Under the Pandemic: Fall 2020

And just like that we are deep into fall 2020 and here I am plugging away at this post that I started over a month ago... 

For now, I am fast-forwarding from April to September! (What the hell?! I skipped May!?) 

LeConte's Sparrow, Biocore Prairie, Dane Co, WI 27Sept20

This first fall (hopefully the ONLY) of the pandemic has been kind to me. Nothing says that more than my last two posts about the Dane County Red Phalarope. As I write I feel an immense sense of relief in the outcome of the presidential election. However I do wonder if we will ever fully recover from the darkness of IQ45's legacy. Will any piece of our former United States and democracy be recognizable? No doubt the set-backs incurred by our nation and earth under America's first dictator will take generations to repair. I fear this country will never meet its greatness or an acceptable level of civility in my lifetime. As a consolation, at least for the time being, I do not feel compelled to flee the United States. However I suspect it's inevitable. Did I mention I am aspiring expat? But I digress...

The highlights of this fall are many.

LeConte's Sparrow, Biocore Prairie, Madison, WI 27Sept20

September brought relief to my nearly three year drought of orange sparrows. Even better, I found my own sparrows versus chasing the same few that gobs of other birders went after for their 2020 Dane County tic. The first was a Nelson's Sparrow I found at Shovelers Sink. The second was a stunning nugget of a LeConte's Sparrow I found while following up on a dubious Lark Sparrow report at the UW-Lakeshore Preserve. 

Fall 2020 was a better for warblers than I recall in recent years. The few times I made it out for the southbound passerine migration I primarily birded Marshall Park. This little gem of a bird haunt is located near the southwest corner of Lake Mendota.

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Marshall Park, Dane Co, WI 21Sept20

Black-throated Green Warbler, Marshall Park, Dane Co, WI 21Sept20

Black-throated Blue Warblers which I am lucky to see one of this species in the fall, seemed easy to come by. One of my late September outings included a high count of four males!

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Marshall Park, Madison, WI 21Sept20

Shoveler's Sink not only came through with Nelson's Sparrow in September, but I also found my FOY Black-bellied Plover here. Late in August I discovered this location was attracting a decent diversity of shorebirds. I only wish I had checked here sooner in the year. I may have gotten one or both expected phalaropes in my 7.5 MR patch had I been on top of my game.

Black-bellied Plover, Shovelers Sink, Dane Co, WI 22Sept20 

Ashton K pond which had been my go to shorebird spot the last few years, dried up quickly this year. Subsequently it was hidden by tall corn until harvest in October. When it was finally visible and flooded again in mid October, it came through with some late American Golden-plovers to add to my 2020 patch total. 

Carolina Wren, Bittersweet Home, Dane Co, WI 9No20

October began with a pair of Carolina Wrens visiting my yard. They continue to be heard and seen every few days. 

I was hoping during the hallmark "Sparrow Month" that I would find a Harris's Sparrow. Though I scoured the White-crowned Sparrows on many occasions, my efforts were not rewarded (nor have they been for the last 3 years). 

White-crowned Sparrow, Shovelers Sink, Dane Co, WI 14Oct20

White-crowned Sparrow, Shovelers Sink, Dane Co, WI 20Oct20

The highlight for sparrows during October was the addition of Eurasian Tree Sparrow to my Dane County and Wisconsin Life Lists. 

Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Mount Horeb, Dane Co, WI 31Oct20

October 28th a report of a Black-throated Gray warbler in Madison surfaced on Facebook. By early evening I was getting poor by IDable looks of the bird high in the dark canopy under fading light. It was a Dane County and Wisconsin life bird. I returned days later for better looks and photos. This bird continues as of this writing. It is the opinion of many that it will meet its demise at Turville Point where it currently resides. How is this bird much different from the Yellow-rumped Warblers that sometimes over-winter or stay late into January some winters? If we have a milder winter, perhaps the bird will survive. Perhaps it will finally move on when temperatures plummet and food is scarce. This is another rarity with crushing potential. I hear as of late it is often foraging in the leaf litter close to ground. 

Black-throated Gray Warbler, Olin-Turville Park, Madison, Dane Co, WI 2Nov20

This fall is shaping up to be good for "winter finches." The first came with in late September with my FOY Purple Finches. This was followed a week later by Pine Siskins which continue in high numbers at my backyard feeder. In recent weeks crossbills are being found in increasingly larger flocks. I found my first of the year Red Crossbills at Holy Wisdom Monastery November 5th and my first Common Redpolls a few days ago. I have yet to see or hear White-winged Crossbills. I expect to resolve that soon as they have been seen in large flocks the past two days. 

Red Crossbill, Holy Wisdom Monastery, Dane Co, WI 5Nov20

Owl reports are on the rise including Long-eared. I have yet to have the good fortune of finding one this year. Scoters have been easy to come by and seem to be more numerous on the Madison lakes than I recall in past years. 

And finally, no fall is complete without a photo or two of my yard Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. I banded a total of 15 birds in my yard between 9/17-10/8/20. My high count was 8 individuals on September 17th.  

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Bittersweet Home, Dane Co, WI 14Sept20

These are small numbers compared to the 50-70 I often banding in one sitting at my summer banding sites. But it's still exciting for me to document the number of hatch year birds that use my yard during their southward journey. 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Bittersweet Home, Dane Co, WI 4Oct20

My last hummingbird was seen October 15th. This is a more typical date for southern Wisconsin than last year when I had a "Ruby-throat" stay until November 7th surviving two snow storms. 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Bittersweet Home, Dane Co, WI 31Oct19

Under the Pandemic: Red Phalarope Crushing

What does one do when a bird you have not seen in 8 years persists within 20 minutes of your home? Carpe diem. You CRUSH it. 

On Thursday, my schedule afforded me a couple of hours to spend with this gloriously cooperative pelagic phalarope. 

The lighting was much more favorable. The weather, unseasonably warm and divine.

Check out that lobed foot!

The freeze frames afforded by photography allowed me a closer look at the deep" feeding behavior of this bird. 

According to Cornell's Birds of the World, deep feeding is more characteristic of the females of this species. Does the hint of rust on this juvenile coupled with the deep feeding behavior hint at this being a female? Do juvenile males show the red washed throat? Given this species exhibits reversed sexual dimorphism one would expect the young males to be drabber (and perhaps without any color in the throat???) Lacking experience with this species it's all simply speculative thought on my part. A cursory dig in my guides and online did not address my questions.

As of this writing, today marks the second day the bird has not been observed. Previously it went MIA for a single day since it was first observed nearly a week ago. 

The next few days will tell if it has migrated versus simply shifting around locally on Lake Mendota. I was expecting to see it reported again today which did not occur. Perhaps it has moved on.

Under the Pandemic: Red Phalarope

I interrupt the blog post I could never finish to bring you this Red Phalarope! 

On Monday, Neil Gilbert sent out an alert on our Dane County Notable Birds chat group about a Red Phalarope photographed the prior day by Dr. Tim Van Deelen, a professor of Wild Ecology at University of Wisconsin, Madison. At 9:46 a.m. he sent an update on location, "Warner park. I'm out the door." Twelve minutes later, "BIRD IS HERE." Within minutes another half dozen birders had the bird at the Warner Park Boat Launch. The number of birders who saw this bird at spitting distance off the north shore of Lake Mendota quickly grew throughout the morning. Sadly, I was not among them...

Per the usual with Dane rarities this year, I was working over an hour away. Around 11:00 a.m. I glanced at my typically super silenced phone to see it had exploded with notifications from the Dane County Notable Birds chat as well as with texts from fellow nerds. Adrenaline and angst set in. Could I get through my caseload and be home before dark to see this bird? I was both tortured and hopeful by the reports coming in about the continuing bird...

In unusual fashion the Universe ultimately was on my side for the day. My caseload lightened allowing me to leave work earlier than anticipated. 

By 2:30 p.m. I had my eyes on this glorious little gem, the only phalarope I managed to see in my patch this year! A fucking Red Phalarope! A 7.5 mile-radius patch bird, a Dane County lifer and the first I've seen this species since November 2012. 

I soaked in its cooperative presence, plunked down in the sand in my work scrubs, grateful to have had my optics in tow when I left for work. In between capturing photos and struggling with my camera, I caught up with some old birding friends. But mostly I was just riding that rarity BLISS high, dazed and checked-out from any conversations I was having. 

Hope certainly IS a thing with feathers. November appears to be turning the tide in that direction. The distraction from the swirling insanity of the COVID-19 wave was most welcome. 

Stats: 

• According to the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Rare Bird Records, this is the 3rd record for Dane Co.
• The prior two Dane Co records are specimens from 1899 and 1935
• I have seen this species on 6 occasions, 5 of those in Wisconsin
• Red Phalarope=2020 7.5 MR patch bird #231
• 232=2020 7.5 MR patch total to date
• 229=7.5 MR patch high count prior to 2020 (in 2018)
• Beer is a great barrier to keeping up with this blog