[wisb] White-tailed Kite at Crex Meadows SWA, Burnett Co., WI

From: Dan Belter <bwhawk1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Wisconsin Bird Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2012 19:11:01 -0700 (PDT)

 
I decided to skip out on going to the WSO field trip to Horicon NWR today, and 
instead I went in the opposite direction up to Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area 
to try for the reported White-tailed Kite that has been recently sighted here. 
I arrived at the reported location on Murphy's Road at around 8:30 a.m. and 
came upon 3 birders already there. They said they had already seen the kite so 
it was a relief to know it was still around. After several minutes of waiting 
and searching, the kite was relocated sitting up high on a dead branch off in 
the distance. We decided to relocate ourselves on Murphy's Road so we could get 
a better view. From where Murphy's Road turns to the west, we went about half 
way down the road and saw the bird perched up on a dead snag of an oak tree to 
the south of us. At this spot I was able to get some digiscoped photos, but due 
to distance and lighting, my photos are not the best of quality. You can see 
what I have at
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwhawk/sets/72157631151062428/detail/

After waiting around awhile and watching this bird, the kite eventually took 
flight and flew out of sight to the southwest of us. We decided to go looking 
for it. After going down Buggert Road, we turn east onto North Refuge Road and 
went down to where we could see Rices Lake on our right and relocated the kite 
on the north side of the road, just before the road turns northeast. 
Unfortunately as we stepped out of our cars the kite took flight again and flew 
west of us where we lost sight of it. Next we went west on North Refuge Road 
and turned south onto Larson Road to look over this area. After not seeing the 
kite in this area, we returned to North Refuge Road and turned back eastward 
and saw two other birders down the road from us with a spotting scope set up 
along the roadside. These two birders turned out to be Robbye Johnson and Peder 
S. of the Superior/Duluth area, and they had their scope set up on the kite. 
The open area the kite was in this time
 was just west of Buggert Road and north of North Refuge Road.

If you go looking for this bird and can't find it on Murphy's Road, try driving 
around the other roads in the general area. I'm sure sooner or later you'll run 
across it someplace. Lets hope it stay around for many others to see it. Also, 
myself and two others checked out the mudflats at the pump house within Crex 
Meadows. Here we relocated the Marbled Godwit along with both Baird's and Stilt 
Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plover and other common shorebirds.

On the way home, I stopped off at Fish Lake Wildlife Area just south of 
Grantsburg to checkout a mudflat here at the Grettum Flowage. At this mudflat 
the best shorebird was a Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Also present was a Stilt 
Sandpiper, several Pectoral Sandpipers, and 7 Semipalmated Plovers among other 
common shorebirds.


Dan Belter
Village of Weston
Marathon Co, WI
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[wisb] White-tailed Kite at Crex Meadows SWA, Burnett Co., WI

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