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| Harvey E. Schmidt Park Looking North toward Gardner (East) Marsh |
We had never been to Harvey E. Schmidt Park and didn't know what we would find. It was great: there were good views of Gardner (East) Marsh from a highly accessible location. The marsh is part of the larger area of wetlands known as Gardner Marsh in the University of Wisconsin Arboretum.
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This hidden gem of a park is located on Carver Street just off Fish Hatchery Road in the Town of Madison neighborhood that is tucked against the eastern portion of the Arboretum. Curiously, the park does not appear by name in Google Maps. We have marked the location on the map above. The easiest way to reach the park is via Fish Hatchery Road. The narrow 5.4 acre park runs nearly the full length of Carver Street. There are several off-street parking spaces including handicapped parking.
The park is very accessible. The pathway that meanders along the edge of the marsh is smooth and level. There are several benches and picnic tables. Not much walking is necessary. This is an ideal spot to have a seat and watch the wildlife.
The western half of the park looks out over a narrow channel of marsh water that widens considerably in the eastern half into a sort of pond. From our vantage point about midway in the park (under the trees at upper right in the landscape photo) we had an unobstructed view of the water and the bird life in the shrubs and trees along its edges.
The herons were familiar sights.
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| Great Blue Heron, GEM, 29 July 2012, 7:40 AM |
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| Green Heron, GEM, 29 July 2012, 8:33 AM |
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| Green Heron Preening, GEM, 29 July 2012, 7:54 AM |
We had not observed a kingfisher so clearly before.
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| Female Belted Kingfisher, GEM, 29 July 2012, 7:49 AM |
We initially were puzzled by some of the waterfowl among a group of wood ducks. Not having birded at this time of year before, we eventually discovered that they were nonbreeding males and juveniles.
Way across the pond, high in a tree was what we thought to be an Eastern Kingbird (this picture is not very sharp).
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| Nonbreeding Male Wood Duck, GEM, 29 July 2912, 7:28 AM |
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| Juvenile Wood Duck, GEM, 29 July 2012, 7:36 AM |
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| Wood Ducks, GEM, 29 July 2012, 8:37 AM |
Way across the pond, high in a tree was what we thought to be an Eastern Kingbird (this picture is not very sharp).
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| Eastern Kingbird, GEM, 29 July 2012, 8:39 AM |
See Also: Arboretum Interactive Map (Zoom in and click Aerial Imagery under Basemaps).
Thanks for pointing me to this blog, Tom! It's nice to see a belted kingfisher up close; we have some along the Menomonee River near my house, but they're more often heard than seen.
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