Day 19 of my "Big Month" was actually an out of state field trip that I'd planned some time ago. The
Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis does a couple of trips each spring to Tiffany Bottoms State Natural Area in Durand, Wisconsin. You ride out on what was a defunct railroad track that was purchased by a private operation called the
Chippewa Valley Motor Car Association. They restored a large portion of the 14 mile track and now operate rides using small, open air rail cars. It is a really neat attraction and one of the only ways you can access this nearly 14,000 acres of wild and mostly unexplored wilderness area. I'm not sure exactly how or when it became known as a hot spot for birding, but I was super excited to see what it was all about. I'm not even sure if I could list all the species we saw in the 4 hours of the trip. There were lots of expert birders and everyone's experience was different, but I'll do my best from my own memory of what I saw personally. Right off the bat at one of the very first stops, I spotted what at first looked like a really dark American Redstart. Only it was a bit too large. I wasn't quite ready for photos so quickly and by the time I snapped this the bird had turned upside down.
Just minutes later the guide from Audubon said there might be an Orchard Oriole in the area -which I then realized was what I saw! One of the other big birds the group was hoping to spot was a Blue-winged Warbler. And when I say "big" I don't mean in size, but rather in uniqueness. Like most Warblers it is small and hard to locate in the tree tops. But our guide knew their song and was able to locate a few of them for us. Then getting a photo was a whole other story. After listening and watching for a long time this is the best picture I managed -mind you they're 4.75" from head to tail and a long ways away It was a lot of fun though hearing and catching periodic glimpses of this colorful little Warbler that I'd never seen before!
Despite all the abundance of birds I saw on this trip, I wasn't getting many good photographs. For me personally, to get really good bird photos is either pure dumb luck (just being in the right place at the right time by accident) or spending an extraordinary amount of time stalking one bird in particular. Since I was much more interested in seeing as many things as I could, it didn't make sense to be out stalking individual birds -not that I could have anyways because the area is just so darn big. Plus you can only wander off for so long before the train heads off again.
That being said, there
was one bird that was close and sat still long enough for
everyone to photograph. This Common Nighthawk was perched on a branch
about 20 feet up and never moved the entire time. I've only seen them
flying before and never perched so this was yet another treat for me.
Apparently they are known for this behavior during the day, roosting
motionless on a tree branch, fence post or the ground but they can be
very difficult to see because of their great camouflage. To me they
appear to have the original "mossy oak" patterning that is used so
prevalently now in camouflage hunting gear.
Total species seen today: Trumpeter Swan, Canada Goose, Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Red-eyed Vireo, Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, American Goldfinch, Mallard, Common Nighthawk, Least Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Bald Eagle, Eastern Towhee, Eastern Phoebe, Bank Swallow, Barn Swallow, Turkey Vulture, Song Sparrow, Mourning Dove, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin and Gray Catbird.
Conditions: 82 degrees, partly sunny and very humid!
I actually didn't know at the time but what I was seeing was a Blue-winged Warbler! Though I didn't catch most of his blue-grey colored wing, the tell tale marking is the black stripe right across the eye. I could hardly believe it once I realized what it was. Yet another first for me! Shortly later I eyed a Brown Thrasher on the ground that seemed to be pouncing on something and then jumping back and up into the air repeatedly. As I got in closer I could see that there was a tiny little Garter Snake on the ground who was holding it's ground tenaciously. The snake was all of about 6 inches long but held it's jaws open and would strike every time the Thrasher tried to pick it up. At such a small size, I figured the bird would eventually win out but the snake just kept fighting. I must have gotten too close and scared the Brown Thrasher off at which point the snake slithered quickly back into the weeds. 
I was kind of disappointed that I let myself interrupt this scene but I'm sure the snake was thankful. Later on the next wood chip trail I glanced down to notice a bright green Katydid on a large bleached-out leaf. My camera and zoom lens don't take great closeups so I tried quite a few angles and distances. When I got home I was happy to see a few came out and this one even had some good detail of the wings and eye. 
It's quite obvious that the Katydid is purposely resembling a green leaf to avoid being eaten. Finally, this last photo I took on the north side of the park near the thick bushes of Dogwood after the trail curves. This has always been an excellent place to watch for birds and attracts everything from Orioles to Warblers and Hummingbirds. Today it was a couple of female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. I always love to see the males and if there's a female around the male is usually somewhere behind her. I watched and waited but never did see the male. 
This female however posed perfectly for me in a Buckthorn tree closer to the trail. Now if I could just get all birds to cooperate this well!
