justnorth posted on April 23, 2007 06:05 :: 1817 Views
Warmer temperatures and light winds have renewed statewide bird migration. Birders are reporting a number of typical mid-April migrants including: brown thrasher, eastern towhee, vesper and savanna sparrow, Virginia rail, sora, American bittern, Bonaparte's gull, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and yellow-rumped warbler. The first Louisiana waterthrushes have arrived in the Baraboo Hills, the first Henslow's sparrow in Iowa County and an eared grebe was located in Lafayette County.
The Crex Meadows area is still hosting large numbers of short-eared owls and rough-legged hawks along with nesting trumpeter swans. Birders should be checking mudflats and beaches along Lake Michigan for early shorebirds including the godwits and willet. Marshes should be productive in the next week as swamp sparrows, American bitterns, rails, Forster's terns and other marsh species return to their breeding areas. Forested areas should produce an influx of hermit thrush, winter wren, sapsucker, yellow-rumped warblers, and the first push of pine warbler and blue-gray gnatcatchers of the year.
Greater prairie-chickens are at peak activity on leks at Buena Vista Wildlife Area and other areas within the central Wisconsin grasslands and birders can view chickens along with other species at the Prairie Chicken Festival on earth day weekend. Bird sightings can be seen at [www.ebird.org/WI] by clicking on view and explore data and selecting an area or time of interest. Please consider contributing sightings to eBird to help track bird populations across the state.
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