[wisb] Dane and Columbia shorebirds today

From: Peter Fissel <pfissel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Wisconsin Birding Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 21:33:06 -0500
I took a much-needed "mental health" day off work and joined Nolan Pope and Jim 
Schwarz in a tour of various ponds and flooded fields in Dane and Columbia 
Counties today.  We started at the flooded field just east of Ashton on County 
K, where there were tons of Bonaparte's Gulls - sadly, no Franklin's.  
Shorebirds were decent, with lots of Yellowlegs, Pectorals, a Spotted SP, and 
single Am. Golden Plover and Long-billed Dowitcher (big, dark red, and very 
hunch-backed even when alert and moving about.)  There were also a few American 
Pipits working the edge of the water.  
 
Local native Jim led us on a tour of various flooded fields in the Roxbury 
area.  Both species of Yellowlegs were the featured birds, but we did pick up a 
couple of Solitary SPs at one field right off Hwy 12.  We worked our way up to 
Sauk City, then east to Lussier Co. Park on Fish Lake.  There was a nice little 
wave of migrants there, including a Northern Waterthrush, only my third warbler 
sp. of the year (odd to get that before Palm.)  Our best stop was the flooded 
field on Wibu Rd., north of Hwy 60, just west of Arlington.  There were four 
Willets close to the road (must have been moving through the state in numbers 
today, from the sound of things.)   At the flooded field on the east side of 
Harvey Rd., just north of 60, seven Wilson's Phalaropes were shadowing a male 
No. Shoveler.  He must have been stirring up small organisms, as the phalaropes 
were spinning circles behind him.  Harvey south of DM had a bunch of Pectorals 
and not much else.  
 
The DM and I ponds had tons of Bonis, plus a lot of swallows, including a 
couple of Banks (but no Rough-wings.)  DM and Wibu just had a few G. 
Yellowlegs.  Ditto Patton and V ponds.  Schumacher and Cuba Valley was really 
dead.  
 
Peter Fissel
Madison, Dane Co.
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[wisb] Dane and Columbia shorebirds today

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