By HARRY PRIESTER
Hello wonderful readers of the Round Table! My name is Harry and I will be starting a bird report highlighting what birds you can see in the area, and what birds I’ve been seeing!
September is the peak of the current migratory period, and a great time to catch a glimpse of birds that normally don’t stay around here for too long. Every night, millions of birds fly across the country and over our sleepy dorms, potentially even taking a break on some of our beautiful ancient burr oaks to stay a day or two. A bird to look out for right now is the Blackpoll Warbler! Considered “near threatened” by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the Blackpoll Warbler is a rare bird a bit smaller than a robin with mottled black and light gray coloring, a sleek black cap, and cute lil mutton chops. A perhaps more common bird that has come back from near extinction in the past twenty years is the Sandhill Crane! Check the skies or open fields along the highway for hundreds of red headed cackling flappy bois that don’t look like geese!
This week I got up just before sunrise and took my usual birding route, starting with Beloit College’s very own oak savannah, a good habitat for lots of small perching birds, and I found nothing! Sometimes that’s just how it goes… I then ventured forth towards the river, specifically to a rocky area just below the dam. Luckily though, I did find some birds there! There was a very stoic Great Blue Heron waiting patiently for a juicy morning fish as well as a waddling of mottled molting Mallards with speckled and unique patterns as they prepared their feathers for winter. Hiding amongst the 20 or so waterfowl was a singular peckish Killdeer who I’m sure felt very safe with his large group of larger friends.
I then moved on, walking north past the Powerhouse. As I walked in the shadow of Beloit College’s gloomy feat of innovation, I saw a hundred or so of some of the best fliers in their weight class. Chimney swifts, with their small heads, swept back U shaped wings, and sharp bill can out maneuver any small insect that might dare to cross their path. They seem to erupt from their favorite roosting place (and the largest cylinder in the area), the Powerhouse smokestack, like the sputtering lava of Vesuvius.
I next meandered under the White Avenue bridge, where upon emerging from the underpass, I stumbled upon some antagonizing starlings deceiving me with a very good cedar waxwing impression. I then continued north towards the Turtle Island playground where I found a very lucky Belted Kingfisher! Her crest was a bit patchy but of course I didn’t mind because everyone has bad hair days. I stood 30 feet away and watched and waited in anticipation for her to grab a meal from the murky depths. After 10 minutes or so the bird had taken a few half dives showing off her semi hovering technique until the fateful moment when I witnessed the graceful pescatarian swoop in for real this time to grab an unsuspecting minnow.
After snapping a pic and saying goodbye to the master angler, I made my way back south to grab my own morning feast of an egg sandwich and a tasty pumpkin spice latte. As I sat by the river to enjoy my little treat, I saw a family of Canada Geese honking their horns and causing a small ruckus. I also heard a jabbering Blue Jay pestering the town and a sullen mourning dove. On my final walk back to my dorm, I caught the high pitched calls of a flock of Cedar Waxwings munching on some ripe crab apples and a pair of Goldfinches gossiping about their larger relatives hogging the fruit. It was a very nice morning.
Bird List for this week’s trip: American Goldfinch, Cedar Waxwing, European Starling, Blue Jay, Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Killdeer, Chimney Swift, Mallard, Canada Goose, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove
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