Red Crossbills in Kewaunee County on 11/4/20

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I went to try for the Ash-throated Flycatcher that was seen on 11/3. I really wanted to go that day, but couldn’t. I knew I’d probably miss out, but had to try, since I was off anyway. It was being seen at private residence and when I arrived, Brian (homeowner) came out to talk to us (another person looking). He was very nice and allowed us to walk about his property, in search of the bird. Right off the bat, there were 8 Red Crossbills at the top of his spruce trees. They flew right across the street into two spruce trees that were a little shorter in height. I figured since there was no sign of the flycatcher, might as well photograph these “bonus” birds! I don’t usually get to see them anyway, so it was nice. I also had one flyover White-winged Crossbill and several Pine Siskins. The day that Brian found the flycatcher, he also had some Evening Grosbeaks quickly stop by for a snack. Apparently his yard was a hotspot this week! The flycatcher however, was never seen again. Oh well, next I guess. Images below are from the morning. Enjoy!

23 Warbler Species at Whitnall Park 5/13

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Today was excellent at Whitnall Park, with 23 warbler species seen including several uncommon. Hooded, Mourning, Golden-winged, Blackburnian and Black-throated Blue Warblers were the highlights. The Mourning Warbler has been along the creek for the last four days a week now. It has been the most cooperative Mourning Warbler I have ever seen. I also saw 2 Black-throated Blue and 2 Blackburnian Warblers. I watched a Hooded Warbler fly around like crazy, eating insects and may flies for about 20 minutes, then go sit on a branch and fall asleep for a few minutes. Very cool to see. I usually find Golden-winged Warblers hopping around the ground, hunting for spiders. Today was exactly that. They look for the dried, curled up leaves and then stick the head inside and pull out insects, mostly spiders. It’s quite a site to see. There are multiple of all of the common warblers and double digit of a few. Most have been feeding on the ground or flying around catching insects, only several few feet of the ground. Yesterday, a female Cerulean Warbler came out and fed for about 20 minutes, providing some nice views as well. It looks like the next few days are going to be very good for some new birds. Hopefully this continues! Images below are from today. Enjoy!

Townsend’s Solitaire at Whitnall Park 12/15/19

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Today while watching the Packers game, I saw a post about a Townsend’s Solitaire being seen near the Boerner Botanical Gardens, at Whitnall Park. I’ve seen these birds many times before, but it’s a great county bird for the year, so I decided to try for it. Whitnall Park is only 10 minutes from me, making it an easier decision. I work from dark to dark during the week in winter, and my only time to take pictures is on the weekend, so it was today or nothing. I’m glad I went, because I found it fairly quickly, and was able to help several others find it too. At first, I saw a bird fly up to the tops of the trees. Based on the size of it and flight, I thought it might be the bird. I got my binoculars on it and it sure was! It sat way up high for about 15 minutes, singing softly and preening. Then it turned and flew down to the berry trees below. After eating a few berries, it again flew way up high, and did the same thing again. After about another 15 minutes or so, it flew down the opposite way of me. I walked around the tree line to the other side and didn’t see it. All of sudden, it pops out in the berry tree, right in front of me. It ate a few berries and a Hermit Thrush chased it off. Must have been “his” berry tree. The solitaire again few up high and did the same thing. I watched it for about 50 minutes and it went down for berries 3 times. It was pretty active. It was sunny and cold with temps in the low 20’s. Pictures below are from today.

Fall Warbler Migration 2019

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This fall warbler migration was one of my best ones ever! I tallied 26 species with 21 coming on one amazing day, 9/14 at Warnimont Park. Most days I was between 10-16 species, which I find to be a little above average for fall. Most years, I would say 8-12 species is a good day. I usually focus on the parks along the Lake Michigan in fall. I find that the bluffs and surrounding areas are loaded with birds versus the inland parks. My highlights this fall were 6 different Mourning Warblers, including my first ever adult female, several stunning male Golden-winged Warblers, and quite a few different Canada Warblers, which are my favorite.

Photographing fall warblers can be quite tough. The leaves create almost no gaps in the branches and everything is toned green. Lighting is also very harsh, with the sun casting dark shadows, under the foliage. It’s certainly not like the spring migration! All that aside, fall warblers are extremely fun. You get to see so many different plumage variations of each. I have quite a few photos of each warbler, showing the different fall plumages. All of the photos below are labelled accordingly, so you will know what each is. I will list the warblers seen this fall below, which you can click on, for expanded galleries. Not all warblers seen, were photographed. Enjoy!