This has been a very strange spring, with mild weather arriving already in late February – bringing big flocks of waterfowl to Wisconsin much earlier than normal. As this late-March field trip approached, we wondered how many ducks and geese would still be around. In addition, the recent precipitation has been well below normal, so fewer fields have been flooded this year.
SANDHILL CRANES - PHOTO BY TOM SCHULTZ
March 23 arrived with very cold temperatures – around 18 degrees – so many lakes and ponds had a fresh skim of ice. Our group met at Goose Pond Sanctuary at 7 AM, and for the first time ever for this annual field trip, there were NO ducks or geese present! The east pond was completely dry and grassy, and the west pond had very little water – and the little that was there was frozen, with a light covering of snow. The only birds on the pond were 10 SANDHILL CRANES that were standing on the ice and snow. Other birds were heard and seen around the pond, including RING-NECKED PHEASANT, KILLDEER, SONG SPARROW, EASTERN MEADOWLARK, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD and COMMON GRACKLE.
SONG SPARROW - PHOTO BY TOM SCHULTZ
From there we drove over to Schoeneberg Marsh, stopping initially along Priem Road. Many hundreds of waterfowl were present on this mostly ice-covered pond, in the patches of open water. At least 300 TUNDRA SWANS were there, and later a handful of TRUMPETER SWANS were spotted among them. A few thousand CANADA GEESE were on the pond, along with a few GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and tiny CACKLING GEESE.A nice variety of DUCKS was also present, totaling 14 species, including WOOD DUCK, NORTHERN SHOVELER, AMERICAN WIGEON, NORTHERN PINTAIL, GREEN-WINGED and BLUE-WINGED TEAL, RED-HEAD, LESSER SCAUP, RING-NECKED, RUDDY DUCK and others. We also viewed the pond from the north end of Harvey Road. Besides the waterfowl, other birds present included KILLDEER, RED-TAILED HAWK, EASTERN BLUEBIRD, AMERICAN ROBIN, SONG SPARROW, and EASTERN MEADOWLARK among numerous others.
CACKLING GEESE - PHOTO BY TOM SCHULTZ
We headed southwest from there, working our way along several rural roads through ag lands, spotting EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, MOURNING DOVE, AMERICAN KESTREL, HORNED LARK and others along the way. Our next stop was at the ponds near the intersection of Hwys. DM and I. Quite a few waterfowl were present there also, including a few GREATER WHITE-FRONTED and CACKLING GEESE, more TUNDRA SWANS, and more DUCKS mixed in – including our first CANVASBACK of the day. A few KILLDEER were spotted along the muddy edges, and a handful of RING-BILLED GULLS were present.
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE - PHOTO BY TOM SCHULTZ
Our next stop was at the ponds along Highway V, near Patton Road, where we found more GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and TUNDRA SWANS, and another nice mixture of DUCKS – including RING-NECKED DUCKS, BUFFLEHEADS, and HOODED MERGANSERS, along with a few AMERICAN COOTS.
Following a rest stop at a nearby gas station, we headed north to Lake Wisconsin and parked along the Hwy. V causeway. There we spotted a small group of GREATER SCAUP out on the open lake, along with RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS – both new species for the day. RING-BILLED and HERRING GULLS were also present, but we also spotted several BONAPARTE’S GULLS. A BALD EAGLE stood atop its nest on a small island, and we also found a group of three AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS swimming in the distance.
LAKE WISCONSIN HIGHWAY V - PHOTO BY TOM SCHULTZ
One the bay side were nice groups of NORTHERN PINTAILS, AMERICAN WIGEON, and GADWALL along with a mixture of other DUCKS. SANDHILL CRANES were calling, a few TURKEY VULTURES soared past, and RED-BELLIED and PILEATED WOODPECKERS were heard in the surrounding woods, as well as a singing TUFTED TITMOUSE.
ROWAN CREEK FISHERY - PHOTO BY TOM SCHULTZ
Our final stop of the day was at the Rowan Creek Fishery site near Poynette, where we hiked some of the trails – including a loop around the pine island. Some of the birds there were TUFTED TITMOUSE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, SONG and AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, and the highlight of the day – a calling RED-SHOULDERED HAWK that obliged us with a fly-by look! We finished the field trip up a little after 11:30, with the temperature up to 31 degrees.
Thanks to the dozen enthusiastic birders who participated in this field trip, and to Jeff Baughman for co-leading. Altogether, our bird list was 64 species for the day!
Tom Schultz, WSO Field Trips
