Blue Goose ~ Day 7

June 6, 2014 ~ Beaver Dam, Wisconsin to Lake Delton, Wisconsin

So, my camera batteries were charged. 

I set an alarm for 5:45 and drove 20 minutes to the marsh boardwalk, but interestingly, it was not nearly as productive as yesterday, meaning now that my camera was ready for exquisite closeups of terns, there were only a few and they never perched nearby, which is actually a cool thing about the birding: one just never knows what will happen. It is restorative to be out in habitat for me. Something always makes it worthwhile. 

The Tour de Marsh was a loosely organized event that began at 8 and was geared mostly toward bicyclists. At any rate, I didn’t see more than a few bikers, walkers or cars. What I did see near the parking area was an Indigo Bunting when I looked up in the treetops, and then I heard what turned out to be three Blue-grey Gnatcatchers who came tumbling out of a tree, landed on the ground near me and while one sat in the grass, the other two mated, quickly in a flurry of feathers, their eyes with prominent white eye rings  so striking at such close range. And a bit later, I saw a pair of Common gallinules also mate briefly (about 4 seconds). They swam to a little mud flat and got out of the water. The male tentatively put his foot on the female's back for a few seconds which seemed odd behavior but then it was apparent what was happening. 

White Pelicans were slowly wheeling and turning overhead, gorgeous in the blue sky. A mother Wood Duck and her 13 ducklings were paddling in the same area as yesterday. There were also at least a dozen Canada goose families, with both parents and 3 to 6 half-grown goslings, often in the middle of the road and not perturbed by cars or people walking by. I walked the mile-long Red Fox Nature Trail mostly through grasslands which was fine as the mosquitoes were only evident in the deep woods. It was a gorgeous June morning. 

And when I finished the auto route, I did it once again, just because I could. When I got back to the motel and had the free breakfast, I worked a couple of hours more, leaving at noon. 

My next destination was the Fox River NWR, a small refuge not open to the public, but I parked next to it and spent an hour, photographing the clovers and lupine, and listening to a Field sparrow across the road until I finally went to find it, which I did, before it did the exasperating sparrow thing of diving and disappearing into the grasses. And while I was on that side of the road, I noticed a bird in a small tree nearby. It was motionless with a large bug in its mouth. So motionless that I wondered it the bug had stung and paralyzed it, or if the bird was a decoy...highly unlikely. It finally flew up into a higher tree and sat there, again perfectly motionless, still with the bug. It looked unfamiliar at first but was a female Eastern bluebird and as there was a bluebird box nearby, perhaps she was waiting for me to retreat before bringing her babies some food. Last time I looked though, she was back in the smaller tree, still with the huge bug. 

Just before Fox River NWR, I pulled off at French Creek State Wilderness area, and a man and his wife or daughter came by in their pickup to fish. He asked if I’d seen any fish or snakes, cuz “there’s a lot of snakes around here. They won't hurt ya, but yeah, once I was wearing flip flops and I felt something and I was standing on a snake. Yeah, they give me the willies too, but they won’t hurt ya. They’re water snakes…a lot of ‘em hereabouts.” 

The skies were getting dark and cloudy, and it began raining as I headed to Wisconsin Dells where there was supposed to be a Starbucks. I never found it and the area was full of gaudy tourist attractions and shops and people, so I got drove just south of town and am now in a parking lot near the usual Walmart/Home Depot/Kohls/McDonalds, etc., in the van with rain forcing me to close the windows. But it’s pretty much OK, even quite comfortable, sitting here typing, drinking some wine and eating leftover cold pasta (there is still enough for at least two more servings). 

I looked for a more efficient cooler in Walmart, since I buy ice constantly, but didn't find one. It was still raining intermittently and dark now. There was an eclectic mix of people milling about, of different ethnicities and not speaking English, mostly young. And some of the Caucasians looked a bit bizarre. I couldn't quite figure all this out, here in Wisconsin, in the heartland. 

Apparently, the truckers use this as a rest stop also as several moved in and parked. 

Northern Wisconsin is like northern Michigan; fishing is important; there is a lot of water and woods, boats and live bait in the small convenience stores. The country roads are named by letters of the alphabet. The Fox River NWR was on county road F. I can easily follow my way on my iPhone which is more accurate than the maps.