Kelp Gull nesting in Milwaukee County!!!

Jeremy4 Comments

A Kelp Gull was found in Milwaukee! It is apparently breeding with an American Herring Gull. They have a nest together on a roof top building under the Hoan Bridge, Jones Island area. I was up north this past weekend when word got it, so the earliest I could get there was Monday afternoon. When I arrived there were several others watching and I guess it had just flown in. Guess I had some good luck in not having to wait. I watched the Kelp Gull sit on the peakof the roof and do some light preening. The fledgling moved around a little, but didn’t do much. It appeared to be hot, with it’s mouth open and I’m assuming trying to cool off. As of this writing, on Wednesday morning, the fledgling has perished. It was seen Tuesday afternoon, not moving and staying in the same spot, with the parents looking over it. Some other reports have thought it appears to be moving things around or slightly building the nest back up, so maybe another round of mating will occur. I’m glad I went the soonest I could and didn’t miss out on the little hybrid. Port Milwaukee General Cargo Terminal 2, is the building it’s on. You can view the nest and the bird from Lincoln Memorial Dr, by pulling off the road, next to the fence and looking through the fence. If you do go, please use common sense and watch out for traffic, workers and trains. This is a 1st state record, a life bird and state bird #345 for me. Photos below are from Monday afternoon, 6/16. They were shot at 1200mm and are heavily cropped due to the distance they are from the fence. Enjoy!

Tufted Duck in Milwaukee

Jeremy6 Comments

A Tufted Duck was found on Sunday 12/26, at the Hoan Bridge Harbor/Petroleum Pier in Milwaukee. It was still present as of today, 1/1. This bird has been enjoyed my many people from different states. I think it will be the third state record. Unfortunately, it’s usually far out and a scope is needed for good looks at it. I’m only 15 minutes away from the area and had off of work last week, so I was able to check every day for it. Finally, yesterday morning it came rather close when moving from the South end to the North end. I was able to get fairly decent photos of it. Of course, the sun was nonexistent for most of the week, so lighting was terrible which is typical for winter in Wisconsin. It’s nice that it stuck around for people to see, and it seems like it will be here for a while, as long as there is open water. I’m sure most people have seen it that wanted too, if not, good luck if you try for it! Photos below are from the week. Enjoy!

* Help to view the Tufted Duck… There are 3 access points underneath the Hoan Bridge. The southern one is usually locked. The middle one is usually open and gives you access to 75% of the area. The Northern one is right in front of the Petroleum Pier and gives you access to the last 25%. The Tufted Duck prefers to hang around the pier area, sometimes going on the north side of it, with very little view and no access. I have seen the duck on the southern end twice, so they all move around. It’s usually 100-200 yards out.