[wisb] Sauk County 1/18 inc. Townsend's Solitare

From: tom prestby <jjprestby@xxxxxxx>
To: Wisbird <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:13:04 -0600
Quentin Yoerger and I birded Sauk County today. Our initial plan to work the 
Wisconsin River was derailed by extremely thick freezing fog that did not lift 
until around noon. Although annoying, the fog made for a gorgeous coat of hoar 
frost on the trees. 
We started at Devil's Lake which was far enough from the river to be out of the 
fog. It was gorgeous- sunny and completely calm. We made the extremely 
challenging trek up the Balanced Rock trail and for the first half hour only 
heard distant drumming woodpeckers and crows. As we were about to give up a 
medium-sized gray bird flew directly away along the edge of the bluff. Once it 
sat on the tip of a juniper in the distance we confirmed our suspicion that it 
was a TOWNSEND'S SOLITARE. It made no noise during the observation. As Andrea 
noted, the trail is packed down but very dangerous and only recommended for the 
adventurous birder with a good pair of hiking shoes. The feeders near the cabin 
and Ski Hi orchard were active but nothing unusual was seen. 
Elsewhere in Sauk County (west of Devil's Lake to Reedsburg, south to Spring 
Green, and along the WI river to Sauk City) our quest for Golden Eagles came up 
empty. It was a great raptor day however with 30+ Red-tailed Hawks, 20 
Rough-legged Hawks, 10 Bald Eagles, 6 Kestrels, a Coopers Hawk, and a 
Sharp-shinned Hawk in various locations. Out of all these raptors, almost every 
bird was perched-- only 2 or 3 birds were seen soaring the entire day. 
Another noteworthy observation was an abundance of wintering Bluebirds. We saw 
a total of 50-60 birds in 9 different groups. This was without much effort as 
almost all were seen on telephone and power lines while driving. 
Tom PrestbyMilwaukee                                      
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[wisb] Sauk County 1/18 inc. Townsend's Solitare

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