Thirteen of us met at Goose Pond on Saturday, March 22 at 7 AM, and were greeted with a nice spectacle of waterfowl – including about 400 TUNDRA SWANS swimming about on the west pond! The morning was quite chilly, with a temperature of 26 degrees and a moderate north wind. The sky was clear, but the early morning sunshine was doing little to warm us up.
Field Trip Group by Tom Schultz
Besides all the swans, we were treated to a nice variety of waterfowl, including CANADA, CACKLING and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. Ducks included NORTHERN SHOVELER, AMERICAN WIGEON, MALLARD, NORTHERN PINTAIL, and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. Diving ducks present included CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, RING-NECKED, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD and RUDDY.
Greater White-fronted Geese by Tom Schultz
Heard calling around the pond were RING-NECKED PHEASANT, SANDHILL CRANE, HORNED LARK, AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, SONG SPARROW and EASTERN MEADOWLARK – along with several species of BLACKBIRDS. Mark Martin of the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance stopped by to share information about the Goose Pond property.
Tundra Swans by Tom Schultz
Checking the east pond, we added at least 200 more TUNDRA SWANS, along with a group of five tiny ROSS’S GEESE on the far side – along with many more individuals of the geese and duck species that we had seen on the west pond. Altogether, we had 30 species at Goose Pond.
Our next stop was Schoeneberg Marsh, where many more waterfowl were present. New ones for our day list were HOODED, COMMON and RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, along with a few PIED-BILLED GREBES, and a pair of TRUMPETER SWANS flew past, giving their loud trumpeting calls. Nearby, we also spotted AMERICAN COOT, DOWNY WOODPECKER, BLUE JAY, AMERICAN ROBIN and EASTERN MEADOWLARK.
We next visited a home on Hopkins Road, where EURASIAN TREE SPARROWS had been reported recently. We were treated to nice looks at two of them, along with DARK-EYED JUNCO, HOUSE FINCH, NORTHERN CARDINAL, and AMERICAN ROBIN, with HORNED LARK calling in the adjacent fields.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow by Myles Hurlburt
We took Hwy DM west, stopping at the DM & I Ponds, where we spotted several WILSON’S SNIPE and KILLDEER, as well as BLUE-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN PINTAIL, NORTHERN SHOVELER and GREEN-WINGED TEAL. Diving ducks present included REDHEAD, LESSER SCAUP and BUFFLEHEAD. We also had good looks at more CACKLING and CANADA GEESE.
Continuing west on DM, we also checked the Wibu Road ponds, where we found more of the same species – but CANVASBACK, RING-NECKED and RUDDY DUCK were also present, along with more WILSON’S SNIPE and GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. A sizeable group of RING-BILLED GULLS included a lone HERRING GULL.
Wilson's Snipe by Tom Schultz
From there we headed south to view the County V ponds, where a few TUNDRA SWANS were present, and we spotted a group of 5 SNOW GEESE standing in an adjacent field, along with lots more CANADA GEESE. A BALD EAGLE was perched atop a nearby tree, but the big highlight was sighting a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD, which repeated sang its distinctive “rusty hinge” song.
Following a gas station stop for a restroom break, we took I-94 north up to Highway CS, and then west to the Hwy V causeway on Lake Wisconsin. Lots of waterfowl were present on the marsh, including another pair of TRUMPETER SWANS, SANDHILL CRANES, a large flock of GADWALL and a nice variety of other ducks and some AMERICAN COOTS. A nice surprise was spotting a small group of TREE SWALLOWS that flew back and forth over the other birds.
On the open flowage to the west we spotted a couple of COMMON LOONS, along with LESSER SCAUP, COMMON GOLDENEYE, and COMMON, RED-BREASTED and HOODED MERGANSERS. At least 22 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS flapped and soared overhead, as well as BALD EAGLES, a RED-TAILED HAWK and a TURKEY VULTURE.
American White Pelican by Tom Schultz
We wrapped up the field trip about 11:30 AM, with the temperature then up to 32 degrees – but definitely feeling warmer. Our bird list for the day totaled 56 species, including a number for new “year birds” and 24 species of waterfowl. Thanks to our fun group of participants, and to Jeff Baughman and Wendy Schultz for co-leading.
Tom Schultz, WSO Field Trip Committee
