WE Energies Grassland

Canada Warbler

The WE Energies Grassland is a birding hotspot just minutes from my home. I only found out about it a year or so ago. It attracts a variety of species, including prairie birds like Eastern Meadowlarks and sometimes Dickcissels.

Upon arrival, I checked a tree clump near a path that leads up to an embankment and was surprised to see and hear a male Mourning Warbler. Along with him were a Canada Warbler, Wilson's, Chesnut-sided, a few redstarts, and Common Yellowthroat female. Eastern Wood-Peewees sang, as did Red-eyed Vireos. A few Catbirds and gnatcatchers came out to show off as well.

 After I left the tree clump, I headed toward the prairie in hopes of finding a Dickcissel or rarer sparrow. I found neither, but enjoyed watching a pair of Eastern Kingbirds that perched low and allowed close views. I was standing on the side of one of the birds when it opened its beak quite wide. I thought that it was really going to start belting out a song. But it didn't. Instead, it coughed up a solid, roundish object. It reminded me of an owl coughing up a pellet! Do kingbirds expel pellets?

 WIDE OPEN...then....

 HACK! What the HECK is that?!

 

 Sitting calmly after relieving itself.

 

 Savannah Sparrows flew and sang, too. One perched on a pole that said HOT LINE, making for a cute photo opp.

 He knows he is hot, so he sings!

One of the kingbirds showed that it was a hottie, too.

Amidst the sparrow and kingbird action, I heard one or two Meadowlarks calling and singing. Sometimes one perched on a wire; other times, it sat low in the grass, making peent-like sounds.
A little while later, a pair of Turkey Vultures circled overhead, quite low. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher flew into a nest high above me, and I saw a pair of Baltimore Orioles mating! In just over an hour, I witnessed all of this activity--time well spent!

Turkey Vulture

Eastern Meadowlark in flight

Male Baltimore Oriole not long after mating.

Robins--one hungry and one learning to fly!

During spring migration, most birders are focused on warblers, but we shouldn't overlook our year-round residents because we might miss out on watching one find a meal or learn to fly! I watched the adult robin dig up and gorge on a worm at Warnimont Park and I watched the fledgling in my back yard!

 

 

 

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Spring Birds in Winteresque Surroundings

Birders throughout the Midwest have been lamenting the slow-coming spring. Many of us worry about how the cold temperatures will affect the birds' ability to feed and survive. A Say's Phoebe, a vagrant from the southwest, arrived in Ashland County during snowy twenty degree days a week or so ago. It was only seen for a day or two. Hopefully, it was able to find a more suitable climate, but it's possible that the bird perished.

More of us are just impatient--we can't wait to view our favorite spring migrants or a rarity, and we wish for prettier backgrounds when photographing warblers. In the southern portion of Wisconsin, at least all of the ice has melted from Lake Michigan. Insects like flies, bees, dragonflies, and even butterflies have been seen sporadically over the past view weeks. Yesterday, I was caught in swarms of midges (thousands upon thousands--and many of them were copulating, making for reliable snacks for passerines):

Birds like my FOY White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrows, a few Northern Flickers, Red-winged Blackbirds, and two Brown Thrashers, dined on the midges:

The above photos give the allure of spring since the grass is full and green. However, the trees are so bare, and elicit that winter feel, as evidenced by this photo of a male Northern Cardinal an American Goldfinch (only the sparse leaves and breeding plumage of the goldfinch indicate spring):

Then, there's the additional concern of how pollution and litter affect our birds. I spotted my FOY Sora Rail on Wednesday at Grant Park in southern Milwaukee County, but seeing the litter all around it made me feel unsettled and amazed. Birds go through so much to sustain themselves.

After seeing the Sora, I encountered this ridiculously tame raccoon, who approached me in the manner that mallards that are used to people feeding them do, without any trepidation. I wish that people would not feed wildlife.

However, in the midst of the chilly, gloomy days, signs of spring ARE here. There's a pair of House Finches building a nest above my porch light, and I've seen a robin and Canada goose sitting on nests, plus a pair of chickadees cleaning out a nest hole. I do hope that they all reproduce successfully and are able to feed their young.

Mallard Duck pair show their affection alongside a Lesser Scaup

The setting: a small pond located in a local city park in Milwaukee. 

The characters: One female Mallard, one male Mallard, one male Lesser Scaup, and one male Blue-winged Teal.

The action: coitus.
 
Even though the weather was atrocious, I headed to Humboldt Park to see if any new visitors had arrived. There were two: the teal (a dabbling duck that visits this pond yearly) and the scaup (a diving duck that winters here and is normally seen on large inland lakes or out on Lake Michigan). Of course, I stood around taking pictures, attempting to ignore my quickly freezing fingers and the miserable lighting. 

It paid off. 

After several minutes of watching the teal and scaup, I noticed the mallard pair start to circle each other. Then, they both head bobbed for a few seconds. Before I could finish fiddling with my settings, coitus had begun.

Drake mallards (and I assume other male ducks as well) completely submerge the female during mating, as pictured here: 

A casual observer would not even know that the male was sitting atop of the female. (The scaup seemed oblivious--that's for sure!)

After just a few moments, the female emerged. 

The mallards circled each other again, then each stretched out, seeming satisfied. 

The end.