wilson's phalarope Archives - Window to Wildlife

I made the first trip up to Horicon Marsh this spring early morning today. I was there at sun up and it was a beautiful morning. I stopped on Hwy 49 and there was nothing special going on that I could see. I hit the auto tour next a couple of times and it provided some nice views of American White Pelicans, Great Egrets and a few Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Mixed in with the yellowlegs was a beautiful male Wilson’s Phalarope. Other than that common ducks that have been reported, Sandhill Cranes, Double-crested Cormorants, etc. I hit Dike Road and it was pretty quiet, all I could come up with was a Great Blue Heron for something special. Nice morning to be out with 38 degrees to start with sun, but after a couple of hours the clouds rolled in and I headed south. Images were taken in the early morning sun on April 30, 2015.

Wilson’s Phalarope

Binomial name: Phalaropus tricolor

Category: Sandpipers and Phalaropes and Allies

Size: 9.25” long, 17” wing span

Weight: 2.1 oz

Wilson’s Phalarope

American White Pelican

American White Pelican preening

American White Pelicans

American White Pelican

American White Pelicans

American White Pelican

American White Pelicans resting

American White Pelican

Great Egret

Great Egrets

Great Egret preening

Great Egret

Sandhill Crane

Greater Yellowlegs

The Cattle Egret is one of my nemesis birds this year. After many miles of driving through areas where Cattle Egrets had been reported, this was my first real chance to photograph one. This time it did not disappoint me. I saw not one bird, but two. They were in a double pasture with cows just northeast of Horicon Marsh on Stumpf Road in Fond du lac County, Wisconsin.

I’ve also included images of some Wilson’s Phalaropes (Phalaropus tricolor) from Horicon Marsh.

Photographs taken July 23, 2013.

Cattle Egret

Binomial name: Bubulcus ibis

Category: Bitterns, Herons, and Allies

Description: White plumage with cream-colored feathers on its chest, head, and tail during breeding season. Yellow bill and gray legs.

Size: 18”-22” long, 35” – 38” wingspan

Weight: 9.5 oz. – 18 oz.

Habitat: Pastures, grasslands, meadows, and wetlands

Diet: Insects (grasshoppers and crickets), spiders, amphibians, and worms

Nesting: Cattle Egrets nest in colonies, typically near a body of water. Both males and females build the nest; males collect twigs and sticks while the female assembles them into jumbled pile in a tree or shrub. It is common for these birds to steal nest materials from others. The female will lay 1 to 5 eggs and raise 1 brood each season. Both parents incubate the eggs. Chicks are born with down feathers but are still helpless. The fledglings leave the nest after about 45 days.

Notes: Cattle Egrets are appropriately named as they tend to forage for food near cattle or other large, grazing animals. They eat insects and other vertebrates spread by these animals. The birds have also been known to forage behind farm machinery. Farmers may welcome these birds to their pastures as Cattle Egrets will help control fly and tick populations among cattle.