Happy Winter!

It really shouldn't be in the 60's in February, anyway.

  Very good day today for bike-birding!  I got good looks at 15 spp. of warblers; had to let a few others (heard only) go as "maybes."  Found a young Great Horned Owl to still be in the nest, whereas most others have already fledged.  Still some Ruby-crowned Kinglets around.  First Blue-headed Vireos I've encountered this season.  Watched a Clay-colored Sparrow singing from two feet up in a nearby bush, which was fun.  First hummingbird as well.  And the Cardinal nestlings I'd been watching are suddenly not there -- I hope they fledged successfully and aren't now in the belly of a free-ranging cat. 
   Yes, I'm leading trips, including one on Sunday morning. 

Today:  biked around town, noticed the first Catbird, Swainson's Thrush and Green Heron that I've encountered this year.  A flock of about 50 Bonaparte's Gulls, most in breeding plumage, flew over me at one point.  Towhees in a couple places, various raptors, lots of "screeners," etc.  A normal, wonderful day.

Testing, testing....2016

   Quick brown thrush flew over the zleeping dog

Bird flies north!

  Yesterday in Madison, a large bird was observed flying north...Could this mean anything?

Let's see if I remember how to do this...goodbye cobwebs, hello Pine Warblers.

What a great day!  Lots of new-for-the-year birds here in Madsion, including Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Barn Swallow, Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet and (what a delightful singer!) Winter Wren.  This low-carb birding is fun, ain't it folks.

Some butterflies I did notice yesterday, October 16 2012....

Folks:

  Butterflies are alive and flying!  In Madison, they have not succumbed to frost.  To find them, seek out COMPOSITES, i.e. plants in the family Compositae...especially goldenrods, tall purple Asters ("New England Aster") and asters with many small, white flowers ("Frost Aster").  These can be found in wild or feral places:  near community gardens, along railroad tracks and bikepaths, in "vacant" lots.  Probably the most common butterfly you'll find yet this year are Orange Sulphurs, but you might also see any of the following:  Clouded Sulphur, Dainty Sulphur (2012 is a banner year for this species), Cabbage Butterfly, Fiery Skipper, Common Checkered-Skipper, Sachem (another skipper) and _____.  This last is up to you... DF

Some birds I did not notice today...

  Despite the date, today I did not observe the following:  Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Acadian Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Canada Warbler, Yellow-billed or Black-billed Cuckoo, Dickcissel, Bobolink, Bewick's Wren, Upland Sandpiper or Common Nighthawk.   I did encounter Wilson's and Tennessee Warblers, Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrushes, and Red-headed Woodpecker.  More migrants are bound to come through...perhaps on Friday morning? 
  As always, feel free to send comments to dfallow@yahoo.com

Today I biked out early and watched, at an Undisclosed Location, a couple birds singing.  Okay, it happens every day, but these particular birds were two that are only found in Madison during migration (they breed farther north) and whose songs I am not very familiar with:  Lincoln's Sparrow and Philadelphia Vireo.  Seeing these two vocalize was the high point (thus far) of my day, much more so than seeing Sandhill Cranes, a Great Horned Owl, a male Wood Duck and a male Eastern Bluebird. 

You don't have to get up at 4:20 to see/hear such things...as you might find out this weekend on any of my guided, by-bike field trips.  Please drop me an email for details...dfallow@yahoo.com
Thanks!

Birding by bike is....birding, by bike.  In other words, get there by bicycle.  If you're interested in that, then we're on the same page.  As of today, there are lots of waterbirds, Icterids and sparrows in Madison.  This weekend, a lot more could arrive.  How's your raincoat?
dfallow@yahoo.com

"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

baby Green Herons, cuckoo, silent owl, Snipe Fly

Biking in my 'hood this afternoon, I did a double-take and a U-turn upon "seeing white" on the pavement. Under a maple tree near a creek, there was a generous splattering of processed fish, thanks (I figured) to a pair of GREEN HERONS. I think I did the same stop/check last week, but found nothing. Today I peered up into the maple branches, but couldn't see any herons nor any nest. But I happened to look under a nearby conifer, and there were two light-green eggshells, and more whitewash. Sure enough, up in the needles were four fledgling Green Herons, grayish down still clinging to their heads. Could those eggshells have lain on the ground for the two-to-four weeks between hatching and fledging? With all the calcium-seeking critters ou there, including birds of many species that need to replenish their supply (from laying their own eggs), I doubt it...so I reckon the parent herons have already started a second brood. Cool!

Heard something outside the house this morning (6 a.m.) that I've only rarely heard "from the yard" -- a series of hollow "coo" notes, mostly 8-12 in a group, but once up to 18. This was not long after thunder, lightning and a few raindrops...twas a "Rain Crow," a.k.a. a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. I couldn't see the bird, but it seemed to be calling from a neighbor's Walnut tree. I associate Walnuts with Fall Webworms and their webby nests...and cuckoos are known to eat these and other hairy caterpillars. The half-hour spent calling from that tree made me think this cuckoo was a male seeking a mate. You can hear a couple (of many) recordings of YB Cuckoos through Cornell's Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds -- for example,
http:macaulaylibrary.org/audio/107351 or 106712.

Sometimes an adult owl will fly in, sans vocalizing, in response to an imitation of its call. I've seen that happen twice in the last few days in different locations with a BARRED OWL. Having newly fledged young might put a damper on their response-calling.

I think today was the first time this year that I've seen the enchanting (and well-named) GOLDEN-BACKED SNIPE FLY. For some photos, go to bugguide.net and enter that name in the Search box. Ya gotta love (some) dipterans.

Any readers in June?

I'm wondering if any of the General Public (on The Annointed) might be reading this little blog in the month of June...? or is it too hot to read. Tuesday June 7th I'll go out quite early, before it's fully light I hope, and use my eyes and especially my EARS to see what might be within reach by bike, eyes and ears. I don't think you can see very much before 4:30 (or even 5:00), but birds are singing up to an hour before that. Have you read Aldo Leopold's appropriate chapter in "A Sand County Almanac?" Have you donated lately to AFSCME, OneWisconsinNow or WORT Radio? Will you drop me a line at
dfallow@yahoo.com
? and darned if the weather forecast for THURSDAY doesn't seem ideal!