Mourning Doves are one of our most common birds, with a US population estimated at 350 million. Indeed, if you were asked to design a bird that would thrive in the present day, you would come up with the features of a Mourning Dove.
With a seemingly oversize head and bill, shaggy-crested head, short tail, white underparts, complete white collar across the hindneck, and overall blue-gray dorsum, the Belted Kingfisher is unmistakable.
We first recorded Bald Eagles nesting at Fair Meadows in 2010, and it has been monitored as part of Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Bald Eagle Nest Watch program since 2019.
A localized patch of giant ragweed was bouncing as a family of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks hopped from branch to branch using their huge beaks to grasp and remove the seed centers of dried blossoms.