Hot day birding! - 09 Aug 2009


The forecast for this Sunday morning called for temps in the low-mid 90's and a heat index over 100ºF. At 6 am the air already felt heavy. But it was supposed to be sunny today, so I grabbed the bike and headed down to the Mouillee Creek entrance of Pt. Mouillee SGA.

I met up w/ Charles Owens, who had just arrived, and we headed up the Middle Causeway to look for the pelicans, avocet, godwits, and whatever else might turn up.

Just as we arrived in the Walpatich Unit we spotted a Great Egret posing atop a bare snag. Though the sun was just rising it was still a good oportunity to get a pic or two w/ the Coolpix P6000 and the Zeiss 85T*Fl spotting scope.


At the pump house we spotted a Baltimore Oriole atop a large willow tree. I got a few digiscoped images, but lighting was not terrific. A Willow Flycatcher was sitting on the railing near the southeast corner pumping its tail. I was too slow to get a photo.

We rode up to the junction of Lead, Long Pond and Vermet Units and were soon joined by Todd Palgut. A flock of Least Sandpipers were in the mudspit along the east side of the Long Pond Unit, but flew to the north a moments after we arrived. There was little action in the adjacent units, and winds were starting to pick up. So we decided not to linger and move on.

We headed up to Cell 3 to look for the American Avocet that has been around for the past few weeks. As we approached the northwest corner the American White Pelicans could be seen at a distance. As we scoped the shorebirds at the end of the expansive mudflat the Avocet came into view along the west shoreline. Chuck and I moved along the dike to get closer to the bird, which was quietly preening just a few feet from the shoreline. I stooped to digiscope the bird while Chuck move up ahead. I took several images of the Avocet as it began to feed again, and then moved closer. The bird appeared to fluff up for a moment, as if to warn us not to come closer, then continued to do its thing. I managed to grab a shot of it catching a minnow, followed by an embarrassing moment, and its reaction after realizing its faux pas!
















Todd, Chuck and I then headed back to the east side of Cell 3 in order to get a better look at the eight American White Pelicans still roosting in middle of the Cell. I grabbed several images of the birds w/ the Nikon D300 and Sigma 400mm f/5.6 before taking some digiscoped images. With the sun shining on the white birds I had to adjust exposure -1 to -2 stops so as not to overexpose their feathers.






A flock of 8 Sanderlings flew in and began to feed among a Ruddy Turnstone and a Pectoral Sandpiper.

The three of us headed back to the west dike where Jim Fowler, Tex Wells and Mike L(?) were scoping Cell 3. We chatted a bit, then headed northward toward Cell 5 and the Vermet Unit. As Todd rode on ahead, Chuck and I suddenly stopped as a 3 ft. Northern Water Snake crossed the road in front of us. Just a few feet ahead a smaller Fox Snake was sunning itself in the middle of the road. Chuck got on his belly to take of photos of the snake (Chuck's the one w/ the camera). 





We caught up w/ Todd, who was scoping several Short-billed Dowitchers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plovers, Semipalmated Sandpipers and Pectoral Sandpipers. We had no luck finding the Red-necked Phalarope reported Friday morning, or the the Marbled Godwits.



I moved ahead and found an immature Bald Eagle roosting in one of the dead trees along Cell 5. A single Snowy Egret was out in the middle of the Vermet Unit, and I managed a few digiscoped images despite the high winds. At the northwest corner of the Vermet Unit we stopped a scoped more Pectoral Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Caspian and Common Terns, but no godwits.



With the morning running late, and two of us risking trouble w/ the wives, we headed back toward the Middle Causeway and the parking lot. Along the way we spotted a doe and fawn staring at us from the Long Pond Unit. It was slow, hard ride as we rode into a hot, steady headwind. But despite the wind and heat, it was a pretty good morning.


Thanks Todd and Chuck for the company!

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Aug 9, 2009 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
7.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Charles Owens and me; Forecast is mid 90's w/ feels in 100F
18 species

American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)  1     Continuing in Cell 3. Still retaining breeding plumage (red on neck and head). Photos.
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  2
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  4
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  6
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  4
Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)  1
Sanderling (Calidris alba)  8
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  8
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  3
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  10
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  6
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)  6
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  8
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)  1
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S166079078

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