Pt. Mouillee - 09 Oct 1987
09Oct 87 Pt. Mouillee, MI
1700 Hrs. Tomorrow is opening day of duck hunting season, so i'm hoping to do some last minute birding in the marsh. As i arrive, however, the parking lot is empty and the signs are posted: "wildlife refuge, closed sep. 15 to dec. 1 do not enter". I then decided to try the marsh area off of Labo Road. Its a beautiful afternoon: clear skies, warm temps (60F) and the colors are about 60% full.
As i turned in off Labo Road I spotted an immature Red-tailed Hawk sitting high in a tree next to the road. It had a dark brown body with an almost white head and chest, except for the brown mottling on neck and sides. Its tail was brown with distinctive bands running horizontally across. After it flew away, I continued on my way.
1800 hrs. As i parked in the lot next to the Army Corp diking project, I saw an adult Red-tailed Hawk fly overhead. Crossing the dike bridge I saw a flock of Bonaparte's Gulls hovering over the water, most likely feeding on the late shad hatch. The adults were in winter plumage (white heads with black ear patch, white tails, and white wedges outlined by black on the wing tips). There were also a few immatures in the group, as noted by the black-tipped white tails, and dark bands on the secondaries.
The marsh area was also posted so i headed back to the car. As I got back to the car, I noticed activity in the drained marsh east of the parking lot. I grabbed my scope and walked around the outside of the fence to an opening in the sedges. The marsh appeared to have either been drained, or was just going dry, as the ground was somewhat boggy, with mudflats abounding. There were a dozen or so Killdeer running about, along with a pair of Black-bellied Plovers (winter white). There were also numerous peeps feeding (the only field marks that could be seen were heavily buffed breasts which may indicate wintering Least Sandpipers).
2000 hrs. The sighting of the day, though, had to be the pair of Wilson's Snipe feeding in the twilight. At first i thought they were dowitchers, but the heavy stripes on the back and head made it distinct. The snipe have stripes on the head and back, while woodcock have bars across the back and head.
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Oct 9, 1987 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: SGA closed, so observations made from parking lot at Siegler Rd. and Mouillee Creek parking lots
5 species (+1 other taxa)
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 12
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) 2
peep sp. (Calidris sp. (peep sp.)) 6
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 6
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Oct 9, 1987 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: SGA closed, so observations made from parking lot at Siegler Rd. and Mouillee Creek parking lots
5 species (+1 other taxa)
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 12
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) 2
peep sp. (Calidris sp. (peep sp.)) 6
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 6
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
