I birded the arboretum from 6:50 to 9:30am this morning. It was a sunny, clear blue sky day but still cool, about 25 degrees initially. There was no breeze at first and then a little from the north picked up later. Highlights: There were Tree Swallows at the birdhouse by the visitor's center parking lot when I first arrived but when I was about to leave I saw the Eastern Bluebirds chase the swallows away. Who will win that battle? There were 12 Cedar Waxwings sunning themselves in the big cottonwood on the east side of Curtis Prairie. I've seen 2-4 Sandhill Cranes on Curtis Prairie for the last week. I hope to see young ones later in the year. In the Teal Pond Wetlands I saw 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 2 White-throated Sparrows (FOY) and 2 American Goldfinches drinking sap or eating from the same blooming poplar-like tree. The tree had large, fuzzy catkins. I'll have to look that one up. At the Big Spring a Pied-billed Grebe was hanging out with 3 pair of Wood Ducks. I've never seen a Pied-billed Grebe in those shallow waters by the spring. My eBird list is appended below. Good birding to all, Chuck Henrikson Madison, Dane County Location: UW-Madison Arboretum Observation date: 4/5/11 Number of species: 37 Canada Goose 2 Wood Duck 6 Mallard 9 Wild Turkey 7 Pied-billed Grebe 1 Great Blue Heron 2 Turkey Vulture 3 Cooper's Hawk 1 Red-tailed Hawk 1 Sandhill Crane 4 Mourning Dove 6 Red-bellied Woodpecker 4 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 Downy Woodpecker 4 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 2 Blue Jay 8 American Crow 6 Tree Swallow 9 Black-capped Chickadee 8 Tufted Titmouse 4 White-breasted Nuthatch 4 Brown Creeper 1 Eastern Bluebird 4 American Robin 26 Cedar Waxwing 16 Fox Sparrow 2 Song Sparrow 6 White-throated Sparrow 2 Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 1 Northern Cardinal 10 Red-winged Blackbird 20 Common Grackle 3 Brown-headed Cowbird 8 House Finch 14 American Goldfinch 16 #################### 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.