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This Month in the Garden (May 2009) The arrival of Indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea) in Indigo buntings prefer grasslands and open fields along
second-growth woods to the tidy urban gardens in our city.
The birds winter in Florida, Central America and the Caribbean
islands but travel north, many along the shore of Lake Michigan, to
breed. Indigo buntings are just one of the many bird species that
migrate along the Great Lakes. Ruby-throated
hummingbirds and others travel by day but on spring nights large flocks
of nocturnal migrants flying out over the lake can be seen on radar.
The birds disperse and rest on land during the day to the delight
of local bird watchers. Like the Indigo buntings, many of these avian travelers will
only stay in Port Washington gardens for a day or two, then either
continue their travels north or move to establish breeding territories
inland or in open areas outside the city.
Gardens with shrubs that provide cover and water in bird baths or
ornamental ponds are most likely to attract these visitors. Enormous numbers of birds travel the Lake Michigan fly-way.
Geese, ducks and other water-loving birds like loons, cranes and
gulls are frequently spotted in the The spring and autumn bird migrations make Port Washington a great place for bird watching. Three birding “hot spots” on the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail (www.wisconsinbirds.org/trail/) are located in Port Washington, all within walking distance to downtown restaurants and shops.
November 2010 |
Port Washington Garden Club, PO
Box 492, Port Washington, Wisconsin 53074
Registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization