[wisb] Grass Lake, Rock County, Horicon, and fruit-eating yard visitors

From: Andrew Reimer <andrew.reimer21@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Wisconsin Bird Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:09:34 -0500
Spent a delightful day yesterday visiting my aunt in Rock County who owns a
home overlooking Grass Lake.  The rains had just moved out when we arrived
and the birds were particularly active.  She has two feeding stations which
were more or less continuously mobbed.  The Tufted Titmouse was the
highlight visitor which would be a most unusual sighting in the Appleton
area.  The lake itself has receded from it previous high water levels of
the previous two years, but in spite of the drought, is still higher than
usual.  However, it is shallow enough that lily pads can grow, hiding
dozens of Wood Ducks and a few Green Herons.  I do not remember cormorants
or Ospreys ever visiting the lake previously.  No evidence of a warbler
movement through there yet.  Complete list below...
  Milton, Rock County, WI, US, Rock, US-WI
Aug 16, 2012 10:30 AM
Protocol: Incidental
Comments:     Observations made throughout the day at a residence along
Grass Lake near Milton Junction, WI
29 species

Wood Duck  30
Wild Turkey  8
Double-crested Cormorant  15
Great Blue Heron  2
Green Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  2
Ring-billed Gull  X
Rock Pigeon  1
Mourning Dove  X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  X
Hairy Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  2
American Crow  X
Barn Swallow  X
Black-capped Chickadee  X
Tufted Titmouse  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
American Robin  X
Gray Catbird  1
Cedar Waxwing  4
Song Sparrow  1
Northern Cardinal  X
Red-winged Blackbird  X
House Finch  X
American Goldfinch  X
House Sparrow  X

Drove by the Hwy. 49 observation area in Horicon on the way home.  Again,
the morning rains seem to have made for acres of beautiful shorebird
habitat, but all I could find was a mixed flock of Least and Baird's
Sandpipers in the flats south of Hwy. 49 just west of the historic marker.
 Tons of other birds, but very little variety, mostly consisting of
Mallards, Wood Ducks, Great Egrets, and Great Blue Herons.

And upon arriving home this evening, a male Baltimore Oriole was feeding
from a prematurely ripe pear on my tree in my backyard.  Then when I looked
at one of my peach trees, I noticed a Tennessee Warbler--a very yellow
one--doing the same thing through a hole hornets had chewed open on one of
my peaches.  First of the year Tennessee for me--missed them in Spring when
they usually visit my apple blossoms.
-- 
*Andrew Reimer*
*Appleton (Darboy), Calumet 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
[wisb] Grass Lake, Rock County, Horicon, and fruit-eating yard visitors

Other related posts:
