Lake Erie Metropark - 25 Oct 2008

It rained all yesterday afternoon and evening, and forecasts called for continued rain this morning, followed by clouds. However, skies were clearing at sunrise, so I drove down to Pt. Mouillee. 

Roberts Rd. was quiet except for a few White-throated Sparrows feeding alongside the road. 

Stoneco/Rockwood Quarry, Monroe, Michigan, US
Oct 25, 2008 8:30 AM - 8:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     It rained all yesterday afternoon and evening, and forecasts called for continued rain this morning, followed by clouds. However, skies were clearing at sunrise
1 species

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  4

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S167041304

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

Backtracking to Campau Rd. I drove over to the boat ramp at Pt. Moo HQ and found Patricia Gamburd parked near the water. Winds were starting to pick up, but we took a look out over the bay for shorebirds. A west wind was pushing the water out into the lake, exposing the mudflats near the mouth of the river. Hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls were roosting and feeding. We watched as several hundred Double-crested Cormorants moved south along the lake shore. 

Out on the mudflats I spotted a single American Golden Plover and three Black-bellied Plovers. A pair of Greater Yellowlegs and several Killdeer were the only other shorebirds until a flock of two dozen Dunlin flew in. Nearby a Great Blue Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron fed in the ditch next to the parking lot while a Sharp-shinned Hawk roosted in a bare snag across the marsh.

Pte. Mouillee SGA--HQ, Wayne, Michigan, US
Oct 25, 2008 9:00 AM - 9:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Winds were starting to pick up, A west wind was pushing the water out into the lake, exposing the mudflats near the mouth of the river.
11 species

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  3
American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica)  1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  4
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  2
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  24
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  45
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  120
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  250     Large flocks flying along the horizon south
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S167041757

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

We then drove over to Lake Erie Metropark and stopped at the Marshland Museum. At the entrance into the woods we found dozens of White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Robins and Golden-crowned Kinglets feeding on privet berries. I managed a few pics of the warblers before spotting an immature Baltimore Oriole that flew in for a moment (see image at top).

The woods were buzzing with dozens of Yellow-rumps, more Kinglets, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, several Downy Woodpeckers, and more White-throats. I managed to photograph a White-crowned Sparrow among the masses. 

As we walked we flushed a Cooper's Hawk, had a Red-tailed Hawk fly overhead, and spotted a Rusty Blackbird among several Red-winged Blackbirds roosting along the canal. At one point I made the comment of hoping to see some Hermit Thrushes when three birds appeared practically at our feet. Unable to get clear photos we settled for nice looks through the binoculars. It turned out to be a nice morning despite news that winds will be in the 40+ mph range tomorrow, and that the Upper Peninsula is getting its first snow storm this afternoon.....

Lake Erie Metropark, Wayne, Michigan, US
Oct 25, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
13 species

Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  1
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  2
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  6
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)  3
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  2
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)  1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  8
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  1     Immature bird feeding near flock of warblers. Orange icterid w/ white wingbars, and dark olive cap, drark orange throat.
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  5
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  24

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S167042555

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