Out like a Lion! - 28 Feb 2009


February ended with a reminder that Winter has not given up its ghost. Saturday morning we woke to temperatures that reached -20ºF in Central Lake! Skies were clear and blue but the air had a sting to it. Still, temps reached -11ºF by 8:30 am and would reach the teens by noon.

Robin and I drove up to the condo here in Central Lake on Friday afternoon. Along the way we managed to see a fly-over Sandhill Crane along I-96W at Island Lake Recreation area. 

Island Lake SRA--East (Oakland Co.), Oakland, Michigan, US
Feb 27, 2009 4:00 PM - 4:10 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
1 species

Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S166297056

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

Further north along US-127 we spotted an adult Bald Eagle feeding on a carcass on the still frozen Maple River State Game Area while a juvenile eagle soared overhead. 

Maple River SGA (Gratiot Co.), Gratiot, Michigan, US
Feb 27, 2009 4:30 PM - 4:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
1 species

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S166297284

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

Fifteen minutes later we saw a pair of American Kestrel, an immature Rough-legged Hawk, and an immature Northern Harrier just before the Ithaca exit. The harrier was perched in a tree along the roadside, but traffic was too heavy for me to slow down.

Ithaca Sewage Treatment Ponds, Gratiot, Michigan, US
Feb 27, 2009 4:46 PM - 4:51 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.4 mile(s)
3 species

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)  1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S166297438

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

With temps as cold as they were Saturday morning we decided to take a ride to Traverse City. After lunch in Elk Rapids we returned to the condo. With clear skies I decided to drive down to the bridge that separates Intermediate and Hanley Lakes. Only a small patch of open water existed below the bridge, but it managed to hold several pairs of Common Goldeneye, a pair of Hooded Mergansers, and a pair of Bufflehead.



I spent a half-hour or so digiscoping several male Common Goldeneye that swam and courted nearby females. They would swim half-submerged with just their bills sticking out of water. 










A pair of drake Hooded Mergansers also allowed a few pics to be taken, but lighting was not favorable for any keepers. So I decided to walk across the street and check out the canal.

Across the bridge in the small canal connecting the two lakes a male Bufflehead and a second Common Goldeneye swam close enough for a few photos. The sun bouncing off the rippling water and some of the reflections from background objects made for some interesting patterns on the water.



With fingers getting numb I headed back to the condo and found three Black-capped Chickadees playing in the bare tree next to the garage. One bird stayed long enough to scold me for taking its photo. 


With that I packed the car and we headed back home.

Thurston Park, Antrim, Michigan, US
Feb 28, 2009 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.2 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cold, -10F
4 species

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  1
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  7
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S166297687

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