habitat improvements and avian response at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve

Over the past year and a half, intensive work on the Ozaukee-Washington Land Trust's Forest Beach Migratory Preserve has moved forward, "building" excellent new habitats, including planting trees, shrubs, grasslands and enhancing existing ones. Recent drawdowns on some of the 23 wetlands have made mudflats appear, and shorebirds have responded in less than 3-4 days (both Gr. and Lesser Yellowlegs, and Solitary Sandpipers over the past few days, and a small flock of Least Sandpipers late this afternoon, along with many Killdeer --- and several Green Herons are foraging there as well). The oldfields/grasslands are really in the peak of late summer/early fall bloom, and more warblers and sparrows and other passerines are appearing each day. It doesn't look like a golf course anymore - it is and was deliberately designed to be stopover habitat for migrants - and it's working. Next time you're in the area, whether for a hawkwatch day, or just to walk the trails - take a look, and you'll see the improvements - and if you watch carefully, you'll see how birds have responded and continue to do so on this emerging preserve.

If you go, look for the hawkwatch platform in the northeast corner of the preserve (about 1/4 mile northeast of the old clubhouse).

Find Forest Beach Migratory Preserve at: http://owlt.org/visit-our-preserves/forest-beach-migratory-preserve

See also: http://owlt.org/visit-our-preserves/forest-beach-migratory-preserve/habitat-restoration-plan








Here is the species list for FBMP for the first 6 days of September:

Canada Goose

Wood Duck

Mallard

Blue-winged Teal

Green-winged Teal

Pied-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Green Heron

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Cooper's Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Kestrel

Merlin

Sandhill Crane

Killdeer

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Least Sandpiper

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Common Nighthawk

Chimney Swift

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Eastern Phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Red-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Purple Martin

Tree Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch

House Wren

Eastern Bluebird

Swainson's Thrush

American Robin

Gray Catbird

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Tennessee Warbler

Palm Warbler

Chipping Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Bobolink

Red-winged Blackbird

Baltimore Oriole

House Finch

American Goldfinch

--

William P. Mueller
Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory
Project Coordinator, Milwaukee BIOME Project
wpmueller1947@gmail.com
414-698-9108

Milwaukee, WI
BIOME Project online: http://milwbiomeproj.wordpress.com/
Blog:http://futureofbirds.blogspot.com/