Naturalist Obscura

Naturalist Obscura 🌎 Madison WI USA
❤️ Exploring, photographing and journaling nature & wildlife. Follow for wildlife photos, nature logs and news about conservation.

Barred Owl Another shot from the Raptors in Focus event at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center last weekend. Perseus is an ab...
05/11/2026

Barred Owl

Another shot from the Raptors in Focus event at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center last weekend. Perseus is an absolutely stunning Barred Owl.

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NATURE LOG: We finally have a hummingbird that is sticking around! I was so excited that I bought fuchia hanging baskets to make the little guy happy. He abolutely loves them, but I am already annoyed at having to bring the baskets in at night. We need some warmer weather so I can plant my hummingbird treats.

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Broad-winged HawkYet another photo that I took last weekend at the Raptors In Focus event at Schlitz Audubon Nature Cent...
05/08/2026

Broad-winged Hawk

Yet another photo that I took last weekend at the Raptors In Focus event at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center . This is Nicco, a broad-winged hawk. Such a beautiful bird!

I am fairly certain you can expect many more raptors on my feed for the next few weeks!

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NATURE LOG: I had an American Robin nest on the porch light at my front door. This morning, I noticed that the nest was gone. After further inspection, the next was on the front porch and there were no eggs cracked and no babies. I assume that a raptor of some sort made them a tasty meal.

Also, I saw my first Broad-winged Hawk in the woods behind my home. Coincidence?

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Gray Eastern Screech OwlI had the amazing opportunity to participate in the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Raptors in F...
05/08/2026

Gray Eastern Screech Owl

I had the amazing opportunity to participate in the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Raptors in Focus event last weekend. The program took place outdoors and all the raptor ambassadors (under the supervision of their handlers and volunteer staff) were set outdoors around the trails. The nature preserve was closed to the public that morning, so the participants had the raptors and the beautiful grounds all to themselves.

Meet Baron von Screech.

Baron is a gray Eastern Screech Owl that was hit by a car and had a severely injured eye that was removed. Since we he was not able to be released back into the wild, he is now a Raptor Ambassador educating the public on the importance of conservation and impacts of raptors on our local ecosystem.

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NATURE LOG 05/08/2026: Still no consistent hummingbirds. Still in a polar vortex. Sad that I am unable to put up my normal hanging baskets filled with hummingbird favorites. Hopefully it will warm up a bit next week so that I can get going on planting and hanging annuals.

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GREEN HERONI took this photo in May 2025 from my hidey-hole in the marsh. I was out watching the egrets when I was sta...
05/07/2026

GREEN HERON

I took this photo in May 2025 from my hidey-hole in the marsh. I was out watching the egrets when I was startled by a loud call and a fly-over from this picture perfect green heron.

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NATURE LOG 05/06/2026: The orioles and rose-breasted grosbeaks finally arrived this weekend. I have only seen the one hummingbird and it didn't stick around. I usually have my flowers up by this time of year, but it has been too cold.

PHOTO: Common Loon with Fish--------------------------------------------------------------------------NATURE LOG: I had...
04/30/2026

PHOTO: Common Loon with Fish

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NATURE LOG: I had my first Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the summer stop by last night before sunset. Hopefully the hummingbirds will bring the warmer weather to Wisconsin with them.

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PHOTO: Pied-billed GrebeNATURE LOG: April showers bring May flowers. All it does is rain, rain, rain these days... I d...
04/29/2026

PHOTO: Pied-billed Grebe

NATURE LOG: April showers bring May flowers. All it does is rain, rain, rain these days... I didn't see any new creatures yesterday and didn't go out with my camera, but I can confidently confirm that the eaglets have hatched in McFarland.

NOTES: Grebes are not ducks. They are grebes, which is in an entirely different family called Podicipedidae. The Podicipedidae family includes 20+ different types of grebes worldwide.




PHOTO: Red-breasted MerganserNATURE LOG: I am still wandering about looking for migrating birds and waterfowl. I have y...
04/28/2026

PHOTO: Red-breasted Merganser

NATURE LOG: I am still wandering about looking for migrating birds and waterfowl. I have yet to see an American Widgeon or a Northern Pintail and, as usual, the Canvasbacks hate me and never come close enough for me to get a decent shot.

This morning on my commute to work I noticed that the bald eagles in McFarland were standing outside the nest. It has been about 30 days since they started sitting, so I am hoping that means that the eggs have hatched. We need a lot more time before we can see the eaglet heads poking out of the nest.

PHOTO: Tundra SwanNATURE LOG: Spring has definitely sprung! I saw my first bat this week and our resident woodchuck ha...
04/26/2026

PHOTO: Tundra Swan

NATURE LOG: Spring has definitely sprung! I saw my first bat this week and our resident woodchuck has been making an appearance to sun himself on the deck. I also saw the woodchuck climb a tree, which I thought was bit odd. New to the backyard this weekend are Gray Catbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Northern House Wrens and a single Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

I'm still waiting on the big three - grosbeaks, hummingbirds and orioles.

PHOTO: Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Belize)NATURE LOG: Happy Earth Day! Spring migration is really starting to heat up, a...
04/23/2026

PHOTO: Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Belize)

NATURE LOG: Happy Earth Day!

Spring migration is really starting to heat up, along with the weather in Wisconsin. I went back out to see the Ruddy Ducks last night and was elated that they were still hanging out on Lake Waubesa. I was also excited that a pair of Redheads came right up to me on shore. I have been waiting to get a decent photo of a Redhead, so I can check that off my list.

I read the e-Bird alert last night and saw that the first Ruby-throated Hummingbird was confirmed in my area. I hung the hummingbird and oriole feeders this morning, a week earlier than planned, just to be safe. Typically, I see the orioles a day or two before the hummingbirds, right around May 1st. Sadly the orioles never stick around, but I always get a pair of hummingbirds to stay.

Lastly, some exciting news. I saw my first firefly last night! It didn’t light up, as I am sure that it is still immature this early in the year but got me excited for summer nights to come.

PHOTO: Ruddy DuckNATURE LOG: This weekend was much cooler after all of the stormy weather. I had to bundle up, but I fo...
04/22/2026

PHOTO: Ruddy Duck

NATURE LOG: This weekend was much cooler after all of the stormy weather. I had to bundle up, but I found a huge flock of 300+ ruddy ducks in a bay on Lake Waubesa. This is the same spot that I found a large flock last year and around the same time. Many lesser scaup, coot and buffleheads were in the mix, along with a handful of canvasbacks, redheads, and northern shovelers.

I went back to the north shore of Lake Monona this weekend in search of the horned grebe pair that I found earlier in the week. No luck, but I did have a great run in with a small flock of red-breasted mergansers that came right up to me on shore.

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925 Post Rd
Madison, WI
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