23 June - 29 June 2020

 

Dear fellow flock of birders,

The summer solstice was June 20th and tomorrow is June 30. Have you noticed that the days are getting shorter? On the 20th the sun rose at 5:18 and set at 8:40. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:21 and set at 8:40. That's a whopping 3 minute difference! That means our sunny time birding has been reduced from 15 hours and 22 minutes to 15 hours and 19 minutes. What will we do? We can sleep a bit longer. Okay, that's the important news.

 

16 June - 22 June 2020

 

Dear fellow flock of birders,

I wish I could tell you that our bird walks could start again soon but I can't. The pandemic is still with us and we still need to be careful and cautious. I hope you are all well and remaining positive. Together we can and will get through this.

 

9 June - 15 June 2020

 

Dear fellow flock of birders,

I found another nest. This time it was the nest of a pair of Eastern Kingbirds. This pair built their nest in a tree next to the water at the southern end of Gardner Marsh along Carver Street. I remember seeing a pair building a nest in the same tree several years ago. They can fly almost straight down to pick up insects over the surface of the water. An attached photo shows one of the Eastern Kingbirds perched on a branch a few feet from the nest.

 

By Gail Morris

Monarchs Across the West!

Monarchs reached across all the Western states this week and entered Idaho for the first time! Citizen Science reporters shared detailed encounters. You can join them in their yards and in the field. Dr. David James explains his summer monarch breeding forecast. Think about where YOU might see monarchs in the West this summer!

 

“If the last pollinator species adapted to a plant is erased by pesticides, or habitat disturbance, the plant will soon follow. And as these and other populations decline or disappear, the consequences spread through the remainder of the food net, weakening other interspecific relationships.”

– E.O. Wilson

3 June - 8 June 2020

 

Dear fellow flock of birders,

Here's to good health, continued bird watching and exploration of nature.

Again I believe bird migration through the Arboretum, and Dane County for that matter, has come to an end. I'm seeing about the same birds day after day in both.

 

By Gail Morris

Monarchs on the move!

Monarchs are moving quickly north and east and hopefully will soon reach Washington and Idaho. They’re already stretching through California, Oregon and Utah, but Dr. David James’s hopes for a large summer monarch population floating into the state of Washington were dashed by his recent annual trip to the Northern California breeding grounds.

 

27 May- 2 June 2020

 

Dear fellow flock of birders,

I'm not sure how to start this message. The news these days is really difficult to absorb but I hope we all can take occasional breaks from this and find joy in nature. Not only are the birds active and singing but the trees are leafing out, the wild flowers are opening up and more are coming, the butterflies are appearing (I've seen several Monarchs this past week) and various frogs are singing. This is the good news!

 

By Gail Morris

Heading North!

Monarchs continued to expand into Utah reaching the Eastern border with Colorado along the Green River. At the same time monarch sightings and breeding continued along the Southern California coast this week. Their Spring journey is almost reaching its end as they near their summer breeding grounds.

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