[wisb] Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Dodge Co. today
- From: Peter Fissel <pfissel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Wisconsin Birding Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:20:15 -0500
Jim Otto forced me (I put up an epic struggle, believe me, nudge, nudge) to
ride along with him on a trip to Lake Michigan today. We started at the Lion's
Den Nature Preserve south of Port Washington in Ozaukee County. An Eastern
Meadowlark was singing as we got out of the car there, and we picked up our
mutual FOY Golden-crowned Kinglet shortly after. (Unfortunately for me, the
only "year" bird I saw all day - Jim did much better.) From the Gentian
Trail overlook we saw several Horned Grebes and tons of RB Mergansers, C.
Goldeneye and Greater Scaup, plus a few Buffleheads. A Belted Kingfisher was
patrolling the shoreline, rattling almost constantly. Chickadees and
especially Song Sparrows were everywhere, but it was otherwise relatively quiet
on the trail. The marsh in the WPA had a few GW Teal, Hooded Mergansers, and
single Wood Duck and Am. Wigeon drakes.
A stop at the new parking lot south of the Port power plant gave us great looks
at the pair of Peregrines by the nest box. The harbor was fairly quiet, but we
did see 8 Tree Swallows working one of the breakwalls (interesting that Chuck
Hagner had the same number this morning in Milwaukee...) There were more
Horned Grebes, Hooded Mergs and other common ducks in the harbor behind the
restaurant and north of the breakwall. A pair of Kingfishers were hanging
around the water treatment plant breakwall. One Common Loon flew over the
harbor. The few gulls there were all Herring and Ring-bills.
At Harrington Beach St. Park, we first went to the end of County D. The ducks
were all common divers, but we did have an adult Glaucous Gull and another gull
that I'm thinking was a possible Glaucous x Herring hybrid. We only ever saw
it on the water, and at some distance, but it most closely resembled the photo
of that hybrid pairing in Howell and Dunn (H3.2, pg. 285.) The wingtip pattern
was very similar to that, with slaty-gray surrounding large white windows. The
mantle was probably a shade darker than the adult Glaucous, although those were
the only two gulls within scope range, so I couldn't compare it to a straight
Herring. There was very little off the main beach or the rocky point, although
a flock of seven DC Cormorants flew by going north. We saw a first-winter
Glaucous south of the point. Walking back on the shuttle road, we had lots of
woodpeckers (Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied) and DE Juncos. We heard a very
peculiar sound that neither of us could place. At first I thought it might be
two tree limbs rubbing together, but it seemed too regular and "bird-like." We
finally realized that one of the nearby pair of WB Nuthatches was making the
noise - sort of a low squeak. Never heard that before. In some respects, it
reminded me a bit of a noise Gray Catbirds sometimes make.
After an unproductive cruise of Six Mile and Dixie Rds., and a quick stop so
Jim could show me where Cedar Grove was, we headed for Kohler-Andrae St. Park.
From the beach at the south end, we had two Red-throated Loons fairly close to
shore, plus another Horned Grebe, but little else of note. A Bald Eagle
cruised north along the shore - one of the few raptors we saw along the lake
(we did have a pair of No. Harriers at Harrington, and I saw a Cooper's Hawk
over Hwy 43 on the way to K-A.) A pair of RB Nuthatches was the highlight at
the entrance station feeders.
We noticed a small flock of gulls on the beach by King Park on the south side
of Sheboygan - there was one adult Great Black-backed in with them. The harbor
and river mouth from Blue Harbor Resort was fairly empty, although there was
another Common Loon by the far breakwall. At North Point, there were several
hundred gulls on the south side, including 9 GBBs (six adult, three imm.) and
another adult Glaucous. Jim spotted the female Harlequin Duck off the end of
the northernmost jetty (her "usual" spot lately.) There was a tenth GBB
(immature) by the boat landing near the gazebo.
After grabbing a bite to eat in Fond du Lac, we headed for Horicon Marsh in
Dodge County. Along N. Point Rd. on the east side, we spotted a couple of
dozen blackbirds in a tree, so pulled off at the corner by the east end of the
Old Marsh Rd. to scope them out. Most were Common Grackles, with a few
Red-wings mixed in. We noticed more flying over, and as I scanned them, I kept
panning to the north. We were stunned when we realized there was a flock at
least a mile long heading for us in an undulating "river" of blackbirds. I
could only do a rough ballpark estimate, but guessed 20,000 birds, and added my
usual 25% "fudge factor" to get 25,000. They kept coming in waves after that,
so it was easily 30,000 blackbirds. Probably 70% were Grackles and most of the
rest Red-wings, but there were a few Rusties mixed in (I could pick the calls
out once in a while, and did have a good look at one sitting by itself in a
tree, calling.) Many of them landed in the remaining grassy stuff at the north
end of the Bud Cook Hiking Area (the entire section east of W. Point Rd. was
burned last fall, so it's fairly sparse.) We tried scoping those, but could
only find Grackles and a few Red-wings. This started about a half-hour before
sunset, and the birds seemed to come from the area of the bluff on Breakneck
Rd. northeast of the marsh. We assumed the birds were going to roost out on
the wooded islands in the marsh.
Long day, but fun - felt like Spring when we were out of the wind!
Peter Fissel
Madison WI
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