Sorry if the title wasn't able to catch it all: Today, Rob Pendergast, Ryan Askren and I embarked on a "wild goose chase" so to speak on these three birds: Broad-billed Hummingbird, Inca Dove, and Vermillion Flycatcher. We got to see all three! Here are more details: 1. Broad-billed Hummingbird--this active fellow appeared at ~8:10am and 8:20am this morning at Tina Keppel's house in Mequon (Ozaukee County). Please e-mail her for directions. It was a birdy place overall, as we also saw a Cooper's Hawk, Eastern Bluebird, and a probable Pine Siskin. 2. Inca Dove--another active bird, this guy took a little while longer to come out. We were there from ~9:45am to 10:45am, where s/he didn't come out until ~10:15am and hung out high in the Northern White Cedars.This is also in Mequon (Ozaukee County) at Concordia University. I forget the name of the building, but if anyone needs that information, let me know and I'll try to help you out. :) We also saw a semi-late Song Sparrow here too. 3. Black and Surf Scoters--several of these were actively feeding close by off of Bradford Beach in Milwaukee (Milwaukee County) today at noon. There were about 5 of each species. Scope was not necessary. There were also a couple of Cackling Geese still foraging with the Canada Geese on the lawn. 4. Vermillion Flycatcher--our final active bird was observed actively (and healthfully) foraging on the west side of Muskrat Lake in Stebbinsville (Rock County.) We were there from ~2:30 to 3pm and we were able to almost see him the whole time, except for when he ducked behind the branches. He hung out mainly between the two clumps of standing trees, and sometimes he would perch on the grass or on the mudflat. This lake is just north of the intersection of West Stebbinsville Road and Wollin Road. This young male(?) was pretty distant, but I think you would just barely be able to identify him with a pair of binoculars. Throughout our day we observed 3 American Kestrels. Yesterday (11/19/2011) I tried to relocate the Snowy Owl at Buena Vista Grasslands (east of Wisconsin Rapids and south of Plover, in Portage County) and I had no success. I went down Townline Road twice, plus all the roads nearby, from ~1:30pm to 3:30pm. We did see an American Kestrel and plenty of Rough-legged Hawks, including great looks at dark-morph birds. I also checked the UW-Stevens Point campus briefly yesterday to see if the Townsend's Solitaire from last winter had possibly returned. No such luck, and I'm not expecting this bird to return. It'll be good to keep an eye out for it though. :) That is all. Good birdin', Alyssa DeRubeis Stevens Point, Portage County #################### You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding Network (Wisbirdn). To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at: //www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn