Tiger Beetles of Minnesota Wisconsin & Michigan!

A couple months ago my friend, Mathew L. Brust, told me his new book on tiger beetles would soon be published. This long-awaited book relevant to Wisconsin naturalists and tiger beetle enthusiasts has arrived! Tiger Beetles of Minnesota Wisconsin & Michigan is now available! It's hot off the presses to make your holiday wish-list! More information about content and ordering can be found by clicking here.

Lake Michigan Gales, November 4, 2018

Last weekend Peter and I joined our good friend Aaron for our annual lakeshore birding trip along the western shore of Lake Michigan. The route we have been running the past few years is a bit truncated compared to the trip Aaron led for years for Madison Audubon. In recent times we've birded essentially from South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee to the Sheboygan waterfront. I can remember past years starting as far south as Oak Creek or even Wind Point. But with the closing of South Metro Pier and no rarities to chase further south we've been sticking to the Milwaukee to Sheboygan route.

Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse, Milwaukee, WI 

This year the weather forecast was shitty with rain, gale force winds in the 20-30 mph range and 7-11 foot waves predicted. Lake Michigan delivered on that promise with winds in the 25-40 mph and phenomenal waves cresting along the lakeshore.

McKinley Beach overlook, Milwaukee, WI

Sometimes brutal weather can result in incredible birding. So I had my hopes up that our sacrifice to the weather would pay off with some extreme rarity. Nope. It was a struggle to focus and locate distant waterbirds between the giant waves. Rain on our optics further challenged our visibility.

McKinley Beach overlook engulfed in waves, Milwaukee, WI

Despite "deteriorating conditions" (there's an inside joke in there), we managed to see all three scoter species, a lone Long-tailed duck and a couple of interesting gulls. But overall the bird was underwhelming with us dipping on the Harlequin Duck and Eared Grebe reported the day before in Sheboygan.

Iceland Gull(they are all Iceland now), Lakeshore State Park, Milwaukee, WI (before the rain)

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Lakeshore State Park, Milwaukee, WI (before the rain)

However, I was still happy to have braved the weather to witness the might of Lake Michigan. Her power was reminiscent of the greatest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior. And yes, my feet were submerged in about a foot of water in the video below captured in Milwaukee at McKinley Marina (first clip) and Port Washington (second clip). Truly incredible!

Crushing into Winter

And just like we have arrived at November. Winter is just around the corner. The snowbirds continue to enter Wisconsin and I have already crushed hard on my favorite winter bird, the Northern Shrike.

Northern Shrike, Governor Nelson State Park, Dane Co, WI 29Oct2018 

If ever there was a bird that could perch upon my soul-less soul this would be it. Not even a sleepy Northern Saw-whet or Boreal Owl can elevate my spirit out of winter's dismal chill like a Northern Shrike can. Afterall, for the most part owls just sleep whereas the Northern Shrike flies buoyantly perch to perch, hunting the landscape. And February through early March hold the promise and hope of hearing one sing again.

Northern Shrike, Governor Nelson State Park, Dane Co, 29Oct2018

During the third week of October, the Northern Shrikes arrived in tandem with one of their prey, American Tree Sparrows. Around this same time, most of the remaining Ruby-throated Hummingbirds left the state for warmer climes. My last Ruby-throated departed my yard the morning of October 23rd.

The last of my Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Bittersweet home, Dane Co, 19Oct2018

I feel utterly spoiled to have already observed a Northern Shrike at Governor Nelson State Park on multiple occasions during the past week. I have also seen one at the west end of Dorn Creek Wildlife Area just a little over a mile away. I tend to think these shrikes are one in the same. Certainly last year I assumed the bird I encountered at the eastmost end of Dorn Creek was the same shrike as the one present across the highway at Governor Nelson. However, the other day after observing one at the west end of Dorn Creek, within 10 minutes of my sighting, my friend Dale messaged he had a shrike over a mile away at Governor Nelson State Park. Same bird? Two birds? Tough to say.

Governor Nelson State Park, Dane Co, 29Oct2018

Governor Nelson State Park, located on the west short of Lake Mendota, was good to me during October. After not having added a year patch bird since late May, I finally added five more in October... and NONE were sparrows! No Nelson's. No Le Conte's. No Harris's. The five new species? Drum roll...White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, American White Pelican and Surf Scoter. Yeah, I know, American White Pelican, wtf? I should have seen a migrating flock in the spring. For whatever reason I did not and pelican became a patch nemesis that I had forgotten about until I spied a lone bird on one of my many trips to Governor Nelson.

Worst American White Pelican ever, Governor Nelson State Park, Dane Co, WI 30Oct2018

Where are the scoter and Long-tailed Duck photos you ask? They are even worse than the above pelican photo...

Full moon, Governor Nelson State Park, Dane Co, WI 24Oct2018

I've been spending many a late afternoon and early evening watching waterbirds and some spectacular moon rises and sunsets at Governor Nelson. The evenings leading up to and including the full moon on October 24th were breathtaking to witness. That enormous glowing orb cast in shades of sunset orange as it breached the the visible sky was something to behold. No photo I captured even comes close to accurately rendering Nature's perfection and grace. I pretty much floundered in my digiscoping efforts above leaving me to wonder, is it my camera, my vision or both?

Full moon sitting in a barren tree, Governor Nelson SP, Dane Co, WI 24Oct2018

Is this natural? Hell no!

This glowing blue-green sludge atop the water was a common sight as I birded around the northern end of Lake Mendota last Sunday. The worst of it was at the beach at Governor Nelson State Park. The high winds on Sunday moved this nasty stew of chemicals toward the western shore. It wreaked of the blue chemical my dad put in our camper toilet back in the 70s. I suspect that's precisely what it was, some type of sewer treatment stew. Though the water clarity has improved since Sunday, I noticed water quality signs posted at the beach today warning of E. Coli. It's only how many days later and these signs are finally posted? Good thing it's not really swimming weather in Wisconsin. Though who in their right mind would ever climb into such disgust? Is it the result of the August floods? Whatever the case might be, the condition of the water is disheartening.

Back to more pleasant topics, like the hike I took today. The birds were few, the wind calm. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees leaving a void where their rustle used to be. I was left with the deafening silence of my thoughts and a muted landscape of majestic oaks, rock outcroppings and an occasional splash of color to ignite my vision.

Bittersweet, Secret location, Dane Co, 2November2018

I mused about the secret life of trees, the beautiful fretwork-like patterns of intercrown spacing and the seemingly lack thereof in Wisconsin trees. Wisconsin trees seem to have no boundaries. I harnessed the zen of the moment. I controlled my impulse to admonish the single off leash dog owner I encountered. I let it go for today. The aggravation wasn't worth it.