Midwest State Bird and Life Bird Chase, November 12-17, 2025, Part 2 - Michigan

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.  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.  And then farther down the WI target list I noticed Great Tit.  There is apparently a small breeding population of this species in southeastern WI as well, listed in eBird as a “Provisional” exotic species (and also countable). 

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 MI portion of my trip.  The previous post summarized the WI portion.

November 15 – Afternoon in Southwest MI

I left my last stop in WI around lunch time which gave me plenty of time to bird at least a couple spots in MI that day.  My first planned stop was at New Buffalo Beach just across the IN stateline.  Although this can be a great spot to do a lake watch, my key focus today was on a Snowy Owl that was seen there all day long the previous day.  Unfortunately, no one reported it the morning of my visit, so it was likely gone.  But I still gave it a try, checking all its favorite perches from the previous day with no luck.  I did a bit of a lake watch looking for my one realistic target, Black Scoter, but didn’t see much flying by, so decided to call it quits.  At least the weather was nice – maybe too nice for those sea birds.

Next I was on to the Three Oaks Sewage Ponds where the previous day there was a report of 2 Tundra Swans.  Both Tundras and Trumpeters were reported at most MI waterfowl sites recently (I only needed Tundra for my list), so IDs would be important.  Soon after I pulled up I spotted two Swans swimming in one of the impoundments, which eventually gave me good views of their bill shape and I could ID them as Tundras (MI State Bird #241). 

With that one out of the way, I turned my focus to this flock of sleeping Canadas hoping to pick out a smaller Cackling. 

While unsuccessfully looking for the smaller Goose, 3 Swans stood up in the flock of Canadas.  Soon they joined the 2 swimming Tundras, providing great comparisons, and I was able to ID 4 Tundras and 1 Trumpeter.  I was lucky enough to get this phonescoped photo of the Trumpeter trailing one of the Tundras, showing the difference in size and bill shape.

My state bird map for Tundra Swan 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 Tundra Swan as a rarity.

My last stop of the day was the nearby lake across the road from the enormous Forest Lawn Landfill where a number of waterfowl had been reported recently, including more Tundra Swans.  Luckily, I no longer needed this one because there were on waterfowl at all.

November 16 – A Cold, Windy Day of State Birding

My first two stops of the day were at Warren Dunes SP.  And my first target was a Winter Wren that had been reported several times at the Floral Lane hotspot.  With several trails at this location, I was happy to see one eBirder mention they had the bird along the Yellow Bird Loop.  It was 36 degrees and very windy when I arrived there at sunrise, but I hoped the Winter Wren was hearty enough to withstand those wind chills.  Most of the trail wandered through wet, swampy habitat that looked great for a Winter Wren, so I was hopeful.

But it wasn’t to be.  I played some tape for what is normally a very tape-responsive species, but couldn’t get any replies.  I even re-hiked the beginning of the trail thinking that I had started too early for the Wren to be up and about.

Next, I made the short drive to the Mt. Randall part of the park to do a Hawk Watch – Sharp-shinned was my key target, but fly-by winter finches would be nice too.  The northwest winds should be good for a hawk watch, but I never found Mt. Randall, which is apparently just the top of a sand dune.  I stopped at a nearby spot with good views of the sky hoping to get a fly-by but could only come up with some Crows overhead and Juncos in the dune grasses.  I was off to a slow start.

But my luck quickly changed.  I no sooner got back on the highway to head north when I spotted a small raptor flying over the median.  It was a small Accipter – my target Sharp-shinned Hawk (MI State Bird #242).  I just need this wide-ranging species in 4 more states.

My next stop was a very windy Tiscornia Park to try to do another lake watch.  I had fair numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers and a second year Lesser Black-backed Gull, but the wind was way too strong to effectively scan the lake.  Although my plan was to spend at least the rest of the morning to do lake watches, I decided it was just too windy.  So I decided to head east toward Kalamazoo and do some inland birding, and return to the coast the next day.

My first stop near Kalamazoo was a hotspot called Justin’s Marsh.  Recent reports had included 3 of my targets – White-fronted and Cackling Geese (both as recently as the day before), and Snipe.  When I arrived, I was surprised to see only 75 or so Canadas, far fewer than recent reports.  And none of my targets were anywhere to be seen.  Though it was nice to see so many Mute Swans and a family of 5 Trumpeter Swans.  Perhaps more Geese would come in later in the afternoon to roost for the night, so I decided to head to a couple other nearby spots and come back to Justin’s Pond later.

I packed up and headed to nearby West W Ave. Marsh where Wilson’s Snipe had been reported several times recently.  As I pulled up, I was surprised to see a large flock of at least 200 Sandhill Cranes on both sides of the road.  And there were muddy edges throughout the marsh making for great Snipe habitat.

I scanned the edges with binoculars several times but I couldn’t find my target.  Then in the southeast corner I spotted what appeared to be an unusual brown “bump” at the edge of the reeds.  With a scope view I confirmed I had a Wilson’s Snipe (MI State Bird #243).  I just need this species in 1 more state (South Dakota) to completely fill in my state bird map.

The next stop was at nearby Upjohn Pond where a pair of white phase Snow Geese had been reported the previous day.  As best as I could tell, the southeast corner of the pond was the only vantage point to view this pond.  But unfortunately, when I arrived nearly all the waterfowl were near the northern end almost a half mile away.  There were many Geese there but I couldn’t pick out any white ones especially at that distance.  But notably there was a huge tightly packed flock of Aythya ducks (Ring-necks and Scaup); perhaps 1,000 or more.

After numerous frustrating scans I headed back to Justin’s Pond hoping to see big Goose flocks dropping in.  But there was nothing new.  I was a day late for no less than 4 possible MI state birds – White-fronted, Cackling and Snow Geese and the Snowy Owl.  I guess I’d just have to find my own good birds.

Short-eared Owl was one of my targets, but there had been no reports of any apparently reliable birds near the southwest corner of the state yet this season.  So I started to check eBird reports from the winter of 2024-2025 and found quite a number of sightings at the hotspot called the Oswalt Family Farm.  With a bit of research, I found out that there were no reports from this hotspot yet this winter.  And with the first 2024 sighting being in early November, perhaps they had already returned this year but just no one had looked for them yet. 

One other potentially exciting twist was that most of last winter’s reports from that hotspot included sightings of a Rough-legged Hawk.  That was another of my targets, but there were only a couple random reports of this species in the region so far this winter.  Maybe that one too had returned to the Oswalt farm area this year but had not yet been detected.

I arrived at the Oswalt Family Farm hotspot at 4 PM, with sunset at 5:19.  With just a bit of scouting I found the key location where birders were reporting the Owls feeding last year: fields to the north of the farm buildings.  And I found the ditches where a couple birders mentioned they were roosting. 

Now with some time to kill before dusk I drove around some of the roads looking for raptors but came up empty.  I came back to the hotspot to wait for dusk and soon spotted a large raptor flying by in the distance.  And with a quick binocular view I confirmed I had a Rough-legged Hawk (MI State Bird #244). 

I went back to scanning the key locations for the Owls, and at 5:43 I spotted a Short-ear flying low over the fields (MI State Bird #245).  A very successful evening, finding 2 targets that hadn’t been reported yet this winter.

November 17 – One Cold Day in MI

The car thermometer said it was 26 degrees when I left the hotel at dawn.  At least there wasn’t any wind.  My first stop was back at Justin’s Pond hoping that more Geese would have roosted there overnight.  But there were actually less Geese than the day before.  The only thing new was a thin layer of ice over half the pond.

Then I went back to Upjohn Pond for one more try for those Snow Geese.  Once again most of the waterfowl were at the far end of the lake.  While scanning the distant flocks I spotted a Blue Phase Snow Goose – not previously reported in the area (MI State Bird #246).  I just need this species in 4 more states and D.C.

I continued to scan the Geese and picked out at least 1 Cackling Goose, often disappearing behind its larger cousins (MI State Bird #247).  I still need this rather recently defined species in quite a number of states.

That was another species not previously reported here.  That was a very successful return trip to Upjohn Pond.

The plan for the rest of the day was to do lake watches at 3 spots on the way back to Chicago.  I had just one realistic target, Black Sctoer, but I was always on the lookout for a rarity as well.

My first stop was at North Beach in South Haven.  The weather was cold and pretty breezy, causing some pretty big whitecaps on the lake, and making viewing pretty tough.  I had one very distant flock of Scoters flyby, but they were way too far out for IDs.  And a flyby Red-throated Loon was nice.  But otherwise, there was little activity over the lake in my 90 minutes of viewing time.  A flock of 50 Snow Buntings flying down the dunes was a nice find – nice to reacquaint myself with that species.

Next it was onto Tiscornia Park, where there was once again few flybys.  Best birds were a Horned Grebe and Red-throated Loon in the river mouth, a Lesser Black-backed Gull on the jetty, and yet another Red-throated Loon flyby.  I needed the Loon in WI but not MI – go figure.

My last stop of the trip was at New Buffalo Beach.  The wind had died down and the water was quite a bit smoother, so viewing conditions were greatly improved.  As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed 3 birds in the river right in front of me that turned out to be a Surf Scoter and 2 Horned Grebes.  I was cautiously optimistic.  Over the next 90 minutes I tallied 9 White-winged Scoters either flying alone or with Red-breasted Mergansers.  And I had at least 12 more Scoters that were too far out for ID’s.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t come up with a Black Scoter.  But it was still a fun last stop.

I had a most successful time birding in MI, adding 7 new birds to my MI state list compared to an expected 4 new birds.  Notably, 4 of my new species were birds that I found myself and not previously reported.  And now that my MI list is at 247, that puts me 14 over my self-imposed threshold of half the total state list.  Or put another way, there will have to be 28 new birds added to the MI state list before I’ll have to come back to fill a few more gaps in my MI list. 

The WI portion of the trip was even more successful, finding European Goldfinch and Great Tit as lifers, and 8 additional new state birds.

The eBird trip report can be found here:  ebird.org/tripreport/437815.

Midwest State Bird and Life Bird Chase, November 12-17, 2025, Part 1 - Wisconsin

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. 

 And then farther down the WI target list I noticed Great Tit.  There is apparently a small breeding population of this species in southeastern WI as well, listed in eBird as a “Provisional” exotic species (and also countable).  The eBird Species Map for Great Tit is copied below, with the highest concentration just outside Sheboygan. 

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. 

More Rarities at Dobbins Farm – But Not the Expected One, Anderson County, SC, February 10, 2021

Ross’s Goose is one of my favorite birds, dating back to my numerous work trips to the Memphis area in the late 90s and 2000’s.  During the colder months I would enjoy seeing large flocks of white geese either migrating through or wintering in the area.  The vast majority were Snows, but with close examination I would spot occasional Ross’s Geese mixed in.  In flight, a Ross’s would often be at the head of the line.  It was fun to play “Where’s Waldo” looking for those diminutive geese among their larger cousins.  Over the years I would end up adding Ross’s to my lists in 31 states and 1 Canadian province as this species rapidly increased in numbers. 

When I moved to the Carolinas I needed Ross’s Goose for my statelists in both NC and SC, as well as Snow Goose in South Carolina.  I was able to see Ross’s in NC within just a few months of moving to the region in 12/19.  And finally got Snow Goose in SC about a year later in 11/20 at Dobbins Farm in Anderson County.  And although there were several more Ross’s records in the mountains of NC, there were no nearby records of Ross’s in SC.

That is until late January 2021 when Ross’s and Snows appeared at not 1 but 2 farm ponds in Anderson County.  Remarkably the sites were just 11 miles apart “as the goose flies”.  Unfortunately, I had commitments at home that prevented me from getting out at that time.  But the reports continued at both spots for a couple weeks, until I was finally able to make a run to the area on February 10.  The last report from the first site, Clemson University Simpson Research Station, was on the 7th – 2 Ross’s were seen with 5 Snows.  And from the other site, Dobbins Farm where I’ve seen several rarities since moving to the area, the last report was on the 8th with 1 each Ross’s and Snow.  There were no reports positive or negative from the 9th.  But I was still quite optimistic that the birds that had been around at the Clemson site for 13 days, and at Dobbins Farm for 11 days, would still be around when I was finally able to look for them.

My plan for the 10th was to first head to the Clemson site since it was closer, then bird the Dobbins Farm area.  I got out of the house early on the 10th and arrived at the Clemson site at about 9 AM.  The Ross’s and Snow Geese were sometimes seen with Canadas on the farm pond there, and sometimes seen foraging in fields nearby.  As I pulled up to the pond I hoped (dare I say expected) to see some white dots on the water which would be my target birds – but I didn’t see a single goose.  I got out and with a quick binocular view couldn’t find any waterfowl at all.  They must be feeding in the fields I surmised.  There was suitable grazing habitat all around me, so I did a 360-degree search but still found no geese.  I drove east a short distance and looked from that different vantage point but again found no geese.  At least I still had Dobbins Farm to search for my target.

Twenty minutes later I arrived at Dobbins Farm again hoping to see those white dots on the ponds in the distance.  First I arrived at the upper pond – no geese at all.  Then I pulled down to the lower pond – no geese again.  I checked both ponds more closely, but there’s next to no way a white goose could hide on these relatively small farm ponds.  To say that I was upset would be an understatement – saying a number of things to myself that I can’t put in print here on my blog.  I had gotten there just a day or 2 too late.

I was tempted to just get back in the car and drive home, but decided to do at least a little birding at Dobbins before heading back.  One of my other targets at that farm has been Brewer’s Blackbirds that are occasionally reported from the site.  In fact a male/female pair were spotted there a few days earlier.  The cows were feeding in their troughs along the road so I though perhaps a blackbird might be there feeding on some spilled grain.  I quickly searched the area but came up empty.  Then I heard a couple blackbird call notes in the distance.  The recent report mentioned the Brewer’s were “Seen in top of trees behind lower pond”, so I looked into those trees in the distance and sure enough there was a blackbird perched near the top.  Too far to ID with binoculars, so I quickly got out my scope.  The bird was very glossy, with a yellow eye, and short tail – I had myself a male Brewer’s Blackbird!  Here’s a picture of those trees in the background behind the lower pond.

And a phonescoped view of the bird, though admittedly too distant to confirm the ID in this less-than-ideal photo.

 While studying the Brewer’s I realized that there was a nearby meadowlark singing an odd song.  I focused on the call and realized it was the singing Western Meadowlark, a bird I first heard here back in November and was now being occasionally heard and seen yet again among all the Eastern Meadowlarks.  Who knows how long it had been singing and I hadn’t noticed it while concentrating on the blackbird.  Then I turned back to the blackbird and realized there was a second one in the trees – another male Brewer’s.  Nice consolation prizes – a new SC statebird in the Brewer’s, and an even rarer Western Meadowlark.

Here’s my statebird map for Brewer’s Blackbird – the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range.  The cross-hatched states are those in its regular range where I’ve yet to see this species.  The 4 tan states are those where I’ve seen it as a rarity.

I drove back to the upper pond hoping against hope that I might still find those white geese.  At the northeastern end of the pond I spotted a few Canada Geese at the edge of the pond.  While scanning through them I noticed a pair of geese flying overhead.  They circled and pitched in right in front of me – it was a pair of Greater White-fronted Geese.  I got these passable phonescoped photos of the pair.

White-fronts are actually rarer in the region than Ross’s.  Over the last 6 years in the SC Upstate there have been 15 reports of Ross’s while just 11 reports of White-fronts.

I’ve now seen White-fronted Goose throughout most of the states in its regular range, along with most east coast states where it’s a rarity.  Most of those northeast sightings are of birds from the Greenland flavirostris race, while sightings from the western Carolinas are most likely from the inland frontalis race.

That gave me 2 additions to my SC state list, bringing my total to 284.  Not to mention my second observation of the Western Meadowlark – only the second SC state record.  So even though I missed my target (and expected) Ross’s Goose, I’ll gladly take this great set of consolation prizes.  I’ll just have to get the Ross’s Goose in the future – maybe on a future trip to Dobbins Farm.

Three Rarities at Dobbins Farm, Anderson County, SC, November 2020

 

I was introduced to birding in Anderson County by my SC birding friends Michael Robertson and Gary Harbour back in November 2019.  The county has some excellent and diverse habitats including agricultural areas, woodlands, and lakes.  Some of the best birding in the ag lands is at Dobbins Farm, which features large pastures supporting a herd of cows, a feed lot, planted fields, and two large farm ponds.  The grassy fields are full of meadowlarks year-round, with occasional Brewer’s Blackbirds wintering especially near the cattle feeding troughs and feed lot.  The planted fields have Horned Larks year-round, joined by Pipit flocks in winter.  The ponds feature a surprising array of waterfowl and shorebirds.  And all these birds are kept on their toes by a nice collection of raptors that feed in the area.  The only downside is that access to these fine habitats is somewhat limited – there is just one road that passes through the farm, and although you are allowed to bird from the road, you can’t walk into the fields.

Here is a picture showing typical pasture habitat with one of the ponds in the background.

On that November 2019 trip we hoped (in fact expected) to see 2 long-staying Snow Geese at one of the ponds.  Alas, they were last seen the day before our trip.  Though Vesper and White-crowned Sparrows at nearby Prater Farm were nice additions to my SC list at the time. 

Then in November 2020 no less than 3 rarities were reported at Dobbins Farm.  Not all at once mind you, meaning that I had to make 3 separate trips to the site to chase after them.  Good thing it’s only about 90 minutes from home.  And there’s great birding at the spot even if the target rarities don’t cooperate.

November 13

On November 12, almost exactly a year after my initial trip to the area, came a report of a possible Western Meadowlark at Dobbins Farm.  When I saw a video of the singing bird there was little doubt that it was indeed a Western Meadowlark – both based on song and plumage.  It was most cooperative, not only given that it was in full song, but it was also visible quite close to the road.  Once accepted it would turn out to be only the 2nd SC record listed in eBird. 

But would it still be cooperative in the future?  After all, there were hundreds of acres of suitable habitat, with no access to areas not close to the roadway.  And with dozens of Eastern Meadowlarks singing and foraging in those fields, that meant that finding the target bird could be a needle-in-a-haystack kind of proposition, especially if it wasn’t singing.  But I decided to give it a try the next morning, hopeful that the bird would still be cooperative.

I arrived at 8 AM on Friday the 13th and there were already 8 or 9 birders on site.  One birder had heard the Western singing at about 7:30, but no one had had it since.  There were many Eastern Meadowlarks singing throughout the fields, along with good numbers of Larks and Pipits twittering from the planted fields.  Plus large flocks of Pine Siskins were feeding in the sunflower field.  Not to mention 10 or more Bald Eagles perched around the upper pond.  It was once again a great time at Dobbins Farm.  With the obvious exception that I wasn’t finding the target Western Meadowlark. 

I spent an hour or so waiting and listening around the area of the ponds with no success.  Then I noticed quite a bit of Meadowlark activity a short distance to the south as well, so I decided to take a walk down to that area.  I was by myself now so it would be a bit easier to pick out a Western song, especially if I had to separate it from the many Easterns singing in the area as well.  I listened for a while but with no luck.  Then I heard a different song not too far away.  I strained my ears and focused even more intently – and there was the song again.  It was the Western Meadowlark!  I was able to call over a couple other birders who also heard it.  And although we never saw the bird, we watched a Meadowlark fly from the general area where the song was coming from just as we stopped hearing it sing.  So perhaps we at least saw the bird in flight.  Seconds later the rest of the birders came down to that area but unfortunately we no longer heard the bird singing.  Though later that day some were able to see and hear the bird again in that general area. 

In my statebird map for Western Meadowlark below the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range.  The cross-hatched states are those where I still need this species, generally along the eastern edge of its regular range.  And now I’ve seen it as a rarity in those 2 tan-shaded states – VT and of course SC.

November 19

And then on the 16th, while the Western Meadowlark was still being seen, came a report of a flock of Snow Geese at the lower pond.  I wouldn’t have thought that a flock of Snows would visit these little ponds, let alone hang out there for a while.  But of course I remembered those Snow Geese that stayed there in November 2019 for a week or more – moving on just before my trip there.  So maybe these birds would hang on for a while also.  But not wanting to tempt fate two Novembers in a row, I decided to head there as soon as I had the chance.  I met Gary Harbour there the morning of the 19th and the first thing we spotted was the flock of 9 Snow Geese on the lower pond – 5 white phase and 4 dark phase birds.  I got these passable phonescoped photos of the flock.

 Since they were so cooperative I had time to head across the stateline into GA for a bit of birding there.  As well as another stop back in SC.  But that’s for my next blog post. 

SC was my 43rd state for this wide-ranging Goose, including Maine where it’s a rarity.  And although it’s a rarity in the upstate of SC, it’s more expected in coastal SC so it’s not quite a rarity statewide.

November 24

All my earlier winter trips to Dobbins Farm and nearby spots have featured large numbers of Pipits and Horned Larks in the appropriate habitats.  That made me think that an occasional Lapland Longspur could be a possibility mixed in with those other “prairie birds”.  But with a bit of eBird research I found only a few records from the area, most recently in 2014 from Dobbins Farm and 2016 from Prater Farm.  It is a bit surprising that Lapland Longspur is such a rarity in the area, given that they are regular in the mid-South (AR, TN, MS), at even lower latitudes.  I remember seeing good-sized Longspur flocks in that area, including in AR where Lapland Longspur was my 10,000th total tick (sum of my state lists) back in December 2003.

Then on November 23 came a report on the Greenville County Bird Club listserve of a Lapland Longspur at Dobbins Farm.  The bird was seen in the planted fields, where the Larks and Pipits feed.  Plus another birder had a pair of Brewer’s Blackbirds there later in the day, out in the pasture with the cows.  Those were two key targets for me - it was time for yet another November trip to Dobbins Farm!

I arrived at Dobbins Farm at 8 AM the next morning, parking near the lower pond.  My plan was to listen intently for the unique rattling flight calls of a Longspur likely mixed in with Pipits or Larks, while scanning the pastures for blackbirds.  I started with a quick scan of the pasture, easily picking up the Snow Goose flock (I guess I didn’t need to make that last trip on the 19th after all).  Then I heard several blackbird call notes nearby.  It took me a while, but I eventually tracked down the calls and spotted a blackbird flying away from one of the feeding troughs.  I watched it in flight until it disappeared near the feed lot.  I couldn’t get enough on the bird to get an ID, but both the trough and the feedlot are excellent locations for a Brewer’s.  One that got away I’m afraid. 

Then I started my focus on the prairie birds.  I was hearing a few Horned Larks singing and calling, and an occasional Pipit, but had few birds in flight.  Over the next hour it was more of the same, though I did have a pair of birds fly overhead that gave a single call note that was different than the Larks and Pipits – reminiscent of a Longspur but not enough for me to figure out for sure.  A bit later a birder pulled up in a car and was asking what I was seeing.  While his car was running right next to me I spotted my first larger flock of Pipits overhead.  I desperately needed to listen to the call notes from this flock but couldn’t hear them over the engine noise.  This was getting frustrating…

It had now been about 90 minutes since I arrived and I still hadn’t come up with either of my targets.  Though I had had possibilities for both.  I was feeling pretty defeated, though I said to myself that just a few seconds of Longspur flight calls would turn it all around.  And just then I heard calls overhead and spotted a pair of birds flying from the planted fields.  The calls were dry rattles very different from the higher-pitched and more musical Lark and Pipit calls.  I had a pair of Longspurs!  They passed directly overhead and disappeared out in the pastures.  Then a couple minutes later I heard the calls again, and this time picked up 2 Longspurs flying low from the soybean field and landing far out in the sunflower field.  Although the birds were too far to ID visually, their call notes were unique, just like most other prairie birds.

SC was my 29th state for Lapland Longspur – still a lot of states to look for it in its regular range.  Though I now have it on my SC and WV lists as rarities.

 Quite a month for Dobbins Farm!