Sunday, September 25, 2011

2011 09 24 Warbler Walk #6 Fall - waterspout

Lake Park Birders,

See the message below that I am forwarding from Jym Mooney who lead
the last Warbler Walk of the fall. See you in a month at the first
Duck Watch of "winter".


--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LakeParkBirds/
---
Lake Park Duck Watches: Saturdays 11AM - 1PM
Fall 2011: Oct 22 , Nov 12, Dec 3
Gather EAST of Lincoln Memorial Dr, north of Bradford Beach.
In the second hour, carpools will convoy to nearby birding hotspots.
=====================================================


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

From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] Lake Park Warbler Walk, Milwaukee 9/24
Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2011 11:09:14 -0500

It was a quiet morning in Lake Park today, with eight birders
scouring the
trees and ravines for any signs of movement. We ended with 26 species,
mostly singletons of each. Cooper's Hawk and Gray Catbird gave nice
shows.
We had only five warblers (including a Black-Throated Blue that I found
before the walk started), but the last was a humdinger: a Connecticut
Warbler moved in and out of the brush of the Lighthouse Ravine, allowing
everyone to get a look at it. Three different Eastern Peewees were
sunning
themselves on snags, allowing nice views of this bird that is much more
often heard than seen.

We cut the walk short at 10:00, as a thunderstorm approached from the
south.
We all marveled at a big waterspout that appeared out over the lake just
east of the park.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

------------------------------
Lake Park - Locust Ravine, Milwaukee, US-WI
Sep 24, 2011 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
26 species

Canada Goose 4
Mallard 2
Double-crested Cormorant 12
Cooper's Hawk 1
Ring-billed Gull 30
Chimney Swift 4
Downy Woodpecker 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee 3
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 1
Black-capped Chickadee 12
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Eastern Bluebird 2
Swainson's Thrush 1
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 1
Connecticut Warbler 1
American Redstart 1
Magnolia Warbler 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 4
American Goldfinch 4
House Sparrow 3

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

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

Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:55:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Milwaukee Waterspout!! (photos)

There was a cool waterspout on Lake Michigan off of Milwaukee's
Bradford Beach!! Like a tornado over water!!! Made me completely
forget about birding!! :-)

Here's a nice photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14463444@N07/6178436246/in/photostream

At one point there were two of them. The one on the left is
dissipating, while the one on the right is gaining strength:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14463444@N07/6178438268/in/photostream

There were dozens of people pulling over along Lincoln Memorial Drive
to take photos.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

Sunday, September 18, 2011

2011 09 13 Warblers, Thrushes

Lake Park Birders,

See the message below that I am forwarding from
- the Wisconsin Birding Network, http://www.freelists.org/list/
wisbirdn .


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

=====================================================
From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] Lake Park, Milwaukee 9/13
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:38:18 -0500

Locust Ravine in Lake Park was active late this afternoon, with multiple
Ovenbirds, Swainson's Thrushes, Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, and
Waterthrushes. Two were Northern Waterthrushes, but a third appeared
to be
Louisiana Waterthrush, with an unstreaked throat, broad white
supercilium,
and whitish underparts. Also found Lincoln's Sparrow and Gray-Cheeked
Thrush, and other warblers: Wilson's, Common Yellowthroat, Nashville,
American Redstart, and Magnolia.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

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


Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:09:07 -0500
Subject: [wisb] Nice morning - Lake Park Milwaukee
From: Brian Hansen <rawshooter@gmail.com>

I knew it was going be a good morning when I opened my eyes in bed and
saw warblers in the tree right outside my window. I headed to Lake
Park and it was actually a little quiet at first but found a nice wave
on the west side of the first bridge that is just north of the light
house. Good close looks at quite a variety of warblers - see below.
For those that head to Lake Park, there is a Mulberry tree on the
south side of that bridge on the north east corner of the light house
lawn. It was full of Swainsons, Cedar Waxwings, Robins and Cardinals
pigging out. You can stand 20 feet away and watch them feed. Also
there are two juvenile Coopers Hawks near the lawn bowling. I have
seen or heard them every morning now for a couple of weeks while
walking my dog and they are not people shy at all. They seem to love
to chase each other around and make a lot of noise. One followed my
dog and I for about 200 yards yesterday. It would fly almost right up
to us and land on the nearest branch, then repeat as we walked way.
At one point is was maybe 10 feet over my head while stood there
talking to it. Couldn't get it to come home with us though :)

Photos maybe coming later. Didn't even have a chance to look at them
as I was way late for work.

Brian Hansen
Milwaukee - east side


Lake Park - General, Milwaukee, US-WI
Sep 13, 2011 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
35 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose 20
Cooper's Hawk 3
Ring-billed Gull 3
Mourning Dove 2
Chimney Swift 5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Empidonax sp. 2
American Crow 4
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
House Wren 1
Swainson's Thrush 5
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 2
European Starling 6
Cedar Waxwing 12
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Nashville Warbler 3
American Redstart 8
Cape May Warbler 2
Northern Parula 1
Magnolia Warbler 4
Chestnut-sided Warbler 5
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Palm Warbler 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Wilson's Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 10
Northern Cardinal 4
House Finch 4
American Goldfinch 10
House Sparrow 14

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

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

2011 05 14 Warbler Walk #3 for Spring

Location: Lake Park - Locust Ravine
Observation date: 5/14/11
Notes: Lake Park Warbler Walk #3/6
Number of species: 27

Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 35
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 4
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 5
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 3
House Wren - Troglodytes aedon 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula 4
Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis 1
American Robin - Turdus migratorius 12
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 2
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler - Dendroica pensylvanica 1
Magnolia Warbler - Dendroica magnolia 2
Black-throated Green Warbler - Dendroica virens 3
Blackburnian Warbler - Dendroica fusca 1
Palm Warbler - Dendroica palmarum 3
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 1
American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla 1
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas 5
Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina 12
White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys 4
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 6
Indigo Bunting - Passerina cyanea 2
Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater 12
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus 4
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 8

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

2011 05 21 Warbler Walk #5 of 6 for Spring

Lake Park Birders,

See the list of birds below we saw on 5/21/11.


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


Location: Lake Park - Locust Ravine
Observation date: 5/21/11
Notes: Warbler Walk #5 of 6 for Spring 2011
Number of species: 40

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 1
Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii 2
Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 4
Chimney Swift - Chaetura pelagica 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 2
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 4
Least Flycatcher - Empidonax minimus 1
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 200
Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 4
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 12
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 4
House Wren - Troglodytes aedon 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula 1
Catharus sp. - Catharus sp. 1
Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 1
European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris 6
Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum 3
Nashville Warbler - Oreothlypis ruficapilla 1
Northern Parula - Parula americana 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler - Dendroica pensylvanica 12
Magnolia Warbler - Dendroica magnolia 10
Cape May Warbler - Dendroica tigrina 1
Black-throated Green Warbler - Dendroica virens 2
Blackburnian Warbler - Dendroica fusca 4
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 1
American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla 8
Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas 2
Wilson's Warbler - Wilsonia pusilla 2
Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina 4
Lincoln's Sparrow - Melospiza lincolnii 1
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis 1
White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys 4
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 4
Indigo Bunting - Passerina cyanea 2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 1
Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater 12
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus 7
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 6
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus 4

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

2011 02 12 Duck Watch

Lake Park Birders,

Mike Goodman led this Duck Watch for me. See his checklists below.

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LakeParkBirds/
---

Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 11:41:49 -0800 (PST)
From: Mike Goodman <goodman4835@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: [wisb] Fw: eBird Report - Lakeshore SP/Harbor Island ,
2/12/11/Texas A

Mike Goodman- South Milwaukee

Location: South Shore Marina & Texas av
Observation date: 2/12/11
Notes: Duck watch-Lake Park group
Number of species: 10

Canada Goose 2
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 10
Redhead 4
Greater Scaup 40
Common Goldeneye 50
Hooded Merganser 3
Common Merganser 12
Red-breasted Merganser 8
Herring Gull 8


Location: Lakeshore SP/Harbor Island
Observation date: 2/12/11
Notes: Part of Duck Watch -Lake Park group
Number of species: 10

Canada Goose 20
Mallard 40
Greater Scaup 40
Common Goldeneye 50
Red-breasted Merganser 20
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 70
Thayer's Gull 1
Rock Pigeon 6
American Crow 2


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


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

2011 09 17 Warbler Walk #5 for Fall

Lake Park Birders,

See my report below.

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LakeParkBirds/
---
Warbler Walks at Lake Park, - Saturdays, 8:30 to 10:00 AM
Fall 2011: Aug 20, Aug 27, Sept 3, Sept 10, Sept 17, Sept 24
Meet on the WEST side of the Warming House
near the tennis courts on the north end of the park
=====================================================
14 birders started off as usual near the wooden Rustic Bridge over
Locust Ravine on the northern end of Lake Park. At the feeders a
Savannah Sparrow presented significant challenges in identification.
Several American Redstarts flitted among the leaves flashing all
shades of yellow and orange. A Northern Parula was a challenge, but
confirmed it's identity with one weak song. The foot bridge over
Ravine Road was quiet as were the bushes near the Wolcott statue,
except for a dozen House Sparrows. We had nice looks at a couple
Ruby-throated hummingbirds and an Empidonax flycatcher from the Lion
Bridge over the North Light House Ravine. We tried walking down the
South Light House Ravine for the second time ever, but this time
found very little. No algae mat was present on the shore of Lake
Michigan at North Point, so no sandpipers were present, but we did
notice that at least one Ring-billed Gull was already in its basic
(winter) plumage, with its streaked nape. Walking back up Locust
Ravine yielded a pair of Eastern Wood-Pewees (possibly parent and
young by call and behavior), a skulking Northern Waterthrush, a Black-
throated Green Warbler, a couple more Northern Parulas, a Swainson's
Thrush and a tawny Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
There was a steady easterly breeze off Lake Michigan.
Temperature's rose steadily from mid 50s to low 60s.

Lake Park - Locust Ravine, Milwaukee, US-WI
Sep 17, 2011 8:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Warbler Walk 2011 Fall #5 of 6
31 species (+2 other taxa)

Canada Goose 9
Double-crested Cormorant 6
Ring-billed Gull 45
Herring Gull 10
Chimney Swift 20
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 4
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Empidonax sp. 2
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
House Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
Swainson's Thrush 1
Catharus sp. 1
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Waterthrush 1
Black-and-white Warbler 2
American Redstart 9
Northern Parula 3
Magnolia Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Chipping Sparrow 5
Savannah Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3
American Goldfinch 8
House Sparrow 12

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

2011 09 17 Warblers 10 species

Lake Park Birders,

See the message below that I am forwarding from
- the Wisconsin Birding Network, http://www.freelists.org/list/
wisbirdn .
- eBird Alerts, http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/subscribe-to-
ebird-alerts


--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LakeParkBirds/
=====================================================

Subject: Chimney Swifts Milwaukee County
From: "Tom Wood" <tcwood729 AT wi.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2011

To continue the Chimney Swift discussion, this morning at Lake Park
in Milwaukee there were Chimney Swifts in view until about 11 A.M.
Later I went to Sheridan Park and experienced a similar migration for
about two hours. For a few minutes there were Chimney Swifts that
could be seen in all directions as far as I could see. In the
afternoon it was clear and these birds were spectacular against the
blue sky. It had me wondering, where did they all come from and how
did they all get together?

Warbler migration was slow. I found 16 species at various places
between Shorewood Nature Preserve and Warnimont Park (best spot Lake
Park with 10 species) but they were hard to come by with very few
individuals.

Thomas C. Wood, Menomonee Falls, Waukesha County

2011 09 16 Warblers, Sparrows, Thrushes

Lake Park Birders,

See the message below that I am forwarding from
- the Wisconsin Birding Network, http://www.freelists.org/list/
wisbirdn .

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LakeParkBirds/
=====================================================


Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:05:26 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Lake Park, Milwaukee - New lifer mammal, two new
BIGBY birds, n

After a couple of weeks of (unexpected) fall doldrums, I finally had
a nice day in Milwaukee's Lake Park. Fair number of migrants, two new
birds to add to my 2011 walking BIGBY list, and a new lifer mammal
species.

More highlights:

* The last thing I expected on today's visit to Lake Park was to add
a new mammal to my life list. ... Didn't know there were Red
Squirrels on Milwaukee's eastside. Pretty cool!!

* Gray-cheeked Thrush. Walking BIGBY species #196 for 2011.
* Veery. Walking BIGBY species #197 for 2011.
* Swainson's Thrush
* Hermit Thrush
* Wood Thrush
* Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Three birds.
* Chimney Swifts. Five birds.
* Northern Parula
* Magnolia Warbler
* Yellow-rumped Warbler
* American Redstart. 15-20 individuals.
* Palm Warbler. 4-5 individuals.
* Blue-winged Warbler
* Yellow Warbler
* Wilson's Warbler
* White-throated Sparrow. One immature.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

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

2011 09 04 Turnstone, Peregrine

Begin forwarded message:

From: Paul Hunter <phunter1@wi.rr.com>
Date: September 11, 2011 10:36:01 AM CDT
Subject: Fwd: Milwaukee Birds: 9/4-9/10

Lake Park Birders,


See the message below that I am forwarding from
- the Wisconsin Birding Network, http://www.freelists.org/list/
wisbirdn .

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

Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2011 13:08:21 -0500
Subject: [wisb] Bradford Beach - Milwaukee
From: Tim Hahn <thahnbirder@gmail.com>

A sizable algae mat persists at Bradford Beach in Milwaukee. [Note
from Paul Hunter: The algae mat and shorebirds described herein where
not present on 9/10/11.] In a brief moment there over lunch I found
two Least Sandpipers, two Ruddy Turnstones, and about 25 Sanderlings
along with the gulls. Not a great variety now, but the location
still has good potential, so it warrants frequent monitoring.

Tim Hahn
New Berlin, WI
(Waukesha Cty)

----------------
Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2011 21:29:40 -0500
Subject: [wisb] Bradford Beach North, Milwaukee Lakefront 9/4, some
images
From: Jim Edlhuber <jimedlhuber@gmail.com>

I took a run to Milwaukee's Lakefront this morning. It was a
beautiful day
early. Most species have already been posted today for North of Bradford
Beach where I was at. I did get some images of a Ruddy Turnstone,
Peregrine
Falcon, Spotted Sandpipers, Sanderlings, Semipalmated Plover and I think
Semi and Baird's SP. If I have some ID's incorrect please let me know.

One of the highlights of the day was meeting a couple of groups of the
"Pro-birders" from the Madison area and local area too. Always nice
to have
a face to go with a name.

A link to some of the today's images:
https://picasaweb.google.com/109038919513758014473/
BradfordBeachNorthMilwaukeeLakefront94

Jim Edlhuber
Town of Genesee, Waukesha Co

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

2011 08 27 Stilt Sandpiper

From: Paul Hunter
Date: August 27, 2011 11:40:16 AM CDT
To: wisbirdn@freelists.org
Subject: Milwaukee Lake Park - Stilt Sandpiper

Jym Mooney, Judith Huf, Dennis Casper, and I by consensus and process
of elimination determined that the fairly long-legged, fairly slim
sandpiper probing the muddy lakeside edge of the "algae" mat north of
Bradford Beach this morning was a Stilt Sandpiper. While the legs
were somewhat yellow they weren't quite as long as either Yellowlegs
species in relation to the body. The bill was definitely not
upturned. Judith felt it was slight down-curved. I noticed a dark
wide line above the eyes after Judith pointed it out. It did not
quite have a sewing machine probing action like a dowitcher, but it
was definitely more methodical in its feeding and less nervous than a
Yellowlegs.

According to my "official" checklist of birds seen in Lake Park,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirdcheck.html , the
Stilt Sandpiper is a new species for the park. In fact, I have it on
the "wish list" as of 10/9/2008. If any of you fellow Wisconsin
birders have also seen a Stilt Sandpiper at Lake Park or Bradford
Beach, I would like to add your sightings in a note on the checklist.

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

---
Warbler Walks at Lake Park, - Saturdays, 8:30 to 10:00 AM
Fall 2011: Aug 20, Aug 27, Sept 3, Sept 10, Sept 17, Sept 24
Meet on the WEST side of the Warming House
near the tennis courts on the north end of the park
=====================================================

2011 08 21 Shorebirds & Mourning Warbler

On Aug 22, 2011, at 9:23 PM, Paul Hunter wrote:

Lake Park Birders,

See the message below that I am forwarding from
- the Wisconsin Birding Network, http://www.freelists.org/list/
wisbirdn .


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


[wisb] Shorebirds, Milwaukee 8/21
• From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@xxxxxxxxxx>
• To: "Wisbirdn" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Sun, 21 Aug 2011 11:49:14 -0500

This morning there was a small flock of peeps on Bradford Beach, with
Semi-Palmated Plovers, Semi-Palmated Sandpipers, and a couple of
Baird's Sandpipers. Also had a Spotted Sandpiper on the rocks nearby.

I caught a glimpse of one warbler, a Mourning Warbler, in Locust Ravine.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

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

2011 08 15 Sanderlings

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: Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:03:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Milwaukee Lakefront, 8/15/11 - some migrants

Another beautiful day for birding along Milwaukee's lakefront. I put
in eight miles of walking and came up with a few migrants....

* About 20 Sanderlings working the algae mat just off of the North
Point Snack Bar parking lot just south of Bradford Beach (8/15).
Here's a photo of a half dozen of them: http://bit.ly/rea44p

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

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

2011 08 12 Turkey, Least Sandpiper, Sanderlings

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: Fri, 12 Aug 2011 08:56:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Urban Wild Turkey in Milwaukee (photo)

There was a Wild Turkey foraging in someone's front yard about 7:25
this morning. The bird was near the intersection of Prospect and
Newberry, which is a few blocks from the main entrance to Lake Park.
There have been several turkey sightings in that park this year.

Here's a cell phone photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14463444@N07/6035188767/in/photostream

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

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

From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Date: August 14, 2011 10:23:41 AM CDT
To: "Wisbirdn" <wisbirdn@freelists.org>
Subject: ALERT - possible WESTERN SANDPIPER Bradford Beach, Milwaukee

I have just been observing what I think might be a WESTERN SANDPIPER
at the
Northpoint snack bar, on the south end of Bradford Beach in Milwaukee.
First seen at 0630, and still there when I left at 0930. It has been
consistently hanging tight with a Semi-Palmated Sandpiper. When I
first saw
it, I assumed Least SP, but when I came back after walking around
Lake Park,
I noticed that the bill seemed long and had a droop to it. Closer study
showed that this bird was slightly longer and more robust than the
Semi-Palmated; the bill was longer than the Semi's, thick at the base
and
tapering to a drooped point; legs were not what I would call yellow-
green,
but were paler than Semi's; rufous brightest on crown and upper
scapulars,
but also on edges of the rest of wing and tail feathers; stance was
consistently upright, never crouching like a Least; chin was pale,
breast
slightly dingy but unstreaked and definitely not brown or buffy; and the
side of its neck had dark streaking with a buffy undertone. There
was also
a Spotted Sandpiper in the immediate vicinity, which allowed another
size
comparison, that the possible Western SP was smaller than the Spotty.

The possible Western and the Semi-Palmated often were seen feeding or
resting side by side, frequently on top of a log (best views I have
ever had
of the Semi's partial foot webbing!). They were feeding on a
cladiphora mat
located on the north end of the Northpoint snack bar parking lot, on the
south end of Bradford Beach.

I was able to reach Brian Hansen and he came down and took several
pictures,
which he hopes to get posted tonight.

Good luck to anyone who looks for this bird. I hope that Brian's photos
confirm my tentative ID.

Also seen this morning, a group of nine Sanderlings on the beach, and my
first fall warbler, a Waterthrush (probably Northern, didn't get the
best
look, but the throat appeared streaked) in Locust Ravine in Lake Park

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

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

From: "Tom Prestby" <notification+idcz=oee@facebookmail.com>
Date: August 15, 2011 10:17:22 AM CDT
To: Wisconsin Birding Network <wisbirdn@groups.facebook.com>

I was home for the weekend so I checked on this bird around noon
yesterday. I easily foud the two peeps Jym was refering to and
although light was tough I was able to watch them at a close
distance. The bird didn't seem like a Western to me-- although the
bill is suggestive the overall tones of the body seemed too brown,
the rufous in the scaps (although a little bit is present) didn't
seem strong enough, and the bird didn't seem as long and bulky as a
Western should. I must say that it seemed the same size or even
slightly larger than the Seimpalmated it was with which made things
very confusing. Adding up the structure of the bird, the overall
brown tones and limited rufous pattern, and flesh colored legs, I
would call this a large Least Sandpiper
------------------------------
From: steven lubahn <stevenlubahn@wi.rr.com>
Subject: [wisb] Milwaukee Lakefront
Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:30:36 -0500

Bradford - 7 Sanderlings in the middle of the beach. ...

Steven Lubahn
Cudahy

2011 07 21 Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers

Lake Park birders,

See the message 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: Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:42:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>

* I've seen two shorebirds this week on the algae mats north of
Milwaukee's Bradford Beach: Spotted Sandpiper and Solitary Sandpiper.
Since I haven't seen any shorebirds there this summer, I'm thinking
maybe these guys could be early migrants?

2011 06 22 Turkey, Red-headed Woodpecker

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: Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:43:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Lake Park, Milwaukee, 6/22/11 - Turkey, Red-headed
Woodpecker

I went birding in Lake Park today after the morning rains stopped.
Beautiful weather after a rather gray bout of rainy weather. Ran into
a friendly birder from Washington State and she and I birded together
for a bit.

A few highlights:

* Caught a brief glimpse of a Wild Turkey hen after the Washington
birder and I parted ways near the Warming House. The turkey was in
the same area as my other turkey sightings. Locust Street Ravine,
general vicinity of the iron bridge.

* Saw a Red-headed Woodpecker at the suet feeder by the Wolcott
statue. It was there when I first came to the park, and there again
when I left.

* Saw/heard a Killdeer pass overhead. First one I've seen in awhile.

* Looks like lawn bowling season is underway at Lake Park. :-) See:
http://bit.ly/ma3kyP

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

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

Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 07:56:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Lake Park Wild Turkey this morning

My wife was running in Milwaukee's Lake Park early this AM (5:30) and
spotted a Wild Turkey hen. The bird was on the golf course near Lake
Drive, by the north lighthouse ravine.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

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

Saturday, September 17, 2011

2011 08 29 RED KNOT - Bradford Beach

Lake Park Birders,

See the message below that I am forwarding from
- the Wisconsin Birding Network, http://www.freelists.org/list/
wisbirdn .

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LakeParkBirds/
=====================================================

Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:50:23 -0500
Subject: [wisb] RED KNOT - Bradford Beach - Milwaukee
From: Tim Hahn <thahnbirder@gmail.com>

I took a quick jaunt to Bradford Beach over my lunch break to check for
shorebirds. I didn't anticipate the crowds of people hanging out at the
beach, but I also didn't anticipate that a flock of 75 or so shorebirds
would tolerate these crowds. The south end of the beach, just in
front of
the parking lot of the North Point Snack Bar, has a pretty good algae
mat
going, and the birds were so concentrated on eating that they
couldn't care
less about the people on the beach who were no more than thirty
away. The
flock was made of at least half Sanderlings, with the other half being
mostly peeps (Semipalmated, Least, and Baird's (1) SPs) and Semipalmated
Plovers. Also hanging out with this crowd was one RUDDY TURNSTONE
and one
juvenile RED KNOT. The human crowd was growing throughout the hour
I was
there, so who knows how long the birds will stay in this spot. They
didn't
seem to perturbed by the crowds though, only spooking a couple times, so
perhaps they'll stick around for the grub.
--
Cheers!

Tim Hahn
New Berlin, WI
(Waukesha Cty)

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

From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] Bradford Beach 8/29 - Red Knot, Ruddy Turnstones YES
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:13:07 -0500

I checked the south end of Bradford Beach at 5:30 this evening. Amazing
numbers of shorebirds on the algae mat! I counted at least 85
Sanderlings,
a Baird's SP, plus Semi-Palmated Plovers, Semi-Palmated SPs, the
juvenile
Red Knot, and two Ruddy Turnstones. As reported, all birds are fairly
oblivious to the people enjoying the beachfront.

I checked the rocks north of the beach, where there had been an
extensive
algae mat over the weekend, but it has all been washed away. No
wonder the
shorebirds are all clustered at the south end of the beach today.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

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

Subject: [wisb] Juvenile Red knot @ Bradford beach Milwaukee
From: Carl Schwartz <cschwartz3@wi.rr.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:49:47 -0500

Still there @ 6:45 pm in company of numerous peeps, semiplovers,
sanderlings & 4 turnstones

Carl Schwartz
Fox Point
Milwaukee County
Sent from my iPhone
------------------------------

Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:36:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Bradford Beach, Milwaukee, 8/29/11, AM - Shorebirds
galore!!

I hit Bradford Beach relatively early (for me) this morning, at about
8:30AM. I had the beach pretty much to myself at this time. There
were shorebirds everywhere along the edge of the beach! They were
quite noisy.

As Jym Mooney and Tim Hahn have reported, today there was a really
nice algae mat at the south end of Bradford Beach. On my walk past
the algae mat and northward along the beach I'm estimating there were
at least several hundred shorebirds. I took some photos, but most
didn't turn out very well because of the sun's glare (my camera only
has an LCD viewfinder). But I did manage one sort of blurred shot
that shows 30+ shorebirds on just a small section of the beach. This
shot was taken to the north of the algae mat: http://bit.ly/qGsmIh.
The birds were much thicker on the algae mat to the south.

Most of the birds I saw were Sanderlings, followed by Semi-palmated
Plovers, and Semi-palmated Sandpipers (and other unidentifiable peeps).

Here are the highlights:

* Two Baird's Sandpipers.
* Several Least Sandpipers.
* Several juvenile Ruddy Turnstones. 2011 BIGBY species #183.
* At least two juvenile Red Knots. 2011 BIGBY species #184, and new
life bird!
* At least one Greater Yellowlegs. 2011 BIGBY species #185.
* At least one Lesser Yellowlegs. 2011 BIGBY species #186.

I should mention that a work crew showed up today to clear away the
Bradford Beach algae mat. So I'm not sure how long the mat will be
there (it's kind of a slow process). But I talked to the work crew's
supervisor briefly this AM (he was observing the shorebirds with a
small pair of binoculars), and he mentioned that he hadn't seen that
many shorebirds on Bradford Beach algae mats before.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

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

Sunday, September 11, 2011

2011 09 11 Shorewoord 425 swifts

425 Chimney Swifts dived into the chimney at St Robert's school in
Shorewood on Capitol and Maryland tonight 9/11/11 between 7 and 7:20
PM. They stayed high till shortly before diving in, possibly to
continuing feeding on this warm, calm, clear night with a rising full
moon, possibly partly because of the large crowd of watchers, about
30-40, including the science teacher from the school, the Urban
Ecology educator, their students, and the parents of the students.

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

2011 09 03 Warbler Walk #3 for Fall

Lake Park Birders,

I just realized that I had not sent out a report on the 3rd Warbler
Walk this fall on 9/3/11. See it below.

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LakeParkBirds/
---
Warbler Walks at Lake Park, - Saturdays, 8:30 to 10:00 AM
Fall 2011: Aug 20, Aug 27, Sept 3, Sept 10, Sept 17, Sept 24
Meet on the WEST side of the Warming House
near the tennis courts on the north end of the park
=====================================================
Report on Warbler Walk #3 for Fall 2011
Over a dozen birders enjoyed mild sunny weather and some exciting
sightings. Almost all had very good looks at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
Several also saw a Broad-winged Hawk perched and then flying at the
base of Waterfall Ravine. 12 species of warblers and 2 vireos were
meted out of diligent observation and spirited discussion.

Lake Park - Locust Ravine, Milwaukee, US-WI
Sep 3, 2011 8:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Lake Park Warbler Walk #3 for Fall 2011
42 species

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 25
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 3
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) 1
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 5
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Sanderling (Calidris alba) 26
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 5
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 45
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 6
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) 2
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) 2
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 4
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 3
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) 1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 4
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 4
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 15
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 6
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) 2
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) 1
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 10
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) 2
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 2
Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina) 2
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 1
Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) 1
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) 1
Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) 1
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) 3
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) 1
Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) 4
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) 1
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) 4
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 20
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 3
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) 7
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 7
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 4

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

Saturday, September 10, 2011

2011 09 10 Warbler Walk #4 for Fall

Wisconsin Birders,
About 10 birders, including a few novices, enjoyed a mild sunny
stroll in Lake Park in Milwaukee this morning. After perfecting our
identification of Blackpoll Warblers on 4 cooperative individuals in
a large oak tree between Locust Ravine and the baseball diamond, we
passed the Indian mound on our way to the golf course where we had
nice looks at Palm Warblers, a couple yellow-shafted Northern
Flickers, and an adult, chirping Cooper's Hawk with prey in its talons.
For a change of location, we stopped by the North Point
Lighthouse where we struggled with light and leaves to identify a
Nashville Warbler and yellow American Restarts. For the first time,
I recall for a Warbler Walk, we clambered down the South Light House
Ravine. There we saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird among the jewelweed.
Unfortunately, the rest of the walk (along Lake Michigan at North
Point - north of Bradford Beach, up Waterfall Ravine, past the
Wolcott statue, over the Ravine Road footbridge and back to Locust
Ravine) yielded little. Barry Moerke and a few others saw an
immature Red-headed Woodpecker after the official end of the walk,
the first report I have heard about for the past few months.

--- Paul Hunter
Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://lakeparkbirds.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LakeParkBirds/
---
Warbler Walks at Lake Park, - Saturdays, 8:30 to 10:00 AM
Fall 2011: Aug 20, Aug 27, Sept 3, Sept 10, Sept 17, Sept 24
Meet on the WEST side of the Warming House
near the tennis courts on the north end of the park
=====================================================
Lake Park - Locust Ravine, Milwaukee, US-WI
Sep 10, 2011 8:30 AM - 10:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Warbler Walk, fall 2011 #4 of 6
25 species

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 5
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 3
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) 1
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 4
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 3
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 5
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 15
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 4
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 1
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 4
Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla) 2
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 3
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) 1
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) 8
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) 3
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 10
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 3
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 7
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 14

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