Fledging young at Mauthe Lake, WI

If there was one common (birding) theme that transcended our entire four-day, five night camping trip to Mauthe (pronounced "mothy") Lake State Park; it was "babies;" but more on that a bit later.  Another important theme for this particular vacation was "adaptation."  Adapt we certainly did...we're good at it.

It's no secret that watching birds is a major part of the enjoyment that I find while camping in the great outdoors.  Thankfully my bride Barbara is not too far behind...or at least she has never begrudged me the simple pleasures that I derive from watching them.  We're good for each other in that way; either one of us always has "permission" to interrupt the other's story, anecdote, or important topic with an excited finger-pointing and a hearty, "look, look, look...it's a Red-tail" or other such bird.  That's when you know you're comfortable with another person.  That's when you have each other's back - for life.

Mauthe Lake State Park is located in the northern unit of the Kettle Moraine part of southeastern Wisconsin. It boasts 135 campsites, of which 51 are electric.  The campgrounds are available all year long.  The two of us had never before been there, so we didn't know what to expect.  I had previously chosen a site based upon what was "left" on the Reserve America.com campground website.  This meant that by getting in a bit late (most campsites at Wisconsin State Parks become reservable first, eleven months prior to your desired date) we had to choose a "non-electric" site.  That wasn't a big deal, as there were plenty of them to choose from; so I picked 527 in the "upper" campground.  Now being in the Kettle Moraine should have been enough for me to anticipate at least some changes in elevation, however looking at a one dimensional .pdf "map" is a lot different from actual site conditions.  As it turned out, the 500 series campsites were the "highest" ones in the park, with 527 at the very peak of park altitude.  This meant that riding our bikes to and from 527 ensured that there were hills in both directions, so a casual bike ride mirrored a Tour Du France milestone each time we ventured forth; particularly for Barbara as she had the added weight and instability of Opie in a basket on the front of her bicycle.

When I camp, I enjoy setting up an impromptu bird feeding station.  This time I had neglected to bring an actual "feeder" so I built one from a cardboard box and some rope.  I did remember to bring a suet feeder and peanut cake, and hung it as well from my station.  It took several days due to the newness and the absolute abundance of natural foods available; but American goldfinches eventually discovered my meager offerings.  By the time a hard rain came to dissolve the cardboard platform on Monday morning; an entire Red-breasted nuthatch family was training in the art of seed hiding, young puff-ball Black-capped chickadee were sampling sunflower seeds, and Northern cardinals had eventually descended to what had fallen to the ground during the rain, in competition with two determined Chipmunk for the spoils.  It's quite entertaining to sit back in the Cabela's anti-gravity chairs; cold beer in cup holder, and watch the show.

Because my feeders were "hung" from a makeshift "teepee," the marauding evening raccoons did not pose a problem for the station.  Opie the wonder poodle's dry dog food in the resealable sandwich bag was another matter. Opie and I awoke the first night at 3:30 to the nearby sound of crunching and discovered the interloper in the midst of its late night snack in the screen portion of our new, fantastic, Coleman Weathermaster 6 tent.  The little masked bugger grabbed its prize and scurried into the underbrush when it heard my attempts to sleepily, but stealthily get the flap zipper undone.  I could just hear it crunching happily about 15 feet into the woods edge, so I shined my flashlight on it, reflecting back its two beady golden eyes. I went back to sleep...oh well.

When we camp, we relax, eat, relax, drink, and relax.  (did I mention we relax?)  The July 4th weekend weather (for the first four days anyway) was stellar, if not a tiny bit downright hot.  Thankfully the altitude of our site allowed a slight breeze to permeate through the trees and helped to cool us as we sat and veg'd. The raucous, rambling and whimsical sound of Gray catbirds was almost always to be heard, as we must have set up camp in their living room.  Chipping sparrows (one in particular) sat in a few of the same trees in alternating fashion, making sure we heard them as well.  Stealthy Eastern (Rufous) towhees were forever reminding us to "drink our teeeeeee" from dawn until dusk, with an occasional brief glance at their actual silhouettes in the low branches.  Chestnut-sided warblers were frequent visitors as they flitted about the brush.  Much as most warblers will; the "pish" sound made by the human mouth piques their avian curiosity enough to draw them nearer to the source. These little buggers could definitely be "pished" closer for a better look, so I did the moment I heard the familiar "pleased, pleased, pleased, to meetcha" song it sang.  It goes without saying that it really pishes me off when it fails to get me a better look.  Boo...bad pun, I know...

In the tiny nearby Wisconsin town of "New Prospect" there is a very curious general store (Zahn's Trading Post) alongside County S.  With its beginnings in 1972, it's been run by the Zahn family for over 41 years.  Arthur Zahn, founder (a WWII veteran) just passed away in April of 2012 at the age of 85.  His obituary states that he was best known for "never complaining" and that he had a great sense of humor. When you step into their store, you can almost feel that humor...you also feel like you've traveled back in time.  Not because it's an antique store or anything, it is simply FILLED with old stuff that you may have forgotten.  If you're familiar with the Vermont Country Store; it's kinda' like that...old.  You could easily spend an afternoon looking at everything that has been expertly shoe-horned into the small space.  

Armella Zahn (Arthur's widow) and son James that run the place are there to serve you personally.  James will admit to you, that his two passions in life are "gabbing and politics."  If you have a christian and conservative background and leaning; you'll like and appreciate his chatter, if not - select your goods and move on.  Oh, but plan on paying cash, or you can use their handy-dandy (in-store) ATM if you don't mind the fact that the blasted banks will nick you a couple bucks on each end of the transaction...grrr.  This dear little (jam-packed) store even has the old-fashioned candy stick display in a myriad of colors and flavors you remember as a child.  Armella's still sharp as a tack, but hunched over a bit as she sits low behind the checkout counter on a stool in her cotton house dress.  You see, she's still recovering from a recently "busted" hip but still willing to glance upward over her glasses rim to give customers her grandmotherly speech about how most things in her store are "nat-tral" and not filled with all the junk.  Dear woman.

As life-adaptations are sure to foist there way upon us all; the WPT sadly (and most suddenly) died Saturday morning on the hot and dusty side of County trunk S, after a grocery and ice run to the friendly and full-service Geidel's Piggly Wiggly in Kewaskum.  We had it (and us) unfortunately towed to West Bend, WI where were thankfully graced with a free "loaner" (parts-running) Jeep from Walsh Auto Pros so that we could continue our camping.  We adapted.  Barbara and Opie stayed with me until Sunday noon, through some wonderful camp food, drink and more bird-watching.  We packed up as much camping stuff as we could into the borrowed Jeep, and I drove them home to Milwaukee.  Barbara needed to be at work on Monday morning.  As painful as it was to leave my best buddy (and Opie) to drive back; I did so that I'd be nearer to reversing the process of collecting the WPT and the camping gear we had to leave behind.  I had planned to be "off" work already for Monday, so it made the most sense. 

Bonus (Birding) Day

Monday morning  it rained.  Hard.  I scrambled to pick up what I could safeguard  from the deluge under the tent, and into the Jeep.  I sat there in a red folding camp chair pondering and reflecting on the birds I had already seen, and reading an Odd Thomas paperpack novel written by Dean Koontz.  Perhaps its the varying elevation, diverse vegetation, sources of water, plentiful food, adequate nesting habitat, or all of the above; however Mauthe Lake State Park proved to me to be a destination that provided the most, and most unique species of summertime birds I had ever encountered in Wisconsin, in one trip.  On the fifth day at Mauthe Lake after the long 4-hour morning rain delay; I rode my bike down (and I mean down) to the road that leads to the Mauthe Lake boat launch.  This wet and swampy area (below) certainly proved to be the most prolific site for the most diverse collection of fledglings that I'd ever seen.  Baltimore oriole, American robin, Red-winged blackbird, Northern waterthrush, Yellow warbler, and Veery adult-immature combinations could be seen on both edges of the damp blacktop undergoing some sort of parental "lessons" all along the roadway.  I crept along silently on the Giant Suede Birdstud-birdbike and watched in complete wonder at the non-stop educational activities.  Some were learning to bathe, some to forage, some to follow, and others to sing; it was truly magical.  All the while I waited for Walsh Auto Pros in neighboring West Bend, WI to call me with the news that they had successfully repaired the ailing WPT; I watched the unfolding natural display of avian summer schooling.

Mauthe Lake - State Park - Birdstud APPROVED!

The list (below) I compiled (and uploaded to my iPhone Audubon app) is quite impressive even for me:

1. Mallard
2. Turkey Vulture
3. Sandhill Crane
4. Killdeer,
5. Mourning Dove
6. Red-bellied Woodpecker
7. Downy Woodpecker
8. Hairy Woodpecker
9. Northern Flicker
10. Eastern Wood-Pewee
11. Least Flycatcher
12. Eastern Phoebe
13. Great Crested Flycatcher
14. Warbling Vireo
15. Red-eyed Vireo
16. Blue Jay
17. American Crow
18. Tree Swallow
19. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
20. Barn Swallow
21. Black-capped Chickadee
22. Tufted Titmouse
23. Red-breasted Nuthatch
24. White-breasted Nuthatch
25. Brown Creeper
26. House Wren
27. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
28. Eastern Bluebird
29. Veery
30. American Robin
31. Gray Catbird
32. Brown Thrasher
33. European Starling
34. Cedar Waxwing
35. Ovenbird
36. Northern Waterthrush
37. Blue-winged Warbler
38. Nashville Warbler
39. Common Yellowthroat
40. American Redstart
41. Yellow Warbler
42. Chestnut-sided Warbler
43. Eastern Towhee
44. American Tree Sparrow
45. Chipping Sparrow
46. Field Sparrow
47. Song Sparrow
48. Scarlet Tanager
49. Northern Cardinal
50. Indigo Bunting
51. Red-winged Blackbird
52. Common Grackle
53. Baltimore Oriole
54. House Finch
55. American Goldfinch

Now as I often say in my blogs, listening to avian songs and calls is the lion's share of bird watching.  You'll never get much beyond chickadees and robins unless you take the time to learn as many calls and songs as possible.  While camping; you can lie sleepily in your tent in the early morning hour and listen to the dawn chorus.  The next time you hear it; don't bitch about the (too early) noise - relax, and try to identify as many bird species as you can; strictly by ear.   While walking the road I had the opportunity to record many bird sounds on a handy-dandy (free) iPhone app.   To that end, there's no song or call in the wild more amazing than the hauntingly beautiful (twin syrinx-ed) Veery. 

► HERE is a sample of the calls I recorded.  See if you can identify what you hear in the recording.  I'll post the answers in a future blog, or you can email me - birdstud@birdmilwaukee.com. 

I finally got the call from Walsh's around 2:45 PM so I drove their loaner Jeep back to West Bend to pay the piper for the WPT.  I drove one final time to 527 and packed up the remaining camp items in the (now) blazing hot sun.  A friendly and beautiful Indigo bunting sat on a nearby tree and sang his heart out until I was ready to leave.  I felt incredibly blessed.  The final treat to the entire trip came as I heard the familiar rising ring-sing of my FOY (first of year) Cicada!  It was definitely summer now, and officially hot.  

It's the little things people...honestly...I keep on tellin' ya.

Blue Moon Weekend

Sky and Telescope asks, "When is the Moon 'blue,' in a calendrical sense? According to the Maine almanac, a Blue Moon occurs when a season has four full Moons, rather than the usual three. This type of Blue Moon is found only in February, May, August, and November, one month before the next equinox or solstice. According to modern folklore, a Blue Moon is the second full Moon in a calendar month. This type of Blue Moon can occur in any month but February, which is always shorter than the time between successive full Moons.  

I ask; "When is a Blue Moon drinkable?" Regardless of the real reason for calling a moon "blue," modern marketing rules:  Just make sure to drink a Blue Moon beer, under a Blue Moon.  We did.

It was Labor Day weekend 2012 and time to head "up the 43" to the north, for a late-summer camping trip.   The destination was Kohler/Andrae State Park.  I had fortuitously somehow found an electric site (only about a month prior) on Reserve America that had been released by whomever had earlier planned to use it.  Barbara and I loaded up the WPT with all our various sundry camping items,  the Canoe-dle and our bicycles for a three-day (roughing-it) relaxation period.   Our site was high on a rolling pine needle-covered hill of pure Wisconsin sand.  Tall, straight, mature White pines were all lined up in rows throughout our site; making it handy to tie ropes with fiberglass tarps in various places.  There was a small threat of inclement weather that never happened, but the tarps overhead did provide some welcome shade for our Cabela's brand, Zero-gravity chairs.

When I camp, I also bring along some bird seed.  I have seen some of the greatest birds right in the campsite - so I always want to put out a small offering, just in case.  This time it was a blend of seed that I found on clearance at Puhl's hardware in Wauwatosa for $ 2.99.  It wasn't my first choice, but I've been under a bit of a tight budget for obvious reasons.  Cheaper seed blends like this one contain far more milo (grain sorghum) fillers, cracked corn and far less sunflower seed than more expensive brands but what the heck; it was all I had.  I sprinkled a small pile at the base of several of the pines.  I thought that the millet and milo might attract sparrows and juncos (which it did) but never did I expect the absolute flurry of "other" activity that the small amount of black-oil sunflower seeds delivered.

Barbara and I sat drinking our vintage (E bay) Coleman stove-perked coffee and were treated to the most Red-breasted nuthatches I had ever seen in one place, at one time!  In one would fly, and land on a tree trunk near the ground.  It would chatter some kind of greeting, or warning, or whatever and then drop to the pile of seed below it.  The small reddish brown, black and white bird would stir its longish beak in the pile and come up with a sunflower seed and take off to a nearby tree.  The tiny birds would not even eat the seeds they took; instead, they found some crevice or fold in the pine bark and (with amazing speed and accuracy) pounded in the seed - leaving it behind as they flew in for another.  This cycle was repeated over and over again as the two of us sat watching, and listening to the chittering.  Occasionally a Black-capped chickadee would get too near this shuttling activity and be scolded soundly for its proximity, but these little dynamos were equal opportunity complainers - they would dive-bomb the larger White-breasted nuthatches too with equanimity.

With their strong toes and claws and unique ability to "run" over tree bark in any direction; they would even first deftly pound a small divot into the bark, before depositing their seed.  Red-breasted nuthatches form monogamous pairs. They usually excavate their own nest-cavities in a rotten snag, often aspen, and require fairly soft wood to excavate. They will occasionally use a natural cavity, old woodpecker hole, or artificial nest box. Both members of the nuthatch pair create the nest hole, and the female actually builds the nest inside. Their nest is a soft cup of grass, needles, bark fibers, moss, feathers, and hair. Both sexes coat the inside and outside of the nest hole entrance with pine pitch that may help keep predators and competitors away. They sometimes use a piece of bark as a tool to transport the pitch to the nest, and then smear it on the entrance hole. They avoid the pitch by flying straight into the hole. The female incubates 5 to 8 eggs for 12 to 13 days. Both parents feed the young for 18 to 21 days on the nest, and for about two more weeks after they have fledged.

The entertaining feathered activity around the campsite continued off and on throughout the entire glorious day.  A crazy looking Northern cardinal with most of its head feathers missing would show up and take a few seeds, along with a (quite normal-looking) female.  Barbara and I speculated aloud as to that peculiar relationship.  Perhaps it was some sort of Phantom of the Avian Opera attraction?  A thirteen-lined ground squirrel ran in fast and low to the ground filling up its cheek pouch several times; taking the moist oral stash back to its burrow about 15 yards away.  Chipping sparrows and the occasional junco would join the others, but weren't interested in the sunflower seed like the nuthatches were.  The sun continued to shine through the pines and kept the air at a perfect temperature as we sat and relaxed; watching the free nature show.  An Eastern towhee crept out of the leaf litter it had been foraging through to investigate the seed piles, but didn't stay long before retreating once more to the security of the underbrush.

Later that evening as our (Emerald ash borer-free) fire crackled and cast its warmth in the direction of our chairs; we both unscrewed icy-cold bottles of Blue Moon as we watched the uniquely glowing orb rising above Lake Michigan, peeking through the dark pines.  Lifting them to our lips, we thanked God for the chance to be there in the first place, and for the glory of His creation that surrounded us.  

Yes, life is good....VERY good indeed.

New Park ~ New Possibilities

Hey you...Park it!

Next time you are in Milwaukee for one of the dozen or so festivals that the residents of this corner of the Dairy State can boast about, don’t forget to visit the newest Wisconsin State Park; Lakeshore. Completed in 2007, this 17 acre piece of land formerly known as Harbor Island, connects the Hank Aaron State Trail, and the Oak Leaf Trail with Milwaukee’s recreational lakefront. This pristine man-made chunk of land forms natural inland harbor sanctuary for many interesting species of bird life, particularly those that float, swim, and dive. A large (20-slip) marina is adjacent to the shore with multiple slips for rental. The fees for which are collected and handled by the Friends of Lakeshore Park. The scenery around the park is what really sells it as a premiere destination as the grounds themselves don't feature a single tree. Plenty of comfy resting spots have been donated and are permanently affixed to the infrastructure, and you can see totally across the entire area, so losing the kiddies is a near impossibility.

I had the pleasure of taking a wintertime stroll with my wife over this past weekend, across the mostly snowless concrete paths, looking for (of course) birds. One does not have to look very hard to see the many birds that congregate. I catalogued Mallards, Coots, Black Ducks, Greater Scaups, Common mergansers, Common Goldeneye and Herring gulls. The acreage was posted quite plainly with signage indicating that whomever was in charge of the design, has chosen a prairie theme, complete with all the necessary plantings to achieve this ecosystem. The signs quietly warned visitors to stay off the inland plantings so as to give them a chance to establish themselves, which was just fine with me as I fought off the intense urge to frolic across them, and just concentrated on the birds.

While standing on the beautiful and artsy Lakeshore State Park Bridge, I noticed that the wind creating its own soundtrack as it whistled through the decorative ironwork that festoons the side safety railings. “What a nice touch,” I thought to myself as I stood listening to the changing pitch, looking through the Bushnells at the dozens of water birds below at the water’s edge. I was transfixed by the activity and the camaraderie amongst the different species, each one doing its own thing, minding its own business, but performing the necessary functions for the continuation of their own niche’…kinda’ like all the many thousands of human visitors to the Summerfest grounds just a hundred yards away. To the west lies the newly finished Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin. Beyond it is the world renowned Santiago Calatrava designed, Milwaukee Art Museum. Funny terminology here...I have always thought that to put the word “museum” with “art” (which is done all the time) is a true misnomer. For me, the word conjures up static dusty old stuff, sitting around forever that is all roped off and inaccessibly boring; bug collections, ancient taxidermy, etc. If anyone ever asked me what I think, I’d tell them to call it the Milwaukee Art Experience or the Milwaukee Art Extravaganza, or some such terminology that (at least) suggests life and newness and something vibrant…but that’s just me and I digress…back to the birds. Are you ready for the Birdstud Bird Quiz? - The water birds in the photo below are numbered 1-4. What are they? - Guesses to birdstud@birdstud.com

All you need to do is take Erie Street to the end, past the Milwaukee River entrance to Lake Michigan, past the red lighthouse, behind the Marcus Amphitheatre, and park your car. Follow the walkway and circle around the isthmus looking at the many avian odysseys. One would not really need a pair of binoculars unless you are a dweeb like me and enjoy differentiating the many species by gender. What can I say…I like birding Okay? So, in conclusion to this little blog, try something “new” as soon as you find yourself popping in (yet again) that tired DVD copy of Ferris Buhler’s Day Off. Get outdoors and notice the wildlife all around you…and Park it for the day, in a different way!