[wisb] Grant County today

From: Peter Fissel <pfissel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Wisconsin Birding Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:36:24 -0600
Steve Thiessen, Nolan Pope, Jesse Ellis and I went on an excursion to Grant 
County today to see what we could find.  Overall, we saw an astonishing number 
of raptors on the day - I wish we had kept a little more accurate count, 
although Jesse will get some of it into eBird, but we estimated that between 
primarily Grant and Iowa Counties, with a few addtional birds in Dane and 
Lafayette, we probably had 20+ American Kestrels, at least two dozen 
Rough-legs, thirty or more Red-tails, at least that many Bald Eagles, and two 
or three Golden Eagles.
 
 In Tennyson, along Hwy 61/35 in SW Grant Co., we spotted three Eurasian 
Collared Doves by the feed mill.  This is a new location for that species to my 
knowledge.
 
Our next stop was Potosi.  We spotted several Turkeys up in trees as we drove 
in on Hwy 133, and there were a couple dozen more up on the hillside.  We 
spotted quite a few Am. Robins flying over the Potosi Brewery and pulled in 
behind it.  There were dozens of Robins up in the treetops, Tufted Titmice, 
lots of woodpeckers including a Pileated, plus other common birds.  At the 
Potosi Landing, we pulled off next to the railroad tracks and were watching a 
couple more Titmice when something sang very loudly behind us.  Jesse and I 
whipped around, since neither of us thought it sounded like a Titmouse.  A 
Carolina Wren was sitting on the brushpile next to the tracks.  We finally got 
Steve and Nolan on it when it flew across the tracks. There was also a Song 
Sparrow by the brush pile. The house across the street was buzzing with birds 
at the feeders, which is probably helping sustain the wren (I've had one at 
this location in winter before.)  We drove down to the Grant River Rec Area 
where Nolan spotted an immature Red-headed WP.  There were hundreds of Robins 
flying over the ridgeline and foraging in an open creek.  On our way back past 
the road to Potosi Landing, we helped a skier dig out his Range Rover.  Did I 
mention that the road isn't plowed and is solid ice beneath the snow?  With 
that good karma, I felt we deserved some more good birds (a Northern Flicker 
did fly over while we were clearing snow.)  
 
A quick stop at Cassville got us a Common Goldeneye and a few Common Mergs 
behind the south power plant, and we had an adult Red-headed WP at Nelson Dewey 
St. Park.  Very few eagles at Cassville, despite some open water (we did hear a 
Kingfisher.)  We cruised roads west of North Andover and Bloomington, looking 
for Gray Partridge, but found none.  There were at least fifteen Bald Eagles 
(and a Red-tail or two) hanging around a farm that may have been putting out 
offal with manure on Texas Rd.  We didn't see any EC Doves in Patch Grove, but 
pretty much drove straight through and didn't really search.  Our stop at 
Wyalusing St. Park was brief, just long enough to check the entrance station 
feeders.  There were over a dozen Purple Finches and other common birds there.  
We went north on County C and then took that long the Wisconsin River, where we 
had two or three Golden Eagles perched and flying (we weren't sure if one was a 
repeat bird.)  The drive back to Madison via Dodgeville on Hwys 133, 130, 23 & 
151 became a fascinating exercise in raptor spotting, with a Kestrel, Rough-leg 
or Red-tail seemingly every mile or so.  I had to get back by 3:30, or we would 
have spent more time poking around.  Still a very fun day with ace birders.
 
Peter Fissel 
Madison, Dane Co. 
####################
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] Grant County today

Other related posts:
