Rare Birds make timely appearance at International Bird Migration Day

The parking lot filled quickly at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve on Saturday as Ozaukee Washington Land Trust Staff and volunteers buzzed with all things bird for International Migratory Bird Day.  A program of the Environment for the Americas, it is an internationally celebrated day of education and highlighting the migratory bird migration from North American breeding grounds to the winter havens of Mexico and Latin America. The official site, www.birdday.org, estimates the number of migratory bird species to be just under 350.

Because OWLT has restored a great site along Lake Michigan into an incredible nesting and flyway opportunity, the number of bird species seen at Forest Beach was listed at an impressive 219. This type of news doesn’t stay a secret long in the birding world (ever seen film The Big Year?). Word of the great birding opportunities brought a Rhinelander couple, Bev and Connie, down to experience the birding they had heard so much about. They were not disappointed.

Quickly into our hike with Bill Mueller from the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Conservency, we found out that Forest Beach had a Bird Day visitor—a Connecticut Warbler--bumping the bird species count up to 220! According to the Cornell Ornithology site, the warbler in an uncommon bird that breeds in Boreal forests and winters in Northern South America. Wisconsin is one little part of its very long migration and seeing the incredible bird during its Ozaukee vacation is amazing. After reading Bill Thompson of 10000birds.com account of his hunt for the Connecticut Warbler in Jinx Warbler Vanquished, hearing that Forest Beach had the infamous bird was a big deal. Thompson humorously illustrates his journey zigzagging across America in search for the bird and into Canada where he finally, after 25 years of birding, crosses the warbler off of his list in Manitoba. Apart from an entertaining rendition, it just goes to show what a unique and treasured place Forest Beach is.

Among dozens of interesting bird sighting contestants, the other feathered stars included the Rusty black bird, a great find according to Mueller since the bird is the fastest declining song bird in North America. Cornell Ornithology confers this with statistics saying, “The population has plunged an estimated 85-99 percent over the past forty years.”  The little black bird with brown tinged shoulder and back feathers donned like a little cape, starred back at us with a pale yellow eye. Not to be confused with a grackle, it modeled the shorter tail and non-grackle beak before hopping along a fallen log left to naturalize and disappearing into the brush pile.

Not long after an Oven Bird (not to be confused with a Thanksgiving Turkey), made a rare appearance. The little songbird is more common but is rarely seen fluttering along the understory because of its pale tan and brown coloring. It is more often identified by its song that sounds like “teacher, teacher, teacher.”

The hike, just like the half day celebration, ended too quickly but along with a great hike and several sightings of unique birds, I left with educational booklets and trail guides courtesy of the OWLT and other local organizations, and a “Save the date” for next year.

Missed Bird Day? Fortunately, you won’t need to wait until next year since Forest Beach is one of 8 featured sites at this year’s Treasures of Oz event. Save the Date: June 16, and don’t forget binoculars!