Geocachers aren’t the only creatures who hide caches – as with most things, birds started doing it long before we did. As an example, Black-capped Chickadees can hide hundreds of seeds in a day and remember all of their locations for up to a month, no GPS required. Mind you, there won’t be anything quite as difficult as that to get this cache, but you will have to solve the puzzle below first. Enjoy yourselves and good luck!
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When the pandemic was at its height, and there was nothing to do but sit around the house all day or wander outside by myself, I started to get really into birdwatching. I had a river directly north of my apartment, so there were always plenty of ducks and herons and geese in the area, and lots of songbirds in the trees as well. Not too long after that, I was hooked, and soon I had a pair of binoculars and a bird identification app to help me along in my quest. Going just off those tools, before long I’d seen a Northern Mockingbird practicing its calls, a Red-winged Blackbird chirping in the trees, a Brown-headed Cowbird pecking in the dirt, a Tree Swallow swooping low over the surface of the water, a Bald Eagle flying high over the river, three American Goldfinches chattering in the bushes, and a solitary Mourning Dove calling who, who from a telephone wire.
Since then, I’ve been absolutely hooked on the birdwatching hobby, much to the amusement (and sometime participation) of my friends and family. Pretty much any time I have a chance, I’m out in a forest, a park, or even just my parents’ backyard with my field glasses, taking in the sights and listening to the birds chirping in my area. A good example would be just a few weeks ago, when my friends and I rented a cabin in western Wisconsin: there was a Wild Turkey waddling through the tall grass by the roadside, a Great Egret standing tall and willowy in the marshes, an American Kestrel scanning for rodents high overhead, and a Cedar Waxwing plucking berries off a bush. Not to mention the birds that my friends saw but I missed: a Hermit Thrush almost totally hidden in the trees, an American Crow issuing its raucous caws, and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak flying swiftly from tree to tree.
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This cache has been approved by Brian Russart of the Milwaukee County Parks Department, Permit #749.
Note: The cache is NOT at the listed coordinates.