Peninsula State Park – 100 Years and "Counting"

A birder’s paradise awaits you in Door County, Wisconsin…

Anything that reaches the grand old age of 100, gets my respect. To have existed for a continuous century is quite an accomplishment in today’s “throw-away” world. Peninsula State Park, located in Fish Creek, WI (County of Door) is celebrating a significant birthday (all year) with various activities surrounding its centennial. You can purchase all kinds of neato-cool merchandise too if you are the type of person who is predisposed to the “shopping gene.” I personally am a hat and tee shirt (hoarder) “collector” and am not afraid to admit to this teensy bit of self-indulgence. Heck, I truly do “wear” the things I purchase too, so…(um…am I pathetically justifying my OCD behavior here?) Anyway, there’s all sorts of…ahh…ways to “support” their cause HERE if you are so inclined.

The family recently took its annual vacation to this favorite destination; utilizing two vehicles (one pulling the Jayco) to accommodate for all the necessary creature comforts which six people would require for the four days we would be camped there. Were there “extra” items brought along which would not be used? Sure there always are, however if there’s “room” in the vehicles…what the heck…throw them in too. Bicycles, lawn-chairs, beach towels, blow-up rafts, tarps, coolers, grills, you name it…stow it in. Don’t forget the ladder-golf (AKA: testicle toss, Bola, Polish golf, hillbilly horseshoes, etc.) either, as we planned to have intense on site competition. You don’t know about “TT?” Well, it’s just about the most revolutionary campground activity since the deadly beloved steel-tipped lawn “Jart” was banned by the “safety nannies” in the 80s. There is truly no replacement “danger factor” offered by this new creative game, but playing it still offers the stalwart camper many of the same ingredients for some lively fun: competition, chance, hilarity, and one hand free for an “adult beverage.” There’s even a few serious tournaments across the country dedicated to it’s play. I would hazard a guess that one day, any potential patron of any camping facility in America would be carefully screened upon check-in, to ensure that said plastic paragon of entertainment, was a part of their larder before being granted entry. (No, just kidding, but you sure see a lot of these set-ups as you drive the posted 10 MPH through the many circles of campsites.) It sure as heck-fire beats “Cornhole” as the best form of entertainment introduced to the camper in many years. Enough of that! How the heck did I get off on THAT tangent anyway? (…, it’s easy Birdstud…you are easily distracted…you might as well add ADHD to your OCD profile while you’re at it).

Packing up the necessary “birding gear” the first full morning, I sidled my leg over the bar on the Giant (my “comfort bike”) and headed out of Welckers Point Campground just as the sun was getting going for the day. I pedaled onto the scenic Sunset Trail heading towards the Eagle Bluff lighthouse in hopes of seeing wild turkeys. Upon bicycling the relative short distance to the lighthouse drive, I was treated to a group of three splendid Toms walking and pecking their way along just off the pavement. (Video below) I stood quietly watching (and filming) in the cool Lake Michigan morning breeze as they moved off into the woods. It always amazes me each time I see them in the wild of the Park; their long black beards blowing in the wind as they look for acorns and other favorite foodstuffs that litter the forest floor. They are so doggone big (and probably tasty) to see they take flight is another head-shaker. You just don’t figure them to be able to do it, for as much time as they spend on the ground walking from place to place. Of the 59 total bird species I have seen while in the park, they are among the most interesting to watch. White pelicans were seen in the various bays and flying overhead throughout this particular visit. A few warblers also made an appearance: Black-throated greens, American redstarts, and Ovenbirds among them. Don’t forget to visit the 1904 Blossomberg Cemetary too. There are many species of birds to be seen on and around the ancient tombstones. I saw many, many immature Robins basking in the dappled sunlight, and “washing-up” in a handy water-filled dirt depression. Plus, reading the markers is truly educational too.

So dear reader, my (can’t miss) prescription for a wonderfully relaxing, and entertaining way to spend some quality family-time, and recharge from your busy schedules is to pack up the Woody with the kitchen sink, and head to north eastern Wisconsin’s “thumb.” P.S…and don’t forget to pack your TT too…remember, that day is coming and where you read about it first.

Happy [100th] Birthday Peninsula State Park: from the Birdstud and (all) his readers

Now…Gobble-up this Birdstud Original Video!!

The Turkeys of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse

Back to Door County

Door County Wisconsin (Fall)

Camping with the family in Peninsula State Park this late in the season was a first for the Devereauxs. Fortunately for us, the weather basically cooperated with cool but tolerable temperatures. When you get that close to a Great Lake like Lake Michigan, you can pretty much figure that all weather bets are off. The sky on the first night we arrived was crystal clear, providing us with an unlimited panorama of celestial beauty. Add to that the new moon, and the constellations stood out like a pimple on the nose of a prom date; shiny, prominent, and unforgettable.

The cool night air was kept at bay due to the reliable propane pop-up camper furnace. With the sun rising over the shimmering blue-gray water, many small shapes bobbed on the waves. Among the more familiar floating Mallards, Canada geese and Ring-billed gulls were other smaller diving birds with prominent white patches on their heads. The strikingly contrasted, yet diminutive ducks dove and re-emerged over and over while my wife and I watched. Dozens and dozens in small flocks moved over the water looking for bits of food beneath the surface. The birds turned out to be Buffleheads. Pairs of male and females darted amongst the other ducks and geese along with a few dozen female Common Mergansers. Birding in general was great, with about 50% of the leaves having fallen to the ground. A Pileated woodpecker, knocking its beak on a dead birch was located by following the sound it made. Bark was falling to the ground beneath it as the excavation continued unabated even though we paused beneath the tree to observe. It is the actual “observance” of the animal doing what it does naturally, that I enjoy the most. A total of 22 species were logged over the next 24-hours as I pedaled my way some 10 miles along the many roads and trails available to Peninsula visitors, and I never even got my feet wet. Add to the experience the aromatic waftings of a smoking wood fire and a cold (adult) beverage of your choice and you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend worth repeating.

Birding by Bicycle

Coasting quietly on a well-worn path along a magnificently wooded bluff, some small sound catches your ear. You pause along the trail and wait. Now a graceful floating movement causes you to turn your head and gaze into the thick stand of trees. There on the side of a large cedar tree grasps an elusive Pileated Woodpecker, in all its splendor. You have just been “birding by bicycle”.

Peninsula State Park in Door County Wisconsin, offers nearly 6 miles of smooth graveled surface trails and an additional 9 miles of rugged unsurfaced terrain for off road bicycling enthusiasts. These trails visit nearly every conceivable birding habitat from lakefront to deep woods. Bicycling with binoculars is a great way to cover more territory, get some additional exercise, and see more species.

Campers within the park are regularly treated to daily early morning serenades and bustling activity right in their sites, but they have to be paying attention. For a few hours after sunrise each day during the summer months, American Redstarts flit in and out of the low shrubbery catching insects for their first meals of a busy day. These diminutive black, orange, and yellow birds often land in close proximity to humans, pausing on the woodpile, or picnic table, before dashing off with a flick and twist of their tails. Listen to the sounds around the campsite to direct your attention to other visitors like Red and White-Breasted Nuthatches, Chickadees, Hairy and Downey Woodpeckers, Northern Cardinals and even the infrequent aforementioned Pileated.

Get on the bicycle armed with your binoculars and perhaps a camera, to find yourself an open meadow surrounded by a ring of trees. If you pause along the edge and are still for a few moments gazing into the trees, you will probably be rewarded with the activity of insect and berry-eating Cedar Waxwings as they emerge, catch and disappear over and over again. These sleek looking, buff-colored, black masked, crested birds also have yellow-tipped tails that flash while in flight. Riding slowly through the woods near the Eagle Bluff lighthouse, make sure to keep an eye out for foraging groups of Wild Turkey in the underbrush. They prefer eating acorns and nuts of various trees as well as seeds, insects and berries. Since the turkeys were first successfully reintroduced into Wisconsin in 1976, population levels continue to increase and expand statewide.

The expansive rocky shoreline of Lake Michigan is also home to many species of waterfowl. Gulls, White Pelicans, Cormorants, Killdeer, Canada Geese, and Wood Duck are among the residents and visitors to the area, and can easily be seen via the paths that run along the water’s edge. So the next time you are out for some Door County (or any other) birding, consider the bicycle as a “natural” partner.