day 1 of the "Long Walk for Birds"

Early on Wednesday, I met Noel Cutright, Paul Smith, and Chuck Quirmbach at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve. I tallied 39 species at FBMP, including a few I may not see again as I travel away from Lake Michigan (Caspian Tern, Red-br. Merganser, a few other common lakeshore species). The day turned sunny by mid-morning, and surprising numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were often within 2-3 meters of me, foraging in roadside ditches. Some tiny insects that I could not detect must have been their targets. All day, there were small cumulus clouds, and a cold WNW wind. Total species count for the day was approximately 50. This area, after leaving FBMP, had a few small woodlots, but is primarily ag fields. I had a flock of Lapland Longspurs plus a few additional individuals along Co Hwy A. Waubedonia Park, on the west end of Fredonia is mostly upland woods, at the edge of the Milwaukee River, and was my last stop.  Two points were marked with GPS during the route; the time duration at FBMP was 2 hours, and the varied habitats and Lake Michigan waters there provided almost 80% of the day's species.