2010 Oct 23 Harlequin FoxSparrow

Lake Park birders,

See the messages below which I am forwarding from
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WISC.html
Wis Bird Net .

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

Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2010 09:01:48 -0500
From: Todd Wilson <maxpaul@earthlink.net>
Subject: [wisb] Harlequin Ducks, North Point, Milwaukee

A little before 8 this morning I found 2 female Harlequins a short
distance off of the rocks at North Point. I watched them through my
scope for about 5 minutes and then they took off, flying south, past the
North Point parking lot.
Other waterfowl present:
Canada Goose
Mallard
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead

Also a slightly late Blackpoll in with a small flock of yellow-rumps
working the trees by the soccer field.

Todd Wilson
Milwaukee Co.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:22:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Goodman <goodman4835@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: [wisb] Fw: eBird Report - Lake Park - Locust Ravine/
general , 10/23/10

Mike Goodman-- very nice day with the rain
Finches & B.Birds seen at golf course
Location: Lake Park - Locust Ravine/general
Observation date: 10/23/10
Number of species: 21

Ring-billed Gull 5
Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 4
Brown Creeper 1
Eastern Bluebird 3
Hermit Thrush 3
American Robin 10
Cedar Waxwing 45
Fox Sparrow (Red) 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 10
Northern Cardinal 1
Purple Finch 4
House Finch 4
American Goldfinch 3
House Sparrow 6

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

2010 Oct 27 28 Franklin Lincoln BlackBack

Lake Park birders,

See the messages below which I am forwarding from
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WISC.html
Wis Bird Net .

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
=====================================================
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:28:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Milwaukee lakefront, 10/27 - Franklin's Gull

Just wanted to quickly report my big highlight of the day today:
Franklin's Gull. If you know the area north of Bradford Beach where
the algae mats are, this bird was a little farther north of that. It
was hanging out near shore with quite a few Herring and Ring-billed
Gulls.

I'll post something later about a couple of other new BIGBY birds I
saw over the course of the day.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee
------------------------------

From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] Northpoint, Milwaukee 10/28
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:10:46 -0500

Checked the Lake Michigan shoreline between Bradford Beach and the
sewage
treatment plant this afternoon. Nothing fabulously rare, but still fun.
Had a flight of a dozen snow buntings, plus single fox, savannah, and
Lincoln's sparrows and a few juncos and American tree sparrows.
Gadwalls,
greater scaup, buffleheads, and a single ruddy duck on the water. No
unusual gulls. A purple finch and five tree swallows flew over.
There was
also a marsh wren skulking in the rocks!

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

------------------------------
From: Peter Lor <peterjlor@gmail.com>
Date: October 28, 2010 10:26:27 PM CDT
To: Paul Hunter <phunter1@wi.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Duck Watch rescheduled to FRIDAY 10/29, 10-noon; rare
vagrants likely this week?
Reply-To: PeterJLor@gmail.com

Hi Paul

No problem. Because of the rain I think I was the only birder to
pitch. While I was there a man and a boy arrived to look at birds,
but he seemed surprised when I approached him and was apparently not
aware of the Duck Watch. They left after about 10 minutes. It was
raining so I stayed only about 20 minutes. During that time I saw:

Double-crested Cormorant: 1 (or 2)
Mallard +- 10
Greater Scaup +- 20
Bufflehead 4
Herring Gull 1
Ring-billed Gull +1 15
Greater Black-backed Gull (1st year) 1 (identified not by me but by
the other person, who seemed knowledgeable about gulls)
American Crow 7-8

There were other ducks out on the lake, but too far for me to
identify. I need to invest in a scope...

Peter

Duck Watch Report 2010 Oct 29

Due to my schedule and the possibility of rare vagrants blown to the
shore of Lake Michigan by the high winds on October 26-28, I
rescheduled the Duck Watch starting in Lake Park from Saturday,
October 23, 2010 to Friday, October 29 from 10 AM to noon. The
weather was too pleasant (sunny, calm) for ducks, but seven of us
birders enjoyed it.

Shortly after scoping the Gadwalls and Buffleheads near the shore of
Lake Michigan just north of Bradford Beach, a small flock of swallows
caught our eye. We pointed our binoculars up at the tops of the
trees on the bluff in Lake Park and struggled to follow their weaving
flight. Buff rumps on two individuals got our hearts racing with the
possibility of Cave Swallows, but we never got a good enough look to
see the throats or foreheads. Chasing the swallows up the bluff
through Waterfall Ravine to the Wolcott statue, we got a few better
looks a the Barn Swallows and a Fox and Tree Sparrow and the feeder
as we sat on my parents' memorial bench.

Moving on to east side of Juneau Lagoon, we saw a sleepy Redhead
among Canada Geese of various sizes. Thanks to Dennis Gustafson's
experienced eye, three of us saw a Cackling Goose for the first time.

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
---------
Lake Park Duck Watches: Saturdays 11AM - 1PM
Fall 2010: Oct 23 (Rescheduled), Nov 13, Dec 4
Gather EAST of Lincoln Memorial Dr, north of Bradford Beach.
=====================================================
Location: Bradford Beach - North Point
Observation date: 10/29/10
Notes: Unknown swallow of the genus Petrochelidon (Cave or Cliff).
Dennis Gustafson saw Common Loon and Bonaparte Gulls while rest of us
walked up to Wolcott Statue to pursue the swallows.
Number of species: 7

Gadwall - Anas strepera 38
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 16
Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola 45
Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 2
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 20
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 1
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 5
swallow sp. - Hirundinidae sp. 2

----------------------------------------------

Location: Lake Park--Wolcott Statue & Golf Course
Observation date: 10/29/10
Notes: Lake Park Duck Watch
Number of species: 15

Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 2
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 4
Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 3
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 3
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet - Regulus satrapa 6
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) - Dendroica coronata coronata 2
American Tree Sparrow - Spizella arborea 1
Fox Sparrow (Red) - Passerella iliaca iliaca/zaboria 1
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 1
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 3
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus 8

----------------------------------------------

Location: Juneau Lagoon
Observation date: 10/29/10
Notes: Lake Park Duck Watch. Dennis Gustafson found the Cackling
Goose, which was a lifer for Peter Lor, Suzy Holstein and me.
Number of species: 16

Cackling Goose - Branta hutchinsii 1
Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 350
American Black Duck - Anas rubripes 8
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 24
Redhead - Aythya americana 1
Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii 1
American Coot - Fulica americana 2
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 12
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 2
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 4
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet - Regulus satrapa 2
Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus 1
Fox Sparrow (Red) - Passerella iliaca iliaca/zaboria 2
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 5
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 2

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

==================
Subject: Northpoint, Milwaukee 10/28
From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon AT milwpc.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2010

Checked the Lake Michigan shoreline between Bradford Beach and the
sewage treatment plant this afternoon. Nothing fabulously rare, but
still fun. Had a flight of a dozen snow buntings, plus single fox,
savannah, and Lincoln's sparrows and a few juncos and American tree
sparrows. Gadwalls, greater scaup, buffleheads, and a single ruddy
duck on the water. No unusual gulls. A purple finch and five tree
swallows flew over. There was also a marsh wren skulking in the
rocks! Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

Lapland Rusty Field 2010 10 03 07

Lake Park birders,

See the messages below which I am forwarding from
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WISC.html
Wis Bird Net and eBird alerts.

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================
Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) (1)
- Reported Oct 06, 2010 07:55 by Dennis Gustafson
- Lake Park (general), Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) (1)
- Reported Oct 07, 2010 by Chris Petherick
- Bradford Beach--North Point, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
----------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 17:26:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Milwaukee lakefront, 10/2-10/4 - Three new BIGBY
species, plus

... * Field Sparrow. BIGBY #147. In Lake Park today, near the North
Point lighthouse.

* Gulls in a hackberry tree, eating hackberries. Today. South end of
Bradford Beach. I've never seen a gull perched in a tree before. But
three of them were awkwardly balancing themselves in a smallish
hackberry tree and dining on the berries.

* Golden-crowned Kinglets. Everywhere, from Veterans Park to Lake Park.

* Palm Warblers. All over the place at North Point (north of Bradford
Beach). In fact, they were the only species near the North Point
algae mats. No gulls. No shorebirds. No Harlequin Duck. Heck, not
even any algae mats.

* Dark-eyed Juncos. Many in Lake Park. One flock had 50+ birds.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

------------------------------
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) (1)
- Reported Oct 03, 2010 by Chris Petherick
- Bradford Beach--North Point, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Scoters Harlequin 2010 Oct 3 Mooney

Lake Park birders,

See the messages below which I am forwarding from
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WISC.html
Wis Bird Net .

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================
From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] Lake Park, Milwaukee 10/3 - Surf Scoters, Harlequin
Duck, Lapla
Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2010 19:54:00 -0500

This evening I spotted a group of nine Surf Scoters on the lake just
north
of Bradford Beach. I also found the Harlequin Duck which was reported
yesterday. It was swimming just ten feet offshore along the rocks
north of
Bradford Beach. The face is largely off-white, which leads me to
think that
this is a juvenile bird.

This morning Todd Wilson and I found a Lapland Longspur between the
rocks
and the soccer field.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

Harlequin Lapland Rusty 2010 Oct 1 3

Lake Park birders,

See the messages from
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WISC.html
Wis Bird Net that I am forwarding below.

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
=====================================================
From eBird alerts:
Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) (1)
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) (2)
- Reported Oct 03, 2010 06:30 by Todd Wilson
- Reported Oct 03, 2010 07:00 by Jym Mooney
- Bradford Beach--North Point, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

============

Subject: Fw: eBird Report - Bradford Beach - North Point , 10/2/10
From: Mike Goodman <goodman4835 AT sbcglobal.net>
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2010 11:15:12 -0700 (PDT)

Michael Goodman-South Milwaukee

Location: Bradford Beach - North Point
Observation date: 10/2/10
Notes: Harlequin- female along shoreline across from soccer field
Number of species: 5

Harlequin Duck 1
Ring-billed Gull 75
Herring Gull 10
American Crow 1
American Goldfinch 1

-----------------
Subject: View from my Lake Park sparrow spot
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2 AT yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 1 Oct 2010

At the very southern tip of Milwaukee's Lake Park there's a bluff
filled with foxtails.

I've been checking this spot on a regular basis during migration,
with fairly decent results: White-throated, White-crowned, Savannah,
Song, Swamp, and Lincoln's (only one of the latter). It can be a
challenging spot since you're looking down a steep hill...it's not
like checking out a level plot of grasses. Sometimes there's nothing.
Other times you can hear the darned birds chirping down in the
foxtails, but you never really see anything. But every now and then
patience pays off.

Anyway, the other day I was trying to get a visual of some chirping
birds and I looked up and was struck by how beautiful this spot can
be. Funny how sometimes we can be focusing on the small details of
birding and miss the big picture.

Here's a photo I took with my cell phone: http://bit.ly/cyc3xS

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

Mooney 2010 Sept 26

Lake Park birders,

See the messages from
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WISC.html
Wis Bird Net that I am forwarding below.

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

From: "Jym Mooney" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] Lake Park, Milwaukee 9/26
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2010 12:41:43 -0500

It was a fabulous morning in Lake Park today. Highlights included 19
Sanderlings, a flock of 10 American Pipits on the field by the old
running
track, a Gray-Cheeked Thrush, Ovenbird, Golden-Winged, Black-Throated
Blue,
and Myrtle Warblers, at least three (and possibly four or five) Winter
Wrens, and a nice selection of sparrows: White-Throated (many),
White-Crowned, Harris's, Lincoln's, and Savannah.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

Scoters Passerine 2010 Sept 13 16

Lake Park birders,

See the messages from
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WISC.html
Wis Bird Net that I am forwarding 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
Fall 2010: Aug 21, Aug 28, Sept 4, Sept 11, Sept 18, Sept 25
Meet at the Warming House on the north end of the park.
=====================================================

From: steven lubahn <stevenlubahn@wi.rr.com>
Subject: [wisb] White-wing scoters- Milwaukee
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:35:23 -0500

Despite the distance, I am confident there were 20 White-wing Scoters
off of Bradford beach yesterday. This seems a bit early.

Steve Lubahn
Cudahy
------------------------------

Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:57:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Milwaukee lakefront, 9/13 and 9/14 - Nine new BIGBY
species

Spent a lot of time birding in the beautiful Monday and Tuesday
weather. I was out for eight hours yesterday alone, starting at
5:30AM. I located nine new Milwaukee walking BIGBY species, bringing
my 2010 count to 135 species. (What's a BIGBY? See: http://bit.ly/
cn3cbv).

It's kind of funny how sometimes a simple thing can affect you
psychologically. On Monday I saw my first-of-season White-throated
Sparrow hanging out with a mixed flock of birds by the Lake Park
tennis courts. Didn't think anything about it at the time. Yesterday
the WTSPs were all over the place...including a single flock with
30-40 birds, with several singing snippets of their sweetly haunting
songs. The presence of so many winter sparrows made my brain shift
subconsciously into winter mode, and I was cold for the next half
hour or so.

Here are the Monday bird highlights (an especially birdy day):
...

* Lots of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, including one who burst into song
by the North Point Lighthouse.

* Six thrush species in Lake Park: Hermit, Wood (BIGBY #127),
Swainson's, Gray-cheeked, Robin and Bluebird).

* Five woodpecker species in Lake Park: Flicker, Sapsucker, Downy,
Hairy, Red-bellied.* Both nuthatch species, including 3-4 Red-
breasted. I don't know why it is, but when I see my first RBNU
migrants in the fall, my gut reaction is "chickadee". Maybe it's the
black and white pattern on the head. Then, a couple of seconds later,
it registers in the old brain.

* Fifteen warbler species. No new BIGBY species, but fun none the
less. This is the most warbler species I've ever had in one outing.
Most were in a flock by the Lake Park tennis courts: Cape May,
Tennessee, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Palm, Bay-
breasted, Black and White, Redstart, Yellow-rumped, Nashville,
Blackburnian, Wilson's, Pine, and Common Yellowthroat.

* Blue Jay. Only the third one I've encountered in my six weeks
birding the lakefront.

* Turkey Vulture. Milwaukee walking BIGBY species #128, high overhead.

* Ruby-crowned Kinglet. BIGBY #129. Lake Park.

* White-throated Sparrow. BIGBY #130. One in Lake Park Monday.
Everywhere on Tuesday.

* Lincoln's Sparrow. BIGBY #131. South end of Lake Park, where the
upper part of the lake bluff is thick with foxtails.

And here are Tuesday's highlights:

* Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. BIGBY #132. Lake Park. As my Peterson's
says: "a wash of yellow from throat to belly." Eye ring had a slight
yellowish tint as well.

* Brown Thrasher. BIGBY #133. Flew by as I looked for sparrows in the
foxtails at the south tip of Lake Park.
...
Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

Warbler Walk Report 2010 Sept 11

Lake Park birders,

See the report of the Warbler Walk 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
Fall 2010: Aug 21, Aug 28, Sept 4, Sept 11, Sept 18, Sept 25
Meet at the Warming House on the north end of the park.
=====================================================
A soggy group of 5 birders tolerated a slowly increasing drizzle for
about an hour as we shuffled around the rim of Locust Ravine between
the wooden and iron bridges. Unfortunately we saw no warblers, but
we did see a few hummingbirds and white-throated sparrows. Jym
Mooney boosted the species total with his pre-walk survey of northern
Bradford Beach and shorebirds he saw there.

Location: Lake Park - Locust Ravine
Observation date: 9/11/10
Number of species: 23

Mallard 5
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Semipalmated Plover 4
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Sanderling 16
Ring-billed Gull 40
Herring Gull 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Black-capped Chickadee 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
House Wren 1
Swainson's Thrush 1
American Robin 1
Cedar Waxwing 5
Chipping Sparrow 4
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 1
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 2

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

Sloan 2010 Sept 8 and 9

Lake Park birders,

See the messages from
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WISC.html
Wis Bird Net that I am forwarding below.

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

Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:17:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>

Here are the highlights from Wednesday, September 8:

* Savannah Sparrow. BIGBY #122. Saw it in a sandy patch of tall
native grasses and wildflowers at the north end of Bradford Beach. I
had seen some movement when I first got there, so I stood there
patiently for about 20 minutes and eventually the bird came into view
for a bit.

* Lots of Chimney Swifts above the Lake Park bluffs. Maybe as many as
1,000. I was down below the bluffs and had a vantage point where I
could pretty much see the whole stretch of Lake Park bluffs from
North Avenue to Kenwood. The swifts were swarming like crazy. I'm
guessing that the trees at the top of the bluffs are the first to be
warmed by the morning sunlight and the insects are most abundant
there in the early morning. After a half hour or so they were pretty
much gone. Next day I saw one bird.

* There were also about 12-15 Barn Swallows over the rugby field at
North Point. Haven't seen any since.

* While watching the swifts and swallows, some movement out over the
lake caught my eye. Adult Bald Eagle, headed in a southerly
direction. BIGBY species #123.

* Lake Park was pretty active with warblers (no new BIGBYs) and quite
a few migrating Northern Flickers. Also had a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Here are the highlights from Thursday, September 9:

* Watched two Sanderlings fight on the North Point algae mat. Never
seen Sanderlings have an argument before. They would stand toe-to-toe
and flap their wings, chest-bumping and vocalizing agitatedly. They
did this several times. Each time the bird to my right would
eventually back down. Must have been some choice tasty morsels on
that stinky spot of algae.

* Hermit Thrush. BIGBY #125. In a Lake Park ravine.
* Gray-cheeked Thrush. BIGBY #126. In a Lake Park ravine.

And two non-nature highlights:

* On Wednesday I walked past the old Edmund Fitzgerald house just
north of Lake Park. The ship in Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 song "The
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" was named after the guy who once
lived in this house.

* On Thursday in Lake Park I stumbled onto the opening ceremonies of
the lawn bowling "North American Challenge", pitting the best lawn
bowlers of the U.S. against their Canadian counterparts. They even
had a bagpiper. I think that was the first time I've ever been
serenaded by bagpipes while birding. :-) If you're curious about this
event, see: http://bit.ly/cAvWsE.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

Lake Park birds 9/3 - 9/7

Lake Park birders,

See the messages from
http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/WISC.html
Wis Bird Net that I am forwarding below.

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

Date: Tue, 7 Sep 2010 14:23:11 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Milwaukee, Labor Day weekend - Osprey, Peregrine
Pair, 7 new BI

... I started out the extended Labor Day weekend on Friday, with a
trip to Lake Park. Not much activity at the North Point algae mats
(couple of Semipalmated Plovers and Sanderlings), but I picked up
four new BIGBY species up on the bluff in Lake Park:

* Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Milwaukee walking BIGBY species #114.
* Orange-crowned Warbler. BIGBY #115.
* Scarlet Tanager. BIGBY #116.
* Eastern Towhee. BIGBY #117.

... I made a trip to Lake Park early this morning. The wind was
starting to pick up, so it was hard to find birds. But there were a
few interesting things, including BIGBY species #120. The highlights:

* The North Point algae mats were in fine shape. Lots of gulls...150
+. Lots of shorebirds...40+ birds. But nothing new: Sanderlings,
Spotted Sandpipers, and Semipalmated Sandpipers and Semipalmated
Plovers.
* I'd seen only a couple of Barn Swallows over the past several days.
But this morning there were 12-15 foraging over the grassy area just
south of the water filtration plant.
* Maybe 150 Chimney Swifts flying around above the bluff.
* BIGBY species #120 (Veery). I was at the top of the bluff and some
brief motion caught my attention in the woods. I waited for a bit. My
patience paid off.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

------------------------------

From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2010

... this evening a group of 10-11 Sanderlings remained on the algae
mat on
the rocks north of Bradford Beach, along with a couple of Semi-Palmated
Plovers (all of which I had first seen early this morning). Early this
morning I also had three Baird's and one Least Sandpiper on Bradford
Beach,
with three more SP Plovers.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

------------------------------

From: "Mike Duchek" <mikeduchek@hotmail.com>
Subject: [wisb] Re: Lake park Milwaukee (ID help?)
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2010 16:20:50 -0500

For anyone who was wondering, 1-5 were magnolia (mostly the same
bird), 6-7 blackpoll (should have looked at the feet) and Nashville
(I read they should have a white throat but maybe just not visible in
this one).
Thanks again,

-Mike Duchek, Waukesha, Waukesha Co.

------------------------------
From: Paul Sparks
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 4:02 PM
To: mikeduchek@hotmail.com
Cc: wisbirdn@freelists.org
Subject: Re: [wisb] Lake park Milwaukee (ID help?)

I didn't leave right away, instead I walked down to the bridge near
Lake Park Bistro and didn't have too much luck. I saw pretty much the
same birds as Mike. Although while watching a Redstart try to eat a
rather large insect I saw a Great Crested Flycatcher try to swoop in
an steal it. He was unsuccessful. There was plenty of activity but
like Mike said, not a lot of light. I haven't looked at my photos yet
but I don't think there's anything remarkable. Maybe tomorrow will be
better with the sun.

Paul Sparks
Glendale, Milwaukee County

------------------------------
On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 1:33 PM, Mike Duchek <mikeduchek@hotmail.com>
wrote:

I went to lake park in Milwaukee this morning from about
9:30-11:30 AM. Had never been there much before so I was kind of
exploring. I picked a crappy day though. The weather started out
promising with a little sun at one point, but it got progressively
cloudier and windier with big gusts at times. Still a lot of birds,
but made things a lot more difficult both for visibility and taking
photos.
Went down into the ravine trail where I saw Paul Sparks. He went
to try to photograph up above but I think he must have left shortly
thereafter as I couldn't find him again. Tons and tons and tons of
redstarts (including 2 adult males, redstarts probably made up 85% of
warblers I saw), some black and whites - I was just a few feet from
one B&W at one point but so dark that could not get a good photo.

Also some I couldn't ID right away though I think I know the
magnolia. See photos, here are my guesses (and I promise I am slowly
getting better at this). You can click view full size to blow these up:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/578511138kEGLDx

1. ??? on left (magnolia?) and magnolia on right?
2-5. same bird - magnolia?
6-7. same bird - bay-breasted?
8. Tennessee? Don't see a supercilium which the guide shows, but
eyering looks complete.

Also at least a couple thrushes (Swainson's for maybe one of
them. Just got a fleeting glance, looked cold/gray with a spotted
collar), numerous hummingbirds in the ravine, ? flycatchers including
at least one pewee (but did not see any yellow-bellied, are the
mystery ones likely least FCs in this location?), and of course the
usual suspects.

If you have crappy weather like I did, I recommend checking out
the little flower garden next to the ravine (between the ravine and
the baseball diamond). It had a better mix than the ravine itself
and some of the warblers seem to feed in there, and there will be a
bit more sun there than in the ravine itself. The ravine was laregly
flycatching redstarts.

-Mike Duchek, Waukesha, Waukesha Co.