, but one that we are so glad we went.  While walking around at this small park, a pair of Blue-winged Warblers came in to visit us.  This was another warbler high on my target list and these two made up for the stinkers (Cerulean and Kentucky) that we found earlier in the day at Wyalusing.  These were the most cooperative and gave us lots of photo ops.

 Blue-winged Warbler

The next day was going to be a special one as we were going to attempt to find the 'Holy Grail' of birding in Wisconsin.  Stay tuned for more posts.