[wisb] Re: Waterloo CBC today - Meadowlark sp.
- From: Karen Etter Hale <chimneyswift1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Wisconsin Birding Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:13:44 -0600
The cold was biting yesterday, that's for sure, especially when we were
scoping directly into the northwest wind, but we had an excellent day
nevertheless.
Jim Kerler and I did the Lake Mills and Faville Grove Sanctuary portion
of the Waterloo CBC, starting at 7:05 with 2 tundra swans that were on
the only open portion of Rock Lake. They took off and were gone before
we even got the scope set up, so it's a good thing we got there when we
did. Then we struggled to count everything else as our eyes kept tearing
up in the wind: 170 common goldeneyes, ~300 coots, 32 common mergansers,
and 4 bald eagles! We returned after lunch, hoping for better
conditions. Nope. But the birds were spread out a bit more, so we were
able to pick up 1 ring-necked duck and 2 lesser scaup. 31 mallards and 6
Canada geese at the Fish Hatchery rounded out our waterfowl count.
The rest of the day seemed practically balmy in comparison (well, not
really - except for the sunny spot on the south side of the conifer
plantation). We had good numbers of most of the usual species. One fox
sparrow was a surprise. We ended the day with 34 species, 10 more than
last year.
No song sparrows (19 last year), kinglets (2 last year), or brown
creepers (1 last year). Each year is different, which is one very good
reason to keep counting!
Karen Etter Hale
Lake Mills
NW Jefferson Co.
Peter Fissel wrote:
> Jim "Eagle Eye" Schwarz and I did our area of the Waterloo CBC today in
> biting cold (but the light was good!) Our area was essentially the northwest
> corner of Jefferson County, with part of another area in eastern Dane Co. We
> had two really good spots. In the morning, on the deadend Stoney Creek Rd.
> off County B in Jefferson Co., we had an E. Bluebird, Am. Robin and immature
> Cooper's Hawk in the same spot (the Coop may explain why there were so few
> other birds around despite a bit of open stream and good cover.)
>
> After lunch, we were driving past the first farm on Island Church Rd. east of
> Waterloo when we stopped to check for birds. Jim spotted a bird flying
> towards and then behind the car. I jumped out to check it and was surprised
> to see it was a Meadowlark - nice view of the white tail corners as it took
> off from the side of the road. We then got out Jim's scope to check a couple
> of other chunky birds hanging out by the cattle yard, which turned out to be
> female Red-winged Blackbirds. We also had a BH Cowbird at a feeder earlier
> in the day. Other highlights were Fox, White-throated and Song Sparrows at
> one spot in Jefferson Co., and a couple of GC Kinglets about six feet away
> from us in a conifer stand in the Waterloo W.A. Only real disappointment was
> not seeing any Shrikes, after totalling FIVE of them in the same area last
> year.
>
> By the way, we drove in to check the Prairies and Potholes public hunting
> area just northeast of Deerfield in Dane Co. (adjacent to the Goose Lake
> W.A.,) and I was stunned to see that it now truly is "Prairies" and Potholes
> - all of the trees in the rather extensive wooded area by the parking lot
> have been cut down. That had been a very productive CBC area - no longer.
>
> Peter Fissel
> Madison, Dane Co.
>
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