Pt. Mouillee SGA - 16 Feb 2008
Driving along Roberts Rd. I stopped in a few locations and played a Screech Owl call to see if I could get any response. It was already 7:30 and the sun was starting to appear, so my hopes were few. But I stopped in front of a very large, old tree with several cavities and played the call.
Four Black-capped Chickadees appeared and as I watched them I noticed a little Eastern Screech Owl duck his head into one of the cavities. Apparently it was peering out and I didn't notice it until it ducked inside. A couple of the chickadees investigated the cavity a few seconds before moving on.
Driving back around the Flat Rock Quarry I spotted a pair Red-tailed Hawks in the morning sunlight, but they flew off before I could get close enough to even consider photographing them.
Arriving at the Mouillee Creek entrance I loaded up the scope, backpack, camera and binocs and headed in. It was cold, but comfortable. Photography would be a problem today as every time I raised my camera or binocs to my eyes the lenses would fog.
Just a 100 yds in I hear a Red-winged Blackbird singing "Konk-la-reee". A male was perched in the sun and singing away despite the near-zero temps! Farther off a Northern Cardinal was also singing.
As I arrived near the pump house I heard a Carolina Wren singing from a brush pile. I stopped for a few minutes to watch a pair of birds chase each other around the pile. One bird perched long enough on a tall snag long enough for me to approach close enough for a fair digiscoped image. A Swamp Sparrow made a brief appearance before ducking back into the pile.
As I reached the Nelson Unit I spotted the first of two Northern Harriers working the frozen marshes. They never approached close enough for a photo opportunity, so I kept walking. Things were very quiet, and only a hand-full of Tree Sparrows were observed feeding atop the phragmites near the Lead Unit.
I hiked all the way to the Banana Unit and turned left. The lake was frozen for as long as you could see, and only a couple of ice fisherman were visible with their shanties. A single adult Bald Eagle was roosting out in the middle of the Vermet Unit. As I approached Cell 5 I spotted another (3) Bald Eagles roosting along the dike. I had hoped to get close enough for a digiscoped image, but an approaching ice fisherman flushed them. They were joined by two more eagles as they flew to join the lone eagle in the Vermet to form a roost of six birds.
Reaching the North Causeway I scoped the lake and found another (6) Bald Eagles roosting in a dead tree along the far shore across the river.
Walking back along the trail separating the Long Pond and Vermet Units I spotted a Northern Harrier again, but would see no more birds the rest of the morning. I was tired, and the weight of my gear was straing my neck and back enough to force me to make several stops. But I managed to complete a good 6-mile hike before reaching the car at 11:30am.
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Feb 16, 2008 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
6.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Clear, temps near zero. Inland ponds frozen, snow-covered
10 species
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 2
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 12
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) 1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 4
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 2 Pair of birds singing and chasing each other near the pump house. One bird perched long enough on a tall snag long enough for me to approach close enough for a fair digiscoped image.
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) 4
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Feb 16, 2008 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
6.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Clear, temps near zero. Inland ponds frozen, snow-covered
10 species
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 2
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 12
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio) 1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 4
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 2 Pair of birds singing and chasing each other near the pump house. One bird perched long enough on a tall snag long enough for me to approach close enough for a fair digiscoped image.
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) 4
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
