2010 11 05 Ducks

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/
---------
Join Lake Park Friends: http://www.lakeparkfriends.org/LPFmembership.pdf
=====================================================
Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2010 17:01:48 -0700 (PDT)
From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@yahoo.com>
Subject: [wisb] Milwaukee lakefront, 11/4-11/5 - Wilson's Snipe,
ducks, first o
...

Highlights from Friday, 11/5:

* Lots of duck activity off of Bradford Beach and North Point. Both
Scaup species, Buffleheads, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Ring-
necked Duck. And, of course, lots of Mallards. Given the weather
conditions, I was surprised by how much flying in and flying out was
going on. There was quite a bit of turnover as I watched. I was also
surprised to see sleeping ducks riding the rough surf with heads
tucked under their wings.

* Ring-necked Duck was MilWALKee BIGBY species #170, and 2010 combo
BIGBY #210.

* Black Scoter was MilWALKee BIGBY species #171, and 2010 combo BIGBY
#211.

* First really wintry day I've experienced this fall. And I saw
several first-of-season snowflakes! I was out for 3+ hours with the
temps in the mid-30s, and wind chills in the mid-20s. Lake Michigan
was pretty rough, with some pretty big waves. I remember thinking
"you could almost surf on these waves". Right on cue, when I got to
Bradford Beach there was someone in the surf with a small (maybe 8-
foot) board, trying to catch some waves. It chilled me to the core
just to watch! This photo might give you a sense of how rough the
lake was: http://bit.ly/dyaADK.

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

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

Date: Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:35:32 -0500
From: Peter Fissel <pfissel@library.wisc.edu>
Subject: [wisb] Re: Milwaukee lakefront, 11/4-11/5 - Wilson's Snipe,
ducks,

Bernie -

Were there any Common Goldeneye nearby? The males make a "peent"
that sounds exactly like a Nighthawk when they're displaying to
females. (Not that I've ever been fooled by that myself, cough,
cough...)

Peter Fissel
Madison WI

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