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?