[wisb] More on Milwaukee Lakefront, 2/1/12

From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@xxxxxxxxx>
To: wisbirdn <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 17:44:36 -0800 (PST)
In an earlier posting I described the Long-tailed Duck I found today in the 
Discovery World harbor. I was kicking myself for not having a camera with me. 
My old reliable pocket camera "died" two weeks ago, and I haven't had a chance 
to replace it. This duck was so cooperative it was almost like it was sitting 
for a portrait. :-(  Maybe this will push me over the edge as far as getting a 
new camera!

There were a few other interesting highlights in addition to the Long-tailed 
Duck:

* A half dozen Common Redpolls working their way north near the Oak Leaf Trail 
along the lake bluff near Veterans Park.

* Only a few Canada Geese!

* Hundreds of ducks in Milwaukee Harbor. Many were pretty far out, but it 
looked like the majority were Common Goldeneyes, followed by Scaups (mainly 
Greater, with scattered Lessers), and Mergansers (mainly Red-breasted, with 
some Commons), and a few Buffleheads.

* The male Common Goldeneyes were doing their "peent" courtship calls quite 
often. I used to think this call sounded like the calls of American Woodcock 
and Common Nighthawk. Upon further review (after listening to the ducks "peent" 
for 15-20 minutes) I decided that the Goldeneyes sound a lot more like a 
Woodcock than a Nighthawk.

* Got to hear a Merganser vocalize for the first time ever. I think I startled 
this bird for some reason, even though I wasn't all that close. It gave a 
couple of calls that sounded like a cross between a quack and a bark, and then 
skittered across the water as it took flight.

* Just to the east of Discovery World there were two male Common Goldeneyes 
doing courtship displays for an audience of three females. The males were doing 
what I think is called a "head throw". They stick their heads straight forward 
so that the head and neck are touching the water's surface in front of their 
body. Then they abruptly snap their heads backwards to their rumps with the 
bill pointed back past vertical. I don't understand how they don't get whiplash 
from this manuever. :-) Very interesting to watch, though! 

* Sometimes I wonder why birds I normally see in flocks sometimes show up as 
"loners". Today I saw a a male Bufflehead solo in an area where no other ducks 
were close by. And a solitary Canada Goose grazing in the grass with no other 
geese in sight. Are they just feeling anti-social? :-)

* Saw 150+ European Starlings feeding on berries from two very small ornamental 
fruit trees. Biggest flock of starlings I've ever seen in my neighborhood.

* Finally, there must be some big run of fish at the mouth of the Milwaukee 
River. There were easily 15 fishing boats parked there in a fairly tight group 
today...

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee

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[wisb] More on Milwaukee Lakefront, 2/1/12

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