[wisb] Suburban Birding Surprise (MKE)
- From: Evan Barrientos <emb326@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2014 10:24:53 -0400
Hi everyone,
Since starting birding I've always assumed that my suburban neighborhood
was a migratory bird desert. Today I tested that theory for the first time
and was proven wonderfully wrong. Despite this being a neighborhood
dominated by lawns and nonnative trees, birding activity was as great as
any park or preserve I've been to in autumn! I only walked about 0.3 miles
but saw 7 species of warblers and 16 individual warblers, including a
BAY-BREASTED (see checklist below). Furthermore, visibility was GREAT for
most of these species, often totally unobstructed and less than 15 yards
away. Over the last few days there has been an unusual abundance and
variety of migrants in my back yard too. As I wrote this email, a Tennessee
Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, Magnolia Warbler, and two redstarts foraged
very nearby, and three days ago I saw two GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSHES foraging in
the lawn.
I guess my point in sharing these observations with you is twofold: don't
overlook birds in your neighborhood for 8 years like I have, and recognize
that your backyard is important birding habitat! If there are sizable
migratory flocks moving through our backyards, we should help them on their
journey by planting as many native trees and fruiting shrubs as possible.
It is encouraging to see that warblers can find utility in so many
non-native species and cultivars though.
Happy birding!
Evan B
Bayside, WI
N. Waverly Drive, Milwaukee, US-WI
Sep 9, 2014 7:20 AM - 8:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.3 mile(s)
Comments: Large, spread out migratory flock
21 species
Mourning Dove 3
Chimney Swift 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Blue Jay 7
Black-capped Chickadee 6
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
Swainson's Thrush 3 1 in lawn; another in ash tree; another catching
insects in lawn from small tree.
American Robin 2
Cedar Waxwing 7 one attempted to eat large spider in silver maple.
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Tennessee Warbler 3
American Redstart 5 no adult males
Magnolia Warbler 1
Bay-breasted Warbler 1 Foraging with BLPW in maple cultivar
Blackpoll Warbler 3
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 10
American Goldfinch 3
House Sparrow 4
View this checklist online at
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19781245
####################
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
Other related posts:
