Fisherman's Island State Park - 29 Sep 2007


First off, a big shout-out to MDOT's Courtesy Vans! Robin and I attempted to drive up north to the condo on Thursday evening last week, but shortly before I-275 and I-96 E I hit something in the road that tore up my right rear tire. I managed to drive a 1/2 mile before the low tire pressure indicator came on. I pulled off the road and stopped right behind a Courtesy Van that had stopped to help someone else out. The young gentleman helped me put the spare on the car and we limped back home to fix a torn tire.

Friday morning, after a trip to the Ford dealer, we headed back north. After lunch in Traverse City we stopped at the Elk Rapids Sewage Ponds to look for shorebirds. A single Lesser Yellowlegs flew off from the near shore and landed across the pond, where (6) Pectoral Sandpipers and (1) Least Sandpiper. A number of Wood Ducks were also present in the farther ponds. Unable to digiscope through the fence, we headed northward toward Central Lake and our condo.

Elk Rapids Treatment Ponds, Antrim, Michigan, US
Sep 28, 2007 1:15 PM - 1:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
4 species

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  10
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  1
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  6

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S170565710

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Saturday morning I drove up Co-65 toward Charlevoix. Just before Ellsworth I spotted a Red Fox crossing the road in front of me, but was too far away to get any pics before it headed into the woods. A doe and fawn were also there, but disappeared before I could grab the camera.

Arriving at Fisherman's Island State Park I scoped the lake but saw nothing. Driving into the park I scanned the shoreline and came across a pair of Great Blue Herons among a group of Ring-billed Gulls. 

Shortly after, I came upon (3) Turkey Vultures out among the rocky shoreline feeding on a carcass. Grabbing my scope I slowly made my way toward them, stopping every few yards to get some digiscoped images. Two adults and one immature bird with its black head were picking at a fish and tended to tussle over scraps. 







I stopped and took a short video while I scanned the skies for fly-over American Pipits, which I had heard a few moments before. The vultures flushed and my camera jammed while trying to get flight shots as they flew away.

Walking the beach toward Fisherman's Island I continued to scan overhead as flock after flock of American Pipits continued to fly in from out over the lake. Birds flew in 3-5 at a time, but never stopped until they disappeared over the dunes farther south along the shoreline.


A single juvenile Sanderling, in basic plumage, appeared ahead feeding along the shoreline, and cautiously kept me in its sites at all time. I stopped and got some nice digiscoped images of it as it posed in the early morning sunshine. 








Farther off a Broad-winged Hawk was being harassed by three American Crows. As I watched them off in the distance a Black-bellied Plover could be heard calling as it flew overhead.

The island itself was quiet, so I headed back to the car. As I walked the shoreline more and more flocks of pipits flew in, now a dozen or two at a time. None stopped along the shore...

Fisherman's Island SP, Charlevoix, Michigan, US
Sep 29, 2007 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
8 species

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  1
Sanderling (Calidris alba)  1
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  16
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  2
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  3
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)  1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  3
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  46     Walking the beach toward Fisherman's Island I continued to scan overhead as flock after flock of American Pipits continued to fly in from out over the lake. Birds flew in 3-5 at a time, but never stopped until they disappeared over the dunes farther south along the shoreline.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S170568175

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

After lunch in Elk Rapids, a second stop at the sewage ponds netted only (1) Pectoral Sandpiper and (1) Lesser Yellowlegs. Three American Pipits were foraging along the shoreline of the farthest pond, and I could barely make them out at 60X as I rested the scope on the top of the fence.

Elk Rapids Treatment Ponds, Antrim, Michigan, US
Sep 29, 2007 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
3 species

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  1
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  1
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S170568734

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Driving home this morning through Bellaire I got a chuckle watching a group of Wild Turkeys crossing the street in the middle of town at a cross-walk to a green light!

Downtown Bellaire, Antrim, Michigan, US
Sep 30, 2007 7:30 AM - 7:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
1 species

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)  6     Driving home this morning through Bellaire I got a chuckle watching a group of Wild Turkeys crossing the street in the middle of town at a cross-walk to a green light!

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S170569153

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)