Harlan's Intergrade Reconnaissance

Yesterday I ventured south of Madison to the Stoughton area on a reconnaissance mission to find and photograph the uniquely plumaged Dane County Harlan's (intergrade) Hawk. Harlan's is subspecies of Red-tailed Hawk that is rather rare for Wisconsin. There has been much debate about the ID of this bird.

It is believed this is the same bird identified as a juvenile Harlan's last winter at the same location which presented as a classic Harlan's juvenile. With its return to the exact location this winter showing traits of a second year bird, the ID of this bird has become complicated. I am not well versed in the subspecies and molt limits of Red-tailed Hawk. However, from what I gather this plumage is a bit atypical but within the morphological plausibility of being the Harlan's subspecies or at a minimum possessing Harlan's genes. Apparently they can show red in the tail though not usually to the degree seen in this bird. Per Brian Sullivan of eBird this bird is being placed in the Harlan's subspecies for eBird purposes so that the records are not lost in the sea of generic Red-tailed Hawks.

My second try at finding this bird was the charm. I arrived at ground zero of the "Harlan's" winter territory immediately finding it landing on a perch near the road.

I had mentally and physically planned my approach to shooting this bird should I be so lucky to find it in a reasonably close location. Lord knows photographing perched and in-flight raptors has been a trial and error process for me, filled mostly with errors.

The Dos and Don'ts I've ascertained over the course of many epic fails are as follows.

• DON'T  pull right under the bird on the same side of the road. 
• Definitely DON'T pull along side the bird and try to shoot it out the passenger window when you are the driver. The angle is tricky and the heat waves from the interior of the vehicle with fuck your focus. 
• DO use your car as a blind. 
• DO shoot out the side of the car you are seated on. If you need to drive past the bird and U-turn back this is preferable to trying to manage some awkward shot across the seat of your car. 
• DO keep the heat low or off with the windows cracked open so you don't get turbulence and fucked focusing. 
• DO have your camera settings prepared in advanced. I prefer a manual shutter and aperture with an auto iso. I lean toward faster shutter speeds and make additional adjustments once I knock off some initial shots if it appears I have a cooperative subject. 
• DO read your camera manual to understand which is the optimal image stabilization setting for birds in flight (something I have NEVER done).
• DON'T listen to me because I am still falling short of mastering shots of birds in flight.

Though not a complete fail, I once again struggled with how use my car as a blind while having enough freedom of movement to stay on the bird when it took flight. And then there's knowing your camera and knowing which stability setting to use. I botched that this time around.

Maybe it's time I break out the manual.

I did encounter this beauty a few more times as I circled its territory. But the money shot that I fell short on arrived in those first initial minutes of finding the bird. Despite missing the perfection mark with my photos I was wowed regardless. He's a stunner for sure!

Winter Birding with the Boys

Aaron, Tom & Ted hawk-watching, Devil's Lake State Park east meadow, Sauk Co WI, 1Feb2020

This past weekend, schedules aligned for some bird-watching with long time birding pals, Tom, Aaron and Ted. Saturday was the day though it partially conflicted with my plans to attend Orchid Quest 2020 at Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

The boys started birding early in eastern and central Dane County looking for waterfowl including the wintering female Harlequin Duck that has been present in Madison since late December. I had already seen this bird in my 5MR/7.5MR birding patches, so was fine with missing this target bird of the day. They also went toward Stoughton for the Harlan's Hawk that is spending its second winter in Dane County. I have yet to see this bird. I looked for it yesterday for the first time in the two winters it has resided in Dane County. Despite the sunny hawk-worthy skies, I dipped. This flashy male American Kestrel was my consolation prize.

American Kestrel, Hwy 138 Stoughton area, 3Feb2020

But back to Saturday's adventures...After getting my brief fill of orchids and unloading one hundred and sixty dollars plus, Peter and I joined the Jedi forces of Tom, Aaron and Ted for afternoon birding in Sauk and Columbia counties.

Our afternoon targets were Golden Eagle at Devil's Lake State Park and Townsend's Solitaire at Gibraltor Rock State Natural Area (aka Poor man's Devil's Lake per Tom).

Aaron, Peter, Ted and Tom, Devil's Lake State Park east meadow, Sauk Co, WI 1Feb2020

The weather was balmy and unseasonably warm. I was hopeful with the clouds breaking up in the afternoon that we would find the Golden Eagles riding the thermals. While we found numerous Red-taileds, Bald Eagles and a lone Rough-legged, we dipped on the previously reported Goldens. I could not complain about the miss given the perfect company, the scenery and the fact that I had recently seen a nice Golden perched along highway 14 during a trip to western Wisconsin to visit my uncle.

Golden Eagle, Richland Co, WI 26Jan2020

After putting forth respectable effort with the search for Goldens, we drove twenty minutes east to Gibraltor Rock in pursuit of Townsend's Solitaire. Though this species had not been reported since the first week of the new year, we were fairly confident this was a result of a lack of effort as opposed to the species having left the area. Even if we had dipped, this was my first visit to this state natural area and I was looking forward to the exploring the area regardless of what birds we saw.

Gibraltor Rock State Natural Area, Columbia County 1Feb2020

Gibraltor Rock did not disappoint. The scenery was certainly pleasing. More importantly we found our target bird, Townsend's Solitaire, teed up along the overlook.

Townsend's Solitaire, Gibraltor Rock SNA, Columbia Co, WI 1Feb2020

This species is a "rare" but annual visitor to Wisconsin during the winter months and certainly one of those nuggets I look forward to seeing during the paucity of bird diversity characteristic of winter birding.

Townsend's Solitaire, Gibraltor Rock SNA, Columbia Co, WI 1Feb2020

Satisfied with our looks at the Townsend's Solitaire it was time to part ways. Tom needed to get back to Green Bay and daylight was fading. We said our farewells as the boys briskly made their way down the bluff far ahead of my leisurely strolling balanced-impaired frame.

These group excursions are far too infrequent, the unintended result of moves that have spread us out across the state and country. The value of times like these is immeasurable. Life is short and unpredictable when it terminates. Make time for friends and nature while you can.

2019 in 25

2019 appears to be the year I fell off the blogger precipice. I'm still dangling by one index finger, but just barely.

And so it goes with recently acquiring a "new" house and yard. I have pretty much been pouring my energy into the yard, knowing in a few years it shall mostly take care of itself and I will reap the rewards of improved numbers and diversity of birds and pollinators.

I lament not finding time to document more of 2019 among the photo essays of bloggerland. While I have not been one to fancy the whole "Year-in-Review" notion of rehashing the highlights of the year's past posts, given the paucity of my 2019 content, I present to you 2019 in 25.

January started out in usual fashion with a big day of sorts on the first of the year. Other than the usual enthusiasm of racking up first-of-the-year birds and a Chipping Sparrow that visited my yard daily the entire month, the highlight of January was this Long-eared Owl, both a 5 mile radius (MR) and 7.5MR patch year bird. We were in a deep freeze with deep snow on the day this owl was found.

Long-eared Owl, Dane Co, WI January 2019

January also marked the first time I witnessed a Blood Wolf Moon. It was a painfully cold-ass eclipse but notable for January nonetheless.

Blood Wolf Moon total eclipse 20Jan2019 

February was the lost month of few photos and even fewer excursions. Always the shortest month of the year, yet it's the one that feels the longest. I could not feel farther from the sun nor tighter in the grip of winter than in February. February you are the dark anniversary of turning blue.

March marks the return of waterfowl, bluebirds and the first signs of spring. It was one of the few months I managed to post to this blog.

April is the prelude to golden May. It is a month fraught with anticipation and hope. It is a month of impatience waiting for that first drop of warblers.

My April trip to the Lower Rio Grande Valley and King Ranch topped the list as the highlight of 2019. Ferruginous Pygmy-owl became a North American lifer for me. I also enjoyed seeing the Elf Owls again, Morelett's Seedeater and the bountiful and diverse spring butterflies of far south Texas. I shall leave the details of that trip for another post dedicated to El Valle, a place that has grown to be a 2nd home to me.

Elf Owl,  Hidalgo Co, TX 14April2019

Back in Wisconsin the bright spot for April was seeing this Laughing Gull found by Ted Keyel. It was a Dane County and 7.5MR patch lifer.

Laughing Gull, Nine Springs Natural Area, Dane Co, WI 

May. Yep the pinnacle birding month. 2019 was another gem. You can read about it here. 

June. It was difficult to pare down my photos to a select few. June 2019 was a typical June. However the insects and orchids that dominate this month make it anything but ordinary.

Early June took me to Marinette County where I ran one of my two breeding bird survey routes. I had to defer the second of my routes until later in the month due to wind. During my down time, I stopped for my annual Kirtland's Warbler experience. I easily found four of these stunning birds.

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette Co, WI 9June2019 

I also visited Town Corner Cedars State Natural Area which yielded this Brown Elfin. I find the elfins and hairstreaks to be some of the more captivating of butterflies. In 2019 I dedicated myself to finding more Wisconsin butterflies. June rewarded me well in this regard.

Brown Elfin, Town Corner Cedars SNA, Marinette Co, WI 10June2019 

Town Corner Cedars was where I also found Heart-leaved Twayblade orchids littering the moss mats of the cedar swamp. These were life flowers. I should have seen them several years ago had I been more observant. Instead it was just last year I was alerted to these miniature (less than eighth of an inch) blooms by a fellow orchid enthusiast. My eyes were open to just how common these dainty flowers are in several of the orchid swamps I visit.

During this same trip to Marinette County, I also stopped at the Dunbar Barrens where I found a few Eastern Pine Elfins, another dandy species of butterfly!

Eastern Pine Elfin, Dunbar Barrens SNA, Marinette Co, 10June2019

The usual assortment of tiger beetles were also present, dominated by Northern Barrens Tiger Beetle. This was one of two target tiger beetles for this trip. The other, Boreal Long-lipped, was also an easy find.

Northern Barrens Tiger Beetles getting busy, 10June2019

Later in the month between power-banding hummingbirds I visited my favorite orchid swamp in Sawyer County where I found more Heart-leaved Twayblade orchids. I dare not mention the specifics of this location. It is THAT GOOD.

Heart-leaved Twayblade, Sawyer Co, WI 16June2019

I also found the stunning Arethusa...

Arethusa bulbosa, Dragon's Mouth Orchid, Sawyer Co, 16June2019

and several other species including the state-threatened Small Round-leaved Orchid which can be viewed here.

Early in July, I traveled to the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a week of family, Lake Superior and boreal goodness. Our resident loons on Pike Lake were successful with producing a chick after several years (5+) of failure. Yay loons! Boo Jet-skis.

Common Loon, Pike Lake, Luce Co, 5July2019

The latter half of July was dominated by hummingbird banding, helping with wrapping up the fifth and final year of the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas II and enjoying more nature forays to find insects. I found this Once-married Underwing Moth while atlasing in the western Dane County.

Once-married underwing (Catocala unijuga), New Obsevatory Woods SNA, 17July2019

Pleasant Valley Nature Conservancy is one of my top places to visit in Dane County for flowers and insects. Just about any warm season month at this natural area has some treasure to offer. I have observed countless life insects and flowers here over the years. In mid July I had the good fortune of adding to that long list of lifers with this Striped Hairstreak.

Striped Hairstreak, Pleasant Valley Nature Conservancy, 14July2019

Later in July, I searched several times for the coveted Juniper Hairstreaks along  Kahl Road in Dane County (WI). I also discovered and searched another excellent location with perfect habitat for this species. I failed in my searches settling for a consolation of other butterflies, robberflies and this cooperative jumping spider.

Jumping spider sp., Kahl Rd, Dane Co, WI 22July2019

Back at home in my yard. I was having another good year of whimsical insects. This is one of the mini robberflies found in my garden. Its perch is a bamboo stick less than a quarter inch in diameter. Thanks to Mike Reese for the ID on this one.

Cerotainia albipilosa robberfly, Bittersweet home, Dane Co, WI 29July2019

Undoubtedly the highlight for July was having the opportunity to band this adult male Rufous Hummingbird in Lincoln County, WI. An adult male with an estimated 50% green back is uncommon, especially for Wisconsin. The shape of the second tail feather being sharply notched ruled out the even rarer Allen's Hummingbird, a species yet to be recorded in the state. This particular hummingbird proved to be the only Rufous Hummingbird reported in Wisconsin for 2019. Late fall usually brings more reports. However Fall 2019 was eerily quiet.

Adult male Rufous Hummingbird, Lincoln Co, WI 26July2019

August began with me finding time to look for butterflies in the sand barrens west of Dane County. I visited Gotham Jackpine Barrens and Blue River Sand Barrens. My butterflying efforts were met with meager success. The highlight was finding blooming Clustered Poppy Mallow. This is a Wisconsin State Special Concern plant that I have seen on just one other occasion at Spring Green Prairie.

Clustered Poppy-mallow (Callirhoe triangulata), Grant Co, WI 2Aug2019

August not unlike July was dominated by travels for hummingbird banding. On a trip home from banding I took a short detour through Jackson County looking for butterflies, tiger beetles and uncommon flowers. I was successful on all fronts. A stop at a small sand blow produced my only sighting of Ghost Tiger Beetle for 2019.

Ghost Tiger Beetle, Jackson Co, WI 18Aug2019

Further on in Jackson County, near the Sandhill Wildlife Area, I found a wetland teeming with Eastern Purple Bladderwort, a life plant for me.

Eastern Purple Bladderwort, Jackson Co, WI 18Aug2019

In September the glory of my gardening efforts peaked. Click here to view my front yard in bloom. An uptick of Ruby-throated hummingbirds in the yard was well-timed with the peak bloom. All of these birds were hatch year birds making their journey south. With my crazy schedule of power-banding a couple hundred hummingbirds each weekend behind me as of August, I turned to banding the small number of hummers migrating through my yard. I was curious about the turnover-rate in individuals and how many were stopping on their journey in the fall. I had a fairly good idea when a new batch of birds would arrive due to plumage markings, scars and a change in favored perches.

September was the last of four times in 2019 that I managed to find time to blog.

October. The bounty of insects and Ruby-throated hummingbirds continued into October. I continued banding hummingbirds until weather deterred me from doing so. Ruby-throateds are not nearly as cold hearty as Rufous or Anna's. So when the temperatures fell below 50 degrees F, I opted forego banding. Between 9/16 and 10/20/2019 I banded on five occasions capturing twelve hatch-year (HY) males and four HY females. These numbers pale in comparison to summer banding. However, it was interesting to see how fat some of the birds were compared to when I band during the breeding season. The weights in the summer usually range 2.5-3.5 grams with males being on the lower end. I caught multiple males with substantially bulging fat weighing 4-5.5 grams!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, hatch year male, Dane Co, WI 15October2019

This particular bird (below) was banded on October 20th and remained in the yard until November 7th. He survived three snow storms and temps down to 14 degrees F. Based on his weight of 3.35 grams on October 20th, he needed the extra time in the yard to gain fat. I do hope he was successful on his migration. Conditions looked grim for him heading south. However these birds are fairly remarkable. If only he would be recaptured to complete the story of his migration.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, HY male, Dane Co, WI 31October2019

A small number of moths and butterflies visited the yard throughout October. This mistflower I snagged from my mom's garden in the Lower Rio Grande Valley was popular for many species including multiples of this Yellow-collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvicollis).

Yellow-collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvicollis), Dane Co, 20Oct2019

Oddly I did not get a Franklin's Gull until October this year. I believe few if any birders had them in Dane County earlier in the year. Usually several Franklin's can be found in early spring. But the timing and occurrence of several migrants seemed out of whack this year. The photo below is pretty crappy, but this bird was indeed notable for my October.

Franklin's Gull, Dane Co, WI 22Oct2019

Once again, October passed with no orange sparrows for me. I made little effort to look among the busyness of life.

In early November, I completed the usual lakeshore birding trip from Milwaukee to Sheboygan with Peter and Aaron. This year we extended further north to Two Harbors where the highlight for me was this stunningly close Long-tailed Duck.

Long-tailed Duck, Two Harbors, Manitowoc Co, 3Nov2019

Given it was expected to be a poor year for winter finches we were surprised to find a Red Crossbill at Virmond Park, a fairly reliable place for this species on this particular route. I also saw my lifer Great Tit in Sheboygan where a small population of escapees has established breeding. This species is not technically countable. Unfortunately it will be soon.

In December, I headed back down to the Lower Rio Grande Valley for my annual birthday week trip. The highlight was finding several Blue Metalmarks, a life butterfly I had coveted for several years.

Blue Metalmark, Resaca De La Palma SP, Cameron Co, TX 9Dec2019

Otherwise December wrapped up in usual fashion with three Christmas Bird Counts under my belt: Madison, Waterloo and Palmyra. The Palmyra count which takes place in the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest has historically been excellent for owls. However this year was nearly a bust. My favorite birds for the three counts were Merlin, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Carolina Wren respectively. Nothing super rare, but all are birds that are nice to find during the winter months. And let's not forget Northern Shrike. They always rock and top my list of favorite winter bird species. We found them on two of the three counts.

Other than that 2019 was FULL of craft beer and making new friends along the road to inebriation. Everything in moderation. Yeah, right.

Now for 2020! I hope to make it to the tropics this year!

Rewind to Spring 2019

I'm unearthing this post from the wasteland where it began back at the end of May. I was coming down off the highs of spring migration consumed by getting my yard planted and planning for another hummingbird banding season and never found time to complete this.

So back to April we go...

April started off with this...

Ferruginous Pygmy-owl LIFER, King Ranch, Kennedy Co, TX 10April2019

But was mostly lots of this...

Crafts brews, Craft Beer Week and kindred beer-drinking souls and new friends gathering at my favorite local craft beer cafe continued well into May and beyond.

April was pretty damn wet, cold and dreary. Winter dealt two encores. I missed the first while visiting the Lower Rio Grande Valley but was back in Wisconsin for the second. None of the April 2019 snow was quite so devastating to the birds as last year's was.

Overall April's showing of birds was grim. By month's end, there was no customary drop of neotropical migrants. In addition the shorebirds were weak inland from the Great Lakes where I bird. It seemed as though migration would never come.

Golden-winged Warbler, UW-Arboretum, Madison, Dane Co, 6May2019

But then came May's eternal promise. The Neotrops rocked it on May 6. It was their first good showing in numbers and quality.

American Redstart, UW-Arboretum, Madison, Dane Co, WI 6May2019

I had the great fortune of being off the entire day feeling quite pleased to strike it big on the first bird lottery of spring! Though not my intention, May 6 became a mini-Big Day of sorts. I ended the day at 108 species in my 5MR birding patch with little effort and a incredible rush of enthusiasm to greet the spring migrants.

Magnolia Warbler, UW Arboretum, Madison, Dane Co, 6May2019 

I had been regularly checking Esser Pond for shorebirds in my 5MR patch. It paid off with the discovery of two American Avocets, patch lifer!

American Avocet, Esser Pond, Dane Co, WI 6May2019

Warblers provided a decent showing throughout May. Black-throated Blue warblers appeared to be more numerous and widespread than I recall in recent years.

Black-throated Blue Warbler, Dane Co, WI 13May2019

The coveted Bay-breasted warblers provided frequent crushing views, males and females alike.

Bay-breasted Warbler, Dane Co, WI 17May2019

As usual the season came with misses. The Hooded Warblers did not return to breed in the UW Arboretum and otherwise seemed hard to come by at the haunts I visited during spring.

On the other hand, having missed Cerulean last year, I was thrilled to stumble upon a singing male in the Bock Forest parcel of Pheasant Branch Conservancy.

Cerulean Warbler (doc shot), Pheasant Branch Conservancy, Dane Co, WI 17May2019 

Connecticut Warbler was another 2018 miss for me that I had the good fortune to observe on two occasions in late May, one at Hoyt Park while birding with my pal, Adrian, and another at Pheasant Branch in an unexpected location during my return hike from looking for Red-headed Woodpeckers.

I started off spring pumped to work on my 5 mile-radius (5MR)  patch list. But by the end of May my enthusiasm dwindled to a whimper. By June my urge was silenced, lost in the distraction of insects, hummingbird banding and endless gardening to foster a bird and butterfly friendly yard.

Much the same occurred in 2018 with my effort to bolster my 7.5MR patch annual total. I floundered and lost interest when June rolled around.

Currently I sit at 208 and 200 for my 7.5MR and 5MR patch totals for the year. Miraculously according to eBird I am leading in Dane county for both metrics. However I expect to be surpassed in the 7.5MR arena by ace birder, Aaron H in the coming weeks since I don't expect to finish out 2019 with a bang. But one can never know. Perhaps my mood and interests will shift. As of now I have house projects on my mind and thoughts of returning to the Lower Rio Grande Valley for my usual birthday vacation to see the 'rents, the birds and the butterflies. Stay tuned!

Hello September

Hello September! Where have I been?

Lake Superior, Vermillion, Chippewa Co, 4Sept2019

I never intended to leave this blog by the wayside for so long. But somewhere between the exhaustion of spring migration,

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Dane Co, 20May2019 

over indulgence in craft beer, 

intense gardening at my new home of now two years, 

Front garden, Bittersweet Place, 9Sept2019

Bittersweet Place pre-occupancy circa May 2017

hummingbird banding,

Rufous Hummingbird, Lincoln Co, WI 26July2019 

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Washburn Co, WI 16June2019

and my continuous quest for orchids, butterflies and other insects, 

Small Round-leaved Orchid, Sawyer Co, WI 16June2019

Arctic Skipper, Sawyer Co, 16June2019

Ghost Tiger Beetle, Jackson Co, WI 18August2019

...that is precisely what has occurred. My blog FLAT-LINED.

And then there is the fatigue of everything. I have attempted on many occasions to compose something only to lose the battle with sleep. Mostly though, my active social life involving craft beer has won out as my preferred post-twilight activity.

But I am back. Motivated by own interest in documenting year to year changes, I hope to play catch-up. Time will tell if that actually materializes.

For now I leave you with a few scenes from my recent Labor Day weekend trip to the southeastern shore of Lake Superior.

Whitefish Point, Chippewa Co, 31Aug2019 

Whitefish Point, Chippewa Co, 31Aug2019 

Aurora, Luce Co, 31Aug2019

Aurora, Pike Lake, Luce Co, 4Sept2019