We had a small group of birders braving the weather for our first ever walk at the Faville Grove Sanctuary, a Madison Audubon property north of Lake Mills. We didn't get rained on but the wind definitely kept the birds down. However, we did have some treats along the way that made the walk very successful.
First of all, Buddy's Prairie was in beautiful condition. We enjoyed looking at a wide variety of prairie flowers. We also found what we believe to be several fox dens alongside the trail. The event that made the walk memorable was watching a flock of about 8 to 10 Blue Jays sparring with an American Kestrel. The birds were going back and forth attacking each other for several minutes. The Blue Jays at first couldn't drive the Kestrel away. The Kestrel couldn't capture any of the Jays. Eventually the Kestrel flew off to friendlier environs and the Jays settled down. We next walked the trail leading from Prairie Lane elsewhere in the refuge. Here we enjoyed birding in an excellent oak savanna.
The decision of the group was that the Faville Grove trails should become a regular site for our walks and so they will be.
This was the last Jefferson / Dodge County Birdwalk Group session for the year. We hope you were able to join us for at least one and, we hope, many of our walks. We look forward to another slate of walks beginning next spring. Will we see you on the walks? We hope so!
Here is a list of all the species we saw on this walk:
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Wild Turkey
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
American Kestrel
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Common Yellowthroat Warbler
Red-winged Blackbird
American Goldfinch
21 species seen or heard