Brief trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin produces three new warbler species for the year (and lots of other stuff)

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler with leg bands, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Jack Pine habitat, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Golden winged Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Golden winged Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Nashville Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Mourning Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Brewster's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

American Redstart, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Northern Waterthrush, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

I flew out of Hartford late morning on Thursday the 9th into Minneapolis to begin a roughly two week vacation away with multiple stops before heading back home. The main part of the trip would be Alaska (covered in a later post) with the bookends being Minnesota/Wisconsin at the beginning and Oregon at the end (also covered in a later post). The first part of the trip I would be on my own with the goal being to track down at least two and possibly three species of warblers I had not yet seen for the year in the continental US (Kirtland’s Warbler, Golden winged Warbler and Connecticut Warbler)…much more on that at the following post: Minnesota and Wisconsin warblers.  I arrived in the early afternoon and after a little snafu with picking up the rental car I started the long (about 5 1/2 hour) drive to my Airbnb in northeast Wisconsin near the Michigan border. I eventually made it to the lodging around 7:30, had a quick dinner, a shower and went off to bed to try to get some sleep. However the place I rented was a basement location and the noise from above was super annoying and sleep was in short supply. 

With little sleep I headed out before dawn to drive to a spot to the south about 40 minutes away to try to find my first target…the Kirtland’s Warbler. I would have a much better chance to catch up with a Kirtland’s Warbler in their core breeding range in the lower peninsula of Michigan but I really didn’t want another three plus hour drive each way to get there. After lots of messages with a few people ‘in the know’ as far as possible locations for the species I had what I hoped would be a productive plan to find one. The species came close to extinction just a few decades ago and after lots of effort to provide suitable habitat (they need Jack Pines at a height of five to fifteen or so for breeding locations) and control of Brown headed Cowbirds the species has rebounded and has now been taken off the endangered species list. Wisconsin is at the periphery of the range and the area I would be checking has just a few nesting pairs and the locations are kept secret to protect the species. I arrived in one spot before sunrise and was immediately entertained by some Common Nighthawks calling and diving and making the unique booming sound as they drop from height and pull up just before hitting the ground. As I was enjoying the nighthawks I heard a Kirtland’s Warbler singing…target one down for the day. I then spent the next hour or so trying to get looks, photos and recordings. I had at least two males and a female present in a roughly 60 acre pine lot with the perfect height trees present. One of the males had color bands and I’ll see what I can find out about the history of the individual. I also had a number of other warbler species present with Nashville Warblers being the most prevalent (a theme that continued all day). I moved around the area a bit over the next few hours and found another pair of a Kirtland’s Warblers as well as great selection of other species (warblers and others). With the Kirtland’s Warbler in the bag my next target was Golden winged Warbler. I checked a few good looking spots before eventually seeing one and by end of the morning I had seen several including adults carrying food and fledglings being fed. I even had a Brewster’s Warbler hybrid feeding typical looking Golden winged Warbler fledglings. Besides warblers I had a bunch of other species I was able to add for the day and I had a total of 75 species. 

Canada Jay, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Blackburnian Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Ruffed Grouse, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Mourning Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Magnolia Warbler, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Boreal forest, Sax Zim Bog, MN, Jul 11, 2026

Without knowing how I would fare on Friday I kept my options open for Saturday. If I had failed to find a Kirtland’s Warbler I planned to perhaps make a trip into Michigan but thankfully I did not have to do that. Instead I decided to get up even earlier on Saturday and make the long drive back to Minnesota with the destination being the famous Sax Zim bog area a few hours north of Minneapolis. The area is very well known as a destination in the winter for those looking for owls and other northern birds but the summer also holds the chance of finding some interesting species with the chief among those being Connecticut Warblers. The downside of heading there is it is another long drive and to get there early enough to have a chance of getting birds while they are still singing meant another very early morning. Even getting up early I still did not get there until around 7AM (it’s a nearly five hour drive so tough to get there at first light!). The area had the feel and sound of the boreal north with both Red Crossbills and White winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins and Canada Jays. Not long after I arrived I heard a Connecticut Warbler sing in the distance and despite lots of effort on my part I never got eyes on the bird and I only heard it sing one more time and it was even more distant. Although I would have loved to have gotten a look I was very happy to finally hear this warbler sing on its breeding grounds. I have actually never heard the song in real life until that morning as the fall birds that come through are not singing and only call. I then tried a few other areas to try to find another Connecticut Warbler before I returned to the original area before heading toward the airport just after noon. I had no luck with finding any others or seeing or hearing the original one again. Nonetheless the warbler became warbler species #51 And was the last one I needed to find for the year in the continental US. This was also one of two warbler species this year that was heard only although I hope to track down some this fall at home.  I hit another milestone by topping my best ever year total for species in the US with White winged Crossbill breaking my previous best total of 449 set way back in 2011. This is all thanks to multiple trips to various parts of the US at various seasons.  It was a great morning in the area with multiple new species for the year with sunny weather every day with progressively warmer temps that topped off in the low 90’s.  I finished the day with 82 species, including 13 species of warblers.

Full eBird trip report here:  Minnesota and Wisconsin trip report

The first week(ish) of July

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 8, 2026

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 8, 2026

Eastern Kingbird, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, Jul 8, 2026

Luna Moth, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 8, 2026

American Woodcock, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 7, 2026

Black throated Blue Warbler, Quabbin Gate 12, Pelham, MA, Jul 5, 2026

Wood Duck with ducklings, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 5, 2026

Eastern Bluebird nest nearly complete, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 4, 2026

The first week(ish) of July is come to an end and I have been out as much as I could be to add species to my July list in Hampshire County before I head out west for a couple weeks.  I have managed to put myself at a record setting pace for the month with 129 species so far which is several species ahead of a typical July here.  Lots of breeding activity continues with loads of fledglings around.  

Very hot start to July with a multi day heat wave

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 1, 2026

Red eyed Vireo, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 1, 2026

Scarlet Tanager, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 1, 2026

Yellow throated Vireo, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 1, 2026

Peregrine Falcons, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Common Yellowthroat during banding process, Silvio Conte NWR- Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Blackburnian Warbler fledgling, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Prairie Warbler, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Turkey Vultures, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Downy Woodpecker, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Sun through the trees on a very humid morning, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 3, 2026

White spotted Skipper, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Eastern Bluebird nest construction underway, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler fledgling, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 4, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 4, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 4, 2026

Wood Duck with ducklings, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jul 4, 2026

White tailed Deer, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 4, 2026

A heat wave that started on the last day of June continued into the first four days of July with highs that reached the upper 90's with high humidity on multiple days.  I started the month by tracking down all the regularly occurring warblers in Hampshire County and getting lots of other species along the way.  After a number of thunderstorms overnight into the 2nd I headed out before dawn to track down more species for the month hitting multiple spots along the Connecticut River from the Holyoke Dam north to Hadley.  On July 3rd I started in Belchertown and then over to Amherst before ending my morning in Granby.  It was incredibly humid and the low temp to start the day was 72!  Really felt like being in the tropics.  Saturday was the last day of the heat wave and for that day I went after a few nocturnal species at Quabbin Park and nearby Ware before a longer walk along the rail trail in Ware.  I then spent a few hours in Quabbin Park plus a brief stop at Lake Wallace before heading home early to get Wilson a walk.  Lots of evidence of breeding around as expected for early July.  Despite the heat the first four days of the month have been productive in the county with 123 species so far.

A near record setting June comes to an end

Green Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 30, 2026

Mallard with ducklings, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 30, 2026

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 30, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 30, 2026

June has quickly come to an end and it ended on a hot note with steadily rising temps that will continue to rise into the first few days of July with a likely record setting heat wave.  As for June I finished with a total of 144 species for the month in Hampshire County, which is just one species behind my best ever June in the county (which occurred in 2021).  Among the rarities for the month were a Great Cormorant at the Holyoke Dam, a Northern Harrier in Hadley, a Red headed Woodpecker and Merlins at Quabbin Park, multiple Red Crossbills at a variety of locations and Blue Grosbeaks at the Honey Pot.  Nothing new today but lots of evidence of breeding with fledglings and adults carrying food to hungry youngsters.  

Nesting Red headed Woodpeckers and loads of Red Crossbills in Montague

Red headed Woodpecker, Montague Sand Plains, Montague, MA, Jun 24, 2026

Red headed Woodpecker, Montague Sand Plains, Montague, MA, Jun 24, 2026

Red headed Woodpecker, Montague Sand Plains, Montague, MA, Jun 24, 2026

Red headed Woodpecker, Montague Sand Plains, Montague, MA, Jun 24, 2026

Red headed Woodpecker, Montague Sand Plains, Montague, MA, Jun 24, 2026

Red Crossbills Type 12, Montague Sand Plains, Montague, MA, Jun 24, 2026

Common Ravens, Montague Sand Plains, Montague, MA, Jun 24, 2026

Sunrise, Montague Sand Plains, Montague, MA, Jun 24, 2026

I did some more guiding this morning for a birder from India with the main goal being seeing a Red headed Woodpecker.  Initially we were going to try for the one that showed up at Quabbin Park on June 20th.  Although I had it the following day and it was very cooperative, subsequent visits the next two mornings failed to turn it up.  With the Quabbin Park bird far from certain we made the decision to make the drive up to the Montague Sand Plains instead where there have been multiple individuals for several weeks.  I seldom head up there but it is a very unique habitat in this area and a fantastic birding spot.  We arrived a bit after sunrise and were greeted by a family of very vocal Common Ravens and then started our walk out through the sand plains.  Beyond the usual species expected here in numbers (such as Field Sparrows, Eastern Towhees and Prairie Warblers) we had multiple flyover groups of Red Crossbills.  The vast majority were Type 12 but we did have at least one that almost certainly was a Type 4 (sadly my attempted recording failed to capture it so it will have to remain as unconfirmed).  Thanks to some fantastic directions we were able to find the Red headed Woodpecker at a nest site.  We were able to watch from a distance the largely silent birds move around the area and come out of the nest where they are very likely sitting on eggs (Red headed Woodpecker is a very rare breeding species here so having them likely nesting is quite notable).  After watching the Red headed Woodpeckers for a bit, as well as an active Northern Flicker nest nearby, we continued our walk and eventually had a couple Red Crossbills actual land so we could see them perched in a pine.  On our return walk we once again stopped briefly in the area of the nest and got to see the changing of the guard at the nest hole...very cool to see.