With Lake Michigan to the east and Horicon Marsh, the nation’s largest freshwater cattail marsh, to the west – and prairies, parks and woodlands in between – Milwaukee sees a lot of bird traffic during spring migration. Some stay for a day or three, others make this their final destination.
Still others are rare visitors: Last year, the first Southern Hemisphere-dwelling kelp gull was recorded in Milwaukee. Here are six special avian travelers you might be lucky enough to spot as migration ramps up.
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Smaller than a robin, males are brighter crimson than cardinals, with black wings and tail, while the females are olive-colored with yellowish undersides. Arriving after mid-May, they are a rare sight, often high in trees, sallying forth to snatch an insect off the wind and returning to their perch.
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana…