By Mark Korducki
January was a fairly quiet month for weather and birds. Most of the month was warmer than normal and much of the state saw very little in the way of snowfall.
The most unusual sighting was a Black-legged Kittiwake that was found on Columbia Lake in Columbia County. This lake remains open all winter due to the warm water discharge from a power plant and it hosted the kittiwake for several days. Overwintering Virginia Rails were also found here as well. A kittiwake also was seen over several weeks in December in the Port Washington harbor.
A striking male Varied Thrush has been enjoyed by many birders in Door County. This bird has been regularly feeding on the fruit of a flowering crab tree conveniently located on the edge of a parking lot. Another Varied Thrush was seen at a feeder in Clark County.
Mary Maertz posted this photograph to eBird of the Varied Thrush in Sturgeon Bay on Jan. 18.
In addition to their usual winter haunt at Devil's Lake State Park in Sauk County, Townsend's Solitaires were found in Door and Polk Counties.
The colorful male Harlequin Ducks continued to delight birders in Sheboygan. Far inland, a Harlequin Duck was a great find on the river in Polk County.
Jay Wriedt photographed these two stunning male Harlequin Ducks in Sheboygan.
Thanks to Kris Jungbluth, Brian Kozak and Andrew Maher for also responding to the editor’s appeal for submissions.
Eurasian Tree Sparrows are seen every winter in extreme southern Wisconsin. However a group of three birds coming to a feeder in Douglas County were well north of their typical (and expanding) range.
Raymie Miller posted this photograph of these Eurasian Tree Sparrows with an eBird report from near the UW-Superior campus.
“The birds appear similar to a male HOSP, but they are smaller, with a reddish-brown cap, black spot in cheek and a white necklace…. A lifer for me! Appears to be a first Douglas County record, as well.”
The mild weather allowed a few birds that are not typically found here in winter to persist. A Turkey Vulture was seen on several occasions during January in Milwaukee. A hearty American White Pelican was found in Brown County. Rusty Blackbirds were reported at a number of southern counties along with Killdeer, Sandhill Cranes and Ross's Geese.
It has been a poor winter for most of the winter finches. Other winter birds seen in decent numbers include Pine Grosbeaks and Bohemian Waxwings. An estimated flock of 2,000 Bohemian Waxwings was reported in Oneida County.
Carl Schwartz photographed this Pine Grosbeak in Ellison Bay on Jan. 14.
The latter part of January returned to normal in terms of temperatures and snowfall. With the increasing daylight, House Finches and Northern Cardinals are starting to sing and are a harbinger of spring.
In addition to compiling this monthly report, Mark coordinates Wisconsin’s 92 Breeding Bird Survey routes.
