Bird-watching at Havenwoods State Forest in the City of Milwaukee (6141 N. Hopkins Street) is always a treat. I recently had an opportunity to spend several early Saturday hours walking its now pastoral 237 acres on a windy March day in 2012. The forest has quite a storied past as the site of the Milwaukee County House of Corrections beginning in 1917 where prisoners also ran a small farm and built chairs in the Granville Chair Factory, and as a 1950’s Nike missile site among other uses. Havenwoods is managed by the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural resources and has an active “friends of” group that cares for its needs and assists in the planning of its overall make-up. The forest map indicates the many different areas of interest in terms of wetlands and forested regions created and maintained, as well as the railroad tracks and various paths; both gravel and grass.
This particular morning with a strong south wind blowing, as I walked towards the westernmost boundary of the property along the railroad tracks I could detect the unmistakable smell of creosote. One glance down the tracks was all it took to answer why; large neat stacks of new ties freshly dipped alongside the rails waiting for some sort of track re-lay project. If you have ever smelled that scent, you know there’s nothing else quite like it. Creosote was first discovered in its wood-tar form in 1832 by Carl Reichenbach. (February 12, 1788 – January 1869) was a notable chemist, geologist, metallurgist, naturalist, industrialist and philosopher, and a member of the prestigious Prussian Academy of Sciences. Creosote is a coal-tar product that has been used to treat green lumber under railroad tracks since 1838 when a man named John Bethell patented the process for its use on railroad timbers. According to the Internet, “Creosote is the portion of chemical products obtained by the distillation of a tar that remains heavier than water, notably useful for its anti-septic and preservative properties.” There is an interesting link HERE if you are as curious as I was, to see just how Chileans “treat” the tie-lumber with the product.
As I approached the old weathered concrete 1911 train bridge I noticed a bird in the distance moving from branch to branch. It appeared to have a long piece of rope or ribbon in its beak. I made a quick assumption that it was building a nest somewhere, but in the next 20 seconds it became obvious that the long thing in its mouth was not nest building material. I swung my binoculars up and saw that the bird was an American kestrel and the “rope” was in fact a Garter snake. The bird was in a tree now and stripping the raw meat from the snake as I watched and snapped a few long-distance pictures. I was still over 100 feet away and the sun was behind the bird; so not the best conditions for a picture, but the live-viewing was amazing! I saw other kestrels in the area and was thrilled each time I spotted one. These little raptors are amazingly colorful and distinct in appearance. I could go on and on about how cool these tiny but fierce animals are, but I will point the reader of this blog to a progressive initiative that started many years ago that has the Interstate highway department involved in fostering a better life for these wee birds of prey; the Highway Sign Nest Box program. Here's Iowa's program in particular...check it out.
American and other kestrel's feed on snakes; hovering for hours over likely meadow lands, they swoop down to grab prey which has been spotted, alighting to feed. Kites, such as the Swallow-tailed, Black-shouldered and Mississippi, feed on garters, as do some of the harriers and hawks. Hunting strategies vary, from airborne reconnaissance to perching in likely spots and watching for movement below. It was probably the uncharacteristically warm March weather along the railroad bed that brought out the snake, much to its detriment.
A flock of Sandhill cranes flying many thousands of feet above my head, yet clearly audible; flew to the northwest, cackling and squawking. Dried coyote spoor was evident in many parts of the forest with its characteristic animal hair make-up. Fresh deer droppings lay in piles, black ball bearings glistening in the light. Later when I crossed over to the northeast section of the forest, I encountered a herd of about 10 whitetail deer. They were sneaking along the bank of one of the seasonally wet drainage ditches on the opposite side of me. I carefully navigated downwind of them and sat down in the warm dry grass at the base of a small hawthorn and watched them as they moved southwest to points unknown. The incredible bonus early March sunshine bathing me in warmth along with the soft southern breeze wafting through the leafless trees brought me a feeling of intense joy. I finally hoisted myself up and walked the rest of the way back to the parked car with a big smile on my face...it was finally Spring!
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| A Birdstud Spring! |
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