8/21 Warbler Walk at Lake Park in Milwaukee

Report of Warbler Walk on 8/21/10 at Lake Park in Milwaukee
by Paul Hunter

Six birders enjoyed pleasant, dry, sunny conditions and even saw a
few warblers on this first of six Warbler Walks for the autumn of 2010.

For the more intense birders, the small mixed flock of sandpipers on
the northernmost part of Bradford Beach was the highlight. Just
prior to that we ran into a small flurry of activity and the eastern
end of Waterfall Ravine, high in the trees at the base of the bluff.
The Great Crested Flycatcher sat in the open in good light for quite
a while, but a scruffy dull Indigo Bunting and a couple warblers
flitted high among the leaves. The other warblers were scattered
with a couple on the footbridge over Ravine Road and a couple in the
hedge row just south of the Linwood water treatment plant.

A small flock of Eastern Bluebirds fluttered down from the scattered
trees to the lawn south on the rugby field and east of Lincoln
Memorial Drive. A few flocks of Cedar Waxwings whistled in the
treetops as they ate berries and sallied out for flying insects.
Hundreds of Chimney Swifts swirled high above the bluffs during the
whole walk.

We started at the Warming House near the tennis courts at 8:30 AM and
returned there at about 10:30 AM.

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Location: Lake Park
Observation date: 8/21/10
Number of species: 38

Canada Goose 14
Mallard 15
Double-crested Cormorant 8
Spotted Sandpiper 4
Ruddy Turnstone 2 1 in summer plumage, 1 in winter plumage
Sanderling 4
Semipalmated Sandpiper 6
Least Sandpiper 1
Baird's Sandpiper 1
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 8
Caspian Tern 2
Chimney Swift 300
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Empidonax sp. 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Red-eyed Vireo 4
American Crow 3
Barn Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Eastern Bluebird 7
American Robin 20
Gray Catbird 3
Cedar Waxwing 60
Yellow Warbler 2
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 4
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 15
Baltimore Oriole 1
House Finch 6
American Goldfinch 8