Anyone seen any migrant birds come back/thru Wisconsin, yet?

[HereSince1628]

[htuttle]

1. I saw some geese headed north over a month ago

But then I saw them going back south last week with a different bird in the lead... ;)

[AndyP]

2. I've seen a few flocks of geese

that's about it though.

[HereSince1628]

4. I'm longing to see something that hasn't been overwintering

[Nikia]

5. I saw some geese last Sunday

They appeared to be flying from Milwaukee to Fond Du Lac.

[DorianGreene]

3. None down here is MS

I'm sure Bush and is christian0-fascist approach teh environment killed them all off.

[ewagner]

6. No flocks of geese yet

They usually make a stop-over in the Upper Pond of Wildwood Park but it's still frozen over except for a small patch on the SE side of the pond......

Sae a Robin in the Honeysuckle in the back yard last Friday afternoon.....I think I'll take the gas grill off of the 3-season porch and put it outside....you know what they say.....

The grill has to be snowed on three times before it's spring

or....ahhhh...is it the robin?

[HereSince1628]

9. Haven't seen any robins yet they are always a good sign

I saw what I first thought was a robin, but it was a sparrow, and I thought it might be a fox sparrow because it was so big...but it turned out to be just a very well fed House sparrow.

[Viking12]

7. Seagulls started showing up several weeks ago...

As the ice recedes on the lake by my house the gulls feed on the dead shad & turn our neighborhood into a scene from a Hitchcock movie.

I'm guessing there are some others around but I haven't been paying attention.

[HereSince1628]

8. We've had a few Ring-bills all winter in Wauwatosa...

mostly feeding around grocery store and fast food parking lots.

I did notice more of them this last weekend and wondered if the migrants were starting to show up from the Gulf.

[sybylla]

10. Do Robins count?

I saw one last Thursday, but it doesn't necessarily mean anything. I've heard that occasionally, they will winter over.

It sure seemed awful early to me.

[dragonlady]

11. I saw about a dozen in the back yard

around New Years Day, and some off and on since then. This is the first year I can remember anything like that.

[AllyCat]

12. Two sandhill cranes last weekend.

n/t

[vireo]

13. Cranes and Robins for me, too

Saw my first Sandhill Cranes of the year on Mar. 1 near Oregon. Robins have been arriving this week and the blackbird numbers are building, with some Red-wings starting to stake out territory. Some arrived in Feb. but retreated when colder weather set in. Grackles have started appearing this week.

For those who aren't aware, there is a DU birding forum: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=294

And check out this site for the latest bird sightings here and elsewhere: http://birdingonthe.net/birdmail.html

[mockmonkey]

14. I think the cats

ate them all.

[gizmo1979]

15. Think I just saw a penguin!

:scared:

[russwallac]

16. Sandhills in Madison

Saw a small flock of sandhills flying over my house a couple of days ago...

[HereSince1628]

17. My favorite Wisconsin bird... a pair at my place in Jeff. Co. too.

For the past 4 years I've had a pair nest on the margin of my woodlot and wet meadow.

[sybylla]

18. I think Spring is here!

Had a lone Sandhill Crane fly over early last week and a flock of geese Saturday morning. Saw several Robins on the weekend. Spotted a Kildeer today. And I've had chickadees at my birdfeeder for a week.

The only latecomers seem to be the Juncos.

[ewagner]

19. Junkos, Robins

all over the back yard this afternoon....

Unusually high nuimber of "honkers" (Canada Geese) flying overhead and there is open water for them in Wildwood Park.

The Cardinals were singing their hearts out at 7 o'clock this morning....

Spring is close...

[sybylla]

20. Ah, yes. I finally have Juncos too.

Saw the first ones this morning at my feeder. I noticed I have tulips working their way out of the ground on the sunny side of my house.

Won't be long, ewag, before we're enjoying beer an grilling brats on the back deck.

[ewagner]

21. I won't have any tulips this year...

did I mention that I have very, very, very fat squirrels?

[sybylla]

23. I remember a thread not long ago about a really scarry fat squirrel

staring you down in your back yard.

I didn't know they went for tulips but I guess if the deer like them, they're good enough for squirrels.

We're on a high ground surrounded by open field. We very rarely get squirrels. I wouldn't mind having a few more around but we don't have enough trees to keep them happy.

Next year you'll have to cover your tulips with a chicken wire basket. I've heard that works pretty well.

[htuttle]

22. A little OT: Anyone know where to get a 'degree days' nature chart?

Decades ago, when I was an ecology major for awhile, I remember a professor having a chart that listed changes in nature that were expected at each degree day point after January 1st.

For example, at say, 20 degree days, he'd tell us that we should start seeing squirrls mating or a certain type of tree begin to bud. Next day, sure enough -- there were squirrels mating, etc.... I've googled around for this sort of thing, but haven't found one for South Central WI.

I was wondering whether different bird migration patterns correlated with degree days -- though I suppose that would be somewhat complicated, with the migrating birds migrating from place to place and all.

Anyway, back to our regular bird watching thread... :)

[Broca]

24. I've got an acre or so pond that fills this time of year

and has water until mid-summer or later if it rains. I've got geese and mallards the last couple of days. Sandhills for about a week. This early evening while walking in the woods I saw a patch of male Cardinal feathers where a hawk had dined (isn't always good to be conspicuously attractive). I'm midway between Marshfield and Wausau and have had Juncos all winter. I evicted some mice from some of my bluebird houses today although I may have to do this again before the swallows and bluebirds arrive.

It's a relief to see spring arrive. I kicked away some of the leave cover in the woods and the leeks were coming up already in the frozen ground. Couldn't find any deer antler sheds though.

[AllyCat]

25. Turkey vultures were up against the black, tornado-filled sky

They seem to like just about any summer kind of weather.