Missed opportunities - 13 Feb 2008

This picture pretty much summed up my brief day of birding today. Stopping by the Seaway Boat Club in Wyandotte I was about 15 seconds too late to capture an adult Great Black-backed Gull soar by the shoreline. As I got out of the car a 1st-winter GBBG floated by, but I was too slow before the fencing obstructed my view.

I captured this fella in mid-kaak at the foot of St. John's at the boat launch. Just to its left was a group of Ring-billed Gulls, including a 1st-winter bird and several adults. A pair of Canvasback and American Coot were next to the ice at the foot of the ramp, but I didn't feel like scaring them away just to get closer, so I moved on to the foot of Southfield Rd.

Scanning the south side of Mud Island I counted (16) Great Blue Herons roosting along the shoreline and taking advantage of the late afternoon sun. An unknown passerine was struggling to fly across the ice in the middle of the river and landed among the herons at shore's edge. I had elected to leave my scope in the car and thus missed a possibly good bird (may also have just been a Robin). Ducks were far out in the river, but it was nice to watch the Ring-necks, Gadwall, Redhead and Canvasbacks swim by the island. I captured this Common Merganser fly by before heading to Dearborn.

Deciding to make a quick run by the sunflower fields in Dearborn I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk perched atop a small spruce just past the entrance into the Lowes parking lot along the Southfield service drive. Pulling up ever so slowly and rolling down the window I raised my camera to capture a nice portrait only to realize that it had flipped upside-down around my neck. By the time I flipped it back around the bird had lofted itself into the air and flew away over the ponds. After dipping on the sunflower fields (zilch, zip, nada) I headed home for dinner. There will always be tomorrow!