Across Iowa

Birded along Cedar River this morning. No Sedge Wrens, I did find Warblers (Nashville, Yellow-rumped, Yellow, and Redstarts), Vireos (Red-eyed, and Blue-headed), Sparrows (Song, Chipping, and Field) and watched a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks mating. Baltimore Orioles were actively flying and singing. Redstarts must be doing well, I have seen them in many places.

. Iowa, is this the beginning of the “Heartland of America” ? Today I was able to see little green sprouts in rows in the fields. I heard on the radio that 92% of the corn crop has been planted. Small town America still exists in the states I have been driving through. Residential streets have trees, houses have yards and flowers, and the downtown is still alive.

After birding I returned to the highway and drove south on Hwy 218. City of Cedar Rapids has many old brick industrial buildings visible from the hwy. Was water power used here ? Milling of corn ? wheat ?

Around 7 pm I stopped in the town of Mt Pleasant for gas, nearly $ 47.00 to fill up the tank !! looked at the map, Woodthrush State Park was 15 miles ahead. I will try it. Exited from hwy 34 and drove several miles on a gravel road, if this place exists there is no public entrance. The GPS found a campground in town, I returned the 15 miles east on hwy 34. It was worth it. A family, with some land, is renovating a small campground. They are very nice people. An orange sunset spread across the open sky. A Common Nighthawk flew over, peeeent, peeeeent.

Robins were awake before 5 am, singing enthusiastically. By 5:30 am the House Wrens had joined in. Janie, the owner, came out to offer me a cup of tea. “I am an outdoor girl, “ she told me, “the farmer of the family.” She grows flowers and produce on a farm in Eldon, to the west. Her parents had started the campground business. Temperatures dipped into the low 40’s overnight, the “new” LLBean sleeping bag is working well.

I continued west on Hwy 34, stopping at Fairfield to walk at a county park. Jefferson County has created a wonderful network of trails. It was a sunny bright morning, pleasantly cool. I will include a bird list here.

Red-winged Blackbirds Robins

House Wrens Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Sparrows: Field, House, Song, White-crowned, Chipping, a maybe Vesper

Vireos: Red-eyed, Warbling, Philadelphia Ring neck Pheasant

Blue Jays Common Yellowthroats

Indigo Bunting Redstarts

Bobolinks Eastern Kingbirds

Cardinals Tree Swallows

Barn Swallows Crows

Eastern Bluebirds American Goldfinches

Catbirds Sedge Wren (heard only)

Brown Thrashers Eastern Wood Pewee

Canada Geese Killdeer

Eastern Meadowlarks Spotted Sandpiper

Driving on and on. Late afternoon I stopped at a prairie wildlife refuge and education center.

It was a beautiful prairie place. Iowa is not totally agricultural.

I stayed overnight at Thomas Mitchell Park. It wasn’t dark yet so I walked the one trail into the forest and along the edge of a field. Highlights were a Great Crested Flycatcher (took me a minute to recognize it) and the blue-est Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher I have ever seen. A Swainson’s Thrush popped out to look at me and returned to the cover of a bush.

Photos from a campground in Iowa, and Bison at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.

Wisconsin to Iowa

Friday and Saturday mornings Helen and I spent birding at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, one of the best birding places in Madison (Wisconsin). Birds were exciting, the forest was wet with recent rain. Each morning we needed to go to a nearby coffee shop to wait out another rain shower. Warblers: Black and white, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Blackpoll (many), Wilson’s, Tennessee, Magnolia, Nashville, Bay-breasted, and Redstarts. The Black-throated Green was a “heard-only” ID. Other highlights were Baltimore Orioles, Great-horned Owls nesting in a large hole in an old tree, a singing Indigo Bunting, and 2 Vireos (Blue-headed, and Red-eyed). We were able to see 2 fluffy owlets peeking out of the nest hole.

Backyard birding yielded a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and a Swainson’s Thrush, among others. Saturday evening my aunt, cousins and I went out to a movie, African Cats. Excellent photography. Sunday my cousins came over and we had a wonderful breakfast together, followed by a nice walk in Hoyt Park. I shared a matte with them.

The storm was blowing out, it was a windy, gusty day. I started driving west again, across Wisconsin and into Iowa. I crossed the Mississippi River at Dubuque at mid-afternoon. Open landscape, rolling farmlands, with trees on the edges of the fields.

An hour west of Dubuque I stopped at a state natural area to walk around and met some people mushroom hunting. Now I know something about Morels. Continued west and spent the night with a friend.

Monday dawned bright and sunny. Backbone State Park had a wonderful collection of birds and wildflowers. Limestone cliffs host many plants: ferns, flowers, just leaves, and moss. The forest floor was green with so many little plants growing. Photos of a Columbine on a cliff, and Jack-in-the-Pulpit. It was a fun day to be out hiking with no destination.

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Ohio to Wisconsin

Wednesday morning –

Dawn chorus started while the sky was still dark. Black throated Green Warblers and Red breasted Nuthatches added their voices to the early morning avian songs. I wanted to return to Ottawa NWR for early morning birding. Skies were hazy and overcast when I arrived. I think I was the first person on the pond loop trail that morning. A pair of Wood Ducks flew up from a canal to a trailside tree. The male sat down on a big branch in the sun. A 2^nd pair joined them on a nearby branch. Quite a treat.

A Wood Thrush was singing from the deep woods. A hungry Ruby-crowned Kinglet hovered at the end of catkins to snip off the tasty tips, then sat quietly for a minute. Blackburnian Warbler, Least Flycatcher, Indigo Buntings, and Eastern Kingbird. A good start to the day.

My last birding stop in this area was at Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area. The causeway provided marsh species, and a Beaver crossing the road. Lake Erie had that wonderful ocean smell. A small forest at the end of the road is a true migrant trap. Warblers: Canada, Yellow, Magnolia, Black throated Green, Wilson’s, Nashville, and Chestnut-sided. Vireos, and Kinglets, too.

After a stop at the library in Oregon, Ohio, I headed south driving across Ohio and into Indiana. From the cool and windy shores of Lake Erie, I drove into a warm humid Mid-west afternoon. Bank thermometers read 85 and 90 F. The air was dusty and hazy. Maumee River is brown and muddy, and has the flooding receding look. This was a trip past small towns and big farms, beautiful old homes, and a magnificent old church. Fields are not planted yet, the brown earth is just being tilled. The first crop of dandelions has gone to seed leaving their fluffy seed heads to start the next generation of dandelions. Highways 6, 224, and 24.

I arrived in Kentland, Indiana, on the border with Illinois, just as a thunderstorm was breaking over the city. Much rain, thunder-boomers, and a bit of lightning. A good place to stop for the night.

Thursday - Indiana is divided unevenly by the Central Time zone. It seemed like I had an extra hour this morning for birds. Dawn chorus came in waves starting around 5 am. First the blackbirds for 15 mins, they stopped to allow the Robins, Cardinals, and Sparrows to have their say. Crows were last, and had the least amount of time.

72 F at 6 am

North of the small town of Morocco I found an entrance to the Willow Slough Nature Preserve. The forest was damp from last night’s rain, the gravel road was OK, and the mosquitoes were hungry. I walked along an old road bed thru the forest to an open meadow. Common Yellowthroats and Yellow Warblers were singing. 17 species for the morning’s efforts.

Continuing west into Illinois I drove past more fields and farms and small towns. At one intersection, Hwy 52 W was going north, and Hwy 45 S was going west. Illinois has turned the compass around. There seem to be multiple road naming conventions in use. My paper highway maps use the US hwy, state hwy, county hwy system. Road signs at intersections and the GPS use a different system of 4-digit numbers combined with N, S, E, or W.

The biomass of Red-winged Blackbirds is astonishing. They are everywhere !! But where are the Meadowlarks ? Plenty of dead raccoons on the highway edges, Turkey Vultures come and eat.

Following a report (and directions) from ebird, I went looking for county road 7. Drove around quite a bit and finally found road 600 N. Eventually I was on the correct road and found the place where Mackinaw River crosses road 2300 E. And the birding was good, 27 species at mid-day. Eastern Meadowlarks showed up, as did an Indigo Bunting, a Red-headed Woodpecker, and I heard a Summer Tanager. I was impressed with this area.

Its 1 pm, time to head north. I arrived in Madison, WI during the height of evening commuting time. Ugh, traffic.

Helen’s neighborhood is so pretty with all the flowering trees and multi-colored tulips in the front yards.

Starting West

Where to start ? Silver truck was mostly packed up by Saturday evening. Sue and Jorge hosted a nice “Going Away” party for me. Miguel and Alicia came as did 2 Indian friends. Jorge made wonderful shish-kabobs on the grill, in both shrimp and steak versions. Of course, a bottle of red wine.

Sunday morning I packed up the last clothing and food items. Alicia brought clean laundry and a bag of Yerba Mate. Thank you !! I finally started off just before lunch, west on Hwy 84. 2 Canada Geese flew over the highway in CT. Many road killed animals. Where are the hungry Turkey Vultures ?

Waterfalls are still flowing down the sides of steep road-cuts of dark metamorphic rock. Hudson River bridge in 2 hours of driving. Marshes and creeks along Hwy 84 are surrounded by spring green trees just bursting in new baby leaves. Its such a pretty time of year.

First gas stop at a Pilot gas station, horrible noise pollution. Hwy 84 in eastern PA is badly in need of repair. By 3:30 pm I was traveling west on interstate 80, with all the big semi trucks. Sebastian did a good job of cleaning the windshield, the insects kept running into it anyway. Birding at 65 mph: Red-tailed Hawks, Starlings, Crows.

Columbia county’s Hwy 80 rest stop has a forested buffer behind it with a small pond. Birds were singing: Yellow Warblers, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Robins, Crows, an Eastern Phoebe, Catbirds, a Baltimore Oriole, a Common Yellowthroat (!!!), Red-winged Blackbirds, a Black and White Warbler, and several Tufted Titmice. A good list for an interstate highway rest stop.

Crossed the Susquehana River a few times. Dinner was a few Spinach-Cheese squares and a (date) goof ball. I explored the possibility of staying at SB Elliot state park. It was closed due to state budget problems. I kept going, eventually staying a few hours at another rest stop in western PA, then driving on another 40 minutes. I didn’t realize I had been only 40 miles from the Ohio border. !!!

I met some helpful KFC employees in Clearfield, PA and in the morning a kind Starbucks employee (somewhere in Ohio) filled my travel mug with hot water for free. Mate with breakfast !! Every rest stop along Ohio’s Hwy 80 is identical, designed exactly the same.

Dawn chorus from a Love’s gas station/ travel plaza: Cardinals, and mixed blackbirds. Fog rose over wetlands and ponds; the early morning sun had the fog glowing orange. At a rest stop along Hwy 80 I heard a Wood Thrush singing from trees behind the building. Crossed over the Cuyahoga Valley on a big bridge. The landscape is beautiful in spring green dress.

I arrived at my destination shortly after 10 am, much earlier than I had anticipated.

Magee Marsh, Crane Creek State Park, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, and Black Swamp Bird Observatory have together preserved a small fragment of the wetlands that used to exist along Lake Erie. Each year migratory birds gather at the edge of Lake Erie to re-fuel and rest before continuing on the last leg of their migration journey. Birding this area in May is simply amazing. Despite my mid-morning arrival, I saw many many warblers, and other migrants. (No I won’t list them all here.) 30 species total in 2 ½ hours, then I went back for lunch. I returned late afternoon for another 10 species. The viewing from the boardwalk is spectacular. Jorge, your camera would use many batteries.

A few highlights: Woodcocks sitting very close to the boardwalk (their feathers have very intricate details), Black-throated Green Warblers so close my camera could have taken a good photo, (I thought that tiny warbler wanted to chase away the humans from his tree.) and the songs. Birds were singing all day ! Forget the play-back device, the birds would drown it out with their own singing.

Dawn chorus at the campground started around 5 am. Cardinals, Robins, Chipping Sparrows, and a House Wren were up singing to the grey skies. A nice warm shower and I am ready to return to the boardwalk. A cool morning, and I was glad to have my green coat available.

Tuesday morning at Magee Marsh boardwalk, and I think I saw more birds on Tuesday morning than I did on Monday. LIFE BIRD: Black-billed Cuckoo !! One of the group tour leaders had found it, and was helping everyone see the bird. Warblers and Vireos and 2 Flycatchers. An embarrassment of riches in every tree.

That afternoon I explored Ottawa NWR. A cold wind came in after I started walking, but it didn't bother the birds. Trumpeter Swans are nesting on one pond, and the male is chasing all other birds away. Many Canada Geese families with little yellow goslings, ranging in size from 2 little ones up to 9. Warblers and Vireos here too.

I spent the 2 nights at Camp Sabroske, a nice campground with RV spaces across the field. An evening walk along one of their riparian trails yielded Great Horned Owl and Eastern Screech Owl just waking up.

Spring migration

So many beauties today !! I started the day with a Baltimore Oriole in a tree against a blue sky surrounded by little tiny green leaves, then an Indigo Bunting appeared in the apple tree, a deep blue bird among white flowers. Later on we walked along the river, Ovenbirds and Robins were in competition for the most passionate singing. A pair of Black-capped Chickadees were cleaning out a nest cavity in a dead tree. One chickadee backed out of the hole carrying debris in its beak ! Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a Great Crested Flycatcher, Yellow Warblers, and an American Redstart made today's birding spectacular.
The trees are simply out-doing themselves in growing new leaves. Thursday morning the maple outside my window had many green flowers and tiny new leaves. The next morning, only 24 hours later, the leaves had tripled in size !! Everywhere you look the forest has a soft green dress.

Migration is exciting

Spring bird migration is happening !! Warblers have been amazing: 2 Canadas, a Blackburnian, several Yellows, Black-throated Greens, Black and Whites, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow-rumpeds, Northern Parula and more. 4 species of Vireos have graced me with their presence: Yellow-throated, Warbling, Blue-headed, and a heard-only Red-Eyed. The other day I had a quick look at a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Today's beauties were a Scarlet Tanager, and a Great- crested Flycatcher. Alas, my camera is not up to bird photography, unless the bird is very close.
Flowers are another story. I found beautiful Red trillium, yellow Trout Lilly, and white Wood Anenomes blooming in the forest. Fern fiddleheads have been fun to watch as they unfold and expand many leaflets.