When You Don't Know Me Anymore...

How's it gonna be when you don't know me anymore? 

Like this.

We've arrived.

Pike Lake, Luce Co, MI. The LAST day. 16Oct21 

The distance of time has been restorative. DISTANCE. PERSPECTIVE. Yes, there is power and a resolute calm in perspective. It is almost everything. 

Life did not afford me the time to add much to this archive for 2021 and that is simply fine. 

Though I set out each year intent to at least document "my" spring migration, the pinnacle moments of May, I failed with this in 2021. 

White-eyed Vireo that visited my yard 26May2021

Spring migration 2021 was fairly mediocre. My photography of the event was equally on par. The odd patterns and scarcity of birds left me with a sense of "I better hold onto these moments while I can." The fate of so much of the grandeur in Nature seems to be hanging on by a thread. 

Hoot Owl Hollow, Pike Lake, MI 16Oct21 The LAST day

Summer 2021 through this fall was mired in a long goodbye to the home of my heart: our family property in the eastern U.P. near the southeastern shore of Lake Superior, the end to a love affair that began in 1984.

Pike Lake, Luce Co, MI. Evidence of the Duck Lake Fire of 2012

Like cancer, toxic family drama destroyed this place that had long encapsulated my heart. 

Whitefish Point, Chippewa Co, MI August 2019 

And so it began, August through October, the long good-bye, the grieving, the death of my 37-year relationship with the "Yoop." 

Pike Lake Area, "After the Fire", 28Oct2013

I wake some mornings dreaming of that place, 

Grand Marais, MI Sept2020

...left with the wonder of how's it going to be when I no longer know the landscape.

"Mary's Bog" filled with Grass Pink Orchid, Luce Co, MI July2014

When I can no longer intuitively navigate the myriad of two-tracks through the bogs and forests...

Spruce Grouse, Farm Truck Rd, Chippewa Co, MI
They used to be regular along this road up until about 3-4 years ago. :(

When that remote landscape few know as intimately as someone who has explored its bounty for decades becomes a foreign land.

Lake Superior's south shore, somewhere off the beaten path, July2019

Goodbye my love. This loss hurts deeper than most. 

Whitefish Point, Chippewa Co, MI Aug 2019

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Mission Hill, Chippewa Co, MI 30May15
My favorite place to observe this species

Through the turmoil of family divisions, my struggle to demand my sibling treat my parents who brought us to that land with the dignity they deserve, through the emotional roller coaster of permanently relocating my parents from the Canadian border to the Mexican border, I found sweet RESPITE in a twenty-fucking-minute diversion to observe a Harris's Sparrow in my birding patch during my brief stop back in Madison. Respite among months of setting my wishes aside for the survival of my parents.

Harris's Sparrow, Eagle Heights Gardens, Madison, WI 18Oct21

A small chase for a Harris's Sparrow. Big silver-linings. Hold onto to these moments while you can. This was a moment that buoyed me amidst life's drowning circumstances.

While it would have been delightful to spend more time with the Harris's Sparrow, my parents and driving them to Texas that day was calling...

And so was Covid-19, lurking with us from Michigan to Texas. Dad became symptomatic, tested positive and I became the caregiver during the week that followed. Unpacking the U-haul trailer, delivering medications and breathing treatments, cooking, disinfecting, making an impulsive family trip to get monoclonal antibodies for the three of us and living in an N95 mask. This was supposed to be my mask-free time! Instead it was a Texas sweaty masked nightmare!

Though my time in Texas did not turn out how I imagined, I emerged feeling like some super immune dynamo. Miraculously mom and I never tested positive nor exhibited symptoms despite being ultra-exposed. 

Gulf Fritillary in my parent's yard, Hidalgo Co, TX Oct 2021

Covid thwarted my solid shot at an ABA lifer American Flamingo. I missed birding and butterflying some of my favorite Lower Rio Grande Valley haunts. That was the original plan, drive the parents to Texas and spend an additional week on various nature forays. It's all good though. I found a few hours to visit the National Butterfly Center down the road and I had several incidental observations of birds and butterflies from my parent's yard. I also worked on adding plants and making the yard more bird and butterfly friendly between my Covid caregiver duties.

Rufous/Allen's Hummingbird, parent's yard, Hidalgo Co, TX Oct 2021

Most importantly, I showed up for my parents, for my dad, just like he did at my lowest moment during my mid-twenties. I had to show up for them. It is what decency and dignity demands.

Long-tailed Skipper, National Butterfly Center, Hidalgo Co, TX Oct 2021

As we close out 2021, I finally feel I am emerging from the messy, heart-breaking and yet poignant past six months...stronger and certainly more independent. 

I'll take the raw tragedy and bliss of living over a still born existence of staring down a computer screen and acquiring maladaptive internet trolling behaviors any day. The calm that has followed the storm is pretty divine.

There is one choice for me: BE.HERE.NOW.

Worm-eating Warbler!

Yesterday's shift in winds out of the south brought a nice surge of migrants into southern Wisconsin. My Dane County eBird needs alerts exploded throughout the day. On our Dane County Notable Telegram chat channel an alert came out mid-morning for Worm-eating Warbler along with other goodies. The scenario was torture since I was mired on work the entire day. This Worm-eating would be both a patch and Dane County lifer. In addition, the first Golden-winged and Black-throated Blue warbler reports came in along with a White-eyed Vireo. All within my birding patch. 

Today I had the fortune of being off. So I set out mid-morning to try for the Worm-eating Warbler. I was not optimistic about re-finding the bird. Many had searched the scene yesterday and dipped. No early reports had surfaced that the bird was re-sighted. However upon arriving to Bill's Woods at the UW Lakeshore Preserve I noted the Ornithology Class intently observing birds and I overheard the leader mention Worm-eating Warbler. I weakly assumed he might have been referencing yesterday's bird since no one in the area appeared all that excited. I decided to circle back around to where the group was which is when Cynthia Carlson informed me that the leader had re-found the Worm-eating. Yes! There was hope. Myself and other birders search the knoll near the base of Picnic Point trying to sight the bird. Eventually Trudy Carlson located it and quickly got me on it.

It doesn't get any better than that. 

The bird was mostly skulking and busily foraging among the leaf litter. It was moving fast. 

So I was downright thrilled that it popped out in the open where Cynthia and I were ready to capture the moment! 

Pure bliss!

XOXO

    ~BirdBitch

Willets!

 Willet? Why yes, it will.

Yesterday was slow on the passerine front. 

...though any birding spent in the company of a Carolina Wren is hardly banal

Distracted by chores in the yard, I did not get out birding until late morning. No worries since I believe I did not miss much during the morning rush of birds. After a slow birding and quick stop at a section of the Pheasant Branch creek corridor, I stopped by the Black Earth Creek headwaters where hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls continued but the few common shorebirds I had seen on Saturday had moved on. The situation was setting up to be a slow day for birds all around. Until I arrived at Shovelers Sink...

I set up my scope pointed north to where the majority of shorebirds congregate. Bam! Large wading shorebirds. Cryptically colored.

But splendidly brilliant! Especially when they spread their wings!

WILLETS!

I missed this bird entirely for Wisconsin in 2020, so finding TWENTY-SEVEN at Shovelers Sink was damn thrilling! 

The best birds are those unexpectedly encountered. WILLETS. Zen.

XOXO~

BirdBitch.

Personal Phenology, Early Spring 2021

Since the latter part of March I have been keeping a running log of natural events I recurrently attune to each spring. In the past my sense of seasonal timing has been vague at best. In my opinion "vague" feels like the more fluid and organic manner to experience the natural world. However for whatever reason, this year I have decided to assign increased definition to my seasonal experiences. I muse at why my brain is opting for this increased compartmentalizing. Fill the slots. Categorize. List. I suppose building a foundation of constants and comparing differences across time possesses an element of intrigue...it often has for me. Now it shall with more clarity.

So here is my personal phenology as I have laid witness to thus far this spring.

I will start with the best rush of Spring to date, yesterday morning! Behold Louisiana Waterthrush!

April 12th. Right on schedule. Often a tough bird to get in my patch despite a small number being known to visit the creek corridor of Pheasant Branch Conservancy most years in early spring.

I had a small window of time to find this species this year before family obligations hijack my April birding. So I was thrilled to find this species yesterday! Such pure gold and an immensely satisfying high. Even better is sharing the wealth with other birders. At least a few others were able to relocate this bird yesterday and this morning.

Now to rewind to the third week of March for a chronology of the little nuggets I eagerly await each year...

March 19

• FOY implosion of my Swarovisions (DID NOT EAGERLY AWAIT THIS. But it would not be spring without some disaster for me be it an accident, injury or significant illness). The diopter/focus wheel came apart after years of fits with the darn thing. Right before spring migration. Could not be worse timing with any repair by Swarovski taking a minimum of two months. Enter sweet, generous Adrian with my choice of Zeiss Victory binoculars to use. Even better, I get to keep the pair I like best as my back-up binoculars!

March 21 

• Final ice went out in Lake Mendota
• First Mourning Cloak of the year

Mourning Cloak

March 22 

• First day of Spring coincided with first chipmunk in the yard
• Last of season Northern Shrike horking up a pellet at Nine Springs

Northern Shrike, Nine Springs Natural Area

March 23

• FOY (first of the year) Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gulls, Stricker's Pond

March 25

• FOY (First of year) yard Brown Creeper

March 29 

• First of season (FOS) Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren, Pheasant Branch Conservancy

April 1

• FOY yard Chipping Sparrow. Prior to this year we often had one over-winter in the yard/neighborhood

April 2

• First sizable push of Golden-crowned kinglets

Golden-crowned Kinglet, Pheasant Branch Conservancy 

April 2

• Bloodroot blooming

Bloodroot, Pheasant Branch Conservancy

• Virginia Bluebells barely blooming

Virginia Bluebells, Pheasant Branch Conservancy 

April 4 

• First tiger beetles of the year: 30+ Bronzed at Pheasant Branch Conservancy (PBC) Creek Corridor and a single Six-spotted also spotted at PBC. My friend Steve had texted on March 30 that Bronzed and Twelve-spotted were out by his place in Stoughton. Twelve-spotted is the last of the Wisconsin tiger beetles I still need for my life list. There never seems enough time for all I wish to conquer during spring! 

Bronzed Tiger Beetle, Pheasant Branch Conservancy

• Multiple Mourning Cloaks and Cabbage white butterflies seen at Pheasant Branch and Graber Pond. Generally a notable spike observed in insects on this warm sunny day.

April 5 

• First of year shorebird other than Killdeer, a Pectoral Sandpiper

April 6 

• Second of the year shorebird other than Killdeer, an early Least Sandpiper
• FOY Yellow-rumped Warbler and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

Least Sandpiper (left) with Pectoral Sandpiper (right).
Subzero Parkway Ponds, Dane Co, WI 6April21

• FOS singing Winter Wren

Winter Wren, Pheasant Branch Conservancy 

April 7

• FOY yard Field Sparrow

April 8

• FOY singing Yellow-rumped Warblers 
• Trout Lily and Dutchmen's Breeches starting to bloom
• The invasive Japanese Knotweed was growing new shoots at Pheasant Branch. The patch in our yard has not come back. I am hoping we effectively eradicated it last fall.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pheasant Branch Conservancy 

April 11 

• FOY Eastern Bluebird (WTF?!). This is LATE for me. Many had this species much earlier this spring. However others noted this species was late to arrive on territory by multiple weeks.

Eastern Bluebird, Pope Farm Conservancy

April 12

• Second warbler species of the year, a patch Louisiana Waterthrush!

Louisiana Waterthrush, Pheasant Branch Conservancy

• Trout lily in full bloom on south facing slopes

Trout Lily, Pheasant Branch Conservancy

Side notes: 

My yard black-capped chickadees having been investigating the nest boxes more heavily in the last week.

Pine siskins are collecting nesting material in the yard. We are down to a fairly consistent six seen most days. 

It looms large that I dipped on Vesper Sparrow in my patch last year. I have birded a few spots both roadside as well as a decent foot effort put in at Pope Farm without success. With a pending suspension of my birding efforts, I am concerned I will possibly miss Vesper Sparrow again this year.  

Though I had Pine Warblers in spades last year, I am feeling angst I could miss this species since I will be out of state during what my "vague sense of timing" considers to be their peak migration...However the more I think about it, I should have time to find this species. 

Beer-thirty is rarely conducive to early birding. Will I ever get out birding before eight this spring?

Approaching Pandemicversary

Last March I discovered a nesting pair of Eastern Screech-owls. Fast forward to two days ago. 

The owl that marked the beginning of the pandemic for me is back in her same nest hole. Sweet as ever. 

Eastern Screech-owl, female, red-phase 8Mar21

I refound her while out checking the Madison lakes for open water. Despite the relatively mild winter, Monona and Mendota were both still iced over as a two days ago. By this time last year Monona had open water with a bounty of waterfowl. 

Eastern Screech-owl, female, red-phase 8Mar21

I will patiently wait for water to open in my patch. Meanwhile just to the southeast of my birding patch, other Dane county birders are racking up ducks and geese...Patience my dear.  

 

In other news I am fully vaccinated. I have been since late January. Ready to put the pandemic behind me. Perhaps premature to some, I travelled to the Lower Rio Grande Valley at the end of February. It was glorious, warm, bird-filled and felt reasonably safe. My vitamin D deprived soul loved every minute. Maybe in time I can muster a post... so many photos, so little time. And before you know it, the rush will be on...Repeat.

XOXO,

BirdBitch

Superb Owl Sunday 2021

Indeed it has been a Superb Owl Sunday. The Force remains strong with me this season. My good fortune with owls continues.

Our brisk, single-digit hike today yielded one forest sprite that measured about the size of my hand.

I had forgotten just how small this owl species is. 

After a decade plus of ducking in and under evergreens in search of roosting saw-whets, I finally found one!

Though initially big-eyed when I found the owl within feet of melting off my face, this bird was in no mood to flee. It quickly returned to snoozing after apparently realizing I posed no threat. 

The last time I found a roosting northern saw-whet owl was in the ancient year of 2000. We had been paddling the Two Hearted River in Luce County, Michigan when we spotted a juvenile owl snoozing in a tree on the beach where we stopped for lunch. This was during a time before cell phone cameras were common place and before I was bogged down with camera gear. Hence the only picture from that time lives vividly in the cobwebs of my mind's eye.

Superb Owl Sunday 2021. What an incredible gift. So close. So small. So precious. So not eBirded...

~BB

Chasing Birds

Dave Grohl wrote me a song!  

Peace & Love,

Bird Bitch

What's Owl the Fuss?

Since moving to Dane County in 2017 it seems most Dane birders have gone to Brooklyn SWA to get their annual Short-eared Owl tic on their county lists. It is what I had done on New Year's Day the past few years birding with my pal, Kyle. 

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 

Each January 1st, as twilight approached we sped 30 minutes at the end of our big birding day to get Short-eared owl for the year. That first eve of the year usually drew a small crowd.

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 

I never gave much thought to looking for Short-eared Owl closer to home even as I became more and more focused on my 7.5 mile radius birding patch which Brooklyn Wildlife Area is well out of range. I mostly did not care because a) I had already seen the species on January 1st and b) I was either well in the lead for the WI Local Patch Challenge or I did not care about my standing. 

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 

That changed in 2020. As the year neared its close I had stiff competition in the WI Local Patch Challenge. I was in second place for much of the second half of the year, behind by several species. Unlike many birders who had extra time on their hands due to the pandemic, my time was (gratefully) consumed working on the COVID frontlines, hummingbird banding, gardening and completing other yard enhancements.

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 

But in the two months prior to the close of 2020, I developed a renewed sense of competition. I scoured my Wisconsin bird species checklist strategizing how I could close the gap and or take the lead in the WI Local Patch Challenge. Short-eared Owl rose to the top as a species I could still encounter in my patch. Perhaps near Waunakee Marsh or the Middleton airport? The airport seemed less likely with its expansive banks of solar panels. So I turned my attention to Waunakee Marsh. The most northern reaches of my patch boundary overlooks Waunakee Marsh to the north. Somewhere in the cobwebs of my brain I vaguely recollected lore of this species being present there despite virtually no eBird records for the specific hotspot and only three records from the Waunakee area dating 1962, 2007 and 2010.

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 

I staked out a spot that appeared promising and checked a couple times in December before striking gold mere days before 2020's end. Hurray! This and an unexpected Snowy Owl I found a few days later propelled me into a tie at first place for the Wisconsin Local Patch Challenge at 238 species. This was my best year of the three birding my current local patch. 

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 

Then January 1st, 2021 rolled around and all the eBird lists reset to zero! And I was back at it anew. Even though I did not embark on my usual January 1st "big day," I did bird much of the day closing it out with an owl quest. I intended to check my December spot for a FOY patch Short-eared Owl. We never made it to that spot because within a mile or two of that location Peter spotted a larger bird in a winter wheat field. It was a Short-eared Owl feasting on what I believe is a Meadow Vole. Shortly after spotting the owl it cooperatively perched on a low post with its prey. Since I was experimenting with my new mirrorless Canon camera that day, I missed the photo before it was spooked by a car, leaving the post and dropping its prey. 

Meadow Vole dropped by Short-eared Owl after being spooked by a nearby car

Shortly after, two additional owls joined the hunt flying around us at remarkably close range. It was an exhilarating end to a low pace birding day. 

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 

Selfishly, I wanted to guard this location for my own enjoyment, let the other birders robotically flock to the same Short-eared Owl spot they have been visiting for years at Brooklyn Wildlife Area while I relished these beauties for myself. My hope was to return in the future and capture respectable images of this species unfettered by the crowds of birders that comes with owl stakeouts. However because I had eBirded a single owl in this area in December, the location of this stakeout gained popularity rather quickly. It has been a convenient magnet this month for those flocking to see the Short-eared Owl aerial show.

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 

Spread the bliss I suppose. Why not? As long as the birders and photogs can act ethically, I feel at peace with others appreciating these impressive ambassadors of birding. 

Having returned a few times since discovering these owls, most observers appear to be handling the situation reasonably well. However I have noted how the excitement of seeing the owls can supersede common sense actions like parking vehicles on the SAME side of the road, pulling your vehicle ENTIRELY off the busy roads and not speeding in your car to chase the owls up and down the two roads where the owls are regularly crossing.

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 as a helicopter flies over

The discovery of these Short-eared Owls tickles me. Who knew this location would be this good?! 

I have to say, I absolutely appreciate how patch birding has challenged me to scour under-birded areas for target species. It certainly has yielded some welcome discoveries. Imagine how much more diverse our records of species distribution would be if more people subscribed to patch birding instead of being focused on twitching the same birds at the same locations visited by so many other birders.

I challenge readers to "bird outside the box." Bird your patch. The satisfaction of finding an unreported Long-eared, Short-eared or Snowy Owl is quite gratifying, especially when they are close to home. Plus the sense of discovery and pure magic revealed in exploring under-birded pockets of nature is pretty spectacular even when it doesn't yield one of the majestic ambassadors.

Long-eared Owl, January 2021

If you live in a patch abundant with birders as I do, even the more heavily-birded natural areas have hidden secrets yet to be discovered. Nature has proven this to me time and again. 

Sure I still chase, Wisconsin lifers, county lifers. But the gratification of finding my own birds is unmatched. Plus dipping SUCKS. It is such a defeating experience that stands in nearly complete opposition to achieving any sort of mindful experience of my surroundings.

Short-eared Owl, Waunakee Area, Dane Co, WI 26Jan21 

So back to the moment at hand, the bliss and celebratory spirit I feel after revisiting the Short-eared Owls tonight. To my great fortune the owls were up flying well before sunset! Light for photography! And no crowds. I wondered if the owls were stirred by the many snowmobiles coursing through their hunting grounds following the substantial snow fall last night and through today. On the other hand, it could be the case that their hunt was cut short last night by the snow and therefore they began looking for food earlier today. That was the premise that motivated me to venture out. This evening was by far one of the most incredible owl connections I have had in recent memory. 

Overall I feel fairly lucky this season with owls. In the interest of the welfare of the owls, I did try to conceal locations, but apparently not so cleverly... C'est la vie. Some figured it out and provided precise locations on eBird. The result has mostly been positive as far as I am aware despite the drama some would like to create. Winter, owls and populated areas equals scuttlebutt. Tsk tsk. I am done going down that controvertible road. 

I find it rather peculiar the critics of my eBirding habits are out enjoying these same "owls of contention." 

Continuing Snowy Owl 22Jan21, Dane Co, WI. 

I first found this owl Dec 30 to tie first place at 238 species in the 2020 WI Local Patch Challenge

I for one could not be happier with the remains of this day.