Springtime Birding along Underwood Creek

A warmer than usual Saturday morning in early April had me thinking about birds.  Again.  I drove the SPT out onto the freeway and headed west.  After a short cut-through on Discovery Lane in Wauwatosa, and a quick jaunt up Swan Blvd; I pulled into the parking lot at Hoyt Park.

Tree leaves had begun budding and the forest floor along the river showed signs of life in the form of fresh green shoots.  The water in the noisy creek was high and running rapidly to the east.  The trees at the trailhead were alive with Ruby-crowned kinglets dashing to and fro in search of insects. Standing still only for fractions of a second; they present an intimidating photographic subject. Songs of many other birds filled the air as I slowly walked along the rain-dampened soil of the trail.  A group of children explored the playground equipment as some young men practiced volleyball.  Only the popular and often bustling Hoyt Beer Garden was silent on this particular day.

Over the next two and a half hours I walked my "usual" circular pathway and tallied 31 species of birds.  Noticeably missing were the many, many warblers that would be arriving in the next couple of weeks.  I also did not see any ground dwelling sparrows like White-crowned and White-throats.  I did however record my FOY dragonfly and Garter snake, as well as many Clouded Sulphur and Red Admiral butterflies.  Compare this spring to 2013 at Hoyt, and you will notice the differences.

The County Detention Pond in Spring

A male Ruby-crowned kinglet flashes his crown

You can see just a bit of this male's red crown

A Ruby-crowned kinglet briefly pauses on a branch

Here is a Golden-crowned kinglet on a spruce tree

Siberian Squill in a log

Siberian Squill

Wisconsin's State Flower - Wood Violet

(Myrtle) Yellow-rumped warbler

A White-breasted nuthatch is caught outside it's knot hole nest.

This Garter snake decided to take a swim in a mud puddle

The wind ruffles the feathers of this detention pond Song sparrow

A Killdeer near the railroad tracks

This Mallard's bright green head shines in the sun

A Red Admiral butterfly sits on some dead leaves

Here's the rebuilt Hoyt bridge from below

A female Hairy woodpecker searches the bark for insects

A blooming Dogwood along the trail

A Black-capped chickadee perches on a twig

Classic shot of a Black-capped chickadee on a branch

A robin's nest below the new Hoyt Park bridge

This male American robin watches from the safety of a tree

This female robin is carrying nesting materials
and is warily watching the male cardinal

List of birds seen:

1. Mallard
2. Common Merganser
3. Pied-billed Grebe
4. Mourning Dove
5. Killdeer
6. Ring-billed Gull
7. Red-tailed Hawk
8. Belted Kingfisher
9. Red-bellied Woodpecker
10. Downy Woodpecker
11. Hairy Woodpecker
12. Northern Flicker
13. Blue Jay
14. American Crow
15. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
16. Black-capped Chickadee
17. White-breasted Nuthatch
18. Brown Creeper
19. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
20. American Robin
21. House Sparrow
22. House Finch
23. American Goldfinch
24. Yellow-rumped Warbler
25. Eastern Towhee
26. Savannah Sparrow
27. Song Sparrow
28. Northern Cardinal
29. Red-winged Blackbird
30. Common Grackle
31. Brown-headed cowbird

Multi-cultural Birding - With Tian Yu

Birding, (bird-watching) as do many other human passions like art, music, theater, sports, etc. crosses all geographical boundaries, cultures, races and languages.  This is a fact which I have been personally witnessing; particularly in the past two years.  The real key to meaningful participation is to make yourself available, and to just say “yes.” 

When these unique opportunities present themselves; I am humbled.  What I find most humbling as a “typical American” is how I have somehow managed not to learn anyone else’s native language in my 54 years.  It often makes me wonder what I have been spending my time doing.  I suppose it’s a question many people ask themselves; but I am determined not to let it scare me away from any multi-cultural experience; especially bird-watching.

That brings me to my new Chinese friend Tian Yu.  He reached out to me through my website (www.birdmilwaukee.com ) to ask if I had the time to go bird watching with him.  He wrote me an email (in English) explaining his reason for being in Milwaukee (staying with his girlfriend who is attending UWM) and that he was interested to connect with someone from the area to watch birds with.  Now (my fellow typical Americans) just consider even that premise for a moment…you are in a foreign country and take a huge risk reaching out to a complete stranger in your best (written foreign language) to ask about an opportunity to meet and (fill-in-the-blank).  That takes courage people; particularly if you have a vivid imagination like mine!  I worry that if I get confused in one of the “Mexican” grocery stores in Milwaukee that I won’t be able to properly “ask” where the corn tortillas are, without being laughed at and secretly mocked by the native-speaking store employees.

I have figured out that the very least I can do (when given these unique chances) is to be gracious and accommodating.  Such was the case when I set up a date and time to meet Yu and his girlfriend for some good old-fashioned American bird-watching.  I drove to pick them both up after my usual work day on a Thursday in April.  They were both standing outside her building eagerly looking into the street for my truck as I approached on foot on the sidewalk (I had parked a block back from their building).  How scary that might have been for them right?  Each not knowing exactly what they had gotten themselves into; who was this man they had decided to trust their safety and lives with?  It takes incredible guts and faith.  Good thing I’m such a pussy-cat and all around good guy.

After introductions and my feeble, “Ni Hao,” we drove to Lake Park and watched birds together for several hours.  His girlfriend (I wish I could say her name properly; but it sounded like “We-belo” to me) took a spare pair of his binoculars and attempted to be interested in what we were doing.  Yu and I (of course) needed very little dialog, as the birds did the talking between us birders.  He spoke English very well and only needed some minor help from We-belo to make a finer point of clarification.  We both took photos of what we had seen (with me providing the narrative and identification for his blue spiral-bound loose-leaf notebook of avian sightings).  I found that speaking slowly and using exaggerated hand movements and body language sufficed as I (the typical American) communicated with them.  Humbling.

Too bad when I got home that evening to show Barbara the Chinese people and the birds from Lake Park; I sadly discovered that I didn’t have an SD card in the camera!  All that shutter-noise clicking was just that – clicking noises…no actual images.  Rats!  What a doofus! Plus, since I’m not a very good drawer; I couldn’t even sketch a crude artist-rendering of our time together.  That’s what buying a new DSLR camera and not knowing its dos and don’ts will get you.  At least I didn’t spend the money to actually visit China and have that same (doh!) experience right?

I thankfully had another chance to redeem myself when Yu emailed me again two weeks later to ask about birding.  Jumping at the chance to hang out with him again; I picked him up in my (new-used 2006 Dakota truck) on Milwaukee’s east side (on the 29^th of April) to show him one of my more favorite and productive birding spots; the Menomonee River (Underwood Creek) Parkway and County Grounds in Wauwatosa, WI.  After work, I drove to get Yu at the usual place.  We then stopped briefly off at the house to take Opie for a potty break.  He presented me with a gift of Asian incense sticks; telling me that Chinese monks could control their dreams when smelling this scent.  I laughed about that and accepted it as a treasured memento.   I needed to fetch my binoculars, before driving to SPT (Silver Pick-up Truck) eventually into the shadows of the Harmonee Avenue Bridge to park.  The weather was cool and somewhat overcast as we walked along the railroad tracks to the west to look for birds.  Yu was wearing the Phillips 66, blue, U.S.-themed, baseball cap I had given him the last time we met.  I had impressed on him the value of having a sun-brim when bird watching.  He listened.  He also wore his trusty back-pack and carried his Panda 10X50s and his Fuji DSLR camera.

We walked along the Creek/River as I would normally do; but at a slower pace due to Yu’s swollen ankle.  It seems that the 25 year-old, electrical engineer had been playing a spirited game of American soccer with men from UWM when he was violently kicked.  He unfortunately was dealing for the past two-weeks with that nagging injury.  The first bird we encountered was predicted by me.  As we rounded the corner from the rocks that line the railroad tracks to the woodsy pathway; I told him about the possibility of seeing and hearing the clattering call of a Belted kingfisher.  

On cue; Yu saw one sitting still on a thin branch above the rushing water.  We both took pictures.  From our vantage point I could not determine the sex of the bird as the chest was not visible.  Otherwise the chestnut brown color chest-band of the females (if there) would have made that possible.  Belted Kingfishers breed from Alaska eastward across southern Canada and south throughout most of U.S. They spend winters on the Pacific coast north to southeastern Alaska, and throughout the south, north to the Great Lakes and along the Atlantic coast to New England.   These have been sighted here in this place for many years, regardless of the depth of the creek/river.

At one point along the walk, I heard the sound of an American robin alarm-whistle.  I immediately

stopped and told Yu to look for a hawk and explained that the whistle alerts all sorts of avian creatures to the presence of a dangerous raptor.  Yu spotted a Cooper’s hawk across the water sitting high in a tree.  Yu definitely has good vision for single birds highlighted against the sky.  We watched and he photographed for a moment, before it flew off to the north.  The robin was relieved and stopped his whistle.  We moved on.

One bird however eluded Yu’s attempt to see it for quite a while; the Song sparrow on the far bank.  I spotted it because it was moving.  That’s my birding Achilles heel; I need to see movement or I miss a lot of birds.  That’s why I’m always super glad to go birding with Barbara – she sees still (unmoving) animals.  I pointed across the river/creek in that wildly unhelpful way that excited birders do; saying things about dirt patches, bushes, and finally the position of a clock face; all to no avail.  Yu just could not see it.  I finally resorted to taking a picture first, then showing him on the screen by pointing to it.  That helped immensely and he finally saw it; taking a digital photograph.

Do you see the Song sparrow?

How about now?

We passed many joggers, dog-walkers and bicyclists on the dirt pathway as we stopped to stare at a bunch of Common grackles, Red-winged blackbirds, and Ruby-crowned kinglets.  We finally ended up at the railroad tracks and crossed them on the way to the County Grounds retention basin area.  Once there, I marveled at the amount of Cattails in the basin that had self-seeded over the past five years.  Yu told me that in China; they are called “dog-tails.”  We saw many robins walking along the clear areas, and even heard the” whinny” call of a Sora rail buried somewhere in the reeds.  This area is definitely turning out to be a marvelous ecosystem for bird life.

It was getting late in the afternoon and the sun was threatening to set within the next 30 minutes.  The temperatures were cooling off as we returned to the SPT.  We had seen quite a few birds in a few hours.  Many of these would be Yu’s first ever.  Two FOYs for me were the Rough-winged sparrows and the single Palm warbler.  Yes, it was a great walk indeed.  As I began to take off my own birding gear, I wanted to give Yu another gift so I unhooked my Eagle Optics birding binocular harness and handed it to him.  I asked if he would accept it.  He looked slightly stunned and graciously told me he would.  We hooked it to his Pandas and I fitted them to his body with the adjusting elastic straps.  It felt great knowing that he would head back to China and have a special gift from me with him, each time he went out bird watching.

Tian Yu, Chinese Birdwatcher

Blue Jay

Here's a list of the birds we saw at Lake Park on the 16th and Menominee River Pkwy on the 29th:

1. Pied-billed Grebe
2. Canada Goose
3. Mallard
4. Greater Scaup
5. Common Goldeneye
6. Common Merganser
7. Turkey Vulture
8. Cooper's Hawk
9. Red-tailed Hawk
10. Sora
11. Ring-billed Gull
12. Herring Gull
13. Rock Pigeon
14. Mourning Dove
15. Belted Kingfisher
16. Red-bellied Woodpecker
17. Downy Woodpecker
18. Hairy Woodpecker
19. Northern Flicker
20. Blue Jay
21. American Crow
22. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
23. Black-capped Chickadee
24. White-breasted Nuthatch
25. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
26. Hermit Thrush
27. American Robin
28. Palm Warbler
29. Chipping Sparrow
30. Song Sparrow
31. Dark-eyed Junco
32. Northern Cardinal
33. Red-winged Blackbird
34. Common Grackle
35. Brown-headed Cowbird
36. House Finch
37. American Goldfinch
38. House Sparrow

Song Shu in a nest cavity

"Birding Pals" from around the globe

My first experience with being a local birding guide occurred on Saturday, May 17th 2014.  I had been

contacted a couple weeks earlier (via email) from a gentleman who was in my area visiting his daughter from Germany, and wished to go out and see some of the local birds.  He contacted me through a web service called "Birding Pals" that offers birders from around the globe an opportunity to connect.  I had signed up over a year ago and had basically forgotten it but was thrilled to see an email land in my inbox from a requesting bird watcher.  Of course I replied, "yes" and that I would love to go out birding together.  

The following is direct from the BirdingPal website and describes what exactly it is:

"The History of Birdingpal 

Birdingpal.org was started year 2000 by Knud Rasmussen, a Canadian birder, who found himself alone in British Columbia, Canada with a day to spare for a little birdwatching.  Spending most of the time driving around trying to find good birding spots, he realized that if there had been an existing website, he could have contacted a local birder via the internet from his laptop. The day would not only have been more productive, but also a good chance to meet a new person with the same interests as himself. This gave him the seed of an idea for a birdwatching website.

Within a month, he launched Birdingpal, a global site for traveling birders.  Today, Birdingpal has more than 3200 contacts in 156 countries including all the US states and Canadian provinces, and provides an important source of information for the traveling birder.  Birdingpal is ideal for business/conference travelers, who like to take a day or two for their favorite hobby while in a new place, but who do not have the time to do extensive research before they leave.  Many birders are retired people, who like to travel, and Birdingpal is the perfect tool to assist them in planning a trip that gets the best out of birding and provides an opportunity to meet local people.  It is not unusual for birders, who have met each other on Birdingpal, to become good friends and even visit each other. 

What is a Birdingpal?

Someone who signs up to be a Birdingpal is a local birder, who, regardless of his/her experience, is prepared to answer email inquires to the best of his/her ability, and possibly agree to show a visitor around.  Many Birdingpals are highly skilled birdwatchers with many years experience. Some are keen photographers, and others are heavily involved with habitat and wildlife protection. Many members have been Birdingpals for years.  A professional Pal will charge a fee, but whether or not to bird with a professional is, of course, entirely up to the person contacting them.  Birding with a local Pal, not only makes birdwatching more productive, but also safer, since they are familiar with their own customs and environment."


I met 66 year-old, retired pharmacy supervisor, Andreas Bader from Bielefeld, Germany at the Hart Park Senior Center at 8:30 AM.  His daughter dropped him off when they spotted the WPT.  We greeted one another as his daughter drove off (apparently satisfied that she hadn't delivered 'ol Dad into the hands of a serial killer) and that was that.  We strapped on our various birding gear and began walking West out of the park and towards the Menomonee (Underwood Creek) waterway section that I frequent nearer to Hoyt Park.  Andreas' spoken English was 1000 percent better than my one or two German phrases I absorbed from my children's four-year German studies; so we had no trouble communicating.  Andreas told me that he'd been birding a long time and that he had a rather extensive Life List, but he had not really ever sat down to compile one.  It was on his German equivalent of a bucket list, now that he had retired.

Thankfully the weather was completely cooperative (sunny, cool and a bit partly cloudy with low wind speeds) as we walked.  I set my typical slow bird watching pace, and that seemed to suite Andreas just fine.  We encountered several groups of walkers, dog walkers, runners, joggers, and a guy collecting Morel mushrooms in a black silken sack.  The guy graciously opened it up so I could see what one looked like and told me that this very weekend was the Muscoda, WI 32nd annual Morel Mushroom fest and that he was bummed to be missing it.  Yeah, I could understand that...missing something like that when it was your hobby is a real downer.  Who knew that Muscoda was the Morel Mushroom Capital of Wisconsin?  Plus, it's in Grant County; a place where I have visited and love to hang out in.  Now, it's on my own list for the near future, for sure.

We walked my usual pathway and traversed the same general circuit which Barbara and I have made many

times.  The birds were diverse and plentiful!  There were far more Baltimore orioles than I have ever seen in my ten years of walking along the river (creek).  Andreas had never seen a Wood thrush, so first I heard one and then we tracked one down so he could actually see it.  He had with him, two digital cameras; one quite large and expensive looking.  He was able to get some rather nice images as we walked and paused for picture taking.  We chatted a bit (about birds) as we moved from area to area; me preparing him for what he'd most likely see before we reached the spot.  A cool wind kicked up a bit in the open "prairie" area of the County Detention Pond, so we were both glad we had dressed in layers and had worn a hat.  

Sora rail (photographed in FL - 2010)

It was there that I heard and identified the "whinny" of at least one if not two Sora rails in the marsh grass.  Andreas had never heard one before, but was soon imitating the sound.  These small birds are quite elusive. and from the distance we were to them; we had no chance to eyeball any.  He also was able to see his first ever Eastern kingbird, Savannah sparrow, and Lincoln's sparrow in this area.  He was thrilled.

Chestnut-sided warbler

We spent about three hours on the trail before deciding to retreat to town.  We both were hungry so I suggested a new place that neither he nor I had been in called Cafe' Bavaria in downtown Wauwatosa.  Of course its the coolest thing ever to go to a new "German" restaurant (or even an old one) with an actual German guy right?  I suggested we order beer and a Bavarian pretzel with mustard and cheese.  Andreas agreed and the two of us sat there enjoying our food and drink while looking at the images we had taken earlier.  Andreas picked up the tab and we walked back to the WPT sitting in Hart Park parking. I then drove him to his daughter's house to bid him farewell, but not before he gifted me with authentic Storck chocolates from Berlin.  All in all, the entire experience was enjoyable and rewarding for the both of us.  Now, each of us has a "BirdingPal" in another country; and fond memories to cherish always.

The WPT (Birdstud-mobile) - Andreas photo

Here's our list for the morning:

1. Mallard
2. Canada goose
3. Solitary sandpiper
4. Northern cardinal
5. Tree sparrow
6. Lincoln's sparrow
7. Savannah sparrow
8. House sparrow
9. Barn swallow
10. Northern rough-winged swallow
11. Tree swallow
12. Eastern kingbird
13. Cedar waxwing
14. Red-bellied woodpecker
15. Downy woodpecker
16. Hairy woodpecker
17. Blue-gray gnatcatcher
18. Wilson's warbler
19. American redstart
20. Wood thrush
21. American robin
22. American crow
23. Black and white warbler
24. Common grackle
25. European starling
26. Mourning dove
27. Black-capped chickadee
28. American goldfinch
29. House finch
30. Alder flycatcher
31. Least flycatcher
32. Blue jay
33. Sora rail
34. Red-winged blackbird
35. Marsh wren
36. House wren
37. Common yellowthroat
38. Baltimore oriole

American Redstarts F (left) and M (right)

Andreas' Kingbird - Photo by him

Don’t forget to look down.

It’s early in the spring and the warblers have yet to pass through, however that does not mean there’s nothing to see…you just have to look a bit harder.  If you do; you’ll be treated to a handful of bird species that are specially equipped to handle this time of year and the challenging conditions it offers to animals.  These intrepid forest floor foragers include the American robin, Common grackle, Song sparrow, Fox sparrow, Red-bellied woodpecker, and European starling.

These hardy birds are among the first to “arrive” each spring, to the upper Midwest region.  Male American

robins show up within a few days of each other in their annual quest to reclaim (or claim if it’s their first time) a small patch of territory in which to find a mate, build a nest, and raise each of up to three broods.  They are particularly adept at “hopping” stealthily under the tangle of brush and fallen trees in order to “flip” (with their beaks) last year’s fallen leaves in search of something to eat buried underneath.  Robins have been said to “mate for life” although it’s not entirely clear if that’s the case.  Females will be arriving soon and they also are territorial by nature.  It may just be that the same two pair meets again for another family brood due to the proximity of their two chosen (and defended) areas.

Invertebrates are also the spring favorites of the opportunistic Common grackle until they can get the “other” 25 percent of their diet; other animals.  This of course means waiting until more species arrive and begin laying eggs and having babies.  I have seen firsthand when a hungry grackle carries off a young fledgling Northern cardinal.  Fox and Song sparrows employ a different methodology of finding food in the detritus of the woods; bi pedal scratching.  This amounts to the same motion used when straightening the doormat with both feet (using no hands); a kind of backward scootching motion.  This clears the leaf litter and exposes the underneath with the beak in perfect position to stab suddenly downward and snatch whatever was just uncovered.

European starlings are scavenging feeders who also like to take advantage of other’s hard work.  They can

be first heard (then seen) harassing the Red-bellied woodpeckers (red-headed – no red on their bellies) as they are hollowing out their nest cavities for the season’s clutch of eggs.  The RBWs are very cautious and will quickly fly away from their chosen tree when they sense that the starlings are watching.  They will abandon their labor-intensive excavations for long periods of time until they are certain that the interlopers have moved on; sometimes for good if need be.

Weather at this time of year in Milwaukee can be very unpredictable.  Just when you think the groundhog finally got it right; snow reappears.  This makes it challenging and dangerous for the early birds who decide to move in and begin their annual familial preparations.  However, do not fret too much; these animals are specially equipped and nature-ready to survive, even though it may look bleak for them.  Simply enjoy their antics, techniques and strategies as you marvel at what God has created.