DAVE'S BRAIN TODAY...
Spring Migration
Spring is the best time to look for new birds, as many birds are on their way through. Make sure to keep a look out for bird movement. Tree tops, feeders, low and on the ground. Different birds are in distinct locations, so don’t always look in the same place. I find myself just looking at my bird feeder and often forget to look other places. The Merlin Bird ID App has a bird sound ID that will help you know what you’re looking for. If you use the App, it will ID birds, show you a picture of that bird and then you’ll know what to look for. Big, small, assorted colors, it will tell you what birds are in your location just by their calls and songs. It will also give you other examples of other sounds and songs that same bird does. Sometimes I’ll play them loudly from my phone and that bird will come in to see. Fantastic way to see new birds. One time I played the song of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and one came and sat two feet from me. He looked at me like; you’re not a bird and flew away. Every little trick you learn to attract birds and identify them adds to your enjoyment, thereof.
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Happy Birding!!
NHS PRO STAFF
DAVE MAYEAU
Our NHS Onsite Birding Pro
Come on into the store and pick his BIRD BRAIN.
Let's Get Started...
Get a bird feeder, go where the birds are.
LOOK, LISTEN & PAY ATTENTION.
When bird watching there are some things that will help you in identifying what you just saw.
First what size was it? Sparrow, Robin, Crow, Mallard, or Heron?
What color was it? Black and white, brown with stripes on its head, yellow with gray on its wings, or blue and black?
What was it doing? Was it on the ground, in a tree, at your feeder, flying, or swimming?
These couple of things will help you narrow down what you saw. Size, color, and activity are crucial in determining what the bird is. Some birds don’t like to be down low; others do. Some birds eat bugs, others eat seeds. The more you pay attention to all the details of what you saw, will help you identify your newfound bird.
As you look and see more things you will find that you will understand more things and in turn you will see more things. You will learn new behaviors of different types of birds. And then you’ll be hooked! Happy Watching!
PRO TOOLS
Resources to get started...
BIRD SPOTLIGHT
Northern Wisconsin Species...
Courtesy of AllAboutBirds.org
RARE
Palm Warbler
(Setophaga palmarum)
OVERVIEW
a small, brownish warbler with a yellowish undertail and a faint chestnut cap. Common during migration across eastern North America, it favors open habitats like fields, marsh edges, and scrubby areas. Often seen walking on the ground rather than staying high in trees, it constantly bobs its tail as it searches for insects. It breeds in northern bogs and winters in the southeastern U.S. and Caribbean, giving a soft, buzzy trill call.​
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COOL FACTS
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Palm Warblers are almost always wagging their tails—so persistently that the motion alone can give them away before you notice their subtle coloring.
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Unlike most warblers, they spend a lot of time on the ground, walking and foraging in open areas instead of flitting through treetops.
UNCOMMON
Barred Owl
(Strix varia)
OVERVIEW
A large, round-headed owl with brown-and-white barring, dark eyes, and no ear tufts. Native to eastern North America, it inhabits mature forests, swamps, and wooded waterways. Often active at night—and sometimes by day—it hunts small mammals, birds, and amphibians with silent flight. Its famous call, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” carries far through the woods, making it easier to hear than see.​
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COOL FACTS
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Barred Owls have an eight-note call that sounds like “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?”—a sound that echoes through forests and is often easier to recognize than the bird itself.
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They’re surprisingly adaptable, expanding westward in the last century and even competing with the threatened Northern Spotted Owl in overlapping habitats.
COMMON
Eastern Phoebe
(Sayornis phoebe)
OVERVIEW
A modest, medium-sized flycatcher with brownish upperparts and a pale underside, sometimes tinged yellow. It frequently flicks its tail and shows faint wingbars. Common across eastern North America, it winters into southern Mexico. Usually seen alone or in pairs along woodland edges, fields, and near water, it often nests on buildings. An early migrant, it returns north with a sharp “FEE-bee” call.​
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COOL FACTS
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Eastern Phoebes constantly flicks its tail up and down while perched—so reliably that birders can often identify it just from that nervous little motion before even seeing details.
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Eastern Phoebes are known to reuse the exact same nesting site year after year—often on human structures like bridges or barns—and will even build a fresh nest right on top of an old one like a tiny multi-story condo.