Late July Birding
It was a perfect morning to admire an azure summer sky, cottony clouds, and the comfort of a cool breeze. Now Bergamot, Queen Anne's-lace, and various coneflowers decorate the landscape at Pheasant Branch Conservancy's prairies and savanna, complimented by an assortment of butterflies; Monarchs, Black Swallowtails, skippers, and fritillaries.
Late July birding can be an enjoyable exercise in detecting what's present as well as what's absent. Yellow Warblers, so numerous only last month, seem to have already left their summer home. Clay-colored Sparrows were notably silent. Common Yellowthroats remain plentiful with adult males given to singing and young birds sounding alarm calls around every bend and thicket.
Sedge Wrens are still singing (do they ever stop?). Gray Catbirds are mewing. The lively songs of Indigo Buntings and Field Sparrows are punctuated with Eastern Kingbird and Willow Flycatcher calls; sounds that roll beautifully over the fields.
Two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks chased as an adult circled above on the lookout for a meal. One young hawk opted to take a loop around the prairie while its sibling demonstrated a preference to perch. I couldn't guess why they split up, but it wasn't long before the three raptors reunited, hovering in the wind above the western slope of the drumlin.
Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 7/25/09
Number of species: 40
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Sedge Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Common Yellowthroat
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
All images © 2009 Mike McDowell
4 Comments:
I used to see this many birds on my Land in Kewaunee Co...until Trega Foods starting dumping 3,400 pounds of Chlorides EVERY DAY into a ditch that empties into my Creek...huge fish fill in 2006 wiped out all the Brook Trout and now, the Chlorides wiping out the other life, on Saturday I saw a couple Song Sparrows and an Indigo Bunting , NOTHING ELSE, when 5 years ago I would have had a list like Mike's. The WDNR is clearly not upholding the Clean Water Act as they are required to do, I have NEVER met a bigger bunch of human Trolls in my life before I met the WDNR people in Green bay, that are allowing the Destruction of this Creek!!!
Love the butterfly picture.
Anon, what are you doing about it? Commenting on a blog is fine, but more action needs to be taken. I hope you're exploring every avenue!
Went to permit hearing where DNR said they are protecting the creek..yea, just like when Tom Tewes(DNR) told us this stuff would "be good for the creek"..2 months later we had the fish kill that killed everything in the creek...I have EPA coming up next month because DNR is not upholding the Clean Water Act that calls for them to maintain and restore biological diversity...need $35,000 to sue in Federal Court if they get the renewal.
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