Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Re: chimney swift mid-afternoon swirling

Lake Park Birders,

The Chimney Swift experts in Texas replied about some
interesting behavior that Lenore Lee observed here in Milwaukee.

--- Paul Hunter
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

On Aug 11, 2009, at 10:20 AM, Paul D. and Georgean Kyle wrote:

Paul,

You may be seeing swifts arriving from more northern breeding
grounds. They are probably flying low to check out potential
roosting sites. We will see that behavior here in a few weeks.

Best Regards,

Paul and Georgean

Paul D. and Georgean Z. Kyle
Driftwood Wildlife Association
1206 West 38th, Suite 1105
Austin, Texas 78705

Visit our web site:
www.chimneyswifts.org

We Support the Travis Audubon Society
"Inspiring Conservation Through Birding"
www.travisaudubon.org
----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Hunter" <phunter1@wi.rr.com>
To: "Paul and Georgean Kyle" <dwa@austin.rr.com>
Cc: "Lenore Lee" <lenorelef@yahoo.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 09, 2009 1:05 PM
Subject: chimney swift mid-afternoon swirling


> Paul and Georgean Kyle,
>
> A friend here in Milwaukee noted 200 swifts swirling in the mid-
> afternoon. I have never seen or read about that. Any thoughts?
>
> --- Paul Hunter
> http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
> =====================================================
>
> On Aug 9, 2009, at 9:31 AM, Lenore Lee wrote:
>
> So would you call it swarming behavior!? It was very powerful.
> There are several chimneys on the high rise buildings, but it
> didn't seem as if they were entering them, just flying in a vast
> swift mass.
>
> Thx,
>
> Lenore Lee
>
> You get out of life what you put into it.
>
> --- On Sat, 8/8/09, Paul Hunter <phunter1@wi.rr.com> wrote:
>
> From: Paul Hunter <phunter1@wi.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: chimney swift count, 8/7, Shorewood Wisconsin
> To: "Lenore Lee" <lenorelef@yahoo.com>
> Date: Saturday, August 8, 2009, 1:28 PM
>
> Interesting. That seems way too early to be roosting behavior.
> Check out your neighborhood for old big tall chimneys often in
> alleys with no cap or cage blocking them. Then go back to those
> chimneys a half hour before sunset in late August and early
> September.
>
> --- Paul Hunter
> http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
> =====================================================
>
> On Aug 8, 2009, at 9:53 AM, Lenore Lee wrote:
>
> I live on Farwell and Brady. At about 1 pm on Friday, I saw over
> 200 chimney swifts between Farwell and Prospect. They continued to
> circle, in diminishing numbers until after 2:00. Is this normal?
>
> Lenore Lee

Sunday, August 9, 2009

chimney swift count, 8/9, Shorewood Wisconsin

Lake Park Birders,

About nine of us counted swifts in Shorewood, Wisconsin
tonight. We got about the same results as Carol Johnstone did on 8/7.

--- Paul Hunter
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

Number of swifts counted: 150-200
Time (and time zone): 7:40 - 8:10 PM, Central
Date: 8/9/09
Location: St. Robert's parking lot
Address, city, state/province: Corner of Capitol Dr and Maryland Ave
in Shorewood, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Broad description of the site: School (abandoned incinerator)
Weather conditions may also be reported.: Cold front with
thunderstorms pasted through at about 6 PM. Partly sunny with light
wind by counting time.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Re: Joy versus Science? Birding versus volunteering?

Fellow Wisconsin Birders:

See my thoughts below on "Joy versus Science? Birding versus
volunteering?", the topic that Jon Motquin and Al Schirmacher
discussed on the Wis Bird Net listserv recently.

--- Paul Hunter, Milwaukee County
---------------

Volunteers experiencing joy sustains citizen science. Every
volunteer has his or her own path to the joy of birding. Successful
research must "pay" volunteers by fostering that sense of joy.

The joy of the pursuit and "collection" of new species began for me
at age five in the Everglades, but by age eighteen (without a
listserv or ability to chase rare species) that drive to pursue and
collect became a frustration. The compulsion to identify every bird
I see or hear waned but never disappeared.

Ten years ago, with some changes in my career, I sought to rediscover
my childhood joy. Better optics, field guides, and access to
transportation made pursuit and collection less frustrating.
However, I found joy in understanding the lives of birds around me
and sharing that with others around me by organizing birding events
at Lake Park in Milwaukee and listing birding events in southeastern
Wisconsin.

A few years ago, my deep personal connection to southern Adams County
inspired me to heed the calls of Bob Domagalski and others to explore
coordinating a Christmas Bird Count. With the crucial support of Jym
Mooney and Bill Mueller, I picked a circle center and dived in.
While seeing a Golden Eagle or Pileated Woodpecker while tramping
through a beautiful landscape is a joy, I get more pleasure seeing
our small group of counters share their joys at lunch on count day.
I also get a deep pleasure from the connection with birders all over
the western hemisphere working together to compile the knowledge
needed to protect birds.

These joys of personal connection to the land, pursuit of interesting
species, socialization, and conservation are a package for me. None
by itself would sustain my continued efforts in coordinating the
Friendship CBC.

--- Paul Hunter
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/FriendshipCBC.html
8/2/09
=====================================================

----------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2009
Subject: [wisb] Re: Joy versus Science? Birding versus volunteering?

For me, the answer is simple and two-fold. First, volunteering at
any level or cause is a noble act. For many of us, we are called to
service through altruism and or faith. Second, field studies are the
backbone of my career: planning and policy. Without adequate data,
my professional efforts are complete in vain. ....

Jon Motquin
Freedom, WI

---- Pastor Al Schirmacher <pastoral@princetonfreechurch.net> wrote:

Joy versus Science? Birding versus volunteering?

Would welcome discussion, particularly if others have experienced this
tension.

Have spent 16 years birding (and hiking), frankly, for the joy of the
experience. Joy is meant to be shared, so I also became involved in
leading
field trips the last four years. ...

This year had a number of opportunities to become involved in
breeding bird
surveys, point counts and administrative activities. ... saying "no"
was expedient - but, as I've reflected, the schedule was not the real
reason.

Rather, ... on-going structured commitments, focusing on data
gathering ... might drain the joy, turning birding into a job, even a
drudgery, a "have to". ...

Many of you volunteer or serve in paid birding roles - from BBS/point
counts
to conservation activities to MOU board work to Christmas Count
coordination
to whatever - how do you maintain the joy, the passion while doing so?

Al Schirmacher
Princeton, MN
Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Lake Park bird sightings 5/22-5/23

Lake Park Birders:

Below is Dennis Casper's summary of the last Warbler Walk of this
spring. Thanks to Dennis Casper and Jym Mooney for splitting the
leadership of Warbler Walks this spring.

Our next event is the first of two Swift Counts at the corner of
Maryland and Capitol Dr in Shorewood on Sunday, August 9, 2009; 7:45
- 8:15 PM. The six Warbler Walks for fall start on Saturday, August
22, 2009 at 8:30 AM. Monthly fall-winter Duck Watches start on
Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 11 AM. The Lake Park Christmas Count
starts at 1PM on Saturday, December 19, 2009. I also organize the
Friendship Christmas Count in southern Adams County. This year it is
on Saturday, January 2, 2010.


--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

From: Dennis J Casper <dcasper@uwm.edu>
Date: May 26, 2009 10:46:03 AM CDT

Lake Park Warbler Walk (#6) May 23, 2009

Twenty birders joined together this morning for the sixth and last
Lake Park Warbler Walk of the 2009 spring season. The day was cool,
cloudy, and damp. It had rained earlier, and there were occasional
sprinkles during the walk. As the strong wind did last week, these
weather conditions led to some low expectations for the quality of
birding we were likely to enjoy. But again as last week, these
expectations were, to our great joy, decisively dashed!

The birding was excellent from the beginning. We began by birding
along the east side of the Locust St. ravine. The trees were alive
with warblers and other birds, so we wound up spending a good bit of
time in this area. When we finally arrived at the old road bridge
over the ravine, the same story was repeated, and we lingered long at
that point. From there, we strolled along the east side of the
ravine to the pedestrian bridge over Ravine Rd. After quite some
time on the bridge, we finally forged on to the Wolcott Statue, with
several stops on the way along the Girl Scout Ravine and the edge of
the golf course. Once more, there was ample bird life to keep us
busy. The walk ended at the statue around 10:30 with eight to ten
highly satisfied birders parting company at that point. Several of
us returned to the Warming House to work up the list for the morning.

Today's was the last Warbler Walk of the current season. Fall
Warbler Walks will begin in late August or early September. Stay tuned!

Thanks to all who joined our walk today.

Dennis Casper


Total Species: 49

1 Mallard
1 Blue-winged Teal
75 Ring-billed Gull
8 Herring Gull
3 Mourning Dove
25 Chimney Swift
1 Red-headed Woodpecker
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Olive-sided Flycatcher
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee

1 Least Flycatcher
1 Warbling Vireo
6 Red-eyed Vireo
25 Blue Jay
3 American Crow
1 Tree Swallow
4 Black-capped Chickadee
3 White-breasted Nutcatch
2 House Wren
4 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

1 Eastern Bluebird
5 Swainson's Thrush
8 American Robin
1 Gray Catbird
1 Northern Mockingbird
1 Tennessee Warbler
4 Chestnut-sided Warbler
20 Magnolia Warbler
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
2 Black-throated Green Warbler

3 Blackburnian Warbler
2 Palm Warbler
1 Bay-breasted Warbler
2 Blackpoll Warbler
2 Black-and-White Warbler
25 American Redstart
1 Common Yellowthroat
20 Wilson's Warbler
15 Canada Warbler
2 Chipping Sparrow

4 Northern Cardinal
5 Indigo Bunting
2 Red-winged Blackbird
3 Common Grackle
6 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 Baltimore Oriole
1 House Finch
1 American Goldfinch
3 House Sparrow

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

From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] Mockingbird, hooded warbler - Lake Park, Milwaukee 5/22
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 16:33:50 -0500

In Lake Park this afternoon, a northern mockingbird was hanging
around the
bowling greens. Two other birders kindly tipped me off to its
presence. I
found a female hooded warbler on the hillside by the bridge on the north
side of the Bistro. Other warblers - Canada, magnolia, Wilson's, and
redstarts are still easily found. I saw one mourning warbler as well.

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

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

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Lake Park bird sightings 5/12- 16

Lake Park Birders:

The height of migration at Lake Park means warblers.
Dennis Casper led the 5/16 Warbler Walk. Cerulean Warblers were a
rare find.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

From: Dennis J Casper <dcasper@uwm.edu>
Date: May 18, 2009
Subject: May 16 Warbler Walk

Lake Park Warbler Walk (#5) May 16, 2009

At 8:30 this morning, about 30 eager birders gathered at the Lake
Park Warming House for the start of our fifth warbler walk of the
2009 spring season. Several more joined us in the course of the
walk, bringing the total number of participants to at least 35. The
day was slightly cool, but comfortable, and the sky was bright and
mostly sunny, a very pleasant spring morning. But the wind was very
strong, and this led to some low expectations for the quality of
birding we were likely to enjoy. How happy we all were when these
expectations were decisively dashed!
The birding was excellent from the beginning. We began by
birding along the east side of the Locust St. ravine. The trees were
alive with warblers and other birds, so we wound up spending a good
bit of time in this area. When we finally arrived at the old road
bridge over the ravine, the same story was repeated, and we lingered
long at that point. From there, we made our way along the cinder
path on the west side of the ravine to the area under the large
spreading oak near the feeders. Again, the birding was wonderful;
one highlight at that spot was the discovery of a Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher's nest in a tree near the ball field. Finally tearing
ourselves away from that place, we retraced our steps to the old road
bridge, then strolled along the east side of the ravine to the
pedestrian bridge over Ravine Rd. It's hard to believe, but here the
birding was even better than it had been elsewhere, We had fine
looks at many different warblers, and in particular, outstanding
views of a pair of beautiful Cerulean Warblers close by out in the
open in leafless trees in bright sunlight. That was the highest
point of a walk with many high points! The walk ended around 10:30
at the pedestrian bridge with at least 20 people still present. We
had hardly covered half the distance normally traversed on our walks!

The sixth and last Warbler Walk of the current season will be next
Saturday, May 23, 2009, at 8:30 at the Warming House.

Thanks to all who joined our walk today.

Dennis Casper


Total Species: 48

1 Cooper's Hawk
1 Semipalmated Sandpiper
1 Caspian Tern
35 Chimney Swift
2 Red-headed Woodpecker
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 Downy Woodpecker
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Least Flycatcher
1 Eastern Phoebe

1 Blue-headed Vireo
2 Blue Jay
4 American Crow
8 Black-capped Chickadee
3 White-breasted Nutcatch
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
12 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1 Eastern Bluebird
8 American Robin
1 Brown Thrasher

1 Tennessee Warbler
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Nashville Warbler
2 Northern Parula
3 Yellow Warbler
2 Chestnut-sided Warbler
4 Magnolia Warbler
1 Cape May Warbler
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
9 Yellow-rumped Warbler

1 Black-throated Green Warbler
20 Palm Warbler
9 Bay-breasted Warbler
1 Blackpoll Warbler
2 Cerulean Warbler
1 American Redstart
2 Wilson's Warbler
5 Chipping Sparrow
2 White-throated Sparrow
1 White-crowned Sparrow

5 Northern Cardinal
3 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
3 Indigo Bunting
6 Brown-headed Cowbird
1 Baltimore Oriole
2 House Finch
7 American Goldfinch
1 House Sparrow

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

From: "Jym Mooney & Carol Lee Hopkins" <hopmoon@milwpc.com>
Subject: [wisb] Lake Park Milwaukee 5/12
Date: Tue, 12 May 2009 07:57:34 -0500

Got in a quick hour this morning. Two oddities: a pair of singing pine
siskins in the Bistro parking lot, and a woodcock that flushed in the
Girl
Scout ravine. Still several singing blue-winged warblers around, plus a
handful of the expected warblers.

Heading north for a few days...

Jym Mooney, Milwaukee

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

Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 11:19:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Goodman <goodman4835@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: [wisb] Fw: eBird Report - Lake Park - Locust Ravine , 5/15/09

Mike Goodman-South Milwaukee

Location: Lake Park - Locust Ravine
Observation date: 5/15/09 7AM
Notes: my best day birding at lake park!!
Number of species: 53

Canada Goose 2 Fly over
Mallard 1
Double-crested Cormorant 3 Fly over
Ring-billed Gull 6
Mourning Dove 3
Chimney Swift 50
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 3 1 immature & [2] adults seen
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 2
Yellow-throated Vireo 2
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5
Swainson's Thrush 1
American Robin 10
Gray Catbird 4
European Starling 5
Tennessee Warbler 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Nashville Warbler 3
Yellow Warbler 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler 2
Cape May Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 20
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 5
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 1
American Redstart 2
Common Yellowthroat 1
Wilson's Warbler 3
Song Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 5
White-crowned Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1 female
Indigo Bunting 2 seen at staute area
Red-winged Blackbird 8
Common Grackle 4
Brown-headed Cowbird 4
Baltimore Oriole 3
American Goldfinch 3
House Sparrow 1

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


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

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Bluebirds in Lake Park

Lake Park Birders:

Barb Johnson and Jean Casper volunteered last year to monitor
bluebird houses in Lake Park. At least one box had a pair going in
and out of it early last spring, but there were no successful nests
last year. There were bluebirds back in Lake Park as of 3/31/09.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

From: Barbara Johnson barbjoh@hotmail.com
Date: May 6, 2009 7:23:57 PM CDT
To: Paul Hunter phunter1@wi.rr.com
Subject: RE: Bluebirds in Lake Park


One of the nest boxes had 5 eggs when I checked it on May 1st.
Another box has chickadees. On Tuesday Bob K. from Lake Park and I
picked out a few more places to put new nest boxes and he will be
installing them as soon as he has time. He is also going to replace
some of the boxes that open on the bottom with side opening ones,
making it possible to monitor them accurately.

Someone attached a box to the fence at the lawn bowling green, but no
one seems to know anything about it. I have been thinking about how
the bluebird boxes
came into existence and it was coordinated by Delores. She knew that
Bob K. was interested in installing boxes and that I was interested
in monitoring them. One morning last spring Delores, Bob, Brian
Hansen and I met and chose locations for some of the boxes. After
they were installed by Bob, Jean Casper volunteered to help monitor
them with me. We each took one day a week.

There was one successful nest, although construction of the nest made
it impossible to determine how many eggs hatched and how many
fledged. One box had
chickadees and two had house wrens. It was kind of experimental year.
After the new nest boxes go in and the others are reconfigured we
will be able to follow monitoring guidelines.

Barb

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Re: Purple Martin conservation in Milwaukee

Lake Park Birders:

Bill Mueller will receive your replies to this message. He is the
key person in efforts to reverse the decline of Purple Martins in
Milwaukee.

--- Paul Hunter,
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/lakeparkbirds.html
=====================================================

http://puma-in-wi.blogspot.com/2008/12/beginnings-of-purple-martin-
initiative.html:

A group of southeastern Wisconsin partners (including Tim Vargo of
Urban Ecology, Joe Devereax of Enderis Park Birdwatching Club, Paul
Hunter of Birds of Lake Park, Noel Cutright retired ornithologist,
Bill Holton of Wisconsin Metro Audubon, and others) have formed a
Purple Martin "initiative" here, in Milwaukee County's parks and
other areas, and eventually to expand to other areas of Wisconsin.

We're looking to obtain unused purple martin housing of any type, to
be refurbished if possible, and re-installed on better locations -
both to attempt to establish new colonies, and expand existing ones.

If you have a used apartment-style martin house or gourd system
(either of which is currently in place but not attracting martins),
please join us in this effort to enhance this species' population. We
would appreciate any donation of martin housing in good condition.

If this sounds interesting to you, please contact Bill Mueller at
iltlawas@earthlink.net or 414-698-9108.


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

On May 11, 2009, at 9:12 PM, William Mueller wrote:


Bill Holton and some of his monitoring partners have trapped
starlings several times at the Grobschmidt Park house. No martins yet.

I have put up the house donated by Karen Johnson, on a rural FDL Co.
site. I will be delivering the gourd and pole set to Scott Diehl at
Wisconsin Humane this week. I gave the house donated by Marvin
Calewart to a farmer who will paint it and put it up on his land, at
the Sheb Co/FDL Co line.

Karen, Betsy, and other have continued to monitor the South Shore
colony, which has approx 7 pairs. A House Sparrow pair attempted to
nest, but it looks like they moved on, or were removed by the owner
of this house.

I traveled to a number of areas in Fond du Lac, Calumet, and
Sheboygan counties last Saturday, where I found colonies on Hwy MM in
Sheb Co (only one pair), another off of Hwy HHH in Calumet Co near
the west end of Charlesburg Swamp (3-4 pairs), a magnificent colony
setup with multiple house near Hilbert (Manitowoc Co), which had many
pairs last year, but no birds yet this year. An Amish farm on Hwy Q
in FDL Co has a few pairs.

If you find others in southeastern WI, we'd like to hear about them.

Bill

William P. Mueller
Conservation Chair - Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (WSO)
Project Coordinator - Milwaukee County Avian Migration Monitoring
Partnership (MCAMMP)
(414) 698-9108
E-mail: iltlawas@earthlink.net
On the web: http://home.earthlink.net/~iltlawas/index.html
Blog: http://bluebirdslaugh.blogspot.com/
Purple Martins in Wisconsin: http://puma-in-wi.blogspot.com/