Statewide Birding Report 3-8-2012
Snow, snow and more snow has grounded the early March migration. Despite the weather, birders are reporting some adventurous sandhill cranes, song sparrows, robins and a few other early migrants. Warmer temperatures predicted for this weekend should bring significant thaw to open fields and will likely bring another large push of migrants. Expect to see migrating eagles, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, red-winged blackbirds, robins, song sparrows and sandhill cranes. Open water and sheet-water in agricultural fields will be good places to look for migrant geese and puddle ducks. Mid-March is the best time to look for larger flocks of white-fronted geese in southern and western Wisconsin. Birders in far southern Wisconsin may also detect their first peenting woodcock of the year on calmer evenings. Please report your bird sightings to Wisconsin eBird www.ebird.org/WI (exit DNR) so that we can better track our migratory bird populations.- Andy Paulios, wildlife biologists and Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative coordinator.