[wisb] Milwaukee Lakefront, 2/1/10 - Record low BIGBY species count
- From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: wisbirdn <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2011 12:16:47 -0800 (PST)
I decided to take a stroll down the lakefront yesterday (2/1/10). The nippy
wind caused me to turn around and head back south when I got to McKinley Beach.
There was already some big wave action going, but nothing like the 10-16-foot
waves predicted to hit the beaches later. There were waves crashing up over the
breakwater that frames the main entrance to Milwaukee harbor. Can't wait for
the weather to warm up for a bit so I can check McKinley & Bradford Beaches for
possible beach erosion damage.
I think I set an all time record low species count for a BIGBY outing: four
species. Everyone must have been hunkered down waiting for the blizzard. Here
are the four species:
* Herring Gull - couple dozen sailing around in the wind.
* American Crow - several, struggling while flapping into the wind.
* American Robin - about a dozen, hunkered down in a tree in the shelter of the
lake bluff.
* European Starling - 45 of them were pretty much doing the same thing as the
robins.
While most of the fruit trees (ornamental and not) are pretty much picked clean
in my neighborhood, there are two species that haven't been touched. One is
obviously an ornamental tree, planted for a decorative effect, with deep red
fruit. The other is not much more than a shrub, with dark black berries that
almost look like they are attached directly to the branches (must have a very
short stem). These shrubs grow wild in the wooded areas along the lake bluff.
Anyway, I'm curious to see if the birds start eating the fruits of these plants
now that the blizzard has covered up a lot of other food sources.
Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee
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- » [wisb] Milwaukee Lakefront, 2/1/10 - Record low BIGBY species count - B.G. Sloan
