In the first eight years the Reckless Wrens Birdathon team averaged 101 species with the previous high of 137 last year. This year with more team members covering more areas we found 144 species! We have many highlights and memories from this year. It is nice to spend a day as part of a team searching for birds that Madison Audubon and members work hard to provide habitat for. Overall, we found 10 species that are listed as state-endangered, threatened, or special concern.

Our team took to the marshes, ponds, woodlots and prairies for the annual Great Wisconsin Birdathon that raises funds for Madison Audubon and the Natural Resources Foundation’s Bird Protection Fund. We began the count at 5:00 p.m. on Friday May 15 and ended 24 hours later. We were lucky to have a good warbler warbler migration and located some wetlands with fair shorebird habitat.

Below are stories from our team members from their day of birding. Thanks to everyone who followed along, donated, and joined our time!

Mark Martin and Sue-Foote Martin wrote:

*Sue, Phoebe, and Bodie cruising for birds. Photo by Mark Martin*

On Friday night we focused our efforts at our cabin near Rio and Sue counted birds there on Saturday. We cruised in our Kubota and had help from our pups Phoebe and Bodie. We were pleased to find 56 species and our highlight was a male Yellow-headed Blackbird at the sunflower feeders in the yard, along with a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers. We recorded all seven woodpeckers found in southern Wisconsin. On cue 3 Trumpeter Swans circled and called. Last year a neighbor had a pair of Purple Martins that fledged young and we found one Purple Martin hunting over our wetland. Other good finds include a Red-tail Hawk nest with young, 3 American Woodcocks, 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows at our clubhouse where they nested last year in a PVC pipe that we erected for them to nest in, 1 Virginia Rail, and 2 Marsh Wrens.

Jim and Kathy Shurts wrote:

Kathy and Jim started their portion of the Reckless Wren’s 24 hours at the Vienna Waterfowl Production Area (WPA) and Dane County’s Vienna Pothole Wildlife Area just west of DeForest. Walking down to the water’s edge we spotted Yellow-headed Blackbirds, always a treat to see. Driving around to the east side of the wetland we saw a group out with binoculars and a spotting scope, always a good sign when birding. It was the crew of I’m With the Birds team. They pointed out the Sora that was out feeding in shallow water, another good find.

*American Bittern, photo by Jeff Galligan*

Then it was off to the Jackson WPA, where we parked and took a stroll back into the property. That was where we spotted our best bird, an American Bittern. Those of you who know about bitterns know that they can be difficult to find as they hide in the reeds. This one thought it was hiding, standing still with its beak up in the air. The problem was, for the bittern, that the vegetation was only about 2” tall so we had a wonderful view.

On Saturday we joined Mark at Goose Pond and spent a fair amount of time on various parcels. The highlight wasn’t a bird. Madison Audubon recently acquired 70 acres from Judi Benade, a delightful property with uplands and a former gravel pit that is being restored. Walking along the edge of the pit/pond we came across fresh beaver tracks! Makes you wonder where that beaver came from.

After lunch we finished up at Madison Audubon’s Otsego Marsh property, taking a nice walk through the woods and spotting several species of birds including a wonderful pose by a male Scarlet Tanager. The rain and wind started to pick up and we called it a day. It was a great 24-hour time period and Kathy and I ended up with 74 species of birds.

Graham Steinhauer wrote:

The most obvious question during Birdathon is "How many bird species can you find?" An important question to be sure, but there are an infinite number of equally important questions even if you'll never find the answer. I spent my morning at Otsego Marsh finding swallows, warblers, waterfowl, woodpeckers, and orioles. How would establishing grassland nearby boost bird diversity here? How can we increase the abundance of species, like Red-headed woodpeckers, already found at the site? Where did I put my coffee cup?

At the Reierson addition, “A bit lost in my head and eyes in the sky, an out-of-place orange blob nestled among the fresh green sprouts brought my focus to ground level. Mycologists and birders must live in totally different worlds. The fawn was silent, still, and tiny. After snapping a quick picture, I backed away. Soon after I spotted another young critter, a gosling, chaperoned by four adult Canada geese. A second gosling revealed itself, and another, and another, until a mob of 41 young had scooted out into the open water. There's no way the group of goslings has only four parents total. Where are the other adults? Do they have a babysitting program? Take your time. Ponder. Enjoy the sun on a calm day.”

JD Arnston wrote:

Early in the morning at Mud Lake, I heard a bird call that was very distinct, yet I couldn't discern what it was or find its source at the time. I moved on to bird in other areas but later returned to this spot where the birds were still calling, except this time Randy Hoffman was also there. I stopped and spent some time looking for warblers with Randy. In one spot we had Magnolia, Bay-breasted, Tennessee, Yellow-rumped, Blackpoll, Cape May, and Cerulean Warblers. Randy took time to explain the calls of several of the species, and I realized the mystery bird from before was a Cerulean Warbler. After we parted ways, I was able to identify Blackburnian, Tennessee, Cape May, and even more Cerulean Warblers using Randy's advice.

*Cerulean Warbler, photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren*

Another highlight was seeing Blue-gray Gnatcatchers nest building at Rocky Run. They were building their nest down by the creek that goes through Rocky Run. I've never seen a nest from them before so the chance to see a pair of gnatcatchers building a new nest was super exciting!

Louise Venne and Micheal Yablick wrote:

*Short-billed Dowitcher, photo by Jeff Galligan*

We joined the Reckless Wrens late in the afternoon just prior to the 5:00 p.m. start of the day for the team. Work got in the way, but we dashed out the door and hurried to Mud Lake to see what we could find. Surprisingly, Mud Lake had mud flats along Tollefson Road. They initially didn’t look very promising, but closer inspection yielded beautiful Short-billed Dowitchers, Pectoral Sandpipers, and peeps avoiding the dozen or so cranes. A Northern Waterthrush bobbed its way into view along the ditch. Tearing ourselves away from these finds due to waning light we tacked on a handful of sparrows and warblers, knowing well that overnight migration would bring us many more great warblers. On a slow drive back up Tollefson and along Drake Road as dark descended we heard calls from at least one woodcock and a Barred Owl.

After a few hours of sleep, we were back at Mud Lake craning our necks to see the various warblers flitting through the trees. Highlights included a very buzzy, odd-calling Cerulean Warbler, a female Hooded Merganser hurriedly leading her ducklings (merglings?) away from us, the full suite of woodpeckers and nuthatches (including the red-breasted nowhere near a conifer), and a heart stopping moment when the turkey popped off her nest, just feet from us. A final stop for the day at Hagen Road Prairie added species like Clay-colored Sparrow, American Kestrel, and Eastern Meadowlark, always pleasant finds outside of the forest. Our total count for the day at Mud Lake: 87 species. Not too shabby for a damp, cloudy day!

Brand Smith wrote:

I started at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Rowe WPA on Highway 22 and heard a Sora, Virginia Rail and saw three Black Terns. I then went to Jameson Park in Poynette and the highlight of the day was spotting a Barred Owl chick in a small tree just off the trail. This tree was not the nest tree, so I am not sure how the chick got there. The other nice bird here was the Nashville Warbler. I then went to Whalen's Grade. It was not very productive but was able to spot a American Coot and Gadwall. On my way to Levee Road I stopped at the boat landing on County J and spotted some Bank Swallows. At Levee Road I did see a nesting Osprey. Then over to the Black Hawk Island area to get an update on the two Red-shouldered Hawk nests that I located a few weeks earlier. At the first nest, I was able to see the adults both come and go with food. I put up my scope and could see an adult feeding a chick with small bits of food. At the second nest the adult was hunkered down, and I did not see any chicks. I forwarded this info the Gene Jacobs so he could plan accordingly to gear up to band the adults and chicks at these nests. My next stop was at Lost Lake State Natural Area. This was also not very productive, but I did see several Swainson’s Thrushes. My last stop was at the Baraboo River WPA and saw nesting Bald Eagles.

*Red-shouldered Hawk, photo by Arlene Koziol*

Thanks to all the donors we reached our goal of $1,500. However, there is still time to donate to benefit our feathered friends. We look forward to next year's Birdathon.

Written by Sue Foote-Martin and Mark Martin, Goose Pond resident managers, Jim (team captain) and Kathy Shurts, Graham Steinhauer, Goose Pond land steward, JD Arnston, Louise Venne and Micheal Yablick and Brand Smith.