You may be asking – “Why the Midwest in November?” It all goes back to the roots of my state birding hobby. Long before eBird existed, the American Birding Association (ABA) would publish your state and province totals but only if your total exceeded half of the total species ever observed in that state/province. For instance, if 500 species had ever been reported in a given state, then your state total would only be published if it exceeded 250. Decades ago, I set a goal to exceed the ABA reporting threshold in each of the Lower 48 states. I met that goal back in 2023 with a birding trip to eastern Oregon.
But it gets more complicated. The state total lists will inch up over time as
new species are found in the state. The
last time the ABA published their reporting thresholds was in 2011, so state
lists may have gone up dramatically since then.
I researched each state’s present list, and calculated new
thresholds. I found that several of my
state lists were close to the new thresholds, most notably WI. The WI threshold increased from 216 in 2011
to 228.5 today. My state list was 229,
perhaps safely over the threshold in 2011, but just a half above the threshold
today.
The story is similar for MI.
Years ago, my state list of 240 was 24 above that state’s threshold
which happened to be 216 as well. But the
newly calculated threshold has jumped to 233, leaving me only 7 above that
level. So since MI is “only” a 2-hour
drive from WI at the closest points, I could easily bird both states in one
trip – in southeastern WI and southwestern MI.
And given that I was well above the present thresholds in both Illinois
and Indiana, I could drive right through those 2 states and just focus on WI
and MI.
Now that I had selected the states in which to bird, it was
time to determine the best time of year to give me the greatest state bird
potential. I went onto eBird and clicked
on the Target Species function first for WI, then for MI. The output lists the species I need for my WI
and MI lists in order of frequency of checklists submitted. Although the report showed that I needed
birds that can be seen in those states throughout all the seasons, the greatest
number were seen in the late fall migration time when geese and other waterfowl,
along with late passerines like Fox Sparrows and Rusty Blackbirds, are coming
through. It was all starting to come
together.
And then while looking at the WI target list more closely, I noticed European Goldfinch well down on the list. I didn’t think they were established anywhere in the US, so they certainly wouldn’t be countable in WI. But thanks to some quick eBird research, I found that the Goldfinch was a “Naturalized” exotic (and countable) per eBird rules in the southeastern corner of the state. Here’s a screenshot of the European Goldfinch Species Map from eBird, with the highest concentrations of sightings south of Milwaukee.
Suddenly the prime objective of my trip morphed from filling gaps in my state lists to pursuit of 2 countable lifers. My plan was to bird as long as was needed to (hopefully) find the Goldfinch and Tit. And then whatever time remained would be used for chasing after the remaining state bird targets.
I checked my schedule and determined that I could squeeze in
a 7-day Midwest trip in mid-November. Hopefully
before it got too cold or snowy. It was
all falling into place.
Now it was time for the hard work – all that research to
find the best locations for my targets. And
a complication was that I didn’t know how much time I’d have for to try for the
state ticks. I optimistically assumed I
would find the Goldfinch and Tit quickly, giving me 5 full days for the state
bird targets. But I’d have to be
flexible if those initial searches were unsuccessful. After lots of research on eBird and with the
input from a few local birders, I found I had about 14 realistic targets in WI and
hoped to find 6 of them, including the 2 lifers of course. My target list in MI was a bit smaller at 11,
and hoped for 4. Adding 10 total state
ticks and the Goldfinch and Tit as lifers would be a most successful trip.
This blog post summarizes the WI portion of my trip. The next post summarizes the MI portion.
November 12 – Fly to Chicago and Look for Those Lifers
My mid-morning flight out of Asheville arrived in Chicago
just after lunch local time. From there
I made a 2-hour trip north into southeastern WI where the European Goldfinch
was most often seen. I had done a lot of
research to try to find their most reliable location, only to realize that there
was no such 1 spot. I had reached out to
4 local birders for advice and each had a different favorite location to see
them. They are quite nomadic, and were
being seen throughout the region but not reliable anywhere. But then just before my trip I started to notice
reports of as many as 10 Goldfinches being seen in a rural area just south of
the Milwaukee airport. Looking further
back they had apparently bred in the area this past summer. The epicenter of these sightings was the intersection
of Pennsylvania Avenue and E. Ryan Road.
So even though none of the local birders mentioned that spot as their
favorite, I decided to start there and then move onto those other hotspots if I
wasn’t successful.
As I neared the area I was surprised to see so much traffic
for this rural location. I parked on the
driveway of a local business and quickly realized that I would have to contend
with a lot of road noise. There was also
a lot of noise from the wind blowing through the trees. So this could be a bit of a challenge. Here’s a picture of the rather unremarkable area
along Pennsylvania.
But despite these distractions, within seconds I heard finch-like twittering nearby. Although I’ve never heard a European Goldfinch, I listened to numerous recordings of their calls preparing for the trip. And what I was hearing sounded like my target bird. Finally, there was a lull in the road noise, and I could now clearly hear multiple birds calling. And then I got my first visual of a bird in flight showing its large yellow wing patches. What also stood out was that it was quite a bit larger and chunkier than American Goldfinches. And then I got great views of a perched bird showing its red and white head pattern. I had my European Goldfinches (ABA Life Bird #784, WI State Bird #230). I conservatively estimated that the flock consisted of at least 6 birds.
That was remarkably easy!
And it gave me time to try for the Great Tit yet that same
afternoon. Unlike the Goldfinches, the
Great Tits were only in one small area south of Sheboygan. And in the last month the sightings were even
further concentrated in an area near the Sheboygan Indian Mounds Park. This was a small residential area with a
couple small parks, and most importantly, included several feeding
stations. The Tits were often seen in chickadee
flocks either at the feeders or in the parks.
At about 3 o’clock I arrived at the Indian Mounds Park, a
site containing earthen mounds built by Native Americans for ceremonial and
burial purposes.
I quickly found one set of feeders right at the edge of the parking lot. And a couple minutes later I met the homeowner, who was familiar with his local avian stars and was OK with me hanging out to watch his feeders. This feeder was one of the favorites for the Tits, so his permission was good to have. And while I was at those feeders, a homeowner came out from across the road and invited me to watch his feeders too. I went back and forth between both feeding stations over the next hour but had only a single visit by 1 Chickadee. I also found another feeding station where birders had frequently seen Tits, but the feeders were pretty empty. It was now nearly sunset and although I didn’t find my target, I was now familiar with the area and would come back at dawn the next day to give them another try.
November 13 – Second Try for the Tit and Birding to the North
I returned to the Indian Mound Park at dawn on the 13th for
another try at the Great Tits. For the
first hour I split my time between the 2 feeding stations but could only come
up 1 Chickadee mixed in with an occasional Red-breasted Nuthatch and
Junco. Then I started to hear some
Chickadee calls nearby and soon the flock converged on the feeders at the edge of
the park. I spotted 4 Chickadees flitting
about in the surrounding trees but couldn’t find my target. Then I noticed some movement at the feeders
and saw a big flash of yellow as a bird flew off the feeder and disappeared in
the brush. My view was only a couple
seconds, but the yellow plumage was unmistakable. Nothing else would have such significant
yellow patches, except perhaps a much larger Evening Grosbeak. Although my view was far less than
satisfying, I guess I had my target Great Tit (ABA Life Bird #785, WI State
Bird #231).
I waited another hour at the feeders hoping for better views,
but didn’t even have any more Chickadee visits.
In 3 ½ hours over 2 days focused on those feeders, the Chickadee flock
that contained the Tit only visited the feeding station that one time. I also made a trip through the wetlands in
the Indian Mound Park and had some Chickadees but none of their bright yellow cousins.
Having met my primary objective to find my 2 life bird
targets, it was now time to switch gears and look for additional WI state birds. My next stop was the Manitowoc dredge spoils
impoundment on the waterfront, my farthest north hotspot of the trip. Targets here included a Snow Goose (surprisingly
the only semi-reliable one in southeast WI at the time), and a long-staying adult
male White-winged Scoter. Plus, a
Cackling Goose was reported along the waterfront the previous day.
Just after I arrived I met 2 birders leaving the site – they
had just seen the Snow Goose and Scoter and gave me the specifics for each. Within a couple minutes I got to a spot to
view the impoundment and there was the sleeping Snow Goose on the far side among
Canadas (WI State Bird #232).
I then headed to the river where the birders had just seen the Scoter and quickly spotted it loafing right in front of me (WI State Bird #233)
My state bird map for White-winged Scoter is inserted below. The light blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range (per Sibley’s range maps). The cross-hatched states are those where I’ve yet to see them in their normal range. And the dark blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen White-winged Scoter as a rarity.
I then turned my attention to the smooth lake waters beyond the lighthouse.
Since the water was so calm I had great viewing conditions, and quickly picked out a small diver just off the jetty – it was a bonus Horned Grebe which had not been recently reported at this site (WI State Bird #234). I only need this wide-ranging species in 6 more states.
I spent some more time checking out various spots on the Manitowoc waterfront hoping to find the Cackling Goose from the previous day but with no luck. I’d have a couple more chances for this target yet in WI, so I wasn’t too worried.
My next stop was a large farm field complex south of
Manitowoc, my first of several stops where Pipits had recently been
reported. Here I found a large piece of
farm equipment disking what appeared to be liquid manure into the soil. There was a flock of at least 200 Ring-billed
Gulls feeding there (yum!) but no Pipits.
At least I wasn’t downwind of the operation.
I continued my drive south with my next stop being North
Point Park just north of Sheboygan. My
remaining target Black Scoter had been reported here recently along with the
other 2 Scoter species. I got my scope
out and started to scan the lake, and quickly picked up a sleeping flock of about
a dozen Scoters not too far offshore. Now
the hard part - to determine which Scoter species I had. One portion of the flock swam off to the
right, and I eventually picked out both Surf and White-wings in this group. The remaining birds eventually gave me views
of their heads confirming I had female Black Scoters (WI State Bird #235).
Here’s a phonescoped photo of the sleeping birds showing the 2-toned look to
their heads.
I went back to scanning the lake with my binoculars and noticed what appeared to be a white dot on the water. It was much smaller than those Scoters I had just studied, so it really got my attention. I got my scope on it and could see it was a small bird bobbing around among the swells. It was white below, had a white head and neck, and uniform grayish back. Was it a Phalarope? Although it was pretty far out, I eventually could see the dark eye patch, but couldn’t do much with bill shape or length. The solid gray back should make it a Red Phalarope, and eliminate Red-necked. Plus, I did some eBird research and as I expected a Red would be much more likely here than a Red-necked at that time of the year. I had found a rare Red Phalarope (WI State Bird #236)! WI was my 9th state where I’ve seen this species as a rarity.
My last stop of the day was at the North Pier of Sheboygan Harbor a short distance to the south to do a lake watch. With my earlier successes I had just 1 realistic seabird target remaining: Red-throated Loon. My best birds here were more Surf and Black Scoters, along with a surprising Snow Goose flyby all by itself. I couldn’t come up with a flyby loon though.
November 14 – Day 2 of WI State Birding
My plan was to start the day inland at Horicon National
Wildlife Refuge. And to get an early
start I picked a hotel for the night of the 13th in Fond du Lac just a short
drive from the refuge. But before
heading to Horicon I needed to chase after Cackling Geese recently reported in
a Fond du Lac suburb. The Cacklings were
mixed in with a large flock of Canadas (aren’t they always?) at the Camelot
Drive Pond. I arrived at the pond before
sunrise, and found a spot with good views of at least the western half of the
pond. There were at least 250 Canadas
but it was still too dark to look for my targets.
A few minutes later I started to scan the Goose flock and quickly picked out a group of 6 Cackling Geese not too much bigger than the numerous Ring-necked Ducks swimming about (WI State Bird #237). A great start to the day, and it wasn’t even sunrise yet. Now it was on to Horicon NWR.
I birded Horizon once before back in July 1982 (yikes – 43
years ago!) when I got Yellow-headed Blackbird as a lifer. On this trip I hoped for Long-billed
Dowitcher reported from 2 locations in the refuge, along with Fox Sparrow and
Rusty Blackbird in the brushier and wooded parts. My first stops were along Highway 49 along
the northern edge of the refuge. Here I
had lots of Geese, Tundra Swans, and dabblers, but I couldn’t come up with the recently
reported Long-billed Dow. Here’s a view
of the great expanse of wetlands to the south at sunrise.
Next I headed to the Auto Tour road stopping in several spots with good wet woodland habitat for Rusty’s but only came up with Red-wings. I also made numerous stops in brushier woodland edges for Fox Sparrow but with no luck. A consolation was seeing many Tree Sparrows, and hearing their tinkling chorus coming from flocks of birds along the roadway. I haven’t heard that call since I left New England 6 years ago. But then near the end of the Auto Tour loop I flushed a larger sparrow off the shoulder. I quickly got out and found 2 Fox Sparrows checking me out (WI State Bird #238). Although I’ve seen this wide-spread species in 40 states plus Washington DC, I still need it in 10 more states.
My last targets were the Long-billed Dows often reported at the last impoundment along the Auto Tour. I pulled up and did a quick scan of the extensive mudflats and noticed some shorebirds in the far back corner. I was cautiously optimistic… I was able to pick out 5 Pectorals and 3 Leasts, before a flock of 8 Killdeer dropped in to join them. But despite lots of scans, I could not find my targets. At least the 3 shorebird species I did have were all rare enough to require details in eBird. Though I would gladly have traded them all for a Dowitcher…
Next it was on to Horicon Education and Visitor Center. I had no luck with the Rusty’s recently
reported from woodlands nearby, but a flyover Rough-legged Hawk and a flyover and
calling Snow Bunting were nice consolations.
Once again these were species I
haven’t seen or heard since leaving New England.
Next, I was on to the coast for another lake watch. But first I made a stop at another field
complex with a recent Pipit report. Once
again I came up empty. It was early
afternoon when I arrived at Harrington Beach SP where good numbers of sea ducks
had been reported. I did an hour lake
watch here, which featured a good flight of Red-breasted Mergansers – I
estimated 1,165 counting by fives. I
also had 1 Surf Scoter and 1 Long-tailed Duck.
And the most exciting sighting was a flyby Common Loon that I just
couldn’t turn into a Red-throated.
Just south of Harrington I made another stop for Pipits with
no luck. At least I found a pair of
Horned Larks at this stop.
My last stop of the day was at Richard Bong State Recreation
Area. One birder had mentioned this spot
was good for European Goldfinches; at least I no longer needed to chase after that
one. Instead, my target here was
Short-eared Owl. Two had been reported a
month earlier in the daytime, but with no location(s) given at this very large
park. And with no more recent reports, positive
or negative, it was unclear if these birds might be just passing through, or if
they were wintering at this site.
I then researched sightings at this hotspot from the winter
of 2024-2025 and found several reports of Short-ears. At least that suggested that this site was a
likely wintering location for them again this year. Now I needed specific information on likely
locations. The good news was that last
winter’s reports mentioned two locations: either the observation platform, or fields
near the boat ramp. The bad news was
that these 2 sites were more than a mile apart.
So there would be no way to view both sites at the same time from one
location. And with typically only a few
minutes of Short-ear viewing time each evening, there was only time to look for
them from one vantage point. I chose the
observation platform since it afforded me an elevated perch giving me a larger
field of view.
I arrived at the observation platform at about 3 and had a
great show of hundreds of Sandhill Cranes flying in to an adjacent pond for
their evening roost. Here’s a small portion
of the flock.
And a small group illuminated by the setting sun.
As sunset neared my focus turned to my key Short-eared Owl target. From the top level of the observation platform I had a view of thousands of acres of prime grassland habitat.
Sure looked like a great spot. But as dusk approached the Owls continued to be a no-show. As each minute passed, I became more and more worried that I hadn’t chosen the right location to look for the Owls.
Finally, just before it was too dark to scan the fields, I
decided to try the other location. I ran
down from the observation deck to my car and drove off to the other set of
fields. But it was now too dark to see
anything flying low over the fields. Then
I remembered a birder in Vermont telling me years ago that Short-ears will
respond to taped calls. So I played a
bit of tape and within seconds a Short-eared Owl flew right to me. And within 15 seconds two others flew in as
well (WI State Bird #239). I watched
them as they flew overhead, silhouetted against the sky by the last rays of
light from the sun that had set more than 30 minutes earlier. What a way to end the day!
November 15 – Half Day of WI State Birding, Then off to MI
Although I had initially planned to spend much of the day
birding in WI, I had just 2 remaining realistic targets – American Pipit and
Rusty Blackbird. And based on my
unsuccessful searches over the last couple days, it was looking like I might be
too late for both of them. But I wasn’t
giving up quite yet.
My first stop was along the Oak Creek Parkway in Kenosha,
just south of the Goldfinch spot, to try for Rusty’s. There had been several reports of Rusty’s
there in late October, but no checklists submitted since. I spent a couple hours walking around in wet
woodlands that looked ideal for Rusty’s, but with no luck. Though I did have one flyby Blackbird that was
either a Rusty or a Red-wing. Two Fox
Sparrows were nice consolations.
Then I was on to Wehr Nature Center a bit west of Milwaukee,
where there were more recent reports of Rusty’s. Again, I found good habitat, but only had a
flock of Red-wings at the feeders. The
highlight here was this Red-tailed Hawk sizing up a nearby squirrel for a
possible meal.
My last WI stop was at the Britton Road Sod Farms southwest of Milwaukee where there was a recent report of Pipits mixed in with 175 Longspurs. I didn’t need Longspurs as a state bird, but it would still be nice to see them again. Although I found a field with 14 Horned Larks here, I couldn’t find anything else mixed in.
It’s always tough to miss my last couple targets, but I’m
still very pleased with my results - adding 2 life birds among the 10 new birds
for my WI state list. Especially when I expected
just 6 new WI state birds. And now that my
WI list is at 239, that puts me 10 and a half over my self-imposed threshold of
half the total state list. Or put
another way, there will have to be 21 new birds added to the WI state list
before I’ll have to come back to fill a few more gaps in my WI list.
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