Friday Feathered Feature
Showcasing a different bird species each week
Island Girl, a female peregrine falcon and a celebrity in the falcon world, flew over Goose Pond on September 28th, on her migration south from Baffin Island in the high Arctic to her wintering area along the coast of Chile. She began the day near Munising, MI along Lake Superior, and flew 398 miles with northeast winds before ending the day east of Davenport, IA. We wondered if she took a lunch break hunting ducks and coots at Goose Pond.
American Crows, known for their abundance from farm fields to urban areas, might surprise some with their intelligence. In fact, the birds of their genus Corvus are some of the smartest in the animal kingdom. It's easy to anthropomorphize crows and make them more or less align with our values. But crows objectively score close to primates on cognition tests.
Mourning doves are one of Wisconsin’s most abundant and widespread bird species, with the continental population estimated to be over 400 million. Goose Pond Sanctuary provides ideal habitat for mourning doves. They are common throughout the year and are one of our most numerous winter bird species. Counts over 100 are not uncommon.
A boisterous river bird drops from a tree and plunks headlong into the water. Seconds later it emerges, crested head flinging water back into the river channel. A fisher, this bird flutters above the stream, lets out a coarse and rattling call, then casts back into the water, returning with the fresh catch of the day.
I was eating supper on July 25th at the Prairie Lane residence when a car drove up and Arlene Koziol came to the door. She was excited and said “Come quickly, I have a surprise to show you.” We went to the kiosk and there were two whooping cranes on the north side of Goose Pond. This is a first for my life list!
