"No Impact Man Goes Bird-watching"

Folks,
  I'm thinking about contacting COLIN BEAVAN, a.k.a. No Impact Man (have you seen the movie or read the book?), to get his take on birding, as usually done or as *could be* done.  What do you think I should ask (or tell) him?  dfallow@yahoo.com

Another by-bike winter bird species!

A windy day in Madison today.  I biked a total of only about three miles, but saw some cool (cold?) landbirds:  a small Falcon on a telephone pole, a too-distant buteo, and a flock of about 20 of a certain winter-only bird.  Any guesses as to what all these birds were?  Location is not important.  Email me with your ideas...

Winter birds in Madison

Some of these have already arrived this season.  Some, I've never seen in Wisconsin.  Any guesses as to the, say, six most likely?  If so, or any additions, please email dfallow@yahoo.com

Northern Goshawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Gyrfalcon
Glaucous Gull
Snowy Owl
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Saw-whet Owl
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Townsend's Solitaire
Varied Thrush
Bohemian Waxwing
Northern Shrike
American Tree Sparrow
Junco
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Pine Grosbeak
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll
Pine Siskin
Evening Grosbeak

Who likes to bike?

Please reach the trip-destinations via bicycle. We'll often leave our bikes at the meeting place and proceed by shank's mare. Trips generally cost $10. Comments/questions to:

dfallow@yahoo.com

HAWKS over Madison!

I saw (including vultures) about 310 raptors over Madison today. Love those Northwest winds, no matter how little sun!

Friday morning at 8:30, there's a bike-birding trip. Email me for details:

dfallow@yahoo.com Thanks.

passerines passing through

Passerine = smallish land-bird. Around here, these would include the last of the Baltimore Orioles and Eastern Kingbirds, species not long for Dane County. Other common nesting (i.e. summer) species, like Indigo Buntings and Eastern Wood-Pewees, will be around for weeks yet.
Yellow Warblers and Purple Martins are pretty much gone already. Recent arrivals include Swainson's Thrushes, Magnolia Warblers and Double-crested Cormorants. Today I saw eight kinds of warblers (mostly Tennessees), a bunch of thrushes (Swainson's, Wood, Veery), several Yellow-throated Vireos, several "female" hummingbirds, a trio of Eastern Kingbirds, three "female" Scarlet Tanagers (with a food-begging Cowbird fledgling), two Green Herons (will be gone within about two weeks) and a road-killed juvenile Sora. The last bird was NOT killed by a bicycle, guaranteed!
If you're not getting emails from me, I might not have your current email address.

"Fall" migration

Birds are heading south! The calendar and thermometer might say it's summer, yet many bird species are already migrating. Sandpipers start in late June (!), passerines (such as warblers, flycatchers and thrushes) in late July/early August. I chanced upon a Black-crowned Night-Heron near the WORT studios on August 8th, and saw Northern Shovelers, a Northern Waterthrush and an Olive-sided Flycatcher the next day. On the 15th of August, in the Arboretum, "pishing" turned up a Swainson's Thrush and a Golden-winged Warbler. A few days later, I ran across a Tennessee Warbler, a Blackburnian Warbler and a "pod" of NINE Common Loons! All of these birds were within easy biking-distance of the Capitol Square. In a few days, we should be handlebars-deep in migrating passerines in Madison. If you're interested in bike-birding, be sure to contact me to see what tours are coming up:
dfallow@yahoo.com