Most birds do a great job of raising their young and keeping them safe from predators, but one bird species in particular uses an ingenious trick to keep people and predators away from its nest. That bird is the common Killdeer.
All in Bird Watching
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Very Vocal Dickcissel
Have you ever heard of a bird called the Dickcissel? It seems like a very strange name, but like the names of many birds, the name comes from the song that this bird sings.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Secretive Sora
There is a very secretive bird out there that is an expert at evading the sight of most people. It is a relatively small bird that loves wetlands and marshy areas, and it spends most of its time walking along muddy shorelines amid reeds and thick cattail stands looking for food.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Miniature Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
When it comes to small, hyperactive birds, the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher is right up there near the top of the list. These tiny birds are smaller than a house wren, but larger than a hummingbird. They are a bluish-gray color on their backs and head, with a white belly and a bright white eye-ring around their eyes.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
One of the common forest birds of the northeastern and north-central United States is the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. This beautiful bird is slightly smaller than an American robin, but larger than a house finch.
Yellow Headed Blackbirds Take Flight in Wisconsin
One of the harbingers of spring is the return of the red-winged blackbirds. A much less common spring sighting, at least east of the Mississippi River, is the yellow-headed blackbird. In fact because they’re so uncommon, they’re listed as a species of special concern in Wisconsin.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Invasive Mute Swan
Swans are well-known as very large, graceful white birds. There are three species of swans currently living in North America: trumpeter swans, tundra swans and mute swans. Trumpeter and mute swans are similar in size, and they can each have a wingspan of more than seven feet.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Vocal Northern Mockingbird
Everyone knows most birds love to sing, and the pleasant sounds of birds chirping or chattering in nearby trees is a welcome sound. Some bird species sing more than others, though, and one of the most vocal birds of them all is the northern mockingbird.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Graceful Tree Swallow
Tree swallows are a common sight from spring throughout the summer in many areas as they expertly flit and fly over ponds, lakes, marshes and fields. These small, streamlined birds migrate back northward throughout the U.S. from their overwintering areas in Central America and Mexico to nest and feed here throughout the warm weather months.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Palm Warbler
Palm warblers are cute little birds which are slightly smaller than most sparrows. They are seen for a relatively short time each year throughout the eastern United States during their spring and fall migrations. This is because most palm warblers breed up in the boreal forests of Canada and spend their winters in the warmer climates of Florida and the coastlines of the southeastern US.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Boisterous White-Breasted Nuthatch
When it comes to energetic and highly animated birds in the back yard, one of the first species that comes to mind is the white-breasted nuthatch. This small, sparrow-sized bird is bluish-gray on its back with a black cap on top of its head, and a bright white breast, face and underparts.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The American Coot
As kids, we called the strange-looking, all-black ducks that we saw on local lakes “Mud Ducks”. But they were actually American coots. About the size of a small duck, the American coot (Fulica americana) is black or a very dark charcoal gray, with a white bill and a bright red eye.