By Ryan Brady
DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Program Biologist
WISCONSIN – Are you ready, birders? Peak migration is near as favorites like orioles, hummingbirds, grosbeaks, buntings, tanagers and warblers return to Wisconsin. May promises to be the most exciting birding month of the year!
Not to be outdone, April finished spectacularly as a strong surge of south winds brought an early wave of migrants around April 21-22. Baltimore and orchard orioles, ruby-throated hummingbirds and rose-breasted grosbeaks reached the state’s southern half. Southern and eastern counties saw massive warbler action, including rarities like Kentucky, prairie and yellow-throated warblers. Statewide, yellow-rumped warblers and a few pine warblers flocked to suet feeders in the cool temperatures. Other neotropical migrants arriving in southern areas included gray catbird, blue-gray gnatcatcher, great crested flycatcher, eastern kingbird, wood thrush, chimney swift and Eastern whip-poor-will.
Nearer water, several flocks of American avocets and willets were seen, and the first least, pectoral, solitary and spotted sandpipers were seen among larger numbers of greater and lesser yellowlegs. Large flocks of Bonaparte’s gulls frequented lakeshore sites and flooded fields, the former also hosting common, caspian and Forster’s terns. American bittern, sora and Virginia rail can now be heard in emergent wetlands.
Waterfowl migration is at or just past peak in the north, where late ice-out on lakes has delayed loon arrival and pushed loons, grebes and many waterfowl into smaller areas of open water. Scaup, redhead, ring-necked duck, bufflehead, blue-winged and green-winged teal, shoveler and pied-billed grebe were all spotted this week. The first goslings were also reported in southern Wisconsin.
Persistent cool northerly winds have also resulted in late departure dates for some decidedly “winter” species, including snowy owl, rough-legged hawk, northern shrike, snow bunting, Bohemian waxwing, white-winged crossbill and hoary redpoll. Good numbers of common redpolls continue in the north, with a few stragglers in the south. Dark-eyed juncos remain abundant, though they are slowly getting replaced by incoming white-throated sparrows. Other sparrows like swamp, savannah, chipping, white-crowned and Lincoln’s are also moving in.
The flush of migrants also brought in an incredible wave of rarities. Most notable among them were long-billed curlew (Ashland County), ash-throated and scissor-tailed flycatcher (Racine), ruff (Rusk), sharp-tailed sandpiper (Sauk) and garganey (Jefferson). Others included cinnamon teal, Say’s phoebe, summer and western tanagers, western kingbird, eared grebe, loggerhead shrike, white-faced ibis, N. mockingbird and Eurasian tree sparrow. A pair of black-billed magpies in Bayfield County was found nest building, marking the first documented evidence of nesting behavior for this species in state history!
Look for orioles, grosbeaks and a few hummingbirds to reach the north, many more warblers statewide, and soaring groups (“kettles”) of broad-winged hawks overhead.
Then help us track the migration by reporting your finds to www.ebird.org/wi/home.
Good birding!