Summer is often an exciting time to be bird-watching in Wisconsin.
While the month of May is time for bird migration and arrival, and June is devoted to nesting, July is the fledging season. So this is prime time to see the young making their way out of the nest.
Bird-watching experts said that in contrast to last year, this summer will likely be ideal in seeing birds out and about.
Last year at this time, the extremely hot and conditions, but this year couldn’t be more different. Naturalist Bill Volkert said that this year's cool, wet spring and early summer has affected birds.
"They’re not only late to get here, a lot of them were late to initiate nesting, and as a result, they’re a little slow to get some of the young out of the nest," he said.
Noel Cutright, a past president of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, agrees with that assessment.
“It definitely is delayed this year. Of course, that gives us an opportunity to watching breeding birds later in the year this year, compared to last year,” Cutright said.
Volkert spent 27 years working at Horicon Marsh International Education Center. Recently, it was confirmed that Buffleheads are nesting there, which is an exciting development for bird lovers. Naturalist and photographer Jack Bartholmai, of Beaver Dam, was able to document it with some incredible photos.
“I first discovered these birds nesting at Horicon in 2009 and confirmed the first recent Wisconsin nest record in 2011, which was written up in the journal of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology," Volkert said. "This year, there was a mixed brood with 4 wood ducks in the nest, which is very unusual and has not been recorded before as far as I know.”
Cutright notes that Bartholmai will feature the Bufflehead project in a public presentation early October in Saukville.
