*Willow flycatcher photo by Arlene Koziol*

The willow flycatcher is one of our favorite shrubland birds and is easy to identify with the males distinctive fitz-bew call. The willow, alder, and least flycatchers are very difficult to identify when they are not calling.

John James Audubon first discovered the Traill’s flycatcher and named it after his friend Thomas Traill. Ornithologists later split the Traill’s species into two: the willow and alder based on their song and habitat requirements.

Robert (Bob) McCabe, UW-Madison Wildlife Professor published The Little Green Bird - Ecology of the Willow Flycatcher in 1991 with “original ink drawings by Steve Hovel”. Only 750 copies were published, and we are fortunate to have copy number 104 signed by Bob. You can still find these books for sale online, but it’ll cost you a pretty penny ($155 for new and $72 for used).

In the 1940’s Bob McCabe was researching the winter ecology of the ring-necked pheasant at the UW-Arboretum. He was looking for a research project in the summer and decided on studying the willow flycatcher at the Arboretum. His mentor was Aldo Leopold and his last sentence in the book is, “Now that it is ended, I wonder what A.L. would have said?” We believe A. L. would have really liked the research study that uncovered all aspects of the willow flycatcher’s breeding ecology. Bob was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in 1999 and bio information included, “His book about the Willow Flycatcher, The Little Green Bird is a classic example of using a single species to teach ecology.”

Bob called the willow flycatcher the ‘little green bird’ because beginning bird watchers tend to “classify all but the most colorful birds as ‘little brown birds’ or ‘little green birds’, this is the story of a Little Green Bird.” When Bob began he probably did not think that this would be a 40 year plus study.

Study Results: The 171-page book goes into detail on all aspects of the ecology of the willow flycatcher and we are highlighting some of the data.

Spring Arrival: Sixty years of data records from his study and Wisconsin Society for Ornithology found that willow flycatchers arrive in Madison between May 1 and May 29th with the average being May 15.

Habitat: “The prime aspect of WF habitat is the presence of bushes or small trees.” And “the willow flycatcher is a bird of swamps or permanently wet marsh,” but Bob pointed out that they can live in uplands with scattered shrubs or thickets.

*Singing willow flycatcher. Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar*

Calling time: Males can call during the day especially in the peak of breeding season but Bob found that they call most frequently just after sunset and end after civil twilight during the months of June and July.

The Nest Bush: The study found an impressive number of 619 nests. Nests were found 58% of the time in elderberries, 26% in red-osier dogwoods and only 3% in willows. Bob mentioned after the name was changed to willow flycatcher, “which in southern Wisconsin is a poor choice since there is no apparent link of the bird to willow in any form.” Most nests were about four feet off the ground. Bob and his assistant conducted many types of measurements and found that elderberries provided greater concealment from predators, weather and sunlight.

*Native shrubs of elderberry (left) and red-osier dogwood (right) volunteer at Goose Pond Sanctuary. Photo by Arlene Koziol*

Nests: Fine and coarse fibers from marsh or red milkweed stems from the previous year is a favorite plant that is used to build nests. The average clutch size is about 3.5 eggs per nest and about 9% of the nests are parasitized by brown-headed cowbirds.

Nest Density: The study found that on average there were 1.2 willow flycatcher nests per acre, a very high density.

Many people over the years helped with the flycatcher project and Bob wrote in his acknowledgement, “I am most indebted to the assistants with whom I shared the field exercise.” Arnold S. Jackson, Jr. was the first person listed and probably worked on this project more than anyone besides Bob. There are only two close-up photos in the book of people and both were of Arnold measuring the height of vegetation. Arnold was a special friend to Madison Audubon and to Goose Pond Sanctuary in particular — you’ll hear more about him soon.

We enjoyed reading, “On several occasions one of my assistants (Arnold S. Jackson, Jr.) and I spent the night in the marsh study area to record early morning song of the WF and to check on night singing of other marsh-nesting birds. To avoid insects and to stay above the damp marsh floor, we strung two (W.W. II) jungle hammocks between the support poles of our observation tower. So comfortable and pleasant was this exercise that we had to keep waking each other in order to maintain continuous records. In this keep-awake effort, we were not entirely successful. The hum of frustrated mosquitoes outside the netting produced a satisfying and lulling effect on two tired field workers.”

Arnold was a frequent seed collecting volunteer at Goose Pond Sanctuary and we enjoyed getting to know him and his wife Kathern. The Jacksons sold their 150 acre farm that contained restored prairie, wetland and woodland habitat to the Fish and Wildlife Service (Jackson Waterfowl Production Area) three miles southwest of Goose Pond on Patton Road and Oak Lane. Their trust made a significant donation to Madison Audubon and that gift will be used to help purchase Judi Benade’s 70 acres west of Goose Pond.

Sue was working in the yard one day when Steve Hovel drove up and rolled down his window to say hello. His passenger that day was Bob McCabe and they were in search of willow flycatchers. They wanted to know if the birds were calling from elderberry and dogwood shrubs in the prairies late in the day and into the evenings, and of course we had a bumper crop. Sue also sent them to Schoenberg’s Marsh and north to Mud Lake.

Looking at the recent Breeding Bird Atlas II, we find that willow flycatchers are found in the southern 2/3rds of Wisconsin. In 18 priority blocks in Columbia County nesting was confirmed in 8 blocks with 9 blocks listed as probable or possible nesting willow flycatchers.

Under a photo of Arnold S. Jackson, Jr. measuring the height of a nest in the “nest bush,” Bob wrote, “To conserve this bird or any bird is to protect and manage its habitat.” That sums up the work we do at Goose Pond Sanctuary, as well as at Faville Grove Sanctuary, and in this organization in general. We are planting native dogwoods and elderberries at Goose Pond to increase the habitat for the little green bird. Both shrubs also volunteer in our prairies in good numbers.

*Elderberry in full bloom at Goose Pond Sanctuary. Photo by Arlene Koziol*

*JD’s survey for willow flycatchers had great results!*

Willow Flycatcher Surveys at Goose Pond by JD Arnston

Based on these surveys, I have found that Goose Pond provides good habitat for willow flycatchers. My initial surveys were conducted in the middle of the evening, in the range of 5-7 p.m. Based on observations from Sue Foote-Martin, I began surveying later in the evening closer to sundown, in the range of 8:00-10:00 p.m. and found that singing males were much more vocal during this later time window, with the peak of their singing activity being around 9:10 - 9:25 p.m.

I found a record of 16 males singing at Judi Benades prairie and at one stop on Kampen Road at the entrance to the Kampen Road residence where Mark and Sue live, I heard six males.

Written by Mark Martin and Sue Foote-Martin, Goose Pond Sanctuary resident managers, and JD Arnston, Goose Pond Volunteer

A diminutive bird, the Willow Flycatcher moves quickly through lowland shrub communities. The bird is brown or gray above with white to buff below. By sight alone, it's almost impossible to tell the willow flycatcher apart from similar species in its genus. However, its distinctive "fitz-bew" call separates it from the Alder Flycatcher.

Willow Flycatchers prefer shrubby habitat with willows, elderberry, dogwoods, or honeysuckle. Their nests are crafted about ten feet off the ground, composed of swamp milkweed, cattails, cottonwood down, and grasses.

These flycatchers breed mostly in southern Wisconsin, according to the Breeding Bird Atlas, but have been recorded into the far northern reaches of the state. You can see these birds down Prairie Lane, in the shrubby areas of the Crawfish River floodplain.

Photo by Kelly Colgan Azar, Flickr Creative Commons