The "Hidden Trails"

I discovered the forest trails next to Glenway golf course today, where I turned up a few blue-gray gnatcatchers and a tufted titmouse.

the unmarked trails

Over the golf course itself, I caught a glimpse of a broad-winged hawk just as it was flying over. Along the southwest commuter path, I found my FOY house wren.

Looking more and more like spring every day!

Birds of my Neighborhood

This was part of my route this afternoon... Afterward, I walked home, making the total route about 3.5 mi. White-throated sparrows along the commuter path were nice!

April in Madison

Like a few of us this year, this is also my first BIGBY, and I'm loving it! I'm truly getting to "smell the roses" as I spend afternoons walking the city, parks and lakes. I've gotten to know new parts of my neighborhood and check out things I'd always breezed past before.

Today, I picked up 4 new species: a winter wren in Edgewood, a greater scaup in Vilas Park, northern rough-winged swallows over Lake Wingra and an osprey over Monona bay.

lake Wingra dam

I also got a lifer of another taxa...muskellunge at the dam!

Late Addition to the BIGBY

Hi all,

I finally "bit" and joined the WI BIGBY about 1/4 of the year in. Bird of the day: chimney swift! Spotted from my apartment window on this otherwise rainy, cold day in Madison.

A little about me...I'm studying the response of forest songbirds to extreme climate events. I started at UW Jan 2012, so I've lived in Wisconsin a little over a year. I've really enjoyed getting to know a new community of birds and birders, far different from my last residence of SC!

I'm a member of the Great Wisconsin Birdathon team "Bird So Hard." We're currently raising funds for WI bird habitat, and there's an awesome deal at stake: if you donate $25+ to our team, you'll be entered to win a pair of Eagle Optics Rangers 8x42, generously donated by our sponsors! Please help us out!

I live in the near west, and I don't own a bike! My stomping grounds are Lakeshore path to Wingra. Will keep you posted on my progress.

-Jessica Gorzo @setophaga