The Fading Light

The frozen Lake Michigan at sunset

Another trek to Wisconsin for the holidays had me searching for a VERY short list of birds in my area.  There were only 3 or 4 birds I could hope to gain for the life list while keeping myself within short distance of family events. And to be honest, I love that challenge.  When I'm home, most of my birding takes place in beautiful Manitowoc County along Lake Michigan.  It's a fun challenge.  Plus I love revisiting my favorite places here in town. 

Northern Cardinal

If I can do it, I like to "straddle" the year when it comes to birding.  I ended my birding here in 2016 and began 2017 with a nice list of wintering eastern birds to kick start the year. As birders know, we all start over at "0" when January 1st begins.  For many of us, it makes us pause and reflect on what we've seen and experienced over the past year while wondering with excitement what we'll see and experience for the new year. 

Bald Eagle at sunset eating dinner(a gull)

During my trek out to visit family, I tried to prepare myself for the constant need to sleep and eat.  Overcast skies, frozen waterways and early dark nights were constant reminders of the difficulty factor for birding this time of year in the Great Lakes. Time was also a major player on this trip so I had to budget wisely to make it all work smoothly. 

I've found that creating a schedule several days in advance is a good thing.  Then there are the things that I always have to keep in mind while birding back here in the cold. Will a snow storm interfere?  How many warm clothes should I pack?  How can I prevent myself from getting sick? How much prep time is needed to get from point A to point B before it gets dark?  And even more difficult?  Predicting where the birds will be during the various shades of winter.  Even on the lake, we had to be conscious of the open water areas.  Ice drifts are good for gulls, but completely frozen rivers and harbors are not good for ANY birds. It's very different from desert birding:) And the weather can change at the drop of a hat. 

Northern Shrike

And then I got sick.  I just remember waking up one morning and thinking, Oh oh.  This day isn't going to be a good one.  It wasn't.  I worshiped the porcelain goddess for TWO days!  

Eastern Screech-Owl

Life birds don't care.  Nor will they wait. I made a vow that in sickness and in wealth I'd dedicate my life to finding them. Whether I am conscious or not doesn't matter:) So on our scheduled day, I mustered up my energy cells and got in the car and went to visit with friends Nancy and Earl (who were so kind to help me out with a visiting Eastern Screech-Owl).  After we saw the owl and returned home, I went back to bed and proceeded to die slowly.

Herring Gulls in flight

 And then there is the grunt work.  I saved finding a Thayer's Gull for this trek because they are not easy to pick out among the hundreds of similar looking Herring Gulls.  People were reporting Iceland Gulls but I didn't go chasing that bird species because it's most likely going to be lumped back in with the Thayer's Gull.   There's a similar discussion happening with the Hoary and Common Redpoll. So for me, it's just finding a Common Redpoll and Thayer's Gull. We stood in the icy cold 10 degree weather staring at the hundreds of gulls. The fingers in my gloves were frozen. And my desire to search for a Thayer's Gull fizzled out fast.  My decision?  I took a panoramic of the entire colony of gulls from different vantage points and when I got home, I stitched the pictures together and counted and ID'd every single gull on that massive ice sheet from the comfort of my warm living room. 

Common Goldeneyes

On the way home right before the sun set at 4 PM!!, we stopped to observe the Common Goldeneyes in the harbor. As they flew from the waters, I watched their wing flap pattern and listened to their calls. 

So as the skies got grayer and darker, I snapped my pics. Then I would carefully plan and time out my birding  for the next day.  Sometimes I had an hour.  Other times, it was several.  

Rough-legged Hawk

As our time came to a close, I tried to weave in birding time with my family.  They like to be outdoors like I do so the birding thing wasn't really an issue.  I just go slower and get distracted often. 

The good part about short sunlit days is that there is more time to goof around with family and friends at night.  Here, my family set up a cam to capture pictures of several deer visiting the yard.  Instead we captured a pic of the creature known as Bilda The Beast!  More from Wisconsin next week.  Until then, have a great weekend!

A Balancing Act

My voyage home to Wisconsin focused on family and several target birds.  Last year, I discovered Long-tailed Ducks in Maine but wasn't able to obtain decent photo documentation.  I scheduled my birding treks during the day while everyone was working and carefully targeted several of Wisconsin's finest harbors along beautiful Lake Michigan. 

Long-tailed Duck

I needed ice chunks and an enclosed harbor to find this duck above.  The temps had warmed up and the ice was rapidly disappearing.  In winter, the Long-tailed Duck likes to hang near harbors full of ice.  We headed north where it was colder and the ice still remained.  On the way up to Door County with my parents, we stopped in a town known as Algoma.  It had a harbor with all the right conditions.  As I looked out over the frozen piers, I spotted what looked like trash in the water next to several large ice chunks.  Jackpot!  What an amazing bird!

The Amish return from their Sunday services

While I preferred and spent most of my time on the lakes, harbors and rivers, I needed to explore the country.  There were several birds that liked this marshy field area. So I went to Collin's Marsh and entered the land of the Amish.

American Tree Sparrow

Here I picked up two lifebirds with several new year birds including a rare Snowy Owl!  The problem?  I got so caught up with all the cool birds that I forgot about my lifebird targets.  However, the American Tree Sparrows wouldn't let me forget that I needed to see them.  I sat for a good ten minutes looking at the sparrows confused.  They weren't Chipping or Song or Swamp Sparrows. These sparrows were like a combo of these three birds....rufousy yet gray with a central breast spot.  Then it clicked within my head that I wasn't dealing with any previously observed sparrows.  I still think about that moment of confusion and marvel at the power of observation.  Sparrows are way cool!

Rough-legged Hawk pursuing a Red-winged Blackbird

However, I spent a good part of my morning locating several Rough-legged Hawks at this marsh with my cousin Erin and her boyfriend Josh.  After years of thinking I saw one, I was finally able to safely pull off the side of the road and watch several of these hawks in action. There are always a few in Arizona every winter, but every time I get close, I have a line of cars behind me and the bird flies off!   

Black-capped Chickadee

Other birds thrilled!  The common birds were as cool as the rare ones.  I observed lots of nesting Bald Eagles.  

Greater Scaup

Family events are always fun.  My family likes to be outdoors and we had a night out at Point Beach State Park eating chili in the cold temps.  These are all of my nephews and nieces from my side!  And that doesn't include several on the way from both our sides of the family!

What's that angry bird doing here??!!!

Lake Michigan is like the ocean. It's vast. People who have never been to the Great Lakes Region are always surprised by how large these bodies of water really are. Many people cross the bridges or drive along the lake not really looking at all the cool birds hanging out in the waters. They seem to look at the horizon wondering what's on the other side. 

Common Goldeneye

When I reported a Red-throated Loon, they were surprised.  So I pulled out the pics to show the loon make its awkward landing in the chilly waters.  The following pics are field pics not worthy of anything art.  Just cool moment shots in poor lighting conditions. 

Red-throated Loon-lighter overall with a speckly back in winter plumage.  No barring at all on this bird which eliminates Common Loon.

Also of great interest to me were the numerous White-winged Scoters found along the shoreline.  Now again, this isn't a great shot, but it's cool.  I watched this Scoter chow down on some mussels along the pier.  

Hooded Merganser

I find the photography of a new life bird at times irritating because I want to observe their behaviors instead of focusing on the shot.  Don't get me wrong. I love excellent photos but I'd much prefer sitting on the pier watching the birds.  So when I'm searching for new gulls(another favorite of mine to ID), I'm always happy.  Gulls play nice and don't mind posing most of the time.  

Left to right.  Glaucous Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, several Ring-billed Gulls(smaller) and Herring Gulls

On this journey, I studied a lot more about gulls.  In the photos above and below, there are 4 different gulls.  My targets were the Glaucous, Thayer's and Iceland Gulls.  

For the Glaucous gull, it was fairly simple to ID.  I had to look for a larger gull that was plain gray.  These gulls lack any black coloration.  Soon I hope to be advanced enough to pick out the much more difficult Thayer's and Iceland Gulls. 

Ring-billed Gull

Finally, I went looking for Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs and ended up with a Northern Shrike.  This Shrike was shy and didn't hang around long enough for me to enjoy a decent observation. But I got to see one finally!

Northern Shrike

It's difficult. I have birds in my head all the time.  I wish I could get them out, but there's nothing like the addiction of fresh air and the excitement of something new and wonderful just waiting to be discovered. 

Usually towards the end of the trek, I wear myself out. Then it's just fun hanging out with the gang.  If you come visit Wisconsin, you have to check out the sausage and cheese factories. BEST sausage and cheese in this country! Unless of course you are a vegetarian:)

Sausage fest!

 My cousin and her boyfriend were visiting from Colorado which made for a fun week. They loved the beef sticks. Be careful how many you eat or you might have a sore stomache:)  And like everything in this life, it all flew by much too quickly.

I'm going to apologize to my family now for my insane intensity.  I can't shut off this crazy addiction.  Here is the best way I can put it. I've always been an explorer and will continue to be one until the day I die.  I've realized that the days ahead are some of my best.  I will never have kids and I do want to leave something behind for the world.  I'm hoping I can contribute in some way to the preservation of our world no matter how dark it may seem sometimes. The more I know; the more sucked into this adventure I become.  

My pops or as the grandkids say.....Grandpalf The Gray. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

 Take for example the Ruffed Grouse.  It's a bird on my list but like any grouse, it requires a bit of study.  While we were up in Door County, we studied this bird's habitat. I then went to a local zoo where they had this grouse for me to study.  I was able to listen to the low hum and vibrating vocalizations, observe movement, etc to get an idea what this bird was all about! Meanwhile my nephew and niece were getting slimed by a couple giraffes:)  Classic.  

Never have I become so acutely aware of time as I do now.  Time with friends and family and birding seem to all collide.  I want to do it all, but I can't.  And when I do it all, I'm exhausted from wearing myself out in the field all day.  But WOW!  I go to bed at night happy.  I know that someday my light will dim, but for now, my appetite for knowledge grows leaps and bounds. 

Woodland Dunes-home to the Pileated Woodpeckers and Northern Saw-whet Owls

I am back in Arizona again, but my adventures will take me south once more into Mexico. So for now, I want to say thank you to my family for a wonderful time.  I love you all.  See you in a few months!