The Southwest Wisconsin Birder: Merry Christmas!!

Local Guiding Services

In an effort to make up for my perpetual lack of cash and get some birding in, I offer bird guiding services for Wisconsin, the Duluth area in Minnesota, overnight trips to birding areas in central Iowa, and birding the Chicago lakefront.

I've birded these select areas quite a bit over the years.

Some of my specialty areas include the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge (which extends from the Quad cities to Minneapolis), Sax-zim Bog near Duluth, MN, Horicon Marsh, Devil's Lake and Wyalusing State Parks and Columbia County in WI during Shorebird migration.

My rates are as follows:

For a standard day of birding:

1-2 people: $15/hr plus mileage (to meeting location)

3-8 people: The standard $15/hr + $5/hr per extra person up to 8

Above 8 people, I have a flat group rate of $220 for the day plus mileage

For overnight trips, hotel cost is included with mileage.

If you want to go on a guided trip somewhere in WI, MN, IA or IL, you will have made a good choice. The birding here in Spring, Summer and Fall is excellent, although mid summer can slow down a bit. Winter birding is much more difficult, takes more time and patience, but many good target birds can be found. Especially in places like Sax-zim Bog.

I keep up with all local sightings and rarities as well as locations for harder to find species like Grasshopper Sparrow, Eastern Screech-owl, N Saw-whet Owl, Harlequin Duck, Upland Sandpiper, Short-eared Owl, Yellow-throated Warbler, Kirtland's Warbler, Great Gray and Northern Hawk-owls, Winter finches, rare arctic Gulls and many others.

So would you like to see the hidden things that the midwest has to offer? See double-digit species of Warblers in a morning? see the spectacular waterfowl migration on the Mississippi in spring and fall? Maybe sort out those confusing fall Warblers or shorebirds? or pick apart winter gulls? Or maybe you'd like to see the Gray Ghost of the Northwoods and experience Pine Grosbeaks, Boreal chickadees, Crossbills and Redpolls? Whatever you want to see, I'll do my best to find it for you.

If you'd like to hire me, you can contact me at:

Chris.w.birder@gmail.com

or call: (608) 475-9016

Bird listing totals

Note: Current number is first, the number that the list was raised from is second in parentheses
Clements World life list: 1345
ABA Life List: 619 Latest highlights: Smith's Longspur (ABA 600), ROSS'S GULL, IVORY GULL, GRAY-COLLARED BECARD!!, EARED QUETZAL! CRESCENT-CHESTED WARBLER!, PAINTED BUNTING!!!, SINALOA WREN!!, GREAT GRAY OWL, Sage Sparrow, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Brown-capped Rosy-finch, Lewis's Woodpecker, Mountain Plover
WI state list: 319 Latest state bird: Harlequin Duck, Ross's Goose, Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull, Black-necked Stilt, Black-legged Kittiwake, Barrow's Goldeneye
Richland county list: 231 Latest species: SNOWY OWL!! Nelson's Sparrow, Canvasback, Loggerhead Shrike, White-winged Crossbill
Yard list: 176 Latest YB: Common Redpoll, Tundra Swan, Red Crossbill
2010 Year list: 1226. Best species: ROSS'S GULL, DIADEMED SANDPIPER-PLOVER, WHITE-BELLIED CINCLODES, EYE-RINGED THISTLETAIL, BRAZILIAN TEAL, MARCAPATA SPINETAIL, RESPLENDENT QUETZAL, VOLCANO JUNCO, TIMBERLINE WREN, SMITH'S LONGSPUR (ABA 600), RAINBOW-BEARDED THORNBILL, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-billed Scythebill,
2009 ABA area year list final tally: 547. Best species: IVORY GULL, GRAY-COLLARED BECARD, EARED QUETZAL, Painted Bunting, CRESCENT-CHESTED WARBLER!, SINALOA WREN!!, BUFF-COLLARED NIGHTJAR, FIVE-STRIPED SPARROW!, Rufous-capped Warbler, BROWN-BACKED SOLITAIRE, Plain-capped Starthroat, Tufted Puffin
2008 ABA area year list final tally: 475 Let's see how well I do in '09.
2008 Bigby list final tally: 139 No New species since early Jun. Let's see if I can do better in '09
AZ State list: 286 Latest: Sinaloa Wren, Buff-collared Nightjar, Five-striped Sparrow, Crescent-chested Warbler, Gray-collared Becard, Brown-backed Solitaire, Aztec Thrush
CA State list: 203
FL state list: 283
ND State list: 155
NJ state list: 203
TX state list: 146
Wyoming state list: 134

Personal Birding milestones

Anna's Hummer in WI
Buff Bellied Hummingbird as lifer #400!!!
Chuck-wills-widow in WI!
Crescent-chested Warbler!! Pinery Campground, Chiricahua Mountains, Portal, AZ on May 14th 2009, 538th lifer!
Curlew Sandpiper
Eared Quetzal! Chiricahua National Monument, Lifer #550,
Flame-colored Tanager as my 500th lifer!!!!!!!!!!
Green-breasted Mango in WI, 386th lifer!
In 2010, passed the 1000 lifer mark. Also passed 1000 species seen in a single year! Life list up around 1400. Year list around 1100
Lark Bunting, Cordilleran Flycatcher and Lazuli Bunting on our WY trip. summer '07
N Goshawk as a county bird
PAINTED BUNTING!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!! Palo Duro State park, Amarillo, TX on May 9th 2009! 536th lifer!
Rufous Hummingbird in WI
Slaty-backed Gull in WI, 374th lifer
SNOWY OWL!!!!! finally. on 2/27/08 in Pierre SD! (and finally one in Green Bay WI on 3/13/08!, 392nd lifer
Worm-eating Warbler as a yard bird

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!!

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