Lake Park Birders,
A dozen or more birders enjoyed the bright, breezy, and balmy weather today on the next to last Duck Watch starting at Lake Park in Milwaukee. Two of the most exciting sightings were at Lake Park.
A large, very white gull flew by within 50 meters of the Lake Michigan shoreline just north of Bradford Beach. Sunlight shone through its primaries. Later we saw it about 150 meters out briefly alighting next to somewhat smaller Herring Gulls. Ron Gutschow, Jym Mooney, Todd Wilson, Judith Huf and I agreed that it was a Glaucous Gull, 1st year.
Shortly later Jym Mooney saw a very large, dark raptor 200 meters or so south us being chasing by a few gulls. We followed it briefly as it flew west over Bradford Beach out of sight behind the Wahl St bluff. Before it disappear we noted the white tail and black back of an adult Bald Eagle.
Another exciting bird was a pugnacious Peregrine Falcon at South Shore Yacht Club. It had the audacity to stoop at a gull and flushed a couple hundred diving ducks just beyond the breakwall. Its heavy streaking showed it to be an immature bird.
But wait, this was supposed to be a DUCK Watch, not a gull and raptor watch. Well, just the usual suspects appeared: Mallards, Black Ducks at South Shore, Scaup, Goldeneyes, and Mergansers. A couple Redheads and a male Hooded Merganser provided some color. Todd Wilson saw a Long-tailed Duck at the harbor entrance. John Idzikowski saw Kumlein's Iceland Gulls at the Art Museum. No Scoters. No Harlequin Ducks. Also No Snowy Owls.
A dozen male Robins, apparently seeking to add some protein to their winter diet of berries, strutted and listened on patches of grass at Lake Park, but we doubted they heard any earthworms wiggling in the still frozen turf.
--- Paul Hunter,
=====================================================
Lake Park Duck Watch, 2/7/09
12 birders, 50 degrees Fahrenheit,
Winds 15 mph from SouthWest, Sunny
Bradford Beach - North Point
11 AM to Noon
Canada Goose 30
Mallard 12
Redhead 2
Greater Scaup 100
Lesser Scaup 2
Bufflehead 30
Common Goldeneye 200
Common Merganser 10
Red-breasted Merganser 6
Bald Eagle 1
Ring-billed Gull 3
Herring Gull 12
Glaucous Gull 1
American Robin 12
South Shore Yacht Club
12:10 PM to 12:30 PM
Canada Goose 20
American Black Duck 3
Mallard 40
Greater Scaup 30
Lesser Scaup 2
Common Goldeneye 20
Hooded Merganser 1
Common Merganser 6
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Peregrine Falcon 1
- Stooped on gull. Dark moustache.
- Heavily streaked. Immature.
Herring Gull 40
Rock Pigeon 40
Ferry Dock
12:35 PM to 12:45 PM
Greater Scaup 50
Bufflehead 10
Common Goldeneye 30
Common Merganser 16
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Herring Gull 20
Petroleum Pier
12:50 PM to 1 PM
Greater Scaup 500
Bufflehead 20
Common Goldeneye 500
Common Merganser 20
Red-breasted Merganser 4
Milwaukee Art Museum
1:15 PM to 1:30 PM
Canada Goose 20
Mallard 10
Greater Scaup 50
Common Goldeneye 100
Red-breasted Merganser 4
Ring-billed Gull 30
Herring Gull 300
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment