Warbler Walk Report - Lake Park - 8/22/09

Lake Park Birders:

Jym Mooney led the first Warbler Walk of fall. I am leading the
next one this Saturday, 8/29/09. We start at 8:30 near the warming
house or on the wooden bridge over Locust Ravine.

--- Paul Hunter
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================
From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] Lake Park Warbler Walk, 8/22
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:43:51 -0500

Our first Lake Park Warbler Walk for the fall season was held today.
Nine
birders enjoyed a relatively quiet morning, with some nice
highlights. We
did find some warblers: 2 Cape Mays, a black-and-white, and 2 American
redstarts, plus 2 blue-gray gnatcatchers (Old World warblers). A
Cooper's
hawk (juvenile) gave us a couple of quick fly-bys. An eastern wood-
pewee
gave everyone excellent looks as it sat on a low limb and called
repeatedly.
We all also had good looks at a giant swallowtail butterfly, which
most of
the group had not seen before. Prior to the start of the group walk, I
found a Baird's sandpiper picking at the algae and trying to avoid
the waves
on the rocks north of Bradford Beach.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

Location: Lake Park - Locust Ravine
Observation date: 8/22/09
Notes: Butterflies: monarch, cabbage white, azure, and giant
swallowtail
Number of species: 27

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 6
Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii 1
Baird's Sandpiper - Calidris bairdii 1
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 20
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 2
Chimney Swift - Chaetura pelagica 6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 1
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - Contopus virens 3
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 5
Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus 1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 6
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 3
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 15
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 2
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 1
Cape May Warbler - Dendroica tigrina 2
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 1
American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla 2
Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina 4
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 3
Indigo Bunting - Passerina cyanea 3
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus 6
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus 4

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

Olive-sided Flycatcher in Lake Park 8/18

Lake Park Birders:

I am forwarding John Idzikowski's sighting of an Olive-sided
Flycatcher. I believe this is not necessarily a migrant but rather
an individual disbursing from nesting areas. Thanks to Jym Mooney
for forwarding John's message to me.

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

-----Original Message-----
From: John H Idzikowski [mailto:idzikoj@uwm.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 9:56 AM
To: hopmoon@milwpc.com
Subject: lake pk

olive s fly this morn working the snags near the warming house

eBird Report - Lake Park - 8/15/09

Lake Park Birders,

See Jym Mooney post from Wis Bird Net below. He's leading the
first Warbler Walk of the fall next weekend.

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

From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] FW: eBird Report - Lake Park - Locust Ravine , 8/15/09
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:03:44 -0500

Ran a preliminary check of Lake Park this morning, in preparation for
the
beginning of our fall Warbler Walks series next Saturday. No
migrants yet.
Most interesting birds were on the lakefront: mute swan, spotted
sandpiper,
great blue heron, and a juvenile hooded merganser.

See you all next Saturday morning at the Lake Park warming house at 8:30
a.m.! More info at http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/
lakeparkbirds.html

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

-----Original Message-----
From: do-not-reply@ebird.org [mailto:do-not-reply@ebird.org]
Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 3:57 PM
To: hopmoon@milwpc.com
Subject: eBird Report - Lake Park - Locust Ravine , 8/15/09

Location: Lake Park - Locust Ravine
Observation date: 8/15/09
Number of species: 22

Canada Goose 36
Mute Swan 1
Mallard 25
Hooded Merganser 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Ring-billed Gull 100
Herring Gull 4
Caspian Tern 15
Chimney Swift 15
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Red-eyed Vireo 6
American Crow 4
Barn Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 8
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Cedar Waxwing 30
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 6
Indigo Bunting 2
American Goldfinch 12

Purple Martin funds and services needed

Lake Park Birders,

Bill Mueller and his assistants need funds to refurbish several
Purple Martin houses that people have donated in response to requests
for unused houses. Money is also needed for the special poles that
can allow the houses to be lowered for cleaning. The houses also
need to be closed up for winter and opened in spring to lessen the
chance for House Sparrows using them. Bill also needs cement for the
footing for the poles and locks to prevent vandals from lowering the
houses during nesting.
Make out checks to "Wisconsin Society for Ornithology" with
"Purple Martin Partners Fund" in the memo line.
Mail checks to: Christine Reel, WSO Treasurer, 2022 Sherryl
Lane, Waukesha, WI 53188-3142.

If you have more time than money, consider helping clean, repair
and paint old houses or helping dig the hole for the footing, mix the
cement, and plumb the base pole upright in the cement. Or you can do
what I did, provide moral support while Bill and others put the
finishing touches on a martin house and get your picture taken with
the crew.
To volunteer contact Bill Mueller, WSO Conservation Chair,
414-698-9108, or iltlawas@earthlink.net.

See photos of some martin houses put up this year in Milwaukee:
- Grobschmidt Park on the south side of Milwaukee:
http://puma-in-wi.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-beginning-for-martins-in-
milwaukee.html
- Lakeshore State Park near Discovery World:
http://puma-in-wi.blogspot.com/2009/05/thanks-to-gentlemen-pictured-
here-for.html
- Wisconsin Humane Society:
http://puma-in-wi.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-potential-puma-site-at-wi-
humane.html

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

Fwd: Swan at Bradford Beach

Lake Park Birders,

Maryanne Niesen saw a Mute Swan at Bradford Beach this week.

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

Begin forwarded message:

From: <dniesen4@wi.rr.com>
Date: August 13, 2009 10:01:32 AM CDT
To: Paul Hunter <phunter1@wi.rr.com>

Please feel free to pass the info. on to others.
I saw the swan again on Wednesday.
Maryanne
---- Paul Hunter <phunter1@wi.rr.com> wrote:
Maryanne,

No one else has reported this, but this would be about the time
for the invasive, non-native Mute Swans to be disbursing from the
inland lakes. They are regularly in the lake south of South Shore
Park through the winter.
Is it okay for me to post your sighting to the rest of the Lake
Park Birders?

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

On Aug 12, 2009, at 9:00 AM, <dniesen4@wi.rr.com> wrote:

Hi Paul,
On Monday and Tuesday my husband and I observed a swan (mute?) just
north of Bradford Beach near the lake shore. We also saw a lone
goose (snow?) in the same area. Has anyone else reported this?
Maryanne Niesen

Re: chimney swift mid-afternoon swirling

Lake Park Birders,

The Chimney Swift experts in Texas replied about some
interesting behavior that Lenore Lee observed here in Milwaukee.

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

On Aug 11, 2009, at 10:20 AM, Paul D. and Georgean Kyle wrote:

Paul,

You may be seeing swifts arriving from more northern breeding
grounds. They are probably flying low to check out potential
roosting sites. We will see that behavior here in a few weeks.

Best Regards,

Paul and Georgean

Paul D. and Georgean Z. Kyle
Driftwood Wildlife Association
1206 West 38th, Suite 1105
Austin, Texas 78705

Visit our web site:
www.chimneyswifts.org

We Support the Travis Audubon Society
"Inspiring Conservation Through Birding"
www.travisaudubon.org
----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Hunter" <phunter1@wi.rr.com>
To: "Paul and Georgean Kyle" <dwa@austin.rr.com>
Cc: "Lenore Lee" <lenorelef@yahoo.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 09, 2009 1:05 PM
Subject: chimney swift mid-afternoon swirling

> Paul and Georgean Kyle,
>
> A friend here in Milwaukee noted 200 swifts swirling in the mid-
> afternoon. I have never seen or read about that. Any thoughts?
>
> --- Paul Hunter
> http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
> =====================================================
>
> On Aug 9, 2009, at 9:31 AM, Lenore Lee wrote:
>
> So would you call it swarming behavior!? It was very powerful.
> There are several chimneys on the high rise buildings, but it
> didn't seem as if they were entering them, just flying in a vast
> swift mass.
>
> Thx,
>
> Lenore Lee
>
> You get out of life what you put into it.
>
> --- On Sat, 8/8/09, Paul Hunter <phunter1@wi.rr.com> wrote:
>
> From: Paul Hunter <phunter1@wi.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: chimney swift count, 8/7, Shorewood Wisconsin
> To: "Lenore Lee" <lenorelef@yahoo.com>
> Date: Saturday, August 8, 2009, 1:28 PM
>
> Interesting. That seems way too early to be roosting behavior.
> Check out your neighborhood for old big tall chimneys often in
> alleys with no cap or cage blocking them. Then go back to those
> chimneys a half hour before sunset in late August and early
> September.
>
> --- Paul Hunter
> http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
> =====================================================
>
> On Aug 8, 2009, at 9:53 AM, Lenore Lee wrote:
>
> I live on Farwell and Brady. At about 1 pm on Friday, I saw over
> 200 chimney swifts between Farwell and Prospect. They continued to
> circle, in diminishing numbers until after 2:00. Is this normal?
>
> Lenore Lee

chimney swift count, 8/9, Shorewood Wisconsin

Lake Park Birders,

About nine of us counted swifts in Shorewood, Wisconsin
tonight. We got about the same results as Carol Johnstone did on 8/7.

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

Number of swifts counted: 150-200
Time (and time zone): 7:40 - 8:10 PM, Central
Date: 8/9/09
Location: St. Robert's parking lot
Address, city, state/province: Corner of Capitol Dr and Maryland Ave
in Shorewood, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Broad description of the site: School (abandoned incinerator)
Weather conditions may also be reported.: Cold front with
thunderstorms pasted through at about 6 PM. Partly sunny with light
wind by counting time.

Re: Joy versus Science? Birding versus volunteering?

Fellow Wisconsin Birders:

See my thoughts below on "Joy versus Science? Birding versus
volunteering?", the topic that Jon Motquin and Al Schirmacher
discussed on the Wis Bird Net listserv recently.

--- Paul Hunter, Milwaukee County
---------------

Volunteers experiencing joy sustains citizen science. Every
volunteer has his or her own path to the joy of birding. Successful
research must "pay" volunteers by fostering that sense of joy.

The joy of the pursuit and "collection" of new species began for me
at age five in the Everglades, but by age eighteen (without a
listserv or ability to chase rare species) that drive to pursue and
collect became a frustration. The compulsion to identify every bird
I see or hear waned but never disappeared.

Ten years ago, with some changes in my career, I sought to rediscover
my childhood joy. Better optics, field guides, and access to
transportation made pursuit and collection less frustrating.
However, I found joy in understanding the lives of birds around me
and sharing that with others around me by organizing birding events
at Lake Park in Milwaukee and listing birding events in southeastern
Wisconsin.

A few years ago, my deep personal connection to southern Adams County
inspired me to heed the calls of Bob Domagalski and others to explore
coordinating a Christmas Bird Count. With the crucial support of Jym
Mooney and Bill Mueller, I picked a circle center and dived in.
While seeing a Golden Eagle or Pileated Woodpecker while tramping
through a beautiful landscape is a joy, I get more pleasure seeing
our small group of counters share their joys at lunch on count day.
I also get a deep pleasure from the connection with birders all over
the western hemisphere working together to compile the knowledge
needed to protect birds.

These joys of personal connection to the land, pursuit of interesting
species, socialization, and conservation are a package for me. None
by itself would sustain my continued efforts in coordinating the
Friendship CBC.

--- Paul Hunter
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/FriendshipCBC.html
8/2/09
=====================================================

----------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2009
Subject: [wisb] Re: Joy versus Science? Birding versus volunteering?

For me, the answer is simple and two-fold. First, volunteering at
any level or cause is a noble act. For many of us, we are called to
service through altruism and or faith. Second, field studies are the
backbone of my career: planning and policy. Without adequate data,
my professional efforts are complete in vain. ....

Jon Motquin
Freedom, WI

---- Pastor Al Schirmacher <pastoral@princetonfreechurch.net> wrote:

Joy versus Science? Birding versus volunteering?

Would welcome discussion, particularly if others have experienced this
tension.

Have spent 16 years birding (and hiking), frankly, for the joy of the
experience. Joy is meant to be shared, so I also became involved in
leading
field trips the last four years. ...

This year had a number of opportunities to become involved in
breeding bird
surveys, point counts and administrative activities. ... saying "no"
was expedient - but, as I've reflected, the schedule was not the real
reason.

Rather, ... on-going structured commitments, focusing on data
gathering ... might drain the joy, turning birding into a job, even a
drudgery, a "have to". ...

Many of you volunteer or serve in paid birding roles - from BBS/point
counts
to conservation activities to MOU board work to Christmas Count
coordination
to whatever - how do you maintain the joy, the passion while doing so?

Al Schirmacher
Princeton, MN
Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties