WI Forest Birding - 30 May 2019

The day started sunny and mild. Temps will hit 80F today. My plan was to drive back to the National Forest Campground and play with the fly rod at Upper Gresham Lake. They have a small boat launching dock and a larger fishing pier just at the end of the road. I’ve not touched my fishing gear in 20 years so I was excited to cast a fly for panfish along the shoreline.

But first, I stopped along the road just outside the resort to do some birding. As usual the Chestnut-sided Warblers dominated the morning symphony with a Least Flycatcher singing nearby. I even found a Gray-cheeked Thrush. Hello mosquitos!

I drove to the lake and found a female American Redstart foraging just off the ground. She was proving difficult to track, but eventually I got a paparazzi pic.

Meanwhile, the bluegill were attacking the tiny sponge spider I was tossing their way. I’d catch six, hook a small bass, and a black crappy. All released unharmed.

While fishing from the pier I spotted a Merlin fly out over the lake in front of me. It the proceeded to be harassed by 3 Eastern Kingbirds that were not happy with its presence in their territory. The Merlin never flew back toward my direction.

I the drove along the main road and decided to hike some of the side tracks that either led to open fields or forested tracts. This gave me the chance to play with the Sony 90mm f/2.8 GM Macro. The Barren Strawberries and Wood Anemones were cooperative, and I even found some Fringed Polygala (Gaywings).

By now the Black Flies and Mosquitoes were on to me and made their presence known. Not to be deterred I turned my attention to the tiny blue Spring Azure butterflies that were dancing ahead of me on the trails. I got lucky when a few would land, but as butterflies do when landing the fold their wings and show the black-spotted gray underwings.

I did try to get some flight shots of a pair of Spring Azures when one landed and the other attempted to court it. Sadly, most all shots were blurry of the exposed blue wings.

A few Eastern Pine Elfins were more cooperative, and even let me approach with the macro lens.

At one point I lost my lens hood and had to hike back for it. After finding it I went after a Brown Thasher posing in an open meadow. Least Flycatchers were singing, as was a distant Clay-colored Sparrow. An Indigo Bunting appeared in the open directly in front of me, but I couldnt get my hand on the dangling a9 at my side. Oh, well. It was getting late in the morning and I had to head back for lunch.

Along the way I felt the familiar (and creepy) crawling of a tick on my neck. I would find two more on my neck and several on my pant legs. I would find nine total before reaching the shower, and spend the rest of the day waiting for more to appear. Luckily, I was clean.

As I waited for Robin at the lodge I spotted a Red-headed Woodpecker swoop in across the resort square and flash its bright red head and black and white wing patches as it landed on a tree about 300’ away. I scrambled toward it to get some pics, but it was moving too quickly up the tree and flew off before I could get a shot off. Anyone else alive this morning was watching a Bald Eagle soar over the trees.

The rest of the afternoon was spent putting away the kayak supplies and loading up the car. Id fall asleep in the chair before Robin got back from class. After dinner I sat on the deck and wrote blog posts while she went to bed early. A singing Pine Warbler and Eastern Wood-Pewee serenaded the quiet resort evening. Tomorrow we’d be heading home around noon.

Upper Gresham Lake, Vilas, Wisconsin, US
May 29, 2019 9:45 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
31 species

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  1
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)  1

Merlin (Falco columbarius)  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)  2
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)  2
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  3
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  1
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)  1
Veery (Catharus fuscescens)  1
Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus)  1
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)  1
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)  1
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)  1
Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)  1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)  2
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)  2
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  1
Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla)  1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)  1
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)  1
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea)  1
Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca)  1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  1
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)  2
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)  1

Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S56909870

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)