Gary gets such good ideas. This evening at 7:00 pm, he said, "Let's go for a drive."
First, a stop for chocolate shakes. Then he aimed the Subaru west. Just outside Seymour, a mink ran across Highway 54. Now that is not a thing we see around here, but there was no mistaking it.
We've had rain this spring, lots of it, and it shows in the shades of green. After years of near drought, it is a pleasure to once again see the Wisconsin I love. For years, whenever I came home from a tour, I crossed the border into this green world and knew I was home.
We were on our way to Van Patten Road once again to see what we could find in the marsh. It wasn't easy because the rye grass has grown so tall alone the dikes. If we stopped the car and stood we could just see a few birds.
By the end of the evening, we had seen: sandhill cranes, red-winged and yellow headed blackbirds, pie billed grebe, redhead ducks, and mallards.
At first we didn't see geese but in time we were able to spot them hiding in the grasses...with their gosliings. We could hear thunder pumping in the reeds and knew the American bitterns were there, though of course we never see them.
Darting over the swamp were black terns. I hadn't seen them in the swamp for several years but now there were plenty of bugs to feast on.
We finally left as the sun was setting.
Some of the people I meet talk about birding as a stupid hobby done by boring people. I wonder if they have ever listened to the "ka-thunk" of the bitterns as the sun goes down. Pure romance.
First, a stop for chocolate shakes. Then he aimed the Subaru west. Just outside Seymour, a mink ran across Highway 54. Now that is not a thing we see around here, but there was no mistaking it.
We've had rain this spring, lots of it, and it shows in the shades of green. After years of near drought, it is a pleasure to once again see the Wisconsin I love. For years, whenever I came home from a tour, I crossed the border into this green world and knew I was home.
We were on our way to Van Patten Road once again to see what we could find in the marsh. It wasn't easy because the rye grass has grown so tall alone the dikes. If we stopped the car and stood we could just see a few birds.
The best spot to see anything is the viewing platform.
At first we didn't see geese but in time we were able to spot them hiding in the grasses...with their gosliings. We could hear thunder pumping in the reeds and knew the American bitterns were there, though of course we never see them.
Darting over the swamp were black terns. I hadn't seen them in the swamp for several years but now there were plenty of bugs to feast on.
We finally left as the sun was setting.
Some of the people I meet talk about birding as a stupid hobby done by boring people. I wonder if they have ever listened to the "ka-thunk" of the bitterns as the sun goes down. Pure romance.
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