Wisconsin Statewide Birding Report 8.16.12Recent cold fronts have officially kick-started this fall?s passerine migration. Birders statewide are beginning to report small groups of warblers at migration hotspots along with orioles, hummingbirds and other songbirds. It is the peak of orioles passing through. This week also marks the build toward peak migration for common nighthawks. Check the evening skies for groups of this species as they wing their way to South America for the winter. Of note, birders along the Lake Michigan shoreline reported a few groups of red crossbills in ornamental spruce plantings. Birders south of the pineries of northern Wisconsin may want to keep their eyes and ears open for this nomadic species. Shorebird migration is progressing rapidly with many juvenile birds now making their way through the state. Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, Vernon Marsh Wildlife Area and Horicon National Wildlife Refuge all report good numbers of birds from day to day. Buff-breasted sandpipers, a high-arctic nester, are now moving through on their way to Argentina! The best place to look for this species is in large pastures or short-grass areas such as sod farms. A birder found a black-bellied whistling duck August 15 in Madison.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29292306@N08/7792248058 This is a rare bird for Wisconsin with the typical range in far southern United States and Central America. As always, please report your sightings to
www.ebird.org/WI to help better track migrant bird populations.
