Statewide Birding Report - Nov 7
Waterfowl migration picked up across the state this past week. Traditional hotspots remain good destinations but many water bodies across the state are now hosting numbers of various geese, swans, and ducks. Aerial surveys taken 1 to 10 miles offshore from Manitowoc to Door County tallied more than 20,000 long-tailed ducks and 5,000 red-breasted mergansers this week. Tens of thousands of canvasbacks, mallards, ring-necked ducks, wigeon, and other ducks continue on the Mississippi River pools. On Chequamegon Bay in Ashland, birders reported hundreds of common goldeneyes, typically one of the latest migrant ducks. Scoters were reported in good numbers on southern Lake Michigan and at multiple inland locations. Tundra swans arrived in significant numbers as they stage here en route to wintering areas along the Atlantic coast. Also from the arctic, glaucous and Thayer’s gulls made their first good showing this week along the Great Lakes. Pectoral sandpipers, dunlin, and a smattering of other shorebirds continue at Horicon Marsh and a few other locales, while sandhill crane numbers remain high at Crex Meadows and various central and southern Wisconsin staging areas. Land bird numbers are low now but Lapland longspurs, snow buntings, fox sparrows, American tree sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, bluebirds, blackbirds, and a few other species provide some diversity yet. Rough-legged hawks are showing well in fields and other open areas across central and northern Wisconsin. Birders are encouraged to keep their hummingbird feeders up this time of year (exit DNR) to attract late-season hummingbirds, which often represent species other than our typical ruby-throated. One such rufous/Allen’s hummingbird was seen this week in Dane County. Finally, contrary to last fall, winter finches have been very scarce in the state and region so far this year. Purple finches and American goldfinches dominate, with scattered reports of pine siskins, only very small numbers of pine grosbeaks, bohemian waxwings, and crossbills, and no redpolls. No snowy owls have been seen, though several northern hawk owls in the western Great Lakes, including one in Douglas County, have birders hopeful of another winter owl irruption this year. Other rarities this week include a male harlequin duck in Milwaukee, yellow-throated warbler visiting a feeder in Dane, parasitic jaeger in Ozaukee, and continuing white-tailed kite in Adams. As always, help us track the migration and discover what other birders are finding across the state at www.ebird.org/wi. - Ryan Brady, Bureau of Wildlife Management research scientist, Ashland