Bill Grossmeyer's Birding Adventures

03/26/2019

While driving around the main island we found PLENTY of other species that I hadn't seen before!! We ended up seeing 55 total species, with 42 of them being new to me, and 2 new subspecies I hadn't observed before. I have to give a TON OF CREDIT to my wife, who puts up with my constant need to explore and my endless stories about birds I've seen or hope to see!! Details about each bird and location are posted to the pictures.

03/25/2019

The Palila Discovery Trail

The critically endangered Palila (2000 total population) is a large-bodied finch-billed honeycreeper only found in very specific habitat on the main island of Hawaii. With a yellow head and gray body, you'd think they'd be difficult to miss. They mainly eat the immature seed pods of the Māmane tree and are found in the greatest density in the 7500-8500' elevations. Due to sheep eating the forests, mosquitos/ bird malaria, mongoose and feral cats, they face a huge loss of Māmane- Naio forest and their range has been reduced to almost nothing. With a 4x4 vehicle you are able to visit the Palila Discovery Trail, which lies 4 miles up a dirt road at 7000'. On the 1 mile loop, you can fairly easily find a variety of endemic and introduced forest birds, and with a little luck you can hopefully find a rare Palila. Without a doubt this was one of the highlights of the trip for me!

03/24/2019

Last week my wife and I went on our honeymoon to the main island of Hawaii! On the first day there I was able to go on a guided tour of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge- Pua Akala Tract (closed to the public.) My guide was Lance Tanino, who I would absolutely recommend to anyone and everyone who has an interest in learning about and finding both native and introduced Hawaiian birds.

Hakalau stands for many perches in Hawaiian, and that is definitely the truth. The elevation we explored is between 5800-6500' and is on the windward slope of Mauna Kea volcano. At that altitude we were in the drier part of the rainforest, it gets roughly 100" per year. It was so different than anywhere I'd ever been before! This location offers the best opportunity to see all 11 endemic forest birds from the same location. The weather was perfect, and so was the birding. We saw all our target species by lunch time, with fantastic views of each of them. It's amazing how fast they all are!

03/24/2019

Wow, it's been a while!! Over the past year and a half or so I've been focusing more on observing birds and being present in the moment than I have on getting fantastic pictures. Its helped me learn a lot more about bird behavior and has helped me get better at learning bird songs and calls. Using binoculars more than a camera has helped me focus more on identifying birds in the field instead of taking pics and figuring it out later. Part of the learning curve for me! I got myself a much smaller and easier to carry camera that I can take with me on longer hikes. Although the quality isn't as good, its helped me be able to enjoy my time in nature a little more. So, although the pictures won't be as nice, the love for nature is the same if not more!

05/07/2017

This morning I decided to head out to Horicon Marsh in search of the Glossy Ibis with Ryan and Derek. We got there early and not much was going on, but after about an hour we saw both the Glossy Ibis (lifer!) and the 3 White-faced Ibis it has been hanging out with! They gave great views for those of us that were there early! Even though the north winds have kept migration fairly slow, there was also no shortage of other birds at the marsh (although migration is still sloooooooowwwwwww....) In our morning at the marsh we also observed a handful of Forster's Terns, Soras, lots of Marsh Wrens, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbird, Purple Martins, Barn, Tree and Cliff Swallows, Ruddy Ducks, Northern Shovelers and Redheads, the Black-necked Stilts, Dunlin, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Yellow, Nashville, Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers (solo), a Waterthrush yet to be ID'd, a White-crowned Sparrow and a lone Trumpeter Swan- plus all the regular finds you'd make at Horicon (no Whooping Crane.) Great weather, and a great morning to get out and see some birds!

In the past 2 weeks in my Grafton yard we had 4 Purple Finches stay for two days then move on. No Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, but we did have a Baltimore Oriole last week for 2 days, and one showed up today. The White-throated Sparrows are starting to disappear, and we have 2 White-crowned Sparrows in the yard today.

About a week ago there was a large push of our less common shorebirds into eastern Wisconsin. We saw American Avocets and Willets in Port Washington and we made the trip to Milwaukee to see the Marbled Godwits at Lakeshore State Park. It was somewhat disheartening to watch a photographer repeatedly get too close to the birds causing them to flush repeatedly.

Long story made short, I have been relying on my binoculars more often because it was a pretty big turn off to watch that. It was nice to get out and see some new birds today and get some good pics, but for the time being I think I'll be using my camera a little less unless I see something new to me. I found that I have to rely on my other senses more to ID a bird without a camera, like my hearing. Anyway, hopefully migration will pick back up soon and I'll have some more to share!!

04/15/2017

PART 2 (again, Thanks to Facebook...)

My second favorite spot was the Desert Museum just outside of Tuscon. Here we saw all kinds of cool stuff!! Excellent views of free roaming Cactus Wren, Hooded Oriole, Costa's Hummingbird and an angry Cooper's Hawk. There is also an aviary and Hummingbird exhibit which gave great looks at captive birds found around the region. We spent 4 hours there, and saw an amazing amount of cacti, reptiles and other wildlife found around the desert/ mountain region.

We spent some time walking the De Anza Trail, which is next to a creek through southern AZ. Along this we saw Phainopepla, Black Phoebe, Vermillion Flycatcher, Abert's Towhee, Gray Hawk, Gila Woodpecker, Northern Flicker (red-shafted), Common Ground Dove, Bewick's Wren, Pacific-slope Flycatcher and many of the other birds mentioned earlier. Some of these trails go through free range cattle land, making things a little scary at times lol.

Saguaro National Park was a beautiful place to see a sunset and Gilded Flicker and Lesser Night Hawk. It also let us hear Common Poorwill and Western Screech Owl.

Paton's Hummingbird feeders in Patagonia, AZ was nice, and I can't imagine how great it'll be when they're done with their current construction project. Here we saw Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, and great looks at the Audobon YR Warblers (they LOVE suet!) and a surprisingly not-shy Lincoln Sparrow

Our last stop was at the small town of Summerhaven, which is on the top of Mt. Lemmon (8000ft elevation.) Here the air was crisp and cool, unlike the dry convection oven we had gotten used to lol. Here we saw Stellars Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Spotted Towhee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Violet-green Swallow and one of my favorites, a Red-faced Warbler.

During our drives to and from places we also saw Great-tail Grackles, Harris Hawk and probably a few others that I've temporarily forgotten. It was a wonderful trip and it was great to get away for a bit. We saw/ heard at least 62 new birds, but I'm ready to be home. Although we saw a whole bunch of awesome birds, we still have plenty left for next time 😉

04/15/2017

PART 1 (thanks to Facebook and it's 30 picture limit lol)

It was fun while it lasted, but the week trip to southern Arizona had to end at some point (we're both ready to get home anyways!) Before I go into detail about what we saw and where, I have to give a huge thanks to Jenny, who put up with much more bird watching than she would have liked or probably imagined lol! We did get to see a lot of cool places as well during that time, and the constant mountain views were something neither of us will forget! Also a big thanks to Chris R, who not only gave us constant advice on just about everything from good spots to birdwatch and hike, to where we can find good food and other stuff to do, as well as taking us to Madera Canyon to listen for some of the birds of the night! Can't forget to thank Rob P, who took the time to give me the run down of his trip here, and giving me some additional tips and hotspots I didn't know about. Thanks everyone!!

We started with a stop in the remote mountain town of Portal, AZ (aka birdwatchers paradise lol) where a rare-to-the-US Streak backed Oriole has been hanging out. We did get great views of it, as well as Green-tailed Towhee, Gambels Quail, Woodhouse Scrub Jay, Ladderback Woodpecker, tons of White-crowned Sparrows, Inca Dove, Lesser Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Canyon Towhee, Black-chinned and Broad-billed Hummingbirds, Swainson's Hawk, Cassin's and Western Kingbird and Pyrrhuloxia. We also saw Loggerhead Shrike, Western Meadowlark, Black-throated Sparrow on the drive through the foothills.

After that we went to where we stayed, which was just south of Tubac, AZ. From our yard/ surrounding area we had both Black and Turkey Vultures, Ash-throated Flycatcher, a yard resident Say's Phoebe (my buddy lol), Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Lucy's Warbler, Black-throated Sparrow, Curve-billed Thrasher, White-winged Dove, a flyby pair of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Common Ravens, Greater Roadrunner and Rufous-winged Sparrow, Audobon Yellow-rumped Warbler. We also had also pair of Great Horned Owls that visited us for a few hours in the early morning hours on two nights!

Madera Canyon (4000ft elevation) has to be my favorite place that we went. With incredible views and trails, plus the multiple birding lodges with vast bird feeding stations, there is always something to do or see. New birds we had at Madera Canyon were Elf and Whiskered Screech Owl, Mexican Whip-poor-will (they're HUGE), Magnificent, Broad-billed, Broad-tailed and Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Yellow-eyed Junco, Dark-eyed Junco (pink-sided), Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Mexican Jay, Acorn Woodpecker, Painted Redstart and Scott's Oriole (both heard only), Hepatic Tanager, White-winged Dove, Wild Turkey (Goulds), Hammond's Flycatcher, Bridled Titmouse, TONS of Chipping Sparrows, as well some repeats from other spots.

To be continued...

04/02/2017

I recently moved to Grafton, which has given me lots of new areas to explore!! My favorite place so far may be my backyard, where I've seen 32 species in the past few weeks. The most recent additions have been Fox Sparrows and an Eastern Towhee, neither of which are very cooperative for pictures!

I made my way up to Goose Pond in Columbia County to see the very rare Brant (life bird!), and was able to see 6 species (Cackling, Canada, Snow, Ross, White-fronted and Brant) of Geese in one spot (unheard of for Wisconsin!)

I tried for the Prairie Falcon at B**g Recreation Area yesterday, but no luck. Did however see a Short-eared Owl, TONS of Eastern Meadowlarks,my FOY Osprey, Double-crested Cormorants and a whole lotta Wilson's Snipe.

It may be a bit until my next post, but it will hopefully be a good one!! Jen and I leave for Arizona on Friday morning, and I can't wait to see what we'll find down there!! Bon Voyage!

04/01/2017

Tired of all the rainy and dreary days lately? Feel free to go bird watching vicariously through us! My good friends Ryan and Derek Sallmann have been making and producing short videos chronicling their bird watching trips around Wisconsin! Lucky for me, I get to make a few appearances, as does Rob Pendergast! We don't always find everything we're looking for, but we always learn something and always have a great time seeing the nature and beauty that Wisconsin has to offer! Check it out!

Join us as we travel back to the boreal forests of Northern Wisconsin in search of elusive birds.

03/16/2017

Barrow's Goldeneye (LIFER!!) continuing at Sheboygan's Northpoint Park!

My Grandparents were nature lovers, specifically birds and especially ducks. They were members of most Conservation Clubs, including Ducks Unlimited. I got a lot of my love for nature from them. My Grandpa passed a few years back, but my Grandma passed away yesterday afternoon. She didn't have much of a memory anymore, and it was hard to see her like that towards the end. I'm not one to believe much in coincidences, and it left a really special memory to be able to sit and and enjoy the all of the ducks' company, but especially the Barrow's Goldeneye. That is a memory I won't soon forget :)

03/12/2017

This morning I was able get out for a little bit, and was able to find 5 Eastern Meadowlarks mixed in with some Red-winged Blackbirds near Lions Den. I was more than happy to see these, as it typically means spring is right around the corner (typically....) Then this afternoon we were out getting bird seed, and saw Michael Gray found a Cinnamon Teal not more than 30 minutes from me. We raced up there to find a group of birders already looking at it. Although I was only able to get distant looks, I was able to see my LIFER Cinnamon Teal (horrible doc shot, but better than nothing!!) Hopefully after the snowstorm we can get another taste of spring!!

03/05/2017

This morning I headed out with Jen to meet up with Barry B and cruise the sheboygan shoreline to see what birds we could find.

On the way we found a few Rough-legged Hawks and a pair Great T**s, which surprisingly sat in the sun for a few moments. We also found a nice flock of Robins and Cedar Waxwings. The wind made huge swells on the lake, 6+ feet at times. This made it extremely difficult to get good looks at anything on the water. The skies also clouded up, making any chance of great pics a challenge. At North Point I relocated the Harlequin Ducks, and Barry found us a female Long-tail Duck. There were also a handful of Buffleheads. We missed the Greater Black-backed and Glaucous Gulls by just a few minutes. The marina had lots of both Scaup, as well as Red-breasted Mergansers and Common Goldeneye.

On the way back to Grafton we cruised the back road agricultural fields and found Tundra Swans, Redheads, Sandhill Cranes and lots of Geese.

Once home I saw Jym M's post about the Snow and Ross' Geese, which I've never had much luck at finding. Lucky me, they waited around for me and Ryan S to get some great looks!

Last week I also made a point of stopping to see the photogenic White-fronted Goose (thanks again Jym.) I'm hoping that soon we can string together a few days of sun instead of the regular clouds.

Overall a great day of birding, and what will sometime soon be a farewell to many of our winter birds. I love all the birds, but good riddance... I'm ready for spring!