Filling the Gaps — Part I: Upper Midwest

I returned home from Alaska on the morning of June 10, 2022, feeling somewhat fatigued. Yes, I had been birding practically nonstop since April but that was not the issue. And I flew home from Anchorage on a red-eye flight via Salt Lake City. That wasn’t it either. What was dragging me down was a cold I had picked up in Gambell. I had not been sick in years, since before the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic. Just in case I tested myself for COVID and lo and behold the test result came back POSITIVE. I had COVID! Fortunately, my symptoms were mild and I was already recovered. After informing the group I learned that two others developed symptoms and tested positive. Both made full recoveries. It was time to review my progress with my Big Year. 

Alaska was quite productive. Forty-five year birds including fifteen (!) ABA Code 3+ species. I had now seen 31 of these rarer species, mostly vagrants. My goal was 40-50 Code 3+ species for the year. This was an excellent accomplishment because unlike Code 1 and Code 2 species, which breed in North America, the frequency of detecting new species as year birds would not decrease over the course of the year.  I figured I would have a good chance to detect 60 by the end of my Big Year!

My USA and Territories total was 708. I was well on my way to my goal of 900 species.  Hawaii and the South Pacific Islands should produce at least 100 more species in October and November. 

My total for the ABA Area was 678, good for third place in the eBird Top 100, two species behind the McQuades, who had finished strong in Alaska with some species in Nome that I had missed, including Spectacled Eider and Arctic Warbler. 

In the Lower 48 competition I was in first place, ahead of the McQuades by one species, at 638 species. 

It was mid-June and spring migration was essentially over. It was time to take stock of the species I had missed and think about strategic ways to find them. 

There were some big misses in Alaska. Gyrfalcon was one of them. It does not breed in the lower 48. Perhaps I could find one later this summer in Alaska, or on a wintering territory in the northern tier of US States. Red-legged Kittiwake was another miss (although I didn’t go to the Pribilofs where they are common). 

Among Warblers, I was still missing Connecticut, Kirtland’s, Arctic and Red-faced. Many Sparrows were missing including Baird’s, Saltmarsh, LeConte’s,  Henslow’s, Botteri’s and Five-striped. Flycatchers missed include Dusky-capped, Brown-crested, Buff-breasted, Yellow-bellied and Willow. Goatsuckers missed include Buff-collared Nightjar, Eastern Whip-poor-will. Many pelagic species were still missing. 

I had four tours planned for the summer with the goal of filling these gaps: Wisconsin/Minnesota June 20-25; New England June 25-30; Colorado July 11-15, and finally Arizona during monsoon season Aug 7-12. And spring migration was still happening. In Colorado, recent reports of Willow Flycatcher around Fort Collins were certainly late migrants. 

My daily birding in my local patch (Larimer County, Colorado) would focus on finding Willow Flycatcher migrating through riparian habitat near Fort Collins. I searched several local hotspots along the Cache La Poudre River trail to no avail. 

On June 19 , I joined Sue Riffe in Minneapolis.  Sue owns She Flew Tours, based in Boulder County, Colorado. She had agreed to serve as driver and co-leader of this tour. Dana Hiatt and Kelly Ormesher would arrive the following morning, from Loveland, CO, and St. Louis, MO, respectively. Upon our arrival in the afternoon, Sue and I followed an eBird report for Henslow’s Sparrow and Willow Flycatcher near St. Paul at East Battle Creek Park. No luck. Sue had led tours to Minnesota previously and had developed an itinerary with my targets in mind. Once the whole group was assembled, we made a beeline for Eau Claire, WI. We had heard that a population of Kirtland’s Warbler was thriving in central Wisconsin. Kirtland’s Warbler would be a life bird for everyone in the group except Sue.  Due to its status as endangered, eBird reports were hidden. Sue used her experience with the species in its core range in central Michigan to find similar habitat in Wisconsin. In Michigan the species nests on the ground in dense stands of immature jack pine. The presence of pine boughs only inches above the ground provides adequate protection from predators. She noticed that her checklists with Kirtland’s Warbler in Michigan also contained a couple different species consistently. Using these parameters she found a large patch of suitable habitat in Wisconsin. When we arrived we found a plantation of young red pines and a large sign indicating that the habitat was being managed for Kirtland’s Warbler. Sue directed us to pines of the right size, not too tall and not too small. And bingo, right away we heard the unique songs of several territorial Kirtland’s Warbler (USA and Territories Biggest Year Bird no. 709). Later during the evening of June 20 we added American Woodcock (710) and Eastern Whip-poor-will (711). 

On June 21, 2023, we returned to the pine plantation and very patiently waited for the opportunity to photograph this large warbler that sports a blue-gray back and a bright yellow belly. Other birds in this habitat included Brown Thrasher and Vesper Sparrow. This was a great morning for all of us in part because the Kirtland’s Warbler was so cooperative. 

Next we visited under-birded Petenwell County Park and were pleased to find Blue-winged Warbler. We extended the morning by visiting Necedah NWR where we found Dickcissel, Least Flycatcher, nesting Bald Eagle, Trumpeter Swan, and Whooping Crane!! Red-headed Woodpecker completed the show. It was fun meeting young local birder Erick Ollie who filled us in on the local birding scene. 

After lunch and a siesta we visited another under-birded eBird hotspot called Buckhorn State Park. We found voracious mosquitoes but also Chestnut-sided Warbler and more American Woodcock and many Eastern Whip-poor-will which began their onomatopoeic serenade after sundown. 

On June 22, 2023 we drove northward towards Lake Superior and Northern Minnesota. Our first birding stop was the George W. Mead State Wildlife Area, where we arrived shortly after sunrise. Birds were everywhere. Sandhill Crane, American White Pelican. We parked at the East Honey Island Flowage Area where we encountered Golden-winged Warbler and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Black-billed Cuckoo (heard only, 712). Hiking out into the marshes we found Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Purple Finch, American Bittern and many nesting Black Tern.  

At the headquarters, we met the head biologist, Craig Ziolkowski, who told us how to find Henslow’s Sparrow in the preserve and informed us of a pair of resident Whooper Swan with the flock of Trumpeter Swans. We spent considerable time looking for both without success. We did find a territorial singing Mourning Warbler which we speculated to be at the southmost edge of the breeding range in Wisconsin.   

After lunch we finished the drive to Superior, WI, and the shore of Lake Superior. We assembled on the beach hoping to relocate a flock of small gulls that contained Bonaparte’s and one each of Ross’s and Little.  No luck.  We spent the night in Duluth, MN on Lake Superior. 

The next morning,June 23, 2023, storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. We headed to the Sax-Zim Bog. Arriving on Arkola Rd., we detoured to Winterberry Bog, a small property managed by the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog. A birding friend from Colorado had sent me a message a day earlier that he had seen Connecticut Warbler there.   We did not find it.  Apparently, the warbler had decided to move on overnight. Consolation was a close encounter with a Black-backed Woodpecker and a singing performance by an outgoing Winter Wren and a good look at the bright black-and-orange face pattern  of a Blackburnian Warbler.  Back on Arkola Rd., we headed toward the visitor center to get better info on Connecticut Warbler and any nesting Great Gray Owl. Sue paused at an expansive meadow hoping for LeConte’s Sparrow. Instead, we were surprised to find Dickcissel, a rare bird in Northern Minnesota. 

At the visitor center, we learned some very disturbing news. Rainfall this year had been low, and the drought caused the population of Connecticut Warbler to continue its northbound migration beyond Sax-Zim Bog. However, a couple of Great Gray Owl had been seen recently in the bog. The bog was indeed quiet (except for many singing Nashville Warbler!). After a brief and unsuccessful search for the large owls, we decided to head south to McGregor Marsh where we expected to find Willow Flycatcher, LeConte’s Sparrow and Yellow Rail. Instead we found only mosquitoes and a few Savannah Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow and Sedge Wren. After a dinner break we returned to the  marsh under cover of darkness but could not detect any calling Yellow Rail. The rain was picking up so we called it a night and headed back to Duluth. 

On June 24, 2023, we began the day birding in Duluth. Along the lake shore, we discovered a couple of eBird rarities -- Savannah Sparrow and Sanderling. Several pair of Common Tern were nesting nearby. Once we got on the road, we aimed for an eBird hotspot called Crex Meadows State Natural Area where Yellow Rail and Henslow’s Sparrow had been recently reported. Fortunately it was along our route towards Minneapolis in west-central Wisconsin. No luck, but the birding was fabulous - - Least Bittern, Golden-winged Warbler, Black Tern and  nesting Trumpeter Swan. Afterwards, we  successfully chased a locally rare Upland Sandpiper at nearby Fish Creek State Wildlife Area. I was happy to upgrade this species from heard only to seen. 

On the final morning of the tour, we saw that Henslow’s Sparrow was continuing at East Battle Creek Park so we returned there and eventually found a singing Henslow’s Sparrow (713) teed up atop a distant forb. It was among several Savannah Sparrow and Bobolink in tall grass prairie habitat. Their song is not much to hear, and barely recognizable as a song. In this regard, we appreciated the Merlin app for its highly functional song identification component. It was certainly helpful in guiding us to the singing bird and corroborating the identification. 

I had picked up four new year birds in Wisconsin, and one in Minnesota. A few species were still left on the table and will require more effort later in the year: Connecticut Warbler, LeConte’s Sparrow, and Yellow Rail.

Special thanks to Sue for driving and planning the route. And to Dana and Kelly for their companionship and support for my Big Year effort. Photos and audio files will be available through the eBird trip report which can can be accessed here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/144004.