Northerly Treks: The Prairie To The South

I didn't do much after Sax-Sim Bog on June 8th except for getting dinner and going back to Gretchen's cabin for the remainder of the evening.  After enjoying time on the dock over the Yellow River, I went to bed early, because I was going to get up and hit the road early by 2 A.M. on June 9th.

My destination on June 9th was the Buena Vista Grasslands and Marsh in central Wisconsin in Portage County.  A town close to this area is Wisconsin Rapids.  From Gretchen's in Spooner, the drive to the prairie habitat was a little over three hours away.  I left a little after 2 A.M., and wished that I would've left at 1 A.M.  Giving the fact I would have to make a few stops along the way, and underestimating how quickly it does get light out in the north, I realized I should've left even earlier.  The drive to Wisconsin Rapids wasn't smooth either.  While deer on the roads weren't an issue for me on the entire trip up until this drive, this drive was different.  I had three deer run in front of my rental truck as I was driving highways.  Although I didn't hit any of them, they sure had my heart rate going fast.  One scared me, one really scared me, and one terrified me.  The latter two were lucky I didn't come a tenth-of-a-second earlier.  As I had been very careful of road wildlife all trip, I was phobic of hitting animals on this drive after those three deer.  I was glad when I got to the grassland and prairie just before 6 A.M., but I do wish I would've gotten there an hour earlier.

My main target of this trek was the Greater Prairie-Chicken, and another big target was Henslow's Sparrow.  A few others that were of big interest were Short-eared Owl and Upland Sandpiper.  When I got to Buena Vista, I started looking for Prairie-Chickens immediately.  I cruised up and down dirt roads that go within the area.  There were signs up that stated it was a Prairie-Chicken management area.  I drove up to a kiosk at the entrance to the wildlife area.  They had Greater Prairie-Chicken information everywhere.  Long description of a fun bird cut short, the Greater Prairie Chicken was once very common in this area from Wisconsin and the north-central United States and much further south in the central United States.  It's habitat has been destroyed to create a rapid decline in the species.  Wisconsin is a great example of once having high and much more widespread numbers of Greater Prairie-Chicken, but has also had habitat destroyed for human needs.  In the Buena Vista area, 15,000 acres of great habitat for Prairie-Chickens has been created, and it is a great place to observe this species in winter and especially in April, when birds begin "lekking" and looking for mates.  The males perform unforgettable courtship displays or "dances", and someday I'd love to visit an active lek.  All of the signs throughout the area and at the kiosk made me want to see one even more.

Other than an interesting chicken-like bird that ran across the road quickly and didn't give me any further views, I will say now that I didn't get to see a Greater Prairie-Chicken.  It opens the door to see it somewhere else, and for another adventure in the future.  I also laughed a little that I didn't find one, because if I found one, it would give me a perfect 9-for-9 on life birds that I could get on the trip.  When it comes down to birding, there's rarely ever that "perfect" trip.  As I thought I'd miss Spruce Grouse more likely out of the two, it turned out to be a flip.  Looking over eBird data in Buena Vista Grasslands and Marsh area, which is highly managed for Greater Prairie-Chickens, it showed sightings planted down on eBird literally everywhere throughout the entire area.  One would think that getting one would be a piece of cake, but it wasn't.  Maybe it was because I should've been there at 4:30 A.M. rather than close to 6 A.M.  When I arrived, there was a lot of light on the prairie already!

Despite missing the Chicken, I did get great looks at a species I've wanted to see much closer and for an extended amount of time in the Henslow's Sparrow.  Along a road called 130th Street, a route that goes through great prairie habitat, were plenty of Henslow's Sparrows.  Some of them popped up at close range for me and sang their simple song, which to some translates as "Hick-UP!  Hick-UP!  Hick-UP!".  This sparrow has a very large bill, a buff mustache bordered by black lines on both sides, a neat greenish coloration on it's neck and nape, a reddish back and wings with black streaking and white edging, and streaking on it's breast and sides.  Males will often sing relentlessly when arriving on nesting grounds and will even sing at night sometimes.  On average, these sparrows are usually secretive, and getting a few of them in view was a big accomplishment for me and was considered a major target of my trip.

Here is a recording I took of the Henslow's Sparrow's song.

Driving through the area gave me more good birds.  Sandhill Cranes were common.

A surprise came when I found two Whooping Cranes in midst of a large Sandhill Crane flock.  Whooping
Cranes are found in numbers in other places of central Wisconsin, primarily in the area of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, which isn't too far from Buena Vista.  Even though they are usually pretty close by to Buena Vista, I was still shocked to come across them.  It was awesome to see, and the Whooping Cranes who breed and summer in Wisconsin are part of the reintroduced Whooping Crane population.

Driving through the area also gave me four different Upland Sandpipers.  I love seeing this odd-but-awesome "shorebird".  Two of them were in flight, and two of them were in farm fields that had shorter grass.

Grasshopper Sparrows were common.

And Savannah Sparrows were abundant.

This Yellow Warbler at a structure was interesting, maybe it had a nest in there.

Eastern Kingbird is a common sight on prairies.

Bobolink and Dickcissel were also both quite common.

I didn't see any Short-eared Owls, and if I would've gotten to Buena Vista around 4:30, maybe I would've had a chance.  Short-eared Owls have been detected there, and in fact, one was seen a few days ago as I write today on July 7th at about 4:30 A.M.

I looked for Greater Prairie-Chicken from before 6 A.M. till about 11:30 A.M.  As I said before, I didn't have luck.  But I love to bird in the prairie and marsh-prairie habitat where the "fantastic four" of Greater Prairie-Chicken, Henslow's Sparrow, Upland Sandpiper, and Short-eared Owl, are found.  Before I started to head home, I got the expected-but-still sad news that the Amaranthe shows I was gonna go to were being cancelled.  It also means I'm going to put the Atlantic coast off this year, as that trip to go to concerts was also going to be one for birding.  The day became a bummer as the southern storm was quickly coming north from the south where it originated.  It made me extremely thankful that I added four full days onto this trip and that I got to enjoy this trip as much as I did.  As the storm was coming with some very heavy rain and wind in the forecast, I knew that this trek was likely my last good one of the trip.  I also got more news from birding back home in Arizona, that an Eared Quetzal had been found in the Chiricahuas.  It was found on the 8th, but confirmed and made official on the 9th.  As I drove through central Wisconsin, I still preferred the epic north over Arizona.  With the Quetzal, it is a freaking great bird, and a rare one at that.  If it stuck around, which I was doubtful of, I would have the full day of June 12th after I would get back to Arizona early on June 11th that I could potentially chase it, if I had the energy.  As for Northerly Treks, we still have one more post to conclude the great impact it had on me and my birding, and that post will be up next.