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Whooping Crane - USF&WS

Though many North American bird species are experiencing drastic population

I had the day off today so I visited Pheasant Branch prairie to break fresh snow with my snowshoes. First on the trail! Whoo hoo! The future ex-Mrs. McDowell was in on the excursion. She expressed a desire to get some fresh air and exercise after being cooped up for a couple of days on account of the snowstorm, so I invited her.

With temperatures still in the single digits, we did a lap around the entire prairie. Along our route we observed dozens of American Tree Sparrows as they zipped over the fields in small scattered flocks. A few Dark-eyed Juncos followed them. A highlight was finding an adult White-crowned Sparrow perched high and looking über regal with the deep blue sky behind it. Though hopeful to see one, we failed to find a Northern Shrike. After an hour of kicking up snow, we went to get some cider and coffee.



We went our separate ways after warming up with our hot drinks. Lucky Becky had a dental appointment, but I decided to extend my snowy trek along the stream corridor trail section of the conservancy. There I watched a respectable assortment of dependable winter birds. There were White-breasted Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, and a Brown Creeper. I also found three Great Horned Owls roosting in the evergreens.



Pheasant Branch – December 10th, 2008:

Mallard
Red-tailed Hawk
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
American Goldfinch

All images © 2008 Mike McDowell



    • Looks like we're going to get nearly a foot of snow out of this storm. Snowshoeing tomorrow!

    Q: Can you identify the two birds in this photograph?

    © 2008 Mike McDowell



    • I still haven't attracted a Tufted Titmouse to my apartment balcony feeders, but a gorgeous Red-bellied Woodpecker discovered the suet on Sunday. On the Wisconsin Birding Network, someone recently introduced the topic of bird feeding relative to our economic recession.

    As you're probably aware, the push away from trans-fats is one of the factors attributed to increased birdseed prices. Another is ethanol. These seed products are in higher demand in other sectors of the market. Sunflower, safflower and millet are sold on commodity markets just like corn and soybeans and are just as vulnerable to factors that drive up prices. Will the recession affect our backyard birds?

    While research on Black-capped Chickadees has shown that chances of surviving a harsh winter may be greater for birds that have access to feeders, they merely supplement their normal intake of food. I think this is likely true for other birds as well. If you're thinking of cutting back, I would recommend putting out black-oil sunflower seed – you'll get the biggest bang for your dollar and many common backyard birds will enjoy consuming this particular source of food.

    Now that I'm living in an apartment, I don't have as many bird feeders out and no longer use safflower or any seed blends I've used in the past. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I'm offering black-oil sunflower, suet, nyjer and peanut-halves. I'm pleased to have around a dozen bird species visiting daily. This is similar to what I was getting at Waunakee, but curiously, I haven't had a single Blue Jay yet!

    Has the recession and/or higher prices affected how much birdseed you're buying?

    Red-bellied Woodpecker © 2008 Mike McDowell



  • "Millions of birds could be lost over the next 30 to 50 years due to oil sands development in northern Alberta, according to a report released Tuesday in Edmonton. 'As many as 166 million may be lost if tar sands development continues without some kind of major change,' said Jeff Wells, the lead author of the report and senior scientist with Boreal Songbird Initiative."

    Link: Full article from CBC.CA

    Link: NRDC: Danger in the Nursery

    Report: Millions of Birds will be Lost from Tar Sands Development



    Dr. Jeff Wells (above) explains how Canada's tar sands will likely result in millions of birds lost.

    Link: Boreal Songbird Initiative

    Petition: Save our Boreal Birds

    Petition: Save our Greatest Bird Nursery

    "Here is a community, said to be the richest and most enlightened in America, which yet allows its finest scenes of natural beauty to be destroyed one by one, regardless of the fact that the gr