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Report of Bird Walk
By  Paul Hunter (posted 5/12/06)
Saturday, May 6, 2006
Lake Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

About 15 birders enjoyed a relaxed stroll from Locust Ravine, past the Lawn Bowling courts, to the Wolcott Statue on this pleasant, bright and calm morning.  Most of us saw about 37 species, though as usual Jym Mooney was the early bird.  His "worm" was seeing the Red-headed Woodpecker.  Steve Lubahn was apparently even earlier and reported the uncommon Hooded and rare Prairie Warblers near the Wolcott Statue.

Fly-overs of a total of 40 cormorants prompted a discussion of one birder's seeing hundreds to thousands together feeding offshore in Door County, and the antipathy sport fisherman hold for these "black geese".    Another large group of flying dark birds was less controversial.  50 Chimney Swifts chittered away over the golf course and Wolcott Statue for several minutes before fading away.

In a fence post at the northeast corner of the Lawn Bowling courts near the restaurant (Pavilion), a pair of Eastern Bluebirds has made a nest, despite the habitat at Lake Park not quite meeting the criteria specified by the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin, http://www.braw.org/start.htm .  One birder also saw a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches poking in and out of a natural cavity, suggesting more nesting occuring in Lake Park.  Hopefully the Red-headed Woodpecker pair can find a large dead limb of a large tree near an open area for their nest. 

The most interesting species for us intermediate birders were again at the Wolcott Statue.  A Clay-colored Sparrow mixed on the ground with a flock of White-throated and White-crowned Sparrow, showing it's gray nape, darker brown facial pattern and overall appearance of a brown-capped chipping sparrow.  It also later confused us by flitting warbler-like at the top of a tall bush.  The male Black-throated Blue Warbler slipped in and out of the foliage of a Norway maple giving fair glimpses to most of us.  The Nashville Warbler sang dutifully enough to compare to its recording on co-leader Robin Squier's video iPod.  The female Yellow Warbler was surpizingly difficult to identify.


Lake Park - Locust Ravine to Wolcott Statue

Mallard     1
Double-crested Cormorant     40
Ring-billed Gull     X
Chimney Swift     50
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Downy Woodpecker     3
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Blue Jay     4
American Crow     6
Barn Swallow     4
Black-capped Chickadee     5
White-breasted Nuthatch     3
House Wren     1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     2
Eastern Bluebird     2
Hermit Thrush     2
American Robin     5
Brown Thrasher     1
European Starling     4
Nashville Warbler     1
Yellow Warbler     1
Black-throated Blue Warbler     1
Yellow-rumped Warbler     3
Palm Warbler     3
Black-and-white Warbler     2
Ovenbird     3
Chipping Sparrow     12
Clay-colored Sparrow     1
White-throated Sparrow     35
White-crowned Sparrow     20
Northern Cardinal     12
Rose-breasted Grosbeak     2
Red-winged Blackbird     6
Brown-headed Cowbird     8
House Finch     6
American Goldfinch     6
House Sparrow     4


Seen by Jym Mooney at Bradford Beach - North Point

Lesser Scaup 2
Bufflehead 6
Bonaparte's Gull 6
Ring-billed Gull 6
Herring Gull 1
Caspian Tern 25


Seen before the walk in Locust Ravine and at Wolcott Statue

Red-headed Woodpecker     1 [Jym Mooney]
Prairie Warbler     1  [Steve Lubahn]
Hooded Warbler     1  [Steve Lubahn]