[wisb] Milwaukee Lakefront, 2/4/11 - Great Black-backed Gull and a couple of singing birds

From: "B.G. Sloan" <bgsloan2@xxxxxxxxx>
To: wisbirdn <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2011 16:40:29 -0800 (PST)
Yesterday (Friday, 2/4) I made a post-blizzard trip to the southern part of my 
walking BIGBY route. At one point I had to slog through 300 feet of foot deep 
snow because a sidewalk hadn't been plowed yet. Pretty rough going! Much to my 
chagrin, I later discovered that if I had just walked another 100 feet on the 
plowed sidewalk that I'd been on I would have found another plowed sidewalk 
heading in the direction I wanted to be going.
 
Not much open water near my walking route. A small patch at the south end of 
the small rocky island behind the art museum, the usual spot under the 
Lakeshore State Park footbridge, and the entrance to the Discovery World harbor.
 
The state park wasn't as snowy as I thought it might be. Maybe the strong winds 
coming of the lake blew the snow clean in some spots.
 
Bird highlights:
 
* Absolutely NO Mallards. Anywhere. I believe that's a Milwaukee first for me!
 
* A fly-by Great Black-backed Gull. Beautiful bird! Love the black/white 
contrast. Not a new BIGBY species though. I had another one in early January on 
the  Milwaukee River ice under the Hoan Bridge.
 
* Song Sparrow (two). On the big rocks in the state park. 2011 BIGBY species 
#51.
 
* Snow Buntings (7). On the relatively snow-free big lawn in the state park.
 
* Ruddy Duck. In the open water near the Discovery World harbor mouth.
 
* The small patch of open water behind the art museum held about 100 ducks, 
mostly Goldeneyes and Scaup.
 
* The entrance to the Discovery World harbor contained several hundred ducks. 
Once again, mostly Goldeneyes and Scaup (plus the Ruddy).
 
* The patch of open water under the park footbridge was the smallest I've ever 
seen it. Just three ducks. Scaup: one male, two females. The females took 
flight when they saw me. The male seemed like he didn't sense my presence. Or 
maybe he was just ignoring me. :-)
 
* Only seven Canada Geese, flying overhead near the end of my walk. I almost 
had a lakefront day without Canadas OR Mallards. That would have been truly 
historic. :-)

* My first singing Northern Cardinal of the year!! Yay!!

* Also heard/saw an American Tree Sparrow in full song. I believe that's only 
the second time I've encountered one of these birds singing. The first time was 
almost exactly a year ago (1/25/10) in southern Indiana.  I'm familiar with 
ATSP foraging calls when they are in winter flocks. When you get 100+ birds 
doing these calls all at once, it sounds like a breeze blowing through delicate 
glass wind chimes. But I rarely hear them in song.

* Extreme close-up views of two Black-capped Chickadees. I was walking up the 
ramp that leads up the bluff to Prospect & Ogden when I heard a very soft call 
note. I stopped and looked to my right and saw two chickadees in a bush. I 
stood stock still. At one point they were so close that I could have reached 
out and touched them. Then I must have moved or something, as they flew off in 
a minor panic. Pretty cool!!

Bernie Sloan
Milwaukee



      
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[wisb] Milwaukee Lakefront, 2/4/11 - Great Black-backed Gull and a couple of singing birds

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