5/20/04 Milwaukee NE to SE
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/040520MilwNE2SE.html

At Big Bay Park around 8:30 AM, Cathy Dermody, Mark Feider and I (Paul Hunter) viewed the tops of thunderclouds over the horizon several miles east out over Lake Michigan. We cheered on a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers chasing two pairs of E Starlings. A few warblers hid high in the leaves. A pair of Red-breasted Mergansers floated among a few dozen Ring-billed Gulls.

At the dam on the Milwaukee River in northern Estabrook Parkway, we saw no geese, Canada or white-fronted. An Empidonax flycatcher refused to sing.

Standing water from early morning thunderstorms kept us off the trail to the southeast of the radio towers in Lincoln Park. Walking along the guy wires south of the towers tested our ears. We searched unsuccessfully for several minutes for a singing Black-throated Blue Warbler, but as consolation saw Bay-breasted, Black-throated Green, Common Yellowthroat, Blackburnian and Chestnut-sided Warblers. We felt comfortable identifying Ovenbirds by song. Thrush songs confused us, but we saw a Veery and a few Swainson's Thrushes. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird flashed past us once.

At Lake Park we ran into Brian Boldt. The eastern side of the southern portion of Locust Ravine north of the Ravine Road footbridge was active. We saw a Black-billed Cuckoo, Philadelphia Vireo, Redstarts, Wilson's, Blackpoll, Black-and-white Warblers, and more of the warblers seen at Lincoln Park. We heard a probable Cerulean Warbler's song. Brian had seen one last week in Lake Park. Cathy and I detoured to the lakeshore and saw four Spotted Sandpipers.

Next we walked the hot western half of the northern breakwall at the Coast Guard Impoundment. Four male Blue-winged Teal chase a female. A Ruddy Duck dived in the pond. A couple hundred Ring-billed Gulls loafed south of the pond. Cliff Swallows collected wet mud for their nests under the southern end of the Hoan Bridge adjacent to the breakwall.

We entered Seminary Woods from its southwestern corner. A male Scarlet Tanager stunned us by flitting from sapling to sapling as close as a few meters from us at eye level for several minutes. Shortly later we had nearly as good of looks a another Black-billed Cuckoo. At the cemetary we saw our third and final Red-headed Woodpecker for the day.

Finally, we sought grassland birds at the site north of Mitchell Airport between Layton and Whitnall Avenues. Very territorial and vocal Bobolinks chased Eastern Meadowlarks aggressively. The insect-like calls of Savannah Sparrows came from many directions and several flushed. Mark thought he may have scared up a Henslow's Sparrow while avoiding a clump of poison ivy.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia)
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus)
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus)
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
Veery (Catharus fuscescens)
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica)
Magnolia Warbler (Dendroica magnolia)
Black-throated Green Warbler (Dendroica virens)
Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca)
Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum)
Bay-breasted Warbler (Dendroica castanea)
Blackpoll Warbler (Dendroica striata)
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
Wilson's Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla)
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Heard only:
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris)
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens)
Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea)

Possibly sighted:
Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii)