Fwd: 5/1/10 Warbler Walk Report

Begin forwarded message:

From: Paul Hunter <phunter1@wi.rr.com>
Date: May 10, 2010 1:49:21 AM CDT
Subject: 5/1/10 Warbler Walk Report

Lake Park birders,

I just realized I didn't send out the report of the 5/1 Warbler
Walk. See below.

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html

Warbler Walks at Lake Park, - Saturdays, 8:30 to 10:00 AM
Spring 2010: April 17 JM, April 24 PH, May 1 DC, May 8 PH, May 15 PH,
May 22 DC
Leaders: PH = Paul Hunter, JM = Jim Mooney, DC = Dennis Casper
=====================================================

Report of Warbler Walk on May 1, 2010
at Lake Park in Milwaukee by Dennis Casper

An amazing 50 (or nearly so) enthusiastic birders turned out on this
glorious May Day to celebrate the holiday in their own joyous
fashion. And May Day did not disappoint. With sunny, bright blue
skies and temperatures in the mid-60's, conditions for birding were
ideal. The large group of birders, led by a somewhat overwhelmed
Dennis Casper, lent able assistance (for which he is extremely
grateful) by Jym Mooney, Judith Huf, Ron Gutschow, Sam Corbo, and
other expert birders, traversed Lake Park from the Rustic Bridge over
Locust St. ravine to the Wolcott Statue area south of the golf
course, wending its way along the Locust St. ravine, across the
pedestrian bridge, and around the Pavilion, to its final destination.
The birds were not, perhaps, as forthcoming or as numerous as they
might have been, and some effort and patience were required to spot
many of the birds that the day produced. But in the end, our efforts
were amazingly successful—our final tabulation registered 62 species!
In many cases, only one or a few individuals of a species were
observed, making it all the more remarkable that we compiled so large
a list. And this list is a compilation—of reports from many sources,
both the many smaller groups into which the large group divided as it
stretched out along its route and a number of individuals (such as
Jym Mooney, Brian Hansen, Judith Huf, and Sam Corbo) who went off on
their own to explore areas of the park to which the main body of
birders did not go. Of the many marvelous sights of the morning,
perhaps the most spectacular and satisfying came at the beginning:
four beautiful Red-headed Woodpeckers busily flying from tree to tree
in the Locust St. ravine. But a close second (in my mind) was the
brilliant orange and black of a Baltimore Oriole high in a treetop
near the good General Wolcott.

Thanks much to all who joined our walk and to all who helped out
(especially Dolores Knopfelmacher, who who opened up the Warming
House, made the coffee, kept track of sightings, and generally made
sure that all was ready for the walk). Lake Park's next Warbler Walk,
the fourth of the season, will be this coming Saturday, May 8,
starting as usual at 8:30 a.m. at the Warming House. All are
welcome. And may the birding be even better!

Birds Observed, May 1, 2010: Total Species=62

2 Canada Goose
2 Mallard
40 Red-breasted Merganser
30 Double-crested Cormorant
1 Cooper's Hawk
1 Peregrine Falcon
1 Piping Plover
1 Spotted Sandpiper
1 Bonaparte's Gull
12 Ring-billed Gull

2 Herring Gull
1 Caspian Tern
3 Mourning Dove
1 Chimney Swift
4 Red-headed Woodpecker
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
6 Downy Woodpecker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Eastern Phoebe
1 Great Crested Flycatcher

1 Eastern Kingbird
1 Warbling Vireo
1 Blue Jay
4 American Crow
1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
12 Black-capped Chickadee
3 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 House Wren
1 Winter Wren
1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

10 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2 Eastern Bluebird
15 American Robin
1 Gray Catbird
1 European Starling
1 Nashville Warbler
1 Yellow Warbler
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
11 Yellow-rumped Warbler
2 Black-throated Green Warbler

7 Palm Warbler
1 Black-and-White Warbler
1 Common Yellowthroat
6 Chipping Sparrow
2 Clay-colored Sparrow
2 Field Sparrow
1 Savannah Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
1 Swamp Sparrow
3 White-throated Sparrow

3 White-crowned Sparrow
5 Northern Cardinal
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
4 Indigo Bunting
24 Red-winged Blackbird
2 Common Grackle
8 Brown-headed Cowbird
1 Baltimore Oriole
1 Purple Finch
2 House Finch

7 American Goldfinch
4 House Sparrow