President’sMessage

byMarkWestphal

Birdwatching is a simple pleasure. It can be done almost anywhere.Youcanbirdwatchwithfriendsoralone.Thereturnofbirdsinspringsignalsatimeofrenewal.Theirsongsfilltheairwithmusic,evenifyoucannot always see them. Their color and energy add life to everyseason. Their flight, from the tiny hummingbird to the soaring eagle,inspiresaweandsometimesenvy.Bird watching gives us a connection to our environment. When lifeseemsmorechallenging,naturehelpstobringasenseofjoyandpeace.

BIRDSONGSNewsletteroftheNorthLakelandDiscoveryCenterBirdClubJune,2020;Volume16,Issue2SarahBesadny,Editorsbesadny@gmail.com

OfficersMarkWestphal,PresidentDebbyWilson,SecretaryDavidFoster,TreasurerSarahBesadny,MembershipDirectorDuanneSwift,ProgramDirector

Thenaturalworld—air,water,andland,althoughsometimesforgottenorignored—istheultimatethreadthatbindsustogether.Whetheryoulaceupyourbootsandgoforahikeorjustlookoutthewindowatyourownbackyard,taketimetoenjoythesimplepleasureofwatchingbirds.

The photo of this striking male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was taken by

MarkWestphalouthisfrontwindow

BirdClubMembersShareSomeBirdHighlights

OnJune3rd,CarolMakiandScottMcConnellsharedthefollowing:Wehavebeendoingabiggarageadditionandwhowastoknowthatagrousehadbuilthernestsoclosetoconstruction.Scottrecentlytookashortwalk into thewoods anddiscovered this beautiful nest.Mothergrouse did not fly off, but easily disappeared into thewoods as Scottapproached.Hequicklysnappedashotofthelovelyeggs,andwenowhavebeenwatchingviabinoculars.Nothinghashatchedyet,but "we"areexpectingbabiesverysoon!WeloveSpring!

Scott’spictureoftheRuffedGrousenestonJune3rd

AndonJune12th,CarolandScottprovidedthisupdate:

Ihadsentyouthepreviousphotoofthegrousenestwith7eggs.Well,itturnsoutMumwasnotdoneandlaid2more!!Yesterday,whenIwenttocheckonhowthingsweregoing,Idiscovered2moreeggshadbeenlaid(onewaspurewhite)!!Unfortunatelyanotherhadrolledoutofthenest,orsoIthought.IprobablydidwhatIshouldn'thave,butIputthe9theggbackin!AfterwardIworriedthatperhapsithadn't"rolledout"and that maybe "Mum" pushed it out on purpose. Perhaps she newsomething was wrong with it. SO, I went back a second time in theafternoontoseeifthingsweregoingok.ThankfullyIfoundhersittingon all of them. It was a cool rainy afternoon, so she had her wingsspread out over them to make sure they were all warm anddry.Whew.Theyhavegottobehatchinganytimenow.

OnJune3rd,DebbieSimeksharedthefollowingrecapofoneofherbirdingexperiencesinTexasalongwithsomephotos:

I just returned from amorning of birding to find your email. I am amemberoftheDCbirdclubandalsoontheboardinchargeoffieldtripsfortheFortWorth,TX,AudubonSociety.Wespent10weeksinPresqueIsle this winter/spring and had fun watching the start of springmigration and ice out. When we returned to TX in mid May I wasremindedhowwonderfulthebirdingiswithin10minutesofourhomehere.Onmyfirstdaybackwesaw62speciesofbirdsandtodayitwas47. We have a core group that are practicing social distancing whilesharing our love of birds and getting the camaraderiethat we aremissinginthesecrazytimes.IkeepthinkingofhavingvisitorsfromtheNorthwoodsand inmyheaddevisedifferentbirdingdays.Weareonthecentralflyway,hereinArlington,TX,andcouldeasilyspend4daysbirdingwithina10minutedriveofourhouse.Takealookatebird.organdputintheVillageCreekdryingbeds,tarrantcountyorRiverLegacy,Tarrant County. If you do come to Texas you may want to continuedowntoSouthTexaswhereyoucouldvisitthe9WorldbirdingcentersintheValleyorgototheNWRinWinnie(Houstonarea)andtheBolivarpeninsula. Inotherwords take some time inwinterornextApril andtakeabirdingbreak inTexas.Butbirdsarenot theonlydraw. Ifyoulike art we have world class museums and Architecture by 5 of thePitzkerprizewinners.Thatoilmoneyhadtogosomewhere!Todayfunbirdsofnotethatwesawwere: lotsof immaturelittleblueherons,white faced ibis, black-necked stilt, dickcissel,Mississippi kite,yellow-billed cuckoo, yellow-crowned night heron, Least grebe parentwith4chicks,scissor-tailedflycatcher,snowyandgreategrets,paintedand indigo buntings, and blue grosbeak. For our entire list you couldcheckoutebird.Wearelookingforwardtogettingbacktocoolcountrysoon!

ImmatureLittleBlueHeron

Scissor-tailed

Flycatcher

Yellow-crownedNight-heron

Dickcissel

PaintedBunting

BirdsandWildlifeFestival2020ByAnnieMcDonnell,NLDCNaturalistandNLDCLiaisontotheBirdClub

DearBirdClubMembers–ThankyouforyourcontinuedsupportoftheDiscoveryCenterandtheNorthwoodsBirdingFestival! TheDiscoveryCenter has augmented many of its activities, programs, events, andscientificsurveysthroughoutthespringandsummerof2020duetotheCoronavirus pandemic, and the 16th Annual Northwoods Birds &Wildlife Festival was no exception. The Festival was a totally VirtualEvent thatspannedtenplusdays inearly June,withover tenhoursofeducational programming provided by natural resource experts,volunteers,andDCstaff.TheFestivalhadavarietyofpresentationsfromkeynotespeakers,JohnBates, andBillVolkertaswell asprograms fromBruceBacon,ColleenMatula,IanHarding,MikePorter,ChrisCold,LiciaJohnson,EmilyHealdand myself. The programs spanned a range of environmental topicsfromBirdBandingtoGeologytotheFisheriesofLakeSuperior,weareproudtoannounce thatdespite theunusual format, theFestivalwasagreatsuccess.TheDiscoveryCenterwouldliketothankourvolunteers,Bird Club members, and Festival participants that contributed to theevent by spending time birding and sharing their sightings with ouronlineforum. Ourvolunteersobserved73speciesofbirdsthroughoutour Northwoods Field Trip locations, and our Festival participantsaddedanother13speciesfromoutingsintheNorthwoodsandbeyond!TheDiscoveryCenterinalreadylookingforwardtoBirdFest2021!Weareoptimisticthatwewillbeabletohostatraditionalin-personeventwith live warbler walks, field trips, bird banding, presentations andactivities for kids and families. If you have any comments orrecommendations please feel free to contact Annie McDonnell atannie@discoverycenter.netTheDiscoveryCenterwishesallBirdClubmembersaveryhappyandhealthysummer,fulloftimeoutdoors.HappyBirding!Editor’sNote:OnbehalfoftheDiscoveryCenterBirdClubI’dliketothank

Anniefororganizingaterrificvirtualevent!WhileIknowweallREALLY

enjoybeing togetherasagroup to spotbirdson field tripsand listen to

fascinatingprograms fromexperts, the “festival”Annieput together this

yearwasextremelyinformative,easytoaccess,allowedustoparticipate

fromwhereverwewere at the time and to learn about awhole host of

topicsatourownpaceoverthecourseoftendays.Wetooareoptimistic

thatnextyear’seventwillbe“inperson”!

SpeciesProfile:AmericanBittern(Botauruslentiginosus)

ArticlebySarahBesadny

Sometimesittakesawhiletoconnectthedots.IwasdrivingupahillonourroadbackonMay8thof2018, itwasrainingandtheskywasdarkfrom clouds and what is in the road up ahead?? … two AmericanBitterns… in the road! I’m thinking tomyself,what in theworld arethesebirdsdoingHERE?ThenonJuly25thofthatsameyear,IflushedanAmericanBitternfromthesideofthelakeweliveonwhileIwasoutkayaking. I’mthinking,wheredidthatbirdcomefrom? ThenonJune29thoflastyearIagainflushedanAmericanBitternfromthesideofourlakewhileIwasoutkayaking,andagainI’mthinkingtomyself,wherearethesebirdscomingfrom?Well,sinceMay16thofthisyear,Ihaveheardor seen anAmericanBittern (AMBI) on the lake at least once aweek.Mighttheybenestinghere?Ireallydidn’tthinktheareaaroundourlakewassuitablehabitat,butIdidn’tknowmuchaboutthisspeciessoIdecidedtodosomeresearchandsharewhatIlearned.AmericanBitternsareamedium-sizedheronwithastockybody,thickneck and short greenish-yellow legs. AMBIs have brown backs andtheir neck and breast are heavily streaked in brown and buffywhite.The longverticalstreakingof thebitternallows it toblend inwiththereedsthatitmaybestandingintostalkpreyanditcertainlyworksasgreat camouflage against a predator. Their breeding range is thenorthernUSandoveragreatportionofCanada.Researchindicatesthatthe AMBI is declining in the US likely due to habitat destruction ofwetlandsandthattheirbreedingrangeinmovingnorth.

AmericanBitternphotobyMarkWestphalThemajorityoftheshorelinearoundthe lakeweliveonisdensewithLeather-leaf, Labrador Tea, Bog Rosemary and Bog Laurel,with BlackSpruce/Tamarack bog further away from the shoreline. What I readabout the preferred breeding habitat for American Bitterns isfreshwatermarsheswithtallvegetation. Iamthinkingthatthedense“fields” of Leather-leafwouldn’t be a draw for AMBIs butmaybe theycan maneuver through them or maybe there is a hiddengrassier/marshierareathatIcan’tseefrommykayak.Ireadthattheirnests are usually built among thick stands of cattails, bulrushes andsedgesandlesscommonlytheynestondrylandingrassyareasdensewith tall herbaceous plants. Their clutch size is 2-7 eggs with anincubationperiodof24-28daysandthenestingperiodis7-14days.You may have witnessed an interesting behavior of the AmericanBitternwhilehikingaroundPowellMarshorsomeotherwetland.Thedescription of this behavior in All About Birds (a Cornell Lab ofOrnithologywebsite)issoillustrativethatIwillquoteit:“Possiblythemostfamousaspectofbitternbehavioristhestanceitassumeswhenitperceives a threat. It points its bill skyward, elongates its body, andevenswayswiththebreeze,alltoblendinwithitsreedysurroundings.This pose is so ingrained that bitterns sometimes adopt it evenwhenthey’reoutintheopen”. Haveyoubeenattherightplaceattherighttimetoseethis?

AsImentionedatthebeginningofthisarticle,IhaveheardorseenanAmericanBitternonour lake sincemid-May. If youdon’t knowwhattheAmericanBitternsoundslike,Iencourageyoutodoawebsearch–there’sreallynothinglikeitthatI’veheardbefore. Thisstrangesoundcoming out of the American Bittern has lead to some interestingnicknames for the bird: “stake-diver”, “thunder-pumper”, “water-belcher”and“mire-drum”.I have certainly enjoyed hearing/seeing this striking bird andappreciated the impetus for learningmore about a bird I haven’t hadmuchengagementwithinthepast.Istilldon’tknowiftheyarenestingherebutmaybeintimeI’llseeafamilyforagingalongtheshoreline.ResourcesusedthelearnmoreabouttheAmericanBitternare:AllAboutBirds,CornellLabofOrnithology(allaboutbirds.org)Birds of the World, Cornell Lab or Ornithology (this requires a paidsubscription:birdsoftheworld.org)My2020GreatWisconsinBirdathonAdventure

ArticleandPhotosbyMarkWestphal

Spring 2019 was my first time participating in the “Great WisconsinBirdathon”.IwasamemberofTeam“UpNorthHammerheads”,namedin honor of our bird club’s mascot, the Pileated Woodpecker. Anenthusiasticgroupofpeople,includingsomeexcellentbirders,spentthebetterpartofamorningandafternoonattemptingtofindasmanybirdspecies as possible. We likely visited a half dozen different birdinghotspots. Many sets of eyes and ears, combined with experiencedbirders,ledtoarespectablebirdcountandafunexperience.Itleftmelookingforwardtonextyear.Along came 2020 with Covid-19. The “Great Wisconsin Birdathon”wouldindeedtakeplaceagainthisyear,butwithsocialdistancing.Forme thismeantgoingsolo. Imustadmit Iwasdisappointed that Iwasnot going to enjoy the companyofmybirdwatching friends. Despitethisnewformat,Iwasdeterminedtomakethebestofthings. OnMay19thIcrawledoutofbedearlierthanusual,andheadedtoPowellMarsh,

my favorite local birding destination. The day started out cold andblustery. Withhoodupandgloveson,Iventuredout. Ispentmostofthemorning roamingaround the various flowagesofPowellMarsh. Iwatched constantly formovement, takingnoteof every chirp,whistle,and call. Trumpeter swans, loons, sandhill cranes, and various otherwaterfowl were easily spotted. Several species of warblers foragedamongthealdersandwillows.Eventuallythesun’swarmthallowedmeto peal back a layer or two of clothing, and the walk became morecomfortable. After spending several hours around the flowage area, IdecidedtoexploretheroadonthewesternsideofPowellMarsh. Thisareaprovidedamuchmoreforestedhabitat. Awholenewsetofbirdsteased me with their calls and songs, often remaining unidentifiablesilhouettesflittingamongthetreebranches. DespitethemanyhoursIspentaroundPowellMarsh,IrealizedIhadonlyscratchedthesurfaceofall thedifferent typesofhabitats tobeexplored. Eachhabitat,eachleveloftheforestcanopy,wouldattractdifferentspeciesofbirds.Thereare even more birding opportunities at Powell Marsh than I hadpreviouslyimagined!AlthoughIknewmorebirdswouldhavebeenidentifiedhadIbeenwitha group, I enjoyed the sense of solitude. Timepassed quickly. Therewasalwaysasenseofanticipationaboutwhatbirdmightbearoundthenextbend. Like“gold fever”, Iwasgettinga little“bird fever”. Partofme justwanted tokeepon looking for justonemorebird. Eventuallydaylightandmytired feet toldme itwastimetocall itaday. Backathome, Ihad to checkoutsideonemore timeafter sunset. Thedistantcallofawhip-poor-willwouldidentifymylastbirdoftheday.

YellowWarbler

TrumpeterSwans

White-throatedSparrow

SandhillCrane

A note from Sarah Besadny: As team captain, I’d like to thank the 16

individuals/couplesthatparticipatedintheGreatWisconsinBirdathonas

amemberoftheUpNorthHammerheads.Intotal,theteamspotted134

speciesonMay19th. I’dalso like to thankeveryonewho supportedour

team with a donation; so far we have raised $1115.00! The Great

WisconsinBirdathon supports various bird protection initiatives here in

Wisconsin. TheentireBirdathonhas to-dateraised$82,516.25andthat

putsitat83%ofit’soverallgoalof$100,000.It’snottoolatetodonate–

do a web search for Great Wisconsin Birdathon. If you want your

donationtobeassociatedwith theUpNorthHammerheads, lookupour

teamnameunderthe“BirdathonTeams” linkandscrolldownthe list to

UpNorthHammerheads.Manythanks!

AnInterestingBirdSightingbyMarkWestphalPhotosbyMarkWestphal,notesbySarahBesadny

Mark and I happened to be chatting about birds recently and hementioned seeing a Willet at Powell Marsh. I exclaimed, “What?!? AWillet!!!!. Wow!!!”. This is an extremely unusual sighting for VilasCountyandIencouragedMarktosubmithisobservation ineBird. Hedid and with the excellent photo documentation Mark was able toprovide,theeBirdreviewerhasacceptedthisrecordandconfirmedthatthebirdisofthe“western”subspecies.ThetwosubspeciesoftheWilletare the “eastern” that breeds along the east coast of the U.S. and the“western” subspecies that breeds inmarshy grasslands in the InteriorWest.Howunusualisthissighting?Well,thereareonlytworecordsineBirdof aWillet inVilas County (Mark’s is one of the two) and only one inOneidaCounty–andthat’s forALLyearsofdata ineBird,not justthisyear!!MarksawhisWilletatPowellMarshonMay16,2020.TheotherWilletreportedinVilasCountywasintheVoyagerLakeAreaonMay12,2016. The only Willet reporting from Oneida County was at theRainbowFlowageonApril30,2011.HowwonderfulforMarktohavegottentheopportunitytoseeararebirdataspothelovestobird!

And how wonderful for us that Mark had his camera and takes suchterrificpictures!EnjoyMark’sphotosofthe“western”Willet.

LifeListQuarterlyDuetothefactthattheglobalpandemichasprohibitedusfromhavingweeklybirdoutings,therearenospeciesrecordstoreportatthistime.