Wisconsin Birding Report
Unseasonably warm temperatures have slowed the pace of bird migration across the state. Sparrows and juncos have begun to move into central Wisconsin and the red-breasted nuthatch "invasion" continues with large numbers of this species recorded in southern Wisconsin outside of its breeding range. A strong frontal passage earlier this week probably cleared the state of many of its remaining Neotropical migrant warblers and vireos and also included large numbers of white-throated sparrows, hermit thrushes, kinglets, bluebirds, yellow-rumped and palm warblers and other passerines. Waterfowl migration should pick up over the week with many blue-winged teal leaving and some puddle ducks and early diving ducks moving into marshes across the state. Rare birds reported this week included the continuing green-breasted mango in Beloit, cattle egrets at the Horicon NWR, Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrows in Madison, scoters from Wisconsin point and Chequamegon Bay, a Townsend's solitaire in Long Lake, and a black-backed woodpecker in Florence county. Birders at Concordia and along the Mississippi River have had good days for raptors during appropriate winds. As always, please report observations to eBird at
www.ebird.org/WI.
