Wisconsin Birds- From Stevens Point to Boulder Junction

I had a good weekend of birding and am happy with some of the photos I got. There are a lot of birds around and many more showing up from the south every day.

I started out Friday morning before class in the Buena Vista Grasslands area south of Stevens Point. A lot of the area that is normally fairly dry is now a marsh. Right away I found some cooperative red-winged black birds, Wilson's snipe, and American bittern. I made the rounds for a bit and eventually spotted a sora sneaking through some willows in a marshy area.

Friday afternoon I head north to a family cabin and stopped off at the Mann Creek DU project north of Minocqua. Had a pair of trumpeter swans fly over and found some warblers feeding around the outflow of the marsh. I managed a couple ok shots of yellow-rumped and palm warblers, the first time I have really had a chance to photograph either species.

I spent most of the day Saturday in a sneak boat on a small lake watching and photographing a couple of loons that were loafing and feeding there. The were incredibly cooperative. It was incredible to watch the swimming under my small boat chasing down fish. While out on the lake I found a pair of solitary sandpipers and had two inquisitive gray jays pay me a visit.

Overall it was a great weekend. The weather was beautiful, plenty of birds around, and I even managed to catch a couple of fish. Can't complain. 

Thank you for checking my blog out.

Ryan Askren