I stopped at a few birding spots this morning and one of them provided nice looks at a Eastern Screech Owl. It was nestled in a very old crab apple tree in a natural cavity. It was out enough to catch some very nice sun. It was a cold morning with temps of 16 degrees, sunny skies and a good wind at times. Image was taken on January 26, 2025
One of my birding stops today gave great views of a Eastern Screech Owl. It was perched in a spruce tree along a road. It was enjoying the morning sun on a cold day with temps around 18 degrees, some wind at times but sunny skies that were warm at times. Image was taken on January 24, 2025.
The Eastern Screech Owl perched in the pine…
I stopped at a few birding spots this morning that would be either short walks or birding from the car as it was so cold. An American Bald Eagle gave distant views along the Fox River downtown Waukesha. I also thought I would check on a Northern Saw-whet Owl that I found about a month ago, it was present at the same location tucked away in a tree. It was a very cold day with temps around 3 degrees, some wind gusts, with mostly sunny skies. Images were taken on January 20, 2025.
The Northern Saw-whet Owl…
Distant shot of the American Bald Eagle on the Fox River in downtown Waukesha…
The beautiful adult Purple Gallinule was present when I arrived in Mauston this morning. The normal range for this bird is Florida, so very rare for Wisconsin. Someone said, was it the recent hurricane? The Purple Gallinule hung with a couple of Mallard Ducks and an Indian Runner Duck. At times it was far from the mallards eating along the shores within the brush in the ditch. At times too it was not in sight, hidden in the grasses and not moving around much. The colors on this bird are breathtaking. I did see it fly twice, just an amazing bird blue bird in the air. Thanks to Jeri for finding this rare bird and sharing, obviously a life bird for me! It was mostly cloudy in Mauston while I was present with mild temps, no wind. Images were taken on October 13, 2016.
Binomial name: Porphyrula martinica
Category: Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
Size: 13” long, 22” wing span
Weight: 8 oz
Typically it was feeding in the brush along the ditch shore
Indian Runner Duck
Indian Runner Duck
Early morning sun in the grasses
Early morning sun in the grasses
