![]() It's the state’s third record of a tufted duck, according to Ryan Brady, conservation biologist with the Department of Natural Resources. The scaup-like waterfowl has been hanging out with rafts of diver ducks for a couple weeks near Milwaukee. ![]() A tufted duck was floating several hundred yards east of the Petroleum Pier under the Hoan Bridge south of downtown. The first were black-capped chickadees, house finches and northern cardinals at our home feeder, followed by a bevy of waterfowl, including common goldeneye, lesser scaup, bufflehead and Canada goose, at the Lake Michigan shore.īut later we also got a distant look at the rarest bird of all currently being seen in southeastern Wisconsin. Honesty compels me to tell you the turnstone and sandpiper were numbers 12 and 13 for my wife and me. That, too, will likely never be repeated in a Midwesterner birder's life. One of the rare shorebirds surely was someone's initial tally for 2022. To see them side-by-side in Milwaukee was likely a once-in-a-lifetime gift.īirders often compare notes about their "first bird" sighted each year. The other, with speckled brown-and-white feathers and a drooping bill, was a purple sandpiper.īoth species are rare visitors to Wisconsin. Just 50 feet away a pair of robin-sized birds bobbed and pecked on a pile of mussel shells. One, with a distinct black bib and white belly and slightly upturned bill, was a ruddy turnstone. My wife, Caroline, and I sidled up to look for ourselves. ![]() This group stood in a respectful arc and looked northeast, transfixed. Gone were the boisterous, polar bear imitators who commanded the public waterfront New Year's Day. ![]() Sunday dappled sunshine, a light breeze and mild temperatures created a welcoming winter vibe at Bradford Beach.Ī small crowd gathered at the northern edge of the parking lot. ![]()
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