36th Monroe, MI Christmas Bird Count - 17 Dec 2005
Summary: On Saturday, December 17, 2005, twenty-seven hardy birders, representing the Erie Shores Birding Association of Monroe, participated in the 106th Annual National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count. This annual event, held between the last two weeks of December and the first week of January, is popular among birders all over the Western Hemisphere and is valuable to scientists as a means of monitoring the long-term health of birds and the environment through changes in population trends. Count areas cover a 15-mile diameter (~177 square miles) within geographically-defined birding hotspots, and the goal is to count and identify as many birds in a 24-hour period. All data acquired from the counts are compiled by the NAS and published annually. The Monroe Count has been conducted for 36 years, and ESBA has participated for the past 18 years. Bob Pettit organizes the Monroe Count, and Jerry Jourdan compiles the data. This year's count was an unusually successful count, with members tallying over 60,000 birds and 90 species. Highlights of this year's count include: a Willet at the Whiting Power Plant, 70+ Bald Eagles at the Monroe Power Plant and 90+ overall, Snow Buntings, a White-winged Scoter, and two Peregrine Falcons. The Willet is a large shorebird that normally winters in Florida and represents the first CBC record in Michigan.
Notes and photos from my day are as follows:
0700 Hrs. Ptly cloudy, 24ºF, winds WSW 5-15 mph. I meet Allen Chartier and Will Weber at the Whiting Plant in southern Monroe Co. After checking in with the guard shack, we head down to the Lake Erie shoreline at the foot of Erie Rd. Snow cover is a good 4-8" in spots, and most of the inland waterways (ponds, creeks, etc.) are frozen.
As we head toward the lake on foot Will spots a Merlin flying overhead in the still relative dark. First bird of the morning! The lake is open, but there is significant ice along the shoreline, especially in areas sheltered from the wind and away from the warm water discharge of the power plant.
We are greeted at the lakeshore by numerous flying Herring and Ring-billed Gulls and a small raft of dabbling/diving ducks. The rising sun is blood red as it breaks through waning clouds and the condensing fog from the discharge waters.
We're able to ID some Greater Scaup, Redheads, Common Goldeneye, Common Mergansers, and a Ring-necked Duck but lighting and fog make visibility somewhat poor.
A walk south along the shoreline yields a pair of Pied-billed Grebes and a Belted Kingfisher at the mouth of the discharge. A week or so earlier a Willet, Killdeer and a pair of Dunlin were sighted here by Tom Kemp and several others from Ohio, but hopes are only wishful that they are still around.
We ascend the banks next to the discharge canal and walk the road along the perimeter of the plant. A Killdeer is sighted flying overhead, but I am too slow with the camera to get an image. A small flock of Great Blue Herons are observed flying south toward Erie Marsh, and a lone Northern Harrier is observed flying low over the frozen ponds.
Allen and Will hear a Snow Bunting flying overhead. At the south end of the plant we again descend the banks to the shoreline and begin walking the shoreline toward Woodtick Peninsula. The snow is deep, and walking is slow, but we manage numerous American Tree Sparrows and several Swamp Sparrows, along with Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, White-throated Sparrows and Song Sparrows.
1015-1045 Hrs. As we head back northward along the power plant road north of the discharge Will shouts 'shorebird!'. We run to the fence and immediately recognize the Willet reported previously. Allen and I scramble to get our cameras as we know that photos will be needed to record what could be the first CBC record for Michigan. I take several pictures of the bird through the fence, then digiscope several images before scrambling down the bank to the shoreline for closer views. I slowly approach the bird from the south, settling down on the shoreline approximately 20-50 feet away. The Willet is uniform gray with a slight eye ring, a bluish-gray heavy bill and blue-gray legs. It flaps its wings at least once, showing its distinctive black and white wing stripes.
A flock of gulls suddenly scatter from nearby, causing the Willet to give an alarm call and take off back to the south side of the discharge canal. I have it focused through my camera as it flies within 10-20 feet, but my camera jams (naturally!). It then lands on the south side of the canal in shallow water, and is now between us and the sun. All we can do at that point is take silhouette images. The Willet appears somewhat surreal standing in shallow water surrounded by apparently frozen tundra.
The morning is late, so I leave Allen and Will and head off for the Monroe Power Plant count at noon.
J.R. Whiting Power Plant, Monroe, Michigan, US
Dec 17, 2005 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Allen Chartier and Will Weber as part of the Area 2 count of Monroe, MI CBC. 24F. 4-8" snow. Most inland waterways frozen.
49 species (+2 other taxa)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 120
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 39
American Wigeon (Mareca americana) 3
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 529
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 40
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) 6
Redhead (Aythya americana) 18
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) 2
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) 44
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 519
Aythya sp. (Aythya sp.) 500
White-winged Scoter (Melanitta deglandi) 1
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 28
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 174
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 23
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) 3
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 3
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 38
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Willet (Tringa semipalmata) 1 The Willet had been reported earlier in the week at the Whiting Plant by a group of Ohio birders (see Appendix 1). It had represented the 1st winter record of a Willet in the state of Michigan, so Will Weber, Alan Chartier and I were well aware of the significance of the sighting. We had birded the shoreline of Lake Erie just north of the warm water discharge of the Whiting Plant earlier in the morning (7:30am) but saw no unusual sightings near the discharge (a pair of Pied-billed Grebes were the exception). After walking the Lake Erie Shoreline south of the discharge we ascended the banks to the road running along the perimeter of the power plant and running parallel to the shoreline. At 10:15am Will Weber spotted the Willet in shallow water at shores edge and shouted "shorebird". From the road above the lake we were approximately 60 yards from the bird, but recognized it instantly as the Willet. The bird was identified immediately as a 'large' shorebird and we knew its identity even before we had our binoculars on it. The bird was plain, drab gray, and about the size of a Greater Yellowlegs. Its bill was heavy and dark, and its leg were light gray (typical of a Willet in basic plumage). All three of us put our scopes on it and immediately commented that we better get pictures of it for the Records Committee. I took several images from our location through the fence using a Nikon D70 and Sigma 400mm f/5.6 (see below). I then pulled out my brand new Canon Powershot A620 digital camera in order to digiscope the bird. Having only had the camera for 1 day prior to the Monroe, MI CBC I feverishly attempted to get some decent images. I then descended the banks w/ both cameras and scope, and attempted to get closer to the bird
Description of the voice, if heard: The bird gave the alarm call as it flew past me. The high-pitched, rapid warble given when they take off in alarm. It was similar to the last call given in the Stokes Eastern Guide to Bird Sounds.
Description of Behavior: The bird was casually feeding along the shoreline with little regard to our presence. It only flew after a bunch of Herring/Ring-billed Gulls took off nearby.
Similarly appearing species which are eliminated by descriptions above, and Explain:
Yellowlegs (Tringa sp.) would be the nearest looking shorebird in size and general shape, but the pale gray legs, bluish-gray heavy bill left no question as to its ID. MBRC Rare Bird report submitted.
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 3050
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 160
gull sp. (Larinae sp.) 1000
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 7
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 64 All along the shoreline and in the woods and Erie Marsh canals. Total CBC count was 238 including 160 at Monroe PP.
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 1
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 2
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) 1 Seen by Will, Alan and me. Sooty-looking woodpecker with yellow on shoulder, red cap and throat. Not Downy or Hairy - could see yellow and gray flanks
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 13
Merlin (Falco columbarius) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 4
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 5
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 11
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) 8
Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) 2
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 2
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 27
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 1
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) 1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 7
Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) 1
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) 50
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 2
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 10
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 19
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 13
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
1200 Hrs. I arrive at the Monroe Power Plant and meet Tim Walsh, Matt Shackelford, John McDaniel, Russell Columbus and Tim Smart. We take two vehicles and proceed down the trail along the warm water discharge canal. We find mostly Herring and Ring-billed Gulls flying up and down the canal, but manage a single Bonaparte's Gull flying among the masses.
We soon spot the first of 'numerous' Bald Eagles flying overhead, and I manage a few flight shots.
Tim, Matt and John then point to a pair of Great Egrets along the opposite bank, a rare winter sighting and first CBC record in many years.
Several more Bald Eagle sightings are made as we backtrack toward the power plant.
As we pass the main building/stacks, Matt points out a Peregrine Falcon roosting atop one of the ledges. We stop and get several digiscoped images before moving on.
As we circle back around the plant toward the Raisin River inlet, several Hooded Mergansers, Mallard, Black Duck, Scaup, and Common Mergansers are spotted. A pair of immature Bald Eagles wrestle with each other overhead, and several more are flying out over the river toward the mouth.
Lake Erie looks like a scene out of the arctic with large slabs of thick ice forming deep shelves above the shoreline. Out in open water we spot numerous Canada Geese, Bufflehead, Goldeneye, Mergansers, and more eagles.
Passing by the open marsh to the north we count up to 70 Great Blue Herons roosting along the shore. Bald Eagles and more herons are lining the shoreline at the mouth of the discharge canal. We are suddenly startled to find an immature Black-crowned Night Heron fly in and land next to our parked vehicles. Startled by our presence, it flies off into the marsh. We then spot an unknown wren along the trail brush, and soon see the white eye-stripe enough to identify it as a Carolina Wren.
We then leave the power plant, and drive over to the fly-ash ponds off Dunbar Rd. Several more Bald Eagles are seen on the ice in the back waters, and at one point we count 18 adults and 6 immature eagles in one stand of trees. Another 13 immature eagles are sitting out on open ice next to shore.
A Northern Harrier entertains us for several minutes as it slowly floats along the burm on the opposite side of a drainage ditch. I manage several keeper shots of it in flight, and soon see a second bird farther down the road.
Dec 17, 2005 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
23.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: 2005 Christmas Bird Count; 4-8" snow, 20F, inland ponds frozenLake Erie partly open , clear - pt cloudy
42 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 134
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 8
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 161
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 40
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) 6
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 2
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 20
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 28
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 40
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) 182
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 8
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 1
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 355
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 1600
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) 23 Exact count; Lake Erie shoreline, coal piles and roof tops. Roosting birds and flying. Larger than Herring w/ white heads and black backs. Immatures w/ dark, checkered backs and whitish heads.
Larus sp. (Larus sp.) 350 Mixed Ring-billed and Herring Gulls
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 32
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2 Warm water discharge. Photos. Large white egrets
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 160 Roosting along mile-long discharge canal and back side of Bolles Harbor island. Typical CBC count.
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 5
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 72 27 adult and 45 immature along warm-water discharge of Monroe PowerPlant and Lake Erie
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 4
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 2
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 6
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 2
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 3
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 9
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 6
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 3
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 2
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 286
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 1
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) 9
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 6
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 12
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
1700 Hrs. Twenty-five of us meet for dinner at the Michigan Bar and Grill on S. Monroe St. Shari Gilzow helps me compile results, and when all is entered, we tally 90 species, with the following totals:
