River Otter

I was fortunate enough two summers ago to see my first wild river otter, accually two playing together right on the south side of hwy 49. They certainly are very vocal creatures.  Tragically, a week later, one was killed on the highway.

LIfe to date list of birds photographed in the Marsh

There are over 260 different confirmed species sightings of birds that live in and pass through the Horicon Marsh.  Here is my list of 123 birds I have been able to photograph so far in the marsh.  I don't count them unless I get a clear picture.  Almost half-way there!

Wood Duck                                         Common Merganser

Mallard                                                Red-Breasted Merganser

American Black Duck                           Hooded Merganser

Blue-winged Teal                                  Buffflehead

Cinnamon Teal                                     Ruddy Duck

Northern Shoveler                                Canada Goose (tough to get that one!)

Gadwall                                                Snow Goose

Green-winged Teal                               Tundra Swan

American Wigeon                                 Mute Swan

Northern Pintail                                    Pie-billed Grebe

Canvasback                                         American White Pelican

Redhead                                               Double Crested Cormorant

Ring-necked Duck                                Ring-billed Gull

Greater Scaup                                      Herring Gull

Lesser Scaup                                        Black Tern

Common Goldeneye                             Forster's Tern

Great Blue Heron                                 Sandhill Crane

Whooping Crane                                  Great Egret

Green Heron                                        American Bittern

Least Bittern                                         Black-crowned Night-Heron

Sora                                                     Common Moorhen

American Coot                                    Wild Turkey

Turkey Vulture                                     Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk                            Red-tailed Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk                             Bald Eagle

American Kestrel                                  Perigrine Falcon

Killdeer                                                Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs                                 Solitary Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper                      Least Sandpiper

Wilson's Snipe                                      American Woodcock

American Avocet                                  Black-necked Stilt

Mourning Dove                                    Great Horned Owl

Belted Kingfisher                                  Hairy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker                            Northern Flicker

Purple Martin                                       Barn Swallow

Tree Swallow                                       Ruby-throated Hummingbird    

Eastern Wood-Pewee                          Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher                                   Willow Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe                                    Eastern Kingbird

Northern Shrike                                    Black-capped Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch                      House Wren

Sedge Wren                                         Marsh Wren

Ruby Crowned Kinglet                         Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Yellow Warbler                                    Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart                                Palm Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler                       Ovenbird

Eastern Bluebird                                   American Robin

Gray Catbird                                        Cedar Waxwing

European Starling                                 Blue Jay

American Crow                                    Brown-headed Cowbird

Common Grackle                                 Red-winged Blackbird (another tough one to get!)

Yellow-headed Blackbird                     Boblink

Eastern Meadowlark                            Baltimore Oriole

Indigo Bunting                                      Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Northern Cardinal                                 House Finch

Pine Sisken                                           American Goldfinch

Chipping Sparrow                                American Tree Sparrow

Field Sparrow                                      Dark-eyed junco

Grasshopper Sparrow                          White-crowed Sparrow

Song Sparrow                                      Snow Bunting

House Sparrow                                    Horned Lark

Ring-necked Pheasant

Red-tailed Hawk

They are very common throughout the marsh, but I can never seem to pass them by without trying to get a shot off.  This one posed nicely in good light.

Black Crowned Night Heron

Whooping Crane

This is a really rare sighting in the Horicon Marsh.  I know the Whooping Crane is seen regularly in Necedah NWR, but I have only seen one twice in Horicon.  I was told by a lady also watching this bird, that it is a female that  frequents the marsh and that she is banded number 7.  I have no way of knowing if that is true, but it was a good story.  What was amazing is that this bird was right on hwy 49 and that a red winged black bird was harassing it.  This caused the bird to open her wings as if annoyed.  It made for a very rare opportunity and a shot I really like.

Roughlegged Hawk.  They are fairly common this time of year, particularly on Hwy Z on the East side of the Marsh.

Immature Perigrine Falcon.  My First one. The birds legs were banded and I saw it twice in a week as it migrated through.