Saturday, March 28, 2009

3/26 Ducks on Lake Michigan

Lake Park Birders,

Todd Wilson saw Horned Grebes and Northern Shovelers on Lake Michigan
this week.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================
From: Todd Wilson
Date: March 26, 2009
Subject: Milwaukee Lakefront

I went searching for loons along the Milwaukee lakefront this
afternoon, without success.

I did find a lone female Long-tailed Duck in the Harbor Island
lagoon: http://tdwilson.org/pics/birds/long-tailed_duck.jpg

Also:
Horned Grebes almost everywhere I stopped
N. Shovelors at Bradford Beach
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
L.Scaup
G. Scaup
Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Common Mergansers
Red-breasted Mergansers - greatly increased numbers from a week or so
ago
Blue-winged Teal at the Coast Guard Impoundment

At Veteran's Park I heard Fox Sparrows singing and found my first
Flickers of the year.

Todd Wilson
Milwaukee

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Washington Park 3/21 Tory Bahe

Lake Park Birders,

Snow Goose on 3/20 sounds great.
I think I saw a Pied-billed Grebe on the Washington Park lagoon on
3/23 AM.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

Begin forwarded message:
From: "Tory Bahe" <tbahe@urbanecologycenter.org>
Date: March 23, 2009 9:19:33 AM CDT
To: "Paul Hunter" <phunter1@wi.rr.com>
Subject: RE: Lake Park 3/21 Mike Goodman

Friday was the day for the waterbirds to return to Washington Park:
A pair of wood ducks
Great Blue Heron
Snow Goose

Kletzsch Shrike 3/23 Gordon Zion

Lake Park Birders,

Loggerhead Shrikes are uncommon spring and fall migrants. It is the
southern version of the Northern Shrike that is a bit more common and
a winter visitor to the Milwaukee area. Shrikes hunt small rodents
and large insects from perches in open grassy areas. They impale
prey on thorns and prongs of barbed wire.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

Begin forwarded message:

From: ZZZZmail@aol.com
Date: March 23, 2009

Had a Loggerhead Shrike yesterday at Kletzsch

Gordon Zion

Lake, Riverside and Estabrook Parks, Vernon Marsh: birds 3/22/09

Lake Park Birds,

Sparrows and ducks are actively migrating.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

From: Jym Mooney <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Date: March 22, 2009
Subject: Milwaukee this weekend

Lake Park yesterday and today had brown creeper, fox sparrow,
northern flicker, great horned owl (being mobbed by crows), winter
wren, bluebirds, song sparrows (lots), American tree sparrows, and
the usual residents. Yesterday morning I saw a flock of about two
dozen tundra swans fly overhead
at Lake Park.

Found a horned grebe at South Shore Yacht Club. The Coast Guard
Impoundment is now a very large pond, surrounded by bare earth. This
will bear watching for spring shorebird migration. Today it was
loaded with ducks: ring-necked, redhead, green-winged teal, both
scaup (mostly lesser), and mallard.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee
==================================
From: Dennis Casper <denncasp.bird@yahoo.com>
Date: March 21, 2009 10:33:20 PM CDT
Subject: Urban Ecology Center Bird Walk, March 19, 2009

Urban Ecology Center, Riverside Park, 1500 East Park Place,
Milwaukee, WI 53211
414-964-8505, www.UrbanEcologyCenter.org

Bird Walk
Thursdays, 8am-10am year round, Free and Open to the Public, All
Ages Welcome

Thursday, March 19, 2009
29 degrees
Cloudy
20 birders

Species: 24

33 Canada Goose
20 Mallard
2 Common Goldeneye
2 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Cooper's Hawk
1 Red-tailed Hawk
2 Ring-billed Gull
6 Herring Gull
8 Downy Woodpecker
8 American Crow

2 Black-capped Chickadee
2 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
7 American Robin
4 European Starling
19 Cedar Waxwing
1 Fox Sparrow
6 Song Sparrow
2 Dark-eyed Junco
6 Northern Cardinal

3 Red-winged Blackbird
3 House Finch
22 American Goldfinch
12 House Sparrow
===================================

From: Chuck Hagner
Subject: eBird Report - Estabrook Park , 3/22/09

Location: Estabrook Park
Observation date: 3/22/09
Notes: 38°, sunny, light wind from east. Canada Geese sitting on
island in pond, but no nests. Male-female pairs: Wood Duck, Common
Merganser. Cooper's Hawk was juvenile.
Number of species: 31

Canada Goose 22
Wood Duck 2
Mallard 27
Greater Scaup 2
Common Goldeneye 1
Common Merganser 2
Cooper's Hawk 1
Killdeer X
Rock Pigeon 1
Mourning Dove 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 6
Hairy Woodpecker 3
Blue Jay X
American Crow 7
Black-capped Chickadee 17
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Brown Creeper 1
American Robin 19
European Starling 6
Cedar Waxwing 32
Song Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 15
Northern Cardinal 16
Red-winged Blackbird 7
Common Grackle 16
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
House Finch X
American Goldfinch 8
House Sparrow 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/wi)
====================
From: "Todd Wilson" <maxpaul@earthlink.net>
Date: March 22, 2009

Saturday morning I spent at Vernon Marsh, in Waukesha County.
3-4 Woodcock were peenting and performing their flightsong display
when I arrived at the Benson Ave. location at 6 A.M.
GB Herons are back on their nests.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk flew over.
A pair of Trumpeter Swans were at the Frog Alley Location (http://
tdwilson.org/blogs/index.php/a/2009/03/22/trumpeter_swans)
Here's the combined list of waterfowl:
Trumpeter Swan
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard
Black Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck (by far the most numerous species)
Lesser Scaup
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser

Today I made a quick run down Jay road in Ozaukee and Washington
Counties.
In the swamp by the North Branch of the Milwaukee River was a flock
of 25 Rusty Blackbirds, along with numerous Redwing, Grackle and BH
Cowbirds.
At Hwy D and Lake Michigan I spotted a Horned Grebe.

Todd Wilson
Milwaukee

Diving Ducks at Discovery World, Ross's goose at Washington Park

Lake Park birders,

Ducks and geese continue to migrate through Milwaukee. As posted on
Wis Bird Net, many more are migrating through the wetlands and lakes
in Columbia and Portage Counties.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================
Subject: Diving Ducks at Discovery World
From: Petherick Chris <cpetherick AT me.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:09:16 -0500
I made a stop at Discovery World on Lake Michigan today and took a
look just south, starting directly south of Discovery World and then
walking to the new park/beach further south (sorry, I don't know the
actual names). In the pool directly south of Discovery World I came
across a Common Loon that was swimming and diving and then made it's
way under the bridge into the second pool. There were also Red
Breasted Mergansers there. I came across a pied billed-grebe, lesser
and greater scaups, redheads, herring gulls, ring billed gulls,
Goldeneyes, 2 buffleheads and 2 song sparrows in the second and third
pools south of Discovery World.

The green winged teal was still at the Coast Guard Impoundment as of
this afternoon as were lots of scaups and redheads. I couldn't
identify any ring billed ducks there, however. I also saw a Red
tailed Hawk land on a light post in the ferry parking lot.

Chris Petherick, Milwaukee County
======================
Subject: Ross's goose at Washington Park, Milwaukee
From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon AT milwpc.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:51:32 -0500
I got a tip that a "snow goose" had been found at Washington Park this
weekend, and went over to check it out this afternoon. The more I
looked at
this bird, the more I became fairly sure it is actually a Ross's
goose. It
is noticeably smaller than the Canada geese it is hanging around
with. It
has a rounded head, and, most importantly, a small, triangular,
bluish bill.
I ran home for my scope so I could get a better look at the bill.
There is
a hint of a grin patch, so a hybrid Ross's x snow can't be ruled out.
However, a true snow goose would have a much larger bill, and an obvious
grin patch.

This goose is grazing along with the Canada geese on the sports playing
fields on the northeast corner of Washington Park.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Lake Park 3/21 Mike Goodman

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================
Mike Goodman, South Milwaukee - 8AM


Location: Lake Park - Locust Ravine
Observation date: 3/21/09
Notes: Creepers,Phoebe & Fox sparrows 1st for year
Number of species: 21

Mallard 1
Ring-billed Gull 2
Mourning Dove 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Brown Creeper 2
American Robin 30
European Starling 3
American Tree Sparrow 2
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 10
Northern Cardinal 5
Common Grackle 5
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
House Sparrow 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Re: Lake Park Construction

Lake Park birders,

Repair of the Lion Bridges over North and South Lighthouse Ravines
will last until about October.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

On Mar 14, 2009, at 4:16 PM, Sam Corbo wrote:

Hey Paul,

Did some birding in Lake Park today, and came across the construction
south of the statue... I was wondering if you knew how long the heavy
equipment would be working there?

Thanks,
--
Sam Corbo
skcorbo@gmail.com
Milwaukee, WI

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Report - Duck Watch , Sat March 7

FOG! That's the one word description of the Duck Watch today.
Visibility was generally about 50 meters. After Todd Wilson reported
on his early morning birding in Racine County, he called it a day and
headed home. Suzy Holstein and I peered through pea soup at the Art
Museum and east of the Marcus Ampitheater to see Common Goldeneyes,
Greater Scaup, American Coots, Red-breasted Mergansers, and Herring
Gulls

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================