By Ryan Brady
DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Program Biologist
WISCONSIN – After a slow start, waterfowl migration kicked into gear across northern Wisconsin earlier this month.
On Lake Superior, thousands of diving ducks were on the move, including scaup, redheads, ring-necked ducks, all three scoter species and long-tailed ducks. Farther south, dabbling ducks such as pintail, wigeon, gadwall, shovelers and wood ducks were more prevalent.
A good number of green-winged teal were reported statewide, while warm weather has encouraged blue-winged teal to linger longer than usual. The first tundra swans have slowly trickled in but trumpeter swans remain much more prevalent. The number of swans and other waterfowl will increase significantly over the next few weeks. Other waterbirds on the move now include common and red-throated loons, horned grebe, American white pelican, Wilson’s snipe and Bonaparte’s gull.
Despite our unusually mild weather in October, birds that are often associated with winter arrived, including snow bunting, northern shrike, rough-legged hawk and golden eagle. However, no snowy owls have been found south of Canada yet. Purple finches migrated across northern Wisconsin in large numbers last month, as did moderate numbers of pine siskins. The first common redpolls, white-winged crossbills, and pine grosbeaks were also reported in the far north, although numbers of American goldfinches have been below average.
A detailed continental “Winter Finch Forecast” can be found at www.finchnetwork.org/winter-finch-forecast-2021-2022-by-tyler-hoar.
Typical for October, sparrows have been prominent across much of the state, including dark-eyed juncos, American tree sparrows and fox sparrows. Harris’ sparrows continue to be seen in above-average numbers, while white-throated, white-crowned, song, swamp, Lincoln’s and other species frequent weedy fields, wet ditches and other brushy habitats. Other reported short-distance migrants are American robin, cedar waxwing, rusty blackbird, ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets, yellow-bellied sapsucker, brown creeper, winter wren, hermit thrush and a few eastern bluebirds. Warm weather has allowed eastern phoebe, ruby-throated hummingbird, and some warblers to linger, especially across southeast Wisconsin.
Some of the rare birds spotted this week were pomarine jaeger in Douglas County, a beautiful male harlequin duck in Sheboygan, white-eyed vireo in Milwaukee, an ibis species in Dodge, Ross’s goose in Dane, and both Hudsonian godwit and red knot in Brown.
Help us track the migration by reporting your finds to www.ebird.org/wi.